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What happens when a cat-pee rug becomes the last straw, and one exhausted woman decides to invoice the world for everything nobody notices? In episode 284 of Joy Found Here, Lisa Virginia Anderson shares how a breaking point led her to build InvisiBILL, an app that turns unappreciated labor into satirical invoices. For Lisa, it’s not about keeping score. It’s about making the invisible visible. In This Episode, You Will Learn: (5:17) Lisa’s path from Lifetime TV to Planned Parenthood to tech founder (8:35) What “invisible relational labor” is and why it has dollar value (13:09) The “team player” myth and the cat-pee moment behind InvisiBILL (17:30) Building a tech company with no experience and a lot of anger (21:34) How the app matches tasks to professional pay rates and titles (27:09) Why InvisiBILL tracks feeling unappreciated, not chores (31:42) The Elle Woods–inspired design and using it at work (38:45) Building it to say “you matter” and the $6 ghosting invoice (44:46) Layoff culture, C-suite satire and the cut “fake HR” feature (49:41) A tool for when you just can’t vent anymore Lisa Virginia Anderson is the founder of InvisiBILL and creator of InvisiBILL – Anxiety Receipts, a wellness app that puts a real dollar value on the unpaid, often unrecognized labor people carry into relationships, homes and workplaces. She rose from assistant to associate producer at Lifetime Television before becoming Senior Director of Strategic Operations and Board Relations at Planned Parenthood Los Angeles. With no tech background, she taught herself no-code tools and built a team to launch the app, now free on the App Store and Google Play. In this episode, she shares the story behind InvisiBILL, the app she built to put a dollar value on “invisible relational labor,” building on Eve Rodsky’s work. Lisa recalls coming home from a draining day at Planned Parenthood, finding the cat had peed on the rug and being told cleaning it up was “her job.” That was when she realized existing wellness and chore apps weren’t telling the truth. She explains how the app matches anything that feels unappreciated to a Bureau of Labor Statistics or Glassdoor rate, then turns it into a funny invoice with an inflated title. The ledger already lives in our heads, she argues, so getting it out with humor eases resentment. She also questions the “team player” label, pokes fun at layoff culture, and shares how building the app taught her to value herself. Connect with Lisa Virginia Anderson: InvisiBILL Website LinkedIn TikTok Let's Connect: Website Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if a hospital bed showed you what your strength was worth? In episode 283 of Joy Found Here, Jeanne Phares shares how leukemia at 55 turned a CPA and lifelong lifter into a woman on a mission. She champions strength training as the habit that lets midlife women age on their own terms, with small daily moves that keep you lifting your suitcase for decades. In This Episode, You Will Learn: (4:13) How leukemia at 55 sent a CPA and lifelong lifter on a new mission (8:44) A stem cell donor, an experimental drug, and a new purpose (13:04) Why mentoring women, from CPA firm to gift books, still drives her (15:30) Why you belong at the top of your list, plus her three-item success list (22:25) Why momentum beats motivation, even on hard days (28:07) Slow 10-second reps, five key movements, and leaving reps in the tank (32:58) Grip strength, gentle cardio, and how much protein you can absorb (35:58) Why GLP-1 users need strength training, plus sleep and rest days (43:42) Rebuilding after treatment and using the wellness wheel to plan ahead (51:29) Why pickleball players get hurt, and her eight-week habit program Jeanne Phares is a retired CPA, author, and coach who helps women in midlife and beyond build strength, confidence, and fulfillment. She spent more than 30 years in accounting, including time as an executive at a major CPA firm, before a leukemia diagnosis at 55 turned her lifelong love of strength training into a mission. She founded Sage Lifestyle Press and has written several books on strength training, nutrition, and menopause, including The Beginner’s Guide to Strength Training for Women Over 50, plus gift books celebrating women at every age. Through Sage Lifestyle Collective, she offers courses, coaching, and an eight-week signature program. In this episode, Jeanne Phares shares how 15 weeks in the hospital and a stem cell transplant from an estranged brother left her determined to help women thrive through midlife. She explains why strength training matters most as we age, since women lose muscle from their 30s onward and need it to stay upright and independent. Jeanne breaks training into five movements (squat, push, pull, hinge, and carry) and recommends slow 10-second reps with lighter weights, leaving one or two reps in the tank. She also covers protein absorption, strength work on GLP-1 medications, brisk walking over intense cardio, and the value of sleep and rest. Her main point is to stop waiting for motivation and build momentum through small daily habits, like a few squats on a dog walk. Connect with Jeanne Phares: Website Instagram LinkedIn YouTube Get Jeanne’s books! Let's Connect: Website Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if showing up online with integrity starts with the peace you carry inside? In episode 282 of Joy Found Here, visibility strategist Elizabeth Honeycutt shares how a childhood of heavy responsibility, years of self-sacrifice, and fifteen years of meditation taught her that peace is a daily practice. For Elizabeth, inner calm keeps visibility honest and shapes how she handles hard emotions, online criticism, and the courage women need to share their stories. In This Episode, You Will Learn: (04:51) Why integrity in visibility starts with inner peace (10:11) How a Texas work ethic had her chasing peace as a destination (11:18) What 15 years of meditation taught her about practicing peace (13:48) What peace feels like in the body (16:35) The danger of spiritual bypassing and admitting you're not okay (22:57) How being the eldest of five girls shaped her focus on the next generation (26:06) The mission behind Luminary Agency and amplifying women's voices (32:25) What The Red Tent teaches about sisterhood and sharing your story (36:49) Handling online criticism with empathy and firm boundaries (45:46) Saying "peace" as a grounding tool, plus her workshops and course Elizabeth Mae Honeycutt is the founder and visibility strategist behind Luminary Agency, serving founders, experts, and mission-driven brands. Drawing on her background in podcast publicity, she helps clients clarify their message, sharpen their positioning, and choose the right channels. She offers strategy and content sessions, a monthly workshop called The Visibility Network, and a self-paced podcast-guesting course. Raised in Texas as the eldest of five girls, she helps women share their stories and build visibility grounded in integrity. In this episode, Elizabeth Honeycutt argues that integrity in visibility starts with inner peace. Raised where "I'll sleep when I'm dead" was a point of pride, she once believed peace waited at some destination. Fifteen years of meditation taught her it is a daily practice that widens the space between feeling an emotion and choosing a response. She warns against spiritual bypassing and urges women to admit when something is not okay and to stop self-sacrificing. Drawing on The Red Tent, she explains why sharing women's stories matters. Facing online criticism, she looks inward first, responds with empathy, and sets firm boundaries. Connect with Ani Anderson: Website Instagram LinkedIn Let's Connect: Website Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if your body has been blocking what you keep asking the universe for? In episode 281 of Joy Found Here, somatic coach and author Ani Anderson shares how a longing for deeper conversation led her to love, and how a passing comment on her couch became Manifestation for Dummies within 24 hours. For Ani, manifestation is a partnership with the universe, rooted in the nervous system, the subconscious, and the courage to act and treat life like a lab. In This Episode, You Will Learn: (5:04) How Ani manifested a friendship that became her marriage (11:58) Why wealth-focused visualization never worked for her (17:13) Why belief lives in the subconscious and the body (21:15) Lessons from her ideal-partner trait list (22:03) Inside the Somatic Coaching Academy's programs (24:53) How a couch comment became Manifestation for Dummies in a day (26:01) What makes a "spontaneous manifestor" (28:39) Treating life like a lab and trusting the dots to connect (36:41) Writing a 348-page book in four months, conflict-free (42:35) The next book and why people are ready for body-based manifestation Ani Anderson (MS, OT, LMT, CEMP, ICF ACC, ELI) is co-author of Manifestation for Dummies, #1 bestselling author of Find Your Soul's Agenda, and co-creator of the Somatic Coaching Academy and Sensation-Based Motivation Coaching. A former holistic occupational therapist with 25+ years' experience, she blends assessments, intuition, natural laws, and somatic coaching to help executives, business owners, and service-minded people live with purpose. She's trained in massage, energy medicine, CranioSacral therapy, Qigong, Tai Chi, and Human Design. In this episode, Ani Anderson shares how manifesting someone to talk with about body, mind, and spirit led her to business partner Brian, now her husband, and why she learned nervous system and emotional regulation to keep that love. She explains why wealth-focused visualization failed her, framing manifestation as co-creation with the universe. Since belief lives in the subconscious, largely the body, we can consciously want something our body doesn't believe. Ani recalls pitching Manifestation for Dummies to Wiley in 24 hours and writing the 348-page book in 4 months conflict-free. She covers the Somatic Coaching Academy, treating life as a lab, becoming a "spontaneous manifestor," and connecting the dots in community. Connect with Ani Anderson: Website Instagram LinkedIn Somatic Coaching Academy Book: Ani Anderson – Find Your Soul's Agenda Ani Anderson & Brian Trzaskos – Manifestation for Dummies Let's Connect: Website Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do you do when the career that defined you leaves you running on empty and your body says enough? In episode 280 of Joy Found Here, coach Erin Dougherty shares how burnout and a tough perimenopause pushed her out of an 18-year teaching career, into clinical research, then coaching midlife women. She covers whole-person health, finding comfort in Reiki after loss, building a community of 100+ women, and swapping rigid goals for flexible focus. In This Episode, You Will Learn: 3:50 Burning out, quitting teaching with no plan B, and finding clinical research 11:55 Why the body says enough, and how perimenopause forced her to rest 14:33 Losing a childhood friend, discovering Reiki, and what it involves 19:58 Health beyond diet and exercise, and why she coaches midlife women 21:46 How the Sage and Sip Circle grew from coffee meetup to 100+ women 28:15 Helping clients beat analysis paralysis by starting with values 37:56 Why "focus" beats "goals," and how sleep stalls weight loss 42:32 Grounding habits: play, nature and guided body gratitude meditation 51:32 Auditing your energy in midlife so your cup can overflow 52:50 Her children's book with her nephew, plus a free discovery call Erin Dougherty is a certified health and wellness coach, Reiki Master, speaker and author, and the founder of Erin Dougherty Coaching. Known as the Empowering Habits Coach, she works online with women in midlife to build lasting habits around weight loss, stress, social connection and perimenopause and menopause symptoms. Her approach blends behavior change coaching with mind-body practices. Before coaching, Erin spent 18 years as an English teacher and then worked as a clinical research coordinator on neurological drug trials, which gave her an analytical eye and a whole-person view of health. She founded the Sage and Sip Circle, a Meetup community for women over 40 with more than 100 members, and wrote the children's book Eugene the Shy Dinosaur with her nephew. In this episode, Erin Dougherty shares how burnout and a tough perimenopause led her to leave teaching at 47 with no backup plan, and how clinical research turned her toward coaching. She explains why she sees health as more than diet and exercise, how Reiki helped her through grief, and how the Sage and Sip Circle grew from a handful of people to over 100. Erin describes a coaching approach that starts with values and swaps "goals" for "focus," and shares grounding habits like time in nature, guided meditation and jumping for bone density, and urges listeners to audit where their energy goes. Connect with Erin Dougherty: Website Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Book: - Eugene the Shy Dinosaur Let's Connect: Website Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when a near-death childbirth experience becomes the wake-up call that launches a six-figure wellness empire? In episode 279 of Joy Found Here, Cassandra Sonma Ukaobi, known as Cass UK, shares how an emergency C-section and postpartum depression pushed her to leave a stable NHS career and go all-in on Tolicious, her wellness brand. For Cass, the journey wasn't about waiting until things felt safe. It was about trusting that self-care isn't selfish, it's survival. In This Episode, You Will Learn: 03:39 Cass Uk joins the conversation 04:54 Growing up in Nigeria with a midwife mother 05:30 Choosing nursing school in Dominica over medicine in Nigeria 08:28 The near-fatal childbirth that became her wake-up call 10:04 Building Tolicious: products, philosophy, and the Healing Chats podcast 15:04 Her own postpartum depression and the power of community 21:17 Writing "The Tolicious Way" 26:52 Family reactions, patriarchy, and generational expectations 29:21 From tea and shea butter to a full skincare line 33:53 Launching Blueprint Academy and the ancestral legacy behind her drive Cassandra Sonma Ukaobi, known as Cass Uk, is a Nigerian-born, UK-based entrepreneur and former NHS nurse who founded Tolicious, an award-winning nurse-led wellness brand offering supplements, skincare, haircare, and workplace wellbeing programs. She bootstrapped the business to six-figure revenue in its first year while nursing full-time, later securing investment through the North East Accelerator Programme as the first Black female founder to do so, and the brand has since been named Best Female-Led Wellness Brand UK 2025. She also authored "The Tolicious Way," hosts the podcast Healing Chats, and founded Blueprint Academy, coaching women moving from corporate careers into entrepreneurship. In this episode, Cassandra Sonma Ukaobi shares the journey behind Tolicious, from growing up in Nigeria watching her midwife mother run a maternity clinic, through nursing training in Dominica and a career spanning London and the NHS. She opens up about the emergency C-section that nearly took her life and her son's, the wake-up call that pushed her to leave nursing and go all-in on her business. She speaks candidly about postpartum depression and community, and discusses writing her book, her plant-based skincare line tested at market pop-ups, and her mentoring work through Blueprint Academy. Throughout, she credits her nursing background for the skills that built her business, guided by her belief that self-care is not selfish but survival. Connect with Cassandra Sonma Ukaobi:  Website Instagram LinkedIn Book: Cassandra Sonma Ukaobi “Class UK” - The Tolicious Way Let's Connect: Website Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when trauma gets distilled into fifty-five letters to a mother who couldn't hear them? In episode 278, Kim Cook shares how a shelf collapse and old records cracked open years of grief, unlocking the letters behind her memoir, What Remains Is Love. For Kim, healing meant compassion for an imperfect mother and choosing joy at every age. In This Episode, You Will Learn: (03:34) How Kim's story began in a small farming town before her mother's bold move to Berkeley (07:14) Growing up immersed in a multicultural community and the gift of lived experience (13:33) Getting sober at 29 and finding her guiding filter of love, learning, and travel (19:31) The inspiration behind her book, What Remains Is Love: Fifty-Five Letters to My Mother (23:59) Understanding intergenerational trauma and the complexity of forgiveness (26:20) How a collapsed bookshelf and old records sparked the letters that became a memoir (32:15) Surviving addiction, financial hardship, and a life-threatening cancer diagnosis (37:17) Launching her new Substack, Plain Spoken, and finding a supportive writing community (42:02) Writing her next book, Life Without a Handbook: How I Got My Sh*t Together (45:43) Staying playful and curious at any age, and why fun can be found anywhere Kim Cook is a multidisciplinary creative director, author, and cultural strategist known for translating bold ideas into impact across theater, circus, festivals, public art, and digital media. Her background includes creative leadership roles at Burning Man and Montreal's Moment Factory, and founding New Orleans' LUNA Fête Festival as CEO of the Arts Council New Orleans. A nine-time NEA grant recipient and Kennedy Center Fellow, she holds degrees in Performing Arts and Arts and Consciousness, plus a Circus Dramaturgy certificate from France and Belgium's National Circus Schools. She authored What Remains Is Love: Fifty-Five Letters to My Mother, a memoir on grief and reconciliation, and writes Substack Plain Spoken. In this episode, Kim Cook traces her story from a turbulent Bay Area childhood to her unreconciled relationship with her mother, a trailblazing physicist. She shares how her book, What Remains Is Love, grew out of grief into a vehicle for processing intergenerational trauma. Kim speaks candidly about recovering from addiction and surviving cancer, and describes her creative career across theater, circus, and placemaking, plus her new Substack and next book. She closes on lifelong learning and finding joy in ordinary moments. Connect with Kim Cook:  Website Instagram LinkedIn Book: Kim Cook - What Remains Is Love Let's Connect: Website Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if the only difference between a listener and a published author is hitting record? In episode 277, Michelle Glogovac, THE Podcast Matchmaker®, shares how a 2018 layoff pushed her from corporate aviation into a career built on other people's stories — one nudge, one ask at a time, into a business, a book, and a following she never saw coming. In This Episode, You Will Learn: (00:13) Introducing Michelle Glogovac, THE Podcast Matchmaker® (05:14) From Corporate Aviation to a 2018 Layoff That Changed Everything (06:00) How a Life Coach's Podcast Sparked an Unexpected Career Pitch (11:30) Learning the Behind-the-Scenes of Podcasting and Building a Team (16:37) Why Michelle Calls Her Shows Her "Selfish, Guilty Pleasure" (21:43) The First Step to Sharing Your Story on Podcasts (29:19) What It's Really Like to Work With a Podcast Publicist (34:16) The Evolution From My Simplified Life to Read The Damn Book, BURNT, and Kitchen Briefs (45:07) Advice for Podcasters Looking to Book Great Guests (52:03) Where to Find Michelle and Final Thoughts on Sharing Your Story Michelle Glogovac is THE Podcast Matchmaker®, an award-winning publicist and host of the Webby-nominated Read The Damn Book, Behind The Campaign, and BURNT podcasts, as well as author of How To Get On Podcasts (McGraw Hill, 2024). She has helped entrepreneurs, authors, nonprofits, and advocates land spots on over 1,000 podcasts and establish themselves as thought leaders, and has coached thousands of authors through podcast book tours via the Nonfiction Writers Association. Michelle holds a B.A. and M.S. in Law and is Founder and CEO of The MLG Collective®. She lives in the Bay Area and loves sushi. In this episode, Michelle Glogovac shares how 18 years in corporate aviation sales led, after a 2018 layoff, to discovering podcasts and becoming a podcast publicist. She traces how that pivot grew into her own family of shows, including Read The Damn Book, Behind The Campaign, BURNT, and Kitchen Briefs, each born from a different passion. Michelle walks through her process for helping clients define their story, identify their audience, and land the right podcast placements, stressing that persistence and simply asking are what open doors. She speaks candidly about the discomfort many feel discussing their own accomplishments and the value of recorded stories as a legacy. She closes by reflecting on her platforms' unexpected growth, from hoping for 600 Instagram followers to nearly 24,000, built simply by showing up. Connect with Michelle Glogovac:  Website The MLG Collective Website Instagram Facebook X Get Michelle’s books! Let's Connect: Website Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if the loudest truths in your life have been arriving as whispers all along? In episode 276 of Joy Found Here, transformational mindset coach Kathleen Huebner shares how a difficult divorce and a mysterious moment on a walk in the woods led her to write her bestselling book, Whispers Within Us. For Kathleen, the real work isn't chasing constant noise or forcing outcomes—it's learning to slow down, get quiet, and trust the signs, synchronicities, and inner nudges that have been trying to reach us the whole time. In This Episode, You Will Learn: (03:27) Welcoming Kathleen Huebner to the show (03:47) Life after divorce: the path into yoga, spirituality, and coaching (05:45) Writing Whispers Within Us: the whiteboard process and a 3.5-year journey (09:03) Recognizing signs and synchronicities—and the feathers that connect her to her late father (12:57) Training with the Napoleon Hill Institute and uncovering limiting beliefs (16:50) The "seven layers deep" method for surfacing emotional trigger points (20:16) The audible whisper on a forest walk that gave the book its name (24:39) Letting go of outcomes and embracing "tower moments" (30:33) Finding gratitude in turmoil and trusting the magic (38:18) Setting boundaries with technology and finding quiet in a noisy world (48:29) Where to find Kathleen, her book, and a second book on the horizon Kathleen Huebner is a transformational mindset coach, certified yoga instructor, and bestselling author of Whispers Within Us. A Founding Ambassador for the Napoleon Hill Institute and Certified Wellness Coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, she helps clients move past limiting beliefs to realign mind, body, and spirit. Her divorce inspired both her book and her "From Mrs. to Miss" mastermind for divorced women reinventing their lives. Based in Wisconsin, she coaches clients worldwide and is currently writing a second book. In this episode, Kathleen traces her path from divorce through yoga certification and Napoleon Hill Institute training, sharing how these experiences opened her up to noticing "whispers" — signs, synchronicities, and intuitive nudges. She recounts the origin of her book's title and her three-and-a-half-year writing process, then unpacks her coaching philosophy: uncovering childhood-rooted limiting beliefs, her "seven layers deep" questioning technique, and the value of active listening. She shares practical tools for slowing down—unplugging from phones, time in nature, gratitude practice—and describes her mastermind structure. She closes by sharing where to find her and confirms a second book is underway. Connect with Kathleen Huebner:  Website Instagram Facebook YouTube Get Kathleen’s books! Let's Connect: Website Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if the biggest obstacle to becoming who you're meant to be isn't outside circumstances, but the boxes you've been checking your whole life? In episode 275, executive coach and bestselling author Tori DaCosta shares how a pause in her corporate career led her to write No Name Bastard—and reclaim ownership over the one thing she could truly control: herself. In This Episode, You Will Learn: (05:11) From Executive MBA to a Career-Defining Pause (07:08) Life as a Primary Caregiver and the Question That Changed Everything (10:45) Naming All the Hats: The Exercise That Sparked Clarity (12:38) Work-Life Collaboration Over Work-Life Balance (21:06) Why Tori Wrote No Name Bastard (24:45) Surprising Reader Feedback and Redefining Ambition (29:05) Learning to Sit Still and the Freedom of Letting Go (42:29) Rebuilding Self-Trust Through Control, Manage, and Influence (47:51) Why Challenges Are Fuel — and Where to Find Tori Tori DaCosta is a business leader, executive coach, bestselling author, and speaker who helps people lead themselves with clarity and intention. She's the author of No Name Bastard: How Our Lives Teach Us What We Can Control, Manage, and Influence, drawing on her own experiences to help readers turn hard seasons into growth. She spent over a decade leading teams within a Fortune 50 company, holds an Executive MBA from Emory University and a bachelor's degree from Appalachian State University, and centers her work on the transformative power of ownership. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two children and enjoys running and the outdoors. In this episode, Tori DaCosta shares the journey behind writing No Name Bastard and unpacks her "control, manage, and influence" framework. She traces her path from corporate leadership and an executive MBA to a moment of stillness that pushed her to rethink the impact she wanted to make, and offers practical strategies like scheduling one-on-one time with her kids and swapping work-life balance for work-life collaboration. She speaks to self-trust, ownership, and sitting with discomfort, using a biosphere experiment where trees fell over from lack of wind to show why resistance builds strength. She also discusses redefining ambition and success on her own terms, freeing herself from judgment, and the surprising response from male readers around people-pleasing. Connect with Tori DaCosta:  Website LinkedIn Instagram Facebook YouTube Book: Tori DaCosta - No Name Bastard Let's Connect: Website Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when a search for identity across continents ends in healing an old childhood wound? In episode 274, singer-songwriter and educator Machan Taylor shares how a culture-straddling upbringing fueled a music career alongside Sting, Pink Floyd, and Foreigner—and became the seed of her memoir, Naked Out Loud. For Machan, it's the journey from never belonging to finally feeling whole. In This Episode, You Will Learn: (03:54) Machan's unconventional path into sharing her story with the world (04:05) Her birth in Japan, her musical family roots, and the move to America (06:30) Growing up an outsider in 1960s New Jersey (08:54) Discovering her voice as a source of identity and power (12:40) Childhood trauma and the drive it gave her toward independence (15:25) From local bands to the Glenn Miller Orchestra and life on the road (20:31) The catalyst for her memoir: psychedelic-assisted therapy (25:15) Turning subconscious pain into conscious healing and liberation (33:24) How journaling became her memoir, Naked Out Loud (35:10) Teaching at NYU and what's next: speaking, healing, and service Machan Taylor is a vocalist, songwriter, composer, and educator whose four-decade career has included stadium tours with Pink Floyd, Sting, and Foreigner, three years fronting the acclaimed jazz ensemble Hiroshima, and television appearances on Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show. She has released two solo albums, contributed to film and TV projects including American Beauty and Boyhood, and shared stages with artists from Aretha Franklin to Billy Joel. She holds a master's in Theory and Composition from NYU, where she now teaches at the Clive Davis Institute, and is the author of the memoir Naked Out Loud. In this episode, Machan Taylor shares her cross-cultural upbringing between Japan and a New Jersey town where she often felt like she didn't belong, and how music became her anchor through a difficult childhood. She traces her path from teenage gigs and the Glenn Miller Orchestra into decades of touring, and opens up about the unglamorous realities of life on the road. She describes how psychedelic-assisted therapy became the catalyst for her memoir, transforming a childhood wound into conscious healing, and reflects on returning to school in her fifties to pursue teaching. She closes by sharing her hope to expand into speaking engagements that help others do the same healing work. Connect with Machan Taylor:  Website LinkedIn Instagram Facebook YouTube Apple Music Let's Connect: Website Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when your body starts speaking in symptoms—and it takes rock bottom to finally listen? In episode 273, Amber Romaniuk, Emotional Eating, Digestive and Hormone Expert, shares her battle with binge eating that had her gaining and losing over 1,000 pounds. For Amber, healing wasn't willpower or a quick-fix diet—it was uncovering the hormone imbalances, gut issues, and emotional wounds driving her self-sabotage. In This Episode, You Will Learn: (00:12) Introduction to Amber Romaniuk and The No Sugar Coating Podcast (06:29) Amber's Childhood: Bullying, Grief, and the Roots of Emotional Eating (15:19) The Loneliest Years: Living in Secret With Binge Eating and Purging (18:15) Breaking the Cycle: Sugar Addiction, Triggers, and Building Self-Awareness (25:35) How Childhood Programming and Diet Culture Shape Our Relationship With Weight (27:05) The Truth About GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs (32:00) Gut Health 101: Stress, Digestion, and the Myths About Probiotics (41:30) Cortisol, Burnout, and the Hidden Signs of Hormone Imbalance (50:24) Getting the Right Testing: Thyroid Ranges and Finding a Functional Practitioner (57:52) Where to Find Amber: Podcast, Quizzes, and Consultations Amber Romaniuk is an Emotional Eating, Digestive and Hormone Expert with 12 years' experience helping high-achieving women build body confidence and optimal health. She hosts The No Sugarcoating Podcast, with 2+ million downloads across 600+ episodes in 90+ countries. Her expertise is personal: she overcame emotional eating after gaining and losing over 1,000 lbs and spending $50,000+ on binge foods, spending five years healing her hormones, digestion, and limiting beliefs. Today she helps women achieve Body Freedom™ and lasting confidence. In this episode, Amber shared her journey through emotional eating, binge eating, and binge-purging, tracing it to childhood bullying and family stress that turned food into emotional armor, and the rock-bottom moment that pushed her into recovery. She explained the roots of self-sabotaging food behavior, from the brain's fear response to sugar addiction and low self-worth, then covered gut health and hormone health (cortisol, thyroid, progesterone, estrogen) and their link to cravings and emotional eating. She also discussed her concerns about GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, closing with where to find her podcast and consultations. Connect with Amber Romaniuk:  Website LinkedIn Instagram YouTube X Let's Connect: Website Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if what you call self-sabotage is really your nervous system doing what it learned to keep you safe? In episode 272 of Joy Found Here, somatic healing practitioner Lori Montry explains why mindset and willpower alone can't create lasting change, and why the body must be part of the process. Drawing on her own journey out of high-achieving overwhelm, she introduces her Freedom Formula and makes the case that real transformation starts with safety, not discipline. In This Episode, You Will Learn: (00:12) Welcome to Joy Found Here and Introducing Lori Montry (05:12) From Harvard Law to Burnout: Lori's Early Adaptations (09:29) What Somatic Coaching Really Means (16:36) Naming Self-Sabotage in Real Life (19:11) The Adapted Self vs. The Expansive Self (25:06) Inside the Book: You're Not the Problem (28:28) Building Safety Through Small Daily Practices (38:48) The Freedom Formula: Three Phases of Change (44:00) Trusting the Body and Surrendering Control (47:28) Where to Find Lori and Get the Book Lori Montry is a somatic healing practitioner and author of You're Not the Problem: End the Overwhelm, Restore Energy, and Make Progress that Lasts. She's also the creator of the Freedom Formula, a nervous-system-based framework that helps people move out of survival mode and into lives that reflect who they are. Before this work, Lori earned her law degree from Harvard Law School and spent years in high-achievement environments that looked successful from the outside while she privately struggled with chronic stress, emotional eating, and anxiety. Her approach blends nervous system science, somatic practices, and mindset work to help people see their patterns as adaptations that once kept them safe, not personal brokenness. In this episode, Lori Montry explains why lasting change requires working with the body and nervous system, not just the mind, since old stress patterns get stored physically and outlast talk therapy or willpower alone. She introduces the "adapted self" versus the "expansive self," framing self-sabotage as a protective pattern rather than a failing, and describes building safety with these parts instead of fighting them. Lori also outlines her three-phase Freedom Formula — nervous-system safety, uncovering authentic identity, and building an aligned life — emphasizing small, consistent practices over big overhauls, and shares how her reading circle community helps readers actually integrate the book's ideas. Connect with Lori Montry:  Website LinkedIn Instagram Facebook YouTube The Nervous System Self-Discovery Quiz Book: Lori Montry - You're Not the Problem Let's Connect: Website Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when a storyteller who's lived on five continents realizes reinvention is a skill, not something that happens to you? In episode 269, Laura G. Patac joins Stephanie to unpack how our own stories and unconscious strengths quietly shape the ceilings we hit in life. For Laura, the answer isn't more credentials, but recognizing your patterns and repositioning what you already have. In This Episode, You Will Learn: (00:12) Welcome to Joy Found Here and Meeting Laura G. Patac (06:15) Life Across Five Continents: Home Between Romania and Dubai (08:54) Reinvention as a Deliberate Practice, Not Something That Just Happens (12:50) From Teenage Poetry to a Storytelling-Driven Corporate Career (17:29) The Two Stories Everyone Carries: Self-Talk and Your Origin Story (23:46) Discovering Your Natural Talents Through CliftonStrengths (26:31) Laura's Top Five Strengths and the "Strength Traps" Hiding Inside Them (38:45) Living by Values: Freedom, Purpose, and Bold Career Decisions (45:21) Real Growth Comes From Using What You Already Have (51:35) Inside Whole, Not Perfect: Poetry, Story, and Self-Discovery Laura G. Patac is a storyteller, speaker, and Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths® coach with over 25 years of global leadership experience across five continents. Based between her native Romania and Dubai, she is the author of Stories With Purpose and Whole, Not Perfect, a 2025 Reader Views Literary Award finalist, and co-founder of EdgeCraft™ and creator of the Strengths Velocity Lab™, helping mid-career leaders turn lived experience into strategic career advantage. In this episode, Laura shared how her life across five continents shaped her belief that reinvention is a deliberate skill built on reflection and reframing. She traced her storytelling roots to teenage poetry, carried into 25-plus years of corporate leadership, and introduced the idea that everyone carries two essential stories: the one we tell ourselves daily, and the one that brought us here. Walking through her top five CliftonStrengths, she showed how each becomes a "strength trap" when overused, from analysis paralysis to being an indispensable "fixer," tying this to her own near-burnout. She closed on strategic positioning: aligning story, strengths, values, and purpose to build visibility and influence. Connect with Laura G. Patac:  Website LinkedIn Instagram Book: Laura G. Patac - Whole, Not Perfect Let's Connect: Website Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when a Gen X president and a millennial account director decide to run a marketing agency—and start a podcast—together? In episode 270 of Joy Found Here, Deanna Dolecki and Ashley Ruggeri of Blue Duck Agency share what it's like building a boutique, fully virtual agency across two life stages—from Deanna's empty-nest reinvention at 50 to Ashley's whirlwind days as a hockey mom. They trade honest, funny stories about hiring each other, disagreeing without taking it personally, and turning their podcast, Ducks Unplugged, into an unexpected creative lifeline. In This Episode, You Will Learn: (04:16) Meet Deanna and Ashley: Blue Duck Agency's Dynamic Duo (04:57) Deanna's Path: From Undecided Grad to Agency President (09:12) Ashley's Journey: From Banking to Marketing Motherhood (13:38) The Hiring Story: Why Deanna Almost Didn't Hire Ashley (15:30) Building Trust: How They Make Their Working Relationship Work (18:02) The Podcast Origin Story: How Ducks Unplugged Was Born (25:06) Inside Blue Duck Agency: What Makes Their Boutique Approach Different (29:25) Deanna's Road to 50: Learning to Put Herself First (37:12) Generational Differences: TV Guides, YouTube, and Everything Between (40:49) Ashley on Parenting Differently Than Her Own Mother Deanna Dolecki and Ashley Ruggeri are President and Account Director at Blue Duck Agency, a boutique, virtual marketing agency near Boston. Deanna has led agency strategy for 11 years in account management; Ashley brings 15+ years in customer acquisition via banking and energy before finding marketing. Deanna, a mother of two, recently turned 50 and launched a "Road to 50" self-prioritization project; Ashley, an elder millennial and Bentley grad, raises her 7-year-old son while working. Together they co-host Ducks Unplugged, marking its first anniversary. In this episode, Deanna and Ashley reflect on navigating different life stages as colleagues and friends. Deanna opens up about turning 50, becoming an empty-nester, and learning to put herself first, touching on her divorce, dating again, and buying her first home alone. Ashley shares life as a young mother raising a 7-year-old while helping run the agency, and parenting differently than her own mother did. Both discuss the trust behind their partnership and how their podcast became a fulfilling creative outlet. Connect with Deanna Dolecki:  Blue Duck Agency Website LinkedIn Connect with Ashley Ruggeri:  LinkedIn Ducks Unplugged Podcast Website YouTube Instagram Facebook TikTok Let's Connect: Website Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.