Life: By Design with Kate Vanden Bos

I have a confession. I was one of those people who (staunchly) resisted using AI. For a very long time.

As someone who’s spent years developing my own ideas, expertise, and intellectual property, I was wary of handing any part of my creative process over to technology. I had concerns about protecting my work, preserving my voice, and maintaining the very things that make what I do uniquely mine. And honestly, there was a part of me that didn’t think it could do it as well as I do it myself…

And then I started experimenting with it.

And something rather unexpected happened. My creativity EXPLODED!

Suddenly, ideas that would have taken hours to research, organize, or bring to life became easier to explore. I could think through possibilities, challenge my assumptions, and spend more of my energy on the parts of my work I actually LOVE.

I’ve even used AI to help me find a house, organize an interstate move, and figure out my sourdough baking!

Which got me thinking...

If technology could give us back some of our time, energy, and mental capacity, what would we actually choose to do with it?

Would we simply fill that newly available space with more tasks, more responsibilities, and more things to achieve? Or could we consciously invest that freedom in creativity, connection, and the experiences that make life more meaningful?

That’s the conversation I wanted to have with my guest on this episode of Life: By Design.

Meet Suze Lake, a Canadian-born AI Consultant and Business Strategist now living and working on a farm in Norfolk, England. She’s experienced her fair share of those sliding-door moments that change the trajectory of a life - from moving halfway around the world in the pursuit of love, to spending 18 years building a creative product business, only to then pivot and reinvent her career around the new technology.

Suze has a wonderfully grounded way of looking at technological revolutions. We talk about how recent advancements have transformed the way we live, from horse-drawn ploughs to modern farming equipment, from the arrival of the internet to the rapidly expanding world of artificial intelligence.

And one of the things I particularly love about Suze’s perspective is her emphasis on using technology to amplify the expertise, knowledge, and experience we’ve spent a lifetime developing.

Suze shares a story about spending THREE HOURS following an AI assistant’s instructions to solve a technical problem… only to realize that her own instinct could have solved it in five minutes.

We must always, always revert to our human brains.

Every revolution is just a new tractor: you don't fear it, you learn to drive it.

I think that’s such an important part of this conversation, especially as we become increasingly comfortable turning to technology for answers.

Our ability to think critically, challenge ideas, draw on lived experience, and trust our own judgment is central to our continued growth.

And imagine what could become possible if we combined those distinctly human capacities with technology that could take some of the repetitive work off our plates.

I always tell my clients that we want to use AI to amplify the expertise and knowledge that you already have and not completely replace you.

AI isn't going anywhere. We need to be able to use it to benefit us, protect our intellectual property as well. And also be passionate about building our expertise.

Suze challenges us to rethink our relationship with AI and consider what becomes possible when technology takes care of the repetitive work…

…freeing us to invest more of ourselves in creativity, connection, and living a life designed around what matters most.

In this episode, we explore:

• The sliding-door moments that change our lives. Suze’s extraordinary journey of personal and professional reinvention, and the courage to follow what feels right.• Embracing change in a rapidly evolving world. Why AI represents another major turning point in human history, and how curiosity, adaptability, and intentional choices can open up new opportunities.• How AI can amplify your expertise and creativity. Making better of everything you’ve learned - your expertise, and decision-making - while keeping intuition, experience, and human discernment at the heart of what we do. • Reclaiming our time, energy, and mental freedom. Practical examples of how AI can reduce overwhelm, lighten our mental load, and create more space for the people, experiences, and activities that make life meaningful.

And SO much more…

The opportunity to live more intentionally is right in front of us. And how we choose to use these tools will shape what comes next.

So here’s the question I’d love you to sit with after listening:

Ask yourself… “If technology could give you back some of your time, energy, and mental capacity, what would you choose to do with it?”

About Suze:

Born in Canada and based on a farm in Norfolk, England, Suze Lake is an AI Consultant and Business Strategist and a self-confessed systems nerd who spent 18 years building her own product-based business before pivoting into operations and strategy.

Today, she helps established, overloaded founders stop being the bottleneck in their own businesses.

Her philosophy is simple: AI is here to amplify your expertise, not replace it. She believes AI can help protect and extend the value of your knowledge, and that every revolution is just a new tractor: you learn to drive it.

Ready to reclaim some mental space?

Suze has created a free tool called The 3 a.m. Offload, designed to help you clear the unfinished tasks and mental clutter that keep your brain working long after you’ve finished for the day.

TRY THE 3 a.m. OFFLOAD

»» ACCESS HERE »»(Let us know in the comments what you discover!)

CONTACT SUZE LAKE

LinkedIn

Instagram @creativesolutions_suze

Visit Suze’s website and learn more about her work »»» Creative Solutions with Suze Lake

About Kate Vanden Bos:Kate Vanden Bos is an intuitive consultant, host of Life:By Design podcast, and creator of The Growth Cycle™ — a personal evolution framework built on your natural cycles and seasons. Find out more at MyGrowthCycle.com

Life: By Design is a conversation series where we move beyond polished talking points and into the real terrain of being human. These are conversations about growth, identity, energy, transition, truth, and what it means to create a life that actually fits.

Not a life built by default.

A life grown by design.=========================

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GROWTH CYCLE

Everything we talked about in this episode is exactly why I created The Growth Cycle™. It’s a 12-phase map to guide your own evolution - and once you have it, you’ll wonder how you navigated without it.→ MyGrowthCycle.com

© 2025–present Katherine Vanden Bos. All rights reserved. The Growth Cycle™ is a trademark of Katherine Vanden Bos. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed without prior written permission. Content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute professional medical, psychological, legal, or financial advice. This content may not be used to train artificial intelligence or machine learning models.

Life: By Design | katevandenbos.com

My guest in this episode of Going Deeper is Cody Maher, a strategic Feng Shui consultant who’s mantra and message is really clear:

Your home is so much more than “just the place you live.”

It’s actively shaping how you move through life. Your home can either support you, or hold you back - and when you transform your space, it can help you move through change with more clarity, confidence, and momentum.

We spend so much time talking about changing our mindset, but we rarely talk about changing the environment that reinforces our identity every day.

During major life transitions - such as divorce, new motherhood, empty-nesting, career shifts, grief, or healing - our homes often become the overlooked piece in making it all make sense.

Feng Shui is simply the lens I use to help people understand why their environment matters.

My goal is for listeners to leave with a fresh perspective on their home - not just as a decorating project …

…but as a powerful partner in creating the life they want.

Cody shows you how your home can become the catalyst for the clarity, confidence, and momentum needed to step into your next chapter.

In this episode:

• How your home is a physical reflections of your identity, and why it needs to evolve as you do.• The surprising ways clutter in your environment can keep you in stuck old patterns.• Why creating a supportive home isn’t about just decorating - it’s about building a home that reflects who you’re becoming.• Where to start when the whole house feels like too much - and why the front door matters more than people think • Practical Feng Shui shifts you can make to create more clarity, peace, and forward momentum in your home today.

And SO much more…

Look around your space and ask yourself… What IS my home trying to tell me?

About Cody:Cody Maher is a strategic Feng Shui consultant who helps women move through life’s biggest transitions by transforming the one thing most people overlook—their home. Drawing from her own journey of profound life change, she shows how your home can become the catalyst for the clarity, confidence, and momentum needed to step into your next chapter.

9 Ways Your Home Might Be Leaking Energy & Money

Discover the hidden patterns in your home that could be keeping you stuck

»» DOWNLOAD FREE GUIDE »»(Let us know in the comments what you discover!)

SUBSTACK »»» Cody Maher

Instagram @spacewithcody

Visit Cody’s website and learn more about her work »»» Space with Cody

About Kate Vanden Bos:Kate Vanden Bos is an intuitive consultant, coach, and creator of The Growth Cycle™ — a personal evolution framework built on your natural cycles and seasons. Find out more at MyGrowthCycle.com

Going Deeper is a conversation series from Life: By Design where we move beyond polished talking points and into the real terrain of being human. These are conversations about growth, identity, energy, transition, truth, and what it means to create a life that actually fits.

Not a life built by default.

A life grown by design.=========================LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GROWTH CYCLEEverything we talked about in this episode is exactly why I created The Growth Cycle™. It’s a 12-phase map to guide your own evolution - and once you have it, you’ll wonder how you navigated without it.→ MyGrowthCycle.com

© 2025–present Katherine Vanden Bos. All rights reserved. The Growth Cycle™ is a trademark of Katherine Vanden Bos. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed without prior written permission. Content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute professional medical, psychological, legal, or financial advice. This content may not be used to train artificial intelligence or machine learning models.

Life: By Design | katevandenbos.com

In this episode of Going Deeper, I’m joined by Debra Driscoll as we explore reclaiming intuition as a natural, practical form of intelligence and using it to enhance the self-sovereign leadership of your own life.

One of my personal takeaways from this conversation is the reminder to stay grounded in the reality of being human… caring for the body, working with the nervous system, and allowing both intelligence and intuition to work as a team.

That allows you to then step forward as a leader, in your own life, and for others… and as you walk forward one step at a time, your specific purpose and mission can then reveal itself.

Intuition is not magical, it’s a basic human skill.

Deb’s strongly held belief is that intuition is available to everyone. It’s your first sense, rather than a mysterious sixth sense, as pop culture would have us belief.

It’s your inner guidance system that comes online from birth and communicates through your body and the senses.

So everyone is born intuitive, why have so many people lost confidence in it?

What caused women, in particular, to mistrust their own inner knowing?

How do we distinguish intuition from fear? How can our intuition be strengthened and developed?

Deb talks us through what happens when women strengthen this relationship with themselves, and how you can make decisions more quickly, rely less heavily on external approval, and develop greater confidence in their own direction.

“Intuition is water. It's what hydrates us.

It's what keeps everything running. And women have been running the race, literally for generations, running the race in just taking little sips of water when it felt like it was allowed, rather than hydrating along the way.” - Deb D

Intuition as a leadership skill

Deb’s inspiring message is that modern leaders need both intelligence and intuition. A strong leader in today’s developing culture is “Guided by intuition, grounded in strategy.”

Learn more about Deb’s mission to activate the HERoine status in all of us, as you become the central character and decision-maker in your own life. It involves knowing who you are, understanding what matters to you, and using both intellect and intuition and making choices that move your story forward.

In this episode:

* Why intuition is everyone’s first sense… not a mysterious magical sixth reserved for a select few.

* The different ways intuition communicates through the body and the senses - and getting insights into which one is your own super power.

* How to tell an intuitive hit from fear, anxiety, and doubt… and how your body knows the difference.

* The intuition gym… how intuition becomes stronger through practice, and the small “intuitive reps” that help build self-trust and confidence.

* Deb’s vivid dream that sent her to the wrong island to write her book… and changed her life (in the best of ways!).

* Why intuition is an essential leadership skill, and how to combine inner guidance with practical strategy.

* How feminine leadership can move beyond hierarchy and competition toward collaboration, interdependence, and shared power.

* Practical ways to begin strengthening your own intuition muscle today!

Confidence follows action

This is a far reaching, very impactful conversation that I intend you connect with on so many different levels. The intuitive path rarely provides a complete itinerary of the road ahead, but you learn that as you walk with courage and confidence, the next step appears. So begin walking. Those who are meant to continue on the journey will keep walking by your side, and trust that you’ll meet other new companions along the way.

Intuition is how a woman returns to herself, while self-leadership is what she does with that return.

About Deb:Debra Driscoll (Deb D), is the founder of The BeHER Collective and creator of the Intuitive HERoine archetype identity.

The BeHER Collective is the home base of a global movement, the Intuitive HERoines of the Gentle Revolution. Our mission is to inspire and activate one million plus Intuitive HERoines worldwide.

Debra guides women in self sovereignty leadership. Through her writing, speaking and teaching, she supports women to reclaim intuitive wisdom and return to their birthright status as the HERoine of their story, life, and leadership.She is an authority in intuition, aligned leadership, storytelling, and natural healing.

Debra is the Author of A Series of Surrender: A Memoir of Grief and the Host of the BeHER Podcast.She is currently writing her second book, The Way of The Intuitive HERoine.

“I am HER. The woman who needed to reclaim her intuitive wisdom and return to HERoine status. I have walked the path, so I know the way.” - Deb D

SPECIAL LISTENER OFFER!

Take the The Intuitive HERoine Archetype Quiz!Discover how your intuition communicates with you, and the HERoine it inspires:

»» TAKE THE QUIZ! »»(Let us know in the comments what you discover!)

SUBSTACK »»» Deb D ⭐️ The Intuitive HERoine

Instagram @thebehercollective

YouTube @TheBeHERCollective

LinkedIn @debra-driscoll

Visit Deb’s website and learn more about her work »»» Website

About Kate Vanden Bos:Kate Vanden Bos is an intuitive consultant, coach, and creator of The Growth Cycle™ — a personal evolution framework built on your natural cycles and seasons. Find out more at MyGrowthCycle.com

Going Deeper is a conversation series from Life: By Design where we move beyond polished talking points and into the real terrain of being human. These are conversations about growth, identity, energy, transition, truth, and what it means to create a life that actually fits.

Not a life built by default.

A life grown by design.=========================LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GROWTH CYCLEEverything we talked about in this episode is exactly why I created The Growth Cycle™. It’s a 12-phase map to guide your own evolution - and once you have it, you’ll wonder how you navigated without it.→ MyGrowthCycle.com

© 2025–present Katherine Vanden Bos. All rights reserved. The Growth Cycle™ is a trademark of Katherine Vanden Bos. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed without prior written permission. Content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute professional medical, psychological, legal, or financial advice. This content may not be used to train artificial intelligence or machine learning models.

Life: By Design | katevandenbos.com

In this episode of Going Deeper, we are talking about hormone health, but really we’re talking about what happens in a woman’s life when her body starts to become so unfamiliar that she doesn’t know who’s looking back at her in the mirror.

I’m joined by Sam Beau Patrick, a hormone health specialist, naturopath, and nutritionist - who was also a registered nurse and pharmaceutical professional. So her perspective is a really interesting, and rare, one that covers both sides of the women’s health conversation.

"Once you start seeing the world through hormone eyes, it's like looking at the weather — you unconsciously tap into it and go, I'm going to make some decisions based on my hormones today, that'll keep me safe and happy and get the most out of me." — Sam Beau Patrick

That change of the lens that you’re looking at your hormone health through means you can stop asking "what is wrong with me?" and start asking instead "what is my body trying to tell me?".

IN THIS EPISODE:

* We explore why hormone imbalance symptoms can feel so confusing, and where to start unraveling the mystery.

* Why underlying burnout is central to the root of the issues, as well as self-first health, what to eat, how to move, and when not to push through it.

* How and why HRT has become such a dominant voice in the women’s health space, Ozempic and GLP-1s, and what may be missing from the weight-loss conversation.

* Why testing can be helpful, where testing has limits - and why having experienced practitioners around you really matters.

* We also touch on men’s hormone health, TRT, and why this conversation matters for the whole household, not just the woman trying to hold everything together for her family.

* Natural and conventional approaches, why it doesn’t have to be either/or, and how to get the support that you need.

* And we get a glimpse of what’s possible on the other side of all of it! Sam is ten years post-menopause, and says she feels younger than she did at 28. (Yes, please!)

This conversation is a starting point for asking better questions — not a substitute for medical advice. Always work with your own trusted healthcare practitioner when making decisions about hormones, medication, testing, supplements, or treatment.

About Sam Beau Patrick:Sam Beau Patrick is a naturopath, hormone expert, best-selling author, and former nurse who blends science, storytelling, and 25 years of clinical experience to help people understand the physiology occurring in their bodies so they can make healthier, natural choices leading to greater happiness and sustainable performance long term.

»» Discover Sam’s Natural Weight Loss Program and book a 30-minute consultation HERE!

CONNECT WITH SAM!

Instagram @sambeaupatrickofficial

Visit Sam’s Website and learn more about her work Website

About Kate Vanden Bos:Kate Vanden Bos is an intuitive consultant, coach, and creator of The Growth Cycle™ — a personal evolution framework built on your natural cycles and seasons. Find out more at MyGrowthCycle.com

Going Deeper is a conversation series from Life: By Design where we move beyond polished talking points and into the real terrain of being human. These are conversations about growth, identity, energy, transition, truth, and what it means to create a life that actually fits.

Not a life built by default.

A life grown by design.=========================LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GROWTH CYCLEEverything we talked about in this episode is exactly why I created The Growth Cycle™. It’s a 12-phase map to guide your own evolution - and once you have it, you’ll wonder how you navigated without it.→ MyGrowthCycle.com

© 2025–present Katherine Vanden Bos. All rights reserved. The Growth Cycle™ is a trademark of Katherine Vanden Bos. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed without prior written permission. Content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute professional medical, psychological, legal, or financial advice. This content may not be used to train artificial intelligence or machine learning models.

Life: By Design | katevandenbos.com

I Thought I Was Prepared. I Was Wrong.

Jen Liddy saw the empty nest coming. She read about it, talked about it, prepared for it. And then her son left for college — and none of the preparation made it easier.

In this episode, Jen and Kate step outside the usual conversation about brand strategy and business to talk about what it means to be human — a mother, a wife, a woman navigating identity in midlife.

They talk about:

• Why some transitions can't be softened by reading, planning, or preparing for them in advance

• The identity shift that happens when motherhood changes form

• The pattern of overworking when more time and space suddenly open up

• Why ease can feel more uncomfortable than hard work — and why that discomfort is the point

• What actually makes Jen happy now, and the unwritten rules she had to unlearn to get there

"I really thought I could think my way through this, or learn my way through this, or know my way through this. And it turns out you've got to friggin' FEEL your way through it." — Jen Liddy

Learn more about Jen's work: JenLiddy.comLearn more about The Growth Cycle™: MyGrowthCycle.com

Most of us have been told that writing is a skill — something you either have or you don't. Terri Trespicio disagrees. And after this conversation, you probably will too.

There's no such thing as writer's block, she says. There's just the desire to write — and the desire to be right. If your fear of being wrong overrides everything else, you won't write. That's it. That's the whole thing.

In this episode we get into what actually happens when you sit down to write, why the inner critic is loudest when you're on the verge of something, and why putting pen to paper might be the most underrated grounding practice most of us aren't using.

In this episode:

Why there's no such thing as writer's block — and what's actually happening instead

Writing as a physical act, not a mental one

The three biggest myths about writing and who they're keeping stuck

The inner critic — why you can't get rid of it and the one exercise that finally gives it somewhere to go

How AI can enhance your creativity without replacing your voice

Why writing runs through every single phase of The Growth Cycle™ — not just the creative ones

What New Rules Studio is and why it keeps growing

About Terri Trespicio: Terri Trespicio is an award-winning writer, speaker, and author of Unfollow Your Passion (Atria/Simon & Schuster). Her TEDx talk "Stop Searching for Your Passion" has been watched over 8 million times. She is the founder of New Rules Studio — a live virtual writing membership built on the Gateless Method, now in its third year.

Try New Rules Studio: territrespicio.com/studio Use code KATE50 for $50 off

About Kate Vanden Bos: Kate Vanden Bos is an intuitive consultant, coach, and creator of The Growth Cycle™ — a personal evolution framework built on natural cycles and seasons. Find out what phase you're in at MyGrowthCycle.com

Life: By Design | katevandenbos.com