In this episode of Everyday Resilient Women: Stories of Strength, Kelli sits down with award-winning author and keynote speaker Leia Baez to talk about turning pain into purpose. Leia shares her powerful journey from journalist to storyteller, opening up about recovery, motherhood, and healing after trauma. Together, they explore the power of vulnerability, faith, and resilience—and how sharing your story can help others find strength in theirs.

Leia Baez is the award-winning author of A Star for Stella and a keynote speaker known for her raw, inspiring storytelling. Once a journalist telling others’ stories, she now shares her own journey of resilience and reinvention—featured everywhere from viral speeches reaching over 6.5 million people to a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey. Today, Leia empowers entrepreneurs, leaders, and changemakers to transform struggle into strategy and step into their strength, reminding us that resilience is built one step at a time.

Connect with Leia Baez:

Website: https://www.leiabaez.com/

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/leiabaez

Instagram: @‌leia_baez

Learn more & stay connected:

Website: https://kellichu.com/

LinkedIn: Kelli Chu | Speaker & Coach

Instagram: @‌itskellichu

In this episode, Kelli opens up about one of life’s most universal — and challenging — experiences: navigating the unknown. Drawing from her own journey of recovery after a life-altering car accident, Kelli shares honest reflections, mindset shifts, and practical tools to help you face uncertainty with courage and grace.

Learn more & stay connected:

Website: https://kellichu.com/

LinkedIn: Kelli Chu | Speaker & Coach

Instagram: @‌itskellichu

In this episode, Kelli sits down with Marina Hollenbeck, a transpersonal coach who helps highly sensitive women align with their truth and reclaim their power. Marina shares her own journey of overcoming childhood trauma, depression, and substance dependency, opening up about what resilience looks like in real life—building self-awareness, reshaping her relationship with substances, and creating tools to stay grounded.

Through modalities like cycle-synching, internal family systems, and her signature Root-to-Rise method, Marina now guides clients from self-doubt to self-leadership. She is a certified Whole-Person Coach and is working toward accreditation with the International Coaching Federation. This raw and honest conversation is part of the Everyday Resilient Women: Stories of Strength series.

Learn more & stay connected:

Website: https://kellichu.com/

LinkedIn: Kelli Chu | Speaker & Coach

Instagram: @‌itskellichu

In this episode, Kelli shares her personal journey of rebuilding self-worth after a life-changing car accident. From facing scars and loss of hand function to finding the courage to be seen again, she opens up about what it really takes to move forward when life knocks you down. With practical strategies and heartfelt insight, this conversation will inspire you to reclaim confidence, embrace vulnerability, and keep going—one small step at a time.

Learn more & stay connected:

Website: https://kellichu.com/

LinkedIn: Kelli Chu | Speaker & Coach

Instagram: @‌itskellichu

In this very first episode, Kelli opens up about the life-changing car accident that reshaped her twenties, the challenges of recovery, and the path that led her to share her story through speaking and now podcasting. She introduces the mission behind Step Into Resilience—a space for honest conversations, lessons in bouncing back, and stories of strength to remind you that you’re never alone in life’s challenges.

Learn more & stay connected:

Website: https://kellichu.com/

LinkedIn: Kelli Chu | Speaker & Coach

Instagram: @‌itskellichu

Can we agree that life is HARD?

Step Into Resilience is the go-to podcast for anyone facing life’s curveballs and craving real talk, support, and inspiration. Hosted by trauma-informed coach and keynote speaker Kelli Chu—a TEDx alum and an advocate for the limb difference community and disability awareness—this show helps you navigate tough transitions, build self-worth, and develop a stronger, forward-thinking mindset.

Through powerful storytelling, practical tools, and honest conversations, Kelli creates a space where you’ll feel less alone and more equipped to face life head-on. Whether you’re healing from hardship, starting over, or simply seeking encouragement to keep going, each episode will remind you: you’re not broken—you’re becoming.

Tune in and reclaim your power, reframe your perspective, and take bold steps toward the life you deserve!

Website: http://kellichu.com/

Instagram: @itskellichu

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kelli-chu-speaker-coach