Chasing Courage

Chasing Courage

By Courtney WendzickiHealth & FitnessMental Health
Download on the App Store

Chasing Courage episodes

  • 62. Becoming an Entrepreneur + mom on a mission with Amy Traugh

    The year 2020 impacted us all and for my guest and friend, Amy Traugh, it changed her life. Amy took a voluntary furlough from a career in physical therapy to home school her children during that time and then build her first business.

    In this conversation we discuss that journey of building her first successful business which in turn helped her discover an even deeper passion, empowering women with the skills to do the same.


    Amy is a mother of 2, the founder of the community Moms on a Mission, host of The Motivated Mompreneur (with over 200 episodes in 1 year!) and a Business Mentor.


    This local Ohio woman is a friend to me, an inspiration to me and I hope that she encourages you, I hope that our chat about mom expectations makes you feel a little less alone and I really hope if you are able you will join us at her event CONFIDENCE SELLS on OCT. 12, 2023 in Canton, OH. Tickets are on sale through the end of Sept. 2023. Click here to check out more about the 1 day event.

    Click here to purchase


    Follow Amy on Instagram

    39 min
  • 61. 10 Takeaways from Summit of Greatness, Making a DAMN Decision + 3x a charm!

    What started in the middle of the pandemic is finally, 3 years later, going to get my full time and attention again... well as much time and attention as a mom of two who also works part time can give lol

    This podcast has always meant so much to me, even as I have started other podcasts, started a business, etc. I could never fully step away. So now here we are again for a 3rd go around, for the 3rd year stepping into what I'm simply passionate about; sharing and connecting with you on all things mental health, motherhood and personal growth.


    I also share in this comeback episode my takeaways from a personal growth summit that I recently attended in Columbus Ohio, the Summit of Greatness. It was my first time attending this event put on by Lewis Howes and I was NOT disappointed!


    In this episode we talk about slowing down to speed up, why I'm in the process of phasing out my social media mgmt business I've spent the last year and a half building, I dive into what it means to be the rock but how I desire to be more like water and also a little bit about changes in and with me since becoming a mom to 2.


    I am sure that at least 1 if not more of these takeaways are going to hit home with you, regardless if you are a mama or not.


    Come connect with me on Instagram @courtney_wendzicki, this is the only account going forward as of Sept. 2023 that I will be posting on and updating on a regular basis.

    39 min
  • 60. THE ONE WHERE I interview my husband: Rob's take on my FIRST YEAR in Entrepreneurship

    In this episode I sit down in my home office with my husband :)

    This conversation is actually our 2nd time recording a podcast together, if you wish to check out the first go back to Episode 31: My favorite story: OURS


    In this episode Rob answers questions surrounding my career path and his take on my first year in full-time Entrepreneurship.

    We discuss:

    • At what point did Rob know that I had no idea what I actually wanted to do, career wise?
      • What did he think when I said I was going to leave my 'traditional' job to become a nanny?
        • What impact does he believe that personal growth, therapy and podcasting had / have on my mental health?
          • What was one of his greatest fears as I stepped away from working for someone else to working for myself?
            • Is my Rob jealous or mad that I take naps in the middle of the day? LOL
              • How much money did I make in my first year of entrepreneurship?
                • What is something about me that has changed since we first met 9 years ago?
                  • What is one thing that has NOT changed about me? And that he doesn't want to change
                    • What is his ideal goal / plan for us + our careers?

                    • Listening back to this I'm just proud; proud of myself, proud of my marriage, proud of what we are creating - a life and careers worth celebrating #confettiworthy


                      Share your biggest takeaways on social and TAG me @courtney_wendzicki so I can personally THANK YOU!!

                      + I send my love and gratitude to you for choosing to press PLAY on this episode today :)

                      31 min
                    • 59. Time Management Tip - Structure your day like a football game

                      I am so excited to share this time management method / idea that came to me last week.


                      In real time I've only been practicing it for a few days but I wanted to put this out there for you all to try ALONG with me, because while it ultimately may NOT work for me, it may be just the mindset or structure shake up that you needed.


                      The basis concept is dividing up your day into 4 quarters with a halftime in the middle. For all the details and how I'm specifically implementing this with my schedule as a work from home entrepreneur and a mom you will just have to listen in. :)


                      Follow along with my day to day, all things mom life and business building at @courtney_wendzicki on Instagram


                      Thank you SO Much for listening and if you found what you heard today to be inspiration or educational I ask that you share it to socials or with a friend :)

                      16 min
                    • 58. Creating an ABUNDANT LIFE with our MONEY and our MINDSET [an interview] with Jen Piala
                      Jen is a wife, mother and RN but what we are talking about today is how she helps women stop worrying about money and create a plan so they can start living the life they truly desire.
                      From budgeting and saving, to dreaming and goal setting, Jen works with her clients to create an abundant life, in money and in mindset. 
                      If you are someone who thinks you have a money problem, listen in
                      If you are someone who thinks you have a behavior problem around money, listen in
                      If you are someone who believes that life would just be better, easier if money wasn't so "heavy" in your life, listen in. 
                      If you are someone who wants to create a culture in your home where money is positive and saving is normal, listen in. 
                      Jen can be found on Instagram and she also has a FREE public Facebook Community - Creating Confidence with your Cash
                      The link to her linktr.ee with ALL the links and to book a FREE Cash Clarity Call is here.
                      32 min
                    • 4 Tips to Navigate FOMO (fear of missing out) and Comparison

                      So many of you shared with me that you struggle with comparison and or the fear of missing out.

                      ...and in tune with that, for today's episode, I do some story-telling surrounding a hard decision that I made to opt out of one event in order to attend another.

                      Are you in a place in your life or business where you are having to choose between 2 or 3 things? Are you comparing what you are or ARENT doing to those you follow on social?

                      If you are and if you hang tight through the story-telling; there are some powerful tools that you can utilize to help you tackle the FOMO or the comparison head on.

                      I personally feel FOMO in not being able to attend the PowerHouse Women conference, not being able to attend or even apply to attend Kacia's Peach house retreats, or Kacia's EmpowerHer live for year 2. And then I feel the comparison trap of being behind in the planning of my own in person retreats or events. Women all around me are hosting their first retreats and or in person events and I just can't do that right now, I'm 6 months pregnant.

                      4 Tips to battle the FOMO or Comparison

                      1. Be aware of your triggers and avoid those triggers if possible

                      2. Journal it out - what are you afraid to miss out on, who/ what your comparing yourself to and how that makes you feel

                      3. Focus on what you DO have, what you CAN do

                      4. Use the FOMO / Comparison as motivation


                      If you found today's episode insightful or helpful I invite you to share it! Share it your social media stories or send it to a fellow mom friend or business bestie. 

                      Come say hi + connect with me on Instagram I am there almost everyday sharing personal growth content as well as #momlife behind the scenes and advocating for mental health as women and as business owners. 

                      23 min
                    • 56. It's time to SHOW UP + SHOW OUT: From teenage mother to college HONORS graduate + business OWNER [An Interview]

                      Ready to go to church in the middle of the week? Today's interview is one that if you don't have goosebumps around/by minute 21-24 I will be SHOCKED ;)

                      Join me as a sit down with the owner of a BODY by Erica, a Holistic Wellness Spa in Sandusky Ohio. Erica Taylor is a friend and local entrepreneur who is working full-time as a HR specialist for the city WHILE ALSO participating on boards and building her spa business. She is a wife, mama of 3 and grandma to 1.

                      We discuss:

                      1. What is the role that your spouse / partner plays in the ability for you to chase your dreams
                      2. She shows some amazing appreciation for her husband - who cooks + cleans!
                      3. The role that faith has played in her blooming business and marriage
                      4. Challenges she has overcome as a black woman - having a baby at 15 and still building a life and business that is valued and successful.
                      5. What it means to be a 20 gallon woman
                      6. Please note that the event Erica and I discuss may have been postponed or cancelled since our recording. Please reach out to Erica for details or with interest.

                        Follow BODY on Facebook 

                        Website for BODY by Erica Taylor located in Sandusky, OH

                        Business IG @bodybyericataylor

                        Personal IG @issericataylor

                        43 min
                      7. 55. Get to know YOURSELF and Discover your DIRECTION w/ Author + Speaker Ashley Stahl

                        Ashley Stahl is a career coach, podcast host, keynote speaker and the author of You Turn, one of the BEST books I've ever read on clarity in choosing your career path < in my opinion!

                        I was humbled and OVER the moon excited when I asked Ashley to come onto my podcast after reading her book and she agreed, she also saw it was my birthday and sent me a Happy Birthday voice memo, I mean HOW SWEET! Ashely's story and her message is so important for women like you, women like me; who don't want to settle for less than when it comes to the work we do on a daily basis. And she understands that it's all about experimenting. 

                        If you are someone who is trying to figure out who you are, what you should do, if you should take a professional "you turn," I highly recommend this podcast episode and I even more so HIGHLY recommend Ashley's book and her podcast.

                        Some of my favorite mic drop moments from our conversation


                        "You don't know yourself until you do and you don't know what fits until you try it on"

                        "What's key is that you are able to, very clearly, express how you used your skill of the past and how it's translating into the direction of the future. "

                        "There is a lot of purpose in contribution"

                        "I'm heading into a place in my life where security sounds better than adventure"

                        "I'm not afraid to make less money being who i am, I'm not afraid to make a lot of money being who I am"

                        If you are ready for more of Ashely

                        Grab the book > Author | Listen to the podcast > Host, You Turn Podcast | Follow her > Instagram 

                        Visit ashleystahl.com for a FREE quiz on what career path is a fit for you!


                        As ALWAYS thank you so much for taking time out of your day to tune into CHASING COURAGE! I would be BEYOND grateful if you took 60 seconds to leave a rating and review for the show on Apple Podcast or Spotify, this is how we get the message of personal growth, mental health and mom life navigation to the ears of those who need to hear it! + If you don't know how to leave a review, send me a message on Instagram, I'd be happy to walk you through it and just SAY HI!

                        40 min
                      8. 54. Courage in the Changes: Moving to a new state for a new job with Meghan Hurley-Powell
                        Do you ever find yourself creating an exit plan before you enter, before you begin? 
                        Have you wanted to leave a job that you have worked in for years?
                        Do you desire to move to another state and start over?
                        If you have felt or experienced any of the above this interview may resonate with you.
                        Writer, podcaster, High School English Teacher, avid reader, wife, dog mom + most importantly my friend, Meghan joins us to discuss some BIG recent life changes. 
                        We discuss
                        how sometimes things in our life become so heavy that they even affect our hobbies and our passion projects.
                        how maybe it isn't the industry you're in that you hate, maybe it's the environment
                        We explore some of the logistics behind interviewing for a job that's out of state
                        We dive into what it looks and feels like to be in this place where you have an exit plan before you begin
                        and so much more
                        Check out Episode 16 of Confetti Worthy Women podcast where Meghan and I chatted about her book and journaling in April of 2022
                        Grab Meghan's book on journaling here 
                        Follow Meghan on Instagram + find the link to her podcast and her website in her bio
                        41 min
                      9. 53. Life is a puzzle, consisting of many pieces. We need ALL OF THEM.

                        "My child is, my children are my world"

                        Have you heard this said before, have you read it on a social media posts or seen it inside of a Pinterest quote? I know I have. 

                        + both before I had a child or my own and now that I do have an almost 5 year old with another on the way, that saying doesn't resonate with me, it actually gives me anxiety. 

                        This is solely my opinion but if any part of your life, if any single person in your life is given that much weight, what happens to you and to your life once that person or that thing is gone?

                        I know this is not something we want to think about, losing someone, in any manner, especially if it wasn't expected or is out of our control is THE WORST.


                        If you are married to the person who is your best friend, your partner in crime, your soulmate and then for whatever reason you get a divorce after 25 years; is your life suddenly over? Don't you still have purpose?

                        If your world rotates around the tiny humans that you are raising right now what are you going to do, who are you going to be when they are 13, 18, 28 and they begin to have interests and lives outside of the one you built for them?

                        I TRULY don't say any of this to sound harsh, I say it out of love and I would and WILL say and explain it to my sons one day when they are older. It is a HUGE belief of mine that while giving up our life, metaphorically, for those we love is a great act of love, allowing ourselves to LIVE is an even GREATER ACT OF Love. 

                        "What if a responsible mother isn't one who slowly dies and calls that love, what if a responsible mother is one who shows their child how to fight and be wildly alive?" - author Glennon Doyle

                        - - - - - - - - - 

                        Come hang out with me on Instagram 



                        16 min

                      About Chasing Courage

                      From the publisher's feed

                      How do I find the courage to keep going despite my mental health struggles? Is it possible to build a business AND be a mom? Am I bad mom? How can I connect with like-minded women?