In this episode: becoming obsessed with doing the inner work, so you can build a life and a business you love…while also taking care of yourself.

Denise Alba is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the Founder & CEO of BRAVE Wellness Studio in San Diego. She blends mental health, trauma-informed yoga, and business mentorship to support community healing, generational growth, and aligned leadership rooted in purpose.

Denise and Teresa talk about the benefits of having a strong community when healing, how healing and showing up for yourself look different for everyone, the value in taking a step back to check in with yourself when things don’t feel aligned, and most importantly, that you have the power to change your situation.

This episode is for anyone who needs the reminder that you don’t have to choose between ambition and well being.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Your business can’t outgrow your personal growth. It’s so easy to get caught up in the cycle of growing and scaling your business…but if your life doesn’t fulfill you while you’re doing it, what’s the point?
• Having a strong foundation in community circles speeds up your healing process. Denise found that when creating accessibility to yoga classes, retreats, and community spaces, combined with therapy, there is a noticeable change in healing, confidence, and networking.
• Be mindful of your energy and when to protect it. Take note at networking events who gives you energy and who drains it.
• Healing looks different to everyone, and part of the journey is identifying what works best for you.
• If certain things in your life are causing you stress or anxiety - take a step back and ask yourself “What can I do about this?” Remind yourself that you are in control, and you have the power to do something about what you’re feeling.

We have to slow down in order to really get the signals, because we're just not wired to receive everything, this information, and to do life the way that we are right now, which is why there's so much anxiety and depression and loneliness in our world. — Denise Alba

Resources:

• By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult: https://bookshop.org/p/books/by-any-other-name-a-novel-jodi-picoult/aea2c8d9bf115229?ean=9780593497234&bkshp-astro=t
• Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Phd: https://bookshop.org/p/books/women-who-run-with-the-wolves-clarissa-pinkola-estes-ph-d/5e495faa24961d97?ean=9780345409874&bkshp-astro=t

Connect with Denise:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deniseaalba/
• Brave Wellness Studio Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravewellnessstudio/
• Website: https://www.denisealba.com/
• Brave Wellness Studio: https://www.bravewellnessstudio.com/

Connect with Teresa

• Join the Becoming Obsessed Playground, the weekly email for curiosity-led women building a life they love.
• Instagram: @becomingobsessedpod and @teresaajean
• Leave a review on Apple or Spotify Podcasts. Reviews are the biggest thank-you, and reviews help ambitious women find the show.
• Website: teresaajean.com

Topics: community healing, yoga, holistic mental health, personal growth, self care, mindfulness, mental wellness, community support, entrepreneur burnout, yoga therapy, inner work, self awareness, business mentorship, anxiety relief, mental health tips, emotional well-being, balance in life, wellness retreats, building a life you love, balance in business

In this episode: how you can enjoy your next trip abroad and be obsessed with it, instead of obsessing over it.

Teresa gives a quick check-in from her 3-week vacation in Greece. She shares her top three tips that she has learned throughout her travels, from mentally preparing for your trip and how to not allow inconveniences or stressful situations to ruin your time; packing not for perception, but more for how you want to feel; and how to navigate dealing with body-image comparisons and recognizing your own beauty.

This episode is for anyone about to go on an exciting trip, and how to make the most of their time there.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Prioritize mentally preparing for your trip. Ask yourself: What do you want to feel like and how can you prepare for every aspect of the trip, not just the “picture-perfect” parts?
• When you’re traveling, there are so many things that are not going to go perfectly - and that’s ok. It’s just part of the experience and how you choose to handle it.
• Dress how you want to feel more than how you want to be perceived - focus on what makes you feel comfortable and confident, so that you can enjoy your time on vacation.
• In a world where “skinny-talk” has transitioned to the forefront in media, it’s important to note that you can love your body and want to live a healthy lifestyle, and also feel the pressure to fit a certain standard.
• Your first thought is not who you are - It's your conditioning. Your second thought, and how you engage with it, is who you truly are.

If you are only posting content for yourself and to be perceived, do not make it a full-time job. Make enjoying yourself the full-time job and capture the memories. - Teresa Stastny

Connect with Teresa

• Join the Becoming Obsessed Playground, the weekly email for curiosity-led women building a life they love.
• Instagram: @becomingobsessedpod and @teresaajean
• Leave a review on Apple or Spotify Podcasts. Reviews are the biggest thank-you, and reviews help ambitious women find the show.
• Website: teresaajean.com

Topics: self-love, mental preparation for travel, body positivity, travel mindset, travel tips for women, overcoming comparison, managing expectations while traveling, embracing imperfections, decision fatigue while traveling, enjoying the moment on vacation, finding joy in travel experiences, navigating new environments, dressing for comfort while traveling, managing social media pressure, traveling without comparison, living a life you love

In this episode: how switching up your space and creating a solid sales routine, surrounded by places and things you enjoy, can actually improve your sales strategy and mindset.

Alyssa Moorhead runs an 11-year-old DFY Lead Generation Agency for bold, unicorn category-of-one business owners. She helps women generate new leads through IG Stories and IG DMs to make ethical sales to dream clients for service-based agencies and high-level mentors. Alyssa shares the steps she took when scaling her business, including creating a “hiring wish list” to determine where she needed the most support, and how to structure her business to make that happen. Alyssa and Teresa also talk about how to navigate Instagram to find warm and hot leads, email marketing, whether using automation makes sense for your business, and the ins and outs of sales content.

If you are someone who is dreading the sales side of your business or struggling to turn your Instagram stories and DMs into consistent client conversations, then this episode is for you.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Build yourself a “hiring wish list” for all of the roles you need the most support in as you are scaling your business.
• Build a morning routine and a sales morning routine - this allows you to create time for yourself, while also budgeting in a daily time to stay on top of your leads and more urgent tasks for your business.
• Take time to look at who is viewing your Instagram stories - there could be a lot of hidden leads there.
• Using an automation may not make sense for every business model.
• Sales is a practice - you have to be practicing on an ongoing basis.

Letting go of the “shoulds” changed my life. - Alyssa Moorhead

Connect with Alyssa:

• Website: https://alyssamoorhead.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyssalmoorhead/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssa-moorhead/
• Sassy Sales Tips Email List: https://alyssamoorhead.myflodesk.com/emailsignup

Connect with Teresa

• Join the Becoming Obsessed Playground, the weekly email for curiosity-led women building a life they love.
• Instagram: @becomingobsessedpod and @teresaajean
• Leave a review on Apple or Spotify Podcasts. Reviews are the biggest thank-you, and reviews help ambitious women find the show.
• Website: teresaajean.com

topics: sales content, ethical sales, lead generation, Instagram marketing, sales strategies, women entrepreneurs, morning sales routine, marketing versus sales, client relationships, social media sales, sales coaching, DM sales, audience engagement, sales conversion, sales process, content creation for sales, personal branding, small business marketing, building a life you love, business that supports you

In this episode: what it looks like to push past the cultural norms of constant productivity and putting your sole identity into your work, and how slowing down and allowing yourself to play will actually open up more possibilities of success in your business.

Ashley Kruse is the founder of Baddie Creative and a growth marketing strategist who helps establish coaches and course creators use paid social to scale without diluting their brand that they've worked so hard to build. Ashley and Teresa talk about how easy it can be to tie your identity up in your business, the ways they have worked to untangle that, the differences between entrepreneurs and business owners, and why they are passionate about supporting female founders. They also dive into how Ashley operates her business; the purpose of ads and when you should use them to support your business; and how the ultimate goal is to have a business you love while also being able to separate yourself from it to live a more fulfilling life.

If you’ve ever felt the pull to try something new in your business, but have been too hesitant to take the leap, this episode is for you.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Sometimes your version of success will change over time, and that’s ok - it might just lead you down a path that is better than you could have ever imagined.
• You may need to “burn your life down” in order to start building one that makes you happier and feels more fulfilling.
• If you had all the time in the world to play and explore outside your business and goals, what would you do?
• It’s so easy to get caught up in the push for constant productivity. Having more play in your life actually opens up the opportunity for you to be more productive, while also living a fulfilling life.
• Surrounding yourself with people that you admire and that are different from you allows you to form a new identity that you might otherwise not have realized.

I'm not, like, death gripping my goals. I'm not death gripping every single thing that I could be doing. I really want to release it and to just step into it with confidence and trust that it's all gonna work out, but also to take care of myself. - Ashley Kruse

Connect with Ashley:

• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/the.business.baddie
• Website: https://baddiecreative.com/

Connect with Teresa

• Join the Becoming Obsessed Playground, the weekly email for curiosity-led women building a life they love.
• Instagram: @becomingobsessedpod and @teresaajean
• Leave a review on Apple or Spotify Podcasts. Reviews are the biggest thank-you, and reviews help ambitious women find the show.
• Website: teresaajean.com

Topics: work-life balance, identity crisis, mom entrepreneur, business ownership, personal growth, redefining success, parenting and business, female entrepreneurs, marketing strategy, organic marketing, self-discovery, community building, overcoming burnout, entrepreneurship mindset, business systems, achieving fulfillment, building a fulfilling life

In this episode: how we are saying goodbye to toxic culture of rewarding burnout over sustainability, and embracing the reality of building a profitable business without sacrificing your health, values, or team.

Emily Dean is an entrepreneur, brand strategist, and seasoned marketer helping women scale purpose-driven brands without self-sacrifice. Emily and Teresa discuss the reality that many people face: working to the point of burnout, with the goal that they will be happy and live a fulfilling life after they retire, and how this is a wake-up call they have both experienced first-hand. They also get into what founder-first vs. customer-first branding looks like, mindful disrupters and how Emily is helping female founders build profitable businesses that align with their values, and the best practices of using AI in business.

If you've ever felt burnt out chasing a version of success that isn't yours, this one's for you.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• There is a way to find balance between having a fulfilling life and a fulfilling career - so many people wait until after they retire to start fully living the life they want, and it is not always guaranteed.
• Surrounding yourself with a community and friendships with people of all ages and backgrounds is incredibly valuable because it challenges you to see the world differently.
• Women are often more mindful when approaching business. When women have money, they tend to give back to their communities and employees.
• In this day and age where there is often the question of whether AI was used to create something, and can sometimes raise red flags for those consuming your content, consider including a disclaimer if you used AI in some way to expand on your original thought.

“I don’t think success is something that should require us to disappear inside of it.” - Emily Dean

Resources Mentioned:

• Qveen Herby - The Fool

Connect with Emily:

• Website: https://www.boltandbloom.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mledean/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyjdean/

Connect with Teresa

• Join the Becoming Obsessed Playground, the weekly email for curiosity-led women building a life they love.
• Instagram: @becomingobsessedpod and @teresaajean
• Leave a review on Apple or Spotify Podcasts. Reviews are the biggest thank-you, and reviews help ambitious women find the show.
• Website: teresaajean.com

branding strategies, entrepreneur mindset, women in business, mindful disruptors, personal brand development, overcoming burnout, business authenticity, marketing for female founders, success without sacrifice, corporate to entrepreneur transition, emotional resilience, brand positioning, business sustainability, creative entrepreneurship, wellness in business, storytelling in branding, life balance for entrepreneurs, building a life you love

Take 20% off your Create and Cultivate Festival Ticket with code TERESAS20

Time for a mid-summer check in! Teresa has some exciting updates to share, from going to Greece for three weeks in August, to the newest series: From 5,000 Podcast Downloads to 1 Million Podcast Downloads in Under Six Months, and not one but two opportunities to hang out with Teresa at the Dream Bigger Summit in Omaha in November, and the Create and Cultivate Festival in LA.

Plus, a reminder that living a life that you love comes from finding pause and appreciation for what you have now.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Be strategic about your travel — it can be overwhelming to narrow down where you want to go while only visiting for a few weeks, but you don’t need to go everywhere. Sometimes it’s nicer to be able to take your time in fewer places.
• The grass is not greener on the other side. It is greener where you water it. It’s important to do the work to appreciate your life exactly where you are at now. That’s the first step to building a life you truly love.
• Making new friends as an adult can feel tricky, and even a little uncomfortable. But it is possible to make some beautiful relationships, and sometimes life will surprise you with them when you least expect it.
• The stories we tell ourselves aren’t facts…they’re just stories, and it’s important to question them and learn which ones might be holding you back.

“Do we love to grow because we're humans? Hell yes. But it's not out of a place of lack. It's out of a place of enjoyment and love and gratitude.” — Teresa Stastny

Connect with Teresa

• Join the Becoming Obsessed Playground, the weekly email for curiosity-led women building a life they love.
• Instagram: @becomingobsessedpod and @teresaajean
• Leave a review on Apple or Spotify Podcasts. Reviews are the biggest thank-you, and reviews help ambitious women find the show.
• Website: teresaajean.com

This post contains affiliate links/codes and I may receive a kickback when you use it I only share about things I use and love!

podcast about gratitude, living a life you love, personal growth journey, mindset changes for happiness, traveling to Greece, solo travel experiences, building relationships, entrepreneurial mindset, community and connection, overcoming burnout, finding joy in daily life, creating a life you love, embracing change, cultivating gratitude, exploring new places, networking for women, navigating life transitions, becoming obsessed with your life

In this episode, discover how even when you are in the midst of new life transitions, it is still possible to build a life that you love, by creating community and a business that works for you.

Julia Bocchese is an SEO, Pinterest, and AI search strategist who helps businesses get found online and attract the right clients through search. She's the founder of Julia Renee Consulting, where she builds clear, sustainable strategies focused on real growth, conversions, and long-term visibility without all that confusing jargon. Julia and Teresa get into the importance of having a community, wherever you are — even if that means you need to start it yourself. They also discuss how Julia is helping her clients build long term growth with SEO, which allows them to match with the right clients for their services.

If you've ever built something from scratch with no plan, no roadmap, and no idea it would turn into a business, this episode is proof that you can figure it out as you go.

If you can’t find your community, maybe just make one, and invite a few friends, and then it will grow and change over time. — Julia Bocchese

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Human-first always wins — whether it's Google, AI search, or Pinterest, the businesses that get found are the ones that write clearly for humans first, not for algorithms.
• You don't have to have it all figured out to start a business.
• If you can't find community, build it — Julia's casual, low-pressure business hangout group shows that community doesn't need to be formal to be valuable.
• Consistency beats perfection in relationships — showing up to the same recurring space repeatedly, even briefly, builds real community over time.
• Business success and life fulfillment aren't separate tracks — building a sustainable business (through smart SEO/Pinterest strategy) frees up space to build the life you actually want.

Connect with Julia:

Website: https://juliareneeconsulting.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliareneeconsulting/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-bocchese/

Connect with Teresa

• Join the Becoming Obsessed Playground, the weekly email for curiosity-led women building a life they love.
• Instagram: @becomingobsessedpod and @teresaajean
• Leave a review on Apple or Spotify Podcasts. Reviews are the biggest thank-you, and reviews help ambitious women find the show.
• Website: teresaajean.com

Topics: community building, local connections, female entrepreneurs, creating a community, finding friends in a new city, SEO strategies, Pinterest marketing, utilizing AI in business, human-centered marketing, building a business, community meetups, navigating life transitions, creative business strategies, work life balance, building a life you love

In this episode: we dive into what it means to live a life that you truly love, and how you can build a successful career that directly compliments it.

Michelle Terpstra is a Fractional Chief Revenue Officer, founder, and host of Revenue Rascals; she has achieved the balance of living a fulfilling life that she loves, while also building a career that compliments that lifestyle. What’s her secret? Michelle makes her own rules - she’s not subscribing to the traditional hustle model, and is on a mission to prove that high performance does not require burnout. Michelle shares how she has been able to set firm boundaries with work in order to spend time with family and enjoy her life and hobbies, when she knew it was time to “quit” and pivot, and how a combination of strong execution and discipline, plus an unwavering certainty in yourself, are all you need to be off to the races.

If you’ve ever felt like your life is not living up to your expectations or feel the pull to try something new, this episode is your permission slip to do just that.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Motivation is overrated—execution and discipline win.
• Fail fast, but know when to stick it out.
• Selling to strangers—not just your network—is the real test of a business.
• Lead with curiosity instead of "always be closing."
• Design your business around your season of life, not someone else's playbook.

“My expectations for life are really high. They're very abundant. I have never told myself I couldn't have something or do it. It's just finding the right way to get there and the path.” — Michelle Terpstra

Connect with Michelle:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themichelleterpstra/

Website: https://michelleterpstra.com/

Podcast: https://revenuerascals.com/

Connect with Teresa

• Join the Becoming Obsessed Playground, the weekly email for curiosity-led women building a life they love.
• Instagram: @becomingobsessedpod and @teresaajean
• Leave a review on Apple or Spotify Podcasts. Reviews are the biggest thank-you, and reviews help ambitious women find the show.
• Website: teresaajean.com

Topics: life fulfillment, business success without burnout, work-life balance for entrepreneurs, building a life you love, redefining success, curiosity in sales, creating a fulfilling lifestyle, navigating motherhood and business, vision boards for goal setting, embracing change in life, adapting business strategies, community, scaling small businesses, self-care in business, finding passion in work, creating meaningful connections.

We made it to the 100th episode of Becoming Obsessed!!

GIVEAWAY: Get a free 'Out Living My Life' t-shirt when you leave a 5-star review, screenshot it, and email it to [email protected]. Make sure to include your mailing address and t-shirt size!

This episode is your reminder that you don't need to be perfect. You just need to show up.

Teresa shares her own journey of showing up (for 100 episodes!) without having the perfect answers, and why knowledge gained from experience is better than learning without doing.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Consistency doesn't have to look perfect to count. Breaks, missed weeks, and imperfect execution are part of the process.
• Learning something and actually knowing it are two very different things. No course, template, or strategy replaces the earned knowledge that only comes from doing the thing yourself.
• How we often use old "evidence" to write narratives about ourselves that were never really true.
• The pressure to show up with all the answers is holding you back.
• When a lesson keeps coming back around, it's not because you failed to learn it. It's because you're ready for the next level of it.

Connect with Teresa

• Join the Becoming Obsessed Playground, the weekly email for curiosity-led women building a life they love.
• Instagram: @becomingobsessedpod and @teresaajean
• Leave a review on Apple or Spotify Podcasts. Reviews are the biggest thank-you, and reviews help ambitious women find the show.
• Website: teresaajean.com

becoming obsessed podcast, episode 100, living a life you love, entrepreneurship journey, small business owners, self-care and ambition, overcoming burnout, chasing dreams, personal growth podcast, women entrepreneurs, curiosity in business, exploring human existence, podcasting journey, self-discovery, personal development, learning through experience, building community, creative exploration, podcast giveaways, life lessons

In this episode: we’re getting into the very real experience of letting go of control. And even though it’s hard, what comes with letting go is actually the best thing we can do for ourselves; it leaves the door open for our creativity and gives the permission slip to go after the life we want to live.

Cameron Cohen is a Los Angeles-based artist who specializes in creating artwork that helps people manifest the life they want to live. Through a guided visualization process, (which you’ll get a sneak peek of in this episode) she maps out goals, intentions, and then translates it into a painting that is not just decorative, but holds the frequency of their intentions as a daily reminder of the life they are manifesting.

We cover the importance of allowing yourself to make mistakes in your creativity and in life, the science behind manifestation, and how taking the time to recognize your growth is the most important thing you can do on your journey to building a life you love.

If you’ve ever felt like you were cut off from your creativity or weren’t “good enough”, this episode is your reminder to trust the process, and that everything will work out.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• We're all born creators. Kids raise their hands when asked "who's an artist?" — but by adulthood, most people have talked themselves out of that identity. Reclaiming it starts with permission, not talent.
• Confidence comes from repetition, not certainty. Cameron painted every day for five months during COVID and that consistency, not innate talent, is what built her voice and confidence as an artist.
• Discomfort is a signal, not a stop sign. Whether starting a new painting or learning a new skill, the fear right before you begin usually means you're on the edge of growth.
• Talent alone doesn't sustain a career — the "business of art" is a separate skill. Art school teaches technique, not how to sell. Cameron emphasizes finding a mentor or taking a course to learn the business side.
• You can't manifest for someone else. Manifestation is a personal, active practice rooted in "knowing" rather than just "believing." Belief is external; knowing comes from within.
• Letting go of control is part of the creative process. Cameron intentionally removes her own ego from her manifestation paintings, allowing the paint (and her clients' energy) to guide the outcome rather than forcing a result.
• Bad art is part of making good art. Mistakes and "waste" in the creative process aren't failures, they're necessary steps toward growth and mastery.
• Play and rest fuel creativity. Simple joys - bouncing on a rebounder, beach walks, time in nature act as state-changers that keep Cameron grounded and creatively open.
• The stories we tell ourselves shape our reality. Cameron's lifelong belief that "everything works out for me" became a self-fulfilling narrative - a reminder that our internal dialogue has real power.
• Love is foundational. Cameron's latest project, The Love Mural, reflects her belief that raising the "love frequency," for yourself and others, is the base layer everything else is built on.

We have to make bad art to make good art, and you have to not be afraid to make bad art 'cause you never know what's gonna happen. - Cameron Cohen

CONNECT WITH CAMERON:

Website: https://cameroncohenart.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cameroncohenart

Free call: https://calendly.com/cameroncohenart/let-s-talk-art

Connect with Teresa

• Join the Becoming Obsessed Playground, the weekly email for curiosity-led women building a life they love.
• Instagram: @becomingobsessedpod and @teresaajean
• Leave a review on Apple or Spotify Podcasts. Reviews are the biggest thank-you, and reviews help ambitious women find the show.
• Website: teresaajean.com

Topics: art career, creative mindset, manifesting art, confidence in creativity, overcoming fear as an artist, business of art, women's empowerment in art, reclaiming creativity, finding your artistic voice, building a creative business, emotional expression through art, art and self-discovery, challenges of being an artist, self-acceptance in creativity, personal growth through art, living a creative life, connecting with your inner artist, building a life you love