In the work that I do, I help women dig out their story and amplify their visibility as they share it. But speaking your mind, telling your story and becoming more visible along the way can be quite hard — especially when you’re a woman who’s expected by society to stay small and stay quiet.

In today’s episode, I am talking to Diann Wingert — a therapist turned coach who works with women who have high potential but are under-achieving partly because they are holding themselves back. We uncover why women choose to stay behind the scenes, and what we should be doing instead.

My conversation with Diann is rich with so many nuggets of wisdom. Here are some of what we talk about:

• The definition of feminine conditioning and what Diann observed in her years as a psychotherapist
• Why she loves working with women who are in their mid-life
• Biological conditions that have contributed to feminine conditioning (you may be surprised!)
• Telling yourself you’re...

There will always be 2 sides to life: the beautiful and exhilarating one, and the other that’s messy and difficult. You can’t have one without the other, and even the most successful people I know who seem to have it all have gone through both. In fact, most success stories become even more fascinating and extraordinary because of the obstacles that had to be overcome.

But what does it take to navigate through this life that’s both messy and marvelous? Good friends and colleagues Rhea Merck and Amy Montanez have written a book called LAUNCH: A Guide to Adulting — meant for 18-35 year olds , but is being picked up by older folks who feel like they still have a lot to learn! (Raising my hand over here!) 

On today’s episode, Amy, Rhea and I talk specifically about a few of the “life skills” found in the book.

I invite you to listen in as they share with me:

• The background story of how Messy Marvelous came about and their...

What I’m sharing with you today is something I have not openly talked about with other people.

It’s not so much that I’m ashamed of it. It’s because I don’t want it to define me as a person, and I don’t want to offend somebody dealing with this differently from me… so much so that as a result, I’ve been keeping myself from discussing it. 

It’s about my life-long battle with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

I’ve long planned to record this episode, but I kept pushing it back since talking about it made me uncomfortable. Today, I am finally opening up and giving you the inside story on my life with RA.

Here are some of the things I share in this episode:

• What RA is and what it was like to be 18 months old suffering from this disorder
• The doctor’s prognosis of what my life would be like with RA
• The non-traditional way I have dealt with my condition
• Realizing that the pain from RA was only half the battle; the other half was...

I’m fresh off 2 events that have left me feeling energized and truly inspired! And the relevant insights I took away were not just for the way I do my work as a Storytelling coach, but also for how I live my personal life.

On both occasions, one valuable truth struck me: we have to make the conscious effort of putting ourselves in the room and allowing ourselves to be transformed when we do that.

But what do I mean by “putting yourself in the room”?

Here’s what I’m sharing with you today:

• My experience in Montana, and what it felt like to attend my first in-person event in over a year
• The virtual Storytelling Symposium I led that was attended by women who chose to put themselves in the room
• What it means to give yourself the chance to be in the room fully and truly present, ready to soak up the lessons other people in the room impart
• Putting yourself in the room not just to receive wisdom from others but also giving something back by sharing your own...

This week’s episode is brought to you by the Storytelling Symposium presented by LIGHTbeamers, a Transformational Storytelling Event To Empower You to Make a Bigger Impact with Your Story!

Step into your Brave this year and join the Storytelling Symposium!

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It’s a pretty special day at The Inside Story Podcast because today, we have our very first gentleman on the show!

Dan Mangena is a motivational speaker, best-selling author & Wall Street Journal “Master of Success”.  He is a multiple 7-figure business owner who has had his share of ups and downs before getting to where he is now. And as he and I take a look back at his journey, he shares some pretty powerful truths that will make you dream bigger for yourself than ever before.

Here are some of what Dan and I talk about in today’s episode:

• His life as a trilogy and where he is at this point
• The life-changing diagnosis of...

When you’re an entrepreneur trying to build and elevate your business, surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals has a transformative effect not only on how you work, but also how you live your personal life.

When I met Hayley Hunter Hines in 2018, she was already sharing stories of the women she was helping, and her passion for what she was doing was evident. And when I approached her to talk about her initiative, I realized I was speaking to a real LIGHTbeamer.

Since then, she and I have been supporting each other both in business and in our personal endeavors. And knowing her has had such a positive effect on me and the way I live my life (remember my red dress moment in Paris?), and impacted the vision I have for my business.

Hayley shares so much of her journey and insights with me in this episode. Here are some pieces of our conversation:

• What it means to be a Soul-Centered CEO and the 3 C-words that embody being that person
• Her journey that began in 2016,...

If there’s one thing I have always considered to be a blessing in my personal life and my business, it would be the gift of Community.

But the significance of having and being part of a Community has not stood out more to me than during my very recent experience with Covid. What I went through emphasized clearly how my wonderful tribe of LIGHTbeamers plays such a big role in my life.

Whether you’re part of a huge community or a smaller tight-knit one, you’re going to want to listen to this episode. And if you’re part of LIGHTbeamers, this one right here is an ode to you!

I invite you and your friends to listen together as I talk about:

• How my community has made an impact in my success
• One of the top life skills we must have as adults, that was shared to me in an interview
• The way my people showed up for me as I battled Covid and how their love contributed to my healing and recovery in a big way
• The 3 ways to build community
• The secret ingredient I highly...

Last week, I posted a story prompt inside my LIGHTbeamers Community on Facebook and it went like this:

What is something positive in your life now that you didn’t have a year ago? 

Today, as I sit in a quiet spot by the beach — on a much-needed break with my family — I am sharing with you by way of this podcast episode, my own reflection and response to this significant question.

I hope you join me as I share with you:

• How I paused and looked back at the last 12 months, including my family’s recent bout with Covid
• What’s at the top of my positive list
• The concept of tight containers which I learned from my own mentor and coach
• How even just managing my time using Google calendar has made such a huge impact in my business and personal life!
• What I believe this past year has taught us and brought about in us

To say the least, these past months have been consequential for all of us one way or the other. So I invite you to take some time to really...

Sometimes, life takes you on a path that’s way different from the one you thought you’d be on.

For Melonie DeRose, being a corporate lawyer was a big check mark on her to-do list. She was doing what she thought she was meant to do, and what everyone else said she was supposed to do.

But when she realized most of her days were just spent on autopilot and not making her feel alive, Melonie knew there was something missing. She knew she had to make a change. So she went and took a leap of faith, pursued her real passion, and never looked back.

There’s a lot you can take away from Melonie’s story, and I invite you to listen in as she shares with us: 

• The three things that made her rethink her life
• That pivotal moment she had leaving work at 2AM while 7 months pregnant
• Her mission to empower women which drove her to create Empact Bars
• Her unconventional way of partnering with non-profit organizations in her pursuit of making an impact on women’s lives...

Today’s episode with international keynote speaker and public speaking trainer Melanie Spring is such a good one!

She takes us on her journey from being a brand strategist interviewing companies and finding out what made them work (hint: it has something to do with stories!), to becoming a public speaker and trainer who helps other people bring their stories to the big stage.

I had such a fun and enlightening conversation with Melanie, and I invite you to listen in as we talk about:

• How she unexpectedly found her passion in teaching people how to say what they need or want to say
• Her life-changing retreat that goes beyond public speaking, and allows people to find out what’s standing between them and who they want to be
• What she feels are the things holding people back from sharing their stories and making an impact on stage
• Being an introvert and why her personality makes her good at what she does
• A major tip she has for anyone who is getting ready to speak on stage...