Advertise on podcast: Notable Peeps

In this short and honest episode, Steph shares her decision to step away from podcasting and social media for 65 days a move that feels both scary and exciting after consistently showing up and pushing toward big milestones like reaching 1,000 episodes. After a challenging start to the year with canceled guests, illness, and being spread across five different shows, she’s choosing to reset and refocus her energy on a bigger goal: creating courses to help women learn how to DIY their podcasts and use ads to grow them. Inspired by the idea that you have to “raise your floor” to reach higher goals, this break is about saying no to certain things so she can go all in on what matters most. Steph shares that she’s already booking guests for her return and will be back on May 31st with renewed creativity and excitement, and in the meantime, encourages listeners to check out her other shows while continuing to put on their shoes, do their best, and believe in the impossible.

What would you do if everything changed in an instant your memory, your health, your future? In this powerful episode of Notable Peeps, Dr. Deitra C. Payne shares how the loss of her father, followed by a sudden hospitalization that left her without speech or memory, completely shifted her perspective on life. Faced with uncertainty, she chose to stop putting off her “big bold dreams” and began a new path of inspiring others to do the same. From academia to entrepreneurship, from grief to gratitude, her story is a reminder that tomorrow isn’t promised and the dreams you’re waiting on might be the very ones you’re meant to chase right now. Contact Info for Dr. Deitra C. Payne LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-deitra-c-payne Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ignite_fabulous Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deitra.payne.1

What if the life that looks perfect on the outside is hiding a battle no one can see? Julie Miller shares how a quiet struggle with alcohol led her to a breaking point and ultimately to a 200-mile solo hike through the Colorado wilderness. What she discovered along the way wasn’t just strength, it was the realization that discomfort won’t break you, honesty creates connection, and honoring yourself can completely change your life. If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or like you’re the only one carrying something heavy, this conversation will remind you that you’re not alone and that a different path is possible. Connect with Julie: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/create.a.life.so.full/ Podcast: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/cfac2381-ef6c-42a3-94ea-49668f271d59

Grief doesn’t follow a timeline, a rulebook, or a finish line. In this deeply moving episode of Notable Peeps, Jason Tuttle of Atlanta, Georgia, is honest about loss, healing, and learning how to live alongside grief. Jason is the founder of Letters to Zachary, a grief-support platform that began after the loss of his son, Zachary. Through raw storytelling and lived experience, Jason shares how writing became a way to survive the hardest days, why grief is often misunderstood, and how small, intentional steps can help people move forward even when life feels impossible.Learn more and connect with Jason here:Website: https://letterstozachary.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tuttlepatriarch/

What happens when life forces you to slow down? In this episode of Notable Peeps, Thomas “Tommy” Carchidi shares what life has looked like after being diagnosed with stage four lymphoma cancer. He opens up about the years of unexplained pain that led to his diagnosis, the realities of treatment, and what it truly means to be in remission while still carrying lingering physical and emotional effects. While undergoing treatment, Tommy was already attending law school, continuing his studies alongside hospital stays and recovery, after years working in law enforcement in places like Baltimore, Brooklyn, and Montgomery County. He also reflects on faith, identity, and why he chose to write and self-publish his memoir, A Life in Law Enforcement: A Police Memoir, The Good, The Bad, The Corrupt, as he continues moving forward with discipline, faith, and purpose.Buy Tommy's Book: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/52044525.Thomas_Carchidi LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-carchidi-653345331 Email: [email protected]

If life is starting to feel a little too predictable, Melissa Rodway is your reminder that you can choose a new challenge on purpose. In this episode, Melissa shares why she signed up for a stand-up comedy class just for fun (and how much work it really takes to earn a laugh), plus what it was like to self-publish her travel memoir built from the weekly emails she wrote during a four-month trip through Southeast Asia. She also talks about why the best part of doing hard things is the people you meet along the way, and what she’s going after in 2026.

You don’t hear this side of military life very often: it’s the everyday whiplash of going from a world where everything is decided for you (even your socks) to a civilian life where every tiny choice suddenly feels huge. Tanya Lakins shares how growing up in a small town as a preacher’s daughter led her to join the Marine Corps, serve for 11 years, and then hit a wall when civilian life felt strangely harder than military life. She opens up about decision fatigue, losing built-in purpose and community, why so many veterans feel “lost” after separation, and how getting support through the VA helped start her recovery. You’ll also hear how she went from struggling to hold a job to building a wellness business that serves others (including veterans), and why she’s stepping into Missouri politics next to push for better veteran support where it’s needed most.

Most people believe success belongs to the smartest, most talented, or most confident people in the room, but this conversation challenges that idea completely. In this episode, Troy Butterfield shares that his life has been shaped not by natural ability, but by resilience, integrity, and the willingness to keep going when quitting would have been easier. He opens up about feeling average in school and sports, taking terrifying financial risks with a young family, navigating commission-only income, unexpected debt, and later facing one of the most devastating challenges an entrepreneur can experience: employee embezzlement that wiped out savings and retirement. Rather than walking away, Troy and his wife chose to rebuild with honesty and faith, eventually creating businesses strong enough to sell. At its core, this conversation is about redefining excellence, learning to value peace, joy, freedom, and contentment over titles or recognition, and recognizing that ordinary people can create extraordinary lives through consistent, intentional choices. Book: https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Troy-Butterfield/dp/1965401805Website: https://excelexponentially.com/

Losing a job can feel like losing yourself, especially when your title has defined you for decades. In this episode of Notable Peeps, Karen Maria Alston shares the most difficult year of her life and how a series of professional losses forced her to confront a question many people avoid: who am I without my job title? After stepping away from a long executive career, watching major events and opportunities dissolve, and sitting in uncertainty longer than she ever expected, Karen explains how faith, self-reflection, and letting go of societal expectations opened the door to reinvention. What began as a season of disappointment became the catalyst for curiosity, learning, and an entirely new path she never imagined for herself. Karen talks candidly about identity, resilience, trusting divine timing, and why being human, not productive or impressive, is where real worth comes from. This conversation is a reminder that hard seasons don’t mean you’re failing, they may be clearing the way for something bigger than you planned. Website: https://www.karenalston.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenmariaalstonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenmariaalston

After being hit by a car in June 2024, Eleanor Shell’s life changed overnight as a traumatic brain injury reshaped everything about how she thought, moved, worked, and lived. In this episode, she opens up about the depression and anxiety that come with a TBI, the grief of losing the identity and competence she once relied on, and the humbling reality of relearning basic tasks like driving, cooking, reading, and even remembering to brush her teeth. She shares how overwhelming multi-step tasks became, how her nervous system stayed stuck in fight-or-flight, and what it’s like living with an invisible injury most people can’t see. Eleanor also reflects on the drastic shift from her once full, purpose-driven life working multiple jobs she loved, caring for her kids without outside help, and being deeply embedded in her community to now spending much of her time at home recovering. Yet through it all, she has found new purpose in writing, sharing her story, and using her experience to bring awareness to women with brain injuries. Connect with Eleanor: https://www.instagram.com/reclaimingmybrain/#

What if the biggest turning points in your life aren’t actually big at all but small, subtle habits shaping everything beneath the surface? In this episode, James McCambridge, movement coach and founder of Rewire NPT, shares how one two-hour flight changed a lifelong struggle he believed was impossible to overcome. James opens up about decades spent biting his nails down to painful levels, the bullying that shaped his early years, and how circus arts, acrobatics, and Rubik’s Cubes eventually led him into the world of brain-based movement and habit change. What he discovered about anxiety, coping mechanisms, and the nervous system will completely shift how you view your own daily patterns. Connect with James : https://www.instagram.com/circustrainer

From the outside, Josh Case looked successful, he built a renewable energy company, sold it to a Fortune 500, and held a major executive role. But behind the scenes, he was a functioning alcoholic, drinking at work, drinking to cope, and drinking to numb trauma he’d never dealt with. In this episode, Josh talks about going to rehab, why sobriety never lasted, and how everything changed when he finally confronted the childhood abuse and codependency patterns driving his addiction. Now sober, rebuilding his life, and running SoberBuzz, Josh shares why, for the first time ever, he no longer has a desire to drink.Connect with Josh LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcase/ Instagram (SoberBuzz):https://www.instagram.com/soberbuzztoken/ YouTube – SoberBuzz Podcast:https://www.youtube.com/@SoberBuzzPodcast

What if the moment you think your life is over becomes the moment you finally rebuild it? At just 20 years old, Danielle Young walked away from an abusive relationship with nothing but her newborn daughter, a diaper bag, and the clothes on her back. In this episode, she shares how she rebuilt everything from scratch working full-time, finishing her degree at night, healing years of trauma stored deep in her body, and eventually discovering a love that finally felt safe. Connect with Danielle: inspiredactionwellness.com

What if the moment you feel stuck, plateaued, or completely out of momentum… is actually the moment you’re closest to leveling up? That’s exactly where , Kam Knight, found himself and he opens up about it in a way that every creator, entrepreneur, and human will feel in their bones. In this episode, Kam shares the honest truth about plateaus, internal resistance, and what really happens when the brain tries to keep us from growing. From being a left-brained accountant who never imagined becoming an author… to writing 12 books, building a transformational course, and traveling to 100 countries, Kam’s story is a reminder that your next breakthrough often hides inside the slow seasons. Kam’s work, courses, and books can be found here: http://www.kamknight.com

In this episode of Notable Peeps, Steph talks with Carolina Sotomayor about moving through grief and finding a new way forward. Carolina shares the cascade of losses that followed her father’s death and how that season led to a spiritual awakening, infertility struggles, and an unexpected path to healing through Reiki. She opens up about the realities of complicated pregnancy and birth, processing trauma, and learning to set boundaries around grief. Together they explore the shift from people-pleasing to living in alignment, why upgrades to our lives (and homes) don’t replace inner work, and practical ways to create space for feeling, recovering, and belonging. It’s an honest conversation about resilience, rebuilding identity, and believing in the impossible—one grounded step at a time.Contact Carolina: https://carolinasotomayor.com/