Advertise on podcast: Your Spectacular Life

As the creative mind behind her “sit-down standup” style of humor writing Diane Dean-Epps has proven that comedy is just as effective from a chair—preferably one with lumbar support and a cup holder—as it is from a standing position. Her humor has found a home in multiple books, including Bangs ‘N’ Botox: My Aging Journey Near, Through, and Out of Denial and Botox, Fillers, & Human Preservatives, the latter essential reading for anyone who’s ever looked in the mirror and gasped at what time hath wrought. Diane’s career has offered up a bountiful buffet of opportunities—sometimes concurrently—in industries as diverse as media, education, marketing, entertainment, and fitness leading to incredible feats of multi-tasking. This explains her unique ability to deliver a punchline, grade essays, post social media updates, and draft stories as she voices commercials and assumes the plank position for one minute and 22 seconds. Currently residing in northern California, Diane writes and performs in productions that are both planned and—much to the surprise of unsuspecting bystanders—unplanned. Her audiences are (mostly) entertained, and she considers that a solid win.For more information, visit https://dianedeaneppswriting.com.

Paul Pape is a two-time TEDx speaker and the strategist creative entrepreneurs call when standard business advice has stopped working. After twenty years designing for Disney, Universal, Nickelodeon, Nintendo, and Broadway, earning him the nickname Santa for Nerds, he founded Gamify Business to help talented creatives, neurodivergent founders, and burned-out solopreneurs finally answer the question they've been afraid to ask: why am I still broke when I'm this good? He's the author of five books, including The Creative Player's Handbook to Business and Quit Selling Your Shit! For more information, visit gamifybusiness.com.

For over 18 years, Shellee Howard has helped thousands of families navigate the college admissions journey with clarity, strategy, and proven results so their students get in and thrive. After seeing firsthand how confusing and overwhelming the college admissions process can be, Shellee made it her mission to change that. She left her role as an academic advisor to create College Ready, a company built on a simple belief that every student deserves a plan, a champion, and a path to the right fit. For more information, visit collegereadyplan.com.

Eric Dingler believes the biggest thing holding most businesses back isn't marketing, sales, or AI. It's the founder. He has spent nearly 30 years building and leading teams across churches, non-profits, agencies, and businesses, and he's the author of Hire to Grow. His philosophy is simple: businesses don't scale because founders work harder. They scale because leaders build people who can lead without them. Eric has lived what he teaches. For three years, he ran two businesses remotely while traveling the world full-time with his wife and their four teenagers. Today we're talking about how founders stop being the bottleneck, build teams that create freedom, and grow businesses that no longer depend on them. For more information, visit  https://ericdingler.com.

Linda Berger is the founder of Mission-Led Institute and creator of the Mission Activation Framework™. She has spent 27 years advising established business owners at organizational inflection points, the moment when what built a company starts to limit its next chapter. Her work is structural. She names the constraint holding a business back and the one move that clears it. In Fall 2026, she launches the Advisory Certification Program, which credentials experienced advisors and coaches in the methodology. For more information, visit mission-ledinstitute.com, Linkedin or email Linda at [email protected].

Dr. Michelle Millis Chappel is a Princeton PhD psychologist, world- acclaimed musician, transformative career coach, and top business consultant for companies such as Google and Intel. She specializes in showing people how to reclaim their hidden superpowers and succeed in life and work as their full, authentic selves. After discovering she could sing and write songs, she left a career as an award-winning psychology professor to become a rock star with over a million fans and followers. Her songs have topped overseas and U.S. college radio charts, and aired on ABC, HBO, Encore, and Showtime. As the CEO of Creativity Rock Star Coaching and Consulting, she has helped thousands of people find their purpose, claim their power, and live the life they were born to lead. Her music and work have been featured in The Washington Post, TechCrunch, Psychology Today, Science of Mind, WorldNews.com, and Change.org.  For more information, visit powerofauthenticity.org and michellechappel.com.

Lance Cayko stands out as a visionary architect, entrepreneur, and community leader, co-founding F9 Productions Inc. in Longmont, Colorado, in 2009 with Alex Gore. This acclaimed design-build firm, known for its expertise in residential and small commercial projects, has flourished under his guidance, earning a reputation for bold innovation and client-centered excellence. Since launching F9 during the economic downturn, Lance has steered the firm to significant achievements, including the 2016 Architizer A+ Award for the Atlas Tiny House and a 2023 ranking as the #1 fastest-growing firm in BizWest’s Mercury 100 with a 386% growth rate. His influence extends to academia, where he lectures at the University of Colorado Boulder and North Dakota State University, sharing practical wisdom with the next generation of designers. As co-host of the globally recognized Inside the Firm podcast, Lance offers actionable insights on architecture and business, drawing from his diverse experience. For more information, visit insidethefirmpodcast.com.

Christian Komor is a climate innovation advocate and Independent candidate for Governor of Colorado, focused on scaling direct air carbon removal as a practical solution to climate challenges. His work centers on turning captured carbon into economic opportunity—creating jobs, new industries, and infrastructure while addressing environmental impact. He joins us today to talk about how climate solutions can move beyond regulation and become a driver of real economic growth. For more information, visit k4gov.com.

Sarah Thomas leads Behold Retreats, a world-class platform guiding leaders, creators, and changemakers through transformational plant-medicine journeys. Her work has attracted high-profile clients, including NFL stars and featured in featured in ESPN, The New York Times, and Condé Nast Traveller as one of the world’s top luxury ayahuasca retreat providers. Sarah is on a mission to guide individuals through life-changing journeys to offer deeply transformative experiences that connect mind, body, and spirit. She is rooted in a commitment to fostering human advancement and creating spaces for safe, legal and profound personal growth. For more information, visit https://www.behold-retreats.com.

Dr. Stephen Paul Edwards is an author who explores the complexities of human behavior, relationships, and personal transformation. Through his work, including The Venus Flytrap, he examines how individuals can become emotionally and psychologically entangled in patterns that shape their lives, often without realizing it. With a focus on vulnerability, self-awareness, and accountability, he brings a candid and introspective perspective to conversations about identity, growth, and reinvention, encouraging others to better understand themselves and create meaningful change. For more information, visit vft23.com and vft23.com/coaching-and-counseling for question about coaching.

Andy Freed is Chairman of Virtual, Inc., advising global organizations including Microsoft, Meta, and Google and his company has been named a Best Place to Work for more than a decade. He is a leadership professional keynote speaker, and a business strategy consultant, leveraging my expertise to help organizations and people grow. In the last 35 years, Andy has guided candidates in their runs for state and national office, coached a Division I college sports team, and chaired a hospital board, all while finding the time to catch nearly 100 Bruce Springsteen shows around the world. He also brings a unique twist to leadership conversations in his book, Lead Like The Boss using Bruce Springsteen’s leadership style as a framework for building trust, communication and momentum inside teams. For more information, visit https://www.andyfreed.com.

After shutting down a multi-six-figure business due to life-threatening burnout and daily anxiety, Hannah O’Donovan rebuilt her work from alignment rather than survival. She is a Somatic Channel, Nervous System Specialist, and founder of the Untamed Divine Feminine™, a body of work helping visionary women release anxiety-inducing ambition and create success that feels aligned, embodied and financially sustainable. Hannah bridges nervous system science with embodied leadership and energy work. She guides women who know they’re meant for more to transmute survival patterns into embodied power so success no longer comes at the cost of their wellbeing. Her work supports women in building lives rooted in wealth, love, legacy, and unapologetic self-trust. For more information, visit www.somasoma.ca.

Bob Violino has covered some the most momentous events in the information technology field, including the emergence of the personal computer, the growth of mobile communications, and the rise of artificial intelligence, over a career spanning more than forty years. Since 2002, he has worked as a freelance writer, producing articles, newsletters, and other content for print and online publications and clients in a variety of industries. In addition to his personal blog, Embracing Gratitude and Positivity, Violino has authored the books, New Life: Lessons in Faith and Courage from Transplant Recipients and Children of the Light. He lives in Massapequa Park, New York, with his wife Reneé, and enjoys reading, blogging, travel, painting, and experiencing the wonders of nature. For more information, visit inspirations-blog.com/life-lessons.

LaKiesha Tomlin is an investing and trading mentor who helps busy professionals learn to trade in just 30 minutes a day. As a Yale MBA and former aerospace & defense engineering leader, she turned to trading after being laid off - growing $20K into ~$100K twice and funding two extended sabbaticals. Through her YouTube channel Chart Confidence, she shares practical strategies with fixed dollar risk per trade. Featured in The Wall Street Journal and Forbes, LaKiesha proves you don't need to quit your job to build financial options through trading. For more information, visit lakieshatrades.com and find her on Youtube and Linkedin.

Sunaina Mehta is the founder of Design your Next, a strategic small-group program where ambitious women at a crossroads discover their purpose and design what’s next on their terms. Her work is rooted in a truth she's lived her entire life: choosing yourself is the most graceful act of rebellion. Over 20 years, Sunaina built a powerhouse corporate career, serving as an award-winning Strategy head at global ad agencies in the U.S. and India, and as the Global Head of Insights at HP. Born between America and India, she learned early what it takes to fight for your place. Resilience became her signature. At 50, she flipped the script again to discover: transformation comes from aligning intellect with intuition. For more information, visit designyournext.studio.