In this annual New Year solo episode of Internally Guided Life, host Kayla Sweet offers a counterculture approach to the start of 2026, one that moves away from goal-chasing, productivity pressure, and “new year, new me” expectations.

Rather than setting personal goals, Kayla invites listeners to explore a more foundational question: What kind of life can actually hold you? A life that feels nourishing, sustainable, aligned, and genuinely fulfilling to live inside of.

Reflecting honestly on 2025, Kayla shares both the meaningful growth of the year and the often-unspoken cost of success when ambition outpaces sustainability. She discusses burnout recovery, overworking, nervous system regulation, and the realization that even deeply fulfilling work can become depleting without intentional design.

Drawing on her experience as a leadership development professional and coach, Kayla reframes the New Year as an opportunity to design a life with intention, much like designing a transformational learning experience. She explores how honoring biological needs, building in daily nourishment, creating psychological safety, and leaving room for flexibility can fundamentally change how a year is lived.

Throughout the episode, Kayla introduces four guiding lenses for 2026:

• Creativity as a necessary source of regulation, meaning, and vitality

• Nourishment as a non-negotiable need rather than a reward for productivity

• Sustainable success, including an honest examination of what success may be costing

• Becoming on purpose, choosing alignment, love, and capacity over fear, guilt, or “shoulds”

She also shares the four anchors she is using to guide her own year: purpose, play, sustainability, and love, offering listeners a practical framework for evaluating decisions, commitments, and energy moving forward.

This episode is for anyone who feels tired of chasing goals that lead to self-neglect, anyone navigating burnout recovery or high-pressure success, and anyone longing for a New Year reset rooted in self-respect, alignment, and sustainable growth.

Key reflection questions explored in this episode include:

• What kind of life can actually hold you?
• What does your body need daily, not occasionally?
• What forms of nourishment are you consistently postponing?
• What is your version of success costing you?
• What would change if your calendar reflected self-respect and care?

This episode offers a compassionate, grounded alternative to traditional New Year goal setting and invites listeners to design a life that supports long-term wellbeing, purpose, and aliveness.

Meet the Host:

Kayla Sweet is the host of Internally Guided Life and an expert in burnout prevention, transformational leadership, self-care, and personal growth. As a life coach, she specializes in helping people reclaim their worthiness and purpose, guiding them to create fulfilling lives with balance and ease. With a background in psychology, mindfulness, and transformational leadership, Kayla empowers her community to align with their authentic selves, develop their strengths, and embrace intentional growth.

Kayla's debut poetry collection, Alchemy of Life, is available now at internallyguidedleadership.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart. This is a reflective collection of poems on transformation, healing, and becoming.

Connect with Kayla:

Linktree

Facebook

Instagram

TikTok

LinkedIn

Poetry Book: Alchemy of Life

Subscribe to Kayla’s email list, read the blog, and explore free resources:

Visit Internally Guided Leadership

Episode Credits:

Intro & Outro Music: By artist Goat On The River, produced by Christian Michael Smith at https://www.microdotstudioproductions.com/ 

Podcast recorded by Christian Michael Smith at https://www.microdotstudioproductions.com/ 

In this special host swap episode of Internally Guided Life, leadership coach and holistic human development practitioner Emily Nascimento steps into the role of interviewer to explore Kayla Sweet’s leadership journey, inner work, and the vision behind Internally Guided Life.

This is a deeply reflective conversation between two leaders who share a commitment to authenticity, embodiment, and purpose-driven leadership. Together, Emily and Kayla explore what it means to lead from the inside out, especially within systems that often resist vulnerability, emotion, and soul-led work.

Kayla reflects on her early leadership experiences, beginning at age 19, and the evolution that followed. From community mental health to organizational leadership, she shares how burnout became an initiation into deeper self-awareness and more conscious leadership. She speaks candidly about learning to release control, recognizing how her own exhaustion was mirrored by her team, and redefining leadership as a sacred responsibility rooted in trust, empowerment, and inner work.

Emily brings a grounded, embodied presence to the conversation, guiding Kayla through themes of:

• Authentic leadership and self-trust

• The courage required to challenge traditional leadership paradigms

• Emotional sensitivity as a leadership strength, not a liability

• Navigating criticism, uncertainty, and resistance while staying aligned

• The interconnectedness of inner healing, embodiment, and sustainable leadership

  
  

Together, they reflect on leadership as the emergence of the deep self in service to the system, echoing the belief that leadership is not a role we perform, but a state of presence we inhabit.

The episode also explores Kayla’s journey as an entrepreneur, writer, and creator. She shares how her studies in consciousness and transformational leadership shaped her work, how Internally Guided Life became a space for community and collective growth, and how poetry serves as a tool for reflection, reconnection, and truth-telling. Kayla speaks openly about aligning purpose with daily action, honoring exhaustion as information, and building something meaningful without abandoning oneself in the process.

At its core, this episode is an invitation to lead differently. To trust yourself when external roadmaps fall away. To honor inner work as essential leadership work. And to remember that authentic presence is not only personal, but profoundly impactful.

If you are a leader, coach, entrepreneur, or someone sensing a call to live and lead more authentically, this conversation offers language, permission, and grounding for the path ahead.

Reintroducing Your Host: Kayla Sweet

Kayla Sweet is a learning & organizational development leader, coach, consultant, writer, and host of the Internally Guided Life podcast. She helps people and organizations thrive through conscious leadership, strengths-based development, and a deep belief in human potential.

Kayla holds an MA in Consciousness and Transformative Studies with a specialization in Transformational Leadership. Her work bridges inner healing and outer impact.

Featuring Guest Interviewer: Emily Nascimento, ACC

Emily is a coach, facilitator, and ceremonialist dedicated to the intersection of psychospiritual development and leadership. She believes that our most sacred gift to the world is our own healing and soul-embodiment. Through somatic coaching, soul-purpose work, and leadership development, Emily helps people live and lead from a place of deep integrity, purpose, and wholeness.

Connect with Emily

LinkedIn

Website

Connect with Kayla

Linktree

Facebook

Instagram

TikTok

LinkedIn

Poetry Book: Alchemy of Life

Internally Guided Leadership Website

Episode Credits:

Intro & Outro Music: By artist Goat On The River, produced by Christian Michael Smith at https://www.microdotstudioproductions.com/ 

Podcast recorded by Christian Michael Smith at https://www.microdotstudioproductions.com/ 

What does it really take to heal from the wounds that feel too deep to name? And how do we keep going when trauma tells us we’ll never be whole?

In this profound conversation on Internally Guided Life, Kayla is joined by psychosomatic practitioner and trauma survivor Naomi Morad to explore the courageous work of healing from the inside out. Naomi shares how her own life, shaped by 20 years of trafficking, abuse, depression, and unrelenting inner pain, brought her to the edge. But in one pivotal moment of choice, she turned toward life, healing, and transformation.

This episode is both a beacon of hope and a grounded guide for anyone navigating trauma recovery or supporting someone who is. Kayla and Naomi explore:

• Courageous beginnings: why the first step toward healing often starts when staying the same becomes too painful

• Body-based healing: how trauma gets stored in the nervous system and how approaches like Brainspotting help release what talking alone cannot reach

• Inner child and parts work: reconnecting with younger versions of ourselves who are still holding fear, shame, or perfectionism

• The role of relationships: how triggers reveal where healing is needed and how love can be a mirror rather than a battleground

• Self-compassion in trauma therapy: why healing requires patience, gentleness, and releasing the idea that we “should be over it by now”

• Leadership and healing: understanding that personal responsibility is a gift to the world around us

  
  

Naomi’s story reminds us that healing isn’t linear; it’s a lifelong reclaiming of power, identity, and connection. There is no perfect pace, no timeline, and no expiration date on your transformation.

This episode is for you if:

✓ You’re on a healing journey

✓ You’re curious about somatic trauma therapy

✓ You want to develop deeper emotional resilience and self-awareness

✓ You’re supporting someone you love through depression or unresolved trauma

✓ You’re ready to believe that healing is possible, even for you

If you’ve ever whispered to yourself, “I want to feel better than this,” this conversation will help you take the next brave step.

Meet the Guest: Naomi Morad

With more than 23 years of experience, Naomi Morad helps clients heal trauma at its roots through modalities including Brainspotting, Inner Child Healing, Parts Work, Guided Somatic Meditation, and Body Talk Dance Therapy. She is trauma-informed and specializes in depression, anxiety, attachment trauma, chronic pain, and sexual abuse recovery.

Naomi brings not only professional mastery, but profound personal empathy. Her story of survival and healing fuels her life’s mission: guiding others back to the truth that they are whole, worthy, and capable of building a beautiful life after trauma.

Connect with Naomi Morad

Website

Facebook

LinkedIn

Meet the Host:

Kayla Sweet is the host of Internally Guided Life and an expert in burnout prevention, transformational leadership, self-care, and personal growth. As a life coach, she specializes in helping people reclaim their worthiness and purpose, guiding them to create fulfilling lives with balance and ease. With a background in psychology, mindfulness, and transformational leadership, Kayla empowers her community to align with their authentic selves, develop their strengths, and embrace intentional growth.

Kayla's debut poetry collection, Alchemy of Life, is available now at internallyguidedleadership.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart. This is a reflective collection of poems on transformation, healing, and becoming.

Connect with Kayla:

Linktree

Facebook

Instagram

TikTok

LinkedIn

Subscribe to Kayla’s email list, read the blog, and explore free resources:

Visit Internally Guided Leadership

Episode Credits:

Intro & Outro Music: By artist Goat On The River, produced by Christian Michael Smith at https://www.microdotstudioproductions.com/ 
Podcast recorded by Christian Michael Smith at https://www.microdotstudioproductions.com/

In this episode of Internally Guided Life, host Kayla M. Sweet welcomes global conscious leadership guide Roxanne Chaput for a powerful, soul-centered conversation on healing, leadership, and returning to sacred wisdom.

Together, Kayla and Roxanne explore what it truly means to lead from within, and why authentic leadership begins with emotional healing, self-awareness, and remembering our connection to land, lineage, and spirit.

Roxanne shares her deeply personal journey as a mother, mentor, and healer, including her experiences with ancestral dreams, near-death awakenings, and the rediscovery of ancient healing songs connected to her Native American lineage. She courageously speaks about grief, emotional suppression, and the breakthroughs that come when we finally allow ourselves to feel, release, and reconnect.

This episode dives into some of the most transformative themes for modern leaders and seekers, including:

• Conscious leadership and soul-aligned decision making

• Emotional healing and the wisdom of grief

• Indigenous spiritual wisdom and ancestral healing

• Balancing masculine and feminine energy in leadership

• Listening to intuition and body-based wisdom

• Leading with integrity when no one is watching

You will hear practical reflections on how to shift from fear and scarcity into trust, abundance, and grounded presence, and why playfulness, curiosity, and humility are essential parts of true leadership.

If you are searching for insights on conscious leadership, emotional healing, spiritual growth, ancestral wisdom, grief healing, intuitive leadership, or embodied living, this episode offers wisdom, safety, and powerful next steps.

Meet the Guest: Roxanne Chaput

Roxanne Chaput is a globally recognized conscious leadership guide, embodied spiritual teacher, and modern-day healing facilitator. She is known for her work with high-capacity leaders, change-makers, and visionaries who are ready to lead with integrity, empathy, and embodied awareness.

For over a decade, Roxanne has worked alongside global decision-makers across nonprofit and for-profit spaces, helping transform leadership cultures and create human-centered, ethical, and spiritually aligned organizations.

She is the founder of The Illumination Retreat® and Soullular™ Healing, immersive multidimensional healing experiences designed to help individuals access ancestral wisdom, heal emotional and energetic wounds, and return to embodied self-leadership.

Roxanne is also the host of the podcast Soul to Soul with Roxanne, where she explores conscious leadership, spiritual embodiment, ancestral healing, and the evolution of humanity through soul-centered conversations.

Connect with Roxanne

https://www.theilluminationretreat.com/ 

Meet the Host:

Kayla Sweet is the host of Internally Guided Life and an expert in burnout prevention, transformational leadership, self-care, and personal growth. As a life coach, she specializes in helping people reclaim their worthiness and purpose, guiding them to create fulfilling lives with balance and ease. With a background in psychology, mindfulness, and transformational leadership, Kayla empowers her community to align with their authentic selves, develop their strengths, and embrace intentional growth.

Connect with Kayla:

Facebook

Instagram

TikTok

LinkedIn

Linktree

Subscribe to Kayla’s email list, read the blog, and explore free resources:

Visit Internally Guided Leadership

Episode Credits:

Intro & Outro Music: By artist Goat On The River, produced by Christian Michael Smith at https://www.microdotstudioproductions.com/ 

Podcast recorded by Christian Michael Smith at https://www.microdotstudioproductions.com/ 

In this inspiring and deeply human episode of Internally Guided Life, host Kayla Sweet invites Katelyn “Katie the Dream Lady” Marshall, Founder and Director of The Dream Factory of Idaho, to share her journey of turning adversity into purpose, heartbreak into healing, and compassion into a lasting legacy of leadership.

Katelyn’s story begins with the birth of her son, Tommy, who was born with spina bifida and faced life-threatening complications that changed everything she thought she knew about love, leadership, and what truly matters. Through moments of grief, courage, and grace, Katelyn discovered the transformative power of resilience, the ability to rise, adapt, and create meaning in the midst of unimaginable challenges.

Out of her family’s story came The Dream Factory of Idaho, a nonprofit organization dedicated to granting joy-filled, meaningful experiences to children with chronic and complex conditions who may not qualify for traditional wish-granting programs.

Kayla and Katelyn explore what it means to lead with empathy, purpose, and presence, and how personal transformation can ripple outward into community impact.

Together, they discuss:

• How Katelyn’s personal story of parenting through adversity became a masterclass in resilience, emotional intelligence, and authentic leadership.
  

• What it takes to build a mission-driven organization that balances compassion, community impact, and sustainable self-care.
  

• The life-changing lessons learned through navigating grief, uncertainty, and personal growth.
  

• Why self-awareness, vulnerability, and values-based leadership are essential in both nonprofit and organizational leadership today.
  

Whether you’re a leader, parent, or purpose-driven professional, this conversation is a powerful reminder that some of life’s hardest moments can become the very soil where your purpose takes root.

Katelyn’s story reflects the heart of what Internally Guided Life is about: transforming from the inside out, leading with love, and creating a life and legacy guided by compassion.

Meet the Guest

Katelyn Marshall is a speaker, nonprofit leader, and the Founder and Director of The Dream Factory of Idaho, a wish-granting organization that brings hope and joy to children with chronic and complex conditions.

Her journey through motherhood, advocacy, and healing reshaped her entire approach to leadership and life. Katelyn became a voice for inclusion, accessibility, and compassionate action.

Today, she empowers teams, leaders, and communities to embrace difference, practice empathy, and create safe, inclusive environments where every person feels seen and valued. Through her talks, nonprofit work, and storytelling, she reminds us that purpose is born from presence and that resilience is what transforms pain into power.

Connect with Katie:

Meet the Host:

Kayla Sweet is the host of Internally Guided Life and an expert in burnout prevention, transformational leadership, self-care, and personal growth. As a life coach, she specializes in helping people reclaim their worthiness and purpose, guiding them to create fulfilling lives with balance and ease. With a background in psychology, mindfulness, and transformational leadership, Kayla empowers her community to align with their authentic selves, develop their strengths, and embrace intentional growth.

Kayla's debut poetry collection, Alchemy of Life, is available now at internallyguidedleadership.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart. This is a reflective collection of poems on transformation, healing, and becoming.

Connect with Kayla:

Linktree

Facebook

Instagram

TikTok

LinkedIn

Subscribe to Kayla’s email list, read the blog, and explore free resources:

Visit Internally Guided Leadership

Episode Credits:

Intro & Outro Music: By artist Goat On The River, produced by Christian Michael Smith at https://www.microdotstudioproductions.com/ 

Podcast recorded by Christian Michael Smith at https://www.microdotstudioproductions.com/

In this soulful and thought-provoking episode of Internally Guided Life, host Kayla M. Sweet sits down with Michele Iseri, a transformational leadership coach, consultant, and entrepreneur whose journey from corporate leadership to conscious entrepreneurship embodies the true meaning of transformation.

Together, they explore what it takes to lead and live authentically through seasons of change. From releasing old identities to redefining success on your own terms, this conversation shines a light on the emotional, spiritual, and practical dimensions of transition.

Michele shares her powerful journey from more than 30 years in leadership roles across corporate America, including tech giants like Verizon and Google, to founding Compass 4 Transformation, a leadership coaching and consulting practice dedicated to helping others cultivate courage, clarity, and conscious leadership.

Through stories, reflections, and lived wisdom, Kayla and Michele explore:

• The difference between change (external) and transition (internal), and why both matter for authentic leadership.
  

• How to redefine identity and success after leaving a long-term career.
  

• Practices for mindfulness and self-care during uncertainty and reinvention.
  

• The role of transformational leadership in creating workplaces rooted in empathy and inclusion.
  

• What it means to live, and lead, with curiosity, courage, and compassion.
  

If you’re navigating a career shift, feeling called to something new, or simply longing to reconnect with your authentic self, this episode will remind you that transformation isn’t about becoming someone else; it’s about remembering who you truly are.

Meet the Guest: Michele Iseri

After over 30 years working in leadership positions in corporate America, primarily in the tech industry, Michele Iseri decided it was time to align fully with her authentic self and live her vision. Through her personal and professional leadership experience, the completion of a second Master’s degree in Leadership and Transformative Studies (specializing in Leadership and Coaching), and years of deep self-discovery, she now helps others do the same.

As a transformational leadership coach and consultant, Michele supports clients in setting and attaining meaningful goals by focusing on the whole person. Her approach integrates curiosity, lifelong learning, courage, collaboration, and the cultivation of inclusive and diverse relationships.

Her mission is to empower individuals and organizations to become transformational leaders,people who lead with integrity, authenticity, and heart.

Connect with Michele:

Learn more: compass4transformation.com

Connect with Michele on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/micheleiseri

Meet the Host:

Kayla Sweet is the host of Internally Guided Life and an expert in burnout prevention, transformational leadership, self-care, and personal growth. As a life coach, she specializes in helping people reclaim their worthiness and purpose, guiding them to create fulfilling lives with balance and ease. With a background in psychology, mindfulness, and transformational leadership, Kayla empowers her community to align with their authentic selves, develop their strengths, and embrace intentional growth.

Kayla's debut poetry collection, Alchemy of Life, is available now at internallyguidedleadership.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart. This is a reflective collection of poems on transformation, healing, and becoming.

Connect with Kayla:

Linktree

Facebook

Instagram

TikTok

LinkedIn

Subscribe to Kayla’s email list, read the blog, and explore free resources:

Visit Internally Guided Leadership

Episode Credits:

Intro & Outro Music: By artist Goat On The River, produced by Christian Michael Smith at https://www.microdotstudioproductions.com/ 

Podcast recorded by Christian Michael Smith at https://www.microdotstudioproductions.com/ 

What happens when your entire world is torn apart in a single moment, and how do you begin again?

In this profoundly moving episode of Internally Guided Life, Kayla Sweet sits down with Susan Snow, author of The Other Side of the Gun, to talk about what it really means to live, love, and lead after trauma. At just 17 years old, Susan’s father, LAPD Detective Thomas C. Williams, was ambushed and killed in 1985. That tragedy set her on a lifelong journey through the depths of grief, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the courageous act of healing.

With raw honesty and profound wisdom, Susan shares how decades of silence and survival eventually gave way to forgiveness, self-compassion, and purpose. Together, Kayla and Susan explore the tender and often untold layers of trauma recovery: the fear, the resistance, the exhaustion, and the profound moments of grace that come with choosing to heal.

This episode is for anyone who has ever carried invisible pain, questioned their strength, or longed to feel whole again. It’s a reminder that healing isn’t about erasing what happened; it’s about transforming your relationship to it.

Kayla and Susan discuss the importance of finding a trauma-informed therapist, the healing power of vulnerability, and how sharing your story can help you reclaim a sense of safety and freedom. They explore the distinction between private healing and public leadership, showing how courage grows from the quiet spaces where truth and tenderness meet.

Susan’s story is a testament to the human spirit’s capacity for resilience, forgiveness, and growth. Whether you’re navigating your own healing journey or supporting someone through theirs, this conversation will leave you with hope, tools, and a deeper understanding of what it means to move from victimhood to empowerment.

Meet the Guest:

Susan Snow is a published author, speaker, and trauma resiliency coach whose story began in tragedy but evolved into one of profound hope and leadership. At 17, Susan lost her father, LAPD Detective Thomas C. Williams, when he was ambushed and killed on Halloween night in 1985.

Her book, The Other Side of the Gun, offers a raw and redemptive look at loss, PTSD, and the lifelong process of healing. Today, Susan uses her voice to inspire others to bulldoze their fear, face their pain, and step into freedom. Her mission is to reach 10,000 people through storytelling, coaching, and public speaking, reminding us all that forgiveness, though difficult, is one of the most powerful acts of self-liberation.

Connect with Susan:

Buy Susan’s Book: The Other Side of the Gun on Amazon 🌐 Website: Susan Snow’s Official Site

Meet the Host:

Kayla Sweet is the host of Internally Guided Life and an expert in burnout prevention, transformational leadership, self-care, and personal growth. As a life coach, she specializes in helping people reclaim their worthiness and purpose, guiding them to create fulfilling lives with balance and ease. With a background in psychology, mindfulness, and transformational leadership, Kayla empowers her community to align with their authentic selves, develop their strengths, and embrace intentional growth.

Kayla's debut poetry collection, Alchemy of Life, is available now at internallyguidedleadership.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart. This is a reflective collection of poems on transformation, healing, and becoming.

Connect with Kayla:

Linktree

Facebook

Instagram

TikTok

LinkedIn

Subscribe to Kayla’s email list, read the blog, and explore free resources:

Visit Internally Guided Leadership

Episode Credits:

Intro & Outro Music: By artist Goat On The River, produced by Christian Michael Smith at https://www.microdotstudioproductions.com/ 

Podcast recorded by Christian Michael Smith at https://www.microdotstudioproductions.com/

In this transformative episode, host Kayla Sweet welcomes Veronica “Ronnie” Soria, retired U.S. Marine Corps leader, leadership development coach, and international bestselling author, for a powerful conversation on authentic leadership, self-worth, and empowerment for women leaders. Together, Kayla and Ronnie explore how women can rise in their careers, embrace their authentic selves, and cultivate confidence, self-love, and resilience in leadership roles.

Drawing from over 20 years in the military and federal government, Ronnie shares her inspiring career transition story, including how she overcame burnout, found clarity of purpose, and launched her own leadership coaching business. She opens up about the challenges of balancing strength and compassion, the importance of aligning leadership with personal values, and her proven methods for developing self-awareness and bold authenticity.

Listeners will gain actionable insights into how to:

• Develop authentic leadership skills rooted in empathy, values, and courage
  

• Overcome burnout and reclaim your sense of purpose and worth
  

• Build confidence and self-love practices to support personal and professional growth
  

• Lead with integrity, vulnerability, and influence
  

Meet the Guest: Veronica “Ronnie” Soria

Veronica “Ronnie” Soria is a retired United States Marine who proudly served for 20 years. She later continued her passion for developing others in the Federal Government as a Learning & Development consultant, Program Manager for an Aspiring Leaders Program, leadership coach, and speaker. Veronica holds an Ed.S. in Curriculum & Instruction, an M.A. in Education and Human Behavior, an M.Ed. in Training and Development, and a B.S. in Psychology.

As the founder of MVS Solutions LLC, she helps individuals and organizations grow through purpose-driven coaching and training. Veronica blends real-life experience with professional insight to create safe spaces for reflection, healing, and transformation. Known for her nurturing spirit and unshakable integrity, she brings heart to every conversation and believes in the power of grace, accountability, and personal growth.

She is also the author of the international #1 bestseller Amigas Rising: Leading Others as We Climb (2025), the Amazon bestseller Camouflaged Sisters: Stories of Strength and Resilience in the Military Transition (2024), and Camouflaged Sisters: Strength in Service Inspirational Devotional (2025). Her mission is simple yet profound: to help others rediscover their strength, embrace their story, and step boldly into their purpose.

Connect with Veronica “Ronnie” Soria:

• Email: [email protected]
  

• LinkedIn
  

• TikTok: Coach Ronnie @msveeva
  

• Facebook: MVS Solutions LLC
  

Meet the Host:

Kayla Sweet is the host of Internally Guided Life and an expert in burnout prevention, transformational leadership, self-care, and personal growth. As a life coach, she specializes in helping people reclaim their worthiness and purpose, guiding them to create fulfilling lives with balance and ease. With a background in psychology, mindfulness, and transformational leadership, Kayla empowers her community to align with their authentic selves, develop their strengths, and embrace intentional growth.

Kayla's debut poetry collection, Alchemy of Life, is available now at internallyguidedleadership.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart. This is a reflective collection of poems on transformation, healing, and becoming.

Connect with Kayla:

Linktree

Facebook

Instagram

TikTok

LinkedIn

Subscribe to Kayla’s email list, read the blog, and explore free resources:

Visit Internally Guided Leadership

Episode Credits:

Intro & Outro Music: By artist Goat On The River, produced by Christian Michael Smith at https://www.microdotstudioproductions.com/ 
Podcast recorded by Christian Michael Smith at https://www.microdotstudioproductions.com/

Are you searching for practical, science-backed strategies to heal from burnout, chronic illness, anxiety, or self-doubt? In this powerful episode of Internally Guided Life, host Kayla M. Sweet speaks with Heidi Blackie, an Occupational Therapist, speaker, consultant, and creator of UnshakableMe®

Heidi opens up about her personal journey of navigating chronic illness, loss, and burnout, revealing how transforming her core beliefs about healing shifted everything. Together, Kayla and Heidi explore how neuroplasticity, nervous system regulation, mindfulness practices, and belief work can reshape your brain and your life. This conversation blends evidence-based science with soulful wisdom to give you hope, inspiration, and tangible steps for your own healing journey.

In this episode, you’ll discover how to:

• Use neuroplasticity and brain retraining techniques to change ingrained patterns

• Apply mindfulness, meditation, and journaling to reduce stress, manage anxiety, and build emotional resilience

• Challenge and rewrite limiting beliefs about your health, worth, and capacity for change

• Let go of external labels and rediscover your true identity

• Build self-compassion and self-acceptance as powerful tools for healing and personal growth

• Create daily habits that reinforce your mind-body connection and support sustainable well-being

  
  

Kayla and Heidi also dive into why many high-achieving women and helping professionals experience burnout, the psychology of self-worth, and how to stop outsourcing your sense of value to external achievements.

If you’re a high achiever, caregiver, wellness seeker, or anyone looking for chronic illness recovery tips, burnout prevention tools, or a holistic approach to stress management, this episode is a must-listen. Heidi’s story is proof that healing is possible and that rewiring your brain, nervous system, and beliefs can unlock a new chapter of health, joy, and self-trust.

Meet the Guest: Heidi Blackie

Heidi Blackie is a speaker, consultant, and creator of UnshakableMe®, a science-meets-soul program that helps women dismantle limiting beliefs and reclaim their inner power. After chronic illness brought her to rock bottom, Heidi made a radical choice to believe in her body’s ability to heal, a turning point that reshaped her life from the inside out.

With 25 years as an Occupational Therapist and hard-won lived experience, Heidi now guides others to meet adversity with clarity, connection, and self-trust. Her story is an invitation to anyone facing personal challenges, offering grounded hope, actionable tools, and a powerful reminder that we are far more capable than we think.

Connect with Heidi Blackie

• Website & Free Resources

• Instagram

• Facebook

• LinkedIn

• YouTube

  
  

Meet the Host:

Kayla Sweet is the host of Internally Guided Life and an expert in burnout prevention, transformational leadership, self-care, and personal growth. As a life coach, she specializes in helping people reclaim their worthiness and purpose, guiding them to create fulfilling lives with balance and ease. With a background in psychology, mindfulness, and transformational leadership, Kayla empowers her community to align with their authentic selves, develop their strengths, and embrace intentional growth.

Kayla's debut poetry collection, Alchemy of Life, is available now at internallyguidedleadership.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart. This is a reflective collection of poems on transformation, healing, and becoming.

Connect with Kayla:

Linktree

Facebook

Instagram

TikTok

LinkedIn

Subscribe to Kayla’s email list, read the blog, and explore free resources:

Visit Internally Guided Leadership

Episode Credits:

Intro & Outro Music: By artist Goat On The River, produced by Christian Michael Smith at https://www.microdotstudioproductions.com/ 

Podcast recorded by Christian Michael Smith at https://www.microdotstudioproductions.com/ 

Grief is one of the most universal experiences we face, yet so many of us feel unprepared when it comes crashing into our lives. In this profoundly moving conversation, I sit down with Marie Alessi, bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and grief advocate, to explore what it means to find healing, love, and resilience after sudden loss.

Marie shares her story of losing her husband Rob to a sudden brain aneurysm, a moment that changed the course of her life forever. From navigating the heartbreak of telling her children to creating a global movement that touched thousands, Marie’s journey shows us that grief, while painful, can also hold unexpected light and growth. Her perspective offers a compassionate and empowering roadmap for those learning how to cope with grief, rebuild after loss, and discover meaning in the midst of pain. We discuss moving beyond survival, embracing love after loss, and finding the courage to trust your heart, even in the darkest moments.

Together, we explore:

• The importance of reframing the language of grief and loss
  

• Why family support and presence are crucial in healing
  

• How anger can be a doorway into deeper healing
  

• The power of physical presence in our grief journeys
  

• Why trust, vulnerability, and intuition guide us toward resilience
  

This episode is both tender and empowering, a reminder that healing after loss is possible, even in the face of sudden grief, and that the journey through pain can also become a journey back to love.

Meet the Guest: Marie Alessi

Marie Alessi is a mother of two boys, a bestselling author, TEDx & keynote speaker, and the founder of a global grief movement that has reached thousands worldwide. After the sudden passing of her husband, Rob, from a brain aneurysm, Marie made a conscious choice to honor him by choosing joy, love, and resilience.

Her bestselling book, Loving Life After Loss, and her inspiring keynotes shine a light on a new way of approaching grief, one rooted in love rather than fear. Marie’s mission is to shift the narrative of grief, helping others embrace healing, connection, and the hidden gifts that emerge through the journey.

Connect with Marie:

• Website: www.MarieAlessi.com
  

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarieAlessiPublicFigure
  

• Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/marie.alessi.speaker
  

• YouTube: youtube.com/@MarieAlessi
  

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-alessi/
  

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marie.alessi.speaker
  

Resources & Links Mentioned\

• Marie’s Book: Loving Life After Loss
  

• Marie’s Podcast: Unsilence Grief
  

Meet the Host:

Kayla Sweet is the host of Internally Guided Life and an expert in burnout prevention, transformational leadership, self-care, and personal growth. As a life coach, she specializes in helping people reclaim their worthiness and purpose, guiding them to create fulfilling lives with balance and ease. With a background in psychology, mindfulness, and transformational leadership, Kayla empowers her community to align with their authentic selves, develop their strengths, and embrace intentional growth.

Kayla's debut poetry collection, Alchemy of Life, is available now at internallyguidedleadership.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart. This is a reflective collection of poems on transformation, healing, and becoming.

Connect with Kayla:

Linktree

Facebook

Instagram

TikTok

LinkedIn

Subscribe to Kayla’s email list, read the blog, and explore free resources:

Visit Internally Guided Leadership

Episode Credits:

Intro & Outro Music: By artist Goat On The River, produced by Christian Michael Smith at https://www.microdotstudioproductions.com/ 

Podcast recorded by Christian Michael Smith at https://www.microdotstudioproductions.com/