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...

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...

“Your relationship with yourself sets the tone for every other relationship you have.”

- Robert Holden

We know the quote above to be true, but how often do we remind ourselves that we are amazing human beings, that we are worthy, and that self-love is our super power? Probably not often enough, which is why hearing my Mastermind coach George Bryant talk about the relationship between how we see ourselves and being successful in life just floored me.

In today’s episode of The Inside Story, I share with you:

• The 5-minute exercise George discussed in his podcast (which you should also subscribe to, by the way, because it’s awesome) that will probably make you uncomfortable at first, but will eventually give you the boost that you need
• How we are the ones holding ourselves back and getting in the way of our own growth
• Why I knew I had to take immediate action, and my decision to share it live with the LIGHTBeamers community
• The ripple effect of my Facebook Live...

There is something to be said about a woman's confidence and how it translate in the clothing she wears. When you walk into a room, sometimes how you carry yourself can be directly reflected in whether or not you feel good in what you are wearing! 

This is why I love the work of Melanie Wolff, a personal stylist who owns Your Confident Style. 

When Melanie first landed in the LIGHTbeamers Community, she was struggling to find her own confidence with being more visible and sharing her offerings to a larger audience. Putting some of her own advice to work, she started showcasing her style tips and putting on her best outfits to make herself feel more energized about getting Visible! 

And she really dove head first into Video -- showing up weekly during our Wednesday Live sessions to get more comfortable on camera! 

And it has all paid off! 

Today, Melanie has a thriving business and a growing social media presence helping other women dress with confidence. 

...

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...

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...

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...

Today’s guest is Lacey Marie, with amazing inside stories of her own. If there is one word I’d use to describe Lacey, it would be “survivor.” Despite many experiences on many different levels, she continues to march forward with strength and love. She’s also someone who takes the challenges and shares them openly with others in a way that makes my heart sing. Listen in to see how she harnesses the power of her story.

Here’s what Lacey and I cover in this episode:   

• Does Lacey see herself as a survivor? You’ll love her answer, which can help you to move through your own challenges.
• Why I reached out to Lacey and what I think people can learn from her story (which leaves a lot of people breathless when they hear it).
• Viewing the events in hindsight, Lacey explains how several of the major blows in her life were actually related to each other and later affected her own challenges over time.
• How navigating multiple blows over the...

One of the best parts of the Lightbeamers Community is to see a woman burst onto the scene and then watch her rise!

Reaiah Cubero of ReeCreation Ministries first showed up during one of our Wednesday livestream days — she appeared quiet, nervous, unsure, yet concretely determined.

She stuck with it.

Week after week her confidence grew and her gorgeous storytelling unfolded.

She surprised us with her talents around spoken word poetry and artistic endeavors!

She’s passionate about mental health, and incredibly grounded in her faith.

She shows shows up regularly on live-streams on her various channels and is making a huge difference in this world, especially for other women who may also be struggling with mental health, conflicts around their faith, and identity crisis.

Take a minute to get to know her better in this months Lightbeamers Spotlight!!

APRIL: Tell us a little bit about your journey leading to the creation of ReeCreation Ministries?

REAIAH: It's...

I’m excited to share this conversation with Ros Smith today. I’ve wanted to feature Ros on the podcast for a long time! She’s had an enviable career in design and philanthropy. Her life was interrupted by a surprising cancer diagnosis in 2019, at just 58 years old. Her journey has continued to amaze me, and I know that you will also glean a lot from what she went through and the message she now shares from the other side of this experience.  

In this episode, you’ll learn:   

• The details of Ros’s story, beginning with her first cancer diagnosis and through to where she is today.
• Why fear was never a factor in her recovery and death wasn’t part of the equation in her mind.
• How going through an MRI procedure flicked a switch in Ros’s mind, moving her from fear to courage (even when others might have given up).
• The importance of journaling through her recovery and how it led to her book,
• Ros’s essential distinction...