Today I am so so excited to sit down with one of the first women who helped me to get in control of my finances years ago, Miss Brittney Castro!

Brittney is a Certified Financial Planner and the owner of Financially Wise Women based in Los Angeles, California. Through 1-on-1 coaching, her online Money Class program, workshops and YouTube videos she is helping women entrepreneurs and professionals understand, save, invest, and protect their money.

In this episode, Brittney shares:

• 0:30 - About her company, Financially Wise Women, and the path that lead her to become a financial advisor.
• 4:00 - Life as a financial advisor working for Ameriprise, and what made her want to leave after 5 years.
• 9:00 -  Rebuilding her business as an independent firm and the nerves and waves of emotions that came with doing something new
• 12:00 - What she did to prepare for her leap and advise to others who are trying to figure out what to do
• 16:50 - Reflections on her journey, including the highs and the lows

For full show notes + links to resources visit: www.thebigleapshow.com/episode011/

Imagine, after studying for years to graduate from law school, pass the bar, and apply for jobs, the moment has finally - your first paycheck as an official lawyer!  Now imagine that beautiful moment followed swiftly with the realization that you owe over $200,000 for your student loans...

For Natalie Bacon, this sobering fact sent her straight into a personal mission to get out of debt asap.  Along the way she started her blog, The Finance Girl, learned how to turn it into a business, and switched careers so that she could live a happier more fulfilling life.

• 4:22 - How her blog The Finance Girl got it’s start after she graduated from law school and realized just how much student debt she had
• 8:15 - How The Finance Girl began growing into an actual business rather than just a blog and what motivates her to keep blogging while working full time and studying for the Certified Financial Planner exam
• 14:23 - The stresses of working as a lawyer what it took to finally make her decide to leave the field.
• 21:54 - Her first big celebrations getting paid as a blogger and learning to celebrate wins rather than getting caught up in what to do next 
• 25:50 - Top pieces of advice to others who are hoping to turn their blog into a business.
• 32:53 - Practices she does to get her in a more positive mindset if she's feeling unmotivated and final thoughts to aspiring bloggers.

For full show notes + links to resources visit: www.thebigleapshow.com/episode010/

If you find yourself crying everyday after work you know something might be wrong...  For Caroline Winegeart this wake up call was the beginning of a journey of learning to really listen to her intuition and find the courage to act on it and become her whole authentic self.

• 3:25 - How she found her entrepreneurial spirit and the creation of her design studio and blog Made Vibrant.
• 7:38 - Early days in marketing, learning to listen to her intuition, and dealing with the fears of quitting her job (especially around disappointing others)
• 17:35 - A huge life decision she had to make which helped to built her courage muscle
• 21:00 - Differentiating between your intuition talking vs. knowing if you need to just keep persisting, and the mental tapes that play in her head and how she deals with them
• 25:30 - Final words on her recent TEDx Talk and now how her journey has lead her to helping business owners find and share their authentic voice online through their branding

For full show notes + links to resources visit www.thebigleapshow.com/episode009

Imagine working your whole life to become a singer, finally landing a record deal, moving across country to start recording your music... only to have it all be taken from underneath you.  

Today we sit down with an incredibly inspiring guest Leah McKendrick of Villianess Productions who shares with us her story of recreating herself as a writer, producer and actress after the folding of her record label and her words of wisdom on the importance of believing in yourself and never giving up.

• 2:15 - Her story of how she went from an aspiring singer to award winning writer, producer, and actress.
• 5:35 - Dealing with depression following the folding of her record company, and how she refocused her energy into producing live singing performances as a next step instead of giving up
• 9:35 - The mindset shifts she’s had to learn and make that has helped her to make it in the Entertainment industry
• 15:36 - Realizing how she needed to create a life outside of her work in order to not burn herself out
• 17:00 - The gifts she's seen from her experience and how it propels her forward
• 18:40 - What she's working on next, and advice to anyone else looking to go for their dreams.

For full show notes + links to resources visit www.thebigleapshow.com/episode008

Who says just because you get a law degree you need to be chained to a life of pantsuits and working 9-9 for the rest of your life?

Today's guest Emily Chase Smith of Smith Chase Press realized pretty quickly in her 20s that her and law were a terrible fit. As fate would have it, she was forced to explore what she wanted to do when she and her then husband moved to Prague and she was suddenly unable to practice the career she had spent so many years working towards.

Tune in to this week's episode to hear how this powerhouse of a woman made - not just one, but many leaps from law, to consulting work, to speaker and now author and coach and her words of wisdom on how you can do the same!

• How after realizing she didn’t want to continue a career in law, she found the permission to start dreaming of a new career during her time living in Prague as she began listening to various podcasts and reading books like Dan Miller’s 48 Days to the Work You Love.
• Worked as a bankruptcy attorney after she moved back and that morphed into consultant for small businesses about their finances.  Seeing the same pattern and that’s when she started speaking and wrote her book, The Financially Savvy Entrepreneur
• How, even though she enjoyed the freedom of being a consultant and speaker, she was challenged to relook at her life when her friend asked the big question, “Is this really what you want to be doing with your life,” leading her back to one of her oldest passions of writing, and how she was able to turn that passion into her next career.

For full show notes + links to resources visit www.thebigleapshow.com/episode007

This week on The Big Leap Show we sit down with Rachel Schneider, co-founder of Bluebelle Concierge.

• How her company Bluebelle Concierge started with the intention of providing lifestyle support to older senior adults, but pivoted when their inquires started coming more from start up companies who were looking for help for their overwhelmed professionals.
• Her experience co-founding Bluebelle Concierge with her best friend and how their lives changed after they made the big leap.
• Why she feels it’s important not only to your happiness, but for the betterment of your company to hire out and not feel the need to do everything yourself.
• Her definition of success and what she recommends for others as they are looking to begin their journey into entrepreneurship.

For full show notes + links to resources visit www.thebigleapshow.com/episode006

Hot mama on a mission!

Time to stop sweating the small stuff and go out there and make it happen. At least that's what Adesina Dowers of Hot Spot Yoga is sharing with us this week's podcast!

• Why she felt she needed to quit her marketing job at Island Def Jam in New York, reconnect with her yoga practice and move across country to Berkeley, California.
• How her desire to open a yoga studio evolved from noticing a gap in the industry where she realized she could serve people who wouldn’t normally take a yoga class (with the help of some bubbly and Wu Tang).
• How she got past the voices in her head asking “Are you good enough, should you be here,” and learned to trust herself, her intuition, and to value who she is as a person.
• The scary challenges she faced when opening up a yoga studio, and how she was able to keep focus, stay positive and keep moving forward.

For full show notes + links to resources visit www.thebigleapshow.com/episode005

We all hear stories about the overnight business success, but what does it really take to find that kind of success?  

Today's guest Anna V., gives us the inside scoop on how her business Paper Anniversary found "overnight success," and her words of wisdom to help you do the same!

• How she kept her passion of creating paper jewelry up on the side as a hobby as a way to relax her mind outside of work and how after a combination of luck and preparation she was able to turn her hobby into a full time business.
• How the success of her business allowed her to dream about where she wanted to live, and actually freely make the move from Canada to California.
• Why she advises others to put something out before you’re established, and her take on why it’s important as a business owner to be open to change, uncertainty and open to listening to what our customers want, not just what we want.

For full show notes + links to resources visit www.thebigleapshow.com/episode004

Today we are sitting down with a special guest who is near and dear to my heart.  Lindsay Jean Thomson is a life coach and one-half of Women Catalysts, an organization dedicated to igniting women into action.

I met Lindsay at a time I was desperately seeking other women entrepreneurs and big dreamers to connect with.  For over two years prior to meeting Lindsay, I had been heads down thinking that I could "do everything on my own."

Eventually the weight of trying to do it all on my own caught up with me and I realized I needed to find a local community of women to support me. So I started attending every networking event I could find on Meetup and Eventbrite in an attempt to find "my people."  After dozens and dozens of awkward conversations filled primarily with silent uneasiness I almost gave up.

Until I found Women Catalyst.

Within seconds of walking into my first event, I could feel how this was no ordinary community.  Instead of the uncomfortable small talk, I instantly found myself surrounded by bold, vibrant, curious women who I couldn't stop chatting away with... of course the delicious glass of wine was a nice bonus to help us all feel more relaxed ;)

Since that first event I haven't been able to stop talking about and going to these events, and for that reason I am so grateful to Lindsay for taking the leap and starting this community.

• How she went from being a lost 20-something working in PR to a yoga teacher and eventually found herself buying a one way ticket to San Francisco from D.C. where she continued work as a yoga teacher, became a life coach and then founded Women Catalysts with her friend Kim Hunter.
• How the idea of Women Catalyst came about, and why it was important for her and Kim to not only give a platform to women leaders, but also help develop the next generation of women leaders.
• Lessons around beginning a networking event series and her advice to others who are inspired to do the same.

For full show notes + links to resources visit www.thebigleapshow.com/episode003

Welcome to our second episode of The Big Leap Show!  Our next guest is someone who is near and dear to my heart, because without her and her company's support, this podcast may not exist.

Jessica Semaan is the founder of the Passion Company - a company full-heartedly dedicated to helping others reconnect with their passion and incorporate it back into their everyday lives.

• How being lost in the corporate world, lead her to start interviewing others regarding how they made a living doing work they love and posting it on her blog.
• How that blog eventually turned into a full company, and at what point she felt ready to take the big leap and leave a steady paycheck
• How she overcame voices of doubt from herself and family, and where she found support through her tribe and practicing self-love.

For full show notes + links to resources visit www.thebigleapshow.com/episode002