What does alignment look like when the world feels heavy and your nervous system is maxed out?
In this episode of Journey to Radiance, we’re having the real conversation for the days when staying “high vibe” feels impossible - and forcing positivity would be straight-up bypassing reality. We unpack what radiance actually is (hint: it’s not perfection or performing), and what it looks like to stay grounded without going numb.

You’ll hear practical, human tools for hard days:
- how to “check your state” before consuming news or social media
- setting boundaries around media so you don’t spiral
- shifting your environment to support your nervous system
- using creativity, movement, and humor as regulation tools (without minimizing reality)
- focusing on your “cup of change” when the world feels too big
- knowing your signs (snippy, tense, anxious) and what to do in the moment

We also share powerful wisdom from our Rochester community—and the reminder that you can care deeply without letting the weight of everything take you out.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, angry, sad, or emotionally flooded lately… this one will meet you right where you are and help you come back to yourself with compassion, grace, and a little more breath in your chest.

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Your hosts:
Alana Cummings- CEO, Superbloom Coaching LLC
Jo Rowe- Chief of Staff, USC Builds
Melissa Suchodolski- President, USC Builds

#JourneyToRadiance #AlignedLife #PresenceOverPerformance #HighAchievingWomen #BurnoutRecovery #NervousSystemHealing #SelfTrustJourney #AuthenticLiving #EmotionalWellness #ConsciousSuccess #HealingInProgress #WomenWhoLead


Recorded at ROC Vox Recording & Production Studios, Rochester, NY  rocvox.com

What does it really mean to “show up” and when does showing up quietly turn into self-abandonment?

In this episode, we unpack the sacred difference between being lovingly present and overdoing it.

You’ll hear us talk about:
-Why asking “What does support look like for you?” changes everything
-The shift from the “golden rule” to the platinum rule (and why most of us miss it)
-Friendship drift vs. friendship breakups—and when closure is actually necessary
-Over-giving, being taken for granted, and noticing when reciprocity is gone
-Meeting people where they are (including family) without lowering your standards
-The courage it takes to step back...not from bitterness, but from self-respect

We close with a grounding reflection to help you name where your presence is sacred… and where your peace is asking for a boundary.

Takeaway: Presence is a choice. Peace isn’t selfish. And you’re allowed to step back if you need to stay whole.

Recorded at ROC Vox Recording & Production Studios, Rochester, NY  rocvox.com

In Episode 5, we explore the question:
How do we stay true to our path when both external pressures and internal patterns try to pull us off course?

New year, new intentions… and the same old patterns trying to pull you back. In this episode, we talk about what it actually looks like to stay aligned when life comes in hot - external pressure, internal self-doubt, comfort-seeking, people-pleasing, and the urge to over-explain your boundaries.

We unpack boundaries as self-respect (not control), why discomfort is often proof the boundary is working, and how to stop letting other people’s energy set the tone for your day. You’ll hear real stories about the “Rome is burning” moments, the all-or-nothing mindset that derails goals, and the practice of returning to center - again and again.

Big takeaways:
~A boundary doesn’t need to be understood to be valid
~If your boundary feels uncomfortable, it means it’s working
~Boundaries don’t ruin relationships - they reveal what was already misaligned
~Emotions are real, but they aren’t facts
~Mantra: My energy is sacred… and I decide who and what gets access

Journaling prompts:
~Where is my energy being pulled away from what matters most?
~Who or what consistently disrupts my alignment - and why do I keep giving it access?
~Where do I abandon myself through over-explaining, over-giving, or self-doubt?
~What boundary (internal or external) would most protect my radiance right now?

This is your reminder: Radiance isn’t built when life is calm - it’s forged when you stay true to yourself in the middle of the storm.

Recorded at ROC Vox Recording & Production Studios, Rochester, NY  rocvox.com

Overfunctioning often looks like being capable, prepared, and “on top of it.” But in this episode, we talk honestly about what it really costs us.

Using the launch of this podcast as a real-time example, we unpack how pressure to perform pulls us away from our Highest self and into image-management, perfectionism, and outcome obsession. We explore the shame that can surface when you realize you weren’t fully present, why external validation can quietly replace intuition, and how burnout builds when "performing" becomes your default mode.

This conversation weaves together stories about hosting, leadership, work, family roles, and the subtle ways we overfunction to feel needed, useful, or worthy. We talk about recognizing the signs of misalignment, detaching from outcomes, choosing presence over perfection, and making small, grounded shifts - like letting one thing be messy and be okay with it.

This episode isn’t about fixing your life or quitting everything. It’s about awareness, self-grace, and coming back into alignment - one honest moment at a time.

Because authenticity is key on your journey.

Recorded at ROC Vox Recording & Production Studios, Rochester, NY  rocvox.com

Shrinking doesn’t always look like fear. Sometimes it looks like being agreeable, capable, and easy to work with.

This conversation explores the subtle ways we dim ourselves to keep the peace, avoid conflict, or feel safe—at work, in relationships, and in our own inner world. Through honest stories about perfectionism, people-pleasing, over-functioning, and long-standing family and professional dynamics, we unpack how shrinking becomes a learned survival strategy—and how it quietly shapes our confidence, boundaries, and sense of self.

You’ll walk away with:
~Language to recognize where you’re editing yourself or playing small
~Insight into how conditioning and past experiences shape your tolerance
~A clearer understanding of the difference between harmony and self-betrayal
~Practical reflections to help you take up your full space without over-explaining or apologizing
~Give yourself permission to stop pretending

Because shrinking might have kept you safe once—but it doesn’t have to be how you live now.
Because when you stop playing small, you create space for more blessings to meet you.

Recorded at ROC Vox Recording & Production in Pittsford, NY. Learn more at rocvox.com.

#StopShrinking, #womenempowerment, #TakeUpSpace, #PlayingSmall, #SelfTrust, #AuthenticLiving, #authenticity, #PeoplePleasing, #healing, #recovery, #BoundariesWork, #EmotionalHealing, #InnerWork, #PersonalGrowthJourney, #ReclaimYourVoice, #SelfWorthJourney, #TheMessyMiddle, #JourneyToRadiance, #StandInYourTruth, #womeninbusiness, #womeninleadership


Recorded at ROC Vox Recording & Production Studios, Rochester, NY  rocvox.com

Burnout isn’t always about doing too much.

Sometimes it’s what happens when you keep showing up… while abandoning who you are in the process.

In Episode 2 of Journey to Radiance, we go straight into radical vulnerability and real trust — not “trust with a lowercase t,” but the kind of Big-T Trust that lets you stay open even when it feels risky. We unpack what self-abandonment actually looks like in real life: swallowing the truth to keep the peace, wearing a persona to feel safe, people-pleasing your way into exhaustion, and taking responsibility for other people’s reactions.

This episode is for the person rebuilding trust with herself after a mistake, a hard season, or a moment where you stopped listening to your own inner knowing.

You’ll hear:
~Why discomfort can be a compass toward authenticity
~How to stop over-carrying other people’s fragility
~A powerful reframe: “You don’t have the problems you think you have — you have the identity of someone who has those problems.”
~Practical tools for self-trust (boundary check-ins, small promises, integrity audits)
~A simple, disarming communication move

You’ll walk away clearer on where you’re armoring up… and how to soften without losing yourself.
The goal isn’t to be fearless.

It’s to be true — and stay open anyway.

Recorded at ROC Vox Recording & Production in Pittsford, NY. Learn more at rocvox.com.

#JourneyToRadiance, #TheMessyMiddle, #SelfAbandonment, #StopAbandoningYourself, #Vulnerability, #RadicalVulnerability, #Authenticity, #SelfTrust, #InnerChildHealing, #PeoplePleasingRecovery, #HealingJourney, #EmotionalIntelligence, #Boundaries, #BurnoutRecovery, #NervousSystemRegulation, #womeninbusiness, #womeninleadership


Recorded at ROC Vox Recording & Production Studios, Rochester, NY  rocvox.com

Becoming who you’re meant to be is never tidy — and that’s the point.

In this inaugural episode of Journey to Radiance, we step straight into the messy middle: the moment when the life you built, the roles you’ve mastered, and the version of you that once “worked”… suddenly doesn’t fit anymore.

Together, Melissa, Jo, and Alana share the real stories behind the polished surface — burnout, people-pleasing, identity shifts, and the quiet inner knowing that you can’t keep forcing what’s no longer aligned. You’ll hear how “success” can still feel heavy, why your body often tells the truth before your mind catches up, and what changes when you stop trying to earn permission to live your own life.

This conversation is for anyone who’s been saying, “I should be grateful,” while secretly feeling disconnected… exhausted… or stuck inside a box they’ve outgrown.

You’ll walk away with:
~A new way to recognize when you’re overperforming out of conditioning
~Language to name what’s not working (without shaming yourself)
~A reminder that detours aren’t setbacks — they’re often the plan
~A grounded invitation to choose what’s aligned, one brave decision at a time

Because radiance isn’t the finish line. It’s what emerges when you stop abandoning yourself in the middle.

Recorded at ROC Vox Recording & Production in Pittsford, NY. Learn more at rocvox.com.


#TheMessyMiddle, #IdentityShift, #ReinventYourself, #ChoosingAlignment, #JourneyToRadiance, #authenticity, #personaldevelopment, #selfhelp, #personalreinvention, #identityshift, #career, #burnout, #lifetransition, #redefiningsuccess, #messymiddle, #purpose, #alignment, #selftrust, #startingover, #quit #peoplepleaser, #spiritual, #spirituality, #growth, #womeninbusiness, #womeninleadership

Recorded at ROC Vox Recording & Production Studios, Rochester, NY  rocvox.com

The most powerful transformations don’t happen at the finish line. They happen in the middle. In the raw, unpolished space where life asks you to rise before you feel ready.

This podcast is a bold invitation to step beyond autopilot and into alignment, to embrace reinvention as sacred ground, and to find truth in the process of becoming. Through candid conversations, lived wisdom, and unapologetic storytelling, join
Melissa Suchodolski, Jo Rowe & Alana Cummings as they explore what it really takes to navigate change, reclaim authenticity, and ignite resilience.

Join us for The Journey to Radiance, where lessons reveal themselves and wisdom is distilled. Because the messy middle is where transformation begins.

Recorded at ROC Vox Recording & Production Studios, Rochester, NY  rocvox.com