The Courage is Built Here Podcast

In this episode of Courage is Built Here, Justine sits down with therapist, life and mindset coach, and owner of Sea Change Wellness, Lauren-Ashleigh Whitaker (LA), to talk about what it really looks like to stop hustling and start healing. LA shares her health journey living with endometriosis, how grit culture kept her pushing past her limits, and what finally shifted when she stopped performing self care and started practicing it from a place of genuine self-worth and self-love.

In this episode of Courage is Built Here, Justine opens Pathway One, Feel It All, and sits down with her friend Barry Engelhardt to talk about the difference between reacting and responding when emotions hijack the brain. Barry shares a memorable moment with his wife that became a wake-up call about stress spilling from work into home life, plus what it was like growing up without language for feelings and how he and his wife are raising their two sons differently. Together, they explore values as a starting point, the “slow is smooth, smooth is fast” mindset, and what it looks like to become one person everywhere you go.

In this episode of Courage is Built Here, Justine opens Pathway Five, Do the Work, and sits down with professional calligrapher and small business owner Leah Spiros. Together they talk about how old stories can keep us stuck to what feels familiar, why “the next step” matters more than the perfect step, and how intentionality, kindness, and joy shape the way Leah shows up in her business and her relationships.

In this episode of Courage Is Built Here, Justine opens Pathway Four, Love Others Well, with executive leader and advisor Rose Thompson. Together, they explore how accountability, empathy, boundaries, and vulnerability are essential to caring for and leading others well. Rose shares stories from her leadership journey about one-to-one connection, holding people accountable with love, navigating boundaries at work and at home, and choosing curiosity over judgment, even in difficult conversations.

In this episode of Courage Is Built Here, Justine opens Pathway Three, Be Fully You, and sits down with educator and superintendent Amy Ruzicka to talk about imposter syndrome, leadership, and the courage it takes to step forward before you feel ready. Amy shares how self-doubt, authenticity, boundaries, and embracing joy have shaped her leadership journey, including her decision to apply for superintendent and her commitment to leading through influence rather than power.

In this episode of Courage Is Built Here, Justine opens Pathway Two, Embody Again, and sits down with leadership consultant and coach Gretchen Pettet to talk about how caring for yourself is not selfish, it is how you show up well for others. Gretchen shares how the sudden loss of her mom became the catalyst for slowing down, prioritizing self-care, and building intentional practices that transformed her relationships, leadership, and sense of presence at home and work.  

In this episode of Courage is Built Here, Justine opens Pathway One, Feel It All, with her friend and guest Becki Feldmann. Becki shares her story of walking through secondary infertility, grief, and loss, and how faith, values clarity, and emotional honesty helped her come home to herself. Together, they explore what it means to feel deeply, name misalignment, reclaim self worth, and choose courage in everyday moments.

In this episode of Courage is Built Here, Justine sits down with Liz Haberberger to explore what it looks like to take action before you feel ready. Through the lens of Pathway Five, Do the Work, Liz shares how owning a business during the onset of COVID, embracing uncertainty, changing her mind, and beginning before she felt prepared shaped her courage, leadership, and definition of success.

Justine sits down with Melissa Jones to explore Pathway Four, Love Others Well. Melissa shares how learning to show compassion for herself in the middle of healing transformed the way she loves, leads, and sets boundaries. Together, they talk about empathy and accountability, generational patterns, faith, and why loving others well always begins with how we care for ourselves.

Justine sits down with her friend Sarah Guldalian to explore Pathway Three, Be Fully You. Sarah shares how seasons of loneliness, rejection, success, and loss shaped her understanding of authenticity, vulnerability, and courage. Together, they talk about healing, belonging, community, and what it looks like to live openly and honestly without letting fear or comparison steal who you were created to be.