Fearlyss & Unfiltered

We want to hear your thoughts!

If you've built your business on referrals, community, and generosity, you're probably wired to repay every kindness. That's a beautiful trait. It's also a trap.

In this episode of Fearlyss & Unfiltered, Alyssa shares the moment she realized she was about to hire someone who wasn't the right fit, purely because she felt like she owed them. That light bulb opened up a bigger conversation about the difference between integrity and guilt, why high-integrity people make bad business decisions trying to prove they're loyal, and what it costs when your calendar is full of things you were too afraid to say no to.

She walks through how choosing alignment over obligation touches every part of the Fearlyss FLOW Framework (Foundation, Lifestyle, Offer, Wisdom), explains why every misaligned yes carries interest, and closes with one question to help you find the obligation you're carrying right now.

This one's for founders, service providers, creatives, and anyone building a personal brand who's ever said yes and meant no.

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We want to hear your thoughts!

Most women have been handed the same message somewhere along the way: “this is just part of being a woman, so deal with it.” In this episode of Fearlyss & Unfiltered, Alyssa talks with Dr. Rachel Jerozal, founder of Durham Pelvic and a pelvic floor physical therapist who has spent her career refusing to accept that message on anyone's behalf.

Rachel shares the story most of her patients never hear: she was the pelvic floor patient first. In her early twenties, dealing with pelvic pain and leaking with no internet and no community to turn to, she felt broken and alone. One gynecologist changed the trajectory of her life by pointing her toward pelvic floor PT, and she walked into PT school on day one knowing exactly what she wanted to do, even when her classmates and professors told her she'd change her mind.

They get into the Six P's that became her brand, why she throws out the cookie-cutter treatment plan, and how social media is finally bringing this conversation into the open. Along the way, Alyssa connects Rachel's story back to personal branding: how so many founders build an authentic brand simply by doing the work they're passionate about, before they ever call it a brand.

It's honest, it's a little unfiltered (as promised), and it's the episode to send to every woman who has ever thought "I guess this is just my life now."

You can find Rachel at www.durhampelvicpt.com or on Instagram @racheljphysicaltherapy

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We want to hear your thoughts!

In this solo episode of Fearlyss & Unfiltered, Alyssa shares her personal journey of navigating major life changes while maintaining and evolving her personal brand. She emphasizes the importance of authenticity, vulnerability, and strategic pivoting to stay aligned with your true self and goals.

Key topics:

• How personal life shifts influence your brand identity
• Building and re-aligning your brand through authentic sharing
• The Flow Framework: Assessing core values to guide branding
• Building in public and embracing vulnerability during transitions
• The importance of sharing small, relatable moments to connect deeply
• Overcoming fear and insecurities when pivoting your personal brand
• Practical tips for staying true to yourself while evolving your branding
• Examples of real-life brand pivots and lessons learned
• Why polished perfection can hinder genuine connection
• Encouragement to reflect on what parts of your brand feel aligned versus misaligned

Timestamps: 00:01 - My journey of launching season two with authenticity 00:30 - The core idea: your personal brand should evolve with you 00:58 - Building your brand under your name vs. business name 01:52 - How life changes affect your brand identity 02:22 - Navigating brand pivots during personal and professional shifts 03:01 - Showing up authentically in tough times 03:24 - The struggle of sharing behind the curtain 04:22 - Personal brand flexibility depends on your growth 04:45 - Revisiting the Flow framework to reassess values 05:13 - Values remain stable even when circumstances change 06:11 - Leaning into entrepreneurial, motherhood, and ADHD content 06:49 - The power of packaging your authentic self 07:42 - Building in public and sharing your journey 08:53 - A real-life example of career pivot and how to navigate it 09:22 - The importance of starting imperfectly and sharing your story early 10:18 - Growing trust through transparency in your transition 11:01 - The challenge of showing up as the new version of yourself 11:26 - The willingness to be vulnerable as a key to authentic branding 12:20 - Connecting deeply by sharing relatable moments, not just polished content 13:03 - Setting boundaries on what to share in your personal story 13:58 - Using everyday moments to build rapport and conversation 15:27 - Reflection: What parts of your brand are true, and what parts need realignment? 16:30 - Digging into the fears behind your brand shifts 17:16 - When desire outweighs fear, change becomes easier 17:34 - Final thoughts: Embrace change, stay fearless, and keep authentic 18:04 - Call to action: Share and review to grow the message

Resources & Links:

 Flow Framework for Personal Branding

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We want to hear your thoughts!

I recorded this one expecting a health conversation. I got that, plus a founder story I haven't stopped thinking about.

My guest is Dr. Ashley Katzenbach, a physical therapist who spent 15 years inside the traditional insurance-based PT model before she hit what she calls her "midlife crisis" at 40. 

Three patients an hour. Twenty minutes of real hands-on time if she was lucky. A system that told her what she was allowed to treat based on a code, not what she actually saw in front of her. One sentence from a patient changed everything, and she went home and filed her LLC that same day.

We also get into why she believes almost every unexplained ache in your body traces back to one part of your body and the three supplements she recommends to nearly every woman she treats... especially through perimenopause and menopause. 

In this episode:

• Why the insurance-based healthcare model (and plenty of business models) isn't broken because of the people in it, it's broken by design
• The "seesaw effect": how your feet quietly throw off everything else in your body
• What's true, and what's overhyped, about orthotics and going barefoot
• Collagen, creatine, and omega-3s: the three most evidence-based supplements for joint pain, and why the gummy doesn't count
• Why there's no such thing as balance, just seasons and tradeoffs
• How to advocate for yourself in any rushed appointment, medical or otherwise

Resources mentioned:

• 🎙️ Podcast episode on creatine — a deeper dive on creatine's benefits, referenced in this episode. 

Connect with Dr. Ashley Katzenbach:
Founder, Cape Concierge Physical Therapy
 Cape Concierge Physical Therapy | Sandwich, Plymouth MA

Listen, then go build your own foundation.
If anything in this episode has you thinking about the "sore foot" in your own business, that's usually a Foundation conversation. Learn more about the FLOW Framework

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Connect with Alyssa here

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We want to hear your thoughts!

This week on Fearlyss & Unfiltered, Alyssa is joined by Priya Patel, host of I Wish I Knew That, for a conversation about inner work, visibility, and what it actually takes to show up online as yourself. Priya shares how her journey started with something as simple as noticing her own thoughts, and how that awareness eventually led her into coaching, and into a years-long fear that her personality was too unhinged to be taken seriously in her field. Alyssa and Priya talk through what visibility really means, why "fixing" yourself isn't a prerequisite for helping others, and the moment Priya decided to stop shrinking her personality to fit a mold that was never hers to begin with.

If you've done some of the personal development work and you're still holding back from showing up fully online, this one's for you.

SEO keywords
personal branding, visibility coach, inner work, self-worth and business, imposter syndrome coaching, authentic personal brand, ADHD entrepreneur, reinvention, unfiltered social media, coaching certification journey

Timestamp chapter suggestions (approximate, based on transcript flow)

• 0:00 Intro and welcoming Priya Patel
• 1:00 How Priya's inner work journey actually started
• 3:00 Starting with awareness instead of tools or frameworks
• 6:00 Realizing coaching was the path
• 9:00 What clients are really feeling underneath outward success
• 10:30 Where to start if you know something's off
• 13:30 The James Clear "vote" concept and rewriting stories
• 15:00 Transition into personal branding and visibility
• 18:00 The fear of being "too unhinged" for coaching
• 21:00 Alyssa's story about hiring a coach who cursed on LinkedIn
• 24:00 Final advice and closing

Connect with Priya Patel on Instagram 

Learn more about Priya's coaching

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Connect with Alyssa here

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Follow Fearlyss & Unfiltered here

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We want to hear your thoughts!

AI is changing how business owners build their brands...but most are using it wrong.

In this episode, Alyssa Olerud and AI strategist Abigail Merrill break down how to use AI strategically without losing your voice, authenticity, or competitive edge. 

This episode provides a clear, strategic perspective. Alyssa and Abigail go beyond surface-level tips to explore how AI actually works, where bias exists, and how to use these tools responsibly while still building a recognizable, human-centered brand.

With a background in revenue operations, marketing, and AI integration, Abigail brings real-world expertise to the conversation. She shares a practical framework that helps business owners adopt AI in a way that drives results without adding complexity or sacrificing brand identity.

Episode Overview

• Why business owners—especially women—are slower to adopt AI and how to overcome it
• The reality of AI bias and how it can impact your brand and decision-making
• How to use AI as a collaborator while maintaining your authentic voice
• A simple 3-step framework to integrate AI into your business operations
• Practical ways to use AI for content creation, communication, and productivity
• How AI can reduce mental load and give you back time as a business owner

Connect with Abigail here:

GrowthUP Partners | AI Consulting in the Triangle

Abigail Merrill | LinkedIn

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We want to hear your thoughts!

What happens when success on paper no longer feels aligned internally?

In this episode of Fearlyss & Unfiltered, Alyssa Olerud sits down with former immigration attorney turned mindfulness coach Rashmi Shah to explore burnout, alignment, and conscious leadership. This conversation is for the mother and business owner who want to lead with grounded presence instead of pressure.

Rashmi shares the pivotal moment that made her question whether she was truly well, how nervous system regulation became the foundation for her career pivot.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why meaningful career pivots are often a slow burn
• Signs of high-functioning burnout
• A simple 20-minute nervous system regulation practice
• What alignment really means in business and motherhood
• How to “come home to yourself” and stop performing success

Rashmi is the founder of The Inner Echo and author of the bestselling children’s book "I Found My Piece" As a working mom of three, she helps women build lives they don’t need to escape from—starting with internal safety.

Connect with Rashmi:
 Instagram: @rashmi.k.shah
 LinkedIn: Rashmi Kumar Shah

Grab a copy of I Found My Piece: https://a.co/d/0iB0bjFs

Join the Retreat in Boone, NC:  Step into Conscious Living Tickets, Friday, Mar 13 at 4 pm to Sunday, Mar 15 at 1 pm | Eventbrite

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We want to hear your thoughts!

What does it actually take to build to 1M subscribers on YouTube...and keep going for over two decades?

In this episode of Fearlyss & Unfiltered, host Alyssa Olerud sits down with creator and professional scooter athlete Jon Reyes, who has spent 23 years building an audience online and grown to 2.5 million followers across platforms. Instead of chasing algorithms or quick wins, Jon built his career by focusing on community, consistency, and creating content he’d make even if no one was watching.

This conversation is for creators, founders, and business owners who feel stuck overthinking content, worried about monetization, or burned out trying to “do social media the right way.”

You’ll hear:

• How Jon built to 1M+ on YouTube by treating subscribers like friends
• Why most creators quit too early and what realistic growth actually looks like
• How to post consistently without burning out or forcing content
• The mindset shift that makes brand deals and monetization feel natural
• Why pressing record matters more than hooks, captions, or strategy at the start

If you’re trying to grow on YouTube, Instagram, or any platform without losing yourself in the process, this episode will reset how you think about content, community, and long-term success.

Follow Fearlyss & Unfiltered for more honest conversations on building brands, businesses, and careers that actually last.

Follow or subscribe to Fearlyss & Unfiltered for more conversations on mindset, personal branding, and visibility.

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Connect with Alyssa on social media for more education and real-world insight.

Connect with Alyssa here

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We want to hear your thoughts!

Your LinkedIn profile is often the first impression someone has of you as a business professional — yet most profiles are under-optimized, outdated, or unclear. In this episode of Fearlyss & Unfiltered, Alyssa Olerud walks through a step-by-step LinkedIn profile optimization audit designed to help business professionals turn their profile into a clear, searchable, and conversion-ready digital storefront.

This episode is for any business professional who wants to utilize LinkedIn intentionally... whether you’re a service provider, consultant, entrepreneur, or corporate professional building a personal brand. Alyssa shares the same LinkedIn audit checklist she uses with private clients, breaking down exactly what to update, what to remove, and how to position your profile so the right people immediately understand who you are, what you do, and how to work with you.

EPISODE OVERVIEW
• How to audit your LinkedIn profile for clarity, visibility, and search
• The most common LinkedIn profile mistakes professionals make
• How to optimize your headline and About section using keywords
• Why your LinkedIn profile should be written for buyers, not peers
• How to remove friction so it’s easier for people to contact and work with you

KEY TOPICS COVERED

• LinkedIn as Your Digital First Impression
• Optimizing Visuals: Header Image and Profile Photo
• Writing a Keyword-Driven LinkedIn Headline
• Contact Info, Links, and Profile Settings
• How to Write a Strong About Section
• Using Keywords Throughout Your Profile
• Featured Section and Social Proof
• Experience, Education, and Skills Optimization
• Recommendations and Credibility Building

Check out Alyssa's preferred link-in-bio tool here: https://pensight.com/?refCode=fearlyssmedia

 how to optimize your LinkedIn profile
 LinkedIn profile optimization for business professionals
 LinkedIn audit checklist
 personal branding on LinkedIn
 how to write a LinkedIn headline
 LinkedIn profile optimization tips
 how to use LinkedIn for business growth

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We want to hear your thoughts!

The psychology of aesthetics shapes how people feel, decide, and buy often before a single word is spoken. In this episode of Fearlyss & Unfiltered, Alyssa Olerud sits down with Dr. Kristi Reid-Partin to explore how design, visual environments, and personal style directly influence perception, confidence, and consumer behavior.

This episode is for service-based business owners, personal brand builders, and creatives who want to understand why aesthetics matter far beyond appearance. From the layout of a website or storefront to what you wear on a sales call or podcast interview, these visual cues quietly communicate trust, value, and credibility.

Dr. Reid-Partin brings a rare blend of academic research and real-world experience. As a PhD-trained psychologist, university professor, and former boutique and short-term rental owner, she shares practical insights backed by both data and lived results — including how intentional design choices led to six-figure increases in property value and revenue.

In this episode, listeners will learn:

• Why aesthetics are a form of communication, not decoration
• How visual complexity, clutter, and spacing impact trust and pricing perception
• The role design plays in consumer decision-making, both online and in person
• How clothing choices influence confidence, performance, and first impressions
• Why authenticity and novelty increase perceived value
• How business owners can align visual branding with their desired positioning

Throughout the conversation, Alyssa and Dr. Reid-Partin break down how people form impressions in under a second, often before any conversation begins. From short-term rentals and retail spaces to websites, wardrobes, and personal brands, aesthetics quietly set expectations and influence behavior.

The episode also explores the psychology of dress, including how what you wear reinforces the role you’re stepping into. Listeners will gain clarity on the difference between buying for taste versus buying for personal style, and why discomfort in your clothes or environment is often a sign of personal or professional transition.

If this episode changed the way you think about design, style, or first impressions, be sure to follow or subscribe to Fearlyss & Unfiltered. Share this episode with a business owner or creative refining their brand and connect with Alyssa and Kristi on social media.

https://www.facebook.com/Dr.Kristi.Reid.Partin

Instagram@revel_init

The Psychology of Aesthetics & Identity | Dr. Kristi Reid-Partin

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