What happens when a 30 year career in finance ends not because of burnout, but because of a mosh pit, a moment of clarity, and a voice you finally decided to trust?

Steve Sapourn spent decades high functioning and quietly falling apart. Childhood trauma, addiction, and a nervous system wired for survival had him operating as if life was something to brace for rather than build. Until it wasn't.

In this episode, Laura sits down with Steve for one of the most honest conversations this show has had. They go deep on what it actually takes to move from surviving to choosing, what healing really looks like when it is not rainbows and realizations, and why the version of yourself underneath the trauma is not gone. It is just waiting.

What you will hear in this episode:

• Why most people are running old nervous system software and what it costs them
• The difference between willingness and courage, and why you need both before you can change anything
• What three intelligences live in your body and why you are probably only listening to one of them
• Why control is not about power. It is about safety. And that distinction changes everything.
• The real reason we avoid feelings and why practicing with the small ones is how you show up for the big ones
• What one study about 9 month olds reveals about why all of us carry confusion we did not create

If you have ever felt like something is wrong with you at a fundamental level, white knuckled your way through life and called it strength, or found yourself wanting more but unable to let go of what is keeping you stuck, this one is for you.

Follow Steve on Instagram at @theneurosjourney and find Breaking Cycles wherever you listen to podcasts.

Ready to do this work yourself? Join the Challengers Circle HERE

What if the thing you call "control" is just fear wearing a very convincing costume?

You've felt it — that grip-tightening urgency when things start slipping. The frantic planning. The self-blame spiral that sounds rational but quietly hollows you out. We tell ourselves we just need to get a handle on things. But what if control was never the point?

In this episode, Laura gets honest about what the craving for control is actually asking for — and why chasing it keeps you one step behind your own life.

▶️ Why control isn't about power — it's about safety, and what that distinction changes everything

▶️ The subtle (and sneaky) way self-blame becomes a control tactic — and how to catch it in real time

▶️ What to do when the culture around you is dysregulating and control isn't an option

▶️ The shift from control → consistency → agency, and why this is the actual path to stability

▶️ What Laura texted her best friend on a Sunday when she felt like she was about to explode — and what she said back

This isn't a productivity conversation. It's a much deeper one — about what it means to feel safe in your own skin when the world around you won't hold still.

If you've ever white-knuckled your way through uncertainty and called it strength — this one's for you. Listen now, and then ask yourself: what am I actually craving when I want control?

Learn more HERE

We treat confidence like a prerequisite—that magical armor we need to earn before we’re allowed to be brave. But what if waiting for confidence is actually the very thing keeping you stuck?

Most of us spend our lives chasing the feeling of certainty, hoping that if we just "had more confidence," the fear would disappear. We look at our environment, wait for validation, and shrink when the feedback doesn't match our intentions.

It’s a vicious cycle—and it’s completely backward.

In this episode, we’re dismantling the myth that confidence is the starting line. Confidence isn't something you have before you act; it is the outcome of acting. Instead, we’re exploring the one trait you actually need to build first: Self-Assurance.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• The "Container" Theory: Why your message or effort isn't failing, even if the feedback says it is.

• The Internal Shift: How to move from seeking external validation to standing on your own "ground."

• Leadership in Real-Time: How to handle hard conversations—with others and yourself—without losing your footing.

• The Compassion Loop: How to soothe the inner critic the moment you start to spiral.

If you’ve ever felt paralyzed by the fear of being misunderstood, or if you find yourself waiting for permission to be bold, this conversation is for you. It’s time to stop waiting for the "feeling" and start building the foundation.

Ready to stop waiting? Join us inside the Challengers Circle to turn these insights into practice. We’re building a community of people who are tired of playing small and ready to lead—starting with themselves.

Listen now.

You've been showing up. Giving everything. Shrinking yourself just enough so nobody feels uncomfortable. And the people you've been doing it for? Still not clapping.

Tammi B knows this story from the inside.

For years she was the prayer warrior, the encourager, the one everyone leaned on...while quietly fighting depression nobody could see. She was performing her life far better than she was living it. And the moment that cracked her open wasn't a breakthrough. It was trauma, a season of forced silence, and a healing meditation that made her realize she'd been waiting for permission that was never coming.

This conversation doesn't just name the problem. It walks you through what it actually takes to stop dimming...even when the people in your life aren't ready for the full version of you. Even when choosing yourself feels like betrayal. Even when the silence is the scariest part.

What’s inside: 

• The hidden face of functional depression...and why the most giving people are often the most disconnected

• How Tammi's awakening unfolded in secret...and why silence was the strategy, not the shame

• What it looks like to awaken when the people around you aren't ready to follow

• Why fear was never meant to stop you...it's a yield sign, not a stop sign

• The butterfly moment that reframes every struggle you've been trying to escape

• Why the most meaningful moments of your life were never comfortable...and what that's actually telling you

• The one thing Tammi would tell anyone who's overwhelmed, stuck, and scared to start

If you've ever made yourself smaller to keep the peace...this one will feel like finally being seen. If you've been waiting for the right moment to stop shrinking...this conversation might just be it.

Listen now. Then send this to someone who needs to hear that their light was never too much...it was always exactly enough.

Join the Challengers Circle TODAY to shine in your FULL light- https://circle.changebychallenge.com/cbc-home 

Connect With Tammi B:

Coaching: www.tammib.com 

IG/FB/Tik Tok/You Tube: @thassawoman

LinkedIN: tammirboyd

Her life changing partial autobiography and empowerment is available:   It Had to Happen Release the Past and Step into Your Power..  & Successful Women Anthology can be purchased on thassawoman.com

What if every conflict you've been running from was actually an invitation to be trusted, respected, and known?

Most of us weren't taught how to fight well. We were just taught not to fight — swallow it, smooth it over, move on. And so we did. Until we looked up one day and realized nobody really sees us, nobody really hears us, and we've been at war with ourselves this whole time.

This episode is for anyone who knows there's something they need to say but keeps finding reasons not to say it. For anyone who walks away from hard conversations feeling smaller than when they walked in. For anyone who's confused how people can be this close and still feel this alone.

Laura Weiner-Kiser breaks down what conflict actually is (hint: it's not the enemy), why most people handle it wrong, and how to use it as one of the most powerful trust-building tools you have — if you know what you're doing.

Inside this episode:

→ Why avoiding conflict outside always creates conflict inside — and what that costs you long-term

→ The one move that disarms almost anyone in a heated moment (and why most people never learn it)

→ How to know if the story you're telling yourself about conflict is actually true — or just fear talking

→ Real conversations Laura has navigated — with a family member, a loan agent, and her own husband — and exactly how she did it

→ The three warning signs your nervous system sends before you lose control — and what to do the moment they show up

Conflict doesn't have to break things. It can be the reason someone finally trusts you. But only if you know what you're doing. Start here.

If you’re TRULY READY to become the CEO of your mind, check out the Challengers Circle - https://www.changebychallenge.com/challengers-circle

What if the thing holding you back isn't a lack of motivation—it's a story you don't even know you're telling yourself?

Most of us aren't struggling because we're lazy, broken, or not trying hard enough. We're struggling because we're running on invisible scripts—unconscious assumptions so deeply embedded in how we see ourselves and the world that we've never once stopped to question them.

In this episode, Laura pulls back the curtain on the hidden operating system most of us never knew existed. She breaks down why awareness—not willpower, not strategy, not another productivity hack—is the real entry point to change. And she gets honest about something most growth conversations avoid: wanting to change and choosing to change are two very different things.

What's inside:

• Why your invisible scripts are quietly running the show—and how to finally see them

• The crucial difference between judging yourself and actually assessing what's happening (and why it matters more than you think)

• Why you can want two things at once and still feel stuck—and what to do about it

• The uncomfortable truth about transformation that no one wants to admit

This isn't about optimization. It's about finally understanding why you keep ending up in the same place—and what it actually takes to go somewhere different.

If you've ever felt like you're working hard but something invisible keeps pulling you back, this episode was made for you.

Listen now—and then ask yourself: what script have I been living by that I've never once questioned?

Ready for change? Check Out The Challengers Circle -https://www.changebychallenge.com/challengers-circle

What if the emotions you've been running from are actually trying to guide you?

In this episode, we sit down with a conversation that stops you in your tracks, the kind that makes you pull over, put your phone down, and actually listen. We're talking about the hard stuff: grief, fear, shame, anger — and why resisting them doesn't make you stronger. It makes you smaller.

You'll hear why 80% of your intelligence doesn't live in your head, how a Holocaust survivor's body made a split-second decision his mind couldn't, and why the most emotionally free people aren't the ones who feel less — they're the ones who've learned to lead what they feel.

We explore a simple but genuinely life-changing technique: treating your emotions like executives at a conference table. Not suppressing them. Not being hijacked by them. Actually listening to what they're trying to tell you, and then making a conscious, empowered choice.

This is emotional intelligence, but not the buzzword version. This is the real, messy, courageous work of becoming the CEO of your inner world.

If you've ever felt controlled by your emotions, or ashamed of having them, this one's for you.

If you’re TRULY READY to become the CEO of your mind, check out the Challengers Circle - https://www.changebychallenge.com/challengers-circle

#EmotionalIntelligence #MentalHealth #PersonalGrowth #SelfLeadership #Mindset #EmotionalRegulation #Resilience #BodyAwareness #DiaryOfACEO #PodcastRecommendation #MindBodyConnection #SelfDevelopment #InnerWork #CourageousLiving #EmotionalFreedom #Podcast #GrowthMindset #MentalWellness #Leadership #SelfAwareness

There’s a quiet pattern many of us live inside, and most of the time we don’t even notice it.

Before the world has a chance to say no… we say it to ourselves.

We assume we’re not qualified.We assume they won’t like us.We assume the opportunity isn’t meant for us.

And without realizing it, we pull back, stay silent, or never even try.

In this episode, Laura explores the hidden habit of self-rejection—the subtle ways we disqualify ourselves from the life we actually want. Through real client stories and honest reflection, she unpacks why this pattern forms and how it quietly shapes our careers, relationships, and confidence.

You’ll learn:

• Why the fear of rejection often turns into self-sabotage

• How to recognize when you’re rejecting yourself before anyone else can

• A powerful mindset shift that reframes rejection as redirection

• A simple practice using “small-ticket rejections” to build emotional resilience

This conversation is about courage. Not the loud, heroic kind—but the everyday bravery of raising your hand, speaking up, reaching out, and allowing life to respond.

Because the most limiting rejection isn’t the one you receive.

It’s the one you give yourself.

Most of us believe the path to change starts with motivation, discipline, or a better strategy.

But real transformation begins somewhere much less comfortable: accepting reality exactly as it is.

In this episode of The Challenges of Change, Laura explores what happens when we refuse to acknowledge the “rules of the game” shaping our lives—whether in relationships, careers, networking, or personal growth. Resistance creates friction. Denial drains energy. And without realizing it, we often chase outcomes because of the emotional rewards we expect them to deliver.

Laura unpacks why acceptance isn’t approval...it’s simply the courage to see clearly. And from that clarity, something powerful becomes possible: choice.

You’ll learn how to question your motivations, recognize the patterns keeping you stuck, and take ownership of the decisions shaping your life. Because while we can’t control every circumstance, we always have the power to decide how we show up within it.

If you’ve ever felt frustrated by the way things are, this conversation will help you move from resistance to responsibility—and from reaction to agency.

Topics include:

• Why understanding the “rules of the game” reduces frustration and stress

• The difference between acceptance and approval

• How unconscious motivations shape our choices

• Reclaiming agency through responsibility and self-awareness

• How the Challengers Circle helps build clarity, courage, and self-trust

If you're ready to stop fighting reality and start navigating it with intention, this episode is for you.

Ready for Change... Try The "Challengers Circle" FREE for the first 30 days https://www.changebychallenge.com/challengers-circle

You don’t procrastinate because you’re lazy.You procrastinate because you’re human.

In this episode, Laura breaks down the three types of procrastination most people cycle through: conscious delay, creative avoidance, and priority dilution. If you’ve ever reorganized your desk instead of starting the hard thing… this is for you.

Drawing on insights from organizational psychologist Adam Grant, Laura explains why procrastination isn’t a time management issue — it’s an emotional regulation problem. We avoid tasks not because we don’t care, but because we don’t want to feel boredom, discomfort, frustration, or self-doubt.

You’ll learn:

• The 3 psychological types of procrastination

• Why willpower alone doesn’t work

• How emotional avoidance fuels delay

• A simple 2-step framework to break the cycle

• How to build self-awareness that actually creates change

If you struggle with productivity, burnout, stress, or self-sabotage, this episode gives you practical tools rooted in emotional intelligence — not hustle culture.

And if you’re ready for accountability and simplified growth, Laura shares how The Challenger Circle helps high performers build micro-habits that turn stress into strategy.

This isn’t about doing more.It’s about understanding what’s really in the way.

Listen now and finally break the procrastination loop.