In this episode Cecilia sits down with Eli Brackenbury, writer, father, EHS professional, and author of Finding God at 50, for an honest conversation about faith, healing, identity, masculinity, and spiritual transformation in the second half of life.

After years marked by divorce, grief, striving, and quiet spiritual dryness, Eli experienced an unexpected spiritual awakening at fifty that reshaped his understanding of God, himself, and what it means to live with purpose.

Together, Cecilia and Eli explore the difference between religion and relationship, what it means to find God after years away from faith, healing from the wounds associated with traditional religion, and why so many people experience a spiritual or emotional turning point in their 40s and 50s.

The conversation also dives into the restoration of man, emotional vulnerability, the pressure men face to appear strong, becoming “equally yoked,” and why true transformation goes deeper than simply becoming more successful.

Eli’s message is especially relevant for men and women who feel stuck, spiritually dry, wounded by religion, skeptical about faith, or quietly longing for something more.

Learn more about Eli and his work at https://www.elibrackenbury.com/ and explore Finding God at 50 for more of his story and perspective.

Eli’s journey is a powerful reminder that your past may explain where you’ve been, but it does not have to determine where your story goes next.

In this episode of Celia’s Corner, bestselling author Susan Gooch shares her journey from educator to full-time novelist, revealing how a lifelong love of books became a successful writing career. We explore the inspiration behind The Carrington Series, the importance of creating unforgettable female characters, why setting matters in storytelling, and the practical steps aspiring authors can take to finally write their first novel.

Whether you’re an aspiring writer, an avid reader, or simply someone who appreciates meaningful stories, this conversation is filled with inspiration, encouragement, and practical advice to help you embrace your own creative journey.

Tune in and discover why every great novel begins with the courage to write the very first page.

You can learn more about Susan and her books at susangooch.com, and join the conversation by following her on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/susangoochauthor/

In this episode of Celia’s Corner, Cecilia sits down with Alicia Botyrius, a health and wellness professional with two decades of experience in healthcare and marketing and a strong focus on preventive health education.

Alicia explains why preventive screenings matter, what women should know about their cardiovascular risk during and after menopause, what may not be covered during a typical annual checkup, and what people can expect from a Life Line Screening appointment. She also breaks down what happens when a screening identifies a potential concern and why knowing your risk can be an empowering first step rather than something to fear.

Learn more about preventive screening and explore your screening options at http://lifelinescreening.com/ 

Alicia Botyrius reminds us that prevention isn’t about waiting for a wake-up call it’s about giving yourself the knowledge and opportunity to take action while you can.

In this episode of Celia’s Corner, Cecilia sits down with Danny Carpio, an organizational architect, builder, and operator who has spent 13 years working across startups, venture, services, decentralized organizations, AI, crypto, and organizational design.

Danny challenges the traditional idea that scaling always means building bigger teams and more complicated organizations. Instead, he introduces the concept of self-scale—a framework for individuals and small teams to design operating systems that allow them to accomplish enterprise-level work while gaining more control over their time and how they work.

We explore why many people are preparing for a future that has already arrived, how AI is changing the balance between individuals and large organizations, why traditional company structures are being challenged, and what it really takes to stop being trapped by systems you didn’t design.

Danny also shares insights from his new book, The Unfirm: The New Unit of Scale Is You, and explains how modern operators can rethink their relationship with work, technology, and organizational structure.

Listeners can explore Danny’s work, essays, tools, and the Augmented Things community at https://x.com/augmentedthings

In this episode of Celia’s Corner, we explore love, wholeness, interconnectedness, and humanity with Glenn Aparicio Parry, PhD, Nautilus award-winning author of Original Politics and Original Thinking, and author of Original Love: The Timeless Source of Wholeness.

Glenn’s work challenges the fragmented ways we often think about ourselves, one another, politics, and the natural world. In this conversation, we explore how fragmented thinking can contribute to conflict and division  and how gratitude, compassion, connection, and love can help us move toward greater wholeness.

Glenn shares the inspiration behind his latest book and explains how Original Love connects with the larger trilogy exploring thought, politics, and love. We also discuss the story of Psyche and Eros, political polarization, the relationship between humanity and nature, and what it means to be truly human.

Drawing from philosophy, science, spirituality, Indigenous wisdom, and personal experience, Glenn offers a different way of looking at crisis and suffering one grounded in gratitude and an awareness of our profound interconnectedness.

Learn more about Glenn Aparicio Parry and explore his upcoming events and calendar: https://glennaparicioparry.com/events/
 

In this episode we sit down with Dr. Rawson, founder of the CIC Initiative Character, Integrity, Credibility™ to explore the deeper qualities that shape leadership, relationships, reputation, and long-term success.

With more than 25 years of entrepreneurial experience, over 30 companies launched, 19 children’s books, 7 adult books, and more than 700 published articles, Dr. Rawson brings decades of experience in leadership, human behavior, communication, crisis management, branding, and personal responsibility.

We discuss why crisis reveals character, the difference between reputation and true credibility, and how the small decisions we make every day can ultimately shape our identity, influence, opportunities, and legacy.

Dr. Rawson also shares insights on rebuilding trust after failure, betrayal, or crisis, the importance of emotional discipline under pressure, and why leadership isn’t limited to titles or positions — leadership exists anywhere responsibility exists.

We also explore his work with TinyTalesLand.com, where storytelling helps children develop emotional strength, resilience, courage, kindness, patience, gratitude, and responsibility.

At the heart of this conversation is one powerful question:

What do you stand for?

Learn more about Dr. Rawson, his work, and the CIC Initiative Visit Dr. Rawson’s Website⁠

In this episode we sit down with Unai Rodriguez, Director of Voice AI at SoundHound AI and an engineering leader with more than 25 years of international technology experience.

Unai gives us a candid look at what happens behind the scenes when Voice AI and Agentic AI move into production from infrastructure and telephony costs to reliability, integrations, scalability, and the challenges businesses often overlook.

We explore why impressive AI demonstrations can struggle when they reach enterprise environments, what business and engineering leaders should understand before investing in Voice AI, and how the economics of AI change when systems operate at massive scale.

We also discuss Unai’s experience growing an international engineering team from 4 to 20, leading across different countries and cultures, transitioning from hands-on engineering into senior leadership, and recovering supposedly unrecoverable systems following a major cyberattack.

Beyond technology, Unai shares how founding and captaining Singapore’s Armada Dragon Boat Team shaped his understanding of motivation, teamwork, accountability, and leadership.

Whether you’re an AI practitioner, engineering leader, entrepreneur, or simply curious about what it takes to make AI work in the real world, this conversation offers practical insights grounded in real enterprise experience.

Connect with Unai Rodriguez on LinkedIn and follow his insights on Voice AI, Agentic AI, AI production economics, and engineering leadership:
 Unai Rodriguez on LinkedIn⁠

In this episode Cecilia sits down with Jani Rundall, Life Strategist, Speaker, Author, ADHD Practitioner, Menopause Coach, and founder of Hormageddon™.

After more than 30 years in corporate technology sales, Jani experienced a period when the strategies that had worked for decades suddenly stopped working. An unexpected adult ADHD diagnosis, hormonal changes, nervous-system strain, and the accumulated demands of life began interacting in ways she couldn’t explain through a single label.

Jani calls this Hormageddon™: the collision of hormones, brain wiring, the nervous system, and life load.

Together, we explore why capable people so often blame themselves when something changes, how hormonal shifts can intersect with attention, memory, and emotional regulation, why ADHD can go unrecognised in women until midlife, and why men deserve a more informed conversation about their own hormonal changes.

We also talk about relationships, parenting teenagers, workplace performance, leadership, and why organisations should view these issues not only as wellbeing concerns but as potential retention and performance challenges.

Jani introduces her practical Personal Operating Map, a tool designed to help people understand what they need, what drains them, their early warning signs, and the conditions in which they do their best work.

If you’ve ever wondered why something that used to feel manageable suddenly feels impossible, this conversation offers a different question to ask: What has changed underneath the surface?

Learn more about Jani and her work at https://janirundall.com/work

In this episode Cecilia sits down with former U.S. intelligence analyst and national security expert Nadeem Iqbal, who brings more than 15 years of experience across the Defense Intelligence Agency, CIA-supported assignments, the Pentagon, and deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Nadeem takes us beyond the headlines to explore how intelligence is collected and analyzed, how information becomes policy, and what happens when intelligence challenges the assumptions of senior decision-makers. He also shares insights from his experiences in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria while examining the complexities of U.S. foreign policy, the Middle East, and the realities of modern conflict.

Whether you’re interested in geopolitics, military strategy, intelligence, or simply want to better understand the forces shaping global affairs, this conversation offers a practical and informed perspective from someone who has worked inside these systems.

Learn more about Nadeem and his work at http://www.talshiar.com/ and also his check him out on substack at [email protected] 

In this powerful episode Cecilia sits down with Jon McLernon, a board-certified health coach, creator of the NeuroQuit Method, and former nanotechnology researcher and Navy marine engineer.

Jon shares his deeply personal journey through a near-fatal assault, PTSD, financial loss, anxiety, emotional eating, and self-destructive patterns—and how those experiences ultimately shaped his understanding of faith, forgiveness, resilience, and personal responsibility.

The conversation explores why suffering doesn’t have to be minimized to become meaningful, how forgiveness can transform the person doing the forgiving, and what it means to wrestle honestly with faith during painful seasons.

If you’re struggling with addiction, emotional eating, self-sabotage, burnout, or another destructive cycle, you can book a complimentary 15-minute clarity call with Jon to explore what may be keeping you stuck and identify a practical next step:

https://tidycal.com/coachjon/15-minute-meeting

Jon’s story is ultimately a powerful reminder that transformation isn’t about becoming perfect it is about understanding your story, recovering your agency, and learning how to keep moving forward.