Mostly Together

She is Miss Universe Ghana, a licensed psychotherapist, a mental health advocate, a performer — and a woman whose story goes far beyond the crown.

In this episode of Mostly Together, I sit down with Andromeda Osam-Peters, Miss Universe Ghana and founder of Your Mind Matters Global.

Andromeda grew up Ghanaian American in Western Massachusetts, moving between cultures, identities, and expectations while learning what it meant to be seen fully. From Springfield and Easthampton to the global stage, her journey has been shaped by performance, pageantry, therapy, healing, heritage, and a deep commitment to helping others feel less alone.

But Andromeda's story was never really just about beauty.

It's about belonging. It's about becoming. It's about learning how to stop editing yourself and bring every part of who you are into the room.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• Growing up Ghanaian American in Western Massachusetts
• Learning to move between cultures and identities
• The meaning behind her name and what it means to be truly seen
• How performance and pageantry helped shape her confidence
• Becoming Miss Universe Ghana and representing her heritage on a global stage
• Mental health, therapy, trauma, healing, and safe spaces
• The mission behind Your Mind Matters Global
• What it means to become whole without leaving parts of yourself behind

Explore Mostly Together — new episodes every Wednesday:

🌐 https://www.mostlytogetherpod.com/

📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mostlytogetherpod

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mostly-together/id1871317737

🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Q2TPERHFNgnapvuOQJqSx

Connect with Nicole:

📲 Instagram & Facebook: @nicolenalepatv

📲 Podcast IG & FB: @mostlytogetherpod

📲 Follow Andromeda on Instagram: @andromedapeters

🌐Learn more about Andromeda and Your Mind Matters Global: https://www.andromedapeters.com

He helped turn something the whole country started talking about into art: highway signs, a 9,000-pound monument, a statewide pizza movement — and somehow, it all started with one slice.

In this episode of Mostly Together, I sit down with Michael Pollack, the artist behind New Haven Pizza Club, live from the Yale Innovation Summit 2026.

Michael is one of the creative forces who helped bring Connecticut's "Pizza Capital of the United States" movement to life visually and culturally — a campaign originally spearheaded by the state's then-chief marketing officer, Anthony Anthony.

But Michael's story was never really just about pizza.

He became an artist at 40, walked away from the expected path, and turned one of the most universal things in the world into art, community, culture, and a philanthropic movement that has helped raise half a million dollars for families of critically ill children.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• Betting on yourself when the path is uncertain
• Why the lows can make you stronger than the highs
• How New Haven pizza became part of a larger cultural movement
• The role of art, storytelling, and community in giving back
• Michael's work with Feeding Families Foundation and families facing childhood cancer
• Why tangible impact matters in philanthropy
• The power of collaboration, trust, and handshake deals
• Building momentum without losing the heart behind the work
• Why the thing that brings us all together might just be a slice

Explore Mostly Together — new episodes every Wednesday:

🌐 https://www.mostlytogetherpod.com/

📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mostlytogetherpod

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mostly-together/id1871317737

🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Q2TPERHFNgnapvuOQJqSx

📲Connect with Nicole:

Instagram & Facebook: @nicolenalepatv

Podcast IG & FB: @mostlytogetherpod

📲 Follow Michael on Instagram: @nhvpc 🌐 https://newhavenpizzaclub.com/

Sixteen years ago, Paula Reid and I were interns at CBS News — walking through the same newsroom, swapping stories, taking in the history around us, and wondering where this industry might take us.

Today, Paula is CNN's Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent, covering some of the biggest legal and political stories in the country.

But what makes this conversation so powerful is not just the résumé. It's the persistence, preparation, pivots, and life behind it.

On this episode of Mostly Together, Paula and I reflect on the full-circle nature of reconnecting all these years later — from our CBS News intern days and BoltBus memories to the path that took her from law school to legal journalism, from fact-checking behind the scenes to reporting on national television.

Paula opens up about the moments that shaped her career, including the early opportunities that taught her to say yes, the Mueller investigation breakthrough that opened the door to a bigger role at CBS, and the advice that has stayed with her through high-pressure moments: always go back to the work.

We also talk about ambition, motherhood, marriage, health, family support, and the tradeoffs that come with building a demanding career while protecting what matters most.

This episode is for anyone who has ever wondered whether they are too late, too behind, too different, or too far from where they want to be. It's a conversation about building your lane, trusting your preparation, making peace with tradeoffs, and remembering that sometimes the work itself is what steadies you.

Explore Mostly Together — new episodes every Wednesday:

🌐 https://www.mostlytogetherpod.com/

📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mostlytogetherpod

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mostly-together/id1871317737

🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Q2TPERHFNgnapvuOQJqSx

📲 Connect with Nicole:

Instagram & Facebook: @nicolenalepatv

Podcast IG & FB: @mostlytogetherpod

📲 Follow Paula: Instagram: @paulareidcnn

Hollywood character actor Don Stroud has lived the kind of life that sounds scripted — except every word of it is real.

From surfing in Hawaii to the Sunset Strip, the Whiskey A-Go-Go, Universal Pictures, and more than four decades in film and television, Don's story moves through some of Hollywood's most iconic corners. His credits include Coogan's Bluff and Joe Kidd with Clint Eastwood, The Buddy Holly Story, The Amityville Horror, the James Bond film Licence to Kill, and Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained.

But what makes this conversation so powerful is not just the résumé. It's the human being behind it.

On this episode of Mostly Together, Don opens up about the unexpected turns that shaped his life: the moment he went from the beach to a Universal Pictures contract, the wild energy of old Hollywood, surviving a plane crash and a violent attack, his struggle with addiction, and the sobriety that helped save his life.

With humor, honesty, and a storyteller's soul, Don reflects on fame, survival, reinvention, and why being a working character actor meant more to him than chasing movie-star status.

This is a conversation about a life fully lived — the beautiful parts, the brutal parts, and the grace of still being here to tell the story.

Explore Mostly Together — new episodes every Wednesday: https://www.mostlytogetherpod.com/

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mostlytogetherpod

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mostly-together/id1871317737

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Q2TPERHFNgnapvuOQJqSx

Connect with Nicole: Instagram & Facebook: @nicolenalepatv Podcast IG & FB: @mostlytogetherpod

Dr. Rachel Goldman — known as Dr. Rachel — is a nationally recognized clinical psychologist, NYU professor, speaker, and author specializing in the mind-body connection. She's been featured in The New York Times, TIME, and CNN, appeared as an expert panelist with Oprah, been a guest on The Mel Robbins Podcast, and her new book, When Life Happens, is out now.

So many of us are working, parenting, showing up, answering emails, and pushing through — looking like we're functioning on the outside while feeling depleted on the inside. So how do we know the difference between functioning and actually being okay?

On this episode of Mostly Together, Dr. Rachel and I talk about burnout, identity shifts, self-talk, and what it really looks like to keep going when life doesn't go according to plan.

And near the end of our conversation, Dr. Rachel says something about the name Mostly Together that I didn't see coming — and it's worth sticking around for.

In this episode:

• The difference between a busy season and burnout

• Why we keep pushing through instead of pausing

• What happens when an identity, role, or season no longer fits

• Why even positive change can feel overwhelming

• How to shift from "why is this happening to me?" to "what can I do about it?"

• Why sometimes maintaining is the goal

Explore Mostly Together — new episodes every Wednesday:

🌐 https://www.mostlytogetherpod.com/

Connect with Nicole:

Instagram & Facebook: @nicolenalepatv

Podcast IG & FB: @mostlytogetherpod

Learn more about Dr. Rachel Goldman:

🌐 https://www.drrachelnyc.com/

📘 When Life Happens: https://whenlifehappensbook.com/

Jenny Hubbard and I have known each other for several years — first through interviews on my former lifestyle show, then through the Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation, where I've had the honor of co-emceeing the Butterfly Party alongside Scot Haney.

Over time, I've come to know Jenny not just through her story, but through the way she continues to carry it forward.

Jenny is a mother, advocate, and the founder of the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary in Newtown, Connecticut. Her life changed forever on December 14, 2012, when she lost her 6-year-old daughter, Catherine, in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

In the years since, Jenny has navigated unimaginable grief — and found a way to build something meaningful in its place. The sanctuary is a space rooted in compassion, connection, and the love Catherine had for animals. Through her work, Jenny continues to honor Catherine's spirit while creating something that brings kindness into the world. Her next book, on forgiveness, arrives this fall.

On this episode of Mostly Together, we talk about grief, forgiveness, purpose, and the quiet, ongoing work of healing — and what it looks like to move forward, not by forgetting, but by carrying love differently.

In this episode:

• How the sanctuary began — in a way no one expected

• Why grief is not linear, and never something you "check off"

• The difference between forgiveness as a moment…and forgiveness as a practice

• How something meaningful can still grow from unimaginable loss

• Why vulnerability and sharing our stories matters more than we think

Learn more about the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary:

🌐 https://www.cvhfoundation.org/

Instagram: @cvhanimalsanctuary

Explore Mostly Together:

🌐 mostlytogetherpod.com

🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mostly-together/id1871317737

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Q2TPERHFNgnapvuOQJqSx?si=093aff84cc6546c9

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR1UBeBQxFdxIQB3xjDfz6A

Connect with Nicole:

Instagram & Facebook: @nicolenalepatv

Podcast IG & FB: @mostlytogetherpod

Jackie Bruno and I go way back — she got her start at WWLP in Springfield, the same station where I landed my first job out of college. We've stayed connected over the years, watching each other navigate different chapters of this industry; so sitting down for this conversation felt less like an interview and more like two women finally saying the quiet parts out loud.

Jackie is a three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, former Boston news anchor, Miss Massachusetts USA 2008, and the founder of Newsmaker Marketing. On paper, she had everything. But behind the scenes, she was running on empty — until she made the difficult decision to step away and put her mental health first.

On this episode of Mostly Together, Jackie gets refreshingly honest about burnout, identity, and what it really takes to rebuild when the dream you chased for years no longer fits who you are.

In this episode:

• Why she walked away from a 14-year career in TV news at the height of it

• What burnout actually looked like — and how a breakdown became a breakthrough

• Starting a business in two weeks (and why she didn't overthink it)

• The simple analogy that completely reframed her sense of self-worth

• The moment she realized "no one could pay me enough to feel that way"

• Letting go of what looks good… and choosing what actually feels good

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Connect with Jackie:

Instagram: @TheJackieBruno

Website: newsmakermarketing.com

Explore Mostly Together:

🌐 Website & episode archives: mostlytogetherpod.com

🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mostly-together/id1871317737

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Q2TPERHFNgnapvuOQJqSx?si=093aff84cc6546c9

📺 YouTube: @mostlytogetherpod

Connect with Nicole:

Instagram & Facebook: @nicolenalepatv

Podcast IG & FB: @mostlytogetherpod

MaryAnn DiMarco's mentor was a friend of a family member — which means we were always just one degree apart. She's a Long Island girl, and my family's roots are there too. Somehow, our paths never officially crossed until now.

Coincidence… or divine timing?

MaryAnn is a renowned psychic medium and author who has spent years helping people reconnect with something she believes we all carry — intuition, inner knowing, and a deeper sense of self.

On this episode of Mostly Together, we sit down for a conversation that is equal parts spiritual and deeply grounded. Whether you're a true believer, a healthy skeptic, or just someone who keeps getting those gut feelings you can't quite explain — this one is for you.

We talk about what intuition actually is, why so many of us have been conditioned to ignore it, and how to begin trusting that inner voice again.

In this episode:

• What intuition really is — and why we've learned to dismiss it
• How MaryAnn discovered and developed her gifts
• Why she believes everyone has intuitive abilities
• Moving through fear and skepticism
• Simple ways to start tuning in (meditation, journaling, body awareness)
• The role of community on any spiritual journey

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Connect with MaryAnn:

Instagram: @maryannthemedium Website: maryanndimarco.com

Explore Mostly Together:

🌐 Website & episode archives: mostlytogetherpod.com

🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mostly-together/id1871317737

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Q2TPERHFNgnapvuOQJqSx?si=093aff84cc6546c9

📺 YouTube: @mostlytogetherpod

Connect with Nicole:

Instagram & Facebook: @nicolenalepatv Podcast IG & FB: @mostlytogetherpod

My husband was watching a CrossFit instructional video one day when I glanced at the screen and said, "Wait—I went to high school with that guy!" That guy was James Hobart — a CrossFit Games legend. He is a nine-time CrossFit Games competitor and three-time Affiliate Cup champion—winning at the highest level of the sport!

Reconnecting after all these years, both of us in completely different chapters of our lives, was something I didn't see coming — and I'm so glad it happened.

On this episode of Mostly Together, I sit down with James for a real conversation about identity, risk, and what it means to rebuild when your life has been centered around one thing for so long.

This episode dives into:

• Walking away from a traditional path—finishing law school, then choosing fitness instead

• How competition became his identity—and how he found his way back to it on his own terms

• Redefining masculinity, and why strength and gentleness can coexist

• Balancing discipline with self-care and rest

• What it looks like to compete consciously instead of compulsively

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Connect with James:

Instagram: @jameshobart

YouTube: ⁨@jhobartII⁩

Explore Mostly Together:

🌐 Website & episodes: https://www.mostlytogetherpod.com/ — explore the show, past conversations, and what we're building here.

🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mostly-together/id1871317737

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Q2TPERHFNgnapvuOQJqSx?si=3b7425378a0e4fc1

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mostlytogetherpod

Connect with Nicole:

Instagram & Facebook: @nicolenalepatv

Podcast IG & FB: @mostlytogetherpod

What happens when the career you've built no longer fits the way it used to?

On this episode of Mostly Together, I sit down with Jacalyn Clark — a longtime national news anchor and licensed therapist — for a conversation about career transitions, personal growth, and what it really looks like to evolve without starting over.

Our paths first crossed years ago when I was an intern at 22News (WWLP), where I later got my first job out of college. Reconnecting in a completely different season of life made this conversation especially meaningful.

We talk about the realities of working in the news industry, what people don't always see behind the scenes, and how skills from one career can carry into something entirely new. This episode explores the emotional side of career change, the pressure tied to job identity, and how to navigate a life transition with more clarity and intention.

This episode dives into:

• What it looks like to build something new without abandoning what you've already done

• The emotional reality of working in the news industry — and what people don't see

• How journalism skills translate into a completely different path

• What it takes to reassess your life and choose a different direction

• Why evolving doesn't mean losing who you are — or what you've built

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Connect with Jacalyn:

Website: https://www.thebarnatsouthporthills.com

Instagram: @thebarnatsouthporthills

Explore Mostly Together:

🌐 Website & episodes: https://www.mostlytogetherpod.com/ — explore the show, past conversations, and what we're building here.

🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mostly-together/id1871317737

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Q2TPERHFNgnapvuOQJqSx?si=3b7425378a0e4fc1

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mostlytogetherpod

Connect with Nicole:

Instagram & Facebook: @nicolenalepatv

Podcast IG & FB: @mostlytogetherpod