What happens when life as you know it completely unravels after two decades? After 20 years of marriage, facing an empty nest, job loss, and parental grief, Nya Oak found herself packing up her family home and starting over alone in an unfamiliar city at age 46.

In this episode, Nya joins the host to celebrate the release of her debut memoir, Pockets of Joy: Growing Through Seasons of Life. Together, they dive into the messy, non-linear reality of growth, breaking the "hush culture" around divorce and personal hardship within immigrant communities, and why vulnerability—not stoic silence—is the true legacy we leave behind.

Key Takeaways & Highlights

• Holding Duality: True healing doesn't require a happy journey at every step. Nya discusses holding grief and joy in the very same moment and finding grounding anchors even in life's darkest chapters.
• Disrupting the Hush Culture: Navigating major transitions like divorce within South Asian American and immigrant spaces, where silence and shame often thrive.
• Vulnerability Over "Showing Up Strong": Why the intergenerational advice to simply "be strong" fails us, and how showing up raw and real models true resilience for our children.
• Humor in the Chaos: The funny, scrappy realities of starting over—including learning how to assemble flat-pack furniture solo for the first time in your mid-forties.
• Reclaiming Your Story: A message for anyone who has spent their life serving everyone else’s needs: it is never too late to reclaim your narrative and write your next chapter.

About the Author:

Nya Oak is a corporate leader, runway model, author, and proud mother based in the New York City metro area. Originally from Mumbai, she moved to Boston in her preteen years and later raised her family in New Jersey. After 20 years of marriage, navigating an empty nest, job loss, and parental grief, Nya started over on her own at age 46—discovering firsthand that growth is messy, non-linear, and built one day at a time.

Resources & Links Mentioned

• Order the Book: Pick up your copy of Pockets of Joy: Growing Through Seasons of Life today!
  • Amazon US - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1998721582
  • Amazon Canada - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1998721582
• Connect with Nya Oak:
  • Instagram @n_y_a_21
  • Website https://www.fempower.pub/pockets-of-joy

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In this moving episode of the Rough Draft Podcast, host Sabrina sits down with ER physician, professor, author, and advocate Dr. Anne Aspler.

Dr. Aspler discusses her upcoming memoir, Rise After Silence: An ER Doctor and the Patients Who Healed Her. Moving past traditional, sterile bios, she opens up about the complex duality of balancing a high-stakes medical career with a life as an artist, writer, mother, and survivor of childhood family violence and sexual assault.

Together, Sabrina and Dr. Aspler explore the hidden realities of emergency medicine, the nuance of self-compassion, and why healing is an ongoing daily practice rather than a static destination.

Key Topics

• The Frontline Reality & Rise After Silence: Dr. Aspler outlines her book’s structure—interweaving 10 frontline emergency room cases of domestic violence, sexual assault, and trauma with her own personal history.
• The Secret Lives Behind the Curtain: A rare look into the late-night intimacy of the ER, where patients often mask severe trauma behind seemingly routine physical symptoms.
• "An ER Doctor and the Patients Who Healed Her": How treating patients helped Dr. Aspler extend compassion to herself, breaking down the artificial wall between caregiver and survivor.
• Redefining Silence and Courage: Dr. Aspler explains that "rising after silence" doesn't necessarily mean going public; it can mean holding space for your own truth in a journal or private setting.
• Nuance, Shame, and Internalized Blame: The hosts discuss the pervasive shame surrounding sexual violence, the myth of the "perfect victim," and navigating trauma as both teenagers and mothers.
• Rewriting the Rough Draft of Strength: Moving away from high-functioning overachievement, compartmentalization, and hypervigilance as substitutes for actual emotional processing.
• Holding Complex Family Realities: Navigating intergenerational trauma, accountability, and reconciliation—learning to acknowledge both the harm caused and the capacity for human change without surrendering one's narrative.

Resources & Links Mentioned

Book: Rise After Silence: An ER Doctor and the Patients Who Healed Her by Dr. Anne Aspler (Releases October 6th)

Amazon Canada -

Amazon USA -

Indigo Canada -

Website: riseaftersilence.com | anneaspler.com

Social Media & Substack: Search @DrAnneAspler or @AnneAspler on YouTube, Substack, and social platforms for brain health and healing content.

Organizations: End Violence Everywhere

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In this episode of the Rough Draft Podcast, Sabrina sits down with long-time friend, impact consultant, and author Dana Shalit to celebrate the release of her highly anticipated book, Pathways to Self: The Path to Purpose Through the Nine Steps of Self-Realization (available August 18th).

Dana demystifies hypnotherapy, explains how she went from being a rigid, logical thinker to embracing the power of the subconscious, and shares why reclaiming "selfishness" is actually the ultimate act of self-preservation. Whether you are feeling burnt out, disconnected from your intuition, or ready to step into your most authentic self, this conversation is a beautiful guide to coming home to who you truly are.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Demystifying Hypnotherapy: How accessing the theta brain wave allows us to bypass the conscious mind and rewrite limiting beliefs.
• The Spielberg Method for Creativity: Giving yourself full permission to "make it up" to unlock deep subconscious wisdom.
• The 9 Steps of Self-Realization: A look inside Dana’s framework, focusing heavily on self-awareness, building unbreakable self-trust, and consistency over intensity (self-discipline).
• The Case for Selfishness: Why women are conditioned to self-abandon, and how to start giving from your overflow instead of your empty cup.
• Navigating the Dark Night of the Soul: How solidifying these inner practices prepares you for when "life starts life-ing."

📚 About the Guest

Dana Shalit is an award-winning impact consultant, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and the author of Pathways to Self: The Path to Purpose Through the Nine Steps of Self-Realization. With a diverse career spanning international sales, leadership training, and over two decades at the forefront of the charitable sector, Dana has dedicated her life to helping others align who they are with how they give.

As the Chief Impact Officer at House of Impact, she partners with visionary leaders, family offices, and athletes to turn personal values into lasting global legacies. Dana is also a certified clinical hypnotherapist, Rapid Transformational Therapy practitioner, and host of international retreats in Costa Rica, where she guides people to move beyond limiting beliefs, regulate their nervous systems, and reconnect with their true purpose.

🛎️ Resources & Links

Buy the Book: Pathways to Self: The Path to Purpose Through the Nine Steps of Self-Realization (Available on Amazon and Audible)

Amazon Canada →

Amazon USA →

Dana’s Website: danashalit.com

Connect with Dana on Instagram: @danashalit

Connect with Dana on LinkedIn: Dana Shalit

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In this deeply moving and transformative episode of the Rough Draft Podcast, host Sabrina sits down with author, entrepreneur, integrated health practitioner, and transformational mentor Vanessa Grutman.

To mark the launch of her new book, Born With This Light, Vanessa shares her personal evolution—from navigating burnout after selling her multi-seven-figure business to stepping into her true purpose as founder of The Golden Alchemist and Golden Alchemy. Together, Sabrina and Vanessa dive into what it truly takes to dismantle the old paradigm of success, shift out of hustle culture, listen to the wisdom of the body, and step into effortless flow, ease, and alignment.

Key Takeaways

• The Birth of Born With This Light: Vanessa shares how her book emerged as a powerful, semi-channeled "birth portal" during her family's move to Miami and why its message is so crucial for modern women today.
• Naming the Unnamable Ache: Why so many successful, high-achieving women feel disconnected, burned out, or empty despite "having it all" on paper—and how to bridge the gap between 3D success and spiritual alignment.
• Reframing Burnout & Physical Symptoms: How physical health issues and burnout serve as early warning signals of self-abandonment and ignored intuition rather than dead ends.
• Rewriting the "No Pain, No Gain" Subconscious Program: Unpacking the generational program that tells us we must suffer or hustle to earn success, rest, or abundance.
• Grounding the Galactic: Balancing high-frequency spiritual work and consciousness with real-world integration, nervous system safety, and practical daily living.

📚 About the Guest

Vanessa Grutman is an author, integrated health practitioner, multi-seven-figure entrepreneur, and transformational mentor working at the intersection of body wisdom, consciousness, and modern leadership.

After navigating burnout following the sale of her medical clinics, Vanessa founded The Golden Alchemist and high-frequency product line Golden Alchemy to help high-achieving women dismantle hustle culture and heal self-abandonment. In her book, Born With This Light, she guides women to reconnect with their intuitive signal, reclaim their inner light, and create lives that feel as good on the inside as they look on the outside.

Resources & Links

📚 Get the Book:

• Born With This Light by Vanessa Grutman — Available now on [Amazon] (Kindle, Paperback, and Audiobook narrated by Vanessa!)

Amazon Canada →

Amazon USA →

✨ Connect with Vanessa Grutman:

• Website: vanessagrutman.com
• Instagram:@vanessa.grutman
• Offers & Experiences: Explore The Golden Alchemist programs, products, and upcoming retreats via the link in Vanessa’s Instagram bio.

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✨ Episode Summary

In this episode of the Rough Draft Podcast, Sabrina sits down with Katherine Rose—an integrative health practitioner, personal trainer, and Hashimoto's warrior—to celebrate the launch of her new book, But You Don't Look Sick. Katherine shares her vulnerable journey from experiencing baffling mystery symptoms and facing medical gaslighting to creating a powerhouse community and safe space for women with chronic illness.
The conversation explores the high stakes of modern womanhood, the necessity of root-cause wellness, and the liberating power of refusing to minimize your own suffering. Whether you are navigating an invisible chronic illness or simply a woman dealing with the heavy lifting of overwhelm, expectation, and exhaustion, this episode serves as a roadmap for reclaiming your body and setting boundaries.

Key Takeaways:

The Reality of Gaslighting: Katherine defines the invisible struggle of medical gaslighting and shares questions to help you confidently advocate for yourself in doctor's appointments.

Sustainability over Sacrifice: A deep dive into why women are experiencing historic levels of illness and how to stop putting your physical signals on the back burner to please society.

The "Rest as a Reward" Shift: Sabrina and Katherine discuss the necessity of changing how we view downtime, moving from earning our keep to understanding that rest is a mandatory requirement to function.

Symptoms as Signals: Understanding that your body's mystery symptoms aren't a final sentence; how paying attention to indicators like hair loss or brain fog can point directly to root causes like low ferritin or thyroid imbalances.

Preventative Self-Care: Moving away from "crisis intervention" and learning to put your own oxygen mask on first before your physical capacity bucket overflows.

📚 About the Guest:

Katherine Rose is an integrative health practitioner, personal trainer, mom of two, podcast host, published author, and Hashimoto's warrior. For more than 17 years, she's helped women with chronic illness feel better in their bodies by uncovering root causes, reversing stubborn symptoms, and building sustainable wellness. As the founder of Reclaimable and the Kaya Collective, Katherine is dedicated to creating a virtual community where women can heal while feeling seen, heard, and supported.

Connect with Katherine:
Instagram: @reclaim.able
Website: www.reclaim-able.com

🛎️ Resources & Links
Get your copy of But You Don't Look Sick

Amazon USA → https://www.amazon.com/dp/199872137X
Amazon Canada → https://www.amazon.ca/dp/199872137X

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In this episode of the Rough Draft Podcast, Sabrina sits down with Amanda O'Reilly, the founder of Worthy Wands and author of the brand-new transformational book, You Are The Anchor. Together, they pull back the curtain on the "when/then" game of success and explore what happens when high-achieving women become everyone else's safe place while completely forgetting how to be their own.

The conversation dives into Amanda’s personal journey—from being a hyper-capable lifestyle entrepreneur who was literally knighted as a Dame, to navigating her own personal unraveling and creating the Anchor Method. If you have been feeling exhausted from holding everyone else above water, trading your authenticity for belonging, or feeling like your peace is constantly at the mercy of a changing world, this episode offers a deeply compassionate, science-backed, and somatic roadmap to returning home to yourself.

Key Takeaways:

• The Trap of External Anchors: Understanding that when we anchor our validation and peace to things outside of us, our stability will always fluctuate because external things always move.
• Lifeboat vs. Lighthouse Energy: A life-changing breakdown of why women over-function. Discover why you weren't born to rescue everyone else at the expense of your own survival, but to stand rooted and radiant like a lighthouse.
• Success vs. Regulation: Why accomplishments, accolades, and checking off life's boxes cannot repair a fractured identity or regulate a dysregulated nervous system.
• The Anchor Method: A look into Amanda's unique six-dimension framework that integrates psychology, neuroscience, NLP, and somatic healing so the wisdom actually lands in your body.
• Simplifying Transformation: How to look into your blind spots and use lighthearted, non-shaming language (like checking in on your "security team" vs. your "CEO") to build a life that feels as good as it looks.

📚 About the Guest: Amanda O'Reilly is a founder, mother, author, and creator of the Anchor Method—a framework for nervous system regulation, self-leadership, and embodied remembrance. With a rich background in psychology, neuroscience, NLP, and somatic healing, Amanda bridges the gap between science and emotional healing. Knighted as a Dame and named a Top 40 Under 40 change agent in Ottawa, Canada, her movement through Worthy Wands has supported more than 30,000 women worldwide in putting down their oars and anchoring into their own truth.

Connect with Amanda:

• Instagram: @worthywands
• Website: worthywands.com

🛎️ Resources & Links

Get your copy of the You Are The Anchor Workbook (Includes access to a 45-page book club facilitator guide, deeper integration tools, and guided reflection pillars via an internal QR code).

• Amazon Canada →https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1998721361
• Amazon USA → https://www.amazon.com/dp/1998721361

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✨ Episode Summary

In this episode of the Rough Draft Podcast, Sabrina sits down with Adva—an early childhood educator, coach, and speaker—to celebrate the launch of her new book, From College to Classroom. Adva shares her vulnerable journey from a struggling first-year teacher facing a performance crisis to becoming a powerhouse mentor for educators.
The conversation explores the high stakes of teacher burnout, the necessity of professional mentorship, and the liberating power of building a personal brand beyond the school walls. Whether you are in the education sector or simply a woman navigating the heavy lifting of career and home, this episode serves as a roadmap for setting boundaries and reclaiming your identity.

Key Takeaways:

The Power of Mentorship: Adva highlights how a lack of guidance nearly ended her career and why finding a mentor is the #1 move for any new professional to build confidence.

Sustainability over Sacrifice: A deep dive into the "martyr culture" of teaching and how to stop putting your personal life on the back burner to please administration or parents.

The "Can't vs. Won't" Shift: Sabrina and Adva discuss the psychological power of changing your language to reclaim agency over your time and priorities.

Side Hustles as Freedom: Understanding that a teaching degree doesn't box you in; how educators can alchemize their classroom skills into sustainable, income-generating businesses.

Preventative Self-Care: Moving away from "crisis intervention" and learning to invest in your mental health before the ceiling caves in.

📚About the Guest:

Adva is an early childhood educator, teacher coach, and speaker with a Master’s in Educational Leadership and Special Education. She is the host of the top-rated podcast Shaping Little Minds and the founder of a coaching business dedicated to helping teachers thrive both inside and beyond the classroom. By bridging the gap between pedagogy and entrepreneurship, Adva empowers educators to create financial stability and professional fulfillment on their own terms.

Connect with Adva:
Instagram: @coachforteachers
Podcast: Shaping Little Minds

🛎️ Resources & Links
Get your copy of From College to Classroom
Amazon USA →
Amazon Canada →

Follow along on IG:
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@fempower.pub

✨ Episode Summary In this episode of the Rough Draft Podcast, Sabrina sits down with twin sisters Lindsay Evans and Danielle McGrath, the co-founders of Nourish Live Flow and creators of the "The Clean Twins" brand. Together, they tackle the often-misunderstood season of perimenopause, reframing it from a time of "barely holding on" to a powerful era of evolution and self-reclamation.

The conversation explores their transition from careers in physiotherapy and media to becoming holistic wellness mentors, and the launch of their new interactive resource, the Nourish and Thrive in Perimenopause workbook. If you’ve been feeling "not like yourself," gaining weight despite doing "all the things," or feeling the weight of the "sandwich generation" stress, this episode offers a compassionate and science-backed roadmap to feeling steady, supported, and empowered in your body.

Key Takeaways:

• Defining the Journey: Understanding that perimenopause can start as early as 35 and last a decade; it’s not just about the end of a period, but a shift in stress resilience.
• The "Do More" Trap: Why high-intensity workouts and restrictive dieting often backfire in midlife, and why your body is actually asking you to slow down and reset.
• Bio-Individuality: A reminder that wellness isn't one-size-fits-all—what worked in your 20s or works for your neighbor won't necessarily work for your unique hormonal blueprint.
• The Four Pillar Framework: A deep dive into their signature approach: Mindset/Intentions, Nervous System Regulation, Nourishment (Mind/Body/Spirit), and Clean Living.
• Accessible Advocacy: How to become your own best health advocate and use simple, "habit-stacked" tools like the butterfly hug to signal safety to your nervous system.

📚 About the Guests: Lindsay Evans and Danielle McGrath are twin sisters, certified holistic health coaches, and the co-founders of Nourish Live Flow. With backgrounds spanning physiotherapy, acupuncture, nutrition, and food media, they blend clinical knowledge with practical, simple lifestyle strategies. Known as "The Clean Twins," they are dedicated to helping purpose-driven women navigate midlife and perimenopause with clarity, confidence, and a focus on non-toxic living.

Connect with Lindsay & Danielle:

• Instagram: @the.cleantwins
• Facebook: The.cleantwins
• Community: Thrive in Perimenopause (Free Group on Skool)

🛎️ Resources & Links

Get your copy of the Nourish and Thrive in Perimenopause Workbook

• Amazon Canada → https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1998721469
• Amazon USA → https://www.amazon.com/dp/1998721469

Follow along on IG:
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@fempower.pub