Curveball: A podcast about possibility

What happens when life rips away the identities you thought were permanent?

For Amy Jo Esser, the hits came fast: losing her brother way too soon, then losing not one but two jobs she loved. The kind of one-two punch that makes you stare at your life like… wait, who am I now?

She could’ve stayed stuck there. Instead, she did something quietly powerful: she built structure where everything else felt shaky.

Amy Jo doubled down on her health, her faith, and the small daily habits that kept her steady when life wasn’t. What started as survival turned into something bigger – a framework she now teaches as Winning Rhythms.

Today, she helps people trade motivation (flaky, unreliable) for consistency (boring, life-changing). In this episode, she shares how grief reshaped her priorities, why she’s worked out almost every day for decades, and how missing one habit can spiral into months of “I’ll start again Monday.”

We also get into her 1111 Winning Rhythm Formula, making goals non-negotiable (yes, like brushing your teeth), and why one bold move a day can change your identity faster than waiting around to “feel ready.”

And get this - using her own methodology, Amy Jo has not missed a day of working out in like a thousand years. Not one day. Amazing. 

It’s practical. It’s honest. And it’s the kind of wisdom that actually works – especially on the days when you’d rather do literally anything else.

Quote:

“If you want to cross your finish lines, you must master your winning rhythms.”

Guest Links:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/amyjoesser

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

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

Sadia Hameed had a plan.
A really good one.

After 25 years leading in the nonprofit and philanthropic world – building a globally respected organization from the ground up – she walked away with a vision for something bigger, more aligned, and deeply needed.

There was just one problem.

No one bought it.

What followed wasn’t just a business pivot. It was a full-body, soul-level collapse that forced Sadia to confront something most high-achieving women never stop to question:

What if the way you’ve been taught to succeed… isn’t actually meant for you?

In this conversation, Sadia shares how burnout, perfectionism, and “doing everything right” led her straight into a breaking point – and how that breaking point became the doorway into a completely different way of living, working, and leading.

We talk nervous systems, identity, intuition, cycles, and what it really means to come back to yourself after years of performing.

This one doesn’t just make you think – it makes you feel.

Quote:
“Suffering is a chosen state of being… and we can choose something different.”

Guest Links:

Website: https://www.sadiahameed.com/

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sadia.hameed.co/

On paper, Jon Rosenberg had it all.

Big roles. Big companies. Big funding rounds. The kind of career that makes people nod approvingly and say, “Wow, you’ve really made it.”

And then one day… he came home from a “successful” business trip, completely wiped, sat down on the floor to play Legos with his kids – and had a realization that stopped him cold:

He had built a life he wasn’t sure he even wanted.

Not exactly the kind of thought you can un-think.

That moment didn’t spark a dramatic, movie-style exit. (Wouldn’t that be nice?) It started something slower. Messier. More honest.

A shift from chasing success… to actually questioning what thriving looks like.

In this conversation, Jon breaks down the difference between success (external, shiny, applause-worthy) and thriving (internal, grounded, yours), and introduces his AIR Method – a simple but powerful way to move out of survival mode and back into your own life.

We also get into burnout, identity, the trap of tying your worth to your title, and why so many of us are walking around with just enough success to look fine… and just enough disconnection to feel anything but.

If you’ve ever thought, “I should be happier than this,” this episode might hit a little close – in the best way.

Quote:
“We often trade our thriving for success – and that comes at a cost.” 

Guest Links:

Website: https://www.jonrosemberg.com/

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

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

This one doesn’t start with a gentle nudge.

It starts with everything… disappearing.

In a matter of hours.

DeAnna Crawford went from stable, hopeful, and building a life for her kids to broke, in debt, and wondering how she was going to put food on the table. Not because she made a reckless decision – but because trust was broken in the worst possible way.

And if that wasn’t enough? Add in single motherhood, three jobs, school, and the kind of shame that makes you want to disappear.

Cool, cool, cool.

What happens next is where this story shifts.

Because Deanna didn’t stay there.

She rebuilt. Not overnight. Not magically. But step by step, job by job, decision by decision – until she created a completely different life and now helps other women do the same.

We talk about what rock bottom actually feels like (hint: lonely, humbling, and weirdly clarifying), why mindset matters but isn’t the whole story, and how to start rebuilding when you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, and not exactly in the mood to “manifest your dream life.”

If you’ve ever felt stuck, drained, or like life knocked you flat on your back – this one’s for you.

Quote:
“No one’s coming to save you. And that’s where your power is.”

Guest Links:

Website: https://deannacrawford.com/

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

She did everything right.

Climbed the ladder. Put in the years. Landed the title. The paycheck. The “you made it” moment.

And then… realized she hated it.

In this episode, Molly Smith shares what happens when the version of success you worked 15 years for suddenly feels completely misaligned – and what it takes to walk away from it on purpose.

We get into the quiet burnout that builds over time, the coping habits that sneak in when something’s off, and the moment Molly said the scariest sentence of her life out loud.

Spoiler: it didn’t ruin everything. It changed everything.

From stepping down in title and salary (yes, really) to redefining what success actually feels like in your body, this conversation is for anyone who’s ever thought, “I should be happy… so why am I not?”

Also discussed: emotional chaos, “the funk,” quitting wine (temporarily or otherwise), and why trying to control the how and when of your life will drive you slightly bananas.

Quote:
“Sometimes what feels like a setback is actually the exact setup you asked for.”

Guest Links:

Website: https://nextbeststep.co/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mollypositivepants

Danielle Blum sat down to write a thriller.

What she didn’t plan on? Interviewing over 100 people with dissociative identity disorder (DID), scrapping the story she thought she was telling, and becoming an advocate for mental health and misunderstood diagnoses in the process.

In this Curveball episode, Danie shares how a novel idea turned into something much deeper  –  a calling. We talk about her journey from curiosity to compassion, what it means to hold other people’s stories with care, and how her research changed her  –  not just as a writer, but as a human.

We also talk about:
 – How the brain protects us by splitting identity
 – Why integration isn't always the goal (even if therapy says it is)
 – What it’s like to hold secrets that aren’t yours  –  but feel like they could be
 – The “inner worlds” of people living with DID (think pirate ships, schools, and yes, Gollum)
 – Trusting your gut, even when it leads to a completely different life in Portugal

If you’re a writer, a feeler, or someone who’s been underestimated  –  this one’s for you.

Quote:
"Some people build pirate ships or schoolhouses in their inner world. That’s not delusion  –  that’s protection."

Guest Links:

Website: https://www.danielleblum.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563532341257
      https://www.facebook.com/daniestarfish/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamdanielleblum/?hl=en
      https://www.instagram.com/daniestarfish/?hl=en

If resilience had a face, it might look a lot like David Jarvis.

After more than two decades of service in the British Army, David was abruptly and medically discharged – navigating permanent injury, PTSD, and the jarring loss of identity that comes with removing the uniform for the last time. 

And just when he was about to compete in the Invictus Games for Team UK, life handed him one more curveball – a Type 1 diabetes diagnosis so severe, doctors told him he’d be dead in days if he hadn’t shown up when he did.

Did he quit? Not a chance. Instead, David learned how to jab himself nine times a day, recalibrate his entire life, and still brought home a gold medal.

This episode is an adrenaline shot of humility, perspective, and radical accountability – with one of the most inspiring stories we’ve ever heard on Curveball.

Quote:
“You don’t get resilience handed to you. You build it by learning to adapt.”

Guest Links:

Website: https://speakingsbc.com/

If your business has become a 24/7 hustle factory run by your inner control freak, take a breath. This episode might just change everything.

Most entrepreneurs are not built for burnout  –  but we’re really good at walking straight into it with open arms.

In this episode, Enel Soeson (co-founder of Denk B2B) serves up a truth sandwich about why most solo entrepreneurs are overworked, underpaid, and running on fumes. Spoiler: It’s not because you’re not good enough. It’s because you’re chasing the wrong clients.

Enel is on a mission to help coaches, creatives, and healers stop playing small in the private client hamster wheel  –  and start packaging what they already do for businesses with real budgets. We’re talking B2B clarity, positioning, confidence, and sanity.

If you’ve ever stared at your to-do list and wondered, “Why am I working harder than ever and still broke?”  –  this episode is your new Bible.

Quote:
“You don’t need to work harder. You need to reposition what you already do.”

Guest Links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enelsoeson/?hl=en

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

No investors. No perfect English. Just a notebook, a deep faith, and a flavor-packed wing recipe. This is how Lizzie Balthazar Soria started building her dream from the kitchen table  –  one leap of faith at a time.

What if the best thing you ever did… started with a notebook in your kitchen and a quiet whisper from God?

That’s how Lizzie Balthazar Soria launched her first business  –  a food truck called Lizzie’s Spices of Life  –  even though English wasn’t her first language and fear was a constant companion. From slow nights and language barriers to juggling multiple jobs and walking away from steady paychecks, Lizzie’s story is a masterclass in purpose over profit and obedience over certainty.

Now, she's added a salad dressing line, stepped into financial services, and even rented her truck to help other women build their dreams. If you've ever felt like you weren’t “ready”  –  not good enough, fluent enough, fancy-school enough  –  this episode will wrap you up like a warm plate of Lizzie’s wings and remind you: God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.

Quote:
“It wasn’t about the money  –  it was about the purpose.”

Guest Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.baltazarsoria.9

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ChefLizzy94/

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

Five life-shattering curveballs. One giant truth: you can’t outrun overwhelm, but you can outsmart it.

When you’re a solo mom commuting four hours a day to run a male-dominated family business in Brooklyn  –  while navigating miscarriage, divorce, abuse, and suicide loss  –  something’s gotta give. For Corrie LoGiudice (a.k.a. Cory L.), what gave was her entire identity.

In this episode, Corrie breaks down the five curveballs that nearly took her out  –  and how she turned them into a method for helping high-achieving women stop drowning in their ambition. Her “Overwhelm Culprits” framework isn’t just cute branding (though yes, she trademarked it). It’s a lifeline for anyone who’s ever felt like they were stuck in survival mode but still expected to show up, smile, and slay.

If you’ve ever felt like you were doing everything “right” and still falling apart inside, you need this conversation. Immediately.

Quote:
“You’re never fully stress-free. Life doesn’t work like that. But you can learn how to surf it better.”

Guest Links:

Website: https://corrielo.com/

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

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