A LOT with Audra

What does it look like to stop running from tension and start letting it fuel you? Fresh off two full days at the Global Leadership Summit in Wichita, I'm sharing the lessons that hit me hardest — the kind that make you reconsider the way you've been thinking about discomfort, uncertainty, and what freedom actually means. I'm also throwing in a bonus lesson from a kid-free night and Season 4 of Ted Lasso, because sometimes the most profound wisdom shows up in the most unexpected places.

Highlights

• Why tension isn't something to escape — it's the fuel that drives growth
• How to reframe the tension between ambition and real life demands (contentment vs. ambition, work vs. family, self vs. craft)
• The concept of "the fog" — why uncertainty is a universal human experience, not a personal failure
• Why you should avoid big, irreversible decisions when you're in a foggy season
• The power of looking down at your feet and taking just the next right step
• Jim Collins' reframe of freedom: not the ability to do anything, but the ability to choose your responsibilities
• Ben Franklin's second act — and why 53% of his biographies cover his life after age 60
• Why self-renewal is a leadership responsibility, not a luxury
• A (mostly spoiler-free) lesson from Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 1 on taking bold leaps

Chapters

1:04 – Summit Recap Kickoff

2:05 – Embracing Tension (David Ashcraft, President & CEO of the Global Leadership Network)

4:09 – Navigating the Fog (Jim Collins)

7:42 – Freedom and Self-Renewal (Jim Collins)

11:14 – Bonus Ted Lasso Lesson

12:50 – Wrap Up & What's Coming Next Week

Resources Mentioned

• Global Leadership Summit
• What to Make of a Life by Jim Collins
• Suzy Welch's Values Bridge

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What if the way you think about self-trust is actually keeping you from it?

Audra breaks down a coaching conversation that flipped her thinking on self-trust — and shares the real definition that's helped her stop abandoning herself every time she falls short of a goal. Then she walks through five practical habits she's built over the past few years to strengthen that trust from the inside out.

Highlights

• Why self-trust isn't about always making the right decision or hitting every goal
• A reframe: trusting yourself to make the best decision with what you have right now — and not abandoning yourself when it doesn't work out
• Five ways to build self-trust: self-compassion, knowing how you operate, tracking your wins, surrounding yourself with mirrors, and coaching
• Why forgiving yourself and giving yourself grace is the foundation of confidence
• The power of a weekly practice of recording 3–5 wins
• How working with a coach helps you access answers you already have

Chapters

0:00 — Back to School Setup

0:22 — Redefining Self Trust

1:40 — Self Trust Means Staying

3:08 — Five Ways Overview

3:34 — Self Compassion First

4:59 — Know How You Work

6:46 — Track Your Wins

8:09 — People Who Mirror You

9:08 — Coaching Builds Trust

10:13 — Quick Wrap Up

Resources Mentioned

• Emily Stevens
• Susan David
• Ashley Watkins

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What if the story you've been told about the teenage years is just... wrong? My guest today, Megan Saxelby, founder of Wild Feelings, spent 15 years teaching middle school and 4 teaching high school before becoming a parent coach — and she's here to make the case that adolescence isn't something to survive, it's a season to actually enjoy. We get into what parents misunderstand before the tween years even start, what it really costs us when we buy into the "terrible teens" narrative, and how to stay close to our kids as they pull toward independence.

Highlights

• The "terrible teens" narrative is a socially constructed story — and believing it primes you to see your kid's behavior through a negative lens.
• Adolescence, by current research, spans ages 10–25 (early adolescence 10–14, adolescence 14–17/18, late adolescence 18–25).
• Believing the bad narrative costs you connection and self-trust as a parent.
• Separate "connection" from "administration" (logistics) — they are not the same relationship currency.
• Happiness isn't the goal — resilience and contentment matter more than chasing a feeling.
• The research-backed parenting style that works best: high expectations + high support (authoritative parenting).
• Anxious kids need validation of their feelings paired with high expectations — not accommodation of the anxiety.
• Little-kid connection tools (playfulness, silliness, jokes) still work in the teen years — you just have to apply them differently.
• A single family "anchor behavior" (like a weekly dinner or movie night) is linked to a 20% reduction in anxiety and depression in youth.
• Family shorthand phrases (inside jokes, references) become powerful emotional shortcuts that last for decades.
• A "family care chart" — a shared, visible list of everyone's comfort items and needs — is Megan's top back-to-school tip.

Chapters

0:00 — Meet Megan Saxelby

2:11 — The Teen Myth

4:30 — Beyond 18 Summers

6:03 — Happiness Isn't the Goal

9:26 — Defining Adolescence Ages

10:17 — Cost of the Bad Narrative

10:32 — Connection vs. Logistics

12:10 — Trust Your Kid

14:54 — Boundaries Without Shame

17:55 — High Support, High Expectations

19:29 — Helping Anxious Kids Grow

20:20 — Holding the Line

21:02 — Discomfort Isn't Failure

21:17 — Capitalism and Parenting Pressure

22:09 — Tween Parenting: A Second Act

22:58 — Keep the Playfulness

23:43 — Stay a Full Person

26:38 — Build Connection on Purpose

27:36 — Weird Questions and Anchor Rituals

30:25 — Family Shorthand Moments

34:11 — The Story You Tell Yourself

35:55 — High Expectations, High Support (Revisited)

37:48 — Back-to-School Encouragement

38:50 — Family Care Chart Tip

39:46 — Wrap Up and Where to Follow

Resources Mentioned

• Wild Feelings
• Megan Saxelby on Instagram, LinkedIn and Substack

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

Ever feel like your best years might already be behind you? Lee Gray would tell you they're just getting started.

At 50, Lee was laid off from her corporate marketing job — and instead of it breaking her, it became the launchpad for the most successful chapter of her career. Today she's a business coach, entrepreneur, and podcast host who's helped over 100 business owners build companies that don't depend on them for everything. We talk about the mindset shift from employee to true owner, why "busy" isn't the same as "business," the sales and marketing muscles every entrepreneur has to build, and the simple, almost anticlimactic traits that actually predict success. If you've ever wondered whether it's too late to start over, this conversation is your permission slip.

Highlights:

• Lee's story of getting laid off at 50 — and turning it into fuel instead of defeat
• Why most "second acts" start with a gift, not a plan
• The mindset shift from employee thinking to true ownership
• Why business owners buy themselves a job instead of building a business (and how to avoid it)
• The three simple traits Lee has seen in every successful entrepreneur she's coached
• The difference between being "busy" and actually doing "business"
• Lee's DGLPA formula for turning a dream into a plan
• Why telling the world about your second act is the most important first step

Chapters:

0:00 – Dream Becomes Real

1:30 – Meet Lee Gray

3:36 – Laid Off at 50

5:39 – Gift and Retaliation

8:34 – Ownership Mindset Shift

11:58 – Why Second Acts Work

14:07 – Traits of Winners

15:44 – Passion vs Business

17:15 – Sales and Marketing Muscles

19:03 – Busy vs Business

19:59 – Scaling Fears and Stories

21:56 – Dreams, Goals, Learning, Action

24:56 – Stop Buying a Job

27:13 – Make It Public

28:27 – Closing and Connect

Resources mentioned:

• Action Coach Business Coaching with Lee Gray
• The Second Act Business Owner podcast, available on Apple, Spotify and YouTube
• The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

How do you inherit someone else's dream and make it your own? Molly Motsinger built a 21-year career in healthcare before walking away to become CEO of Sapahn, an ethical fashion brand she didn't found but fell completely in love with. We talk about what it's like to step into a mission you didn't create, why she got "obsessed" with Sapahn before she ever considered leaving healthcare, and how founder Brooke is learning to hand off her 15-year-old baby without losing what makes it special. Molly gets honest about the fear of disappointing investors and mentors, the guilt of not working "100 hours a week," and why she believes there's never actually a good time to take a leap. If you've ever felt torn between honoring where you've been and stepping into who you're becoming, this conversation is for you.

Highlights

• Molly spent 21 years in healthcare, starting as a dietary aide at age 15, before pivoting into fashion
• She founded Superb, a healthcare tech company giving nurses scheduling flexibility and advocacy
• Molly met Sapahn founder Brooke through the same entrepreneurial accelerator where she met Audra
• She describes getting "obsessed" with Sapahn as a signal that a bigger change was calling her
• Molly and Brooke essentially became "each other's equal" — each needed what the other loved doing
• Molly reframes stepping back from Superb's day-to-day as growth, not giving up
• She unpacks the guilt of not working 50-60 hours a week and equating time with worth
• Her advice: stop making up stories about disappointing others — most people are quietly doing the same thing
• As Sapahn's CEO, her job isn't to fix a broken business — it's to protect what works and grow what's next, especially shifting into e-commerce
• Key advice to women: there's never a good time to take the leap, so take it anyway

Chapters

1:03 — Meet Molly Motsinger and Sapahn's mission

3:32 — Molly joins the show

4:13 — Molly's 21 years in healthcare and building Superb

6:06 — How Molly met Brooke and fell in love with Sapahn

10:08 — Recognizing "the bridge" and the divine timing of the decision

15:02 — Letting go of guilt around time, hours, and disappointing others

19:56 — Leading Sapahn forward without losing its soul

25:40 — What Molly has learned watching Brooke let go and grow

28:01 — Advice for women standing on their own bridge

30:41 — Closing and where to find Sapahn

Resources Mentioned

• Sapahn
• Superb

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What if the real reset you need this year isn't about a new planner or another five-year plan — but about getting brutally honest with who you are right now? In this solo episode, I'm walking through the psychology-backed "fresh start effect" and sharing the three lessons I'm personally carrying into the second half of 2026: why the real work always starts internally, why it's time to let go of who you used to be (and what used to work for you), and why choosing to believe life is happening for you — not to you — can change everything about how you move through overwhelm.

Highlights

• The "fresh start effect" is a real psychological phenomenon — meaningful dates and transitions (New Year's, birthdays, Mondays) boost our motivation to pursue goals by giving us psychological distance and a mental clean slate.
• Lesson one: no matter the goal, the work always starts internally — chasing external milestones (a new job, a relationship, a certain income) means your sense of purpose stays tied to a constantly moving goalpost.
• Practices that support "internal work" include therapy, examining thought patterns, meditation, journaling, self-compassion, and visualization.
• Lesson two: get honest about who you are now, not who you were 6 months or 10 years ago — habits and structures that worked in a past season (like working from home) may no longer serve you.
• Lesson three: life happens for you, not to you — reframing overwhelm as something you have agency over, rather than a fixed state, helps break negative patterns.
• A personal story about a birthday slumber party with her team, where a bracelet reading "for you" became a symbol of choosing agency over victimhood.

Chapters

1:04 — Fresh Start Effect

2:33 — Midyear Reset Setup

3:19 — Work Starts Within

5:28 — Tools For Inner Work

8:07 — Be Honest Now

9:48 — Life Happens For You

11:02 — Breaking Overwhelm

12:60 — Three Lessons Recap

14:02 — Wrap Up And Share

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What if the key to growth this summer was intentionally chasing no's? That's exactly what I've been doing — and it's changing how I approach risk, rejection, and going after what I want in business and life.

After working with a coach last fall on vocational dreams, I was introduced to a goal that stopped me in my tracks: collect 100 no's. The idea is simple but powerful — the more asks you put out there, the more opportunities you create. This episode unpacks that concept, explores why "no" is actually clear and kind, and walks through how I've gamified rejection for myself this summer using a tracking spreadsheet.

Highlights

• Rejection doesn't mean you're not good enough — it means "not right now" or "not for me," and those are two very different things
• A "maybe" is actually worse than a "no" — a no is clear, and clear is kind
• Reframing "no" as a doorway to an eventual yes from somewhere else shifts everything
• The Summer of 100 No's has two goals: get comfortable taking risks, and get okay with rejection
• Collecting 100 no's means you'll likely find 10 yeses — and those yeses move your business forward
• The mistake in my first business wasn't the branding or the website — it was avoiding the ask out of fear of rejection
• When I started The Thread, I did it differently: I ran a focus group before building anything and made the ask to everyone I met
• Marketing pulls people to you; going out and asking brings people in — and that's the skill worth developing

Chapters

0:00 – Summer of 100 No's

1:45 – Gamify Rejection

2:10 – No Is Clear & Kind

3:18 – Spreadsheet and Asks

4:22 – Two-Part Goal

6:59 – Expect Yeses Too

7:34 – First Business Lesson

10:55 – Building The Thread

12:21 – Challenge and Wrap Up

Resources Mentioned

• Summer of 100 No's Spreadsheet
• Connect with Audra on LinkedIn — @AudraDinell

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What's the difference between a dream that changes your life and one that just lives forever in your Notes app? That gap might be smaller than you think — and it starts with one risky step.

We're at the midpoint of 2026, and it's time to stop waiting for the "right" time. This week's short pep talk is a challenge to every woman who knows what she wants but keeps pushing her timeline out. Whether you're sitting on a business idea, a creative project, or a life change you've been planning "for someday" — this one's for you.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The most dangerous place for a dream to live is in your Canva account or your journal — not because it's safe there, but because it can be perfect there
• Keeping a dream in the "no-risk zone" means it never has to face the messy, criticized, real world — which also means it never gets to be real
• You don't need the whole plan. You just need one bold, stomach-flipping action step
• Long timelines feel realistic but they're often just fear wearing sensible shoes — shorten it
• If you don't have clarity yet, that's okay: keep moving, keep experimenting, and release the timeline until the vision becomes clear
• Once you do have clarity, taking risky action isn't optional — it's your responsibility
• The #1 regret of the dying isn't failure. It's not trying.
• 
  

CHAPTERS

0:00 – Midsummer Pep Talk

1:03 – Dreams Stuck on Hold

2:31 – Danger Zone Perfection

3:35 – Take One Risky Step

4:05 – Shorten the Timeline

5:35 – When Clarity Is Missing

6:11 – Messy Middle Momentum

7:29 – Regret and Courage

8:20 – Do the Thing Today

RESOURCES MENTIONED

The Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware

https://www.amazon.com/Top-Five-Regrets-Dying-Transformed/dp/140194065X

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What if the thing standing between you and the life you actually want isn't your circumstances — it's still thinking in terms of “or” instead of “and”?

Alex Kuhn, founder of Born Leaders (now rebranding to All In Worldwide), joins me for a conversation about ambition, identity, and what it really means to go all in — on your career and your family, your dreams and your present moment. Alex was the guy who left home at 12 to chase Olympic swimming dreams, became one of the fastest-rising college swim coaches in the country, then lost it all — the job, the relationship, and his sense of self — in the span of a few months. What came out of that rock bottom was a total identity resurrection that has shaped everything he does today.

Whether you're a dad navigating how to be fully present at home while still building something meaningful, a parent wondering if going after your dreams is selfish, or someone stuck in binary thinking about what you can and can't have — this one is for you. And yes, this episode is releasing Father's Day week, but the message is for everyone.

Highlights

• Why Alex chose a $20,000/year swim coaching job in Iowa over a Nike management training offer — and what that decision taught him
• The "or to and" shift: how identifying yourself by your title keeps you stuck in binary thinking
• Getting fired, losing the relationship, and eating bananas and popsicles on his sister's couch — Alex's rock bottom story
• Why the first step out of rock bottom isn't belief — it's action
• What self-trust actually means (hint: it's not about having all the answers)
• The "selfish vision" framework Alex uses with his whole family — including his 7- and 4-year-olds
• Why parenthood doesn't have to be all sacrifice, and the powerful modeling that happens when kids watch you chase your own dreams
• Redefining "juggling it all" — and giving yourself permission to drop a ball
• Boundaries as subtraction, not addition: stop adding to your life and start dumping what doesn't serve you
• Shutting the business down four weeks a year — and why it works
• The story Alex's dad told him at a swim meet that became his life's mantra: fight for yourself

Chapters

1:03 — Meet Alex Kuhn

2:51 — Fatherhood and second acts

3:52 — Early ambition and swimming

5:58 — Chasing legacy and empire

8:29 — From "or" to "and"

11:04 — Getting fired and the identity collapse

13:37 — Climbing out of rock bottom

16:22 — Self-trust and the messy middle

19:04 — Redefining ambition today

20:29 — The family vision weekly ritual

21:18 — Family vision sync

22:17 — Team family mindset

23:50 — Kids follow actions, not words

25:51 — The selfish parenting reframe

28:21 — Juggling without perfection

30:09 — Boundaries and seasons

33:35 — Seasonal business shutdowns

35:35 — Fight for yourself

37:57 — Where to find Alex

Resources

• Alex Kuhn's websites: :https://bornleaders.com/ and  allinwithalex.com

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What if your second act isn't about changing your life — it's about finally showing up in the one you already have?

Monica Packer, founder of the About Progress podcast and a certified habits and identity coach, joins me to talk about the version of personal growth nobody talks about: the quiet, internal kind. Monica spent years as a self-described aspiring perfectionist — achieving on the outside while disappearing from herself on the inside. What she discovered in her 30s (after two early midlife crises and a decade of recovery) is that sustainable growth doesn't come from hustle or apathy — it comes from progress. And it starts by asking: do I even know who I am?

We talk about why perfectionism isn't just about striving — it's just as alive in the people who've stopped trying. We explore Monica's "Do Something List," the three Cs of change (curiosity, compassion, and courage), why habits built for men don't work for women, and what it means to stop waiting for arrival and start trusting the process.

Highlights

• Monica's "costume life" realization at 30 — loving the life she'd built but not recognizing herself in it
• Why perfectionism lives on both sides of the spectrum: the overachiever AND the person who's given up trying
• The connection between ADHD, all-or-nothing thinking, and the perfectionism spectrum
• What the "Do Something List" is — and why never completing it is the whole point
• Why there is no arrival, and the mantra that will help you stop waiting for one
• The Three Cs of Change: curiosity, compassion, and courage
• Why popular habit methods fail women — invisible labor, less time, less energy, less predictability
• The inner comparison monster: comparing your current self to a past version of yourself
• Identity isn't static — and that's actually freeing

Chapters

1:03 — Introduction & episode premise

1:28 — Meet Monica Packer

2:55 — The "costume life" realization: living life on the sidelines

8:35 — Perfectionism as a spectrum — it's not just overachieving

12:40 — Starting the experiment: the internal and external work

14:06 — The Do Something List

18:46 — There is no arrival: the transformation lies in the process

22:30 — The Three Cs of Change: curiosity, compassion, and courage

26:34 — Sticky Habits: the book written for women, not men

31:08 — Comparison and the inner critic

33:52 — Where to connect with Monica

35:02 — Identity keeps evolving — and that's a good thing

Resources

• Sticky Habits: A Woman's Guide to Reclaim Happiness, Ditch Perfectionism, and Create Habits That Last by Monica Packer — pre-order at stickyhabitsbook.com
• Do Something List free training: aboutprogress.com/dsl
• About Progress podcast on Apple or Spotify

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.