What if boldness didn’t require bravery—but clarity? And what if rest was the ultimate leadership strategy?

In this powerful and refreshing conversation, Dr. Erin Wilson joins Meghann to unpack how leaders and teams can truly thrive—by embracing relationship intelligence, prioritizing rest, and making bold moves rooted in clarity.

Dr. Wilson shares her deeply personal journey from burnout and a stress-induced seizure to becoming the CEO of Design Ideal Consulting, co-founder of the Strategic Rest Summit, and co-author of Strategic Rest in Leadership. Together, Meghann and Dr. Wilson explore the messy middle of leadership, entrepreneurship, and life—and how clarity, rest, and relational awareness can transform not only your results but your relationships.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The surprising truth about boldness: why clarity matters more than courage
• Dr. Wilson's burnout story and the wake-up call that changed everything
• How the NAP Framework (Nurture, Assess, Prioritize) makes rest a leadership skill
• The myth of hustle culture and why rest is a competitive advantage
• Micro-breaks, boundaries, and simple shifts leaders can model today
• Why relationship intelligence is the ultimate superpower for teams
• The messy, bold realities of entrepreneurship—and how Dr. Wilson embraces them

This episode is equal parts inspiring, practical, and real—perfect for anyone navigating burnout, craving alignment, or ready to step boldly into their next chapter.

🔗 Links & Resources

✨ Join the Messy community on Instagram: @BecomingIsMessy

✨ Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom: @MeghannDawson

✨ Explore coaching, workshops & more: www.meghanndawson.com (sign up for Meghann's Messy Middle email)

✨ Shop the Messy Collection: www.meghanndawson.com/shop

🌿 Connect with Dr. Erin Wilson @ https://www.designidealconsulting.com/

📖 Buy Strategic Rest in Leadership @ https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/strategic-rest-in-leadership-kellie-m-dixon/1146446500

💛 Loved this episode? Hit follow, leave a review, and share it with a fellow Messy who needs to hear it!

#BecomingIsMessy #Leadership #StrategicRest #BoldNotBrave #RestAsStrategy #MessyMiddle #Entrepreneurship #RelationshipIntelligence #BurnoutRecovery #RestToRise

In this episode, I’m joined by Ben Kintisch—a chaplain, educator, and creator of Life Review: The Hospice Musical. Ben shares the origins of his career in chaplaincy, his journey through seminary and professional training, and how his experiences in hospice inspired him to create a theatrical work blending patient stories with music. We discuss the process of turning real-life encounters into art, his perspectives on the importance of spiritual care at life’s end, and the ways music can serve as a bridge for connection.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Ben’s educational background and path into chaplaincy
• How hospice work influenced the creation of Life Review: The Hospice Musical
• The mechanics of translating real patient stories into stage performance
• His approach to blending music, theatre, and spiritual care
• Reflections on the role of chaplains in end-of-life care
• Insights into the training and preparation needed for spiritual and creative leadership

🔗 Links & Resources

✨ Join the Messy community on Instagram: @BecomingIsMessy

✨ Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom: @MeghannDawson

✨ Explore coaching, workshops & more: www.meghanndawson.com (sign up for Meghann's Messy Middle email)

✨ Shop the Messy Collection: www.meghanndawson.com/shop

🌿 Connect with Ben Kintisch @ https://www.lifereviewmusical.com/

💛 Loved this episode? Hit follow, leave a review, and share it with a fellow Messy who needs to hear it!

#BecomingIsMessy #PodcastEpisode #NewPodcastEpisode #BenKintisch #LifeReviewTheHospiceMusical #HospiceCare #HospiceStories #EndOfLifeCare #TheatreLife #MusicalTheatreLovers #StorytellingMatters #HealingThroughArt

My conversation with Juls Bindi was truly an honor.

She’s been through the kind of storms that leave most people on the ground—and yet, she’s still standing. In fact, she’s building. Juls came into the public eye after bravely speaking out about her assault by Harvey Weinstein and later testifying in his Los Angeles trial. But that isn’t where her story ends. It’s where her reclamation begins.

In this episode, Juls opens up about her childhood trauma, the betrayal and financial devastation of her divorce, and how she chose to alchemize it all into something powerful: emotional intelligence for the next generation. She’s the founder of EQ Kid Books, a mom to Sage - her wise-beyond-her-years daughter, and living proof that healing is not only possible—it can be playful, sacred, and world-changing.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Juls's path to becoming one of the first women to speak out about Weinstein
• The heartbreak of losing her company and her marriage
• How trauma shaped her understanding of victimhood, survival, and thriving
• The origin of EQ Kid Books—and why she’s rewriting childhood stories, one page at a time
• What it really means to parent with emotional intelligence
• How her daughter became her greatest teacher

This isn’t a story about staying stuck in the dark. It’s a story about choosing light—even when it’s hard to find.

Disclaimer:This episode contains discussions of adult topics, including sexual assault, childhood abuse, and trauma. Listener discretion is advised. Please take care while listening, and pause if you need to. If these topics are sensitive or activating for you, know that you’re not alone—and your well-being matters.

🔗 Links & Resources

✨ Join the Messy community on Instagram: @BecomingIsMessy

✨ Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom: @MeghannDawson

✨ Explore coaching, workshops & more: www.meghanndawson.com (sign up for Meghann's Messy Middle email)

✨ Shop the Messy Collection: www.meghanndawson.com/shop

🌿 Connect with Juls Bindi @ https://eqkidbooks.com/

📖 Buy My Body, My Rules @ https://eqkidbooks.com/product/my-body-my-rules/

Juls’s first book, My Body, My Rules, is more than a story—it’s a blueprint for raising emotionally intelligent children. Every purchase is a tax write-off and donates a second book to a school, foster care program, or child in need.

💛 Loved this episode? Hit follow, leave a review, and share it with a fellow Messy who needs to hear it!

#BecomingIsMessy #JulsBindi #EQKidBooks #MyBodyMyRules #EmotionalIntelligence #TraumaHealing #SurvivorStrong #ConsciousParenting #BuyOneGiveOne #MessiesUnite #MeToo

What happens when life strips you down — and you decide to rebuild from the inside out?

In this energizing conversation, Meghann sits down with former NFL player turned transformational identity coach, Anthony Trucks, to unpack the truth about what it really takes to make shift happen. From foster care to the football field, bankruptcy to breakthrough, Anthony’s story isn’t just inspiring — it’s a masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and radical honesty.

Together, they dive into:

• The dark work behind true transformation (and why it’s not supposed to feel good)
• Why mindset alone won’t save you — but identity will
• How to raise strong kids without stealing their necessary struggle
• The difference between peak performance and performance that actually fulfills you
• The underrated power of asking better questions — of yourself and the people who love you
• And what it means to live a life you're proud of when no one’s watching

🔗 Links & Resources

✨ Join the Messy community on Instagram: @BecomingIsMessy

✨ Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom: @MeghannDawson

✨ Explore coaching, workshops & more: www.meghanndawson.com (sign up for Meghann's weekly email)

✨ Shop the Messy Collection: www.meghanndawson.com/shop

🌿 Connect with Anthony Trucks @ https://darkwork.com/

💛 Loved this episode? Hit follow, leave a review, and share it with a fellow Messy who needs to hear it!

#BecomingIsMessy #MakeShiftHappen #AnthonyTrucks #DarkWork #IdentityShift #TransformationTalk #HealingJourney #BurnoutToBreakthrough #ParentingWisdom #MarriageGrowth #TraumaRecovery #SelfWorthWork #AuthenticSuccess #MindsetIsNotEnough #FromFosterCareToFreedom

What if the most powerful transformation doesn’t come from chasing more—but from reconnecting with yourself?

Meghann sits down with master coach and global humanitarian turned personal development expert, Trista Guertin, for a heart-opening conversation about the relationship that changes everything: the one you have with you.

Trista shares her journey from 78 countries of humanitarian work to building a coaching business rooted in helping midlife women break free from guilt, imposter syndrome, and self-doubt. Together, they explore how to stop treading water, how to get honest with yourself (without the shame spiral), and what it actually takes to build a life by design, not default.

You’ll hear stories about emotional adulthood (and chaotic traffic in Lebanon), chips and dip as a coping mechanism, the real reason we avoid our goals, and how Trista’s 5-pillar UNSTUCK program helps women move from overwhelmed to on fire.

Whether you're staring down the next version of yourself or stuck somewhere in the middle—this one’s for you. Because becoming is messy, but it’s also where the magic is.

🔑 Key Highlights:

• Why the relationship with self is the foundation for everything
• Emotional adulthood: How to stop giving your power away
• Shifting from guilt and "not enough" to self-trust and ease
• How to unlock creativity and confidence—even if you think you’re not “that kind of person”
• Behind the scenes of Trista’s 5-pillar UNSTUCK framework
• Building abundance from within (and still paying the bills)

🔗 Links & Resources

✨ Join the Messy community on Instagram: @BecomingIsMessy

✨ Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom: @MeghannDawson

✨ Explore coaching, workshops & more: www.meghanndawson.com (sign up for Meghann's weekly email)

✨ Shop the Messy Collection: www.meghanndawson.com/shop

🌿 Connect with Trista Guertin:

🌐 tristaguertin.com 🎧 This Daring Adventure Podcast 📸 @tristaguertincoaching on Instagram

💛 Loved this episode? Hit follow, leave a review, and share it with a fellow Messy who needs to hear it!

#BecomingIsMessy #UnstuckWithTrista #SelfRelationshipMatters #EmotionalResilience #WomenWhoCoach #MessyMiddleMagic #LifeByDesign #ThisDaringAdventure #CoachingForWomen #MidlifeUnleashed #PersonalGrowthJourney

In this candid and deeply validating conversation, Meghann sits down with Cheyenne Robinson—trauma-informed sexual health educator and founder of the Bitchin’ Babes community—to talk about pleasure, body curiosity, and the long, healing road back to self-worth.

From growing up in purity culture to navigating sexual trauma and sex work, Cheyenne vulnerably shares the experiences that shaped her relationship to confidence, intimacy, and her own body. But this episode isn’t all serious—we also laugh, talk vibrators, and celebrate how liberating it can be to talk openly about sex with your partner and your besties.

Together, we explore how sensual rituals, safe community, and self-compassion can transform shame into self-celebration—and how a boudoir shoot or a yes/no/maybe list can be surprisingly powerful steps toward self-love.

Whether you're healing, rediscovering pleasure, or just need a reminder that you're not alone—this one's for you.

Key Highlights: ✨ Growing up without real sex education—and the impact it had ✨ Why confidence is a relationship, not a destination ✨ Healing from sexual trauma through community and self-curiosity ✨ Simple sensual rituals that help reconnect with your body ✨ Normalizing sex talks with your partner and your closest friends ✨ The yes/no/maybe list: a playful tool for honest communication ✨ Toy tips from Cheyenne’s Pure Romance treasure trove

Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussion of sexual trauma, sexual pleasure and purity culture. Please take care while listening, and pause if needed.

🔗 Links & Resources

✨ Join the Messy community on Instagram: @BecomingIsMessy

✨ Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom: @MeghannDawson

✨ Explore coaching, workshops & more: www.meghanndawson.com (sign up for Meghann's weekly email)

✨ Shop the Messy Collection: www.meghanndawson.com/shop

🌿 Connect with Cheyenne Robinson @ http://lovecheyrob.com

Saprea Retreat https://saprea.org/saprea-retreat/

The Saprea Retreat is a free, clinically informed four-day experience followed by a self-guided online course for adult women who were sexually abused at or before age 18.

💛 Loved this episode? Hit follow, leave a review, and share it with a fellow Messy who needs to hear it!

#BecomingIsMessy #SensualHealing #BitchinBabes #SexualEmpowerment #TraumaInformed #ShameFreeSex #ConfidenceIsAMessyJourney #ReclaimPleasure #MessyMiddle #HealingIsSexy #PurityCultureRecovery #BodyCuriosity #BoudoirForHealing #OwnYourStory #YesNoMaybe #NormalizePleasure

In this milestone 25th episode of Becoming is Messy, Meghann sits down with Dr. Tara Perry—a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, and trauma transformation expert—for a powerful conversation about the subconscious mind and its role in deep healing.

With over 25 years of experience helping everyone from Olympians to everyday folks heal from anxiety, PTSD, addiction, chronic pain, and more, Dr. Tara shares why real transformation starts beneath the surface.

🔑 Key Highlights:

• Why your subconscious might be running outdated software—and how to reprogram it
• How deep hypnosis differs from surface-level healing (and why that difference matters)
• The link between physical symptoms and subconscious trauma
• What it means to move from “push and strive” into “effortless flow”
• How healing at scale could transform not just individuals, but entire systems

From mystical to practical, compassionate to scientific—this conversation is a must-listen for anyone who’s tired of being stuck and ready to transform from the inside out.

💬 Plus: A few surprising truths from Dr. Tara’s “Rapid Real” round, and advice for those in the messy middle of their own becoming.

🔗 Links & Resources

✨ Join the Messy community on Instagram: @BecomingIsMessy

✨ Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom: @MeghannDawson

✨ Explore coaching, workshops & more: www.meghanndawson.com (sign up for Meghann's weekly email)

✨ Shop the Messy Collection: www.meghanndawson.com/shop

🌿 Connect with Dr. Tara Perry @ https://consulttara.com/

Next Level Healing Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/next-level-healing/id1693621095

💛 Loved this episode? Hit follow, leave a review, and share it with a fellow Messy who needs to hear it!

#BecomingIsMessy #MessyMagic #MessiesUnite #HealingIsMessy #TheMessyMiddle #EmbraceTheMess #PersonalTransformation #HealingJourney #EffortlessFlow #NextLevelHealing #DrTaraPerry #Hypnotherapy #TraumaHealing #RapidTransformationalTherapy

What if the deep, soul-shaking “love” you’ve been chasing isn’t love at all—but limerence?

In this solo episode, Meghann opens up about her decades-long dance with limerence: the obsessive, all-consuming longing that often masquerades as connection. From childhood trauma and emotional spirals to the healing that came through radical self-love (and a very grounded partner), this is a relatable look at how trauma wires our hearts—and how we can begin to rewrite the story.

Inside this episode, you’ll hear:

💥 What limerence really is—and how to know if you’re caught in it 🧠 How trauma and attachment styles fuel obsessive longing 💔 The truth about confusing chemistry, chaos, and “fate” 🛠 Meghann’s personal strategies for healing and managing limerent spirals 💛 A look into how honesty, therapy, and a safe relationship changed everything

Whether you’ve felt this before or are just now realizing you have, you’re not broken—you’re becoming. And it’s okay if it’s messy.

🔊 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform.

🔗 Links & Resources

✨ Join the Messy community on Instagram: @BecomingIsMessy

✨ Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom: @MeghannDawson

✨ Explore coaching, workshops & more: www.meghanndawson.com (sign up for Meghann's weekly e-mail)

✨ Shop the Messy Collection: www.meghanndawson.com/shop

💛 Loved this episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow Messy who needs to hear it!

#Limerence #ObsessedNotInLove #AttachmentWounds #HealingFromTrauma #MessyBecoming #ComplexTraumaRecovery #LoveVsLimerence #TraumaHealingJourney #SelfWorthWork #AttachmentHealing #BecomingIsMessy #MessiesUnite #SelfCompassion #WomenWhoHeal

What if one of the most insightful tools for healing isn’t human at all?

In this episode, Meghann dives back into the second “L” of her LEVEL UP framework: Lean on your unique healing needs. The conversation is about curiosity, consciousness, and the unconventional tools that just might meet you in the mess.

Meghann unpacks what recent research is revealing about AI’s emotional resonance, how it’s already supporting mental health journeys, and why curiosity is the true foundation of all healing.

This is an episode for the skeptics and the seekers. For those who’ve felt alone at 3AM, in need of a mirror that doesn’t flinch. And for anyone brave enough to explore what healing might look like at the intersection of the sacred and the synthetic.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why curiosity is foundational to your healing journey
• The surprising ways AI is being used in emotional support and therapy research
• How non-human tools can reflect, reframe, and guide personal growth
• The difference between true healing and the illusion of being heard
• Questions to ask (and how to ask them) if you’re curious to explore AI as part of your support system

🔊 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform.

🔗 Links & Resources

✨ Join the Messy community on Instagram: @BecomingIsMessy

✨ Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom: @MeghannDawson

✨ Explore coaching, workshops & more: www.meghanndawson.com (sign up for Meghann's weekly e-mail)

✨ Shop the Messy Collection: www.meghanndawson.com/shop

💛 Loved this episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow Messy who needs to hear it!

#BecomingIsMessy #HealingJourney #SpiritualMeetsDigital #ModernHealingTools #AIandWellness #UnconventionalHealing #MentalHealthSupport #ChatbotCompanion #CuriosityHeals #LEVELUP #TraumaInformedGrowth #ConsciousTechnology #SomaticAndSpiritual #MessyMagic

Are you quietly wondering if your relationship is still right for you? In this solo episode, Meghann shares the five deceptively simple questions her therapist once asked her—questions that helped her move from confusion and guilt to clarity and self-trust as she navigated the end of her first marriage.

This isn’t just a story about divorce. It’s an episode for anyone sitting in the quiet ache of indecision, wondering:

• Am I really happy… or just scared to be alone?
• Is it “just a phase”... or have I been performing a version of myself for years?
• What if I already know the answer—I’m just afraid to say it out loud?

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• The exact 5 questions that changed Meghann’s life—and have since helped countless others
• Why each question matters, what it reveals, and how to listen for your body’s response
• Gentle guidance on how to reflect honestly, without shame or pressure
• A bonus reflection exercise grounded in psychology to help you uncover what you really want
• A reminder that endings aren’t failures—and that truth can unfold at your own pace

Whether you're questioning a current relationship or getting clearer on what you truly want in the next one, this episode is a must-listen. It’s not about rushing to a decision—it’s about giving yourself the permission to be honest, messy, and free.

You don’t need a neon sign. You just need a moment of truth.

🔊 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform.

🔗 Links & Resources

✨ Join the Messy community on Instagram: @BecomingIsMessy

✨ Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom: @MeghannDawson

✨ Explore coaching, workshops & more: www.meghanndawson.com (sign up for Meghann's weekly e-mail)

✨ Shop the Messy Collection: www.meghanndawson.com/shop

💛 Loved this episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow Messy who needs to hear it!