Aligned

What if the career and financial choices you've been making aren't really yours — but instead reflect what you were programmed to want?

In this episode, I sit down with Billy Zerillo, founder of Your Money Your Purpose, to discuss the intersection of money, identity, and living a life that's truly aligned with what matters most to you.

Billy brings a unique approach to financial advising — one that starts not with investment returns, but with the stories and beliefs about money we've carried since childhood. His clients are primarily women executives, lawyers, business owners, and entrepreneurs who are ready to stop spending, saving, and earning on autopilot and start making intentional choices.

We explore:

• Why so many high achievers find themselves in careers and financial patterns that don't actually reflect their values
• How childhood money stories shape financial decisions we make as adults
• The powerful reframe for anyone considering a pay cut to pursue more meaningful work
• What "golden handcuffs" really cost us — and how one CFO broke free without sacrificing her lifestyle
• The dangerous myth of "just one more year" and why waiting to live the life we want is a gamble we can't afford
• How status-driven spending keeps us trapped in work we don't love
• Why curiosity and awareness are the most underrated tools in both financial and career alignment

We also dive into identity — how our job titles can become a kind of prison, and what it means to let go of who we've been in order to step into who we're becoming.

This conversation will resonate deeply if you've ever wondered whether the life you're building is the one you actually want.

Connect with Billy: LinkedIn

Resources mentioned:

• The Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware
• The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

Returning to Soul is a podcast for lawyers and other high achievers seeking deeper meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in their work and lives. Hosted by Jessie Brown — former lawyer turned career coach, purpose guide, and retreat facilitator based in Arizona.

There's an old Irish proverb that says: "Death is in the middle of a long life."

In this episode, Jessie explores what this kind of death means, not a physical ending, but a profound inner transformation. The death of a former way of living. The shedding of an ego-driven life built on fear, control, and the relentless pursuit of external approval.

Drawing on the caterpillar-to-butterfly metaphor, Jessie walks through the three stages many lawyers and other high achievers find themselves in:

🐛 The Caterpillar — living in a way that still feels workable, not yet feeling the pull toward something deeper

🫧 The Chrysalis (the Goo Stage) — that disorienting in-between phase where the old no longer fits but the new hasn't yet taken shape. Old habits, relationships, and conversations start to feel misaligned. It can feel like loneliness, loss, and groundlessness.

🦋 The Emerging Butterfly — struggling out of the chrysalis, building inner strength, learning to be led by intuition and soul rather than fear and control

Jessie also shares her own experience of this transition — the "monk period" of reading, meditating, and pulling back from happy hours and surface-level socializing — and what it looked like to slowly, authentically rebuild a life and community that truly resonated.

This episode is for you if you've been feeling like you've outgrown something — a job, a relationship, a version of yourself — but you're not yet sure who you're becoming.

In this episode:

• What "ego death" actually means (and why the ego doesn't fully disappear)
• The science behind the caterpillar's "imaginal cells" and what they teach us about trusting our own transformation
• Why the struggle is the point — and what happens when we try to shortcut it
• How to find your people when you're in the messy middle
• The role of guides, coaches, and mentors in the death and rebirth process

Connect with Jessie:🌐 ReturningToSoul.com📧 [email protected]💼 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jessiebrowncoaching

Jessie Brown practiced law for 15 years before becoming a career alignment coach, purpose guide, meditation teacher, breathwork facilitator, sound healer, and forest bathing guide. She facilitates transformational retreats in Sedona, Arizona.

As lawyers and high achievers, we've spent years sharpening our analytical minds — but what if that very strength is getting in the way of the guidance we need most?

In this episode, Jessie explores why so many lawyers and high achievers feel disconnected from their intuition, and what it actually takes to reconnect with it.

Drawing on wisdom from Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Oprah, and Carl Jung, Jessie makes the case that intuition isn't the opposite of reason — it's the source that reason is meant to serve. And when we lead only with our left brain, we miss something essential.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why the rational, analytical mind alone can't guide you toward your most fulfilling career path
• How intuition communicates — through bodily sensations, images, symbols, and quiet inner knowing
• Practical ways to strengthen your intuitive muscle: body scans, poetry, mythology, art, and time in nature
• What it means to enter the "imaginal realm" — and why it was second nature to you as a child
• How the noise of modern life drowns out the subtle whispers of inner guidance — and how to turn the volume down
• Why hyper-control is often a sign of disconnection
• Jessie's own journey from controlling and outward-focused to deeply trusting her own inner guidance

Whether intuition feels like a foreign language to you right now, or you're just beginning to explore it, this episode offers a gentle, grounded invitation to start listening differently.

Jessie Brown is a former attorney turned career alignment coach, purpose guide, meditation teacher, breathwork facilitator, sound healer, and forest bathing guide. She facilitates retreats in Sedona, Arizona.

📩 Reach Jessie at [email protected]🌐 ReturningToSoul.com💼 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jessiebrowncoaching

If this episode resonated with you, leave a review and share it with someone who might benefit.

Burning the Plaques: Releasing Achievement Identity to Find Your Soul's Purpose

What would it take to let go of everything you've spent your life earning — the titles, the awards, the accolades — to make room for who you're truly meant to be?

In this rich and deeply moving conversation, Jessie is joined by Michael Tender Heart Denmeade, faculty member at the Purpose Guides Institute, longtime therapist, fire keeper, and vision quest guide. Drawing on 41 years of participation in indigenous ceremonial traditions, Michael shares wisdom about what it means to live from the soul — and what gets in the way.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why Michael held a sacred ceremony to burn his professional awards — and what that freed in him
• How culture conditions high achievers to seek recognition through achievement rather than through being
• The concept of the "giveaway" from indigenous tradition, and how releasing what we've accumulated creates space for what we're truly called to do
• Why purpose isn't something we need to find — it already exists at the soul level
• How to begin reconnecting with your deeper self even when you're working 60-hour weeks with a full family life
• The three practices Michael recommends for anyone feeling stuck: grief, gratitude, and generosity
• Jessie's own story of leaving law — including the vision of two islands that showed her the way forward

This episode is for any lawyer or high achiever who senses that what they've built may no longer be what they're meant for — and who wonders what it would look like to listen more deeply to what is theirs to do.

About Michael Tender Heart Denmeade:Michael serves as faculty at the Purpose Guides Institute and has worked as a therapist for many years. He currently works as a fire keeper and vision quest guide, drawing on indigenous ceremonial wisdom he has received over four decades from elders. To connect with Michael, reach out to Jessie for his contact information.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• The Purpose Guides Institute

• Jessie's October retreat in Sedona, AZ (October 1–4) — reach out to Jessie directly
• Jessie's free Career Alignment Map

In this interview, lawyer Brad Miller shares his journey of creating a legal practice that aligns with his values, emphasizing happiness, authenticity, and intentional living.

Learn how to craft a legal career that brings joy and fulfillment while maintaining professional success.

Key topics

• Discovering legal practice that aligns with personal values
• The importance of happiness and authenticity in law
• Strategies for lawyers to create fulfilling careers

Key words

lawyer happiness, legal practice, authenticity, values, solo law practice, career change, self-awareness, work-life balance, legal entrepreneurship, personal growth

Find out more about Brad Miller:

https://www.bradleymillerlaw.com/

https://www.newmodernlawyer.com/

Download Jessie's free Career Alignment Map.

In this solo episode, I share a mini version of my signature workshop on the neuroscience of manifestation — a six-step formula drawn from the work of the late neurosurgeon and neuroscientist Dr. James Doty.

Think of this formula as planting a tree.

We begin by preparing the soil — calming the nervous system and focusing the mind through a guided meditation. Then we choose our seeds by clarifying our intentions. We pull the weeds by identifying and reframing the limiting beliefs that would choke the life out of our vision. We plant our seeds by embedding our intentions into the subconscious through repeated visualization paired with positive emotion. We nurture our growing tree through daily practices that keep us connected to what we want to create. And finally, we let go — releasing attachment to a specific outcome and trusting that the universe often has something even better in store.

Science shows that when we repeatedly visualize our intentions, two powerful things happen: our vision becomes familiar to the brain, reducing resistance to the risks required to pursue it, and the brain begins scanning our environment for opportunities to help bring it into reality. Of the 10 million bits of data our brains process every second, only 50 make it through to conscious awareness. This episode is about learning to reorient what gets through that filter.

We close with a beautiful poem — Until One is Committed — and an invitation to reflect on what it would look like to fully commit to your vision.

In this episode:

• A guided visualization to connect with your future self
• The six-step neuroscience of manifestation formula
• Why limiting beliefs are the weeds that choke our intentions — and how to uproot them
• How visualization rewires the brain to notice opportunities
• Why letting go of attachment is part of the process

If a vision came up for you during this episode, I'd love to hear about it. And if you're ready to explore what true alignment looks like in your career and life, download my free Vision Board Workbook.

Returning to Soul is a podcast for lawyers and other high achievers seeking deeper meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in their work and lives.

You can find out more about Jessie and her work at returningtosoul.com and azsoundandbreath.com

In this episode of Returning to Soul, Jessie Brown and Courtney Schulnick discuss the transformative power of mindfulness in the legal profession. Courtney shares her journey from being a litigator to becoming a mindfulness educator, highlighting the importance of aligning one's career with their true self. They explore how mindfulness practices can help lawyers manage stress, cultivate self-awareness, and reconnect with their inner guidance. The conversation emphasizes the need for self-care and the courage to explore difficult emotions, ultimately leading to a more fulfilling and authentic life.

Takeaways:

• Mindfulness can help align your career with your true self.

• Self-care is essential for high achievers, including lawyers.

• Awareness of the body can lead to greater insight.

• Pushing through discomfort can lead to burnout; mindfulness offers a way to check in.

• The journey to self-discovery often involves peeling back layers of self-judgment.

• Mindfulness practices can enhance clarity and reduce stress in high-pressure environments.

• Connecting with your true self can lead to more authentic career choices.

• Embracing the messiness of life can lead to growth and healing.

• Investing time in mindfulness is not selfish; it benefits all areas of life.

• Courage is required to explore and accept difficult emotions.

Connect with guest, Courtney Schulnick.

Download Jessie' free Career Alignment Map.

Are you making career choices based on what genuinely satisfies you — or are you driven by something else?

In this episode, we explore the concept of true motivation and what it means for the work you do every day. Physician, author, and trauma specialist Gabor Maté defines true motivation as doing what satisfies you and aligns with your genuine preferences and inclinations, regardless of what people may think, as long as you're not intentionally harming others.

Many lawyers find themselves successful by every external measure and yet deeply unfulfilled. This episode explores why that happens and what we can do about it.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• What "true motivation" really means — and how to know if you have it

• A simple test to assess whether your work is genuinely aligned with who you are

• Real stories from attorneys who made career choices for reasons other than true motivation

• Why so many of us lose our connection to our own motivation — and the role childhood plays

• Why this isn't about blame, and how awareness can open the door to change

• How to begin honoring your true preferences, values, and desires

A reflection to sit with: What would it feel like to make a career decision based entirely on what genuinely interests and satisfies you — with no thought for what anyone else thinks?

Free Resource: Download the Career Alignment Map

Connect with Jessie:

• LinkedIn

• Website

Returning to Soul is a podcast for lawyers and other high-achievers seeking deeper meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in their work and lives. Jessie Brown practiced law for 15 years before becoming a career alignment coach and purpose guide. She also works as a meditation teacher, breathwork facilitator, sound healer, and forest bathing guide, and facilitates nature-based retreats in Arizona.

In this episode, Jessie Brown explores the true nature of workplace burnout, common misconceptions, and practical ways to realign your career with your core values and needs. Perfect for high achievers feeling disconnected from their soul, this episode offers research-backed insights and actionable steps to transform your professional life from draining to deeply fulfilling. 

Key Topics:

• The distinction between burnout as an individual experience and a systemic issue (Dr. Christina Maslach’s research)
• The six areas of potential misalignment: workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values
• How high sensitivity impacts workload sustainability and job satisfaction
• The importance of social reward in preventing burnout
• Recognizing signs of exhaustion, cynicism, and self-erosion (negative self-evaluation)
• Practical tools: conducting a six-area career audit and understanding your nervous system
• Career flexibility: exploring different paths within and outside of law for authentic fulfillment
• Case example of a lawyer transitioning from burnout to thriving in a role aligned with her values

Resources:

Free Career Alignment Map 

Connect with Jessie Brown:

Website

LinkedIn

In this episode of Returning to Soul, Jessie Brown and Jonathan Lowsley explore the powerful concept of life arcs, inspired by Michael J. Meade’s Awakening the Soul.

Together, they unpack the transition from the first arc of life — focused on achievement, approval, and external success — into the second arc, where the soul invites us inward toward alignment, authenticity, and deeper purpose.

For high-achieving professionals, this shift can feel unsettling. It requires slowing down, listening to whispers , and allowing the “little self” to soften so the deeper self can lead.

In This Episode, We Explore:

• Why the first arc of life centers on achievement and social approval

• How cultural conditioning keeps many professionals stuck in overachievement

• What signals it might be time to step into the second arc

• Why slowing down is essential to hear the soul’s whispers

• The role of inner healing in authentic career alignment

• How the “little self” (ego) both protects and limits us

• Why the journey of self-discovery is nonlinear and uncomfortable

• The call to adventure as a return to purpose

• How service becomes a natural expression of aligned living

Listeners can learn more about Jonathan Lowsley and his work by visiting https://www.deepeningpurpose.com/ or https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlowsley/