Your Kick Ass Life Podcast

Welcome to my first podcast minisode! I’ll be dropping these short episodes on the first and third Fridays of the month (in addition to the regular episodes every Wednesday). They’ll be about ten minutes long, ad-free, and it could be anything from a book I’m reading that I think you might like, or my hot take on something happening in pop culture.  Since the theme we’re talking about over the next few months is all about healing; more specifically around trauma and different healing modalities, I wanted to take a moment to talk about something important, and that’s how we talk about trauma publicly.  I wanted to give my opinion, as someone in the personal empowerment field.  The good news is that trauma is talked about now more than it ever has been. Previously, the only “appropriate” time to talk about it would have been in a psychiatrist's office. If you spend any time in the self-help spaces on social media, you’ll see that the topic of trauma is having its time in the spotlight. Which is great, but does

This show marks the kick-off of themed episodes, where we’re looking at the question, “How do we heal ourselves?” In the episodes coming up over the next couple of months I'm going to be talking to therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and others who have a different perspective or expertise around the topic of healing. To begin, I’ll be talking to experts who are sharing their wisdom about family roles, trauma responses, epigenetics, attachment styles, and even healing ancestral wounds.  You know how much I love talking about the deeper stuff and the things that we talk about in counseling, therapy or even in the company of trusted friends. I'm kicking off this theme with Elizabeth Kupferman. She is a woman that I met on TikTok. (Yes, the app is not just for kids!) Elizabeth is a Licensed Professional Counselor and is the author of The Irreverent Grief Guide and the Irreverent Trust Guide: How to Trust Again After Trauma F*cked You Up.  In this episode, Elizabeth and I discuss Complex PTSD, the impact of

“Change is one of the most creative forces in our life.” This week, Kristine Carlson joins me to talk about moving through change and how it allows for expansion and growth. We also discuss grief, including her journey through grief after the sudden passing of her husband. Finally, we discuss how to make empowered choices during times of hardship.For those new to Kristine Carlson and her work, she is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and leader in the field of transformation. After collaborating with her late husband Dr. Richard Carlson created a publishing industry phenomenon with the Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff series—selling more than 25 million copies worldwide—today, Kris is emerging as a profound teacher in the areas that matter most to the human heart: how to heal and how to love. Join us for this powerful and enjoyable conversation.   In this episode you’ll hear:   Kristine shares her journey through grief and describes her star mantra, “Surrender, trust, accept, release and receive.” (12

This week we are talking about adventure, starting new things, and how to be the CEO of your own life. Amber McCue joins me for this lively conversation! Amber is a business coach, podcast host, and founder of Right on Time Living. In our conversation, she shares her “right on time,” mantra, being aligned with your values, and building resilience.  From being a single mom at the age of 18 to owning two companies that allow her to work from anywhere. Today Amber runs her businesses anywhere around the world from Chicago to Africa. Through her books, speaking, and in her coaching programs, Amber partners with business owners around the world who want to get more done, realize their dreams and get freedom for themselves. Amber moved 15 times in one year. She explains how she did it and some strategies she used to deal with change so often in a one-year timespan. (6:42) The ‘right on time,’ mantra. (7:02) The way that we act or speak reveals our values. Sometimes it is very clear when we are or not in line wit

This episode is for anyone who struggles with finding their strengths. With help from my guest, Kyle Elliott, we help you answer the question, “What am I great at?” We also explore the topic of job change and figuring out what is your specialty in order to advance yourself in your career.   For those new to Kyle, he is the founder and career coach behind CaffeinatedKyle.com. As a result of working with Kyle, senior managers and executives have landed jobs at Facebook, LinkedIn, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and nearly every other Fortune 100/500 company you can think of. Tune in to find out how to identify and own what makes you fabulous!  Kyle shares how he became known at Caffeine Kyle and his journey to career coaching. The biggest barrier people face when it comes to achieving happiness in their careers/lives. If a lack of confidence is an issue for you - Kyle offers some strategies to boost confidence. How to identify what makes you fabulous. Owning your fabulousness once you pinpoint what it is.  Lin

Fear is one powerful emotion. This week’s episode focuses on how fear shows up in our lives (hello, there…imposter complex) and what we can do to move through it in order to open new doors. Joining me on the show is Judi Holler. Judi Holler is a keynote speaker, thought leader, podcaster, improviser, and author of the book, “Fear is My Homeboy.” Judi’s energy is contagious. I believe her work will resonate with you.  Together, we explore the everyday things that happen to us and the blocks that get in our way. Judi walks us through some improv exercises to help open new doors and keep you moving forward. And as Judi likes to say, “Old keys don’t open new doors.”  In this episode you’ll hear: Judi’s view of the imposter complex and some ways she teaches people to combat it. The improv mindset and how it can help build confidence. How to turn obstacles into opportunities and tools to help navigate even the worst of life’s storms. The fear-setting roadmap and how to keep your emotions in check in stressful s

This week we are exploring the spiritual side of personal development. Kimberly Snyder joins me to talk about the various practices and teachings she shares in her upcoming book, You Are More Than You Think You Are: Practical Enlightenment for Everyday Life. We discuss the benefits of working with your energy to enlighten your whole life, creativity, confidence, and more. Kimberly also shares her story of religious deconstruction and her spiritual awakening, learning universal principles, and working with a deeper connection. In this episode you’ll hear: Kimberly’s turning point inspired her spiritual awakening and subsequent writing of her books.  What True Self is and tapping into your True Self potential. How to tune into the source and your intuition.  Yogananda and why is he important to people today. Why practices and techniques are important to helping us move into our highest potential. http://andreaowen.com/419   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Kerra Bolton joins me to discuss her intriguing story to learn to swim, dive, and map sunken slave ships and overcome her fear of swimming in open water. As she shares her story, you’ll hear her explain the process of working through her fears and learning to respect the water and trust herself. We also dive into the layers and history of epigenetics and mtDNA and how our past can help us to understand our current state of being. Kerra is a writer, filmmaker, and CEO of Woodbine Films. She specializes in first-person, personal narratives that excavate joy from trauma. Currently, she is directing her first feature documentary, Return of the Black Madonna, and writing a book, Water in My Bones, about her epic quest. In this episode you’ll hear: Kerra shares her experience of learning to swim, dive, and map sunken slave ships; as someone who is fearful of water and swimming. (9:14) Kerra’s passion with diving for sunken slave ships. (15:31) Restorative practices: what they are and how they can help

The word “wonder,” gets used a lot around the holiday season. But have you ever stopped to think about how wonder shows up in your everyday life? Andrea Scher joins me this week for a conversation about how to live a more vibrant life full of wonder, presence, and connection. Andrea is an artist, author, and life coach whose work is driven by her belief in the transformative power of creativity. She is also the author of Wonder Seeker: 52 Ways to Wake up Your Creativity and Find Your Joy. After having this conversation with Andrea, I am looking at the world a little bit differently. In this episode you’ll hear:  Andrea defines wonder and how it shapes her work and her life. (5:26) We explore some of the memories of wonder that are potent in our lives. (7:08) How wonder can be an antidote to anxiety. (14:22) The difference between wonder and joy. (26:26) The wonder of connection with others. (27:52) What it means to be a wonder seeker and how we can grow our sense of wonder in our everyday life. (32:03)

This week I am exploring a new modality for personal development with guest Laura Gevanter. Laura is a PSYCH-K® Facilitator, an Intuitive Alignment Coach, Pendulum Healing Practitioner and Home Space/Energy Clearer. In this episode, she explains what PSYCH-K is and how it can be used to energetically align your mind, body, and soul into a version you’ve always desired.  Laura has been studying brain science, quantum physics, spirituality, and the law of attraction for most of her life. She is innately curious about people, nature, life and how it's all connected.I love learning about different modalities for personal development (and I’m sure you do too!) and the work that Laura does is fascinating.   In this episode you’ll hear:  PSYCH-K: what it is and how it works. (5:49) Why PSYCH-K is unique and how is it different from other transformational modalities. (10:04) Benefits to health issues and healing. (27:15) How PSYCH-K helps with worthiness and money issues. (30:19) It takes courage to decide to ma

Today I am sharing the final two Make Some Noise listener stories, from Gail and Nancy. Their stories offer lessons around resilience, setting boundaries (and enforcing them), and breaking family patterns that no longer serve us.  Gail shares her story of reinventing herself after 20 years of motherhood. Her story is one of resilience. Of falling down and getting back up, over and over again. Gail summed up her experience profoundly, “I found myself again. I do have worth, compassion, and knowledge that I thought I had lost forever.” Yes, Gail, yes!  Nancy then shares her story of setting boundaries, having hard conversations, and breaking family patterns. Y’all, boundaries are hard enough, but when we have to set boundaries with our family - that is Ph.D. level work. And, Nancy is doing the work. Her story is a testament that we can do hard things and move past familial patterns that have been so ingrained in our lives since we were children. Thank you to Nancy and Gail, and all of the women who shared stori

Laura McKowen returns to the show! Laura says, “Much of recovery is about accepting the good and the bad, as well as accepting the contradictions.” She joins me to talk about her sobriety story, how she processed the emotions of sobriety, and how she works with people now to inspire them to say yes to a bigger life.  Laura is the author of the bestselling memoir, We Are The Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life, and the Founder and CEO of The Luckiest Club, a global sobriety support program. In this episode you’ll hear: Laura shares her sobriety story and how she went from working in advertising and drinking to sober, teacher, coach, and speaker. (3:58) What inspired Laura to write her book, We Are The Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life. (15:08)Sober Curiosity: We all have something that shatters the concept of self as we know it. (18:31) Some ways in which a newly sober person can learn to hear and speak their truth, and renew their sense of meaning and purpose. (36:38) http://andrea

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been in a situation where you decided to make noise in your life; you speak up, you have a hard conversation, or you ask for a raise, and...it backfires. Inevitably, chances are, that is going to happen.  Alright, now raise your hand if you’ve had a time in your life where you hit rock bottom and really needed help. Yet, reaching out for help felt like the hardest thing in the world. Today Emily and Erin, Make Some Noise Podcast Listeners, share their experiences on worthiness, asking for help, and healing. Emily shares how she confidently asked for a raise only for it to backfire; and how that led to her evaluating and understanding her worth. She is now making much more than she did at her previous job and is happy about how things turned out.  Next, Erin opens up about her struggle with thoughts of suicidal ideation and how she found support from her best friend. It was through that support Erin was able to utilize writing as a creative outlet for healing. Erin said,” It took

This week, twin sisters Dr. Lexie Kite and Dr. Lindsay Kite join me for a discussion on body image resilience. As women, we've been conditioned to care about how we look and as such, become fixated on our beauty and body. And for many women, only when we feel we have conformed, do we feel confident. In addition to informing us how to step into body image resilience and away from body shame, Lexie and Lindsay offer their insight about topics such as self-objectification, body shame, and how internalized misogyny is central to our self-perceptions.  “Body image resilience provides the opportunity to see the trigger as a stepping stone instead of a burden you carry around the rest of your life and cope in the same ways you’ve always had.” Dr. Lexie Kite Lexie and Lindsay received their PhDs from the University of Utah. Their academic research on media studies and body image inspired them to establish the non-profit Beauty Redefined in 2009 (while concluding their co-written master’s thesis and beginning their do

It’s listener storytime! A few months ago I put out a call to share a personal story about making noise in your life. Several listeners answered the call; I am so excited that the time has come to share their experiences with you! This episode focuses on the topic of drinking and sobriety, coping with loss, and upholding boundaries. Making noise is not necessarily about shouting from rooftops. It’s about pushing up against conditioning and social programming that tells you, you should not do something. You’ll hear how both Jill and Amy are making noise in their lives.  Jill shares how a 90-day sobriety challenge turned into two years of sobriety (and still going). Following her sobriety, her life saw many major shifts and has allowed her to make and uphold boundaries in her life. Later, Amy bravely opens up about using alcohol to cope with a stroke she suffered in 2019. Making noise is also about speaking courageously and vulnerably in order to make a change in your life, much like Amy does here. Her story is

Kacia Fitzgerald, host of the popular EmpowerHER podcast, joins me this week for a discussion about betting on yourself and going after whatever it is you want in life.    Kacia is the Founder & CEO of She Goes company which is designed to empower women with the tools and community so they never have to GO alone. In this episode, we also talk about trusting yourself, why it is important to show up for the, “why,” as opposed to getting caught up in the, “how,” and so much more. I love Kacia’s energy and know you will too.    “When you trust yourself enough, then you can hear other people’s feedback but still do what feels aligned.” Kacia Fitzgerald In this episode you’ll hear: The story behind Kacia’s Instagram post that said, “Worrying is literally betting against yourself.” (6:14) Why it’s important to not confuse inexperience with inability. (9:12) Some routines and rituals Kacia turns to in her daily life, which helps her to manage anxiety, reconnect, and decompress. (12:36) Kacia wants women to write

I recorded this episode on September 27th, 2021. That day is of significance because it was my 10-year anniversary of sobriety. There’s a part of me that thinks, “I can't believe I've survived this long without drinking.” And another part of me that says, “Well, yes, it does feel like 10 years.” 10 years of clarity. 10 years of wisdom. 10 years of groundedness and feeling anchored in who I am.  So, I wanted to take this opportunity to share my recovery and sobriety story with you. While I’ve shared my story before, it’s now many years out; therefore, I'll probably tell it a little bit differently than I did when I was a year out, which was the first time I talked about it publicly. If you don't have a problem with alcohol maybe you have a loved one who does or maybe you are struggling with something else. I believe we all are recovering from something. Recovery is a lifelong journey. I hope you find some insight, clarity, support, or wisdom from this episode. http://andreaowen.com/409   Learn more about your

Today’s episode closes out the eight-episode series where I speak with women making noise in their lives. My final guest is Angela Chee, who joined me to talk about stepping into your power, owning your voice, and breaking through personal and professional barriers.  Angela is media/communication coach, keynote speaker/emcee, creator of YOU, Amplified!®, and host of “The Power Of The Only" podcast. A former TV news anchor and reporter with more than 20 years of media experience, she now works with visionary leaders, executives, and entrepreneurs who are ready to own their power and their voice and amplify their message and mission through speaking, video, and media. Remember - all eight episodes are available in both audio and video format. To watch today’s interview and/or the previously aired episodes, you can find them on YouTube. I really hope you enjoyed this series as much as I did create it for you! In this episode you’ll hear: What power means to Angela as a woman “Power is about owning all parts of

Returning to the show this week is Rachel Luna. We are talking all about what it means to have resilience, practicing self-compassion, and managing imposter syndrome. I asked Rachel to be a part of the Make Some Noise series because she is simply one of the best hype women I have in my corner and is an equally amazing life coach.  Rachel is a highly sought-after international speaker, Certified Master Neuroscience & Life Coach to 7 + 8-figure earning entrepreneurs, and host of the popular podcast, Permission to Offend which has listeners in over 90 countries around the world. In this episode you’ll hear: Rachel shares her perspective on what it means when a woman is taking up space. (6:51) Find out what Rachel thinks about confidence; plus why confidence always leads back to identity, and staying in integrity. (9:14) Self-confidence vs. confidence, and the biggest mistake people make when they are working on self-confidence. (10:59) Navigating imposter syndrome, “None of us are immune from imposter syndro

This week’s guest is Sekeithia, and she is the epitome of “making noise.” I came to know her through TikTok and was immediately drawn to her way of being herself on social media and encouraging others to do the same. She often shares openly about her mental health journey, sobriety, self-care, and is a motivator to her community of followers.   Making noise is about a lot of different things, and it is often about looking at life’s challenges as invitations to show up in your life. In this episode we discuss shining bright when others are trying to dim your light, mental health and self-care, and learning to trust yourself. Be sure to follow Sekeithia over on TikTok. And remember, this episode (and all of the others in this series) are on video. Head over to YouTube to watch! In this episode you’ll hear: Sekeithia shares about her mental health journey with bipolar disorder, suicide attempts, and drug abuse. “Mental health was not a conversation we had around the dinner table.” (4:20) What her mental health