The Change Effect - Inspiration and Strategies for Creating Success on Your Own Terms

When you think about your life, do you ever have a moment where you look back and can see your experiences as dots on a map that have led you to where you are today? My guest today is no stranger to embracing change in her life. The series of pivots she has gone through has offered her a new perspective and made her become a powerful force who now helps women recognize the beauty in their own journeys and their power to step out of the shadows and be seen. 

This week on Journeys Through Change, my guest Jen Gottlieb and I are talking about how you can step out of the shadows and into alignment and finally BE SEEN as your true self.

Before she co-founded Super Connector Media, Jen was pursuing her dreams of becoming an actress in New York City. Her hard work and determination paid off when she landed her role in the Broadway National Tour of The Wedding Singer. That was just the beginning of Jen’s acting career. 

She soon landed a role on a hit TV series on VH1 called That Metal Show. Jen was cast as “Miss Box of Junk”, aka “The Vanna White of Rock and Roll” on a show about heavy metal music. There was just one little problem… Jen hated heavy metal music. After her show got canceled and her cheating boyfriend left her all in one week, Jen turned her breakdown into a transformative breakthrough, when she realized that sometimes sh*t happens so that shift can happen. 

She went on to create the fulfillment, alignment, visibility, and impact she dreamed of by finally stepping into her very own spotlight and allowing the world to truly see her. To date, Jen has helped thousands of business owners, coaches, and experts gain the confidence and skills they need to discover their passion, be seen as their true selves, and stand confidently in their own light.  

In this episode, Jen and I discuss:

• The low point that kickstarted Jen’s transformational breakthrough. 
• Learning the power of hard work and discipline. 
• Choosing a word of the year that scares you just enough to go after it. 
• Connection is the key to expanding your opportunity. 
• Teasing the 4 parts to her new book, Be Seen.  

You’re one connection, one meeting, one action step away from your life changing.

If you enjoyed this episode don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me what resonated with you.

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This episode is a longer one, but I promise you it is well worth the listen. Tons of golden nuggets of insight.

When you were little, did you dream of what you thought your life would look like? Looking back, is it anything like you pictured it? Life can be messy, wonderful, difficult, and equally amazing- all at the same time. As women, we are constantly swaying to the rhythm of life and re-inventing ourselves as time goes by. Our perspective is shaped by all of our experience and it’s our ability to embrace life’s little detours to create something new that makes us stronger. This week on Journeys Through Change, my guest Jane Hamill and I are talking about how walking through the doors of opportunity has made her unstoppable in fashion, business, and life. 

Jane’s passion started early as she grew up designing and sewing clothes for family members and went on to study fashion in New York and Paris before she started her own clothing line and opened Jane Hamill boutique in Chicago’s Lincoln Park at age 25. As her retail business took off she began to showcase her collections in Bloomingdales, Macy's, Saks, and hundreds of specialty stores. Due to family priorities, she decided to sell her business after 14 years and jump into the world of retail consulting. She soon built a thriving community with her brand Fashion Brain providing inspiration, guidance, and a boatload of business expertise to fashion, accessories, and jewelry designers worldwide. As her consulting business continues to thrive, she has embraced her long-time passion for gardening and has co-founded a new venture - North Branch Natives - a home-grown, sustainable business offering native plants and gardening classes to those interested in cultivating beauty and pollinator habitat in their own backyard. 

In this episode, Jane and I discuss:

• Opening her own boutique at 25 and all the lessons she learned along the way.
• Growing, scaling, and eventually selling her business to reinvent herself as a consultant.
• Saying yes to opportunities and opening the door to further growth. 
• Showing up authentically to attract an audience that is in alignment with what you have to offer. 
• Exploring your passions and nurturing the things that feed your soul. 

Things are not going to happen as you expect them to and how you approach these changes is EVERYTHING.

If you enjoyed this episode don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me what resonated with you.

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When I was contemplating the name change for this podcast, one of the names I was considering was ‘Change Mavericks’. A maverick is defined as someone who is independent-minded with an unconventional approach to life- a reflection of all of my guests who have shared their stories with me and YOU as well. We can all be mavericks by letting go of old stories and overcoming the limiting beliefs that are standing in the way of improving our lives. This week on Journeys Through Change, I’m encouraging you to question the thoughts that are holding you back!

In this episode, I discuss:

• My simple suggestion that makes a world of difference when it comes to shifting the way you see yourself and what you’re capable of doing, having, or being.
• Becoming an observer of your own thoughts- writing down the things that come up and evaluating the validity of these thoughts. 
• An exercise you can use to regroup and plant the seeds for change. 

As always, I am here to support you every step of the way. DM me on Instagram and let me know what this exercise brought up for you. 

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Do you ever wonder what people are talking about when it comes to listening to their intuition? Does it feel like you understand the concept but it’s not always easy for you to access your own inner guidance? Today’s guest experienced first-hand the power of tapping into her intuition. This week on Journeys Through Change, my guest Kelli Reese and I are talking about how trusting and following your own inner guidance can lead to a new sense of self. 

Kelli Reese is an author, leadership & alignment coach, and former executive who left a seventeen-year career running a $34M organization in 2015 to create her coaching business. She works with entrepreneurs and clients in high-level management roles and helps clients identify and remove unwanted blocks, patterns, and limiting beliefs.  If you’re struggling with things like self-worth, perfectionism, fear of being seen, money blocks, never-ending critical self-talk, over-functioning, or a constant need for approval, Kelli gets to the core of your problems and helps you resolve them quickly. Kelli will help you lead from the heart and be more of who you desire to be. Through her programs, retreats, and 1:1 coaching, clients find the courage and self-alignment they need to trust who they are and transform their careers, relationships, and lives.

In this episode, Kelli and I discuss:

• The challenges of making a difficult change in your life even when you know it's for the best
• Recognizing you’re in the void and coming out of it and into a place of alignment.
• How Kelli’s guides (and intuition) have led her through every change in her life. 
• Letting go of control and trusting your intuition to guide you where you’re meant to go.

If you enjoyed this episode don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me what resonated with you.

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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to do whatever it took- even if it meant learning something completely new- to follow your dream? Today’s guest did just that, stepping into the unknown with nothing more than a willingness to give it her all and refusing to give up no matter what obstacles stood in her way. This week on Journeys Through Change, my guest Naomi Rose and I are talking about how becoming a self-made professional baker, cafe owner and businesswoman led her to help aspiring bakers and food entrepreneurs follow their dreams.

Naomi Rose is a food business strategist and baking coach who helps people achieve baking success. With a deep passion for baking and an unwavering commitment to helping others achieve their goals, Naomi has made it her mission to help as many people as possible learn how to bake and build successful baking businesses. In 2018, Naomi made the bold decision to leave her 9-5 office job and pursue her dream of opening a café and bar. Today, Naomi aims to inspire and educate aspiring bakers and food entrepreneurs from all walks of life, with her latest business, Baking Boss, sharing her wealth of knowledge and expertise through online workshops and her podcast, Baking Boss Kitchen Secrets. Whether you're looking to take your baking skills to the next level or build a thriving food business from scratch, Naomi is the ultimate guide and mentor, ready and willing to help you achieve your dreams.

In this episode, Naomi and I discuss:

• How Naomi grew her brick-and-mortar business through continuous trial and error. 
• Taking imperfect, messy action is key to getting the ball rolling.
• How Naomi’s grandmother's love for baking and value of caring for others was woven into her own cafe business.
• Using the COVID lockdown to look at her business objectively and restructure as necessary.
• Having the tenacity to set your emotions aside and keep moving forward.

It’s OK not to have all of the answers. If you’re willing to go for your dreams with a vision and direction, the rest will gradually fall into place over time.

If you enjoyed this episode don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me what resonated with you.

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In the spirit of sharing our stories, I thought I would take this episode to talk a bit about some personal changes I recently went through after deciding to move back to California and highlight the 8 significant signs that came up along the way that kept me confident that I was on the right track. This week on Journeys Through Change, I am talking about my recent road trip moving back to California and 8 signs to look for when making a big change!

The 8 signs I cover in this episode include:

1. If things seem to fall into place, pay attention. You are likely on the right track! 
2. I have always taken great care of my homes and I have a thing about leaving a space and knowing good energy is coming in. The new buyers put my mind at ease and I knew I’d made the right decision.
3. You know you are on the right track when you’re graced with an exceptional co-pilot especially when the journey is long.
4. It is always good to feel when your instincts are guiding your next steps.
5. Recognize when you start to feel hopeless and keep the energy around you high. 
6. It’s all about perspective. When our minds start to play tricks on us and leave us feeling helpless, its up to us to reframe our thinking and keep our heads in the game.
7. Keep a look out for turnarounds. Things can happen in a split second that change the way you feel about your luck in any situation and can bring a new sense of gratitude you didn’t see coming. 
8. When we feel ourselves digging deep and re-focusing on the outcome, we know we are learning and showing ourselves we are capable of facing anything that comes our way.

If you enjoyed this episode don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me what resonated with you.

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Beauty is defined as the quality or aggregated qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or raises the mind or spirit. One could say it’s in the eye of the beholder but what if it’s acknowledgment is not prompted by mere aesthetics but more by an inner knowing and acknowledgment of our deeper selves? This week on Journeys Through Change, my guest Amy Head and I are talking about how she went from being a single mom to a photographer and beauty expert helping women view themselves in a whole different light.

At age 30, Amy Head was a single mom twice divorced searching to find that part of herself she had been looking for in relationships throughout her life. She had no idea how the strong will and independence she developed over the years would soon be channeled into such an unexpected place. 

As a photographer, esthetician, and beauty expert Amy was working with women every day to shine a light on their outer beauty as she began to recognize her ability to empower them to more clearly see their inner essence, value, and confidence. Amy shares with us the lessons she’s learned as she continues to come into her own as a mother, partner and businesswoman as well as the complexities she faced along the way to figure out where her own strength lies and the gifts she has to help other women see themselves in a whole new light. 

In this episode, Amy and I discuss:

• How her love for the arts evolved into a lifelong career in the creative space.
• The right timing has everything to do with the changes we make in our lives.
• The power of pouring into yourself and investing in your goals.
• Natural mindset pivots that occur in us as we age. 
• Having gratitude for all of the life experiences, good and bad, that brought you to the point you’re at today.
• How her “Women Over 40” campaign is showcasing the beauty, power, strength, and resilience in the women she photographs.  

Learning that life is not happening TO you, but that it is happening FOR you is a huge mindset pivot that allows you to view everything in a new lens.

If you enjoyed this episode don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me what resonated with you.

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I’ve mentioned before that throughout this podcast, I plan to share some stories of my own as they come up in real time. Recently, I have come to the realization that I have been stepping into change quite a bit lately and as a celebrator of change, I feel it is my responsibility to share my experiences and the thoughts and feelings behind them. This week on Go Go Bistro, I’m sharing a big announcement in relation to Journeys Through Change.

In this episode, I share my immense gratitude for how well the podcast has been received thus far and what has led up to my decision to change the name of the podcast moving forward. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to sit down with incredible women to highlight their stories while honoring the current and future journeys you may be embarking upon along the way.

As a reminder, we will be taking a little break while we transition the podcast into it’s new era and will be returning on September 19, 2023. In the meantime, connect with me on Instagram and join my e-mail list. 

If you enjoyed this episode don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me what resonated with you.

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The path of our lives is paved by the decisions we make. Saying yes is often a gamble and the driving force behind that particular choice at any given time is often unknown. Perhaps it’s a feeling or intuition that tells us that being open in that moment will lead us closer to where we want to be. Whatever it is, the power of yes is undeniable and it can set our lives in directions we never thought possible. This week on Journeys Through Change (formerly known as Go Go Bistro), my guest Celeste Mergens and I are talking about how the power of saying yes led her to make a global impact on girl’s and women’s health.

Celeste is the Founder and former CEO of Days for Girls International  - Since 2008, Days for Girls has restored days of education and opportunity to over 2.9 million women and girls in over 145 countries on 6 continents, through providing access to sustainable feminine hygiene solutions and health education. Celeste has led Days for Girls to develop a global network of over 830 volunteer Chapters and Teams, and social enterprise programs in 13 countries. She has spread her message on the TEDx stage and has been a two-time featured panelist at the UN Commissions on the Status of Women. Days for Girls won the SEED award for gender equity and entrepreneurship in 2015, - is a two-time Girl Effect Champion, and was named by the Huffington Post as a ‘Next Ten’ Organization poised to change the world in the next decade. She is truly a remarkable woman I think we can all look up to.

In this episode, Celeste and I discuss:

• How a childhood of hunger and poverty shaped how she grew up to parent and do work in the world. 
• The heartbreaking story that prompted the foundation of Days for Girls.
• Celeste’s perspective that allowed her to cultivate a culture that listens to one another and works together to find solutions. 
• Miracles that happened along the way helped Days for Girls expand their impact.  

The power of us coming together is tremendous and Celeste is forever continuing her work to help the world see that.

If you enjoyed this episode don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me what resonated with you.

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Preorder The Power of Days Coming October 3, 2023

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What would happen if you were suddenly faced with a life threatening illness that instantaneously made you question your sense of security and all that you thought you knew to be true? The reality is that no matter how much we take care of ourselves, health is never a given and illness can creep into our lives without notice- turning our whole world upside down in an instant. Even once the shock subsides, the whiplash from the trauma it can cause is intense, relentless and profoundly life-altering. This week on Journeys Through Change (formerly known as Go Go Bistro), my guest Casey Head and I are talking about how her experience surviving cancer 3 times led her to guide others facing their road to recovery. 

Casey Head is a 3 time cancer survivor who is well aware of the devastation the diagnosis of cancer can bring. She spent 5 years in the trenches of her battle before finally beating it in 2018.  Once Casey entered long-term remission she was surprised that she was unable to find the support and guidance she so desperately needed to cope with the aftermath of this life changing experience. Taking her newfound knowledge and the practices she learned on her own to heal, she has made it her mission to support women on their path to physical and mental recovery as they navigate their lives post-treatment.

In this episode, Casey and I discuss:

• The warning signs that hinted to Casey that something was wrong with her body.    
• Casey’s emotional journey from remission to finding out her cancer returned not once but twice. 
• What (or more so who) led Casey to keep fighting when she didn’t feel like she could.
• The pivotal moment she realized her purpose was to help others heal.
• How she now helps survivors get to a place of faith and hope in their own journeys. 

If you enjoyed this episode don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me what resonated with you.

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