In this episode, Michelle reflects on a powerful realizationthat emerged during the Michigan AEYC Annual Conference: her peace truly matters. After delivering a well received session and receiving meaningful feedback from longtime colleagues, she recognized that something had shifted.She was not just speaking well. She was fully at peace while doing it.

That sense of peace showed up throughout the conference. Itwas present while speaking, during unexpected moments like getting stuck in an elevator, and even while new ideas for future work emerged.

Michelle shares how operating from a place of peace allowscreativity, service, and success to flow more naturally. When you are grounded in your strengths and responding to the real needs of others, the work becomes easier and more meaningful.

This episode is an invitation to reflect on your own peace.Does it matter to you, and what helps you protect it?

[email protected]
GrowBy1.com/CoachingAcademy

In this episode, Michelle shares another reflection from theMichigan AEYC Annual Conference and explores a powerful mindset shift for leaders, coaches, and anyone supporting others. Instead of focusing on what is “wrong,” she invites listeners to consider the strength based perspective ofasking what is “strong.”

Many people label behaviors, decisions, or approaches aswrong, but often those actions simply reflect someone’s current level of awareness or development. As Michelle explains, choice is a function of awareness. When people see more options, they can make stronger choices.

Through conversations at the conference, coaching examples,and thoughtful questions, she demonstrates how shifting from criticism to curiosity opens new possibilities for growth.

When you change the quality of your observations and thequestions you ask, you change your life.

[email protected]
GrowBy1.com/CoachingAcademy

In this episode, Michelle shares another story from theMichigan AEYC Annual Conference and an exciting milestone. Her new book, 50 Questions to Be a More Impactful Coach, officially launched the same day the conference vendor booth opened, turning the event into an unexpected book signing celebration.

The book focuses on questions coaches ask about their ownpractice so they can grow, reflect, and become more effective when helping others.

During one of the conference sessions, another idea emerged.Michelle realized there is a growing need for a practical coaching handbook for early childhood education leaders who are placed in coaching roles but often receive little guidance on how to actually do the work.

This episode becomes a reflection on purpose. What have youlived, learned, and mastered? What are people already asking you for help with? Those questions might be pointing you toward the impact you are meant to make.

[email protected]
GrowBy1.com/CoachingAcademy

In this episode, Michelle shares a memorable and unexpectedstory from the Michigan AEYC Annual Conference. After finishing a packed speaking session, she and two friends chose the elevator instead of the escalator. What happened next turned into a 25 minute adventure stuck betweenfloors.

Through laughter, phone calls for help, and a lot of problemsolving, the experience became more than just a funny conference story. Michelle reflects on several insights that came from the moment. Sometimes you can do everything right and still not get the outcome you expected. Fear has away of finding us, even when we try to avoid it. And perhaps most importantly, life reminds us how valuable it is to have people we can call when we need help.

It is a lighthearted story with meaningful reminders aboutfear, friendship, and perspective.

[email protected]
GrowBy1.com/CoachingAcademy

In this episode, Michelle shares a story from her experiencespeaking at the Michigan AEYC Annual Conference, where she has presented for 25 consecutive years. During a session that ended up being standing room only, she explored one of the biggest challenges leaders and coaches face: resistance inthe coaching process.

Michelle explains the difference between the “front problem”people bring forward and the deeper “back problem” that often drives it. While many leaders jump in to solve the issue, real progress happens when people feel seen, heard, valued, noticed, and supported.

She also introduces a simple three step coaching approach:Reality, Options, and Way Forward. When used consistently, this framework helps people think for themselves, take ownership of their solutions, and create meaningful change.

[email protected]
GrowBy1.com/CoachingAcademy

What if envy is not really about the other person at all?

In this honest and reflective episode, Michelle exploreswhat it means when others admit they feel jealous or intimidated by her success. From launching books and leading programs to speaking internationally and building GrowBy1, she shares the surprising emotions that arise when comparison enters the room.

But this conversation goes much deeper.

Drawing from personal experiences, including years ofnavigating jealousy and punishment in her former marriage, Michelle unpacks the cost of shrinking yourself to make others comfortable. She challenges the idea that success should be hidden and reframes visibility as an invitation for others to grow and win.

At the heart of this episode is one powerful truth: when youtruly love yourself, envy loses its grip.

Michelle walks through practical indicators of self love...

Envy can be a signal, not a sentence. Sometimes it simplyreveals a desire within you that needs attention. The key is not to let comparison pull you off your path, but to use it as information that brings you back to who you are.

This episode invites you to remember your own mountain, your own calling, and your own awesomeness.

[email protected]
GrowBy1.com/CoachingAcademy
GrowBy1.com/CEU

What if you are already fully prepared for what is comingyour way?

In this episode, Michelle shares a powerful personaldeclaration that has anchored her through opportunity, uncertainty, challenge, and growth:

I am more than equal to any and every opportunity,experience, and situation that comes my way.

From speaking at large conferences and launching books tonavigating deeply personal loss and the uncertainty of having a son in the Navy, Michelle reflects on what it means to trust your preparation, your resilience, and your inner strength.

Some opportunities feel exciting. Others feel overwhelming.Some challenges stretch you professionally. Others break you open spiritually and emotionally. Yet in each moment, the question remains the same: Do you believe you are equal to what life is asking of you?

Drawing on her experiences in leadership, coaching,motherhood, and research, Michelle explores how growth prepares you long before the moment arrives. Whether you are stepping into a new opportunity, facing uncertainty, or walking through something deeply personal, this episode invites you to consider a new truth about yourself.

You are not behind.
You are not unprepared.
You are more than equal.

[email protected]
GrowBy1.com/CoachingAcademy
GrowBy1.com/CEU

What if the smallest things in your life are actually themost powerful?

In this episode, Michelle reflects on the launch of her newbook, 50 Questions Coaches Ask to Be a More Impactful Coach, and what it represents. While speaking at the Michigan AEYC conference and celebrating 25 years of involvement, she pauses to consider a deeper truth: big outcomesalmost always begin with small, quiet questions.

For Michelle, questions are more powerful than opinions,ideas, or even answers. The quality of your life and leadership is shaped by the quality of the questions you ask yourself and others. What are you asking? What are you looking for? What are you cultivating?

She explores how unplanned moments of rest, reflection, andpresence often generate the most transformational insights. Drawing from leadership tools like the Eisenhower Matrix and the Kanban method, she challenges the assumption that constant activity equals productivity. Sometimes the most “unproductive” moments become the birthplace of your greatest impact.

Whether you are coaching, leading, parenting, or buildingsomething meaningful, this episode invites you to examine how you treat the small things in your life. Because what looks small today may become everything tomorrow.

[email protected]
GrowBy1.com/CoachingAcademy
GrowBy1.com/CEU

Who decided that growth has to be fast to be valuable?

In this episode, Michelle challenges the cultural pressureto accelerate everything, including personal and professional development. In a world obsessed with rapid results, quick wins, and early adoption, she asks a powerful question: Who said you have to grow fast?

As the founder of Grow By 1 and a coach with more than 20years of experience, Michelle lives in the world of growth. Yet she has learned that depth often matters more than speed. Some growth looks dramatic and immediate. Other growth resembles a glacier. Slow, steady, and still moving.

Michelle explores the difference between growing fast andgrowing deep. She reflects on her own evolution in coaching, leadership, neuroscience, and presence, and shares why integration over time creates maturity and wisdom that cannot be rushed.

Whether you are developing as a coach, a leader, or simplyas a human being, this episode invites you to evaluate your own growth. Are you moving at someone else’s pace, or your own? Are you chasing more, or cultivating deeper?

You get to decide.

[email protected]
GrowBy1.com/CoachingAcademy
GrowBy1.com/CEU

What if spiritual maturity has less to do with isolation anddiscipline and more to do with how you show up in everyday life?

In this episode, Michelle introduces the Greek word askesis,meaning strenuous training marked by discipline and even deprivation. It is often associated with ascetic practices and the kind of focused preparation athletes undergo for a single defining moment. But does spiritual growth reallyrequire deprivation, strict rules, or retreating from the world?

Michelle offers another perspective.

The true test of spiritual maturity is not whether you canfind peace in isolation. It is whether you can maintain peace while driving in traffic, navigating a difficult conversation, or standing in the middle of chaos. It is about becoming what she calls an ordinary saint, someone who practices stillness, presence, and peace in real life.

Drawing on insights from Thomas Merton and her own livedexperiences, Michelle explores what it means to cultivate inner calm while remaining fully engaged in community, leadership, and everyday challenges.

If your desire is to increase your peace, strengthen yourpresence, and grow in maturity in the way you relate to others, this episode will both challenge and encourage you.

[email protected]
GrowBy1.com/CoachingAcademy
GrowBy1.com/CEU