130 MPH crash.

14 surgeries. Rock bottom…

and a second chance at life.

In this episode of the Bring Your Big Energy Podcast, Stacey sits down with Christian Struthers, whose life changed in an instant after a devastating high-speed crash that left him with 17 major injuries and fighting just to survive.

But this isn’t just a story about hitting rock bottom.

It’s about what happens after.

Before the crash, Christian was living fast—driven by ego, addiction, and what he now calls “empty fun.” After the crash, everything shifted. What followed was a journey of rebuilding—not just physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Today, Christian is a speaker, community builder, and living proof that your lowest moment can become the foundation for your greatest purpose.

In this conversation, we explore:

• What rock bottom really feels like—and how to rise from it

• The shift from “I have to” → “I get to”

• Letting go of identity, ego, and past mistakes

• How to rebuild your life one decision at a time

• The difference between empty fun and fulfilled purpose

If you’re in a hard season, feeling stuck, or questioning what’s next—this episode is your reminder:

Your story is not over.

Rock bottom isn’t the end. It’s where reinvention begins.

More information on Christian: 

IG: @realliferamble https://www.instagram.com/realliferamble?igsh=MWhmdGgyZm9iaTYzeg==

FB: Christian Struthers https://www.facebook.com/share/18Rmj7k3pC/?mibextid=wwXIfr

🎙️ Listen/Watch to more conversations like this on the Bring Your Big Energy Podcast on Apple, Amazon, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and YouTube 👉 Subscribe + follow for weekly episodes

SIgn up for our newsletter at www.bringyourbigenergy.com for behind the scenes inspo, coaching tools and more conversations like this!

A 2.16 GPA was never supposed to lead here.

But for Dr. Alan Mueller, that number didn’t define the outcome—it disrupted the path.

In this episode, we unpack how what looked like a limitation became the starting point for something far more aligned, energized, and meaningful. Instead of following the traditional trajectory, Alan found himself on a nonlinear path—one shaped by curiosity, second chances, and the willingness to keep going when things didn’t make sense on paper.

From burnout to breakthrough, this conversation explores what happens when you stop chasing what you “should” be doing and start paying attention to what actually lights you up.

We talk about redefining success, navigating unexpected turns, and why the most fulfilling careers are often the ones you never could have planned.

If you’ve ever felt like your future has been dictated by your past—this is your reminder that the best paths are not usually well paved.

Because sometimes the number that looks like it holds you back… is the exact thing that sets you on the path you were meant to find.

More about Alan:

www.adaptivechallengeconsulting.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/muelleralan/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/adaptive-challenge-consulting

https://www.instagram.com/adaptivechallengeconsulting/?hl=en

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adaptive-Challenge-Consulting/307532799370421

Want more: Head over to www.bringyourbigenergy.com for more VIP, BTS and free coaching tips!

What if one moment changed everything?

Greer Cooper was driving across a seven-mile bridge—no exits, no shoulder—when her body started to shut down.

Her hands began tingling.

Her chest tightened.

She couldn’t breathe.

And in that moment, she truly believed she might die.

That experience became the Intensity Point that forced her to confront what was really happening beneath the surface, because while her life looked “put together” on the outside, internally she was struggling in ways no one could see.

In this episode, we go deep into:

• What panic actually feels like in your body

• The hidden ways we live in constant fight-or-flight

• Why high-functioning women are silently struggling

• The thought patterns that keep us stuck in fear

• And how to begin rebuilding trust with yourself

This is a conversation about more than panic attacks.

It’s about what happens when your body forces you to slow down…

When you can’t outrun what’s going on inside anymore…

And when you finally decide something has to change...

If you’ve ever felt like everything looks fine on the outside—but inside feels like a different story—this episode will hit.

More About Grier:

Website: PanicFreeFormula.com

Download Grier’s FREE ebook: Heal Panic Attacks Naturally

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grier.cooper

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

Left wanting so much more?

For more tools, insights, and conversations to help you step into your next level, visit BringYourBigEnergy.com and join our newsletter.

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and trauma. Please listen with care.

What happens when the person you believed was your soulmate at 14 slowly becomes someone you no longer recognize—and nearly 20 years later, you realize staying is no longer an option…because leaving is the only way to survive?

In this deeply powerful and courageous conversation, I sit down with a survivor, advocate, and author who shares her story of navigating domestic abuse, a complex and traumatic divorce, and a legal system that caused even more harm.

This is not just a story of survival—it’s a story of awakening, truth, and challenging broken systems she refused to accept.

We talk about the slow and often invisible progression of abuse, the impossible decisions that come with leaving, and the courage and resilience it truly takes to rebuild your life when everything feels stacked against you.

We also explore what happens after survival—how pain can become purposeful, and how one voice can help drive real change.

This episode is heavy. It’s real. And it matters.

If this conversation resonates with you in any way, please know: you are not alone.

📘 Learn more about Mae Scott and her work:maescottofficial.com

📖 Get her book:An Embarrassment of Pandas: Exposing an Abusive Family and a Flawed Systemhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/9798218853433

🆘 Resources & Support

National Resources:The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233https://www.thehotline.org

National Resource Center for Domestic Violence: 1-844-762-8483https://nrcdv.org

Colorado Resources:Rose Andom Center: 720-337-4400https://roseandomcenter.org

PorchLight: 720-853-8850https://porchlightfjc.org

Gateway Domestic Violence Services: 303-343-1851https://gatewaydv.org

SafeHouse Denver: 303-318-9989https://safehouse-denver.org

💌 Want more conversations like this?Join my newsletter for real stories, tools, and inspiration to help you rebuild, rediscover, and rise into your fullest self:👉 BringYourBigEnergy.com

What happens when your life changes overnight—and you’re forced to rebuild everything from the inside out?

In this powerful episode of the Bring Your Big Energy podcast, Stacey K sits down with Jay Waddell—entrepreneur, former business school professor, author, and heart transplant survivor—for a deeply human conversation about resilience, identity, and what it really takes to move forward when life doesn’t go as planned.

At age 60, Jay suffered a massive stroke that left him unable to drive, work, or care for himself.

But what he did next is nothing short of extraordinary.

Refusing to accept the limitations placed in front of him, Jay immersed himself in the science of neuroplasticity—spending two hours a day for an entire year rewiring his brain. Eighteen months later, he returned to work.

And just as he began to rebuild, life tested him again.

Jay would go on to spend nearly a decade living with end-stage heart failure—eventually being told he had just one year to live.

And when faced with the ultimate decision—whether to accept a life-saving heart transplant—he initially said no, believing someone else deserved it more.

Ultimately, he chose to move forward.

And that decision changed everything.

Today, at 71 years old, Jay is living with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility. He is the author of Voices From the Heart, founder of a heart transplant support group, and is currently working on his next book, Flip It—a collection of stories about navigating life’s hardest moments and choosing how to move forward.

In this episode, we explore:

• How to rebuild your life when everything is stripped away

• The power of Neuroplasticity and disciplined mindset

• Why resilience is built one small step at a time

• The meaning behind “so what… now what”

• How to navigate fear, uncertainty, and life-altering decisions

• What it means to “flip” your story instead of being defined by it

Jay’s philosophy is simple, but life-changing:

Life is non-linear.Adversity is inevitable.

And when it hits—you always have a choice.

So what… now what?

This episode is a masterclass in perspective, courage, and the power of choosing how you move forward.

🔗 Connect with Jay

Jay is currently collecting real stories for his upcoming book Flip It—focused on how people move forward after life’s hardest chapters.If you have a “flip story” or feel called to share your journey, he would love to hear from you.

📧 Email: [email protected]

📱 Phone: 720.273.6570

You can also find his book Voices From the Heart: A Collection of Inspiring Heart Transplant Stories on Amazon.

⚡ Want more Big Energy?

If this episode resonated and you’re looking for more tools, stories, and real-talk conversations to help you navigate your own journey—

👉 Sign up for the newsletter at Stacey’s website.

This episode of the Bring Your Big Energy Podcast is a little different, and that is exactly what makes it so special.

Recorded live from the Dancing Eye Gallery in the heart of downtown Northville, this conversation with gallery owner Theresa Schierloh is less studio interview and more living, breathing community experience.

With customers wandering in, books being signed mid-conversation, art surrounding us, and the energy of downtown unfolding in real time, this episode captures the magic of what happens when we slow down, connect, and let creativity lead.

Theresa is the longtime owner of the iconic Dancing Eye Gallery, a beloved Northville destination she has cultivated for more than 30 years. But she is so much more than a business owner—she is a community builder, curator of connection, unofficial mayor of Northville, and a true believer in the power of art, conversation, and authentic expression.

In this live and wonderfully unscripted conversation, we explore:

* How Teresa built Dancing Eye Gallery into a community anchor

* The role of art, creativity, and local business in bringing people together

* Why slowing down matters in a world that rewards rushing

* What it means to protect your energy by choosing what—and who—truly fits

* How community is built through conversation, interpretation, and shared experience

* Why being fully yourself is the greatest superpower of all

This episode is playful, thoughtful, layered, and full of the kind of spontaneous moments that only happen when you create in public and leave room for life to join in!

If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to build a business, a space, and a life rooted in authenticity, creativity, and human connection—this one is for you.

Come wander with us.

More about Dancing Eye Gallery:

Insta: @dancingeyegallery

Website: https://dancingeye.com/

Want more Big Energy Inspiration? Join the Big Energy Hype Squad at www.bringyourbigenergy.com

In this episode of The Bring Your Big Energy Podcast, Stacey K sits down with Mandy Merrifield — transformational coach, founder of The Confidence Hour, and author of F*ck the Fairytale: Find Your Own Magic — for a raw, powerful conversation about identity, recovery, and rewriting the “should” life.

Mandy takes us back to her biggest Intensity Point: the day she stopped drinking after years of alcoholism that escalated to a breaking point.

She shares what it was like to lose everything — career, stability, identity — and how she rebuilt her life from the ground up with radical honesty, support, and one foot in front of the other.

Together, Stacey and Mandy explore:

• The moment Mandy knew: “I can’t do this anymore.”

• How perfectionism and the “good girl” identity can quietly destroy us

• Why “alcohol is not just accepted — it’s expected” (and how to navigate that culture)

• The power of telling the truth and “owning the narrative”

• Letting go of pride and ego during the rebuild

• Depression, nervous system support, and the real tools that helped her keep going

• Where the “fairytale” conditioning starts — and how to question the shoulds

If you’ve ever felt like your life looks “right” but feels wrong… if you’re exhausted by expectations… or you’re standing at an Intensity Point and don’t know what comes next — this episode will meet you there with honesty, hope, and momentum.

📚 Mandy’s book: F*ck the Fairytale: Find Your Own Magic 🎧 Listen in — and let this one ignite your next brave step.

Want exclusive insights and behind the scenes with Bring Your Big Energy and Stacey K, sign up for the Exclusive Energy Hype Squad newsletter at www.bringyourbigenergy.com.

Trigger warning: This episode includes discussion of addiction/alcoholism and depression.

Coherence Over Force + Body-Led Big Energy

In this episode, Stacey sits down with Dr. Z (Danielle “Dr. Dee” Zanzarov), Executive Health Strategist, founder of South Bay Wellness, and creator of the Coherent Longevity™ and Body-Led™ approaches.

Dr. Z works with high-performing women who look successful on the outside, but inside feel exhausted, inflamed, anxious, or disconnected. Her message is a game-changer: symptoms aren’t failures, they’re intelligent signals your body is out of coherence. And real energy doesn’t come from pushing harder. It comes from coherence, not force.

We cover:

• Dr. Z’s Intensity Point and what forced her to stop “pushing through”

• What coherence actually means (and why it matters for leadership)

• Why nervous system regulation is the foundation for energy + health

• Micro-tools you can use fast (no hour-long meditation required)

• Why you are an “experiment of one” and curiosity changes everything

• Her upcoming Pocket Coherence Coach app

Find Dr. Z:

• www.SouthBayWellness.com⁠

• ⁠www.DrDee.com⁠

Want more Big Energy each week?Join Stacey’s Energy Hype Squad newsletter => www.bringyourbigenergy.com

In this episode of the Bring Your Big Energy Podcast, Stacey sits down with Toby Brazwell — sales leader, speaker, community advocate, and author of The Empowerment Chords — for a powerful conversation on connection, confidence, and authentic leadership.

With more than 15 years of experience building high-performing teams and mentoring leaders, Toby shares how confidence is not something you’re born with, but something built over time through preparation, listening, and genuine connection.

Drawing from his journey in music, sales leadership, and even a City Council campaign, Toby reveals why confidence is truly a team sport — and how investing in yourself and others creates stronger relationships, deeper trust, and lasting growth.

Together, Stacey and Toby explore:

• Why connection is the foundation of leadership and success

• How preparation and listening strengthen confidence

• The role of community in personal and professional growth

• How to build authentic confidence over time

• Why helping others strengthens your own resilience

If you want to lead with greater confidence, communicate more authentically, and deepen your connection with others, this conversation will inspire and equip you.

Key reminders from Toby:* Confidence is built over time.* Confidence is a team sport.* Why you? Why not you?

Connect & Continue the Growth:
Find Toby Brazwell on Facebook to follow his work, insights, and community impact.
And if you want more tools, inspiration, and leadership energy delivered straight to you, sign up for Stacey’s Energy Hype Squad Newsletter at:
👉 www.bringyourbigenergy.com

On this episode of Bring Your Big Energy Podcast, I’m joined by Elana Merzin — marketing and social media designer, founder of The WildHERness Collective, and a woman who sees the world through color, healing, and connection.

This is a powerful conversation for anyone who has ever felt too sensitive, too intuitive, too creative, or too different for the systems they were trying to survive inside.

With over 15 years in nonprofit and Jewish communal spaces,

Elana opens up about burnout in impact work — the kind that hits your body, your spirit, and your sense of identity. What happens when the work you care about deeply starts to consume you? When your empathy becomes exhaustion?

We talk about:

• Burnout in mission-driven spaces

• Creativity as medicine

• Reclaiming your inner child

• Neurodivergence as a strength

• Why community is essential for healing

• The courage it takes to show off your gifts instead of hiding them

Elana shares how the pandemic became a turning point — leading her back to art, to stillness, and ultimately to founding The WildHERness Collective, a space designed for wildly creative, empathetic women in impact to reconnect with their purpose.

If you’ve ever felt like your sensitivity was a liability instead of a superpower — this episode is for you.

Big Energy isn’t about being louder. It’s about being fully expressed.

If this conversation resonated, make sure you’re on my newsletter list. Sign up HERE for deeper reflections, tools, and behind-the-scenes Big Energy leadership insights you won’t find anywhere else.