Inspirational author Shannon L. Alder said: “There is no perfection, only beautiful versions of brokenness.”

That’s the truth. All of us have gone through heartbreak at some point, experienced difficult moments, and had dark days we thought would never end. And while our individual life stories may be woven uniquely, we ultimately have the same story elements and patterns such as love lost and found, birth and death, abuse and healing — and the same emotions that come with these experiences.

For first time author Kimberly Smith, life has been a series of traumatic events. When she finally decided to write these down in her book Beautifully Broken: Forged through Fire, Up from Ashes, telling her story freed her from the negative hold her experiences had on her, and gave her the power to heal not just her own heart, but also touch other women’s lives.

In this episode, Kim and I talk about:

• When she first realized she wanted to tell her story,...

When you hear the words, “Today is a GIFT”, what does it mean to you? Does it strike a chord with you or stirs something in your soul?

If there’s anything that 2020 taught us, it is that truly, every day is a gift. “Tomorrow is not promised” might be a cliché, but it is a reality that should teach us one thing: there’s no better time than today to take action and be the best version of ourselves, and to live our best lives now.

I invite you to listen to today’s episode of The Inside Story Podcast as I share with you:

• My love for acronyms and what W.A.I.T. really means
• What I feel is the major difference between men and women when it comes to facing the unknown, taking on challenges, and making decisions
• Why taking that first step and taking action toward your goals and dreams are the hardest things to do, but also the most important and rewarding
• My goal to make women realize their worth, and to elevate and highlight their stories

We’re all familiar with the old adage: “Laughter is the best medicine”. But how does humor actually tie in with healing trauma that we go through at some point in our lives?

Today’s episode of The Inside Story Podcast introduces us to Pasha Marlowe — life and laughter coach, and holistic personal trainer. As Pasha shares with me, she started out like any other marriage and family therapist who uses traditional methods for treatment. But a personal, traumatic experience led her to search for and apply all sorts of tools to bring about healing, and ultimately make the mindful decision to use humor as part of the process.

So join me and Pasha as we discuss:

• Her work as a therapist and health coach, and how a major shift in her family’s life became the springboard for her to use comedy, laughter and humor to promote healing
• What her coaching used to be like, versus how it looks now that she is working with the lens of humor
• Being open to...

The only thing that's constant ... is change. And no one is more familiar with change than my good friend — certified life and leadership coach Deb Cummins Stellato. As the Princess of Pivots, Deb is a lover of change, having gone through major shifts in her life that have defined who she is.

Change means letting go of something familiar and can therefore be a scary thing. But Deb has embraced change, saying that “success means leaning in to being courageous and being open”.

I invite you to join us as we talk about:

•   The two devastating events in her life and the grief process she went through, eventually leading her to begin her podcast
•   How she wanted her podcast to be raw and authentic, and how she used storytelling to build the audience for it
•   The necessity of taking risks and accepting life changes, which also meant letting go of the concept of perfection
•   Impostor syndrome and how it can stop you from moving forward...

Today’s topic is one I’m really excited about! Today I chat with Patty Lennon, intuitive business coach, about the Art of Receiving. Patty shares her own story (complete with some unexpected twists and turns) of how she learned to receive more for herself. We cover a ton of great information in today’s episode—so get ready to learn everything you need to know about receiving and how it plays a role in our lives.   

Some of the topics Patty and I discuss:    

• How Patty’s Irish Catholic background and her career in banking both played a role in her initial resistance to receiving
• How our brains are wired to increase our propensity for caretaking and giving while simultaneously diminishing the areas primed to receive
• A pivotal conversation with a co-worker that helped Patty realize she could leave her banking job and still remain a good person
• When Patty determined that coaching would be her new career
• The first time Patty...

In this solo episode, April is sharing her own Inside Story around a time when she felt hopeless and afraid. She shares the painful experience of losing the facade of financial security when her husband walked away from a very toxic business partnership.

As a young mom to two small children, and living life over 1000 miles away from nearest family, April spiraled into a dark hole of fear. It wasn’t until a defining moment on her closet floor, and the story of another woman that acted as a beacon of light was she able to find her way out.

Don’t miss this inspiring, vulnerable, and oh-so-real story. It will leave you inspired and telling your own internal monsters to go to hell.

In this episode, she shares:

• What fear sounded like and how the voice fed her lies she believed
• A defining moment when her mother drew a hard line in the sand
• How another woman’s story helped her see where she had gone astray
• A critical decision she made in the middle of the night while...

In today’s episode, Police Sgt. Toni Gonzalez and I talk about the inside story on how she came to recognize a silent issue in the police work force that included confronting a devastating memory from her childhood, and how she conquered her fear of being judged to launch a life-saving program that aims to help not just police officers, but all first responders. 

Listen in as we discuss:

• How Toni got into the police force, and the reality of choosing the job over having her son with her
• What being a Hispanic woman meant when she first entered the academy
• A specific incident on the job that led her to go into therapy -- finding out what was triggering the anxiety she felt when responding to work calls
• How being called a train wreck hit home, spurred her to action, and made her look into how stress affected first responders and why it was not being openly discussed
• Toni’s concept of bringing a mental “book bag” to work that fills up during the day, and...

Do you ever find yourself wanting to share a story you feel is relevant, but suddenly stop yourself with the thought that your story doesn’t really matter?

I know that sharing your story may not be easy at first, with all the junk (yes, it’s JUNK!) going through your mind, making you believe that you ought to play things down and not think big. And hearing my clients and people from my community making the same comments repeatedly made me realize that it’s just about time we debunk these lies, get back on track, and begin to purposely live our truths through our stories.

So today on The Inside Story Podcast, let’s talk about:

• Why telling your story is an important skill you need to learn
• The lies we tell ourselves that keep us from sharing our stories
• The different ways we can overcome these lies so we can begin our journey to better storytelling
• The 3-part formula you can use to put your story in perspective, and find the message and wisdom you can convey...

When was the last time you said YES to YOU?

I’m sure you’ll agree with me when I say that for us women, our excuses are plentiful when it comes to doing something for ourselves. Sure, saying yes to others may come easily to us. But saying yes to ourselves is a totally different matter. Which brings me to the story I’m sharing on the Podcast today about a big decision I made to say YES to an amazing and life-changing trip for me, and the Red Dress that completely changed my perspective in 2020.

Listen in as I share with you:

• The invitation my friend Hayley extended to me, to join her in Paris for an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime trip
• The excuses I kept coming up with so I could say no to the trip. I’m pretty sure the excuses will sound familiar — most women say the same excuses when big things come their way!
• A seemingly trivial choice between a yellow and a red dress, that ultimately affected, in a symbolic way, how I...

If you’ve ever felt disempowered by your life or circumstances, this is an episode for you!

On the podcast today,  I am joined by my good friend and Certified Empowerment Coach, Kofi Williams. 2020 proved to be one of the more painful years of her life -- and from it, she is rising bolder and more open about her truest desires.

I always get excited when I see a woman rising up to share her Vision and Voice… but like most of us, it hasn’t always been easy for Kofi!

She shares with us how her journey to becoming a life coach began, and her life’s purpose to help other women claim their vision, find and use their voice to create a future they wanted, and free their minds so they could be empowered and achieve their dreams.

In 2007, Kofi heard these 10 words that forever changed everything for her: “When you change your thinking, you can change your life”. Hearing that for the first time, she finally understood the power that was within...