If Only

What happens when you give everything to a role, ask for a fair raise, and get told no? For Madeline Miskie, that moment didn’t end the story—it rewrote it. We dive into how a voice teacher and yoga practitioner turned rejection into a values-led business that helps people reconnect with breath, body, and voice while honoring their worth.

We talk about the power of a “career portfolio” mindset and why diversifying your professional life can make courageous choices more possible. Madeline shares the pruning metaphor and the “fertile void”—clearing space so new growth can emerge. Instead of chasing titles, she mapped the real-world outcomes of each path and chose congruence: a life where inner values and outer work finally match. Along the way, she reframed personal development with practical tools—calming breath, forward folds, mantra and meditation—that dial down anxiety and make clear decisions easier to act on.

You’ll hear how a vocal injury shifted Madeline from achievement chasing to inner awareness, and how that inner work underpins her teaching today—holistic voice training, yoga for singers, nervous system regulation, and embodied communication. We unpack realistic goal setting too: removing barriers first, then building skills, and allowing timelines to flex. Whether you’re navigating burnout, seeking a raise, or contemplating a change, this conversation offers grounded strategies for self-worth, resilience, and sustainable growth.

If you’re ready to take one small step—five minutes of breath, a single journal page, or reaching out for support—this story will meet you where you are. Subscribe for more conversations on aligned careers and embodied confidence, and share this episode with someone who needs the reminder that a no can lead to a better yes.

Find out more about Madeline's online and in-person yoga and singing classes by visiting her website here:https://windsongvoiceandyoga.com/ 

Madeline is also available to share her beuatiful voice with you at an event. Find out more here:

Sign up for Madeline’s newsletter for monthly updates and low-cost classes. Email: [email protected]. 

Ready to break through your own “If Only”?
Let’s create your next powerful step together. Visit BrendaMcGregor.com to connect.

Ever been told that the secret to fixing overwhelm is just “better time management”? Or that burnout is simply part of being a high-achieving entrepreneur? In this episode, we’re challenging those myths head-on. Discover how purpose, integrity, and aligned values can completely transform how you manage your time, your business, and your energy.

My special guest, Alison Jones, is a leadership and wellness consultant with a master’s in organizational psychology and deep expertise in wellness and change management. As CEO of Wellness Society LLC and author of the bestselling book 
Character Leadership
, Alison helps leaders and entrepreneurs turn overwhelm into clarity through purpose-driven strategy. Her approach to leadership and wellness is both compassionate and actionable—rooted in gratitude, integrity, and authentic growth.

If you’re ready to redefine productivity and create space for what truly matters, this conversation will inspire you to stop chasing balance and start building it with intention.

💡 In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

• Master time management that prioritizes purpose over busyness and prevents burnout.
• Develop leadership skills that elevate your workplace culture and inspire others to perform at their best.
• Build resilience to navigate change and setbacks with confidence and calm.
• Embrace personal growth to unlock fulfillment and effectiveness in both business and life.

💬 Notable Quote:

“We can make more money, but we cannot make more time; so craft your life with purpose and gratitude for every moment you’re given.” — 
Alison Jones

🔗 Resources Mentioned:

• 📧 Contact Alison Jones: [email protected] 
• 🌐 Website: www.alisoncjones.com — Leadership development and wellness consulting.
• 📘 Book:
  Character Leadership
• 🌟 Program: Glow — Growing the Leadership of Women
• 🐘 Conservation Project: Support elephant and rhino conservation in Zimbabwe.
• 💼 Connect on LinkedIn: Alison C. Jones
• Would you like to learn more about the conservancy Alison visited in Africa? Find more information here-- https://www.imire.co.zw/

Ready to break through your own “If Only”?
Let’s create your next powerful step together. Visit BrendaMcGregor.com to connect.

Healing the World by Healing Ourselves: Karen Lee Cohen on Inner Peace

If you're feeling overwhelmed by fear of taking action, constantly putting things off, and struggling to embrace your identity, then you are not alone! It's frustrating to feel held back by self-doubt and the pressure to be perfect, especially when you have a powerful message to share with the world. But imagine the relief and freedom of breaking through these barriers to confidently create and share your content, finding peace and fulfillment in expressing your authentic self. It's time to overcome these obstacles and step into your true potential. Let's unlock your creativity and make your voice heard.

My special guest is Karen Lee Cohen Karen Lee Cohen is an eight-time Regional Emmy Award-winning producer, executive producer, and former Director of Programs for WNBC TV in New York City. She is the founder of the Let's Be Peace movement and the founder/president of Crystal Pyramid Productions, Inc. Karen has an impressive entrepreneurial vision that includes launching a Let's Be Peace podcast and a streaming video service, all aimed at exploring options for personal wellness and the pursuit of inner peace.

As an author, speaker, business and spiritual mentor, and non-denominational minister, Karen's commitment to promoting peace and wellness shines through in her work. With a rich background in television and a deep passion for holistic wellness, Karen Lee Cohen brings a unique perspective to the conversation, offering valuable insights on personal growth, wellness, and embracing identity as a writer and author.

"Read the book, read the tips. Even if one thing resonates with you, it will help you be more peaceful." - Karen Lee Cohen

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Unveiling effective strategies for achieving personal growth and embracing self-acceptance.
• Discovering the transformative power of holistic health practices to find peace and balance in your life.

The resources mentioned in this episode are:

• Visit https://www.letsbepeace.com/ to sign up for the newsletter and download the Let's Be Peace tips for free. These tips provide practical advice on how to cultivate inner peace and wellness.
• Purchase the book Let's Be Peace in Kindle or paperback format here-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPDQCYFR to explore the insights and experiences of 20 experts in the field of health and wellness. The book offers a spectrum of alternative modalities and tips for achieving peace and well-being.
• Stay updated on upcoming events and initiatives related to the Let's Be Peace movement by visiting https://www.letsbepeace.com/ and signing up for the newsletter.
• Connect with Karen Lee Cohen and explore her commitment to promoting peace and wellness through the Let's Be Peace movement by visiting https://www.letsbepeace.com/ and learning more about her work as a speaker, business and spiritual mentor, and non-denominational minister.
• Visit Let's Be Peace contributor Brenda Michaels' radio network at https://conscioustalk.net/

Ready to break through your own “If Only”?
Let’s create your next powerful step together. Visit BrendaMcGregor.com to connect.

Discover the unexpected childhood experience that ignited a passion for transformation. From a small-town outsider to a driven coach, Kelley's journey reveals the power of overcoming adversity. Dive into her vulnerable story and witness the resilience that fuels her commitment to creating positive change. Stay tuned for a surprising revelation that will leave you feeling inspired and empowered.

My special guest is Kelley Sanabria With over 15 years of professional experience spanning public, private, and nonprofit sectors, Kelley Sanabria is a seasoned expert in leadership coaching. Her hands-on knowledge of organizational complexities, combined with a genuine passion for helping individuals thrive in the workplace, positions her as a powerful voice in transforming workplace culture.

As a recent graduate-April 2025!- at Georgetown University's Institute for Transformational Leadership and a world traveler with a love for music, books, and CrossFit, Kelley's diverse background and empathetic coaching style make her an invaluable addition to the conversation on leadership and emotional resilience.

In this episode, you will learn about how to:

• Unlock your leadership potential with the transformative benefits of coaching.
• Enhance emotional resilience through the powerful impact of meditation in the workplace.
• Master the art of balancing work and rest for increased productivity and well-being.
• Embrace polarity thinking to revolutionize your workplace culture and foster inclusivity.
• Overcome past challenges and unleash your true potential with the support of coaching.

Master Work-Rest Balance for Productivity

Throughout the conversation, Kelley Sanabria highlights the importance of mastering the work-rest balance to optimize productivity and prevent burnout. Finding harmony between work responsibilities and self-care is crucial for long-term success and well-being in the workplace. By prioritizing rest and mental rejuvenation, individuals can achieve a healthy work-life balance, leading to improved focus, creativity, and overall productivity.

The resources mentioned in this episode are:

• To learn more about Kelley Sanabria's leadership coaching services for small to mid-sized businesses, visit her company website at www.bluemorphocoaching.com.
• For individuals interested in exploring polarity coaching and assessments for personal or organizational growth, reach out to Kelley Sanabria through her contact form on her website found here https://bluemorphocoaching.com/services/
• Stay updated on Kelley Sanabria's latest insights and coaching tips by following her on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleysanabria/ and subscribing to her newsletter for regular updates and resources.
• Kelley mentioned her love of music and gave a shout out to her favorite Dean Lewis. If you haven’t already done so, check Dean out here https://www.deanlewismusic.com/
• Kelley also spoke of using Headspace for free meditations here is a link to explore your options https://www.headspace.com/

Ready to break through your own “If Only”?
Let’s create your next powerful step together. Visit BrendaMcGregor.com to connect.

“If only” sounds harmless, but it can quietly become the sentence that runs your days. Brenda returns with a quick, energizing update for the If Only podcast, introducing fresh music, a new vibe, and a recommitment to the space we’ve created together.

Over the summer, we’re re-releasing some of our most popular and impactful episodes, the conversations that moved us, challenged us, and reminded us what’s possible. If you’re craving real personal growth, a mindset reset, and stories of women who’ve turned fear into forward motion, these replays are designed to meet you right where you are. New episodes and new guests are back in September, and this summer bridge is here to keep your momentum alive.

Brenda also offers a gentle but powerful challenge: ask yourself what the “if only” is that still stops or slows you down. “If only I had more time.” “If only I believed in myself.” “If only I weren’t afraid.” Then comes the reframe: “If only” is temporary unless you decide to give up, and you don’t have to. The next move is simple and doable, take one small step toward a future that lights you up, and listen closely to the women on this show who have already broken through to possibility, freedom, and joy.

If this message hits home, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave a review so more listeners can find the If Only podcast. What’s your “if only” today?

Ready to break through your own “If Only”?
Let’s create your next powerful step together. Visit BrendaMcGregor.com to connect.

Your calendar is full, you’re the one everyone counts on, and you’re still telling yourself you’ll “get to” your health later. That bargain feels normal until it doesn’t. I sit down with Melanie Saiedy, founder of Alevance LLC and a veteran leadership and organizational development consultant, to talk about the hard-earned lesson behind her “if only”: prioritizing everyone else’s needs while putting her own self-care last.

We dig into how overgiving gets rewarded, especially in healthcare leadership and high-performance cultures, and how easy it is to tie self-worth to the job title. Melanie shares the wake-up calls that changed her trajectory, including profound loss and a serious accident that forced her to slow down when she least wanted to. From there, we unpack what real recovery looks like in daily life: mindful food choices, paper books when screens were not an option, gardening and creativity as regulation, and the kind of quiet routines that rebuild resilience.

We also go deeper on boundaries and identity: why she limits social media to protect her energy, how values-based choices can be an act of self-care, and what she brings to executive coaching that helps leaders grow without shame. If you’ve ever talked yourself out of a bold move with a single sentence, you’ll love her “no self-diminishment” practice and the way she reframes discomfort as a sign of learning.

If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more listeners can find these conversations. What is one self-care boundary you’re ready to protect this week?

Connect with Melanie below:

Email: 

[email protected]

LinkedIn:

http://linkedin.com/in/melanie-saiedy

Ready to break through your own “If Only”?
Let’s create your next powerful step together. Visit BrendaMcGregor.com to connect.

Autopilot can look like productivity, but it feels like stuck. My guest, Linda Lamb, brings a refreshingly direct take on what finally creates change: self-awareness plus action over time. She shares what it was like to spend years doing workshops and reading personal development books, yet feeling the same patterns keep repeating and why “knowing” the concepts still isn’t the same as living them. 

We get into the deeper layer many of us avoid: trauma and the coping strategies we normalise. Linda talks about recognising PTSD later in life, how early experiences can quietly shape self-esteem and behaviour, and why the right coach or mentor helps you see what you cannot see alone. We also unpack the moment you start “negotiating with yourself,” how motivation is unreliable, and why keeping your word to yourself builds the kind of self-trust that changes everything from health habits to business consistency. 

Then we shift into critical thinking and real-world protection. Linda explains how she filters constant news, looks for patterns, and keeps empathy without being consumed by fear. She also breaks down her work with LegalShield and ID Shield, including why AI legal advice has serious limits: it isn’t human, it can’t advocate for you, and it can’t reliably handle the reality of state and local law. If you want a grounded conversation about mindset, subconscious patterns, self-care, and practical legal and identity protection, press play. If it helps, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review, then tell us: where do you need to get off autopilot first?

Please find out more about Linda through the links below.  

Linda Lamb

LegalShield

Cell: 312-566-8775

Email: [email protected]

Website: LLamb.LegalShieldAssociate.com

Instagram  LinkedIn

Book a 20-Minute Discovery Call

Ready to break through your own “If Only”?
Let’s create your next powerful step together. Visit BrendaMcGregor.com to connect.

A number on a scale can feel like a verdict, but Rosie Faulkner makes a sharper point: the real damage is the story we tell ourselves afterward. Rosie is a confidence curator and empowerment strategist who helps women over 40 rebuild self-esteem, identity, and personal style without tying worth to weight, and her own midlife reinvention started when perimenopause and pandemic weight gain knocked her confidence off course.

We unpack what it looks like to go from “I used to feel unstoppable” to hiding in oversized clothes, cringing at the mirror, and spiralling into harsh self-talk. Rosie shares the moment she decided she would not waste “20 to 30 good summers” chasing a smaller body, and how body acceptance can be a practical daily practice instead of a vague idea. We talk about the mindset shift from weight loss to health, including strength, mobility, and habits that support a changing body in midlife.

Rosie also gets real about the places body shame shows up quietly, including intimacy. She explains how “bedroom confidence after weight gain” starts with reframing, getting dressed for the body you have today, and building a foundation that does not collapse when your body changes again. We also zoom out to the bigger cultural pressure of anti-aging and quick fixes, with a grounded take: choose what you want, but do it from self-respect, not self-hate.

If you are navigating perimenopause weight gain, struggling with body image, or craving midlife confidence that actually lasts, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review. What is one sentence you want to stop saying to yourself in the mirror?

- Bedroom Confidence After Weight Gain program (link to book a call): https://calendly.com/rosiefaulkner/bedroom-confidence-clarity-call 

- Community where we have real conversations about perimenopause/menopause, hormonal shifts, and life after 40....with women who get it: https://ownyourreflection.mn.co 

- YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@RosieFaulkner-WomenOver40

Ready to break through your own “If Only”?
Let’s create your next powerful step together. Visit BrendaMcGregor.com to connect.

The fastest way to burn out in midlife is to treat your body like it’s supposed to run on deadlines and willpower forever. Brenda sits down with returning guest Cara-Michelle Nether, a midlife consistency consultant and founder of the Strength and Vitality Accelerator, to name the belief that quietly drives so many high-capacity women: “I’m not enough.” We talk about how that story shows up as playing small, skipping past your own wins, and constantly moving the finish line even when you are doing meaningful work.

Then we get practical. Cara-Michele reframes self-care as an energy strategy, not a luxury, not a bubble bath, and not a perfection project. We dig into the habits that actually create mental and physical energy: movement, strength training, sleep, nutrition, hydration, and stress management. If you feel like you already “know what to do” but can’t follow through, you’ll hear why information is not the missing piece and why midlife brings unique challenges through menopause, shifting hormones, changing priorities, and heavier family demands.

Cara-Michele shares her four-part framework for midlife consistency: anchor your vision, choose a realistic journey, build an environment that supports you, and create a bounce-back plan for the weeks that go sideways. We also talk about how to interrupt fear by noticing it in your body, slowing down, and telling the truth about what’s actually being asked of you.

Visit Cara-Michele's website here:https://strengthvitalitywellness.com/ 

Connect with Cara-Michele on Linkedin-https://www.linkedin.com/in/cara-michele-nether-781865155/

Checkout Cara-Michele's webinar here:https://strengthvitalitywellness.com/msvwebinar

If you want a clearer, kinder way to feel better and stay consistent, listen now. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s running on an empty cup, and leave a review with the one habit you want to make easier.

Ready to break through your own “If Only”?
Let’s create your next powerful step together. Visit BrendaMcGregor.com to connect.

One moment of shame can become a life sentence if we never challenge the story it creates. My guest, Colleen Clifford, knows that firsthand. After a painful STI diagnosis at 19 and the judgment that came with it, she quietly decided she was unlovable and lived for years with self-loathing, binge drinking, and a drive to disappear into work and distance, including decades in the commercial fishing industry on massive vessels in the Bering Sea. 

We also go to the hard place: the loss of Colleen’s husband Scott to an alcohol-related suicide. Colleen shares what grief taught her about depression, how quickly someone can spiral, and the warning signs families can take seriously without shame or blame. We talk candidly about why alcohol and mental health can be a dangerous mix, and how speaking openly about suicide can create safety rather than fear. 

The conversation doesn’t stay in the dark. Colleen explains her “95-5 factor” of binge drinking, what finally pushed her to quit, and how sobriety opened the door to real self-compassion. We dig into practical mindset tools, coaching, and the simple question that can interrupt an old narrative: “Is this story true?” If you care about resilience, recovery, suicide prevention, sobriety, or rebuilding self-trust, this one offers both depth and handholds. 

Colleen is hosting a retreat in Bali Oct. 3-10 for women...The Exhale Retreat/Bali

Here is link to purchase Colleen’s book available on May 5, 2026-Life Beyond The Edge  

Connect with Colleen on Instagram here-https://www.instagram.com/purepotential.health/

Connect with Colleen on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/people/Pure-Potential-Health/61567862578775/

If this resonates, subscribe, share it with someone who might need it, and leave a review with the one story you’re ready to stop telling.

Ready to break through your own “If Only”?
Let’s create your next powerful step together. Visit BrendaMcGregor.com to connect.