In this episode, I sit down with Leah Ellis, mother of four and founder of The Society of Child Entrepreneurs (SoCE) — a nonprofit teaching children ages 6–17 real entrepreneurship through hands-on business experience.

Leah’s mission is rooted in something deeply personal. As a child, she was told to shrink. Today, she teaches kids to stand up — sometimes literally on chairs — and use their voices.

We talk about:

Why Leah rejects the phrase “children are the future”

How kids build real businesses (from 3D printing to book-recommendation services)

The mindset shift from profit to impact in a nonprofit model

How to test demand before launching a business

What kind of risk you should accept — and what kind you should limit

Why children don’t need protection from responsibility — they need support

How adults can mentor child entrepreneurs (even without kids at home)

As an Amen University-certified brain health coach, I was especially intrigued by the idea of directing open neural plasticity responsibly. When confidence is nurtured early, adults don’t have to spend decades rebuilding it.

Leah Ellis is a mother of four and the founder of The Society of Child Entrepreneurs (SoCE), a nonprofit dedicated to helping children ages 6–17 build confidence, leadership, and real-world business skills through hands-on learning.

Through business fairs, curriculum, and coaching, she helps children launch real ventures, learn financial literacy, and develop resilience through experience, not theory.

At the heart of her work is a simple belief:

Important note:

Programs currently operate in South Central Kansas

🔗 Website: SOCEICT.org

Ilze Be Berzina

SheBecameCEO.com

In this episode, I respond to requests to speak about weight loss in midlife — especially the relationship between hormones and the nervous system.

I share my personal experience and the information I’ve collected over the years from listening to hundreds of hours of podcasts and reading extensively on metabolic health, thyroid function, insulin, menopause, and nervous system regulation.

Topics include:

Estrogen, serotonin, and midlife metabolic shifts

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and common myths

Thyroid–insulin connection

Low-carb, ketogenic, and carnivore approaches

Ketones and fat adaptation

Sleep, cortisol, and circadian rhythm

Why nourishing the body may be foundational for nervous system balance

Sources and voices mentioned in this episode:

Dr. Peter Attia

Dr. Andrew Huberman (Huberman Lab)

Dr. Sara Gottfried (The Hormone Cure)

Dr. Lisa Mosconi

Dr. Elizabeth Bright

Dr. Anthony Chaffee

Rina Ahluwalia (The Primal Podcast)

Dr. Robert Kiltz

Steven Bartlett

The Williams Table (90-Day Carnivore Update)

This is not medical advice. It is an invitation to research, discern, and consider your options.

If this episode resonates, please rate and follow the podcast.

Host's email: [email protected]

https://shebecameceo.com https://ilzebe.com

This episode is different from the others—because this time, I’m the guest.

I’m sharing a few fragments from Leave Nothing to Chance, where host John Solleder interviewed me. It was my first time ever being interviewed on someone else’s podcast, and John made it easy.

We talk about communication, why listening is the foundation of clear messaging, how trauma can shape how we speak and relate, and how I work with both organizations and individuals to clarify what’s not working—and what to do next. You’ll also hear the story behind my original podcast name, Ill Zebra’s Transformations, and why She Became CEO is about more than business: it’s becoming CEO of your voice, health, money, and relationships.

If you’re an experienced entrepreneur, I also recommend checking out Leave Nothing to Chance—John’s audience is slightly different from mine, and you may love it.

Why clear messaging starts with listening

Communication as an art: talking with people, not at them

Trauma, compassion, and what changes after hard life events

How I begin organizational work (interviews + defining outcomes)

The “Ill Zebra” story and the transformation behind it

A simple clarity exercise for 2026: where you are → where you want to be → resources you already have

Leave Nothing to Chance (John Solleder)

She Became CEO (Ilze Be)

In Episode 50 of She Became CEO, I welcome back my very first podcast guest, Paige Royal, for a conversation about community—how we build it, how we belong, and how we sometimes outgrow it.

We talk about authenticity versus “filtering” ourselves in different spaces, loneliness (including the kind that comes from language and cultural barriers), and why shame—especially around money—keeps people quiet. I also share how learning English as a 12-year-old became my way into the wider world, and eventually into business and leadership.

Connect with Paige: https://www.paigeroyalcoaching.com/

My newsletter: https://shebecameceo.com/index.php/podcast-newsletter-subscription/

This episode was recorded just before Ilze travels to Latvia to visit her parents—during their birthday month—and shortly after Jermaine lost his mother.

Jermaine asked to be on the podcast not to promote a product, but to honor his mom by sharing her story and the lessons she left behind.

What unfolds is a quiet, deeply human conversation about parents, time, migration, money, and the conversations we postpone because they feel uncomfortable—or too final.

Losing a parent and what it changes about how we relate to time

Growing up in a communal culture where family always came first

Reinventing oneself later in life—and learning, sometimes late, to enjoy it

Why gratitude can feel complicated after loss

The small moments we dismiss that end up mattering the most

How encouragement from loved ones can help us reclaim joy

Why clarity around money, wishes, and legacy is an act of love

Jermaine also shares the personal story behind HeirLight—a will-making app he is building in honor of his mother. Designed as a calm, guided experience, HeirLight helps people face one of adulthood’s most avoided tasks with clarity and care.

As Jermaine says in the episode: clarity is love, in practical form.

This conversation isn’t about productivity or hustle.

Jermaine Ee is a founder and storyteller interested in how we spend our time, the work we do, and what we leave behind. His career has spanned ed-tech, logistics, toys, political campaigns, executive search, and impact projects, always focused on helping people make better decisions about their futures.

Born in Los Angeles and raised between LA and Malaysia, he reflects often on belonging, identity, and the quiet instructions we leave behind for the people we love.

Connect with Jermaine Ee through his website: https://heirlight.com/en 

This episode is for people who want to create income without being on camera, without “selling themselves,” and without a large upfront investment.

My guest, Paul Apollonia, has been buying and selling on eBay since 2001. Over the past two decades, he has built a sustainable eBay business, weathered economic downturns, and helped individuals and businesses turn overlooked items into real income.

In our conversation, Paul shares why eBay is a particularly strong option for people who are:

camera-shy or introverted,

navigating layoffs or career transitions,

short on startup capital,

looking for a realistic side gig that can grow over time.

We also talk about pivoting, mindset, and why practical skills often matter more than hype when money is tight.

Why eBay selling does not require video, personal branding, or public speaking

How Paul pivoted from IT → auto detailing → online selling

Starting with what you already own—or can source for free

Why selling needs often works better than selling “wants”

The power of niches and overlooked items

Real examples of ordinary objects that sell surprisingly well

What actually makes an eBay listing effective

When coaching helps people move faster than trial-and-error

Why eBay works well for introverts and people who prefer minimal interaction

Using eBay as a side income vs. a primary business

How small businesses can turn excess inventory into cash

Paul Apollonia has been selling and buying on eBay since 2001 and became an eBay-trained Education Specialist in 2009. He teaches both new and experienced sellers how to succeed on eBay and works closely with businesses to help them turn excess or idle inventory into cash.

Paul has taught:

stay-at-home parents,

small business owners,

executives and employees,

He teaches in classroom settings, small groups, and 1:1, and continues to support clients through Zoom, phone, and email.

Paul is also the founder and facilitator of a monthly eBay E-Commerce Sellers Circle, launched in 2013. What began with just two members has grown to over 540 sellers, connecting beginners and experienced sellers from across the U.S. and beyond.

In this episode, I speak with Kaye Squire, a member of the Amen University community who chose to share her story publicly after years of hesitation.

Kaye explains that her reason for speaking out was simple: if her experience could help even one person feel less alone—and see that there is a better path forward—then it was worth doing.

Her very high ACE score (Adverse Childhood Experiences).

What childhood abuse and neglect looked like in her own life.

How early trauma affected her relationships and sense of safety.

A suicide attempt in her early twenties, and what followed.

Memory struggles later in life and how they prompted her to take brain health seriously.

The steps she has taken to better support her brain and overall well-being.

What it takes to speak publicly about trauma when you’re not “over it.”

Why resilience often begins with just one safe relationship.

The long-term effects of early trauma on the brain.

Why Kaye feels strongly about supporting children and breaking cycles early.

This is not a polished success story or a dramatic transformation arc. It is a grounded conversation about lived experience, responsibility, and the decision to speak—not for attention, but to help someone else recognize themselves and feel less alone.

Find Kaye's Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/kayesquire_brainhealth/ 

In this episode, I talk with Aldis Ozols, whose English is functional, direct, and unconcerned with convention. What stands out is how effectively he uses it to achieve his goals.

Aldis is the author of Lose Millions, Win Life, a book shaped by his childhood in a Soviet Latvian village—by cold barns, physical labor, scarcity, and early responsibility—and by the long years that led him far beyond Latvia, eventually rebuilding his life in Ghana. The book traces how those early conditions forged a relentless drive, a tolerance for uncertainty, and a willingness to start over from scratch in a new culture. He wrote the book in English by putting his thoughts on paper, working with a ghostwriter, and asking his son to record the audiobook. The book exists because he focused on the outcome and assembled the right support.

He sold his first signed copy for $10,000 and several others for $5,000. The money went to causes in Ghana. The gesture amplified his message and strengthened his reputation.

This conversation provides a grounded perspective on intelligence, as expressed through action, resourcefulness, and follow-through.

Contact Aldis Ozols  at [email protected] 

In this episode, Ilze reconnects with Mara Lee Gilbert for a grounded, wide-ranging conversation about trauma, the nervous system, embodiment, and inner wisdom shaped through lived experience.

Together, they explore how early conditioning influences behavior in subtle ways, why insight alone doesn’t always lead to change, and how the body holds information long after events have passed. The conversation moves gently through themes of emotional expression, safety, desire, success, and peace—without rushing toward solutions or dramatic conclusions.

This episode is especially relevant for listeners who have done significant inner work and still sense unresolved layers, or who feel that conventional strategies no longer reach the deeper places where change actually happens.

How trauma shows up in unexpected ways

Why emotional expression doesn’t follow a single “correct” script

Rage, anxiety, compassion, and how different bodies process truth

Inner wisdom as a practical, embodied skill

Mara Lee Gilbert is a Transformational Guide and Coach, trauma-informed space holder, and sound channeler devoted to the healing power of truth, transmutation, and deep embodiment.

With a Master’s degree in Forensic Psychology and over a decade of experience supporting youth and adults in trauma recovery, Mara bridges grounded clinical insight with somatic healing and sacred plant wisdom. Her work draws on her unique ability to channel energetic frequencies through sound, activating deep remembrance and regulation within the body.

Currently training as a Death Doula, Mara works at the intersection of shadow and light, inviting others to reclaim their power through presence, honesty, and radical self-trust.

Instagram: @maraleegilbert

Sacred Rage Retreat (online, for women/female-identifying participants):

Online Workshop – Sacred Rage: Exploring the Alchemy of Intense Emotions

Abundance Activation Ceremony (online)

Chanting & Sound Work on YouTube:

Mara is also available for one-on-one work.

In this year-end episode of She Became CEO, Ilze reflects on how the podcast has evolved over the past year—and shares parts of her story she hasn’t spoken about publicly before.

This episode begins with a short spoken-word poem inspired by the idea of irony: promises that sound like certainty, the illusions we build our lives on, and the unexpected way strength and wisdom often reveal themselves only after everything falls apart.

This episode marks a shift toward:

clearer language

shorter distances between insight and action

conversations rooted in lived experience rather than performance

and a deeper respect for the intelligence already present in the listener

Above all, it’s an episode about listening, which is a skill that is so necessary for effective speakers, communicators, entrepreneurs, and partners in successful personal relationships.

Tune in and connect with me via one of my websites: