In this episode, we sit down with Phil Januszewski, nationally known keynote speaker, tattooed joy ambassador, and former high school chemistry teacher turned professional inspirer. After 20 years of teaching and witnessing too many brilliant educators, healthcare workers, and helping professionals running on empty, Phil made it his mission to help our world’s givers flourish again.

Phil’s message? Thriving isn’t luck, it’s lifestyle. He shares the pivotal moment a single book, Big Potential by Shawn Achor, flipped his perspective and sparked his journey into the science of positive psychology. With his signature blend of energy, humor, and soul, Phil unpacks his framework from his keynote, “Less Tired, More Inspired,” guiding listeners through:

• How to identify the “-ers” that lift you higher (energizer, supporter, encourager).
• Why scheduling joy isn’t selfish, it's strategic.
• Ways to let go of the noise that drains your spark.

Get ready for a conversation that mixes motivation with science, storytelling with self-discovery, and leaves you ready to show up to your life with more energy, more purpose, and more you.

Tune in to learn how to rekindle your passion, sustain your purpose, and redefine what giving can feel like.

Phil Januszewski is a nationally known dynamic keynote speaker that empowers our “givers” in the world to flourish more in their personal lives in order to create greater impact in their careers and community; all while avoiding burnout, boredom, and cynicism.

Phil is an energetic speaker (since 2013), experienced educator (20 years), and charismatic creator. He holds a bachelor’s in chemistry, a master’s in teaching leadership, and a positive education certification. Known for his high energy, blend of entertainment and impact, and heavily tattooed skin, Phil lives out his personal mission of creating and spreading happiness through motivation, education, and entertainment.

Want to know how you can begin your journey to hope and healing? Visit Elevated Life Academy for classes and free resources for personal development and healing.

Resources:

CherieLindberg.com

ElevatedLifeAcademy.com

Guest Links:

Website: https://philjanuszewski.com/

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

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

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

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

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@philjanuszewski

Twitter/X: https://x.com/philjanuszewski

Positive Growth Clothing Store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PositiveGrowthStore

Link to Subscribe to Positive Growth Lounge Emails: https://mailchi.mp/efbb1914fa7b/join-the-positive-growth-lounge-email-list

This episode dives deep into the remarkable journey of John R. Spender, founder of A Journey of Riches, writing coach, award-winning documentary filmmaker, and living embodiment of resilience. Once unable to read or write until age ten, John has since co-authored over 45 books, guided more than 450 authors across 50+ countries, and created an award-winning film, The Gift in Adversity, featuring thought leaders like Jack Canfield, Michael Beckwith, and Dr. John Demartini.

In this intimate conversation, we explore how John transformed his early challenges, including childhood trauma and educational struggles, into fuel for purpose-driven storytelling that heals and inspires. He shares his evolution from landscaper to life coach, the pivotal moment his teacher recognized his gift, and how his time in Bali and the world of NLP shaped his coaching philosophy.

Listeners will walk away with powerful insights on how to:

• Turn personal adversity into creative expression and purpose.
• Reframe life’s challenges through storytelling as a vehicle for healing.
• Build a global legacy rooted in authenticity, service, and resilience.

This episode is a masterclass in transformation and a testament to the human spirit’s capacity to rewrite its story: one chapter at a time.

John R. Spender is the founder of A Journey of Riches, a writing coach, and an award-winning documentary film director whose life journey is rooted in resilience and transformation. Despite being illiterate until the age of ten, John co-wrote more than 45 books and founded Abundant Publishing, helping over 450 authors from 50+ countries share their stories and achieve bestseller success. His award-winning documentary, The Gift in Adversity, which features global thought leaders Jack Canfield, Michael Beckwith, Dr. John Demartini, continues to impact audiences worldwide. John’s work centers on helping people turn life’s challenges into purpose-driven stories that inspire healing, growth, and authentic living.

Want to know how you can begin your journey to hope and healing? Visit Elevated Life Academy for classes and free resources for personal development and healing.

Resources:

CherieLindberg.com

ElevatedLifeAcademy.com

Guest Links:

https://www.facebook.com/john.rspender/

www.linkedin.com/in/john-r-spender-7a171630

www.ajourneyofriches.com

www.youtube.com/@ajourneyofriches3672

What happens when the life you’ve built no longer fits, even as you’re still living it? In this episode, we sit down with Megan Malick, grief guide, speaker, and author of A New Path: A Practical Workbook and Planner for the First Year of Grief and Settling Your Person’s Affairs. A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and certified Brainspotting Practitioner, Megan invites us into a profound conversation about loss, identity, and the courage to live within the mystery of transformation.

Three weeks before her first Brainspotting training in 2022, Megan’s mother died unexpectedly. By the end of that same training, her father’s illness and dying had begun. What followed was a season of deep reckoning: self-spotting, journaling, and learning to bring soul into the most practical parts of grief.

In this conversation, Megan shares how her healing journey and Brainspotting experiences reshaped not only her work but her very sense of self. We explore how grief can be a creative companion, why “play” became her compass during uncertainty, and how listening to the quiet invitations of the soul can open portals to profound healing and purpose.

If you’ve ever found yourself suspended between who you’ve been and who you’re becoming, this episode is a tender and illuminating guidepost for your own unfolding path.

Key themes:

1. Living with “the sacred unknown”
2. Grief as a creative and spiritual process
3. Brainspotting as a tool for self-healing
4. The power of play in personal transformation
5. Bringing soul into the practical realities of life

Megan Malick is a grief guide, speaker, and author of A New Path: A Practical Workbook and Planner for the First Year of Grief and Settling Your Person’s Affairs. A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and certified Brainspotting Practitioner, Megan draws on her background in education, ministry, and psychotherapy to create soulful spaces of meaning and transformation. Megan believes the “mundane” is often a portal for healing and growth.

Want to know how you can begin your journey to hope and healing? Visit Elevated Life Academy for classes and free resources for personal development and healing.

Resources:

CherieLindberg.com

ElevatedLifeAcademy.com

Guest Links:

https://a-new-path.com/

https://meganmalick.substack.com/

https://www.facebook.com/revmeganmalick

https://www.instagram.com/meganmmalick/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/revmeganmalick/

https://youtube.com/@meganmalick

https://a.co/d/fsN9b6J

What does it mean to teach and live, with our humanity at the center? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Judy Jaunzems-Fernuk, an educator, researcher, mental health practitioner, and parent whose work bridges the College of Education and the College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan. Grounded in decades of experience and reflection, Dr. Judy developed The Human Curriculum: a framework that helps educators, practitioners, and communities navigate the beautiful struggle of being human together.

She reminds us that teaching and caring for others begins with our own self-care: what she calls the “self-care to care gift.” Built around the guiding process of Aware, Care, Cope (ACC), The Human Curriculum invites us to become more conscious of our needs and the needs of others, to integrate care as an intentional practice, and to cultivate skills that support coping, resilience, and collective well-being.

In this conversation, Dr. Judy shares her realization that no one is truly “trained” for the complexity of the human condition, yet it is precisely through our shared suffering, striving, and surviving that we become most capable of genuine teaching and connection. Whether you’re an educator, clinician, parent, or simply someone trying to do your best in an imperfect world, this episode will leave you reflecting on your own human curriculum.

Topics covered:

1. The origins and evolution of The Human Curriculum
2. Surviving and thriving in education and care professions
3. The Aware, Care, Cope process as a daily practice
4. The “self-care to collective care” principle
5. Reframing imperfection and struggle as essential to growth

Dr. Judy Jaunzems-Fernuk, RTC, MTC, is the Well-being Coordinator in the College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan, and a Faculty member and Researcher in the College of Education. Judy brings over two decades of educational expertise and clinical practice to her endeavours, and has a keen interest in the intersections of mental health, leadership, and education. Therapeutic and healing-centred practices are her current focus. Judy believes self-care and personal well-being are essential for strong leadership, especially for those in caregiving professions, i.e., anyone in a position that holds humans at the heart of their work.

Want to know how you can begin your journey to hope and healing? Visit Elevated Life Academy for classes and free resources for personal development and healing.

Resources:

CherieLindberg.com

ElevatedLifeAcademy.com

Guest Links:

Social Media:

Instagram: @drjudyjaunzemsfernuk

Facebook: Prairie Sky Education

Websites:

http://www.drjudyjaunzemsfernuk.com

www.therapeuticteaching.com

www.prairieskyeducation.ca

www.thehumancurriculum.ca

Order The Human Curriculum™ Journal:

https://www.amazon.ca/Human-Curriculum-Reflective-Journal-Self-Discovery/dp/B0DGQ1VVZJ

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Gilly Kahn, Atlanta-based psychologist, mother, and debut author of Allow Me to Interrupt: A Psychologist Reveals the Emotional Truth Behind Women's' ADHD. Originally from Miami and now calling Atlanta home, Gilly opens up about her journey from curious child to clinical expert, and how parenting her own "baby bears" informs her approach to both writing and therapy.

Gilly's new book brings long-overdue attention to the emotional side of ADHD in girls and women, breaking down the myths and misunderstandings that surround adult ADHD—especially how it often flies under the radar. As a regular contributor to Psychology Today, Attitude Magazine, and beyond, Gilly shines a compassionate light on neurodiversity, anxiety, depression, OCD, and body-focused behaviors .

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. What finally motivated her to write Allow Me to Interrupt—and the impact she hopes it will have.
2. Why emotional dysregulation is often at the heart of women's ADHD, and what that looks like in daily life.
3. How Gilly blends her passion for writing with her role as a therapist in a bustling group practice.
4. The unique clinical challenges that come with working with kids, adults, and parents on the full neurodiversity spectrum.
5. Gilly's take on how having ADHD herself drives her passion for variety and creativity, both in and out of the therapy room.

Tune in if you want an eye-opening look at what women with ADHD truly experience—and why giving voice to these stories changes lives.

Gilly Kahn, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist based in Atlanta and specializing in neurodiversity and emotion regulation. When not seeing clients or mommying, you’ll usually find her writing, probably about something psychological. Gilly is the author of Allow Me to Interrupt: A Psychologist Reveals the Emotional Truth Behind Women’s ADHD.

Want to know how you can begin your journey to hope and healing? Visit Elevated Life Academy for classes and free resources for personal development and healing.

Resources:

CherieLindberg.com

ElevatedLifeAcademy.com

Guest Links:

https://www.drgillykahn.com

https://www.instagram.com/drgillykahn/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilly-kahn-m-a-ph-d-1996892b4/

https://www.facebook.com

https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.gillykahn

In this heartfelt conversation, trauma therapist-turned-coach Cherie Lindberg opens up about her deeply personal journey and the inspiration behind her new book, Sacred Knowing. After two decades helping others navigate trauma, Cherie experienced a profound shift following the loss of her childhood best friend, a moment that sparked her decision to move beyond trauma work and into coaching focused on flourishing, thriving, and living an elevated life.

Cherie shares why she felt compelled to write this book and how it became a reflection of her own healing—an exploration of what it means to release pain, reclaim self-love, and trust the sacred inner knowing that guides us toward wholeness. Through stories, reflections, and a look at key chapters, Cherie reminds listeners that even those with high Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) scores are not defined by their history. With support, intention, and compassion, healing and transformation are possible.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. How a personal loss led to Cherie’s pivot from trauma therapy to high-performance coaching and healing work.
2. Why Sacred Knowing is as much a guidebook for healers as it is for those reclaiming their lives after trauma.
3. The science behind healer burnout and the importance of energy clearing for long-term well-being.
4. Cherie’s invitation to see healing not as an endless journey of “fixing,” but as an opportunity to flourish, love again, and thrive.

If you’ve ever wondered how to move beyond your pain story and live from a place of sacred authenticity, this conversation offers both inspiration and a roadmap.

Cherie Lindberg, PhD, is a transformational coach, speaker, advisor, and psychotherapist with over 20 years of guiding individuals into the highest expression of who they are: personally, professionally, and spiritually. At the heart of her work is a sacred mission to awaken high-performing healers, leaders, and changemakers who are ready to break through old patterns, reclaim their energy, and step into embodied leadership. As a Brainspotting Trainer and Consultant, Cherie weaves Brainspotting, Parts Work, and leading-edge modalities with neuroscience, consciousness practices, and nervous system regulation to create deep, lasting change. Rooted in Peruvian and Celtic wisdom traditions, she supports clients in releasing developmental, collective, and ancestral trauma while reconnecting with their intuitive intelligence. Married for 35 years, a proud mom of two sons, and an animal lover, Cherie brings warmth, humor, and heart to every space she enters.

Want to know how you can begin your journey to hope and healing? Visit Elevated Life Academy for classes and free resources for personal development and healing.

Resources:

CherieLindberg.com

ElevatedLifeAcademy.com

In this episode, we sit down with Jessica Maitri, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Yoga Therapist, and Brainspotting practitioner based in Boise, Idaho. Over her 15 years in private practice, Jessica has woven traditional psychotherapy together with intuitive movement, energy attunement, and embodiment work—culminating in the creation of The Yothera Method.

Born during the stillness of the COVID era, Yothera was Jessica’s “COVID baby”—a deeply channeled download from higher consciousness that unfolded over six transformative months. Blending the wisdom of yoga (which means union, not posture) with therapeutic modalities, Yothera guides practitioners and their clients through a three-phase journey: rewriting old mental stories, awakening embodied intuition, and aligning body, mind, and spirit.

Jessica shares how her years as a yoga therapist laid the groundwork for this integrative approach, how local practitioners began referring clients to her for this unique somatic therapy, and why her true passion now lies in teaching others through Yothera Method trainings for continuing education credits.

Whether you’re a therapist, healer, or simply curious about the meeting point of neuroscience, intuition, and energy, this episode explores what happens when the body becomes the bridge to deeper healing.

Jessica Maitri is an LCSW, a Brainspotting Consultant, a Certified Yoga Therapist, a Breathwork Practitioner, and an Intuitive Energy Healer. She is the creator of the Yothera Method. This therapeutic modality integrates somatics, yoga therapy, and Brainspotting to help individuals transform limiting mental narratives through the wisdom of the body and intuition. Jessica is passionate about mentoring fellow helping professionals, offering Brainspotting consultation, and leading the Yothera Method Facilitator Training for CE's to support deeper healing and embodiment in the mental health and healing professions.

Want to know how you can begin your journey to hope and healing? Visit Elevated Life Academy for classes and free resources for personal development and healing.

Resources:

CherieLindberg.com

ElevatedLifeAcademy.com

Guest Links:

https://www.yothera.com/ymft-feb

https://www.yothera.com/yothera-brainspotting

https://www.yothera.com/ymft-selfpaced

www.yothera.com.

IG: @yothera_method

Ashley Buckner is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist serving clients in Utah and California. Her path as a therapist began with a passion for supporting at-risk youth, which grew into a career dedicated to trauma healing. Today, she specializes in Brainspotting and provides care for adults, teens, and families, with a focus on trauma, anxiety, depression, and faith transitions. She is also passionate about creating safe, supportive spaces in her community.

What happens when you build a life outside your religion and hometown—then choose to go back? In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Ashley Buckner shares how moving from small-town Mormon Utah to Los Angeles, then unexpectedly back to Utah, shaped her healing and her work with trauma, faith transitions, and family systems.

Ashley talks about growing up in Cedar City in a mixed-faith home, the culture shock of landing in LA at 18, and how her years in California ultimately led her to specialize in trauma-focused therapy and Brainspotting. She also reflects on returning to Utah in 2018 to start a family, how that move reactivated religious wounds, and why living back inside the culture that shaped her became both deeply difficult and profoundly reparative.

In this conversation, we explore:

1. What Brainspotting is and why “where you look affects how you feel” can be so powerful for trauma, anxiety, and depression
2. How growing up in a high-demand religious culture impacts nervous system regulation, identity, and self-worth
3. The complex mix of grief, confusion, and relief that can come with faith transitions and religious disillusionment
4. Why going back to a triggering environment can sometimes open the door to unexpected healing
5. How Ashley now creates safe, supportive spaces for adults, teens, and families navigating religious trauma, mixed-faith relationships, and evolving beliefs

Want to know how you can begin your journey to hope and healing? Visit Elevated Life Academy for classes and free resources for personal development and healing.

Resources:

CherieLindberg.com

ElevatedLifeAcademy.com

Guest Links:

Instagram: ashleyb_therapy

website: ashleybucknerlmft.com

In this episode, movement and expressive arts therapist Cathy Williams invites us into the deeply personal and transformative story behind her work, Intuitive Self. Based in Melbourne, Cathy creates embodied experiences and soulful spaces that help people reconnect with the subtle intelligence of their bodies—guiding them to move through life with greater intuition, trust, and alignment.

Cathy shares how years of humanitarian work overseas left her physically and emotionally depleted, living from the neck up and disconnected from the signals her body had been trying to communicate. It wasn’t until burnout forced her to stop running and truly feel that she began learning what her body had to say—and how to listen.

Through that journey, Cathy discovered that intuition is not a mystical force outside of us but a relationship built through curiosity, respect, and trust in our own embodied experience. Today, she teaches others how to work in partnership with the body rather than against it—to navigate choices, relationships, and emotions with grounded confidence.

Together, we explore what it means to come home to yourself, to slow down enough to honor what your body already knows, and to move through the world with values that feel genuinely aligned.

Topics covered:

• How disconnection from the body can lead to burnout and overwhelm
• The role of movement and expressive arts in restoring self-trust
• Learning to interpret the body’s signals as intuitive guidance
• The relationship between embodiment, community, and belonging
• Steps to rebuild a respectful partnership with your body

Cathy Williams is a Melbourne-born and based Award-winning Author and trailblazer in the world of body-based healing and creative arts therapy. 

A trainer and facilitator, Cathy founded Intuitive Self in 2016, where her workshops, training courses, and one-on-one sessions support women to rekindle their relationship with their bodies and re-learn how to listen to, trust in, and follow their intuition.

As an independent mama herself, Cathy has supported women during their pregnancy and motherhood journeys. Known for her compassionate, empowering approach, Cathy encourages deep yet playful exploration for self-discovery, healing, and personal growth.

Want to know how you can begin your journey to hope and healing? Visit Elevated Life Academy for classes and free resources for personal development and healing. 

Resources:

CherieLindberg.com

ElevatedLifeAcademy.com

Guest Links:

www.intuitiveself.com.au 

https://www.instagram.com/intuitiveself

Book: https://www.intuitiveself.com.au/category/all-products

What happens when a life built on excellence collides with an inner world of quiet suffering? In this powerful conversation, Stacey Nye shares her remarkable story of growing up immersed in the Olympic movement—surrounded by achievement, world-class athletes, and the pursuit of greatness. From her earliest years, the values of service, discipline, and striving were woven into her identity. By 16, she was working at the Games with her father and fell in love with the energy of it all, even as he reminded her, “Sweetie, there’s no money in it.” Stacey’s response: “I think I’ll figure out a way.”

But behind the smile and success, Stacey carried deep personal pain. In the midst of divorce and heartbreak, she was introduced to Daniel, the founder of The Fix Code. For the first time in years, she felt hope. Through his wisdom and healing process, Stacey discovered a path beyond performance, beyond striving—a way to truly transform the private struggles she had hidden for so long.

Join us for this inspiring episode as Stacey unpacks:

• What it’s like to grow up in an Olympic family and culture of excellence
• The healing modalities she encountered through athletics—Chinese medicine, mind-body training, and resilience practices
• How The Fix Code shifted everything, bringing her peace, freedom, and a new way of living

This is a conversation about the difference between performing at life and actually living it, with presence, wholeness, and hope.

Stacey Nye began her career with a 22-year journey in the Olympic Games before opening a children’s gymnastics club while raising her family. A transformative encounter with Daniel and The F.I.X. Code Technique changed the course of her life, inspiring her to dedicate herself to bringing this powerful healing method to the world. Today, Stacey trains and mentors others through online programs and certification, supporting a global community of passionate healers.

Want to know how you can begin your journey to hope and healing? Visit Elevated Life Academy for classes and free resources for personal development and healing. 

Resources:

CherieLindberg.com

ElevatedLifeAcademy.com

Guest Links:

https://www.instagram.com/fixcodeofficial/

https://www.tiktok.com/@fixcodeofficial?lang=en

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyD5b6-6TKAf0H9oMfuvHcg

https://www.thefixcode.com/