What if the hardest topics in life became the ones that made you feel most alive? We sit with researcher, professor, and mom Jenn Sorotovich as she traces an uncommon arc—from teaching adult development and death and bereavement to coordinating an ALS clinic—and explains how grief, grit, and real-world practice reshaped her idea of success. The stories are intimate and vivid: a hospice patient savoring the warmth of a hand on her arm, another insisting on lipstick before the day begins. These moments don’t just tug at the heart; they rewire how we value time.

Jenn pulls back the curtain on academia’s pressure cooker—tenure clocks, lack of maternity leave, and the myth of “work-life balance.” She advanced fast, then chose purpose over prestige, moving into clinical leadership where each three-month check-in with ALS patients underscores the urgency of now. Along the way, she unlearned perfectionism and people-pleasing, embraced average days as victories, and modeled repair and honesty for her students and kids. We get practical insight into building psychologically safe classrooms, navigating hot-button topics with care, and turning applied learning into meaningful growth.

If you’re wrestling with outdated systems, craving a more humane pace, or wondering how to spend the one resource you can’t refill, Jenn’s outlook offers both clarity and courage. Expect candid talk about motherhood, policy gaps, end-of-life care, and the mindset shifts that make room for joy. Listen for the challenge she issues to women everywhere: reject narrow scripts, claim your choices, and stop waiting for permission.

If this conversation moved you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review—then tell us: what will you stop waiting for today?

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A love story rerouted a career—and built two purpose-driven businesses along the way. Meet Rebecca Nichols, the horticulture grad who fell for antiques, church pews, and the wedding world, then teamed up with her husband Jeffrey to grow both Tea Olive Designs and a community swim school that’s changing lives. From that first trailer of rented pews to crafting floral designs across Alabama, Rebecca shares how she scaled to 32 weddings a year, learned to say no, and now curates experiences where logistics, beauty, and empathy meet.

We dig into the behind-the-scenes moments most people never see: the “wedding lull,” the text threads that spike in the final days, and why opening the door to the ceremony still brings tears after hundreds of events. Rebecca explains the hidden costs of outdoor weddings, why Southern summers can wreck flowers, and how tents demand power, flooring, and restrooms that rival venue fees. She also makes a heartfelt case for reviving floristry, teaching classes, and giving people the confidence to arrange with taste, not fear.

At the center is a marriage built on faith, premarital work, and a daily practice they call “die to live.” That mindset shapes everything: how they set goals every January 1, tithe through tight seasons, and carry each other’s loads across two seasonal businesses. We also step into Swim Prep’s mission: saving lives and healing. From infant float skills to adult low-impact classes, the water becomes a place for courage, recovery, and community—often with a therapy dachshund softening first-day nerves.

If you’re a bride, planner, creative, or entrepreneur, you’ll leave with practical takeaways on boundaries, pricing the real cost of “at-home” events, and turning wishes into work through the next right step. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves weddings or small-business stories, and leave a quick review so more people can find the show.

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Start with a simple promise: make the software not suck. That’s Elizabeth Anderson’s north star as CEO and co-founder of Lunar Lab, where she pairs human-centered design with ethical strategy to build products that people actually use. We dig into how she and her co-founder left toxic tech during the pandemic, learned sales with a stack of library books, and created a B Corp that treats impact as a requirement, not a tagline.

Elizabeth walks us through her product playbook: invite every wild feature idea, then slice to a focused MVP using value–effort prioritization. She explains why intuitive UX, honest feedback, and transparent leadership beat shiny UI and bravado, and how turning away misfit projects builds trust and long-term results. Her case studies—from aviation apps to startup forums—show the power of launching lean, testing in the real world, and earning the right to add more later.

The conversation widens toward public service and parenting. Elizabeth ran for Congress in a deep-red Alabama district to force a neglected conversation on maternal health and rural hospital closures. She shares the data, the human costs, and what changed when she met voters across the spectrum with empathy. At home, she and her husband—both in tech—block YouTube at the network level, yet let their kids read widely and ask hard questions. Safety, context, and open dialogue beat algorithmic chaos.

We also talk about libraries as civic infrastructure: job training, lending tools, community programs, and yes, the books that powered Elizabeth from poverty to entrepreneurship. If you care about product design, inclusive leadership, or healthier communities, this story is a practical guide to building with purpose.

If this conversation sparks ideas, follow and share it with a friend. Subscribe for more candid, human-centered talks, and leave a review to help others find the show. What’s one feature you’d cut from your next big idea?

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What if richness isn’t a bigger house but a fuller table? We sit with pediatric nurse, homeschool mom, and Salted Oak founder Vanessa Mulligan to explore how faith, family, and craft weave into a life centered on connection. Vanessa opens up about choosing a homeschool hybrid that gives her girls community while preserving slow mornings at home, and why moving from bedside nursing to an inpatient education role restored her energy without losing purpose. The conversation gets real about resistant readers, social media pressure, and the loud inner critic that tells moms to master everything. Vanessa’s antidote is disarmingly practical: name your season, choose dinner together, and let the wrong plates drop.

We trace the origin of Salted Oak from a love of raw wood and old-world textures to a small business that invites people to pause around beautiful, useful pieces. Vanessa shares how she outsourced board-making to protect family time and elevate craftsmanship, and how something as simple as a brick of cheese and grapes can turn a Tuesday into a memory. We also talk about guiding kids who aren’t our copies, building a village through church and homeschool friends, and using late dinners to spark the unhurried conversations that shape character.

If you’re craving less rush and more meaning, this one is a warm nudge to slow down. Learn how to order engraved boards, get help styling a table, and create rituals that fit real life. Subscribe for more stories like this, share with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a quick review to help others find the show.

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Grief doesn’t end; it changes shape. That truth sits at the heart of this conversation with Tara Accardo, a grief and soul purpose coach who lost both parents within six months and later a beloved pet. She shares how her world collapsed, how it slowly softened, and why the goal isn’t to “get over it” but to carry it better. We talk about the secondary losses no one warns you about, the pressure to return to normal, and the small rituals that protect your energy when you’re holding space for others.

Tara explains how she blends lived experience with formal training—grief coaching, soul purpose frameworks, and archetype work—to help clients move from acute pain to renewed identity. You’ll hear the phrase that anchors her practice: micro moments. Five minutes of journaling. A short walk without noise. A single thing to look forward to. They seem small, but they rebuild self-trust and calm the nervous system. We also explore body wisdom and decision making: learning to listen to the gut, noticing tension as data, and honoring intuition after times we wished we had. It’s practical, human, and deeply validating.

We don’t shy away from the hard parts: fairness, control, and the myth that grief has a timeline. Tara reframes expectations, reminding us that while we can’t script life, we can choose intentional actions that restore agency. There’s space here for parents carrying legacy forward, for those navigating work and caregiving, and for anyone rediscovering purpose after loss. Along the way, we touch on travel as healing, creating safe coaching containers, and finding community so you don’t suffer in silence. If you’ve felt alone in your grief or unsure how to begin again, this conversation offers language, tools, and hope you can use today.

If the episode resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a quick review—your support helps more people find the conversation.

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What if the most important career tool isn’t a credential, but the courage to ask better questions? That’s the thread that runs through this conversation with Cecy Brooks—associate professor, former retail leader, and relentless student of how families make financial choices and how emerging adults grow into confident adults.

We chart Cecy’s unconventional path from engineering to family science, and why a sharp mentor, a detailed plan, and honest self-inquiry made that pivot possible. She explains how years in retail taught her to read people, exposed the real trade-offs behind 60-hour weeks, and ultimately pushed her toward academia where effort and empathy can coexist. We get tactical about goal setting, earning your grade, and using gray areas responsibly—reasons over excuses, plans over platitudes, communication over silence.

Then we zoom out. Family financial socialization meets a volatile economy: the 2008 crash, the pandemic, shifting student aid policies, childcare shortages, and the rise of AI-driven online reviews. Cecy breaks down how these forces reshape money habits, consumer decision-making, and the elusive idea of “financial wellness.” We talk underemployment, cost-of-living mismatches, and the coming intergenerational wealth transfer—who inherits assets, who inherits obligations, and how that changes choices about school, housing, and family.

Woven through it all is a human core: building thick skin without losing heart, picking the right mentors, and learning to advocate for your worth. Cecy shares candid insights on delaying children, caring for aging parents, sustaining a 23-year marriage, and why putting on your own oxygen mask first isn’t selfish—it’s responsible. Expect practical takeaways on effort, boundaries, and designing a life that actually fits.

If you’re navigating college, career pivots, money stress, or big family decisions, this one gives you a clear blueprint and the language to use it. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave a review with the one change you’re ready to make this week.

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What does it actually look like to rebuild when life burns to the ground? We sit down with Krystal Casey, a widowed mother of five and the founder of Flight of the Phoenix Collective, to trace a hard, honest path from trauma to alignment. Krystal shares the moment everything changed—a disclosure, swift action, and the devastating aftermath—and the single sentence from a nurse that reframed her future: you can’t prevent every wound, but you can model what comes next.

From there, we dig into the practical spine of her work: your nervous system is the operating system of your business. Krystal walks us through what dysregulation really feels like and how to shift it in real time using breath, senses, and presence. She challenges the myth that more lists or more hustle will save us, making a compelling case that internal work—therapy, intuition, and emotional regulation—drives external results. We explore trust after betrayal, the balance of grace and accountability, and why asking for help is a power move, not a weakness.

Krystal also brings a systems-first lens for founders and parents: align heart, head, and gut before acting, centralize your planning, and build processes that automate, delegate, and protect your energy. We talk wants versus needs, big moves made for health, and daily non-negotiables that anchor chaotic seasons. If you’re a mission-led entrepreneur or a parent navigating heavy weather, this conversation blends strategy with soul—and offers a blueprint for building a legacy that lasts.

If this resonates, tap follow, share with a friend who needs it, and leave a quick review. Your voice helps more people find the show and start their own rise.

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Ready to rewire how you think about competition, confidence, and community? We sit down with jiu-jitsu competitor and water plant operator Aylissa St. John for a candid, energizing conversation about going first—on the mat and in life—and why you should never leave your story to a referee’s perception. From teen wrestling to modern tournaments, Aylissa breaks down how shifting from reactive to proactive changed her results and her mindset. She details a favorite sweep that needs refining, the sting of stalling calls, and the simple rule that keeps her grounded: set the pace, don’t surrender it.

The conversation widens beyond sport into identity, resilience, and belonging. As a Black woman in a male-dominated space, Aylissa names bias without letting it define her ceiling. Cross-training in women-led rooms revived her skill and joy, proving that the right environment can be a growth accelerator. She shares practical ways to build trust in new gyms, manage emotions to avoid injury, and read a room—habits shaped by a disciplined military upbringing and sharpened through real competition.

Aylissa also opens up about choosing divorce in her twenties, the shower epiphany that nudged her toward self-preservation, and the power of boundaries, accountability, and forgiveness without apologies. Then she flips the script on rest and creativity by revealing how crochet—yes, crochet—became a flow-state counterpart to grappling. Her brand, Naughtylicious, turns hats and custom sets into wearable wins, and her approach to customer feedback mirrors her approach to matches: take action, learn fast, keep building.

If you’re chasing better—on the mats, at work, or in your own head—you’ll find tactical insights and real warmth here: lead the exchange, pick your rooms, and choose yourself with intention. Follow Aylissa on Instagram at Aylissa for training and life, and at naughtylicious for custom crochet. If this resonated, tap follow, share it with a friend who needs a push to go first, and leave a quick review so more curious listeners can find us.

Music "STOMP" used by permission of artist Donica Knight Holdman and Jim Huff