Coffee and an Interview with Dr. Jacqueline Peña

In this episode, Serenity Lesley, ICF Associate Certified Coach, author, public speaker, and founder of Manifesting Serenity, joins us to explore what manifestation looks like beyond simply wishing for something to happen. Serenity introduces her approach of thinking it, seeing it, saying it, and making it happen, explaining how clarity, reflection, and intentional action help turn a vision into reality. She discusses why manifestation should be rooted in your values and desires rather than treated as another box to check, and why enjoying the journey matters just as much as reaching the goal. The conversation also explores the importance of looking at your life as a whole, using your senses to connect more deeply with your vision, and creating space to hear what you truly want before inviting other people’s opinions into the process. Drawing from her own journey from complex PTSD to becoming a multi-passionate entrepreneur and independent world traveler, Serenity explains how strengthening your internal roots can help you remain committed to your path, even when others project their fears or insecurities onto your dreams. She leaves listeners with a powerful reminder that meaningful change begins when we grant ourselves permission to believe our dreams are worth pursuing.

LEARN MORE AND CONNECT WITH SERENITY LESLEY

Website: https://manifestingserenity.com/

Email: [email protected]

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Manifesting-Serenity-104859268220465/

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweet.stunning.serenity/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/serenity-lesley-aa-acc-9066a0223/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/manifesting_serenity/

Coaching Services: https://manifestingserenity.com/coaching-services/

It’s Time to Manifest Your Vision Workbook/Course: https://manifestingserenity.com/its-time-to-manifest-your-vision-workbook/

In this episode, Urmi Hossain, author, speaker, podcast host, and finance professional, joins us to explore identity, belonging, and the experience of growing up between cultures. Born and raised in Italy to Bangladeshi parents and now living in Canada, Urmi describes herself as an “in-betweener” who never felt fully Italian or fully Bengali. She introduces the concept of the third culture kid and explains how the culture inherited from our families, the culture surrounding us as we grow up, and the identity we develop between them can all shape our understanding of who we are. Urmi opens up about struggling with the question “Where are you from?” and how appearances, accents, passports, and official forms often fail to capture the complexity of a multicultural identity. The conversation moves into how schools can better support third culture students through representation, cultural education, and opportunities to celebrate the different parts of who they are. Urmi also discusses her book, Discovering Your Identity: A Rebirth From Interracial Struggle, and her podcast, Stories Beyond Borders, where she expands the conversation through stories of migration, culture, and belonging. She leaves listeners with a powerful reminder: identity does not have to be an either-or decision. We can carry multiple cultures, find strength in each one, and create our own sense of belonging.

LEARN MORE AND CONNECT WITH URMI HOSSAIN

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/urmihossain/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@urmihossain

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

Stories Beyond Borders on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storiesbeyondborderspodcast/

Stories Beyond Borders Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-beyond-borders/id1831413373

Women in Leadership Montreal: https://www.womeninleadership.ca/montreal

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/urmihossain

Book: Discovering Your Identity: A Rebirth From Interracial Struggle — available on Amazon

In this episode, Julian Todd-Borden, founder of Trusted Solar Pros and solar consultant with nearly 10 years of industry experience, joins us to demystify solar energy and help homeowners make more informed decisions before committing to a system. Julian opens by discussing the trust problem within the solar industry, explaining how confusing terminology, aggressive sales tactics, and underinformed representatives can leave homeowners unsure of what they are actually purchasing. He emphasizes that solar panels themselves are only the tip of the iceberg, and that components such as inverters, batteries, software, and financing structures can have a much greater impact on the long-term value of a system. Julian breaks down the differences between paying cash, financing through a traditional loan, leasing, and entering a power purchase agreement, revealing how two homeowners with nearly identical systems can experience dramatically different financial outcomes. The conversation also explores how solar can affect a home’s resale value, why an unpaid lease may complicate a future sale, and how changes to federal tax incentives are shaping solar investments in 2026. Throughout the episode, Julian encourages listeners to clarify their goals, compare every available option, recognize common sales red flags, and seek guidance tailored to their specific home and financial situation. He leaves listeners with an important reminder: solar can be a valuable environmental and financial investment, but education is essential to getting it right from the beginning.

LEARN MORE AND CONNECT WITH JULIAN TODD-BORDEN

Website: https://trustedsolarpros.com

Email: [email protected]

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@trustedsolarpros

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

In this milestone 100th episode, Jalena Tesanovich, Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner, board-certified health and wellness coach, and specialist in nervous system health and trauma resolution, joins us to talk about what true nervous system regulation actually looks like and why it does not always mean being calm. Jalena opens by distinguishing between trauma-informed and trauma-trained care, explaining why nervous system work requires a nuanced, bottom-up approach that addresses what is happening in the body rather than relying only on mindset shifts or cognitive understanding. She introduces two central goals of this work: building the capacity to hold life as it is and developing the flexibility to move through different emotional states without becoming stuck. The conversation then turns to perimenopause and menopause, as Jalena explains how hormonal fluctuations, rising cortisol, caffeine sensitivity, and a reduced capacity for stress can leave high-achieving women feeling as though their bodies no longer respond the way they once did. She speaks candidly about chronic overriding, the survival patterns that teach women to push through exhaustion, and why slowing down or taking a break can sometimes feel unsafe. Jalena also offers a practical starting point by encouraging listeners to create brief transition pauses throughout the day, beginning with whatever amount of time feels tolerable. She emphasizes that nervous system healing happens through consistent microdoses rather than quick fixes, reminding us that we cannot “Amazon Prime” our healing. The conversation closes with a deeper look at Somatic Experiencing®, the difference between managing activation and completing the body’s stress response, and a compassionate reminder that our nervous systems are not working against us. They are trying to keep us safe, and lasting change begins when we meet those protective patterns with curiosity, patience, and more love rather than shame.

LEARN MORE AND CONNECT WITH JALENA TESANOVICH

FREE Weekly Regulation Group: phttps://stan.store/JalenaT/p/join-body-regulated-now

Website: https://jalenat.com

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jalenat

In this episode, Dr. JoNeil Conley, nurse, author, and workplace bullying expert with nearly 50 years of experience in healthcare, joins us to talk about what bullying actually is, why our bodies respond to it the way they do, and what we can do about it. Dr. JoNeil opens by introducing the bullying spectrum, drawing a clear distinction between rudeness, intentional bullying, and narcissistic behavior, and explains why lumping them all together leaves us without the right tools to respond. She then takes us inside the nervous system, breaking down polyvagal theory, the amygdala hijack, and why our brain cannot tell the difference between a saber-toothed tiger and a cutting comment in the break room. One of the most powerful takeaways of the conversation: your reaction is not a character flaw. It is biology. From there, Dr. JoNeil walks through her crash cart framework, a four-drawer approach to moving from immediate reaction through de-escalation, documentation, and the ultimate decision of who gets to stay in your life. She also speaks candidly about owning your mistakes, giving yourself grace, and the importance of building a safe tribe, because when your amygdala is off the rails, you need your people. The conversation closes with her Five R framework: reframe, recognize, respond, and rise.

LEARN MORE AND CONNECT WITH DR. JONEIL CONLEY

Website: https://www.drjoneil.com

YouTube: JoNeil Conley, Bully-ologist

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.JoNeil/

The Biology of Bullying on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H1LDTH81

Free Biology of Bullying Resources: https://www.drjoneil.com/book-resources

In this episode, Moriah Riona, award-winning luxury brand designer, certified life coach, and founder of Moriah Riona Branding, joins us to talk about what it really takes to build a brand that attracts high-level clients, commands premium pricing, and creates lasting equity. Moriah opens by drawing a sharp distinction between a business and a brand, explaining why a brand is an appreciating asset and the only thing worth selling when the time comes. She introduces her three-part Identity, Strategy, Design framework, making the case that the logo and the website are the last 10% of the equation, not the starting point, and that without the inner identity work, even the most beautiful brand will fall flat. She gets candid about imposter syndrome, pricing confidence, and why she believes it is never the price that loses the client but the person behind the price. The conversation moves into practical territory with tips on visual consistency, building a brand wardrobe, and auditing the full client journey to ensure every touchpoint creates the feeling you want your brand to evoke. Moriah closes by unpacking what luxury branding actually means, not a color palette or a price point, but a premium, remarkable experience that makes clients choose you every time.

LEARN MORE AND CONNECT WITH MORIAH RIONA

Website: https://moriahriona.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/moriahriona

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@moriahriona

Free Resource: 5 Figure Clients Mini-Course: https://moriahriona.com/free-course

In this episode, Rosemary Gattuso, trauma-informed family mediator, couples counsellor, and author of It's Not You, It's Me!, joins us to explore how shifting our dominant lens from what's wrong to what's strong can transform the way we navigate relationships, adversity, and personal growth. Rosemary shares how her work as a family mediator revealed a consistent pattern: clients who approached conflict through a strengths-based lens reached resolution faster, made decisions more easily, and found it far less difficult to let go of past hurts. She introduces the core framework of her book, which classifies our thoughts, feelings, and actions as either what's wrong or what's strong, and explains why the goal is not to stay on the strengths-based path at all times, but to learn from the moments we don't. The conversation also touches on what it means to be trauma-informed, how our early experiences shape our default lens, and why building self-worth through a strengths-based relationship with ourselves makes us more resilient when others doubt us. Rosemary then opens up about her upcoming book, Tell Someone Who Cares, which applies the same framework to the caregiving experience, naming the contradicting emotions caregivers carry daily and offering a compassionate guide for those supporting a loved one without losing themselves in the process.

LEARN MORE AND CONNECT WITH ROSEMARY GATTUSO

Website: https://www.rosemarygattuso.com

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosemarygattuso

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosemarygattuso/

In this episode, Kristina Katayama, founder of Be Possible and leadership and organizational development consultant, joins us to explore what it really takes to transform workplace culture from the inside out. Kristina opens by reframing how we understand culture itself, describing it not as a policy or a program, but as something we feel the moment we walk into a room or encounter another person. From there, she introduces her whole systems change approach, which begins not with complaints about what isn't working, but with listening sessions designed to surface exceptional moments and uncover the conditions that made them possible. She explains why sustainable culture change cannot be mandated from the top down, and why it begins with sovereign choice: one internal champion, and individuals across the organization who choose to participate. Through the concept of micro-experiments, small, intentional actions embedded in everyday interactions, Kristina illustrates how a single person speaking up in a meeting can shift the dynamic for an entire team. She also walks through Be Possible's five-phase framework for enterprise-wide transformation, from discovery and dreaming to experimentation, evidence-based recommendations, and scaling what works. The conversation closes on the importance of nervous system regulation and emotional intelligence as foundations for any meaningful organizational change, and on Kristina's reminder that contributing to collective well-being has to begin with tending to your own.

LEARN MORE AND CONNECT WITH KRISTINA KATAYAMA

Website: https://www.bepossible.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-katayama-029834

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

Transformational Stories: http://www.bepossible.com/stories

What's Really Driving Tension on Your Team: https://www.bepossible.com/insights/whats-really-driving-tension-on-your-team

Leadership Range and Self-Awareness Quiz: https://www.bepossible.com/insights/leadership-range-and-self-awareness-quiz

Transforming Conflict into Collaboration: https://www.bepossible.com/insights/transforming-conflict-into-collaboration

Team and Organizational Nervous System Quiz: https://www.bepossible.com/insights/team-and-organizational-nervous-system-wise

In this episode, Tanesha L. Moody, speaker, certified coach, and founder of Full Out Coaching, joins us to talk about finding your purpose, navigating rejection, and building the clarity and courage to live life on your own terms. Tanesha opens by describing herself as a multi-passionate, tracing a path from professional theater and Broadway's Mean Girls First National Tour to corporate leadership roles at Disney, Under Armour, and Salesforce, where an unexpected layoff 3,000 miles from home became the catalyst for her deepest personal reinvention. She introduces her powerful reframe, "You weren't rejected. Your offer was," and explains how separating identity from outcomes gave her the courage to keep putting herself out there. From there, she walks through her IGNIS Purpose Framework, a practical tool for uncovering gifts, connecting life experiences, and arriving at a purpose statement you can actually live by, and her C.L.E.A.R. Method for doing so full out, one assignment at a time. She also shares her SAFE Feedback approach for leaders who want to give feedback that is specific, actionable, growth-focused, and empathetic. The conversation closes with a reminder that resonates throughout: purpose leaves breadcrumbs, and you have likely been living yours all along.

LEARN MORE AND CONNECT WITH TANESHA MOODY

Website: https://www.taneshalmoody.com

Instagram/TikTok: @taneshalmoody

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taneshalmoody

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575896310658

Full Out Coaching Instagram: @fulloutcoaching

Full Out Coaching LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/97437246

Full Out Coaching Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552659243143

Find, Name, and Live Your Purpose: https://www.taneshalmoody.com/ignis

You Weren't Rejected, Your Offer Was: https://www.taneshalmoody.com/you-werent-rejected

Reframe Rejection Free Ebook: https://www.taneshalmoody.com/rejectionebook

In this episode, Prassède Kemp, founder of Numinous, joins us to talk about strategic marketing for small business owners, solopreneurs, and founders who are ready to stop guessing and start growing with intention. Prassède opens with a foundational reframe: marketing is not the same as sales, and understanding the difference is key to building a system that works for you. She introduces a strengths-based approach to choosing your marketing channels, encouraging business owners to consider their natural abilities, available time, and barriers to action before committing to any platform or strategy. From there, the conversation digs into the three pillars of her marketing system: email marketing, social media, and blogging. Prassède makes a compelling case for email as one of the most underrated and highest-converting tools available, sharing her newsletter formula and breaking down the types of emails every business should have in rotation. On social media, she challenges the pressure to post constantly, explaining that for most businesses, the real job of social media is validation, not virality. She closes with a practical breakdown of blogging as a long-form content engine that feeds every other channel, and leaves listeners with one clear piece of advice: choose the one thing you can commit to consistently, get great at it, and build from there.

LEARN MORE AND CONNECT WITH PRASSÈDE KEMP

Website: https://www.numinouscreative.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/numinous.creative/