We often hear people talk about planning their dream wedding or finding the partner of their dreams. In fact, this is a topic of many reality TV series and a common topic in therapy. In this podcast episode, I'll be talking with pre-marital couples counselor, Mickayla Waldhauser about: 

• ways we can prepare ourselves for the relationship of our dreams

• the importance of investing in the relationship, not just the big day

• the challenges of real relationships vs. the idealized ideas we have of relationships

If you're the person who is engaged or still looking for "the one," this episode is for you!

Have you ever felt exhausted at the end of the day, because you felt like you couldn't be your most authentic self in the space you were in? Or perhaps you've left a gathering feeling bored or dissatisfied by shallow conversations and superficial interactions. If you're the person who wants to show up more authentically, or if you're the person who is craving more authenticity from others, this episode is for you! 

In today's podcast, you'll get to hear social worker and entrepreneur, Courtney Jones, LCSW-C talk about the challenges of finding authentic relationships, especially in entrepreneurial spaces. You'll also get to hear about the work she does to support individuals who are wanting to show up more authentically and ways that she encourages the same in her team. As a therapist who does equine work, she also shares about the role that therapeutic work with horses can play in leading us to a more authentic and attuned place.

When was the last time you remember being truly playful? And, when you hear the word, "playful," what comes up for you? In a world where we're taught to "work hard," we can be left with the notion that there's no room for play. Today's guest, TJ Matton, would love to change that! 

In this episode, TJ Matton explores the concept of play, its significance in adult life, and how it can be integrated into daily routines. You'll hear TJ talk about the cultural disconnect from play, especially in women and children, and the importance of rediscovering play as a means of enhancing mental health and well-being. The conversation also touches on the role of play in parenting, the relationship between play and mindfulness, and the various styles of play. TJ believes that play is not just an activity but a vital experience that can transform lives.

Ready for more playfulness in your life? Now's the time to tune in!

Have you ever found yourself in a place where your dreams are too big for others to handle? In this week's podcast episode, you'll meet Laura Mickler, a mindset coach and yoga studio owner, who talks about what it's been like to have big dreams in a small town. You'll also get to hear about unexpected changes in her career journey, taking her from a corporate financial career to opening her own yoga studio. 

In this episode, you'll get to hear Laura talk about:

• embracing the mindset of "Why not?" 

• what it means to manifest your dreams

• the importance of visualizing and embodying your desired outcomes

• balancing passion and work 

• finding joy and setting boundaries

In this episode, I speak with Joseph Heggins, LPC, a therapist in Houston, Texas, about what it means to live a good life.

We discuss how the concept of a good life changes over time and varies for different individuals, emphasizing the importance of health, family, and the ability to curate one's own life. We also explore the role of mental health in pursuing a good life.

Joseph shares his decision to continue working in a nine-to-five job instead of solely focusing on his private practice, highlighting the value of routine, predictability, and the ability to educate and support individuals in the mental health system.

Join us as we discuss what the "good life" means for us, and how you can visualize what the "good life" may mean for YOU!

Writing can be a touchy subject for people. If you’ve ever determined that you’re “not a writer,” I’m going to encourage you to hold off on any of that labeling.  As Dr. Adina Silvestri will tell you, writing can be a powerful tool to reflect, find your own voice, and uncover your deepest desires and passions.

In this episode, you’ll also hear her talk about solo writing vs. the power of sharing your writing in a group format. 

If you’re up for giving writing a try, this is your episode!

You might be wondering about the connection between setting boundaries and pursuing your dreams, but setting boundaries (with yourself or others) just might be one of the actions you need to take in order to successfully pursue your goals.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• The connection between boundaries and pursuing your dreams

• Boundaries you might need to set with yourself or others

• A way to re-think boundaries if you’re afraid that setting boundaries means “being mean.”

It wouldn’t be right for me, as a therapist, to let this month go by without recognizing and discussing that May is Mental Health Awareness Month!

In last week’s Part 1, I discussed how our mental health has the ability to impact our ability to “dream.” This week, I’ll be discussing how our mental health can impact our ability to “do!”

In this episode, I’ll be discussing:

• Ways that our mental health impacts our ability to do (function)

• Under-functioning, and struggling to take action

• Over-functioning, and constantly striving to do more

May is mental health awareness month. As a therapist, it just wouldn’t feel right to let this month go by without talking about how our mental health impacts our ability to dream and do. In this episode in particular, I’ll be talking about how our mental health has the ability to impact our ability to dream.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Stats related to mental health

• Ways that our thoughts and feelings impact our ability to dream

• Specific thought patterns that show up when our mental health isn’t doing as well

• Ways that we can address our unhelpful thought patterns in order to access a more expansive state

If you’re like me, you’ve been told that the path to success involves hard work and long hours. This messaging, however, can lead people down the road of burnout and result in extreme health problems. Executive Coach, Amina AlTai’s knows all about that from first-hand experience, and her experience has completely transformed how she now works.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Amina’s personal journey and how it led to her mind, body, and career approach.

• The oppressive origins of hustle culture

• How working within your zone of genius can facilitate a sense of well-being

If you’re tired of being exhausted, overwhelmed and burned out and ready to work differently, this episode will show you that there’s another way to be successful without sacrificing yourself or your well-being.

When we’re living fully into our purpose and passions, it can feel absolutely incredible! There are times in life, however, when we feel like something is blocking our ability to perform to our fullest potential. In today’s podcast episode with Brainspotting Coach and Consultant, Thad Frye, you’ll get to hear about an approach that can help people access creativity and expansion OR help them work through the blocks that are hindering them personally or professionally. Thad Frye is known for his performance-based coaching with athletes and performers, so you’re in for a treat!

During our conversation, you’ll learn:

• About Brainspotting & performance brainspotting

• Ways that you can use performance brainspotting in your personal or professional life

• Common reasons we experience blocks that interfere with our ability to perform at our fullest potential

Do you relate to the saying, “leadership is lonely?” If so, you’ll be able to appreciate today’s episode where we talk about:

• Loneliness in entrepreneurship

• Health risks associated with loneliness

• The impact that our social circles have on our success, failure, and health and well-being

• Ways that you find community or create the community you need

If you like research, I hope you’ll enjoy some of the stats shared in this episode. If you’re looking to experience supportive community right away, be sure to check out the retreat I’m hosting for entrepreneurs and leaders in Costa Rica this April!

When it comes to pursuing our dreams, it can be helpful for us to understand the impact that other people’s beliefs about us can have on our success and outcomes. In the same way, we also need to look at how our beliefs about others and their ability to be successful matters too!

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• The power of belief based on research

• The importance of surrounding yourself with people who believe in you

• The impact that your beliefs can have on others.

As a result of listening, I hope you’ll carefully consider the people you let in your circle, and I hope that you’ll make an effort to communicate your belief in the people around you!

Have you ever stopped yourself from pursuing an exciting opportunity because you thought that doing so would be selfish? Or, have you ever stopped yourself from pursuing your dream because you felt guilty for pursuing something that was for yourself, and doing so would take away time, energy, or resources from the other people in your life? If so, this episode is for you!

In this episode, you’ll hear Melissa talk about:

• Ways that guilt that can show up as we pursue our goals

• Ways that guilt can impact women in particular

• Ways that we can distinguish between true, valid forms of guilt vs. unnecessary guilt

I’ll be keeping it real with you and sharing from my own personal experiences and my own experiences working with others! We’ve got important decisions to make about how we live this life, so I hope you’ll find this episode valuable! Let’s travel light and leave unnecessary guilt behind!

When we think about pursuing our dreams, the conversation can often be very personal and focus on the things that we need to do as individuals to make our dreams a reality. In this episode, however, we’ll be talking about how we can leverage community and let other people support us when we need it the most.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The importance of signaling

• How you can signal in your personal, professional, or entrepreneurial life to get the support you need

• To take risks for the sake of surviving and thriving

I love the concept of signaling, and I hope you’ll find it helpful too!

Have you ever found yourself talking about something you’d really like to do, only to find that you never actually take action on it? Whether we’re talking about wanting to achieve a new goal, pursue a big dream, or discontinue an unhealthy habit, we can probably all think about things that we want to do but haven’t taken action on!

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear 5 common traps that we can fall into that prevent us from moving forward with our dreams. Of course, you’ll also get to hear some real and relatable stories of how I’ve been there too! And, I’m excited to share about one of my big dreams, and how I’m living into it RIGHT NOW!! In this episode, I’ll be inviting you to join me too!

Some might say that Patrick Casale has created a dream job! Over the past few years, he’s become known for hosting off the beaten path retreats for therapist entrepreneurs that sell out within days! Patrick’s decision to host international retreats has allowed him to pursue his own passions while helping others’ travel dreams come true too! Even though Patrick’s retreats have been incredibly successful, he’s also completely up front about the challenges of doing this work as an AuDHD therapist and entrepreneur.

In this episode, you’ll get to hear:

• What inspired Patrick to start hosting retreats.

• How he came to embrace the motto “Doubt Yourself & Do It Anyway.”

• How Patrick strives to lead with authenticity

• The most transformational aspects of attending retreats.

If you’ve never attended a retreat before, we hope this episode will inspire you to give one a try.

Burnout has certainly been a hot topic over the past few years, and it’s a term that typically doesn’t have any positive associations with it. In this episode, however, you’ll hear Gabrielle Juliano-Villano, a licensed clinical social worker and entrepreneur share about her personal experiences with burnout while running her group therapy practice and how that experience led her to make impactful changes that led her to a whole new dream.

In this episode, you’ll hear Gabrielle talk about her personal experience with burnout as a group practice owner, how burnout led her to sell her group practice, how burnout led her to a new dream that allows for location independence and freedom to schedule her day according to her body’s own needs and preferences, and life after burnout and how she uses her experience with burnout to help other therapists and entrepreneurs too!

Have you ever dreamed of traveling the world with your family? Jessica Tappana is doing just that! As a mom of 2 school-aged children and owner of 2 businesses, she faced all of the same barriers that anyone else in her shoes would face, but what makes Jessica’s experience unique is that she and her family decided to troubleshoot and find a solution to each of those barriers rather than letting them stop the pursuit of their dreams.

Jessica loves traveling so much that she has also found ways for her team to have amazing travel experiences while getting work done! If you are interested in traveling with your family or team, this episode is for you!!

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• The inspiration for the Tappana family’s 6 month world cruise.

• Strategies Jessica and her family used to ensure that her partner and school-aged children could have this amazing experience on board a cruise ship for 6 months.

• Ways Jessica approached 6 months of travel with her team (and her team’s response!)

• Cruising with your team and navigating those logistics

To pursue big dreams, we have to be aware of our mindset and how it plays a role in the outcomes we experience. In today’s episode, you’ll get to hear from elite Executive Coach, Keren Eldad, who is known for her mindset work with clients. In this lively episode, you’ll be inspired to take your dreaming one step further, so you can pursue your personal, professional, or business aspirations!