A Quest for Well-Being

— Life doesn't always unfold according to our plans. Sometimes adversity arrives unexpectedly, shaking the very foundations of our lives and forcing us to confront fears, uncertainties, and challenges we never imagined facing.

Yet some of the most inspiring stories of transformation emerge not despite adversity, but because of it.

Today, we'll explore what it means to create prosperity in the midst of life's greatest challenges. We'll discuss how difficult experiences can become catalysts for growth, resilience, and reinvention, and why so many talented, caring, and gifted people struggle to recognize their own value and build a life that supports both their purpose and their well-being.

We'll talk about the beliefs that hold us back, the courage required to move forward when everything seems uncertain, and the practical steps we can take to unlock our potential and create meaningful success. Most importantly, we'll explore how prosperity is about far more than money—it's about confidence, purpose, contribution, freedom, and the ability to live fully even after life's hardest seasons.

At its heart, this conversation is about hope: the possibility that no matter what challenges we face, we have the capacity to rebuild, grow stronger, and create a future that is richer, more meaningful, and more aligned with who we truly areValeria shares sacred space with Carrie Wallis —Carrie is the author of "From Strangers to Clients: A Practical Guide to Confident, Respectful Marketing, Giving You the Courage to Enroll Clients You Love Working With."

Carrie Wallis is a best-selling author, international speaker, and business growth mentor who helps coaches, counsellors, healers, and other heart-centered entrepreneurs attract ideal clients and build sustainable, profitable businesses.

Her journey began during one of the most challenging periods of her life. After losing her husband to cancer while raising young children, Carrie found herself facing financial uncertainty, struggling to keep a roof over her family's head, and on the verge of bankruptcy. Determined to rebuild her life, she stepped back to study what truly worked in attracting clients and growing a business.

From that experience, she developed her signature From Strangers to Clients system, a proven framework that helps business owners attract buyer-ready prospects, nurture meaningful relationships, and confidently convert opportunities into clients.

Today, Carrie is recognized for her business expertise, having received the UK's Fastest Business Growth Award. She speaks on virtual stages around the world and is passionate about helping gifted solopreneurs move from inconsistent income to greater confidence, profitability, and long-term success.

To learn more about Carrie Wallis and her work, please visit: https://enlightenusolutions.com/

— In this episode, we explore what it means to truly live in connection with the Divine and awaken the wisdom of the intuitive self. Together, we dive into the beauty of inner guidance, spiritual presence, and the subtle ways life invites us into deeper trust, healing, and alignment.

This conversation is an invitation to slow down, listen inwardly, and rediscover the sacred intelligence that exists within us all — reminding us that empowerment often begins the moment we become still enough to hear our soul speak.

Valeria interviews Beth Wilson — She is the best-selling author of several books including "Escaping Crazytown, The Recovering Feminist, He's Just No Good for You and Meditations for New Mothers."

Beth Wilson is an intuitive guide, energy healer, best-selling author and Biomagnetism practitioner. Her work is spirit-driven and deeply personal, offering support, guidance and healing for those navigating transformational shifts, emotional blocks, or a desire to align more fully with soul expression.

She began her career in the U.S. Congress, eventually moving into publishing. Her first book, Meditations for New Mothers, was a runaway international best-seller. Beth published four additional parenting books to great success. During media tours, radio, television and speaking, she enjoyed connecting with others, giving voice to the anxieties, joys and challenges of parenthood.

Determined to present cutting-edge ideas to a broad audience, she launched Quantum Leaps. The podcast went to #1 in six weeks. Beth then hosted a Bay Area television show, In the Sisterhood, offering a new voice for women. She also appeared as a regular guest on ABC's View from the Bay, writing segments to provide guidance and advice based on her books.

To build on her success, Beth wrote and produced a wryly absurd comedy news show for women, The Feminine Front. Her media talents caught the attention of Hollywood. She was offered a national TV show featuring her warm guidance and humor alongside her psychic medium talents. Diagnosed with Lyme, she was forced to turn it down. Determined not to allow the disease to derail her, Beth found Biomagnetism. This wellness modality returned her to health.

Beth trained extensively with Dr. Goiz to become a skilled Biomagnetism practitioner. Currently, she has a thriving international practice that incorporates a variety of energy medicine systems alongside her intuitive talents.

To learn more about Beth Wilson and her work, please visit: https://www.bethwilsonlifecoach.com/

— Today we welcome Susan Winchester — a guide for professionals who want to transform career conflict into healing and growth. Susan helps people whose difficult childhoods quietly shape their work lives, turning perfectionism, people-pleasing, and overdrive into sources of insight rather than shame. Her message is simple but powerful: damage is not destiny, and the workplace can be a training ground for new, healthier ways of being.

We'll explore the idea of the ASDP — the Adult Survivor of a Damaged Past — and the "bumper car" moments that trigger old beliefs in everyday career conflicts. Susan will share why most human suffering springs from unresolved wounds and automatic patterns, how those patterns show up at work, and how practical, research-based tools (career coaching, positive psychology, and neuroplasticity) can rewire responses for better relationships, leadership, and meaning.

We'll also delve into her book, Healing at Work, co-written with Martha I. Finney: why it was written, the intention behind it, and how readers can use career challenges as opportunities to practice boundaries, self-love, and new behaviors.

Valeria interviews Susan Schmitt Winchester — She is the author of "Healing at Work: A Guide to Using Career Conflicts to Overcome Your Past and Build the Future You Deserve."

Susan J. Schmitt Winchester is the past Chief HR officer for Applied Materials, a Fortune 150 Silicon Valley company, & Rockwell Automation, a Fortune 500 Midwest company.

She is an author & sought-after keynote speaker, TEDx speaker and Executive Coach/Consultant, known for her book, "Healing at Work" with co-author Martha Finney. Healing at Work was recently recognized as an Amazon International Best Seller in 5 countries.

Susan leverages her 36+ years of experience as a Human Resources Executive to help organizations reduce turnover, elevate employee engagement, and boost corporate performance by focusing on innovative strategies to accelerate human potential and performance. She has worked across industries including consumer packaged goods, management consulting, automotive, industrial automation, technology, banking, and semiconductors. She has lived, worked, and studied, both in the US and in Europe.

Susan's passion lies in teaching and inspiring executives, leaders, and professionals to discover greater self-acceptance, fulfillment, and joy at work and in life.

She is a fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources, the highest professional honor for leaders in HR.

Learn more about Susan Schmitt Winchester and her work, please visit: https://susanwinchester.com/

— Today, it is a joy to welcome Gideon Enok to A Quest for Well-Being. Since 2010, Gideon has traveled the world, lived in multiple countries, and walked more than 7,000 kilometers with a backpack. He describes himself not simply as a traveler, but as a pilgrim on a lifelong journey of discovery, growth, and transformation.

Gideon is the author of The Pilgrim Spirit: The Longer You Walk, The Deeper You Go, a powerful memoir inspired by an extraordinary 3,500-kilometer walk from Denmark to Santiago de Compostela during the height of the 2020 pandemic. At one of the lowest points in his life, he heard an inner calling that led him on a five-month pilgrimage across Europe—a journey that ultimately brought him greater serenity, purpose, self-understanding, and even true love. At the heart of Gideon's work is a beautiful message: that life itself is a pilgrimage, that every person we meet is a fellow traveler, and that what matters most is not where the journey takes us, but who we become along the way.

Today, we'll explore the lessons he learned through millions of steps on the Camino de Santiago, the transformative power of trusting life's callings, the wisdom of the pilgrim spirit, and how courage, resilience, gratitude, and openness can guide us toward a more meaningful life.

Valeria interviews Gideon Enok — He is the author of "The Pilgrim Spirit: The Longer You Walk, The Deeper You Go - Walking 3,500 km Toward a New Life on the Camino de Santiago."

Gideon has traveled the world since 2010 and has lived in several countries, including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Slovakia, and Spain. He has walked over 7,000 km with a backpack and considers himself a pilgrim on a lifelong pilgrimage.

A couple of years before the long journey, Gideon had written down a bucket list of over 100 things he wanted to learn, experience, accomplish, and places he wanted to visit, as well as people he wanted to meet. At the top of the list, he wanted to have dinner with his favorite author, Gregory David Roberts, who is the author of the International Bestselling book Shantaram. It was an impossible task, because he was no longer in public life.

Nevertheless, Gideon often looked for when Gregory got online again, and when he did, he began following him, and eventually Gideon and Gregory found each other and amplified the maxim that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear, and how the starting point for the book The Pilgrim Spirit began.

A few years later, when the finishing touches was made on the book, Gideon was in Finisterre again, and on a walk toward the 0,0 km marker at The End of The World, he laid eyes on K, found true love and they are still together.

To learn more about Gideon and his work, please visit: https://thepilgrimspirit.com/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/thepilgrimspirit Free Chapter link: https://thepilgrimspirit.com/free-chapter/ Buy the book: USA:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 EU: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 Australia: https://www.amazon.au/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 All Other Amazon Markets: France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 Sweden: https://www.amazon.se/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 Poland: https://www.amazon.pl/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 Belgium: https://www.amazon.com.be/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 Singapore: https://www.amazon.sg/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 Brazil: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 Turkey: https://www.amazon.com.tr/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 United Arab Emirates: https://www.amazon.ae/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 Saudi Arabia: https://www.amazon.sa/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 Egypt: https://www.amazon.eg/dp/B0H5CNPQ52 Instagram: @thepilgrimspirit Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gideon-nielsen-85810b33/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepilgrimspirit

— Today Alexis Faere, author of Invisible Wounds, explore how honest storytelling and human connection open a path from trauma toward wholeness — the slow, tender work of moving from victim to survivor to an integrated whole person. Alexis offers practical insight on emotional responsibility, the long-term effects of violence, and the small practices that help people rebuild trust in themselves and others.

This conversation centers on hope and resilience: how survivors and supporters can find language to heal, how professionals and treatment programs can use personal testimony to foster change, and how accountability matters for preventing future harm. Alexis's lived experience and years of speaking with therapeutic organizations, treatment programs, and incarcerated individuals bring clarity and compassion to difficult questions.

If you're coping with past hurt, supporting someone who is, or seeking a deeper understanding of trauma's ripple effects, this episode offers compassionate guidance and honest reflection on recovery, repair, and the ways we rediscover resilience together.Valeria interviews Alexis Faere — She is the author of "Invisible Wounds: An Inside Story."

Alexis Faere is an award-winning, best-selling author who believes in the healing power of honest stories and human connection. Her memoir, Invisible Wounds, shares the true account of a life-altering moment and the long, tender work of finding one's way back to wholeness. The book has received three honors, including Gold Awards from the International Impact Book Awards and the Global Book Awards, and a Silver Award from Readers' Favorite.

A retired project manager and musician, Alexis now speaks with therapeutic organizations, treatment programs, and incarcerated individuals about emotions, responsibility, and the parts of ourselves that still know how to care. Her work creates spaces where people can slow down, listen deeply, and remember that healing often begins with being seen and heard. Through storytelling and shared reflection, Alexis gently reminds us that resilience is not something we earn—it's something we rediscover together.

To learn more about Alexis Faere and her work, please visit: https://alexisfaere.com/

— Today's conversation explores what happens when the old strategy of "pushing through" stops working—and how resilience can be reinvented into a way of living, not just surviving. Nancy and I had a candid, hopeful conversation about learning to live differently after injury and chronic pain. We cover meaningful reflections on shifting identity, the emotional toll of being told you're "fine," rebuilding trust with your body, and the surprising possibilities that open when you stop forcing the old path. This episode is for anyone exhausted by effort that no longer yields results—and for anyone ready to discover a new kind of well-being rooted in acceptance, curiosity, and practical change.

Valeria interviews Nancy Deyo — She is a former Silicon Valley CEO and Stanford University Distinguished Careers Institute Fellow whose career and identity were upended by chronic pain and disability.

After a spinal injury on Mount Kilimanjaro, she spent fifteen years navigating chronic illness, opioid dependence, medical uncertainty, and identity collapse.

Once accustomed to a life of constant motion—leading a technology company and traveling the world—pain forced Nancy to live lying down, as the strategies that had defined her no longer worked. When medicine offered no clear answers, she explored everything from cutting-edge treatments to energy healers and shamans.

The turning point was not a cure, but a shift: learning to rebuild her life within the constraints of chronic pain. She returned to the world on new terms—attending graduate school lying on an army cot and eventually resuming travel and work the same way.

Today, Nancy writes and speaks about chronic pain, identity, and resilience. Her forthcoming memoir is Perilous Ascent.

To learn more about Nancy Deyo and her work, please visit: https://nancydeyo.substack.com

— Today we're exploring the Loyalty Problem — the quiet, powerful force that makes changing how we parent feel like a betrayal of the people who raised us. It shows up as hesitation, half-changed habits, and the painful cycle of doing the work in theory but undoing it in practice.

In this episode Olivia names what keeps so many parents stuck, unpack why love and loyalty can block real change, and offer ways to move forward without severing the ties that matter. You'll hear concrete ideas for making shifts that actually stick, compassionate language to use with yourself, and a new lens for understanding why parenting advice so often fails.

If you've ever tried to parent differently and felt pulled back by guilt, fear, or family expectations, this conversation will give you clarity, permission, and practical next steps to begin shifting those patterns.

Valeria interviews Olivia Bergeron, LCSW — She is a psychotherapist, parent coach and speaker, who founded Mommy Groove Therapy & Parent Coaching (mommygroove.com) to help parents successfully navigate the huge changes that come with having a child.

A mom to twins and a singleton, Olivia understands the demands that come with parenting in New York City.

Olivia received her Bachelor's from Vassar College and her Master's in Clinical Social Work from New York University. She has a Post Master's Certificate in Advanced Clinical Social Work also from New York University and a Certificate from the Postpartum Stress Center. Olivia was selected to be a part of the first ever coaching training by Dr. Laura Markham, author of Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids and the site ahaparenting.com. She is proud to help parents find a way to "stop yelling and start connecting" with their child. She speaks Spanish and French fluently, and offers her services in these languages as well.

Olivia has appeared in the New York Times, Huffington Post, Self Magazine, ABC News, TheBump.com and on Fox 5 New York. She has contributed articles to Brooklyn Family Magazine, Manhattan Family Magazine, A Child Grows In Brooklyn, Parenting and the City, and YourTango.com.

To learn more about Olivia Bergeron and her work, visit https://mommygroove.com/.

— "The universe, including the sun, moon, waters, breeze, trees, and leaves, is here to bathe in, on, and around us. These elements of nature are the source of our beauty and replenish our beings"

Valeria interviews Nadine Artemis — She is the founder of Living Libations, is the author of Holistic Dental Care: The Complete Guide to Healthy Teeth and Gums, and Renegade Beauty: Reveal and Revive Your Natural Radiance.

Renegade Beauty was named one of "The Top 10 Books on Skin Care" by The Strategist of New York Magazine. A media contributor and visionary formulator, Nadine's creations have received acclaim in the New York Times, Vogue, and The Hollywood Reporter. Described by Alanis Morissette as "a true-sense visionary," Nadine formulates elegantly effective, pure solutions that optimize oral care, awaken the skin's inherent glow, and replenish the body's resonance. Her concept of Renegade Beauty encourages a return to ease through biological wisdom, inspiring a shift in how we understand wellness and the alchemy of beauty.

To learn more about Nadine Artemis and her work, visit https://livinglibations.com.

— "Understanding our essential human struggles, the compassionate heart naturally wants to help—not quiet—our thinking. It does so through the emanation of care and connection, soothing the wanting and non-wanting and making the present pleasant and nourishing to be in. Feeling the support, our thoughts will often be happy to rest, and our heart-minds can finally relax and enjoy the moment. This joy then further stabilizes the mind and opens us to deeper concentration and insight. "

Valeria interviews Justin Michelson — He is the author of "The Dharma of Healing: The Path of Liberation from Stress, Pain, and Trauma."

Justin Michelson is a meditation teacher, author, and wilderness guide. Through his root teacher Rodney Smith, and Rodney's teacher Ajahn Buddhadasa, Justin carries on the lineage of the Thai Forest Tradition of Theravada Buddhism. His unique style blends nature-based practice, emotional healing, and traditional Dharma teachings. He currently lives with his partner outside of Eugene, Oregon in a rural intentional community where, in addition to teaching and writing, he owns and operates Native Foods Nursery, a native edible plant nursery. Learn more about Justin Michelson and his work!

— As we release stored tension, soften resistance, and move in ways that feel aligned rather than performative, the way we relate to the world begins to shift as well. Our nervous systems regulate. Our reactions soften. Our presence becomes less guarded and more genuine. Self-awareness creates coherence within the individual. And coherence within individuals quietly contributes to coherence within the collective. This is not dramatic change. It is gentle evolution. Calmer conversations. More compassion. More people feeling safe enough to be themselves. Movement, in this way, becomes more than physical expression. It becomes participation in the evolution of our own consciousness. And as each person reconnects with their body, their truth, and their internal rhythm, the ripple extends far beyond what can be measured. What begins as remembering ourselves becomes a quiet contribution to a world that feels more present, more connected, and more alive.

Valeria interviews Caren Carnegie — She is an Intuitive Momentum Coach, Certified Personal Trainer, Spiritual Life Coach, and Channeler, and the founder of Transform Fitness Coaching.

She guides individuals beyond traditional fitness into a deeper relationship with their body, mind, and inner awareness—where movement becomes a pathway to self-leadership and remembrance.

With nearly two decades of experience working closely with people, Caren blends physical training with intuitive insight to support sustainable, embodied transformation. Her work redefines fit-ness as a state of being—one rooted in self-acceptance, coherence, and personal truth.

Through her coaching, writing, and speaking, Caren invites others to move with what moves them, reconnect with their inner wisdom, and create momentum that reflects who they truly are.

Learn more about Caren Carnegie and her amazing work at https://transformfitnesscoaching.com/ and her Instagram: @carencarnegiefitness.