Tales From The Lane

Welcome back to Day 2 of our Stay-at-Home Quarterly Retreat mini-series!

If yesterday was about reflection, clarity, and direction, today is about rolling up your sleeves and building the things your next 90 days will need.

Today is all about Creation Mode.

Most of us do planning beautifully. But then life happens…and suddenly everything becomes last-minute: graphics, promo posts, emails, outreach, content, requests, rehearsals prep – you name it.

Today we break that cycle.

In this mini-episode, I walk you step-by-step through how to: • Create assets that save you time later • Stock your "visibility pantry" • Build social posts, captions, emails + ideas • Gather testimonials + proof of excellence • Design graphics + templates to reuse • Send bold outreach to move your career forward

This is the day where momentum begins. This is where you build ease into your next quarter.

🎧 Listen now, and then spend the day creating what Future-You will be so grateful to have.

✨ Want support and structure? Download my free Quarterly Retreat Planning Guide to follow along and use it every quarter.

📍 And if you want to do this LIVE with me, join the Stay-At-Home Retreat sessions happening December 29, 30, 31 & January 2 from 11am-12pm ET via Zoom. Sign up via Thrivefest

Let's build the next 90 days with purpose.

Ready to step out of reaction mode and into intention? Today we're kicking off a special 4-part mini-series walking you through my Quarterly Retreat Strategy so you can step into the next 90 days grounded, organized, creative, and clear.

Most of us spend our lives reacting—putting out fires, responding to whatever shows up, and getting swept into urgency instead of alignment. This retreat is about reclaiming agency over your time, your energy, and your life—without needing to disappear to a fancy spa resort. You can do this right at home.

In this episode (Day 1: PLAN), you'll learn: • How to create a "retreat environment" at home that signals your brain to slow down and think deeply • The reflective questions that reveal what worked, what didn't, and what needs to shift • How to design the next 90 days intentionally instead of reactively • How to map goals realistically so life supports you—not overwhelms you • Why how you want to feel matters more than what you accomplish

This is the foundation. Today we prep, we reflect, and we design the quarter ahead with clarity and intention.

✨ Want support and structure? Download my free Quarterly Retreat Planning Guide to follow along and use it every quarter.

📍 And if you want to do this LIVE with me, join the Stay-At-Home Retreat sessions happening December 29, 30, 31 & January 2 from 11am-12pm ET via Zoom. Sign up via Thrivefest

Let's build the next 90 days with purpose.

Today on Tales from the Lane, I'm joined by the Honourable Mari Manoogian—former Michigan State Representative and now Executive Director of The Next 50, an organization dedicated to empowering and equipping the next generation of leaders to shape the future they want to live in.

This conversation is honest, energizing, and deeply grounding. Mari pulls back the curtain on what leadership actually feels like when you're the youngest person in the room, when the stakes are high, and when stepping forward requires vulnerability, conviction, and courage.

We talk about:

• What courage really feels like (hint: it's rarely glamorous)

• Claiming leadership instead of waiting to be "granted" it

• Navigating power dynamics, criticism, and visibility

• Reinvention and knowing when it's time to evolve

• Why showing up—even when you're unsure—changes everything

Mari is smart, warm, grounded, and deeply committed to helping people lead with purpose and impact. You're going to walk away feeling inspired—and far more capable than you may realize.

Learn more about The Next 50 here: 👉 https://www.thenext50.us

Connect with Mari on social: 📸 Instagram: @marimanoogian 🔗 LinkedIn: @MariManoogian

Want more? grab a copy of my book, Beyond Potential: A Guide for Creatives Who Want to Re-Assess, Re-Define, and Re-Ignite Their Career.

And if you're craving structure, clarity, and a grounded sense of direction for the coming months, don't forget to download my Quarterly Retreat Planning Guide—your free roadmap to reflect, reset, and realign with what matters most.

Thank you for listening, friends. If this episode moved you, please share it with someone who needs encouragement to take the lead in their own life.

As we head into a new year, many of us are thinking about goals—what we want to do, accomplish, or finally finish. But what if the real work starts somewhere deeper?

In this episode of Tales from The Lane, Kate Kayaian explores the idea of identity shifts, and why before you can start talking about building better habits, or finding more discipline, we need to figure out WHO you need to be in order to reach those goals.

You'll learn:

• Why behavior always follows identity

• A simple framework that can help you through the process.

• The difference between evolution and identity "death"

• The three phases of an identity shift

• How to create your own Identity Blueprint for the year ahead

Kate also shares journaling prompts, mini case studies, and practical mantras with small actions to help you step into your next-level self—without risk of burnout or crippling perfectionism.

This episode is especially powerful if you're setting intentions for the new year, navigating reinvention, or feeling called toward something bigger, but unsure how to get there.

🎁 Download the free Identity Blueprint worksheet to go deeper with this episode. 📘 Learn more inside Beyond Potential: A Guide for Creatives Who Want to Re-Assess, Re-Define, and Re-Ignite Their Career. ✨ Join ThriveFest: Holiday Edition for daily momentum-building actions. 👋🏼 Come say hello on Instagram: @KKayaian

In a world where everyone is shouting for attention online, how do you share your story in a way that actually connects, and doesn't just add to the noise?

Today's guest has built an entire career around answering that question.

In this episode, I'm joined by Michelle Glogovac—podcast publicist, host of multiple shows (including Read the Damn Book), and author of How to Get on Podcasts. Known as THE podcast matchmaker, Michelle helps authors, entrepreneurs, and change-makers use podcast guesting as a strategic, human way to grow their visibility and impact.

We talk about:

• Why podcasts are one of the most powerful visibility tools for high achievers right now

• How to pitch yourself in a way that actually respects a host's time and energy

• Common mistakes people make when trying to get on podcasts (and what to do instead)

• How to craft and repeat your core stories without feeling like a broken record

• Reinvention, "failure," and what it really looks like to pivot into a new chapter

• Building community, saying yes to opportunities, and starting small—even if you're scared no one will show up

If you've been feeling the nudge to get more visible, start a show, or finally pitch yourself as a guest, this conversation will give you both mindset shifts and practical next steps.

Mentioned in this episode:

• How to Get on Podcasts by Michelle Glogovac

• Michelle's shows, including Read the Damn Book

• My book, Beyond Potential: A Guide for Creatives Who Want to Re-Assess, Re-Define, and Re-Ignite Their Career.

If this episode resonates, will you share it with a friend who's sitting on a powerful story and needs a little push to put it out into the world?

Want more? Join us inside ThriveFest: Holiday Edition, grab your copy of Beyond Potential, and subscribe to The Weekend List for weekly behind-the-scenes stories and practical insights.

Follow Michelle:

Instagram: @michelleglogovac

TikTok: @thepodcastmatchmaker

Threads: @michelleglogovac

YouTube: @thepodcastmatchmaker

In a world that's speeding up, sloppier than ever, and overflowing with noise, excellence can feel like a lost art. But what if small, intentional acts of care are exactly what bring you back to yourself?

In this solo episode, Kate unpacks the idea of Finding Excellence in the Small Moments—not as a perfectionist mandate, but as a powerful form of self-respect, identity-building, and rebellion against mediocrity.

Inside, you'll learn:

✨ Why "how you do anything is how you do everything" is dangeroulsy unrealistic ✨ The real difference between excellence and perfectionism ✨ The psychology behind small, intentional habits ✨ How tiny acts—making your bed beautifully, writing a human email, completing a task all the way through—can change the way you feel in your life ✨ Why moments of beauty, care, and presence matter now more than ever

If you're craving grounding, clarity, and a sense of control amid the chaos, this episode will feel like a deep exhale.

Want more? Join us inside ThriveFest: Holiday Edition, grab your copy of Beyond Potential, and subscribe to The Weekend List for weekly behind-the-scenes stories and practical insights.

This week on Tales from The Lane, I'm joined by Dr. Kristen Strom — speaker, author, former English professor turned transformational wellness coach — for a deeply real, encouraging conversation about what it actually takes to stop surviving and start thriving.

Kristen built the career she thought she always wanted: PhD, professor, teacher educator, mom of three, leadership roles—all the boxes checked. But behind the scenes? She was exhausted, burned out, and increasingly disconnected from herself.

A single photo of her on a walk with her kids changed everything.

In this episode, Kristen shares:

✨ How success on paper can mask deep misalignment ✨ The moment she realized no one was coming to save her ✨ The 3 pieces of the wellness puzzle ✨ The Be–Do–Have framework and how it can change everything ✨ One small, smart step you can take today to shift your momentum

We also talk about the lies we tell ourselves ("later, later, later…"), the danger of thinking being busy means being fulfilled, and how to rebuild a life that aligns with who you've become—not who you were five years ago.

This is the perfect episode to listen to during Thrive Fest, where hundreds of us are taking small steps every day to reset our energy and reclaim our clarity. (Join us anytime!)

Resources & Links: Join Thrive Fest: Holiday Edition Get my book Beyond Potential: A Guide for Creatives Who Want to Re-Assess, Re-Define, and Re-Ignite Their Career Connect with Kristen: IG: @dr_kristenstrom and @lifewithdrkristen, FBk: Dr. Kristen Strom; Linkedin: Dr. Kristen Strom

If you've been feeling stretched thin, stuck, or out of sync with your own life, this episode will feel like a deep breath. Kristen's story is proof that change doesn't require an overhaul—just one small, smart step at a time.

Does life feel louder lately? Not just audibly, but mentally? Between the news cycle, nonstop notifications, the group chats, and the never-ending list of micro-decisions—we're all running on cognitive overload.

In today's episode, Kate breaks down five powerful, practical strategies to help you turn down the volume, reclaim your mental space, and get your focus back.

You'll learn how to: • Be intentional about the news you consume • Reduce context switching and reclaim hours of lost time • Build deep-focus "sauna time" into your day • Decrease decision fatigue with systems and rituals • Try a game-changing content-deprivation week

These tools will help you create more calm, clarity, and control—not by escaping your life, but by designing it more intentionally.

✨ Thrive Fest is officially underway!If you haven't joined yet, there's still time to hop in and start your 6-week reset. Join here: https://mailchi.mp/katekayaian/dzlvsmt90k

📘 Get the book: Beyond Potential: A Guide for Creatives Who Aant to Re-Assess, Re-Define, and Re-Ignite Their Careers. Amazon, B&N, or wherever you buy books.

💬 Work with Kate 1:1 Book a free 30-minute consult call today.

Register for Thrivefest (it's free!) We begin on November 17th!

What does it really mean to show up—on stage, on camera, online—and feel authentic instead of performative? Certified coach, speaker, writer, and retreat leader Dayna Del Val joins Kate to unpack "audacious visibility": the blend of presence, clarity, and courage that helps leaders and creatives communicate with impact.

We get into:

• How to become audaciously visible without feeling salesy

• The #1 shift that makes talks and high-stakes conversations land (hello, audience-first delivery)

• Why storytelling rewires the stories we tell about ourselves—and how to change them

• Practical, theater-tested tips for on-camera confidence (Zoom and stage)

• The power of retreats and intentional time away to reconnect with your spark

• Navigating polarization with nuance (Dayna's podcast Brave Middle Ground) and building real connection again

If you're crafting a keynote, prepping for a TED-style talk, or simply want to feel more you in the room, this one's a masterclass in presence.

Resources mentioned: Dana's "10 Quick Tips to Be Confident & Camera-Ready,"

Rediscover Your Spark retreats (Edinburgh!)

links to Dana's website and podcast

Plus Kate's Thrive Fest (Holiday Edition) free community-wide advent calendar!

Most high achievers spend their lives mastering their side of the table—preparing, polishing, striving. But what happens when you switch sides? When you stop practicing only for the audition, for the interview, for the presentation…and step into the seat of the person on the other side?

This week, we're exploring one of the most underrated tools for accelerating your growth, confidence, and clarity: perspective-shifting.

From sitting on audition panels to interviewing other candidates, teaching what you're still learning, and even walking through your own audience or customer experience—putting yourself on the other side gives you information, insight, and confidence you cannot get any other way.

If you're serious about mastery, momentum, and meaningful success, this episode is your blueprint.

In this episode you'll learn:

• Why your brain learns faster when you switch roles

• How sitting on the decision-making side sharpens your instincts

• 5 strategies to immediately adopt "the other side" perspective

• The psychological and neuroscience research behind perspective-taking

• How this simple shift builds humility, confidence, and emotional intelligence

This isn't about doing more—it's about seeing more.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

📘 Get my book Beyond Potential — a roadmap to building a life and career of sustainable excellence

🗓️ Book a free 1:1 call to explore what doors working with a coach might open for you!

📩 Subscribe to The Weekend List — your weekly dose of grounded inspiration & strategy https://katekayaian.com/newsletter

🎉 Register for Thrive Fest — Holiday Edition Your daily, calm-but-powerful accountability ritual for a season that actually feels good