Women Inspired! | Weekly Interviews With Some Of The World's Most Inspiring Women!

This week on the podcast, we’re diving into the topics of obesity and bariatric surgery. These topics are important ones to cover in their own right, but even beyond that, they’re topics that touch on many of the psychological hurdles that all of us face when we have to make a change in our life.  This week’s guest is Kayla Landaeta. Growing up, Kayla was overweight and obese. In college, Kayla weighed 343 pounds, and eventually, she realized that she wanted to make a change in her life. She discovered bariatric surgery and navigated her way through the hoops she had to jump through, the self-limiting beliefs that arose, and the new identity she had to take on after she lost over 160 pounds.   In this episode Kayla not only shares her own journey, but she shares so much wisdom from her work as a bariatric life coach. In this episode, we talk about the notion of radical responsibility and how you can make the decision to change your life. We talk about self-identity and how it can cause us to stay in situation

Everyone has been given 1 life to live, but sadly, not everyone is an active participant in their own life.   One of the key reasons for this is that they are not willing to accept responsibility for that active role. They are not willing to take radical responsibility for their life.  This is the focus of today’s podcast episode.  Today, we’re talking about the topic of radical responsibility, which means taking 100% responsibility for 100% of the situations you find yourself in.   In this episode, I talk about what radical responsibility is, and what it’s not. I talk about why it’s so absolutely critical that you cultivate it. How to spot areas of your life where you aren’t taking responsibility, and then I take you through a 3-step life design process for beginning to regain control.   Taking radical responsibility for my life was one of the most transformative and powerful things I’ve ever done. And, I want the same for you. I want YOU to be the active creator of your own life that you deserve to be. I wa

Think back to the last time you had to have a really tough conversation. Maybe it was a difficult conversation with your spouse, a friend, or someone at work. Maybe it was a family member or an employee. No matter what, there’s no denying how terrifying these conversations can be.  This week, we’re talking to AmyK Hutchens. She is an internationally-renowned speaker, and an expert who teaches people how to confidently & competently navigate their toughest conversations without saying something they regret, giving their power away, or damaging their relationships.  In this interview, AmyK gives us so many actionable ways to approach our toughest conversations from the mindset that we need to cultivate before we even begin the conversation, down to specific phrases we can use to quickly build connection and empathy with the person we’re talking to.  AmyK is truly masterful, and we’re so thrilled to have her on the podcast this week. Please visit her at www.amyk.com to take advantage of so many resour

This episode will change your life.   We all have habits that we want to change. Maybe we want to eat healthier, drink less, or exercise more. You’ve likely set a goal to change a particularly difficult habit....and then failed. Likely multiple times.  We set New Years’ resolutions, and they fall through.   Habit change is hard.  Today, we’re featuring Dr. Glenn Livingston, author of the book “Never Binge Again” on the podcast. Not only is he a Ph.D. trained psychologist, but he himself lost 80 pounds by using the pillars of psychological strength to change his own behavior.  During his interview we dive deep into the areas of your brain that control habitual behavior and how they can trick you into giving up on your goals to change your own habits. We talk about the role of intentionally cultivating self-awareness and psychological strength to begin pushing back against the urges and impulses of our “reptilian brain.”   And at the end, Dr. Livingston gives actionable tips about how to get started in changing

So many of us operate from the perspective that life is supposed to follow a linear path. So much so that, when we find ourselves at a crossroads or we feel compelled to go in a new direction, it can be incredibly difficult for us! This is why I am so excited for you to meet this week’s guest, Shannon Schottler. Shannon is a certified life/career transitions & leadership coach. Her mission is to empower more individuals to find, know and honor their truth personally and professionally. She believes now more than ever that our world needs more self-aware leaders who know not only how to lead a mission, a team or a business…but also lead themselves extraordinarily well. Self-aware leaders will change the world and that starts with you. In her interview, we talked about so many actionable concepts. We talked about something she calls the “Cycle of Renewal.” During this discussion, Shannon gives labels to the stages we go through during our lives that can range from highly motivated, action-packed stages, to

We all want the best for our kids; that goes without saying. But, sometimes, our best intentions actually get in the way of our kids making the mistakes they need to make to grow and develop into educated, high-functioning adults.  In today’s episode, we’re talking with Teru Clavel, the author of the brand new book “World Class.” In her book, Teru compares the educational system we have in the United States with the system she encountered as her family moved from country to country in Asia.   Most notably, she saw that the growth mindset was extremely prevalent in Asia. Effort and practice were valued above simple achievement. The concept of failure was seemingly nonexistent. Rather, the Asian approach to education focused on viewing failure as an opportunity to learn more. And the intentional role that parents, teachers, and broader society plays in children’s education is very different than what we know in the United States.   I hope you’ll tune into this episode to gain a broader view of what educa

Gratitude is something we hear about a lot in the mainstream personal development literature…and it’s also a topic that gets simplified and manipulated in mainstream media. We’ve all seen the pretty social media posts that urge us to think positively, but those simplistic posts ignore the complexity and nuance that occurs within our emotional response.   So, in this special episode of the Building Psychological Strength podcast, Ashley and I talk about the complexity surrounding gratitude and the ways that it can be misconstrued.  In particular, we talk about the role of gratitude: In the good times  When we, ourselves, are going through something traumatic.  When others are going through something traumatic  We hit on the importance of precisely labeling our emotions to help tease them apart and understand them. And, most importantly, we talk about ways to use gratitude and our emotional response to catalyze action in a direction that aligns to our goals.   You won’t want to miss this episode if you’ve eve

The notion of being “fearless” is one that is so highly celebrated in our culture.  But here’s the thing…there’s no such thing as being fearless. Fear, as a response, is primal and adaptive. It is natural and ingrained in us to fear the unknown, and there’s nothing we can do about the fact that we’ll experience fear anytime we step outside of our comfort zones.   However, what we can do something about is how we respond to fear.  Today, you’re going to hear from Kate Swoboda, the author of the book “The Courage Habit.” Kate has spent the last 13 years of her career as a practitioner of the field of life coaching, and it shows.   In this interview, she shares incredibly valuable wisdom with us about the 4 responses we typically have when faced with fear, and the 4 things you can do instead to develop your own courage habit. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this interview, you’ll learn how incredibly powerful your subconscious mind is. At Peak Mind, we say that your mind can be your most valuable asset or your biggest liability, and this episode illustrates that.   This week you’ll meet Tiffany Toombs. Tiffany runs Blue Lotus Mind, and she works with her clients to help them understand how their subconscious minds are operating, where their self-limiting beliefs might have come from, and how to move forward to achieve exactly what you want to have in your life.   Tiffany has a Bachelor’s in Kinesiology from Calgary, Canada. She is a Master Practitioner and Trainer in Neurolinguistic Programming and a Master Practitioner and Trainer in Matrix Therapies. She has a wealth of knowledge and expertise about the way the subconscious mind impacts us in our daily lives, and she shares all of that with us in this interview.  Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What do you stand for? What are you willing to show up for in the world? And… What are you NOT willing to show up for? This week’s guest on the podcast had to ask herself that important question as she went through one of the most challenging parts of her life - a health battle with her brand new baby. At the most challenging part of her life, Danielle Jokinen had to decide what she stood for, and more importantly, what she DIDN’T stand for, and that’s an exercise we ALL should go through. Danielle is a certified yoga teacher and the owner of Minnesota Power Yoga, a babtiste yoga affiliate. She is also the creator of the yoga method called YOD, which combines traditional yoga with HIIT to create an unforgettable and effective workout. In her episode we hit on some very powerful lessons: The importance of mindfulness (through breath and body work) as you move through adversity. Moving through adversity with intention. Choosing LOVE when everything else around you might be falling apart. This episode is

What have I learned from interviewing the world’s most inspiring women over the past 3 years? That’s what we’re digging into in this episode. Over the past 3 years, I have had the fortune to be able to chat with some POWERHOUSE women. Women who have faced adversity most of us will never encounter. Women who have built companies, achieved goals, and truly THRIVED in their lives. It’s eery how common the lessons they share are. As I get ready to pivot the Women Inspired podcast and turn the corner to the Building Psychological Strength podcast, I wanted to give you a gift. This episode covers the 7 major lessons I learned over and over again while interviewing these amazing women. My hope for you is that these lessons are the catalyst you need to RISE in your own life.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week we’re digging into some of those times in life when our feelings and needs can feel really opaque and complex. Those times when you feel friction, but you’re having a difficult time pointing to exactly why you feel friction. Those times when the friction you feel causes you to feel guilty because you don’t realize that the emotions you’re feeling are totally normal, expected, and common for the situation you’re in. This episode is for you if you’ve ever been in that situation. This week, you’ll meet Lisa Hyde. She is the author of BE #StrongHER, a guide to building confidence, an entrepreneur, beauty, health and wellness expert, retail trend spotter, sought-after public speaker, and advisor to the next-generation of entrepreneurs with The Confidence Crown podcast. Lisa offers hard-won wisdom gleaned from working as a Talent Agent and manager for 12 years as well as more than seven years experience as an entrepreneur. In this episode, we talk about: Taking care of others is incredibly difficult and

Think of your biggest dream. Your biggest goal. The one that makes you quiver because you KNOW you don’t completely have what it takes to accomplish it. The one where the path feels completely obscure, and maybe you can only see the first step or two. That’s the size of the goal I want you to have in mind when you listen to today’s episode with Rachel Nearhood. Rachel is the founder of Ellie and Ott, a subscription that gives parents a month-by-month game plan to enhance playtime with their little ones and to hone their parenting chops. Yes, Ellie and Ott is an incredible business, but where Rachel and I dig in today is in her journey toward creating this incredible business. Specifically, we touch on: Her original idea and the fact that she had to pivot and change it to make it successful. (NOTE: No where in that sentence did I utter the word “fail” the way that some people would think about this type of pivot.) How little she knew how to do in the beginning and how she went about figuring everything out

Today’s episode is an extremely short episode that hits right in the center of a very important topic: failure. More specifically, I’m talking about failure as something that is: Necessary 100% inevitable A great indication that you’re on the right path Listen to this episode, and ask yourself, “How many times did I fall today?”Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In the field of Positive Psychology, there is a concept called “thriving through adversity” and “post-traumatic resilience.” Imagine that. Experiencing extreme adversity in your life, and instead of having that adversity break you, coming out of it even more resilient than you went in. Amazing huh?! Today’s guest is a beautiful example of just that. Today, you’re going to meet Nancy Solari. Nancy is a Life Coach, a motivational speaker, author, radio show host, and she is legally blind. Nancy and her 2 sisters were all diagnosed with retinosis pigmentosa when she was 16. The doctors told her that she would eventually go blind, and today, she is living with legal blindness. I felt so fortunate to chat with Nancy for this episode because the wisdom she has learned throughout her journey with her vision loss is something that we can all benefit from. In fact, her company Living Full Out, seeks to help everyone make the most of their own life, even in spite of the adversity they might be experiencing. I know you’

So many people secretly hold the goal of leaving their 9-5 job to work for themselves, but the leap from traditional employment to an entrepreneurial gig can feel so big and scary! This week’s guest is going to put it into perspective for you in a way that no one else really does. This week, you’re going to meet Michelle Evans! Michelle is an entrepreneur in the online marketing space who helps other companies steadily attract new clients through online marketing funnels. What’s amazing about this interview though is the approach Michelle took toward becoming an entrepreneur. It is NOT the slash and burn, abruptly quit your job one day sort of story. Rather, Michelle worked with a career coach, got to know herself really well, then began creating her dream job alongside her 9-5 job. This allowed her to build her business without the pressure of making it sustain her for all of her financial needs. What a different perspective than what you typically hear, huh?! Here’s what we dig into: Alignment to your val

Friends, I have an announcement, and because you have been along this journey with me, I want you to hear it first. The podcast is pivoting. As you know, I have been cultivating my work more and more in the direction of psychological strength and life design. Specifically, recently I partnered with Ashley Smith to form Peak Mind: The Center for Psychological Strength. Our goal is to bring rigor and scientific-backing to the personal development space by offering content around the tools, techniques, and concepts from the fields of Psychology and Life Design. Think of us as a gym membership for your mind. We know from recent research that our minds are much more malleable than we once thought, and through intentional mental exercises, we can strengthen our resilience, confidence, and ability to weather and thrive through life’s ups and downs. That is psychological strength! To align with the important mission behind that work. as of August 1, the Women Inspired podcast will be rebranded as the “Building Psycho

All of us are going to experience adversity in our lives, and undoubtedly, it will cause some despair and grief when it happens. Most of the time, we don’t get to choose whether we’re going to experience something difficult. Things simply happen. However, what we do get to choose is whether we stay in that place of despair…..or whether we thrive through it. This week, you’re going to meet Alisa Jones. Alisa had her first seizure and was diagnosed with ecstatic epilepsy when she was 40-years old. Suddenly being a person who has seizures created an interesting set of obstacles and rules, but also an interesting set of possibilities. In the new book, Gotham Girl Interrupted, she shares a collection of comedic essays about life with epilepsy as a single mother in Manhattan. This episode will give you the inspiration you need to THRIVE through uncertainty and adversity. In this episode we cover: The importance of not giving in to despair - When Alisa was diagnosed with epilepsy, she had a choice to make. She had

Have you ever wanted to reinvent yourself? Have you ever felt like the path you’re on used to be what you wanted to do, but it just isn’t anymore? And if so, have you ever felt like you needed permission to make a pivot like that? If any of that resonates, this episode is for YOU! This week, you’re going to meet Melissa McGraw. Melissa
 created The Creative Potential after being burnt out working for someone else. Through her own struggles, she realized she had something to offer. With passion, she formed the go-to source for entrepreneurs with a creative side to have practical action steps on how to build their business successfully. Beyond a discussion about entrepreneurship, this episode is a discussion about REINVENTION. In this episode we cover: How it’s never too late to reinvent yourself and do something that makes you feel more ALIVE! ….and how you do NOT need anyone’s permission to do so! Your mind is your biggest asset or your worst liability…and you get to decide which route it takes. Your mind

“Just think positively!” “Why can’t you look on the bright side?” At one time or another, almost all of us have been going through a tough time and have had someone say something like this to us. It has become so pervasive that a term has been coined to describe it: toxic positivity. This is when encouraging someone to simply “look on the bright side” without taking into account the circumstances they’re in becomes more harmful than helpful. Here’s the thing: a big chunk of psychological strength involves intentional exercises that are positivity-focused or gratitude-focused. So, is the entire concept of psychological strength just another form of toxic positivity? Oooooh, hell no. In this episode, I am on a serious soap box about the importance and power of building psychological strength and how it’s vastly different from toxic positivity. I touch on: TIMING: The time to build psychological strength is NOT when you’re currently in crisis. That’s akin to trying to learn how to shoot free-throws during the