Carve Your Own F*cking Path

Can being selfish save your life? It did for my highly energetic next guest, Naketa Thigpen. Naketa's mission is to help you find and create balance in life and relationships, by learning how to be intentionally selfish, giving yourself permission to pause, and deepening intimacy (which goes beyond the bedroom). 

After a successful career as a Clinical Social Worker, Naketa added to her core professional skill set as a Psychotherapist, Trauma Specialist, Sexology and Relationship expert with blending a bit of metaphysics and coaching to set a new bar, and creating ripples inside the personal development industry.

- How choosing to be selfish can change the course of your life (and maybe save it)

- Busyness and how it's a trauma response + how to break free

- How 'to divorce yourself' and start on a new path

- Intimacy + what how it applies to all areas of your life

Find Naketa: 

IG @askniketa

https://thigpro.com/

How can you turn a terrible experience into a mission driven purpose? It starts with being vulnerable and sharing your story. My guest Alexandra Harbushka’s life was sent into upheaval when she received a call from her doctor diagnosing her with herpes. Shaking, feeling like her life - her goals, happiness, and desires - had all just gone up in smoke, she was left scared shitless but with a new life path and mission. She founded Life With Herpes, an online community consisting of a podcast, a website, Youtube channel, wellness products to support the skin condition and an online community that provides support, all dedicated to shattering the stigma of living with herpes.

Before founding Life With Herpes and becoming a mother to her son Clinton and a wife to her husband Bill, Alexandra worked in corporate America. 

In this episode we talk about:

- Why is there a stigma around herpes? And where did it come from? 

- Sexual health and living with herpes

- How sharing your deepest secret can lead to your life's purpose.

- The power of vulnerability 

Find Alexandra here: 

https://www.lifewithherpes.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw-XqkVAvdl4QFGUzDcZEZg

@lifewithherpes

How do you navigate a divorce and become a better person in the process? Meet Karen McMahon, a Certified Relationship and Divorce Coach, and Founder of Journey Beyond Divorce. Karen's path to become a divorce coach started in 2010 after recognizing that the pain of her own divorce led her on a transformational journey into a fabulous new life. Today, Karen leads a national team of divorce coaches in supporting men and women around the world to become calm, clear and confident as they navigate high-conflict divorces. Karen is the host of the acclaimed Journey Beyond Divorce Podcast, co-author of ‘Stepping out of Chaos: Turning Pain to Possibility”, creator of JBD’s exclusive 12 Step Divorce Recovery Program and leads a nationwide team of JBD coaches.

We also talk about: 

- How to decide if it's time to end or mend the relationship

- How to navigate divorce with a high-conflict partner 

- How divorce affects men differently than woman and why it matters

- Difference between a therapist and a divorce coach and what are the benefits of each

Find Karen McMahon @journey_beyond_divorce

https://www.jbddivorcesupport.com/

You will inevitably experience deep pain and suffering at some point in your life. But HOW you navigate through those times can make or break you. My next guest, Eric Russell, has been navigating people safely through these often destructive storms. Eric helps you develop a framework to integrate trouble as a regular and expected part of your life, and adopt strategies so you can respond effectively to difficulty. Eric's path that led him to this work 40+ years ago, was born from his own deep pains, sufferings, joys and successes. He says; "I have survived: childhood mental, physical and emotional abuse at home; bullying, harassment and ostracizing at school; relegation to the “stupid” learners group in elementary school; murder of a very close cousin; near drowning; poverty; death of parent; job loss; overt racism; almost being shot by police; spouse’s cancer; and much more including secondarily experiencing the troubles and traumas of my clients." 

In this episode we also talk about:

- How you can show up in life knowing that you’re going to be ok

- In a crisis how you start asking the right questions

- How our mind, heart, and gut all work together to make decisions 

Follow Eric: @ericowenrussellcoaching 

https://www.ericowenrussell.com/

Break-ups don't have to suck. My next guest is Zara Franks, coaches women during challenging breakups and turns them into personal breakthroughs. In her late twenties, Zara went through the worst, world shattering, breakup that would lead her on a path to her life's work. She noticed the unhealthy patterns and self abandonment that took place during her 'toxic relationship' that lasted 4 years. Zara used meditation, visualization exercises, and self-care rituals adopted early in life - to transform her devastation from the break up back to wholeness. Zara is a certified energy medicine practitioner, and addresses the mind, body, and soul. Her methodology combines ritual, guided visualization, somatic practices, and intuitive readings to guide women to greater clarity, confidence, and connection in love.

A breakthrough is possible in the face of a break-up, tune in to hear Zara's story and how you can too! 

In this episode we talk about: 

- Zara's story: A path from world shattering break-up to big breakthroughs

- Process of detoxing a toxic relationship

- How to find clarity on what you do want in a relationship

Follow @zaramarinfranks

https://zaramarinfranks.com/

How does your self-worth show up in your birth? My next guest is Kelly Brusch, a doula living in San Diego, California. She is a mama of two, has been a counselor, helped build a recruitment firm, is a yoga teacher, and only in recent years shifted gears to become a birth doula and educator. She has navigated this dynamic career path all the while raising a family, and moving across continents - living in California, Arizona, France, Oklahoma, and now California again. Balancing career, entrepreneurship, marriage, and motherhood has not always been easy, but with a strong self-care practice, she has been able to make it work!

In this episode we talk about: 

- Self-worth and how it reflects in your birth experience

- Identity shifts after having kids

- Have kids or not? How to understand your true desires vs. societies

- Power of communicating your needs no matter what 

- How having a birth plan is an act of self-love

Follow Kelly @doulakellyrae 

www.kelly-rae.com

What if you could live with ease and joy ALL the time? This is a reality for my guest Daniela Sulek, and it's her mission to help you experience the same. 

Juggling life for years led Daniela Sulek to hit a wall. Her entire way of life and being changed when what she now calls “humaning” led to her developing serious illnesses while pregnant with her third child, and almost cost her her life. With her “play your way through life” philosophy, she now helps renowned yet unfulfilled leaders move into the permanent state of ease, joy and passion. By transcending from the conditioned human to the consciousness of their true self, they shift into effortlessly creating by being, instead of creating by doing.

We also talk about:

- Why we need to attach ourselves to a label or identity

- How the mind is our biggest obstacle to happiness

- How you can 'lose the mind' and free yourself from problems, anxiety, stress, etc.

https://danielasulek.com/

How would your life be different if you truly believed anything was possible? Meet Michelle Wilson, Creative Director of Ooh La Luxe the clothing brand she co-founded with her identical twin sister Cristina. Growing up around their dad's motorcycle shop and in a family of entrepreneurs, the twins learned early on how to sell and run a business from the ground up. On weekends they did extreme hikes and sports, further instilling the belief that you can do hard things. Today, the Ooh La Luxe brand may look like an overnight success - but it's been 14 years in the making. Michelle shares how giving up wasn't an option when you're passionate about what you're doing, even when faced with the really hard stuff. 

We also talk about:

- The *secret to creating anything you want. (*hint, it's your belief system).

- How to build your dreams even if you don't know what you're doing. 

- How you can juggle it all: motherhood, business, and wellness routines.

Follow:

@michellelaluxe

@oohlaluxe

How emotionally intelligent are you?

My next guest Alex Resnick, President and Co-Founder of Evolve Leadership, LLC, felt stuck and unsure of what path to take early in his career. But when came across the concept of EQ (Emotional Intelligence) in a college class - something clicked.

He went on to experience success in sales roles, following the path he thought he should. But deep down he craved more creativity, feeling stuck and depressed. He asked himself regularly, "Is this it?"

After an almost fatal car accident, Alex realized it was time to truly start living. He immediately quit his soul sucking sales job, dove into entrepreneurship - and became obsessed with honing his communication skills, self-awareness, and EQ.

Evolve Leadership, LLC is his third business, focusing on helping people become better leaders by learning the human skills necessary to be successful in today’s modern world.

Tune in to hear Alex's story, and how you can start improving all areas of your life simply by asking yourself important questions.

We also talk about:

- What is EQ? Why it's the most important skill

- The path to self-awareness and how it can improve your life and business

- How sales is like dating, and how you can get better at both

Connect with Alex Resnick here: 

@evolve__leadership

https://evolveleadership.co/

Vanessa Simpkins went from bankruptcy to creating a 7 figure women's empowerment coaching company, and author of "Take Your Power Back." The book became a #1 best seller and started a global movement featured on FOX ABC CBS and NBC television sharing her story about healing from a toxic relationship. But before she moved to Hawaii to become the Spiritual 'Bikini Business Coach' and internet sensation, she made a living selling mops. Her insatiable drive to keep earning more money led to financial success and recognition in her industry - but after nearly a decade of hustling she called it quits on her business and shut it all down. Vanessa talks candidly about what it takes to build an empire, what really matters beyond the outward success, and how she's carving a path to clarity and wholeness. 

We also talk about:

- Connection between love and money

- What it takes to build an empire and when to let go

- How to break through visibility blocks

Find Vanessa here: 

https://www.takeyourpowerbacknow.com/home