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We make an average of 35,000 decisions every single day, so it's unrealistic to expect we're going to be fully conscious of every single one of them. But when it comes to your growth and success, we do need to bring some of those decisions a little more online. Most of them are happening subconsciously, and that's usually where old habits and beliefs live. Today, I'm breaking down three core decisions that are always going to support your growth: choosing to take care of yourself, choosing your community, and giving yourself space. Are there more? Absolutely. But I've found, not just in my own life, but with the women I work with in Auralign and in my private coaching, that these are the core elements that impact a business’s success and the quality of life underneath it. So take your Powerback® today and choose just one thing to start with.  We’ll go through: Choosing to take care of yourselfChoosing your communityGiving yourself spaceResources from this episode Get on the early pre-list for my upcoming book! I’m sharing the behind-the-scenes as I write it, and you'll be the first to know when it's available for preorder. Connect with LauraAura Facebook  |  TikTok  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn  |  Web Support the show Leave a Review! We love, love, love to read your comments, feedback, and reviews. It also helps other women like you know they're in the right place to get support. https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/the-gutsy-podcast/id1445481970

When you think about building a successful business, what are you actually building toward? More money? A bigger team? More clients, more locations, more growth?  But are you building something that actually supports the life you want to live?  There's a real difference between building a business that creates freedom and building one that looks successful from the outside but becomes your own personal hell. Today's guest, CPA Nancy Benet, gets real about money, business, and what it takes to build something profitable and aligned with the way you want to live. She shares her own story of finding herself divorced with four kids, five failed businesses, and $650,000 in debt, and how changing her relationship with money changed everything that happened next. In this episode, you’ll learn: Nancy's money story — growing up believing money was scarce and "dirty," and getting her CPA license without it fixing anythingHitting bottom at 45: divorced, four kids, no job, $650,000 in debtThe four-step manifestation process: clear intention, managing your state, baby steps, and releasing controlThe biggest financial mistakes entrepreneurs make  and how to fix themWhy cash in the bank is non-negotiable, even for solopreneursBuilding a business that aligns with the life you actually want to liveResources from this episode Tame Your Money Monster: How to Stop Fighting and Find Financial Peace — Nancy's book, available on Amazon Success Your Way — Nancy's educational platform for women entrepreneurs Fix-It Accounting —  is the full-service firm Nancy founded, offering bookkeeping, tax prep, IRS resolution, and fractional CFO advisory  Auralign Mastermind — My high-touch coaching space for vulnerable, judgment-free money conversations. 🎙️ Subscribe & Review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify 📲 Follow LauraAura on TikTok: @ThatLauraAura 🔥 Join The Gutsy Collective: Learn More 💡 Work with LauraAura: www.LauraAura.com Connect with Nancy Facebook  |  YouTube  |  Instagram  |  Web Connect with LauraAura Facebook  |  TikTok  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn  |  Web Support the show Leave a Review! We love, love, love to read your comments, feedback, and reviews. It also helps other women like you know they're in the right place to get support. https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/the-gutsy-podcast/id1445481970

“I really need this to work.”  “I'm running out of time.” “I need more money to come in.” “Gosh, I'm so tired.”  If any of that sounds like the voice in your head lately, friend, you're in the right place. Today I'm getting honest about the times I've made moves from a place of desperation, including a monthly retainer with a coach that would have absolutely bankrupted me and a rash hire that left me with more work than I started with. We're pumping the brakes, figuring out what's actually feeding that desperation, and building a simple plan to get you back on track instead. So if you've been in that scrambling, pick-up-all-the-eggs-off-the-floor kind of energy lately, this episode is your permission slip to stop, breathe, and take your Powerback®. We’ll go through: What desperation looks like when you're making decisions, purchases, or moves in your businessHow giving yourself space and getting curious brings your logic back onlineThe questions to ask yourself before you act from that reactive, knee-jerk placeResources from this episodeThe Gutsy Moves Challenge — My live, 5-day challenge running September 21–25, this round focused specifically on making moves in your business.  Connect with LauraAura Facebook  |  TikTok  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn  |  Web Support the show Leave a Review! We love, love, love to read your comments, feedback, and reviews. It also helps other women like you know they're in the right place to get support. https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/the-gutsy-podcast/id1445481970

Work stress doesn't always stay at work. It follows you into dinner, into conversations with your partner, into time with your kids, and into the moments when you're technically off, but your brain is still running with 47 tabs open, thinking about all your unfinished tasks. Today's guest, Clarity Coach Samantha Hawley, is here to talk about how to stop letting work stress bleed into the rest of your life by getting underneath the expectations that are creating it in the first place. Samantha shares a simple journaling process you can use to get out of problem-solving mode and make choices based on what works for you instead of what you think you're supposed to be doing. In this episode: Why work stress follows you home instead of staying at your deskGetting underneath the expectations, pressure, and "shoulds" driving your stressThe "dropping all the balls" feeling and why it's so commonA journaling process for getting out of problem-solving modeResources from this episodeBeyond Awareness (formerly Journal Entries) — Samantha's podcast for successful women in leadership and business who know exactly what they need to do but can't make themselves do it. Listen on Spotify. Calm Mind Blueprint - A free guide with 5 strategic journal prompts to help overwhelmed women clear mental load so they can make confident decisions and feel inner peace. The Gutsy Moves Challenge — a five-day live challenge running September 21st–25th to help you stop spinning in indecision and get clear on the goal you've been putting off.  🎙️ Subscribe & Review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify 📲 Follow LauraAura on TikTok: @ThatLauraAura 🔥 Join The Gutsy Collective: Learn More 💡 Work with LauraAura: www.LauraAura.com Connect with Samantha Instagram  | Threads  |  Web Connect with LauraAura Facebook  |  TikTok  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn  |  Web Support the show Leave a Review! We love, love, love to read your comments, feedback, and reviews. It also helps other women like you know they're in the right place to get support. https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/the-gutsy-podcast/id1445481970

I've got a little challenge for you today. I want to hear your big, wild, audacious goal or idea that you can't stop thinking about. I'm talking about the idea you have a secret Pinterest board for, the one you find yourself smiling about when no one's around. You've put in the work, you've gained the knowledge, you've completed a chapter, and you have what you need to take this next step forward. Where the disarray and the frustration and the feeling like a bag of turds comes from is when we ignore that rumble for too long, when we tell ourselves we need more planning before we're allowed to claim it. Today's Powerback® is about playing in the space of what if. What if you actually went for it? I talk you through why it's only wild and audacious until it's your regular life, and why owning that thing in the first place is what makes that shift possible. It's time, friend. This goal is rumbling because you're ready, so take your Powerback® and go claim it. We'll go through: Why the "rumble" you keep feeling is a sign you're ready, not a problem to fixThe difference between gathering more information and actually making a decisionMy own story of daydreaming about speaking and coaching for years before making the leapWhy claiming a goal often speeds things up in ways that feel uncomfortableResources from this episodeGutsy Moves Challenge — A live, 5-day challenge happening September 21–25, 2026, built to help you make the moves you can't stop thinking about but keep putting off. It's an hour a day, $49, and I’m in the chat with you all week long.  Connect with LauraAura Facebook  |  TikTok  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn  |  Web Support the show Leave a Review! We love, love, love to read your comments, feedback, and reviews. It also helps other women like you know they're in the right place to get support. https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/the-gutsy-podcast/id1445481970

You can build a business, lead a team, handle pressure, and usually figure shit out. So why does dating or love feel so much harder?  Today's guest, Laura Nagiel, is a dating and confidence coach and the creator of the DREAM Framework, the method she's used to help high-achieving women find the one. We're talking dating, perfectionism, control, receiving, and all the ways ambitious women unintentionally recreate the same exhausting patterns, not just in work, but in love too.  But if you dig deeper, this conversation isn't really about dating or your current relationship at all. It’s more about  your relationship with yourself. Self-trust, letting go of control, and being willing to ask yourself some pretty uncomfortable questions about what you actually want and whether you're creating space to receive it.  In this episode, you'll learn: Why high-achieving women struggle with dating even when they excel everywhere elseThe link between perfectionism, control, and people-pleasing in relationshipsHow childhood patterns quietly shape adult relationship habitsWhat it means to become a "match" for the relationship you wantWhy receiving (love, help, support, time)  is the real common denominatorResources from this episodeDREAM Framework — Laura Nagiel's signature six-month coaching program guiding high-achieving women through discovery, healing, and strategy to find a committed, high-value partner.  Auralign Mastermind — My high-touch coaching space for women who are ready to stop depleting themselves for everyone else and start building a business and life that actually works for them.  Clarity Session — A casual, no-pressure call with me to talk through what's going on and figure out your right next move. 🎙️ Subscribe & Review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify 📲 Follow LauraAura on TikTok: @ThatLauraAura 🔥 Join The Gutsy Collective: Learn More 💡 Work with LauraAura: www.LauraAura.com Connect with Laura Nagiel TikTok  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn  |  Web Connect with LauraAura Facebook  |  TikTok  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn  |  Web Support the show Leave a Review! We love, love, love to read your comments, feedback, and reviews. It also helps other women like you know they're in the right place to get support. https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/the-gutsy-podcast/id1445481970

Every single person I work with comes to me because I said the thing they needed to hear. I called it for what it was and helped them find the solution to finally fix it. Today I'm handing you four unfiltered things I've said to my clients that ended up growing their business: slow the f**k down, get rid of an offer, ditch the framework, and talk like you, not your old boss.  I'm not going to pretend any of this is comfortable to hear. It wasn't easy for me to learn how to say these things out loud either, and it's not always easy to receive them. But if you've been busting your ass and still feel like something's missing, or you've got momentum but it feels heavy and off, that's your sign.  Let this be the episode that gets you out of your own way, so you can take your Powerback® and finally build the business you want to be building. We’ll go through: Why slowing the f**k down is the fastest way to actually speed things upThe offer you're holding onto that needs to goWhy frameworks are textbooks to learn from, not blueprints to followTalking like you instead of your old bossResources from this episode Clarity Session — a casual, no-pressure conversation with me to figure out what's really going on and get clear on your next right move.  The Gutsy Collective —my community for driven women making gutsy moves in their lives and businesses.  Connect with LauraAura Facebook  |  TikTok  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn  |  Web Support the show Leave a Review! We love, love, love to read your comments, feedback, and reviews. It also helps other women like you know they're in the right place to get support. https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/the-gutsy-podcast/id1445481970

There are seasons in life when everything looks fine, but doesn’t feel quite right. It's not that you're ungrateful or that anything's necessarily wrong, but something inside of you keeps saying there's more.  Today's guest, Katie Pulsifer, is a master certified life coach and creator of the Golden Coaching Certification. With over 13 years of experience, Katie has trained thousands of coaches and guided high-achieving women out of overwhelm and people pleasing and into clarity, self-trust, and purpose.  We're talking about that ache for more, why so many women feel stuck even when life looks good on the outside, and how we've gotten so practiced at knowing what everyone else needs that we've lost touch with what we want.  In this episode, you’ll learn: The ache for more and what it actually feels likeSigns you're stuck even when life looks good on paperThe guilt passed down through generationsQuestioning what you've always considered "normal"Katie's own story of rebuilding a life that reflects who she actually isReclaiming self-trust, your voice, and your purposeResources from this episode Golden Life Coaching Certification — Katie's heart-led coach certification program, built on 13+ years of coaching and training thousands of coaches:  Clarity Session — If this conversation hit home, this is the next right step. It's a casual conversation with me to figure out your next gutsy move.  🎙️ Subscribe & Review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify 📲 Follow LauraAura on TikTok: @ThatLauraAura 🔥 Join The Gutsy Collective: Learn More 💡 Work with LauraAura: www.LauraAura.com Connect with Katie Pulsifer Facebook  |  Substack  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn  |  Web Connect with LauraAura Facebook  |  TikTok  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn  |  Web Support the show Leave a Review! We love, love, love to read your comments, feedback, and reviews. It also helps other women like you know they're in the right place to get support. https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/the-gutsy-podcast/id1445481970

If you want to take your business to the next level, you have got to give yourself space to do it.  Your routine is set in stone, but maybe you have a new idea, trying to grow through the cracks like a little weed, saying, “hey, look at me!” I'm in this with you in real time. I've been wanting to write a book for a decade, and this year I finally had to get honest about where all of my creative energy was going, and make room to pour into the book instead.  That's also why the Gutsy Podcast cadence is changing: we're moving from two episodes a week to one, alternating a guest episode and a Powerback®. It's the same evaluation I walk women through inside Auralign — protecting a sleep schedule, blocking off a CEO day, letting go of commitments that no longer serve. It's going to feel a little bumpy at first, and you're going to have to hold your new priority sacred and say no to the stuff that used to fill that space. But once you give yourself the room to go deep, the clarity starts pouring in, and that's exactly why it's time to take your Powerback® and start making the space your next level is waiting for. We'll go through: Why cramming your creation time in between meetings keeps your next-level idea stuckHow to evaluate where your time, energy, and creation are actually goingReal examples from women inside Auralign making space for their next levelWhy the Gutsy Podcast cadence is changing (and what that means going forward)The mindset shift it takes to hold your new priority sacredResources from this episodeLauraAura's book pre-launch list — Follow along behind the scenes as I write my book!  Auralign Mastermind — My 6-month group coaching experience, the space to work through this same kind of evaluation with support.  Connect with LauraAura Facebook  |  TikTok  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn  |  Web Support the show Leave a Review! We love, love, love to read your comments, feedback, and reviews. It also helps other women like you know they're in the right place to get support. https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/the-gutsy-podcast/id1445481970

Do you ever look around at the life you built and think, wait, is this it? Maybe the kids are growing up, your career doesn't fit anymore, your business is evolving, or your relationships are changing. Or maybe you just have this quiet feeling that the version of you who built this life is not the same woman who's meant to build the next chapter.  Sometimes this gets labeled as a midlife crisis, but what if it's actually just an invitation to do things your own way? Today's guest, Wendy Valentine, believes that midlife isn't a crisis at all. It's a catalyst. After navigating divorce, menopause, job loss, debt, an empty nest, and a devastating personal loss all at once, she found herself on the bathroom floor, wondering how she would ever rebuild her life. What happened next completely changed the way that she saw herself and what's possible. In this episode: Why midlife isn't a crisis but a catalystWendy's story: divorce, menopause, job loss, debt, an empty nest, and a devastating loss, all at onceGrieving the versions of yourself you've outgrownIdentity, reinvention, and self-trustLetting go of who you thought you had to beTrusting yourself without having all the answersResources from this episode Women Waking Up: The Midlife Manifesto for Passion, Purpose, and Play — Wendy's book on reinventing midlife using her 7-step FREEDOM method.  FREEDOM at Midlife — Wendy's signature group coaching program that walks you through her 7-step FREEDOM framework for midlife reinvention.  The Midlife Makeover Show — Wendy's top-ranked podcast on embracing midlife as a powerful new beginning.  The Gutsy Collective — My integration space for deepening self-trust, confidence, and making Gutsy moves.  🎙️ Subscribe & Review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify 📲 Follow LauraAura on TikTok: @ThatLauraAura 🔥 Join The Gutsy Collective: Learn More 💡 Work with LauraAura: www.LauraAura.com Connect with Wendy Valentine Facebook  |  Substack  |  Instagram  |  Web Connect with LauraAura Facebook  |  TikTok  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn  |  Web Support the show Leave a Review! We love, love, love to read your comments, feedback, and reviews. It also helps other women like you know they're in the right place to get support. https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/the-gutsy-podcast/id1445481970

You've thought about it long enough, and it's time to make a decision. But right before you make your move, your brain kicks in and turns something simple into something that feels 10,000 times more complicated.  The problem is you're going outside of yourself for permission, asking everyone and their sisters, brothers, neighbors, and dogs what they think, gathering up opinions like Pokémon cards, until you don't know which end is up anymore.  Better decisions only come from an internal agreement with yourself. In this Powerback®, I'm walking you through three ways to make better decisions, faster, so you can make gutsy moves you didn't even know you were capable of.  We’ll go through: Getting clear on what you actually want (and what you don't)Why waiting until the emotion passes leads to better decisionsLearning to trust your body's unfiltered truth over your brain's noiseResources from this episodeFree Clarity Session — A free 30-minute call to talk through what's going on and figure out your right next move, if you're on the edge of a decision and need help making it. Connect with LauraAura Facebook  |  TikTok  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn  |  Web Support the show Leave a Review! We love, love, love to read your comments, feedback, and reviews. It also helps other women like you know they're in the right place to get support. https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/the-gutsy-podcast/id1445481970

Imagine selling a 7-figure company you built from the ground up, without knowing what was next. Could you do it? Could you even let yourself think about it?  Today's guest, Ilene Kastel, did just that. After 14 years building a mental health counseling practice from nothing, she walked away because, as she puts it, "I just knew what I was doing wasn't it anymore."  We get into what it actually looks like to leave corporate for reinvention — the self-reliance that replaces hierarchy, the isolation that shows up when collaboration disappears, and the nervous system cues that tell you when you're forcing a decision instead of trusting one.  I share my own version of this — 20-plus years in branding and marketing, thinking I'd do that until the day I died, and then starting over. Ilene and I both know that feeling of rebuilding competence from scratch, and why doing it inside a community beats doing it alone. If you're sitting in a corner office wondering if there's something else calling you, by the end of this episode, you'll have real language for what your body's already been telling you. In this episode, you’ll learn: Selling a 7-figure business without knowing what's nextGolden handcuffs and leaving corporate for reinventionListening to your nervous system as a business skillCalculated risk vs. burning it all downUndoing corporate habits in business ownershipIsolation, community, and finding your peopleImposter syndrome and comparisonThe real-life logistics of a big pivotResources from this episode Mindfully Modern Collective — Ilene's coaching practice, offering one-on-one coaching, breathwork journeys, half-day intensives, and retreats. Auralign Mastermind — If you're pivoting your business focus, taking your growth to the next level, and ready to build your next chapter your way, Auralign is where you get the support as you make those moves.  🎙️ Subscribe & Review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify 📲 Follow LauraAura on TikTok: @ThatLauraAura 🔥 Join The Gutsy Collective: Learn More 💡 Work with LauraAura: www.LauraAura.com Connect with Ilene Kastel Facebook  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn  |  Web Connect with LauraAura Facebook  |  TikTok  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn  |  Web Support the show Leave a Review! We love, love, love to read your comments, feedback, and reviews. It also helps other women like you know they're in the right place to get support. https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/the-gutsy-podcast/id1445481970

There's a move you're ready to make, and you've been doing everything except taking the actual action to do it.  You can feel it coming. You know what you want to do, but doesn't it feel better to go outside yourself first, to other people, and get their opinions before you commit? That's what we're talking about today: the three ways you're looking for permission instead of taking action. Permission feels comfortable because it spreads the responsibility around, but the only responsibility you actually have right now is fulfilling the promise you made to yourself. I'm not going to pretend this is comfortable. Change is going to feel scary and uncertain because you've never done this particular thing before, but friend, you do not need permission to go after the things you know are right for you. Validation doesn't create confidence — your action does! So take your Powerback®, take a deep breath, and go do the one thing you've been dancing around. We’ll go through: The habit of collecting opinions instead of making a decisionThe "one more thing" trap that keeps moving your finish lineConsuming more than you're creatingResources from this episode The Gutsy Collective — The community I built for women making bold moves, including the many women I've walked alongside through divorce. When you're navigating something this big, you don't have to do it alone. This is the place to make your next gutsy move with women who will celebrate the chaos with you and help you find your way through. Connect with LauraAura Facebook  |  TikTok  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn  |  Web Support the show Leave a Review! We love, love, love to read your comments, feedback, and reviews. It also helps other women like you know they're in the right place to get support. https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/the-gutsy-podcast/id1445481970

I was a totally normal person yesterday, so why did I wake up today feeling like I can't do anything, and I want to burn it all down? We call that PMS, we call it hormonal, and usually we say it like it's an insult. Today's guest, Dr. Aumatma, is straddling two worlds right now. She's taking her work in fertility and expanding it into leadership, and after I dug into her work and watched her TEDx talk, I knew I had to get her on the show. She and I talk about hustle culture, and why working against your hormones instead of with them is exactly what's driving the burnout and fatigue so many women are living with day to day.  She makes the case for reclaiming "I am hormonal" as power instead of an apology, and we get into what it looks like to plan your life, your energy, and your work around your cycle instead of a 24-hour clock that was never built for you. In this episode, you’ll learn: Working against your hormones vs. working with themThe masculine "push" culture vs. a 28-day cycleReclaiming "I am hormonal" as your powerMigraines, headaches, and the weight of the worldReceiving support without losing yourselfThe Silence Methodology, step by stepResources from this episodeDr. Aumatma's TEDx Talk  — If you want to go deeper on working from a place of safety instead of fight-or-flight, you must listen to this TED talk. Holistic Fertility Institute — Dr. Aumatma's practice, where she's guided thousands of women through fertility support that works with their hormones instead of against them. Auralign Mastermind — If you're pivoting your business focus, taking your growth to the next level, and ready to build your next chapter your way, Auralign is where you get the support as you make those moves.  🎙️ Subscribe & Review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify 📲 Follow LauraAura on TikTok: @ThatLauraAura 🔥 Join The Gutsy Collective: Learn More 💡 Work with LauraAura: www.LauraAura.com Connect with Dr. Aumatma Simmons Facebook  |  TikTok  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn  |  Youtube  |  Web Connect with LauraAura Facebook  |  TikTok  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn  |  Web Support the show Leave a Review! We love, love, love to read your comments, feedback, and reviews. It also helps other women like you know they're in the right place to get support. https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/the-gutsy-podcast/id1445481970

If you're cramming your calendar full of little things to avoid the deeper work you know you need to do, this one's for you. What I've seen over and over again with ambitious women is that busy isn't just a calendar problem but an identity problem. You've tied your worth to how much you're doing and how fast you're going for so long that slowing down feels dangerous. Like you're falling behind or even falling apart! But what if busy is actually the thing keeping you from the breakthrough you keep saying you want? In this Powerback®, I'm talking about why we stay stuck in execution mode, what it costs us to keep cramming surface-level work into every crack of our day, and how strategically slowing down is the thing that speeds everything up.  Busy is a safety mechanism. Busy feels productive. And busy is also what's standing between you and the business and life that you actually want. Take your Powerback® and let's flip the script on busy. We'll go through: Why being busy feels productive, but it’s a trapThe difference between doing the work and cramming the workWhat it really means to slow down How to identify what actually needs your time and attention mostPractical ways to start introducing white space into your daysResources from this episodeAuralign Mastermind — If you're pivoting your business focus, taking your growth to the next level, and ready to build your next chapter your way, Auralign is where you get the support as you make those moves. Free Clarity Session — If you're curious about Auralign or just want to talk through where you're at and what your next move looks like, book a free Clarity Session with me. Connect with LauraAura Facebook  |  TikTok  |  Instagram  |  LinkedIn  |  Web Support the show Leave a Review! We love, love, love to read your comments, feedback, and reviews. It also helps other women like you know they're in the right place to get support. https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/the-gutsy-podcast/id1445481970