The TrailblazeHers

Melissa Sue Methven is a registered dental hygienist, breathwork facilitator, author, and speaker. After 17 years in the dental profession and after losing her husband, a dentist, to suicide in 2022, she channelled her understanding of nervous system science into a mission to change how healthcare providers approach their own wellbeing.

This conversation covers the cost of high-pressure clinical work, what chronic fight-or-flight does to the body over time, and why dentistry sits at the top of healthcare suicide statistics.

Melissa explains mirror neurons, the physiology of burnout, and how ten minutes of breathwork the day after her husband died became the foundation of everything she now teaches. She also walks through Calm Chair Systems, the practical tool she built for dental practices that want to change how their teams begin, move through, and close a working day.

What Melissa offers is a framework forged from the hardest kind of experience. It’s for anyone running on empty and convincing themselves that's just what success feels like.

Key Timestamps:

[00:00] The two sides of the dental chair

[02:09] Introducing Melissa Sue Methven

[03:11] Building a dental practice from the inside

[05:31] Losing Scott to suicide

[06:04] Dentists breaking their silence

[07:31] Why dentistry leads healthcare suicide rates

[09:49] Pain medication and the slow spiral

[16:18] Mirror neurons and the dentist's nervous system

[22:31] Parasympathetic vs. fight-or-flight explained

[26:44] First breathwork experience: the day after

[29:51] Deciding to speak out from the beginning

[32:02] Identity, shame, and the cost of staying silent

[35:46] How Calm Chair Systems works

[44:03] One thing she'd change in how dentists are trained

Memorable Quotes:

"Your nervous system is doing exactly what it's supposed to do. It's learning." — Melissa Sue Methven

"It starts by seeing our own truths, and being honest with ourselves. And it's gonna be okay. You're not alone. And people are going to support you. And that's the legacy." — Melissa Sue Methven

Take the Archetype + Growth-Readiness Super Quiz to discover your Business Growth Archetype in eight minutes or less and walk away with a radar view of your company, an immediate action plan, and the insight to grow smarter and faster: https://disha-wuqmsieb.scoreapp.com/

Connect with Melissa Sue Methven

Website: melissamethin.com

Podcast: notalonepodcast.life

Instagram: @melissa_gratitude

LinkedIn: Melissa Sue Methven

YouTube: @melissa_gratitude

Connect with us: Website: https://thetrailblazehers.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetrailblazehers/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-trailblazehers

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrailblazeHers

Produced by Evolved Podcasting: https://www.evolvedpodcasting.com

Rebecca Harding has spent 25 years in rooms where most people are still waiting to be invited in. She left a prestigious corporate career at 30 (against everyone's advice) built Salt Whistle from the ground up and went on to advise organisations including Deloitte, PwC, BP, and Shell on how to communicate and win. She did all of it by learning, slowly and not always easily, to stop waiting for permission.

She's candid about what that looked like from the inside: the corporate culture of the early 90s that taught women their silence was their best asset, the years of running a business while raising young children and quietly losing herself in the process, and the internal voice that keeps even the most capable women measuring themselves by the gaps rather than the ground they've covered. She also gets sharp on marketing such as why most businesses are invisible not because they aren't trying, but because they've confused activity with direction.

This is a conversation about what it actually takes to back yourself before anyone has given you permission to.

Key Timestamps:

[00:00] Failure, communication, and speaking up

[02:02] Leaving corporate at 30 when everyone said don't

[07:03] What she knows now at 50 that she wished she'd known at 30

[11:15] Do you actually feel successful?

[14:32] The 90% problem — why capable women still undersell themselves

[17:26] Identity, worth, and what you tie yourself to

[20:11] Running a business with young children — what actually helps

[26:41] Being assaulted at a corporate dinner — and the woman she became

[30:20] How Salt Whistle helps businesses stand out in a noisy market

[36:08] The most important lesson from helping businesses grow

[41:10] What do you want people to say when you're not in the room?

Memorable Quotes:

"I was given praise for not complaining about a sexual assault at a dinner in front of other people." — Rebecca Harding

"I think women are terrible at not looking at what you've done, but just looking at all the gaps in what you think you should have done." — Rebecca Harding

Take the Archetype + Growth-Readiness Super Quiz to discover your Business Growth Archetype in eight minutes or less and walk away with a radar view of your company, an immediate action plan, and the insight to grow smarter and faster: https://disha-wuqmsieb.scoreapp.com/

Connect with Rebecca Harding

Website: https://www.saltwhistle.com

Connect with us:

Website: https://thetrailblazehers.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetrailblazehers/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-trailblazehers

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrailblazeHers

Produced by Evolved Podcasting: https://www.evolvedpodcasting.com

Dr Kim Dang's early drive was built on rage not passion. The rage of feeling unseen, undervalued, and determined to prove everyone wrong. That fuel carried her through a dual degree in mathematics and film studies at the University of Zurich, a PhD in mathematics, and a professorship at Yale. Then it broke her.

What followed is one of the most honest accounts of reinvention you'll hear. Kim walked away from Yale, took entry-level PA jobs on TV sets, and spent five hours hiding behind a garbage truck in the summer heat earning $12 an hour, this was three months after leaving one of the most prestigious academic posts in the world. Within a year, she had produced her own feature film.

Now, through her company Dark Runner, she works with high-achieving people who have everything on paper but know something isn't quite right underneath, helping them identify the core beliefs that are running their world and change the energy that drives them.

This conversation goes deep on what reinvention looks like while it's happening, the version that is unglamorous and uncertain. Kim’s story shows us that the leap isn't always about leaving. Sometimes it's about changing the fuel entirely.

Key Timestamps

[00:00] Introduction

[02:11] Kim's background: Asia, Europe and an American mindset

[04:16] The anger, pain and fear that drove her to Yale

[05:38] When the fuel runs out: breaking down at Yale

[07:02] The internal shift before any external change

[16:49] The garbage can moment: what reinvention looked like in real time

[08:48] Core beliefs and how they rule your world

[25:22] How ambition fuelled the wrong things in relationships too

[29:27] You don't need to quit — you need to change the energy

[32:29] The higher self vs the egoic self: a Jungian framework

[35:19] Kim's retreats and eight-step reinvention process

[43:49] Wanting more isn't greed — it's how you stay alive

Memorable Quotes

"You don't need to quit your job if you want to start over. You just need to change the energy that drives you." — Dr Kim Dang

"I do not change people. I just unlock something in them that was there all along." — Dr Kim Dang

Take the Archetype + Growth-Readiness Super Quiz to discover your Business Growth Archetype in eight minutes or less and walk away with a radar view of your company, an immediate action plan, and the insight to grow smarter and faster: https://disha-wuqmsieb.scoreapp.com/

Connect with Dr Kim Dang

Website: https://drkimdang.com/

Retreats: https://drkimdang.com/retreats

Instagram: @drkimdang

Connect with us:

Website: https://thetrailblazehers.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetrailblazehers/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-trailblazehers

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrailblazeHers

Produced by Evolved Podcasting: https://www.evolvedpodcasting.com

Marcia Martin's childhood was marked by chaos—an alcoholic father, domestic violence, and a home where survival meant excelling elsewhere. That early trauma became the foundation for something extraordinary: a five-decade journey at the forefront of human transformation that would help build what we now know as the $48 billion self-help industry.

From her early mentorship with a mystical aunt to co-creating EST with Werner Erhard, Marcia reveals the raw truth behind the human potential movement's rise. Her new memoir, "Sex, Power and Transformation," exposes both the profound healing and terrible abuse that shaped an entire industry. This conversation goes beyond surface-level inspiration to explore the dangerous beauty of real transformation—the kind that requires dissolving back to your original essence before reconstituting into something entirely new.

Key Timestamps

[00:00:00] Introduction

[00:02:39] Finding leadership as survival

[00:12:25] Meditation as a skill of going within one’s self

[00:16:35] The language trap: "I can't" vs "I'm not able yet"

[00:19:11] Practical starting points for meditation

[00:25:12] What is the higher self?

[00:28:36] Striving towards being uncomfortable

[00:31:41] Sex, Power and Transformation

[00:37:53] Why transformation is dangerous

[00:40:01] Debunking myths propagated by the transformation industry

Memorable Quotes

"Being still is a skill, and every skill is learned in the same way, which is, you have to practice." – Marcia Martin "You have to be willing to not know while you're learning and to be wrong and look stupid and not understand or know the answer in order to be an expert." – Marcia Martin

Take the Archetype + Growth-Readiness Super Quiz to discover your Business Growth Archetype in eight minutes or less and walk away with a radar view of your company, an immediate action plan, and the insight to grow smarter and faster: https://disha-wuqmsieb.scoreapp.com/.

Connect with Marcia Martin

Website: https://marciamartin.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marcia_martin_/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcia-martin-/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@marciamartin7271

Connect with us:

Website: https://thetrailblazehers.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetrailblazehers/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-trailblazehers

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrailblazeHers

Produced by Evolved Podcasting: https://www.evolvedpodcasting.com

Melissa Bernstein was born with what she calls "dark existential angst" and spent years channeling that darkness into more darkness. Then she discovered something that changed everything: she could choose to channel that same energy into light. As co-founder of Melissa & Doug, she built a billion-dollar toy empire not by overcoming her struggles, but by transforming them into purpose.

In this raw conversation, Melissa reveals how entrepreneurship didn't cost her anything—it gave her everything. From finding meaning in the doing rather than the achieving, to why the day of their billion-dollar exit was one of the saddest of her life, she shares the paradoxes of building something meaningful in a world obsessed with achievement over fulfillment.

Key Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Introduction

[00:02:30] Who was Melissa before Melissa & Doug

[00:05:00] The darkness and existential crisis that shaped her

[00:10:00] Discovering she could channel darkness into light

[00:14:54] Why every step of building was the hardest step

[00:25:00] How entrepreneurship gave her everything, not took anything

[00:29:44] The heartbreak of selling something you built from nothing

[00:35:00] The parts of success she didn't want

[00:40:00] Creating Lifelines and connecting with people directly

[00:45:00] Finding meaning in unalterable circumstances

[00:50:00] Balancing work and family without guilt

Memorable Quotes:

"I was born with a whole lot of dark existential angst, and I need to continually channel it into tangible form that I can give to someone and it impacts their life." – Melissa Bernstein

"Life will be hard, there will be unalterable circumstances, but even in those times, there's still meaning, and we can find the meaning, and we can still move forward, despite the boulders in our path." – Melissa Bernstein

Take the Archetype + Growth-Readiness Super Quiz to discover your Business Growth Archetype in eight minutes or less and walk away with a radar view of your company, an immediate action plan, and the insight to grow smarter and faster: disha-wuqmsieb.scoreapp.com.

Connect with Melissa Bernstein:

Website: https://www.lifelines.com

Email: [email protected]

Connect with us:

Website: https://thetrailblazehers.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetrailblazehers/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-trailblazehers

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrailblazeHers

Produced by Evolved Podcasting: https://www.evolvedpodcasting.com

Joan Brothers built a global real estate empire by refusing the safety of corporate life, but her story reveals a counterintuitive truth about high performance: steady state isn’t safe, it’s actually where things start to stagnate. Ironically, the moment you feel most comfortable in your success is often the moment you need to make your boldest move.

From dreaming of escaping to Asia in her early days to building Manhattan Boutique Real Estate with clients from Dubai to the South of France, Joan’s journey isn’t about perfect balance, but strategic imbalance and learning to move when opportunity calls.

In this conversation, Joan opens up about what it actually looks like to build something meaningful while raising a family, managing multiple “bosses,” and constantly reinventing yourself on the global stage, proving that sometimes the most powerful shifts in business come with equal parts courage, humility, and the ability to not take yourself too seriously along the way.

Key Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Introduction.

[00:05:29] What it means to grab moments for yourself

[00:10:04] Why steady state is dangerous for high performers

[00:16:50] The art of letting go in order to grow

[00:20:44] Adjusting to culture and differences in communication

[00:23:09] Multiple bosses and who’s the hardest to deal with

[00:27:52] The entrepreneur's secret weapon

[00:32:01] Overcoming imposter syndrome at different stages.

[00:38:33] Getting behind something that’s bigger than you

Memorable Quotes:

"I'm going to be bold and let some control out of my hands and expand the business because otherwise you can't grow. And it's also going to really kill you." [00:17:54] – Joan Brothers

"I think the one thing I've learned about myself, and I think many entrepreneurial women would say the same thing, is that we're resourceful. And resourcefulness is almost more important sometimes than intelligence." [00:27:49] – Joan Brothers

If you want this kind of clarity, take the Archetype + Growth-Readiness Super Quiz to discover your Business Growth Archetype in eight minutes or less and walk away with a radar view of your company, an immediate action plan, and the insight to grow smarter and faster: disha-wuqmsieb.scoreapp.com.

Connect with Joan Brothers:

Website: https://mbreny.com/

Email: [email protected]

Contact their office: 212-308-2482

WeChat at 917-517-2316

Connect with us:

Website: https://thetrailblazehers.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetrailblazehers/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-trailblazehers

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrailblazeHers

Produced by Evolved Podcasting:www.evolvedpodcasting.com

Kirsty Tait thought she was building a business plan when she accidentally took too much acid and experienced what she calls “the biggest awakening” of her life. Not exactly the strategic planning method most founders recommend, but sometimes clarity shows up in unexpected ways. What followed wasn’t a glamorous transformation story, but five years of navigating the messy middle between who she used to be and who she was becoming.

In this honest conversation, Kirsty reveals why that messy middle is actually where the gold lives, even if it’s the part no one puts on social media. From working alongside tech founders in executive search to embracing what she calls “the most spiritual thing you can do,” which is entrepreneurship, she shares how our attachment to outcomes, the illusion of being “fully healed,” and our love of neat little labels can keep us from hearing our own truth.

This episode isn’t about manifesting millions or perfectly optimizing your life, but honoring the chaos, loosening your grip on control, and discovering that you were whole all along.

Key Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Introduction.

[00:12:48] Why entrepreneurship might be the most spiritual path.

[00:27:00] The messy middle: when your old identity no longer fits.

[00:34:25] Why the hardest part of transformation stays hidden.

[00:39:17] The accidental acid trip that sparked an awakening.

[00:42:05] Five years navigating identity shifts while running a business.

[00:56:33] The idea that you were already whole all along.

[01:00:25] Simple advice: stop doing what doesn’t resonate.

Memorable Quotes:

"I personally believe that being an entrepreneur in any capacity is the most spiritual thing that you can do." [00:12:41] – Kirsty Tait

"Your personal reality is defined by your personality, and what we forget is we are the epicenter of it all." [00:58:53] – Kirsty Tait

The insight of this episode also sits at the heart of the Archetype + Growth-Readiness Super Quiz, where in under eight minutes you can uncover your Personal Business Growth Archetype, get a clear radar view of what’s actually driving or slowing your company’s growth, and walk away with simple, practical steps to build momentum faster. Take it here: disha-wuqmsieb.scoreapp.com.

Connect with Kirsty Tait:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/taitface

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirstytait/

Connect with us:

Website: https://thetrailblazehers.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetrailblazehers/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-trailblazehers

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrailblazeHers

Produced by Evolved Podcasting:www.evolvedpodcasting.com

Most founders think their next breakthrough comes from better strategy or more capital. Chelsea Myers has spent years in the rooms where $5M–100M decisions get made, and she’s discovered something far less flashy but far more powerful: the founder’s internal state quietly determines everything: valuation, culture, scalability, long before investors can articulate why something feels “off” or undeniably solid.

Chelsea works in a rare lane. She’s the person founders call when the numbers look strong, but the energy feels strained. When expansion is possible, but clarity isn’t. Her work unpacks how nervous system stability, identity evolution, and what she calls “energetic awareness” function as the invisible operating system behind sustainable growth.

In this conversation, we explore the unseen patterns shaping outcomes, why cultural integrity closes deals that EBITDA only opens, and how a simple tea ritual supported Chelsea in discontinuing 25 years of medication while building her mindfulness company, mediTEAtion. It’s thoughtful, a little surprising, deeply practical, and a reminder that scaling a company without scaling the founder is like upgrading the software but ignoring the hardware.

Key Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Introduction.

[00:02:16] Operating behind the scenes.

[00:09:45] Identity upgrade for success.

[00:17:45] The human component of organizations.

[00:19:01] Identity and company separation.

[00:20:10] Prioritizing values in entrepreneurship.

[00:31:00] Integrating creativity into daily life.

[00:36:43] Alignment as an investment.

Memorable Quotes:

"If my internal environment is in chaos, that's undoubtedly going to transfer to how I'm communicating or the decisions that I'm making." [00:04:25] – Chelsea Myers

"Old self-concepts can't hold new levels of responsibility." [00:13:56] – Chelsea Myers

Gain a clear radar view of what’s accelerating (or quietly stalling) your company, and walk away with an immediate action plan so you can stop guessing what your business needs next and start growing smarter, faster, and more effectively at disha-wuqmsieb.scoreapp.com.

Connect with Chelsea Myers:

Website: https://chelseamyers.courses/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-myers-57345417

Tune in to BRAIN CROPS – with Chelsea Myers podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2p88rzpvDeT1TClItmbKOY?si=07a6fd952be749ca

Connect with us:

Website: https://thetrailblazehers.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetrailblazehers/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-trailblazehers

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrailblazeHers

Produced by Evolved Podcasting:https://www.evolvedpodcasting.com

Success used to look like being booked out for months, rocking the highest heels, and stacking up impressive titles. But then you hit those milestones, and surprise, they’re stealing your peace instead of adding to your life.

We’re lifting the veil on the success markers we’ve ditched and the ones that actually make life sweeter now. From dropping the "I’m so busy" badge of honor to choosing cozy over corporate, this conversation shows why the most successful women are quietly rewriting what “impressive” really means.

Key Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Introduction.

[00:02:03] Things that no longer impress.

[00:06:39] Disdain for being busy.

[00:09:36] Titles don’t matter.

[00:12:55] Sassy strategist title.

[00:15:22] Setting boundaries for peace.

[00:19:39] Alignment in multi-passionate entrepreneurship.

[00:21:38] Impressive versus not impressive.

Memorable Quotes:

"And I'm not even bothered anymore if people judge me for it. That's the best part about the whole thing." – Disha Solanki

"The best rooms to be in are the ones where people show up just as authentically as themselves." – Brittany Anderson

Curious about what’s really fueling or slowing your business growth? Discover your Business Growth Archetype in under 8 minutes and walk away with a clear snapshot plus practical steps you can use this week to grow smarter (and a little easier): https://disha-wuqmsieb.scoreapp.com/

Connect with us:

Website: https://thetrailblazehers.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetrailblazehers/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-trailblazehers

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrailblazeHers

Produced by Evolved Podcasting:https://www.evolvedpodcasting.com

Jené Luciani Sena has spent 25 years as "The Bra Expert," but her journey reveals something far more complex than sizing charts and underwire. From covering 9/11 as a news reporter to accidentally discovering her life's calling through a magazine assignment, she's learned that it's never really about the bra. It's about the deeper stories women carry but rarely voice.

In this raw conversation, Jené opens up about the pressure to fit into one professional box, the reality of perimenopause symptoms that doctors dismiss, and her recent epiphany that success doesn't require working yourself to the bone. She shares how women literally lift their shirts in public to show her their struggles, and why she believes the key to thriving is embracing all the versions of yourself, even when you reinvent yourself 20 times in a single day.

Key Timestamps

[00:00:00] Introduction

[00:01:50] The journey to being a “Bra Expert”

[00:06:58] It's never just about the bra

[00:09:45] Breaking free from the "one thing" trap

[00:13:47] Reinventing yourself

[00:16:30] What do women carry that they don’t say out loud?

[00:19:48] Developing the menopause bra

[00:23:26] Real talk about surviving tough days

[00:28:50] Perimenopause symptoms doctors dismiss

[00:31:35] Creating content on social media

[36:54] The shortcut to success without the suffering

[40:43] How to actually find your bra size

Memorable Quotes

"I realized it's never about the bra, it's always about something deeper that's tied to the bra." – Jené Luciani Sena

"There is a way to like, have a successful business and be successful without working yourself to the bone." – Jené Luciani Sena

“I had my ears itch so badly that I went to the dermatologist, who's a man, and he goes, Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's eczema, and come to find out, it's freaking perimenopause." – Jené Luciani Sena

Connect with Jené Luciani Sena:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeneontv/ and https://www.instagram.com/truekind/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeneLuciani

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialjenelsena

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeneLucianiSenaTV

Connect with us:

Website: https://thetrailblazehers.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetrailblazehers/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-trailblazehers

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTrailblazeHers

Produced by Evolved Podcasting:https://www.evolvedpodcasting.com