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...

In just a couple of days, a new year will begin. And with everything that has happened in 2020, it just begs the question: what do we want this coming year to be like? If we were free to imagine the best life for ourselves this 2021 and even beyond, would it feel unlimited?

The internal exercise I share with you on today’s episode for choosing your word of the year is meant to be an intentional practice. It asks for a deep examination of what happened this past year, and calls for a bold vision of what you want your life to look like in the next 6 to 12 months.

So grab your pen and paper and get ready for meaningful reflections as I share with you: 

• My 5-step exercise for coming up with your word of the year, that has really become a goal-achieving machine for me and can work in the same way for you
• How your word can impact not only your goals and the way you see yourself, but more importantly, how you make decisions as the person you already see yourself becoming
• What...

We’ve all been there: days when our creativity just flows so naturally -- even magically! -- and we are so inspired that the ideas come one after the other without any effort.

Then one day, it all disappears. We lose the enthusiasm to create anything, we feel uninspired, and we don’t know how to get back into our groove again.

This is the ebb and flow of creativity and yes, my friends, I say “we” because I’ve been through this process, too. In fact, I felt like I was pulling from a dry well as I thought of what I wanted to talk about this week on the Podcast. And if you ask what helped me get out of the rut, then I invite you to tune in as I share with you how I unclogged my drain and let the creativity flow freely again.

In this episode, I fill you in on:

• The 7 go-to exercises I practice to recharge my creative juices
• The book by Julia Cameron that has helped me and many others on their journey to meaningful and creative journaling
• The time in my...

When Minou Hexspoor and her husband found themselves trapped at home in Beirut at the start of the quarantine, a simple idea for a photo took them on an unexpected journey of documenting fun and different experiences … right from their living room! What began as a seemingly random Instagram post to commemorate Mother’s Day during quarantine, became a 60-day photo project that featured different movie characters, a day at the beach, a safari, fishing trip, and even camping!

But more than just setting up intricate and detailed scenes to post in social media, Minou realized that there was power in what she calls “practical imagination”. And ultimately, she found that the photos held more meaning than just being creative; to her and to many who went on the journey with her, the photos became instruments to teach JOY even during these challenging times.

So listen in as Minou and I exchange thoughts and insights on:

• How the photo project first...

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...