Becoming You (after Winning Wednesday)

Becoming You (after Winning Wednesday)

By Katrina Fuhrman, the Connector QueenSociety & CultureBusinessHealth & FitnessMental HealthPersonal JournalsCareers
Download on the App Store

Becoming You (after Winning Wednesday) episodes

  • Bankrupt at 55 & Better Than Ever | Nancy Ramondo Returns | Becoming You Ep.96

    What does it actually cost to choose yourself after 35 years? For Nancy Ramondo, it cost her business, her credit, and a bankruptcy she navigated alone — as her own attorney — because she couldn’t afford a lawyer. But on the other side? Dancing. Freedom. A life she actually loves. Nancy is back for Part 2, and this time we go deep on financial manipulation in marriage, betting on yourself at every age, and why if they promised to change and didn’t — they’re not changing. You have to.

    What You’ll Learn:

    Why 75% of people hate their jobs — and what Nancy did differently when she decided to stop trading hours for dollars
    How Nancy built a team of 101 women and what happened when the company pulled the rug out from under her
    What it actually looks like to file for bankruptcy as your own attorney — and come out the other side thriving
    Why when you change the dance, people push back — and how to stay the course anyway
    What “RUBY” means and why the best version of you is worth every uncomfortable step

    Key Focus Areas:

    Betting on Yourself – Why every day is the right day to choose yourself — not someday, not when it’s safe

    Financial Manipulation in Relationships – What it looks like, how long it can go on, and how you finally draw the line
    Direct Sales as a Vehicle – How Nancy rebuilt from scratch at 55 with no overhead and a team mindset
    The Phoenix Rising – Going through bankruptcy, divorce, and reinvention simultaneously — and surviving all three
    Legacy Over a Lifetime – What grandchildren see when they watch a woman who refused to shrink

    Nancy’s Approach:

    Opened Little Rembrandt — an art studio and party business — in the 1980s and grew it to three locations over 30 years
    Closed the business, filed bankruptcy, and reinvented herself at 55 when her friends said no one would hire her
    Built a team of 101 women in direct sales and mentored them toward financial independence
    Now working with a stem cell activation patch company — staying on the cutting edge as always
    71 years old, ballroom dancing, financially free, and still evolving every single day

    Perfect If You’re:

    Staying in a relationship or a job that stopped serving you years ago because it feels safer than leaving
    A woman who has given everything to everyone else and is finally asking what you actually want
    Someone navigating financial chaos in a marriage and not sure where to start
    Anyone who has been told they’re too old to start over — and needs proof that’s a lie
    A grandparent, parent, or mentor wondering whether your choices are setting the right example

    Nancy’s Philosophy:

    “If something doesn’t feel right, trust your gut — it’s not right.”
    “If it happened once and it happened again, they’re not changing. You have to change.”
    “No one is going to take care of you except you.”
    “When you change the dance, people don’t like it. Stay the course anyway.”
    “Do it scared — because you’re going to come out the other end so much better.”
    “I’m not bitter. I’m better.”

    MISSED PART 1?

    Catch Nancy’s first episode — Ep.88 — where she shares surviving two bouts of ovarian cancer, closing a 30-year business, and finding ballroom dance at 71.

    ABOUT BECOMING YOU:

    Deep conversations exploring the significant moments that shape who we become. Originally started as “Winning Wednesday” during COVID-19 as a remote networking tool and mid-week inspiration. Now evolved into “Becoming You” – stories of transformation available to binge at your convenience. Created and hosted by Katrina Fuhrman, The ConnectorQueen.

    Find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connectorqueen/

    #ConnectorQueen #BecomingYou #BetOnYourself #WomenOver50 #Reinvention #FinancialIndependence #DirectSales #Divorce #PhoenixRising #NancyRamondo #WomensEmpowerment #DoItScared #LegacyBuilding #RUBY #Becoming

    51 min
  • A 3-Minute Decision That Changed Everything | Life Coach Wendy Soderman | Becoming You Ep.95

    What do you do when you follow every rule — study hard, marry well, do everything right — and life still falls apart in three minutes? Wendy Soderman grew up in welfare housing in northern Ontario, fought her way to university, married her Prince Charming, and was pregnant with identical twin boys. Then everything changed. What followed was decades of grief, a public community scandal, a near-suicide, a move to Florida, a school she built from scratch, and eventually — a journey to Tulum, Sedona, and the Himalayas — all chasing an answer that was inside her all along.

    What You’ll Learn:

    Why asking “why” keeps you stuck — and the better questions to ask when life falls apart
    What radical acceptance actually looks like when you can’t fix what’s in front of you
    How values — not goals — become your compass when everything else is uncertain
    Why the “if/then” formula we’re all taught eventually fails — and what to replace it with
    How to find meaning greater than the circumstances you’re living in

    Key Focus Areas:

    Radical Acceptance – Not loving the hard thing, but accepting it — and asking what it’s calling you toward

    Values Over Goals – What do you actually value right now? Not five years ago. Not what your family values. Now.
    The Power of And – You can have adversity AND joy. A nonverbal quadriplegic son AND a flourishing life.
    Rock Bottom as Turning Point – What happens when the carefully built facade finally cracks at 50
    Intuition in Unexpected Places – A song at a nurses’ station. A People magazine article. That’s how guidance arrives.

    Wendy’s Approach:

    Grew up on welfare in northern Ontario — teachers changed her grades so she could attend university at 17
    Faced an impossible three-minute medical decision at 26 that became public in her community
    Founded and ran a school of 300 students for 30 years — started because no preschool would take her son
    Studied meditation in the Himalayan mountains, completed Ayahuasca in Costa Rica, trained as a meditation teacher
    Now a life coach at Breathe Modern Meditation in West Palm Beach — sits with people facing stage 4 cancer, assisted death, and the full spectrum of human adversity

    Perfect If You’re:

    Someone who has done everything right and still feels like something is deeply missing
    A high-achieving, type-A person who is quietly running on empty underneath it all
    A parent navigating a child’s disability or a medical crisis with no roadmap
    Anyone who has hit rock bottom and doesn’t know how to find their way back
    Someone who wants to understand radical acceptance — not toxic positivity, but real peace

    Wendy’s Philosophy:

    “Never ask why. Ask: what is this about? What could happen because this happened?”
    “I accept what is. I don’t like it. But I accept it — as I am committed to move toward my value-focused desired life.”
    “Adversity and joy. A quadriplegic, nonverbal son — and I flourish and love my life. That’s the power of and.”
    “You are not your thoughts. You are the one listening to them.”
    “Life can be very, very complicated — and it’s supposed to be. Love yourself. Love the moment. Love your life — whatever it looks like.”

    CONNECT WITH WENDY:

    Breathe Modern Meditation — West Palm Beach, FL
    Reach out directly to connect with Wendy for life coaching

    ABOUT BECOMING YOU:

    Deep conversations exploring the significant moments that shape who we become. Originally started as “Winning Wednesday” during COVID-19 as a remote networking tool and mid-week inspiration. Now evolved into “Becoming You” – stories of transformation available to binge at your convenience. Created and hosted by Katrina Fuhrman, The ConnectorQueen.

    Find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connectorqueen/

    #ConnectorQueen #BecomingYou #RadicalAcceptance #LifeCoach #Meditation #ValuesOverGoals #Resilience #SpecialNeedsParenting #WomensWellness #RockBottom #MindfulLiving #Becoming #PowerOfAnd #AuthenticLiving #WendySoderman

    1 hr
  • Girl Dad, Rock Festivals & Why Getting Fired Was the Best Thing | Becoming You Ep.94

    You spend 85% of the time you’ll ever have with your kids in the first five years of their life. That statistic changed everything for Jay Prasch. A Jersey-raised, Florida-transplanted marketing professional, hockey devotee, and first-time dad to Saraphina, Jay is the kind of guy who shows up — to the ice rink, to the kitchen counter with his daughter, to the festival pit, and to this conversation. Equal parts philosophical and funny, this one goes deep on fatherhood, humility, music, and what it means to be kind versus nice.

    What You’ll Learn:

    Why getting fired in 2015 was actually exactly what Jay needed — and how he realized it years later
    The 85%/95% rule for time with your kids — and what it changes about how you spend your days
    Why parenting isn’t 50/50 — it’s 100/100 — and what happens when one partner checks out
    The difference between being kind and being nice — and why nice guys don’t actually do anyone any favors
    How music from your teenage years becomes a time machine when adult life gets overwhelming

    Key Focus Areas:

    Fatherhood & Girl Dad Energy – What happens when a man who champions women raises a daughter

    Getting Fired as Growth – The Oprah principle: sometimes you needed to be let go
    Hockey as a Life Metaphor – Humility, mentorship, and learning from people who are better than you
    Nice vs. Kind – Why doing everything for everyone without being asked isn’t generosity — it’s avoidance
    Music as Medicine – How festivals and old albums keep you grounded when the world feels like too much

    Jay’s Approach:

    Marketing professional with a sharp eye for brand, identity, and what makes people tick
    Self-described Jersey kid who learned hockey in New Jersey despite being born in South Florida
    First-time dad to Saraphina, 4 — who identified crying pitches faster than most and hasn’t looked back
    Active in an online community called The Dad Hammer — men supporting men through fatherhood
    Festival regular who sees live music as community, time travel, and emotional reset all in one

    Perfect If You’re:

    A new or expecting dad who doesn’t know what you’re doing and needs to hear that it clicks
    Someone who got fired and is still carrying shame about it instead of looking for the gift in it
    A guy who’s been called “too nice” and wonders why it doesn’t feel like a compliment
    Anyone who uses music as an emotional anchor and wants to hear someone explain exactly why
    A parent trying to balance ambition with presence — and wondering if you’re getting the balance right

    Jay’s Philosophy:

    “You can’t grow and you can’t improve and you can’t become who you’re supposed to be if you don’t occasionally choke down that medicine.”
    “Parenting isn’t 50/50. It’s 100/100.”
    “We can never be everything for anyone — even our own kids. That’s also a lesson for them.”
    “I don’t know where we’re going, but we can’t stay here.”
    “Happy you’re here. The world’s better to have you here.”

    ABOUT BECOMING YOU:

    Deep conversations exploring the significant moments that shape who we become. Originally started as “Winning Wednesday” during COVID-19 as a remote networking tool and mid-week inspiration. Now evolved into “Becoming You” – stories of transformation available to binge at your convenience. Created and hosted by Katrina Fuhrman, The ConnectorQueen.

    Find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connectorqueen/

    #ConnectorQueen #BecomingYou #GirlDad #Fatherhood #GotFired #HockeyLife #NiceVsKind #MusicFestivals #ParentingAdvice #NortheastMindset #WorkLifeBalance #Mentorship #LiveMusic #DadLife #Becoming

    1 hr 13 min
  • From Broadway Dreams to 48 Songs at 36 | Allegra Leland | Becoming You Ep.93

    What if the life you thought you were building wasn’t actually the one you were meant for — and it took a neurological health crisis, a pandemic, and a cloud of cigarette smoke outside a grocery store to show you? Allegra Leland spent her 20s working steadily in musical theater, building toward Broadway. Then COVID stopped everything, motherhood changed everything, and a health crisis in 2024 nearly broke everything. What came out the other side was 48 original songs, a recording career she never saw coming, and the most alive she has ever felt.

    What You’ll Learn:

    What it’s like to spend your whole life waiting to be chosen — and the moment you realize you can choose yourself
    How fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, and long COVID collided into one of the scariest experiences of Allegra’s life — and what brought her back
    Why suppressing your truth can show up as autoimmune disease in your body
    What it felt like when 48 songs started downloading into her brain at 36 — and why she wasn’t self-conscious for the first time in her life
    How motherhood stripped away her identity and then gave it back completely transformed

    Key Focus Areas:

    Waiting to Be Chosen – From theater auditions to the good girl persona — how a lifetime of needing approval shaped everything

    Health Crisis as Catalyst – Fibromyalgia, long COVID, and the dark night that led to the brightest chapter
    Songwriting as Liberation – 48 songs in months, none of them diluted, all of them true
    Motherhood & Identity – The blur of early motherhood, losing yourself, and finding yourself again on the other side
    Following the River – How letting go of control led Allegra to exactly where she was supposed to be

    Allegra’s Approach:

    Worked professionally in musical theater throughout her 20s — regional theater, off-Broadway, Carnegie Hall original production with Kate Winslet as producer
    Survived a severe neurological health crisis in September 2024 — fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, long COVID — and healed largely through anti-inflammatory lifestyle changes
    Discovered she was a singer-songwriter at 36 when original songs began dropping into her head complete and fully formed
    Now studying voice, dancing at a Broadway-caliber studio, and recording her debut material
    Mom to Lucia, 4 — who named herself in both Allegra’s dream and her mother’s shower on the same night

    Perfect If You’re:

    Someone who has spent their life waiting for permission to pursue what you actually love
    A woman in her 30s realizing that the version of yourself you’ve been suppressing is the one trying to get out
    Going through or recovering from a mysterious health crisis that conventional medicine couldn’t fully explain
    A performer, creator, or artist who put their art on hold for years and wonders if it’s too late
    Anyone who has ever tried to keep themselves small to make others comfortable

    Allegra’s Philosophy:

    “You don’t need anybody outside of you to choose you. You just have to choose yourself.”
    “It’s like a cork coming out of a champagne bottle — once you find yourself on the other side, the cork never goes back in.”
    “I can’t compartmentalize myself anymore. Physically, emotionally, spiritually, creatively — I have to be fully online in all those ways.”
    “Sometimes it takes time to figure out what exactly that is — but don’t wait for anybody to pick you.”
    “You are the heroine of your own story.”

    CONNECT WITH ALLEGRA:

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allegraamericana?igsi=dnczNmc3MTY3M3Z0
    Music: https://linktr.ee/ladyallegra?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=46feccbd-e345-4730-a660-e2d3acea9acb

    ABOUT BECOMING YOU:

    Deep conversations exploring the significant moments that shape who we become. Originally started as “Winning Wednesday” during COVID-19 as a remote networking tool and mid-week inspiration. Now evolved into “Becoming You” – stories of transformation available to binge at your convenience. Created and hosted by Katrina Fuhrman, The ConnectorQueen.

    Find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connectorqueen/

    #ConnectorQueen #BecomingYou #SingerSongwriter #MusicalTheater #Fibromyalgia #LongCOVID #ChoosingYourself #Motherhood #HealthJourney #WomensCreativity #ArtisticRebirth #Broadway #AllegraLeland #SongwritingLife #Becoming

    1 hr 6 min
  • Got Fired & Felt Free | Goddess Energy, ADHD & Reclaiming Your Power | Becoming You Ep.90

    What do you do when they fire you — and you feel nothing but relief? Devyn Singer took a video of herself being fired and walked out thinking: I’m free. A former Air Force mechanic turned corporate sales rep turned senior tech support business owner, Devyn has spent her whole life being told she’s too direct, too much, too loud. This episode is for every woman who has ever been called a word that starts with B — and secretly took it as a compliment.

    What You’ll Learn:

    Why getting fired was the best thing that ever happened to Devyn — and what her nervous system felt like before it
    How to show up as yourself on day two of your period when all you want to do is cancel
    Why “be the bitch” is actually the most empowering reframe for women in corporate America
    What uncommunicated expectations are doing to your relationships — and how one phone call changed everything with her dad
    Why you don’t need to be fully healed before you get into a relationship — and what healing actually looks like

    Key Focus Areas:

    Getting Fired as Liberation – What it really feels like when the thing you were scared of turns out to be the thing that sets you free

    Goddess Energy – You don’t chase, you attract — and what that actually looks like in practice
    Corporate America & Women – Why direct women get labeled disgruntled while direct men get promoted
    Uncommunicated Expectations – The sneaky relationship killer nobody talks about — in romantic relationships, friendships, and family
    Feminine Energy & Whimsy – After years in her masculine, what Devyn is building now

    Devyn’s Approach:

    Air Force veteran — served 6 years as a mechanic, one of very few women in her unit
    Former BDR whose numbers were stellar and whose personality got her labeled a flight risk
    Founder of Old Dog Tech Support — a senior tech support business she built from the ground up
    Married her husband after a tower moment, a festival, and a very long drive with steak seasoning
    Lives by the belief that everything works out for her — and makes her husband say it too

    Perfect If You’re:

    A woman who has been told she’s too direct, too much, or too loud — and is tired of shrinking
    Someone who just lost a job and isn’t sure whether to be devastated or relieved
    Dealing with a family relationship that keeps cycling through the same old patterns
    Trying to figure out where goddess energy ends and chasing begins
    Anyone who needs permission to take the day slow, light a candle, and show up anyway

    Devyn’s Philosophy:

    “Showing up authentically is showing up however you’re showing up.”
    “If you put so much power onto other people to change things so you feel okay, it’s not going to happen — you’re literally giving them your power.”
    “A goddess doesn’t deserve offerings. She demands them.”
    “Being confident is kind of a myth. Be more delusional.”
    “I need more whimsy. We need way more whimsy in life.”

    CONNECT WITH DEVYN:

    Old Dog Tech Support: https://www.olddogtechsupport.com/
    Instagram: [insert]

    ABOUT BECOMING YOU:

    Deep conversations exploring the significant moments that shape who we become. Originally started as “Winning Wednesday” during COVID-19 as a remote networking tool and mid-week inspiration. Now evolved into “Becoming You” – stories of transformation available to binge at your convenience. Created and hosted by Katrina Fuhrman, The ConnectorQueen.

    Find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connectorqueen/

    #ConnectorQueen #BecomingYou #GoddessEnergy #WomenInCorporate #GotFired #ADHD #AirForceVet #FeminineEnergy #PayEquity #SelfEmployed #Reclaim YourPower #BeMoreDelusional #WomensEmpowerment #Whimsy #Becoming

    2 hr 13 min
  • Keep Going | Hiking as a Life Metaphor & Building a 4,500-Member Community | Becoming You Ep.92

    What do hiking the Appalachian Trail, kayaking past an alligator, and throwing up underwater at 50 feet have in common? They all taught Ned James the same thing: don’t panic, keep going, and never get so wedded to the plan that you lose sight of the goal. Ned is a B2B marketer who took over a struggling 2,000-person Meetup group and turned it into a 4,500-member community called Central Florida Adventure Seekers — using every brand strategy he had.

    What You’ll Learn:

    How Ned doubled a Meetup community in under a year using B2B marketing principles
    Why hiking is the best metaphor for life — and what the trail has taught him about adversity
    The difference between a personal brand and a professional brand — and why you need both
    Why working backwards from your goal is always the smarter move
    What community can do for someone going through divorce, loss, or a life in transition

    Key Focus Areas:

    Community Building – How intentional branding, consistent cadence, and the right leaders build something people keep coming back to

    Hiking as Life Metaphor – Planning, contingencies, staying calm, adapting — and just putting one foot in front of the other
    Personal vs. Professional Brand – Why your audience changes but your values shouldn’t
    Confidence Through Challenge – How doing hard things outdoors transfers to doing hard things in life
    Marketing Fundamentals – ICP, brand consistency, cadence, and working backwards from the launch date

    Ned’s Approach:

    B2B marketer with experience across healthcare, technology, transportation, and politics
    Grew Central Florida Adventure Seekers from 2,000 to 4,500 members in under 18 months
    Section-hiked 560 miles of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia over the course of a year
    Designs activities for all experience levels so no one gets left behind
    Built the group during a divorce — and watched it transform the lives of others going through the same

    Perfect If You’re:

    Someone sitting at home who keeps meaning to get outside and just hasn’t yet
    A marketer or entrepreneur who wants to see brand-building principles applied to community
    Going through a life transition — divorce, job loss, relocation — and looking for a way back in
    Someone who thinks they can’t do hard physical things and needs proof otherwise
    Anyone building a community and wondering how to keep the brand consistent as it scales

    Ned’s Philosophy:

    “Keep going — no matter what life throws at you, just keep going.”
    “Don’t be so wedded to the plan that you lose sight of the goal.”
    “Don’t let someone else tell your story. Get out front and control your narrative.”
    “Work backwards — start from where you want to be and figure out how to get there.”
    “The journey to the top of the mountain begins with a single step.”

    CONNECT WITH NED: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nedjames1

    Central Florida Adventure Seekers: https://meetup.com/central-florida-adventure-seekers?member_id=292696239

    ABOUT BECOMING YOU:

    Deep conversations exploring the significant moments that shape who we become. Originally started as “Winning Wednesday” during COVID-19 as a remote networking tool and mid-week inspiration. Now evolved into “Becoming You” – stories of transformation available to binge at your convenience. Created and hosted by Katrina Fuhrman, The ConnectorQueen.

    Find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connectorqueen/

    #ConnectorQueen #BecomingYou #Hiking #CommunityBuilding #AppalachianTrail #PersonalBrand #MarketingTips #MeetupGroup #AdventureSeeker #LifeLessons #KeepGoing #OutdoorCommunity #CentralFlorida #Becoming

    45 min
  • Learning Korean to Know My Mom | Grief & Galloping in Mongolia | Becoming You Ep.91

    What if there’s a whole dimension of your mother’s personality you’ve never had access to — because you don’t speak her language? Emily Fuhrman started learning Korean during lockdown out of that exact curiosity. But this episode goes so much deeper than language. It’s about quitting a job on a whim, moving from New York to London, losing people you love, and learning to gallop across a frozen Mongolian steppe in minus-five-degree weather when grief gets too heavy to carry indoors.

    What You’ll Learn:

    Why learning a heritage language as an adult is about so much more than words
    How Emily processed grief by riding horses across the Mongolian wilderness — and what that actually did for her
    What grief does to your sense of the future — and why that’s not something you can rush
    The power of working backwards from who you want to become
    Why the path you’re on is the only one that ever could have existed

    Key Focus Areas:

    Heritage Language & Identity – Learning Korean to access a hidden dimension of her mother — and herself

    Grief & Loss – What happens to your identity, your future, and your hope when someone is gone
    Radical Life Pivots – From Virginia to New York to London — following intuition without a safety net
    Fate vs. Free Will – Why Emily doesn’t worry about which one is true — and why that’s actually freeing
    Adventure as Healing – Eagle hunters, golden eagles, frozen foxes, and galloping through grief in Western Mongolia

    Emily’s Approach:

    First cousin to Katrina — proof that adult family connections can be built intentionally, not just inherited
    Quit her first corporate job without a plan and freelanced her way through New York City
    Moved from NYC to London after 10 years — mid-COVID — by simply asking if it was possible
    Learning Korean as an adult to connect with her Korean mother’s full self
    Rode with eagle hunters in Western Mongolia for 10 days in sub-zero temperatures — and came home transformed

    Perfect If You’re:

    Navigating grief and wondering why it’s not moving in a straight line
    Someone who has always wanted to learn a heritage language but hasn’t started
    A person who makes “reckless” decisions that somehow always turn out to be exactly right
    Processing the loss of a future you thought you knew
    Anyone craving an adventure that forces you to exist in only the present moment

    Emily’s Philosophy:

    “This is the only path that could have existed — I can’t even picture another one.”
    “I’ve had to completely let go of who might be in my future — and that’s okay.”
    “I’m not going to be who I was prior to this loss. And that’s okay too.”
    “The past is immutable — nothing can change it. That’s actually a comfort.”
    “Galloping across that landscape made me feel like I outran my grief — at least for a little while.”

    ABOUT BECOMING YOU:

    Deep conversations exploring the significant moments that shape who we become. Originally started as “Winning Wednesday” during COVID-19 as a remote networking tool and mid-week inspiration. Now evolved into “Becoming You” – stories of transformation available to binge at your convenience. Created and hosted by Katrina Fuhrman, The ConnectorQueen.

    Find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connectorqueen/

    #ConnectorQueen #BecomingYou #Grief #HeritageLangauge #LearningKorean #Mongolia #EagleHunters #AdultPivots #FateAndFreeWill #FamilyConnections #GriefAndHealing #LifeAbroad #Becoming

    1 hr 5 min
  • Imparare l’Italiano da Zero: Un’Esperienza di Immersione di 7 Settimane | Becoming You Ep.98

    Com’è davvero imparare una lingua senza poter parlare inglese?

    In questo episodio parlo con la mia compagna di corso Lina della nostra esperienza di immersione in italiano di sette settimane alla Scuola di Italiano della Middlebury, a Bennington, in Vermont. Parliamo della paura del primo giorno, della sicurezza arrivata dopo sei settimane, del confronto tra italiano e francese, del sostegno della famiglia, e del proverbio italiano diventato il nostro mantra: “Finché c’è vita, c’è speranza.”

    Se hai mai pensato a un programma di immersione linguistica, o stai imparando l’italiano anche tu, questo episodio fa per te.

    Segui Becoming You per non perderti il prossimo episodio, e se questo ti è piaciuto, una recensione veloce aiuta davvero il podcast a raggiungere più persone.

    Resta in contatto: LinkedIn, Instagram e YouTube — @connectorqueen

    Learning Italian From Scratch: A 7-Week Immersion Story

     

    What does it actually feel like to learn a language with no English allowed?

    In this episode, I sit down with my classmate Lina to talk about our seven-week Italian immersion program at Middlebury’s Italian School in Bennington, Vermont. We talk about the fear of day one, the comfort that came by week six, comparing Italian to French, family support, and the Italian proverb that became our mantra: “Finché c’è vita, c’è speranza” — where there’s life, there’s hope.

    If you’ve ever thought about a language immersion program, or you’re learning Italian yourself, this one’s for you.

    Follow Becoming You so you don’t miss the next episode, and if you enjoyed this one, a quick rating or review genuinely helps the show reach more listeners.

    Connect with me: LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube — @connectorqueen

     

    14 min
  • Making Adult Friends in Your 30s & Coming to Terms With the Mormon Church | Becoming You Ep.89

    What happens when you move to a brand new city with no plan, no network, and a quiet belief that something better is waiting? Spencer Norawong left LA for Orlando with no agenda — just a gut feeling and a willingness to show up. What he found was community, self-worth, and a way of moving through the world that makes everyone around him feel seen. This one is about friendship, shame, growing up Mormon, and the radical act of celebrating yourself.

    What You’ll Learn:

    Why making friends as an adult is hard — and what actually makes it work
    How shame from religious upbringing quietly shapes the way you see yourself
    Why Spencer never lets anyone stand alone at the edge of a group — and where that comes from
    The difference between people-pleasing and genuine kindness
    What it means to know your worth — and add tax

    Key Focus Areas:

    Adult Friendship – Why showing up once isn’t enough and the follow-through is everything

    Coming to Terms With the Mormon Church – What stays, what goes, and how you untangle a belief system from your identity
    Shame & Self-Rejection – The toxic cycle of not feeling good enough and how to start breaking it
    Fresh Starts – Moving cities, reinventing yourself, and choosing who you want to become
    Radical Inclusion – Why Spencer waits for everyone to catch up — and what that costs him

    Spencer’s Approach:

    Moved from Orange County, CA to Orlando, FL to start over with intention
    Found community through apps like Time Left, Meetup, and BumbleBFF — and kept showing up after the first event
    Former Mormon who is still untangling faith, shame, and identity with curiosity rather than bitterness
    Plans deeply thoughtful, intentional experiences for the people he loves
    Believes the world is richer through connection and that being kind costs nothing

    Perfect If You’re:

    Struggling to make meaningful friendships after college or a big move
    Processing a religious upbringing that left you with more questions than answers
    Someone who gives a lot to others but hasn’t yet learned to receive
    Rebuilding your identity after a major life change
    Anyone who has ever felt like an outsider and decided to make sure no one else felt that way

    Spencer’s Philosophy:

    “Know your worth and add tax.”
    “The world doesn’t owe you anything — but you owe it to the world not to be a dick.”
    “You’re not as weird as you think you are.”
    “You can’t let the norm organize your life — it doesn’t work for everyone.”
    “The only thing you can depend on is that things are going to change.”

    CONNECT WITH SPENCER:

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

    ABOUT BECOMING YOU:

    Deep conversations exploring the significant moments that shape who we become. Originally started as “Winning Wednesday” during COVID-19 as a remote networking tool and mid-week inspiration. Now evolved into “Becoming You” – stories of transformation available to binge at your convenience. Created and hosted by Katrina Fuhrman, The ConnectorQueen.

    Find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connectorqueen/

    #ConnectorQueen #BecomingYou #AdultFriendship #MakingFriends #ComingToTermsWithTheMormonChurch #ReligiousTrauma #Shame #FreshStart #CommunityBuilding #KnowYourWorth #OrlandoFlorida #Becoming

    48 min
  • Diagnosed with Cancer on Her 40th Birthday | Reinventing at 56 | Becoming You Ep.88

    What do you do when life hands you cancer, divorce, and bankruptcy — and then hands you a cleared-out attic and a $5,000 bonus? If you’re Nancy Ramondo, you sign up for ballroom dancing lessons and compete at 71. Nancy’s story spans late-stage ovarian cancer at 40, closing a 30-year business, reinventing herself mid-divorce, and arriving at the happiest chapter of her life through faith, small daily decisions, and the radical act of asking herself: what does Nancy want? What You’ll Learn: How Nancy survived late-stage ovarian cancer — twice — by taking control of her own health Why reinventing yourself at 56 is not only possible but can lead to your best chapter yet The small daily decisions that compound into a life you’re actually proud of Why “the most expensive thing you can have is a closed mind” What it looks like to finally stop putting yourself at the bottom of your own list Key Focus Areas: Resilience Through Adversity – Cancer, divorce, and bankruptcy — and choosing to keep dancing anyway Reinvention at Any Age – Closing a 30-year business and building something new in her mid-50s Faith & Surrender – Trading the to-do list for an open heart and letting the day unfold Look Good, Feel Good – Why taking care of how you present yourself is an act of self-love Living on Purpose – Small daily choices, Godwinks, and designing a life around what brings you joy Nancy’s Approach: Survived two bouts of late-stage ovarian cancer through faith, dietary change, and lifestyle transformation Built and closed a 30-year pottery and party studio business, then reinvented as a personal stylist and later health consultant Turned her engagement ring into a right-hand statement ring — and cut her wedding band into earrings Speaks at Women’s Cancer Week events on the power of looking good and feeling good Currently competing in ballroom dance at 71 Perfect If You’re: Facing a health scare and wondering how to take back control Feeling like it’s too late to start over or try something completely new A woman who has spent years putting everyone else’s needs before your own Anyone sitting on a hobby or dream that keeps getting pushed to “someday” Looking for proof that the best chapter of your life can still be ahead of you Nancy’s Philosophy: “The greatest investment you can make in your life is in yourself.” “The most expensive thing you can have is a closed mind.” “Do what you love and the money will follow.” “Those small daily decisions are what allow you to show up fully as yourself.” “I don’t wake up saying I have to go to work. I wake up asking: who am I going to help today?” ABOUT BECOMING YOU: Deep conversations exploring the significant moments that shape who we become. Originally started as “Winning Wednesday” during COVID-19 as a remote networking tool and mid-week inspiration. Now evolved into “Becoming You” – stories of transformation available to binge at your convenience. Created and hosted by Katrina Fuhrman, The ConnectorQueen. Find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connectorqueen/ #ConnectorQueen #BecomingYou #Reinvention #WomenOver50 #OvarianCancerSurvivor #NeverTooLate #WomensHealth #FaithAndResilience #Ballroom #SelfLove #WomenEmpowerment #LifeAfterDivorce #SmallSteps #LiveOnPurpose

    43 min

About Becoming You (after Winning Wednesday)

From the publisher's feed

The premise of this series is to learn about significant moments in each guest's life that have shaped who they are today. We dig into the journey of "becoming".