Proud of You, Babe

In this episode, I’m joined by someone who has become a dear friend of mine, Haley Conant, chef and Bake Shop Instructor at Upper Cape Tech, and this year’s Educator of the Year from the American Culinary Federation Cape Cod & the Islands Chefs Association.

Haley and I met when she was searching for a home, and I was lucky enough to be part of her journey to homeownership. She just celebrated two years in that house, which she bought entirely on her own. She’s part of the roughly 20% of homebuyers who are single women, and she earned every square foot. Her days are spent teaching teenagers to work with hot sugar and sharp knives without losing their cool, or their fingers.

We talk about how she fell for baking, the jump from working in kitchens to teaching in one, what it felt like to be recognized by her fellow chefs, the ups and downs of buying solo, and the great debate: do nuts and raisins belong in baked goods? (Choose your side carefully.)

Haley is one of the most thoughtful people I’ve ever met, and this conversation is equal parts warm and hilarious. If you’ve been waiting on someone else before you go after the thing you want, consider this your sign that you can do it yourself.

In this episode, I'm joined by my friend Natalia Maccarrone, a South Shore realtor and the leader of The Natalia Maccarrone Team. She's a sister, an auntie, a bestie, and to one very special little girl named Sophia, she's Nataaaaalia.

Tal and I met through BNI, which at this point is less a networking group and more my primary source of best friends. She's built a team with 80-plus five-star reviews and hundreds of happy buyers and sellers, and a portion of every closing goes to local shelters, so every set of keys she hands over helps someone furry find their footing too. She also coaches local athletes, and she does it all with her nails done and her car full of dog hair.

We talk about her doozy of a first real estate transaction, the very real ups and downs of the business, what life actually looks like as a top producer, and why leading with authenticity is non-negotiable.

This one is fun, honest, and full of heart, just like Natalia. If you take one thing away, let it be this: when you show up as yourself, you attract the people who were meant to find you.

In this episode, I'm joined by my sister-in-law (essentially) Caro Jordaan, from beautiful Cape Town, South Africa.

Caro is a goldsmith running her own business, Caro Create, and when she isn't in the workshop she is blazing through the mountains fulfilling her role as the "Mountain Goat". She is truly is the G.O.A.T. She placed FIRST in a 100km race this year, and she's the only woman (and 1 of 2 people) to have ever completed a double Grand Traverse in the Drakensberg Mountains.

We talk about how she found trail running in the first place, the scariest thing she's ever seen out there, what she loves about America on her second trip here, and all of the logistical questions around what is means to actually run for ~20 hours through the mountains (I asked all the things...).

This one's funny, it's real, and it'll make you want to book a flight to South Africa and lace up (or follow her on social and find her a sick brand deal from the comfort of your couch haha). Whatever you're building right now, I hope this conversation reminds you that it's worth the miles.

Get ready, she's amazing.

In this episode, I'm joined by my friend Samantha Ribeiro, an estate planning and real estate attorney, a fellow western Mass girl, and one of those people you just feel lucky to know.

Sam and I met through a networking group, and it didn't take long to figure out she was my kind of people, right down to sharing a name. She spends her days helping families protect what matters most through estate planning and real estate, and outside the office she's all in on her family, her husband, her animals, and eating her way through the Big E (as one should) every fall.

We talk about her path to becoming an attorney, what estate planning actually is and why families put it off, life in western Mass, and the people and animals that fill up her world. We also get a surprise visit from my daughter, a couple of audio-only moments (lol don't worry about it) and a whole lot of laughs.

This conversation is easy, funny, and full of heart and by the end of it you'll understand why Sam is exactly the kind of person you want on your side.

In this episode, I took the show on the road to sit down with my best friend-in-law Kendra D'Allesandro, a Rhode Island girl, a lifelong athlete, a power mom, and one of the most amazing people I know.

Kendra came into my life through our friend Ashley, and we've grown up together with a beach day in Maine here and there, year after year. She's built a life that runs at full speed, with real estate on one side, a construction company she co-owns with her husband on the other, and her kids in the middle of all of it. She's the person who decides what she wants and then just goes and gets it.

We talk about the competitive spirit that just won't quit, running a business with your husband, the day that changed everything, and the power of the people you surround yourself with.

This conversation is full of laughter and full of heart. Kendra came through one of the hardest chapters of her life and came out the other side an even stronger version of herself. She is living proof that you get to decide what holds you back, and she decided a long time ago that nothing would.

In this episode, I'm joined by my friend Miranda, a mom, coffee creator, and someone who took a leap most people only dream about.

Miranda spent years in front of a classroom and behind a desk recently she walked away to chase something that actually lit her up...coffee!

She taught herself the craft like a true chemist, testing and refining recipes until she had something worth building a brand around. She's been running pop-ups ever since, and now she's just days away from opening the doors to her very own shop in Quincy. Her family has been in her corner through every bit of it, cheering her on as she's turned a passion into something real.

We talk about what it actually looks like to chase a dream, how her family and friends showed up for her through the hard and uncertain parts, and the harder conversations around putting yourself out there online, including how she's learned to handle internet hate without letting it knock her off course.

This conversation is equal parts inspiring and real, the kind that reminds you that sometimes you just have to take the leap and bet on yourself. Tune in for her beautiful story and more details on her exciting grand opening!

In this episode, I'm joined by my sister Jessica!!! She's my best friend in the whole wide world and one of the most important people in my life.

Jessica is a nurse who found love through travel nursing, meeting her now-husband Mike on assignment. That path eventually took her away from our prized East Coast to Reno, Nevada. I miss her like crazy every single day, but no matter the distance, she's still the person I call first, laugh the hardest with, and share a lifetime of inside jokes with.

We talk about her journey into travel nursing and how it led her to Mike, her wild and wonderful Lake Tahoe wedding, moving across the country and starting over, her worldly travels, healthcare happenings and more.

This conversation is equal parts hilarious and heartfelt, full of sisterly chaos, a little bit of nostalgia, and a whole lot of love. If you have a sister, a best friend, or someone who feels like both, I think this one is going to hit close to home.

In this episode, I'm joined by my friend Amanda Davis, an illustrator, children's book author, and one of the most creative, kind-hearted people I know.

Amanda and I found each other through the universe doing its thing (multiple times haha), and she is just the best. She's the author and illustrator behind books like Sometimes Stormy and Chasing the Light, using words and pictures to bring a little more light and kindness into the world, and she brings that same warmth into everything she does, including being an incredible mom.

We talk about her journey into illustration and writing, what it's really like to build a career around creativity, how she balances that with motherhood, and the stories and inspiration behind her books.

This conversation is warm, fun, and full of the kind of energy that makes you want to go create something the second it's over. I hope you walk away as inspired by Amanda as I am every time I talk to her.

In this episode I'm joined by Brittany, the mama behind That Marketing Mama, where she handles social media management and content creation for business owners who'd rather be doing literally anything else. We met when I helped her buy her house, and somewhere along the way she became one of my favorite people on the planet.

We talk about life and how it can sometimes happen, essentially, all at once, what it actually looks like to raise two little girls while building a business from scratch, and why she's so fiercely committed to lifting up other women.

There's also a lot of laughing, some very big love for Drew Bledsoe, and an honest conversation about guiding people through content creation. Oh, and my tiny lady makes several appearances, consider it part of the charm.

If you've been sitting on an idea and waiting for the "right time," this one's for you.

Episode 2, here we go!

In this episode, I'm joined by my friend Stephanie Dobrev, a funeral director, mom, and one of the most inspiring people I've had the privilege of meeting.

We first met when I helped her buy a home, but as I got to know her and heard more of her story, I couldn't stop thinking, more people need to know this woman. She didn't know it at the time, but meeting Stephanie was one of the moments that pushed me to take the leap and create this podcast, a place to share conversations with incredible people whose stories deserve to be heard.

We talk about what it's really like to work in the funeral profession, the misconceptions, the madness, the sadness, how she balances such a meaningful career with motherhood, and the perspective she brings to families during some of life's hardest moments.

This conversation is thoughtful, heartfelt, and full of nervous laughter haha. I hope you'll walk away from this episode as inspired by Stephanie as I was the first time I met her.