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What if Business Isn't How You Change the World? A few weeks before we recorded this, Felicity told me she didn't know why she was still in my community, because she wasn't in business anymore. I was up most of that night.  Not from stress.  From excitement. She sat at a business event where everyone was being told to aim for being the CEO of your own business. Her response: na, not for me.  Then she worked out what she actually wanted to do with the rest of her life - and it isn't what anyone in the online business world would have told her to want. This is a conversation about what happens when you stop escaping your life and build one you don't need to escape from. And it totally confirmed to me that I was never about 'business' but about cheering on change-makers.    Felicity Pryke wants to run the country. This is the conversation where she shares how she worked out her why - and it starts with 127 miles of canal, in the rain. In this episode, we unpack: Why the business bubble "buys and sells off each other" - and why she stepped out.The 127-mile canal walk, and the question she couldn't answer at the end of it.The two words she thought at the business event.Her philosophy of the satisfied life - and its four seasons.Where she's taking it instead of business."I'm now the age I've always been."The funeral she was going to straight after we recorded.What she wants to be remembered for.That was a few years ago. Since then Felicity wrote the book - Walk the Walk, the story of the canal and the philosophy it gave her, out now in paperback and on Kindle. This episode is part of I Never Released These... The Lost Tapes, a special 12-part series featuring interviews I recorded between 2022 and 2024 that never made it into the world... until now. Follow Felicity: Website - felicitypryke.com Substack - @felicitypryke Tiktok - @felicitypryke Follow Merilyn: Instagram: @merilyn Website: merilyn.com

Anke Beeren lives in a ski village in the Austrian Alps, her day doesn't start before eleven am, and some mornings she takes the cable car up and works from the restaurant at the top. None of that is an accident.    She's built a business, and a life, around one rule: it has to fit the way she's made. She learnt the rule the hard way - her body enforces it. This isn't a conversation about human design, though it comes up. It's about permission. To say no to the strategy everyone's using. To let go of the thing you committed to when the energy's gone. To stop setting goals and start choosing projects. If the last couple of episodes have been about refusing to squeeze into someone else's template - this one shows you what it looks like when you actually stop.   That was three years ago. Just look at her now: The book she was writing when we spoke is out — Erfolg durch Einzigartigkeit (Success Through Uniqueness) - and it's a bestseller.  She's a certified BG5 consultant, one of the first certified Profit Potential Coaches in the German-speaking world, and her business is called Profit By Design. Her motto these days, translated from the German: "Templates were yesterday. Uniqueness is the future." She's been saying it to me for this whole episode. In this episode, we unpack: Why she shut everything down during COVID to build one thing."When the energy is not there, it's already doomed to die."The two words she says to every hyped strategy.Why she can't fake it for more than a year — and what happens if she tries.Goals versus projects, and why one of them makes her sick.What her parents told her that most of our parents didn't.The butterfly, and why you have to die first.This episode is part of I Never Released These... The Lost Tapes, a special 12-part series featuring interviews I recorded between 2022 and 2024 that never made it into the world... until now. Follow Anke: Website: humandesign.ceo Instagram: @anke.beeren LinkedIn: @anke-beeren  Follow Merilyn: Instagram: @merilyn Website: merilyn.com

Shelley Bosworth has a line she lives by. You've probably seen it on a coffee mug. When she tells you where it came from, you'll never read it the same way. We recorded this while she was mid-move, mid-wobble, and mid-way through working out what to call herself all over again. She'd already walked out of a 25-year corporate career with no business to walk into. And she was about to do the scary thing a second time. This one is for anyone with a plan they haven't said out loud yet. In this episode, we unpack: Why Shelley put 25 years of corporate experience "in a box" — and what it cost her.The year that changed everything, and the line she lives by because of it."Six figures in 90 days"? A reality check.Why your niche tends to find you. ("I'm my niche.")The industry norms she's thrown out the window.Catch it, challenge it, change it — the three-step she uses on her own self-doubt.New level, new devil.The one thing she'd say to a room full of women.The Italy dreamThat was three years ago. Just look at her now: Shelley made the move, she's still in Dubai, she speaks on international stages, hosts the She's Courageous podcast, and runs Courageous Connections, an online networking space for women. None of that existed when we recorded this. What did exist was the wobble — and she went anyway. This episode is part of I Never Released These... The Lost Tapes, a special 12-part series featuring interviews I recorded between 2022 and 2024 that never made it into the world... until now. Follow Shelley: Website: shelleybosworthofficial.com Instagram @shelleybosworth.official LinkedIn: shelley-bosworth Follow Merilyn: Instagram: @merilyn Website: merilyn.com

Jenn Howard stood in a music festival in Mexico, tears streaming down her face and knew immediately: "I'm not done”. This episode tells the raw story of the dangers of thinking (and believing) you’ve missed the boat.  Jenn is a singer-songwriter from New Orleans. She knew what she was born to do at four years old, and then spent the best part of twenty years not doing it. This conversation was recorded from her pantry, the only room in the house her kids can't find her in. We cover a lot of ground: a Ouija board, a car park in Texas and the song that sat in a drawer for 24 years.   If you've ever put something down and quietly decided it was too late, listen to how she picked it back up. In this episode, we unpack: Why a four-year-old sang Edelweiss back to her father, and what she knew in that momentThe story she told herself for twenty years (and who she was really angry at)The music festival in Mexico where she cried and said, "I'm not done”.Why the album is called Valiant Women: a Ouija board, white roses, and a car park in Texas.The song that sat in a drawer for 24 years before it found its moment"The hatch is open": how songs actually arrive, and what to do when they don'tWho she made this album for (it isn't who you'd think)What she still wants, and why she doesn't have to be her own cheerleader anymoreWhat significance means to JennThis episode is part of I Never Released These... The Lost Tapes, a special 12-part series featuring interviews I recorded between 2022 and 2024 that never made it into the world... until now. Follow Jenn: Website: jennhowardband.com LinkTree: jennhowardband Follow Merilyn: Instagram: @merilyn Website: merilyn.com

Tiffany is a psychologist in Australia.  She'd like to see the end of the Family Court. She works with parents the system has already given up on - sent to her by a court that ran out of ideas.  She got tired of arriving too late. This isn't a conversation about separation. It's about what you do when the people you admire are busy, the system isn't going to fix itself, and you're still waiting to feel qualified. In this episode, we unpack: Why a courtroom is "the wrong arena" for a family.Why therapy is "drip feed" - and what should come first.The camp leaders who saved a 13-year-old who didn't fit in.Her 99-year-old grandmother, and what was in the handbag.Why Brené Brown can't do this for you.Stop waiting until you feel extraordinary.What Tiffany wants to be remembered for.This episode is part of I Never Released These... The Lost Tapes, a special 12-part series featuring interviews I recorded between 2022 and 2024 that never made it into the world... until now. Follow Tiffany: Website: coparentingcompanion.au Socials: @coparentingcompanion Follow Merilyn: Instagram: @merilyn Website: merilyn.com

Out of everyone I've interviewed, Nida Leardprasopsuk is one I never forgot - so I brought her back. We just... connected. And interestingly, that's where her business and brand as evolved to today: a relationship OS designed to reconnect a disconnected world. Nida was born in Baltimore, moved to Bangkok at ten without being able to write Thai, did her master's in Sydney, went into Fortune 500 corporate life and got out fast. She's a coach, she gets incredible transformations in clients and she's building a reality show with no drama in it. Here's the thing about Nida: almost nobody reads her correctly. Not the people in Bangkok. Not the coaching industry. Not even the clients who see the go-getter. This isn't a conversation about business or personal brands. It's about what happens when you let go of the version of you that everyone admires. In this episode, we unpack: Nida's thesis on why making friends is exactly like dating.Why an introvert can be the loudest person in the room.The reality show she's auditioning people for - and who she wants on it.Why she quit her PhD, and why she has no regrets.The message her body sent that she couldn't argue with.Why she wants her life's work to be free.What she wants to be remembered for (it isn't what you'd guess).This episode is part of I Never Released These... The Lost Tapes, a special 12-part series featuring interviews I recorded between 2022 and 2024 that never made it into the world... until now. Follow Nida: Website: nidaleard.com Instagram: @nidaleardofficial Follow Merilyn: Instagram: @merilyn Website: merilyn.com

A patient once walked into Melanie Weller's clinic with a suicide planned for that night.  She had no protocol for what he was living through. She had herself. Melanie is a physical therapist, a nervous system expert, and something she calls a neurotheologist - a word she'd been looking for long before she found it. This isn't really a conversation about neuroscience. It's about what happens when you stop leaving parts of yourself at the door. In this episode, we unpack: Why hiding parts of yourself creates stress.The difference between expertise and intuition.What "Fearless Presence" really means - and why so many high performers are missing it.Why your body may know before your mind does.A simple breathing practice to calm your nervous system.This episode is part of I Never Released These... The Lost Tapes, a special 12-part series featuring interviews I recorded between 2022 and 2024 that never made it into the world... until now. Follow Melanie: Website: melanieweller.com Instagram: @embodyyourstar Facebook: @WellerWorld Follow Merilyn: Instagram: @merilyn Website: merilyn.com

Hannah is one of those people who quietly makes you rethink what success actually looks like. I wanted you to meet her. She spends her days helping companies solve incredibly complicated technology problems. Then she spends the rest of her time renovating a 400-year-old farmhouse on the coast of Wales, rewilding a meadow (which has badgers living underneath), and running a glamping business. This isn’t a conversation about escaping work. It’s a meandering chat about creating a life you adore, along side it.  In this episode, we unpack: The beauty and history of life on the Pembrokeshire coast.Why designing your life matters just as much as designing your career.How Hannah accidentally built a career in technology.Why deep work needs space, silence and good design.What restoring an old farmhouse taught her about legacy.This episode is part of I Never Released These... The Lost Tapes, a special 12-part series featuring interviews I recorded between 2022 and 2024 that never made it into the world... until now. Follow Hannah: Website: https://hannahverrall.co.uk/ Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-verrall/ Follow Merilyn: Instagram: @merilyn Website: merilyn.com

I recorded this conversation several years ago… and never released it. Until now. It has changed the way I think about exhaustion. Clinical psychologist Emma Gray argues that many of us aren’t just tired- we have become fundamentally disconnected from our own bodies. If you have ever pushed through deep exhaustion, ignored your instincts, or struggled to know what you actually need, this conversation is for you. In this episode, we unpack: The "Good Girl" Lie: Why women are conditioned to put everyone else first.Somatic Disconnection: How your body tries to speak to you before it burns out.The Self-Care Fallacy: Why standard rest advice fails when you are truly stuck.The 3 Questions: Surprisingly simple prompts to reconnect with your inner wisdom.This episode is part of I Never Released These... The Lost Tapes, a special 12-part series featuring interviews I recorded between 2022 and 2024 that never made it into the world... until now. Follow Emma: Website: emmagray.net https://emmagray.net/ Facebook: @emmagraycoaching Instagram: emmagray.soulcoach  Follow Merilyn: Instagram: @merilyn Website: merilyn.com

I recorded this conversation in 2022.  Then life happened. It sat on a hard drive for years. Today, it's finally seeing the light of day. I originally thought this interview was about building a seven-figure business. Listening back now, I realised it's really about something much more important. Leslie Kuster shares the decisions that changed the course of her life - from devastating personal loss, to leaving everything familiar behind, to building a multiple seven-figure business. But this isn't a conversation about money. In this episode, we unpack: The Comfort Trap: Why playing it safe is the riskiest decision you can make.Purpose Through Pain: Navigating grief and using it to redefine your path.The 7-Figure Shift: The exact mindset changes required to scale a business.Starting Late: Why your timeline doesn't matter when it comes to reinventing your life.1:06  The Real Cost of Staying Comfortable 4:03  The Loss That Changed Everything 5:53  Finding Purpose Through Pain 7:29  Building a Business from Bali 9:19  The 7-Figure Decision 9:42  Why Mindset Beats Strategy 14:43  It's Never Too Late to Begin Follow Leslie: Website: https://www.lesliekuster.com/ Book:” 7 Keys to 7 Figures - The Women Entrepreneurs' Guide to Money & Freedom” Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leslie.kuster/ This episode is part of I Never Released These... The Lost Tapes, a special 12-part series featuring interviews I recorded between 2022 and 2024 that never made it into the world... until now. Follow Merilyn: Instagram: @merilyn Website: merilyn.com

What if the timeline you’ve feared was never a delay… but a promise? Thirty years after blurting out the words, “I won’t come into my own until I’m older,” the spark has landed. Not astrology. Not reinvention. Ignition. Year of Fire isn’t about burning your life down. It’s about finally lighting the match you’ve been gripping for decades... and refusing to shrink at the exact age society expects you to. If it hits, follow. Share it. Let’s light a few more. Follow Merilyn: Instagram: @merilyn Website: merilyn.com

What happens when you dare to abandon others' blueprints and forge your own destiny? My profound conversation with Melanie Ann Layer of Alpha Femme reveals just that. From navigating life in her car to manifesting a global empire, Melanie's journey is a testament to the sacred alchemy of leading from within. We explore the pivotal shift from external striving to embodying the magnificent force you already are. Melanie shares philosophies like "pineapple season is coming" for divine timing, "for me, for you, for us" for authentic connection, and "I am the one or the one who got away" for pure sovereignty. This dialogue transcends old paradigms, inviting you to see growth as an exhilarating exploration of boundless potential. Melanie's ultimate legacy? Cultivating a future where daughters celebrate their mothers' powerful paths. This conversation isn't just about success—it's about transmuting its very definition into an experience of sublime unfolding. Find Melanie on Instagram: @melanieannlayer and @alphafemme More info here Follow Merilyn: Instagram: @merilyn Website: merilyn.com

Have you ever noticed those competing voices in your head? The one that spirals into doubt, questioning your progress, and another that whispers wisdom and reassurance? During a peaceful evening by my cottage fireplace, I experienced this familiar internal dialogue - what I call my "Woe" and "Wow" voices. This episode explores how to recognise these distinct inner voices and strengthen the wise, powerful "Wow" voice that often gets drowned out by our noisy inner critic.  I share a profound revelation that changed everything for me: "You'll know you're there not when you're rich, but when you stop needing money to prove you're worthy of being heard." This insight applies beyond finances to any external validation we desperately seek. The transformation happens when we realise that money (or any measure of success) doesn't respond to begging or desperation. These resources want to build with us, not rescue us. Becoming your empowered 'Wow' self requires courage rather than confidence, changing on the inside before seeing evidence on the outside.  Most people who seem to "make it" don't feel any more ready than anyone else - they've simply stopped waiting for the world to crown them and claimed their role first. Follow Merilyn: Instagram: @merilyn Website: merilyn.com

What happens when you stop forcing a business model that doesn’t fit—and start building one that actually reflects who you are? In this bold and honest conversation, Richelle Gamlam shares her journey from struggling entrepreneur to founder of Move Abroad Coach, a thriving international coaching business helping people design lives they actually want to live—abroad. We dive into: How she grew from $4K a year to a million by ditching the standard "webinar-to-course" formulaThe moment she realised her worst-case scenario was already happening—so why not bet on something better?The personal fears she faced relocating her family to Spain after five years in Tbilisi GeorgiaHow she now helps others create personalised relocation plans that address mindset and logisticsThe behind-the-scenes of living internationally in China, Vietnam, Tanzania, and beyondWhy bootcamps, not blueprints, helped her clients finally moveRichelle’s story is a masterclass in alignment, courage, and creating freedom on your own terms. Whether you’re dreaming of living abroad or ready to rewrite the rules in your business or life—this episode is your permission slip. Join Richelle's next Escape Plan Bootcamp HERE Instagram: @MoveAbroadCoach Follow Merilyn: Instagram: @merilyn Website: merilyn.com

What happens when a legal scholar rides shotgun with police—and builds trust with sex workers—on the streets of Johannesburg? Professor India Thusi spent nearly two years embedded in both worlds. The result? A radical inside look at how policing really works—and why the criminalisation of sex work does more harm than good. In this episode, she shares the story of being detained during her research, the power dynamics it exposed, and what her journey from Yonkers to Johannesburg taught her about justice, race, and reform. If you care about policing, power, or what it means to build safety in society—this conversation will shift something in you. Contact India online here Follow Merilyn: Instagram: @merilyn Website: merilyn.com