What do you do when you’re at mid-life, thrown a curve ball at work, decide to start your own business, and find out it’s not easy?

You take the experience, seek out and support others who are in the same boat, and never look back.

When Colleen Kochannek found herself wildly unprepared to start and run an online business at her age, she realized there were others like her. And this is where she found the opportunity to help women over 50 navigate the online space, knowing that these individuals had so much to offer because of the wealth of experience they bring with them.

I know many of us will relate to Colleen and what she’s been through, which is why I invite you to join us today as we talk about:

• Being laid-off at 49 years old and not wanting to go back to the corporate world
• Her decision of starting an online business thinking, “How hard can it be?”, and realizing on day 2 that she wasn’t prepared at all!
• What it means to be someone from...

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...

It has been an added-bonus in my life to get to meet some of the amazing women who walk through my Community and begin sharing their story. 

I've watched Tami VanHoy rise to share her story with such passion and conviction because of how grounded she is in her faith & identity. It's inspiring. 

Tami spreads a message today that is calling women to stop living with their hair on fire, and instead, light their heart on fire! 

I hope you fall in love with her story as much as I have! 

APRIL: Let's start with a little introduction. Tell everyone a bit more about you & share a piece of your journey. 

TAMI: Nana. That's what my biggest fans call me! I have 6 grands with #7 on the way, and of all the titles I've had, this one is my favorite. Other titles I've answered to include: mom (I've raised 4 who call me that!), wife, entrepreneur, business owner, founder, CEO, Mindset / Business Coach, Speaker, employee and yes...daughter and sister. But my story...

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,...

Before I met Madge Gillen, I did not have the slightly clue what Foot Zoning was. 

Do you?  Have you ever heard of this?

Madge was already a big part of the LIGHTbeamers Community and was sharing a lot about self love... when she began exploring her story deeper, and discovered a powerful healing modality that has quite literally changed her life! 

I've watched her enthusiasm and passion reach a whole new level. Her energy is infectious! 

I had to feature her this month so more of you could get to know this bubbly, superhuman. When she says "sunshine in my soul" -- you can feel it!

APRIL: Madge, I love how your story has evolved over time. Tell us a little bit about your journey!

MADGE: I was that person who would say “YES!” to everyone and everything. Before I knew it I was in the PTA, I was a room mom, I was a High School Cheer coach, I was on the Board of Dyslexia for the State of Utah, I was a Girls Scout Leader, I was a mom, a wife, a...

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...