The Uplifters

Episode Description: Deshi Singh went from Wall Street finance executive to co-founding Chamber of Mothers, a national nonprofit that's united 45 chapters across 30+ states to advocate for paid leave, accessible childcare, and maternal health. In this conversation, we explore how to move from overwhelm to engagement, why hope matters more than happiness, and how one social media experiment became a movement that's making mothers impossible to ignore.

What You'll Learn:

• How to convert overwhelm into actionable change through community building
• Why women's economic power (75% of discretionary spending by 2028) makes us unstoppable when united
• The difference between courage and fearlessness (and why that distinction matters)
• How to experiment your way to your calling without needing to know the "right" answer
• Why engagement, not retreat, is the antidote to feeling powerless
• How to build courage capital through values-aligned action
• The power of reframing "impossible" as "not yet"

Key Takeaways:

• Community amplifies individual courage—you don't have to be brave alone
• Your spending power is your voice—use it intentionally
• Small experiments can lead to massive movements
• Alignment with values trumps fear-based decision-making
• Mothers united are becoming impossible to ignore in policy conversations

Resource Links:

• Chamber of Mothers: chamberofmothers.com
• Free membership signup and donation options
• Mothers United Tour schedule and locations
• Follow @chamberofmothers on social media

Guest Bio: Deshi Singh is co-founder and board chair of Chamber of Mothers, a national nonprofit uniting moms as advocates for policy change around paid leave, childcare, and maternal health. A former finance executive with an entrepreneurial background, she's currently pursuing her master's in public health from Harvard while leading the organization's expansion to all 50 states.

Host Bio: Aransas Savas is a wellbeing and leadership coach, host of the award-winning Uplifters Podcast, and author working on a book about courage capital. She helps women build the self-belief needed to do big, brave things.

Connect with Aransas:

• Instagram: @aransas_savas
• Podcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcast
• TikTok: @theuplifterspodcast
• Facebook: @aransas
• Website: theuplifterspodcast.com
• YouTube: @theuplifterspodcast
• LinkedIn: aransassavas

Keywords: women's advocacy, working mothers, paid family leave, maternal health, grassroots organizing, courage building, policy change, women's economic power, motherhood, work-life balance, female leadership, social entrepreneurship

Episode Description: Holly Diamond arrived in New York with $400 and a dream, faced the heartbreak of job searching during the 2009 recession, and eventually opened a restaurant during the pandemic to employ her parents. Now she's the CEO of Work Onward, a map-based hiring platform connecting small businesses with local workers, especially in immigrant-owned businesses and blue-collar industries.

What You'll Learn:

• How to turn personal struggles into scalable solutions
• The power of taking action before you feel ready
• Creating dignity in employment for overlooked populations
• Building technology that serves vulnerable communities
• Balancing profit with social impact in business

Key Timestamps:

• [00:00] Introduction and Holly's nomination
• [01:30] What is Work Onward and how it works
• [04:30] The restaurant origin story during COVID
• [10:45] Holly's "Just Do It" philosophy
• [12:30] The concept of dignity in employment
• [18:30] Self-care and taking care of your wellbeing
• [24:15] Who Holly nominates for the show

Key Takeaways:

• Sometimes the craziest-sounding decisions are exactly what the moment requires
• Your personal struggles can become your professional superpowers
• Technology should make opportunities visible, not create more barriers
• Dignity in work starts with how we see and treat each other
• Community and collaboration are essential for creating lasting change

Resource Links:

• Work Onward: [Platform information]
• Holly's Restaurant: [Location details]
• Connect with Holly: [Professional contact information]

Guest Bio: Holly Diamond is the CEO of Work Onward, a map-based hiring platform that connects small businesses with local hourly workers. Originally from South Korea, she moved to New York in 2009 and has spent over 10 years as a recruiter specializing in blue-collar industries. In 2020, she opened a restaurant to employ her parents during the pandemic, which became the inspiration for Work Onward's mission to create more inclusive hiring practices.

Host Bio: Aransas Savas is a researcher, coach, and host of The Uplifters Podcast. Connect with her:

• Instagram: @aransas_savas
• Podcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcast
• TikTok: @theuplifterspodcast
• Website: www.theuplifterspodcast.com
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theuplifterspodcast
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aransassavas/

Keywords: career transition, immigrant entrepreneurs, job search platform, social impact business, small business hiring, dignity in work, pandemic pivots, family entrepreneurship, tech for good, inclusive hiring

Join host Aransas Savas as she reconnects with Alex Stried, former Chief Product Officer at Cerebral who left her executive role to co-found Poppins, a revolutionary 24/7 pediatric care and parent coaching platform. In this candid conversation, Alex shares how the Surgeon General's declaration of parent stress as a public health crisis became her wake-up call to build the company she wished existed as a working mother. From managing teams of hundreds to starting from scratch, Alex reveals the data-driven approach that helped her raise courage capital and turn overwhelming parenthood into a scalable solution.

• How to transition from corporate executive to entrepreneur without losing momentum in your career
• Parent stress management strategies that address both behavioral and medical needs
• Fundraising tips for female founders pitching to investors who may not understand your market
• Work-life balance techniques for high-achieving parents juggling career pivots
• Building courage capital through evidence-based decision making and strategic risk-taking
• Startup validation methods using personal pain points to identify market opportunities
• Leadership strategies for downsizing teams and making difficult business decisions with empathy
• Career change advice for professionals feeling called to solve problems they've experienced firsthand

00:00 - Introduction and reconnecting after years at Weight Watchers

03:15 - The Surgeon General's parent stress crisis declaration as a catalyst

06:30 - What Poppins offers: 24/7 pediatric care and parent coaching

09:45 - Making the leap from CPO to founder: financial and personal considerations

14:30 - Overcoming intimidation through "listening tours" and data collection

18:15 - Pitching investors who don't understand the parenting market

22:45 - Building courage through preparation and power posing

25:30 - Advice for managing fear of failure and career setbacks

28:15 - Self-care strategies for high-achieving working parents

32:45 - Guest nominations: Hillary Manger, Haley Barna, Emily Green

35:00 - How listeners can support Poppins and connect with Alex

✅ Turn frustration into fuel: Your biggest parenting challenges might be pointing toward your next business opportunity

✅ Build evidence-based courage: Create compelling data to support both investor pitches and major life decisions

✅ Practice the "listening tour" approach: Gather perspectives from multiple stakeholders before making intimidating moves

✅ Reframe failure as temporary: Remember that careers are resilient and setbacks are learning opportunities

✅ Prepare to be spontaneous: Practice presentations until you can deliver them authentically and confidently

• Poppins - Alex's 24/7 pediatric care and parent coaching platform
• Amy Cuddy's research on power posing
• BJ Fogg's behavior change work from Stanford

Alex Stried is the co-founder of Poppins, a comprehensive parenting platform offering 24/7 pediatric care via text and parent coaching services. Previously, she served as Chief Product Officer at

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Dina Berrin is a professional intuitive and coach, but her journey from corporate sales executive to master tarot reader wasn't a straight line. For years, she kept her mystical studies hidden, reading cards at parties but never discussing it at work, helping colleagues in bathroom conversations but always waving them away when her boss was around. What would her kids’ parents think? Would people dismiss her as crazy, unintelligent, unserious? When COVID forced a choice between her nine-to-five life and her calling, she decided it was time to step fully into her dreams despite those questions and fears.

Signature Practice: Refusing to Hide Her Light

Dina's most powerful practice isn't about cards or crystals—it's about the daily choice to show up authentically, even when it feels uncomfortable. After decades of compartmentalizing her gifts, she made a radical decision: no more shrinking, no more hiding, no more apologizing for who she is.

This practice ripples outward in everything she does. Her presence gives others permission to explore their own curiosity about the mystical, the intuitive, the parts of themselves they've kept hidden. By refusing to dim her light, she illuminates paths for others to step into their own authentic power.

You've ever felt like you need to hide parts of yourself to be "professional" or acceptable, you're tired of asking everyone else what you should do instead of trusting your own judgment, you feel stuck repeating the same patterns and want to understand how to break free, or you're curious about how ancient wisdom traditions can support modern decision-making and personal growth.

Support Dina's mission to help people reconnect with their intuition by:

• Reading her book: The Way Within: Igniting Your Intuition with Sacred Tools
• Work with her: Visit her website to learn about her unique charm journal and divination tools, or work with her through coaching to help you understand your astrology and tarot

• Episode 92: Candy Motzek - Who Nominated Dina
• Episode 57: Rahti Gorfien - The creative coach who helps scattered professionals follow through and finish things
• Episode 99: Dr. Shayna Kaufmann - The psychologist who left forensic work at 50 to embrace heart-centered practice
• Episode 76: Alma Schneider - The mother who found her voice advocating for disability rights
• Episode 18: Beth Carroll - The pastor creating safe spaces for those marginalized by traditional faith communities

How to Stop Taking Everyone's Stress Personally | 5,000-Year-Old Secret to Better Relationships | Carey DavidsonEver wonder why some people drain your energy while others light you up? Or why the same communication patterns keep causing problems in your relationships, no matter how hard you try to fix them?In this episode, relationship expert Carey Davidson reveals the ancient Chinese wisdom that explains exactly why we clash with certain personality types – and how to break those frustrating cycles for good.

Carey, author of The Five Archetypes and founder of Harmin Labs, has helped major organizations like Microsoft, Starbucks, and Tony Robbins solve their most persistent relationship challenges using a 5,000-year-old system that's backed by modern neuroscience.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• The 5 elemental personality types that determine how you handle stress

• How to recognize when you're in your "distorted state" before it ruins relationships

• The specific recovery strategy for your personality type (hint: what works for others might stress you out more)

• Why slowing down is the secret to faster problem-solving

• How to stop absorbing other people's emotional chaos

Key Takeaways: 

 Fire elements (like Aransas!) need connection and food when stressed 

 Each personality type has predictable triggers and recovery methods 

 Judgment and criticism from others reflect THEIR stress, not your worth 

 Real power comes from pausing, not pushing through 

 You can prevent relationship spirals by catching yourself at the "distortion point"

Perfect for:

• Leaders struggling with team dynamics
• Anyone tired of the same relationship conflicts
• People who want to understand personality differences
• Those interested in ancient wisdom for modern problems
• Anyone who feels "too much" or "not enough" in relationships

About Carey Davidson: Carey Davidson is a behavioral expert who bridges 5,000-year-old Chinese medicine wisdom with cutting-edge neuroscience. She's the author of "The Five Archetypes" and has been hired by Fortune 500 companies to solve relationship challenges that traditional approaches can't fix.

Resources Mentioned:

• Take the free Five Archetypes Assessment
• The Five Archetypes book
• Carey's work with major corporations

Connect with Carey: Instagram: @careydavidsonofficial https://www.careydavidson.com/books/

Connect with Aransas:

• Subscribe to The Uplifters Newsletter: www.theuplifterspodcast.com
• Follow on Instagram: @theuplifterspodcast and @aransas_savas
• Website: theuplifterspodcast.com

Timestamps: 00:00 Intro - Why relationship patterns repeat 03:30 What are the Five Archetypes? 08:00 How stress shows up in each element 16:30 The real meaning of "too much" 22:30 Fire element challenges (Aransas's results!) 30:45 How to slow down when triggered 35:15 Why criticism isn't about you 42:00 Carey's courage practice 48:30 Practical steps to break patterns

Like this episode? Subscribe for more conversations with inspiring women doing big, brave things!

Tags: #relationships #personality #communication #leadership #stress #neuroscience #ancientwisdom #teamwork #conflictresolution #selfawareness #emotionalintelligence #workplace #chinesemedicine #personalitytypes #boundaries

Hi! New here? Welcome to the Uplifters! I'm Aransas Savas. I've spent the last 20 years at the intersection of behavior change research and coaching. On The Uplifters Podcast, we share diverse stories of women who have found something beautiful on the other side of the hard stuff. Despite self-doubt and fear (and honestly, who doesn't have those?), they've done big, brave things anyway, and show us how we can too!

Our next series is Late Bloomers! 🌸

Do you know a woman whose late-blooming journey would inspire our community? Or maybe that someone is YOU? Hit reply or fill out this form to nominate someone for our Late Bloomers series.

Kate Milligan's story begins with frustration—the kind that sits heavy in your chest when you know something needs to change, but don’t see the change happening. After seven years in Washington D.C.'s political machine, Kate found herself pitching inspiring stories about women who weren't waiting for broken systems to fix themselves—women who were becoming the solution. Story after story got rejected. So she packed up a U-Haul and drove home to Detroit.

In reading about Detroit's motto, "There is always hope and it will rise from the ashes", Kate found her North Star. "That's what women are," she realized. "Women are the most resilient. They're so powerful that they can transform this world." That moment of recognition sparked 1 Girl Revolution, a multimedia platform amplifying the stories of everyday women changing the world.

Through her background in PR and media, Kate has made it her mission to identify women with important stories, ask the right questions to help them see their own significance, and create safe spaces for their voices to emerge.

She gives women permission to see themselves as worthy of attention, as leaders worth following, as revolutionaries in their own right.

In the process of uplifting others, Kate discovered her own voice. What began as a way to showcase other women's courage became the foundation for her own transformation from shy, bullied kid to Emmy-nominated documentary producer and movement builder.

• Aren’t quite sure what your big purpose is
• Feel like your voice doesn't matter in a noisy world
• Are tired of waiting for broken systems to change themselves
• Want to turn your own pain into purpose for others
• Are ready to stop playing small and start building something meaningful

• 1 Girl Revolution Podcast: 260+ episodes of women's stories (available on all podcast platforms and YouTube)
• Emmy-nominated documentaries: "The Girl Inside" and "In Tandem" (watch on YouTube)
• Main website: www.1girlrevolution.com
• Nonprofit platform: www.onegirlrevolution.org

• Subscribe to the One Girl Revolution podcast (available on all platforms and
  
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In this inspiring episode of The Uplifters Podcast, host Aransas Savas sits down with Vanessa Hutchinson-Szekely, a California-French educator who made a bold career pivot from 20 years in teaching to founding Big Belly Breathing, her mindfulness and meditation platform.

Vanessa shares her transformative journey from San Francisco classroom teacher to entrepreneur, including a life-changing sabbatical year in the French Alps, her discovery of yoga and meditation during the pandemic, and how she built courage to leave educational stability behind. Learn about her innovative approach to family mindfulness, her bilingual meditation podcasts, and her newest venture co-hosting a WNBA podcast.

Listen for: A bonus guided meditation led by Vanessa that will refresh your afternoon and energize your next brave step!

• Career transitions after 40: How to pivot from a stable 20-year career to entrepreneurship
• Mindfulness and meditation: Building a daily practice and teaching it to families
• Entrepreneurship journey: From idea to execution, testing and iterating products
• Overcoming perfectionism: Embracing the "messy" process of building something new
• Work-life balance: Taking care of yourself while serving others as an "uplifter"
• Bilingual education: Creating resources in French and English
• Sports and community: Finding joy and building connections through women's basketball

Vanessa Hutchinson-Szekely is a California-French educator, writer, and mindfulness advocate based in San Francisco. She's the founder of Big Belly Breathing, where she teaches meditation workshops and creates mindfulness resources for families, kids, and adults. She also co-hosts "Valkyries, Say Less," a podcast covering the WNBA's Golden State Valkyries. After 20 years in education, including time as a PE teacher and instructional coach, Vanessa took a brave leap to build her own platform focused on wellness and joy.

• [02:00] The sabbatical year that changed everything - moving to a French Alpine village
• [06:30] How the pandemic shifted her perspective on education and connection
• [09:15] Getting yoga teacher certification while teaching PE outdoors
• [12:30] The meditation insight that gave her business its name
• [14:45] Testing her first product and learning to scale back based on feedback
• [21:00] The scary but exhilarating leap from stable employment to entrepreneurship
• [24:30] Her "throwing pasta at the wall" philosophy for overcoming perfectionism
• [32:45] BONUS: Guided meditation demonstration - Vanessa leads a calming body scan
• [38:30] Self-care strategies for busy entrepreneurs and "uplifters"

Ready to add more mindfulness to your family's life? Big Belly Breathing offers guided meditations in both French and English, plus journals and workshops for all ages. Find the podcast on any platform, visit bigbellybreathing.com for resources, and if you're feeling generous, leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.

For WNBA fans, check out Valkyries Say Less for pure basketball joy and community celebration. And if you're in the Bay Area, maybe you'll spot Vanessa in her season ticket seats, evangelizing the power of women's...

Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe

Episode 117 Episode Description

Host Aransas Savas sits down with multihyphenate artist Karisma Jay to explore how to build an abundance mindset even when resources feel scarce. Karisma, a Broadway performer, filmmaker, educator, and founder of Abundance Academy, shares her powerful reframe from asking "What don't I have?" to "What's in my luggage right now?"This conversation is packed with practical wisdom about overcoming self-doubt, navigating financial struggles as an artist, and choosing wholesome work over controversy. Whether you're a creative professional, entrepreneur, or anyone looking to shift from scarcity to abundance thinking, this episode offers actionable strategies for building courage capital and finding resources you didn't know you had.

About Karisma Jay

Karisma Jay is an award-winning performing artist, dancer, actress, filmmaker, director, wellness coach, teacher, entrepreneur, and founder of the 12-year-old nonprofit Abundance Academy. She has:

• Performed on Broadway
• Been featured in The New York Times
• Taught at Juilliard
• Won awards for her short films at film festivals
• Mentored countless artists through her educational work

Despite her success, Karisma openly discusses navigating the same challenges we all face – from self-doubt to financial struggles – while maintaining an abundance mindset that fuels her multifaceted career.

Key Topics Discussed

Building Abundance Mindset

• How to shift from scarcity thinking to abundance thinking
• The power of asking "What's in my luggage?" when resources feel limited
• Strategic memory management: playing miracles on repeat instead of trauma
• Building emotional and spiritual reserves before you need them

Artistic Career & Entrepreneurship

• Navigating multiple creative paths as a multihyphenate artist
• Dealing with financial uncertainty in creative careers
• The importance of choosing wholesome work over controversial content
• Building sustainable artistic practices

Personal Development & Self-Care

• Facing "courage corners" and dealing with avoided emotional work
• The Artist's Way practice and creative development
• Showing up for yourself with the same integrity you show others
• Creating supportive communities that "give you back to yourself"

Education & Mentorship

• Teaching and mentoring for over two decades
• The connection between learning and inspiration
• Building programs that nurture conscious artists
• The difference between being controversial vs. courageous

Featured Quote

"I have been committed to playing the miracles over and over again. The moments that reassured my faith when I couldn't see. I play that so often... What's in my luggage that I can go back to?"Resources Mentioned

• "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron - Karisma's "artist bible" for creative development
• Abundance Academy - Karisma's nonprofit organization supporting artists
• Erykah Badu quote: "I'm an artist and I'm sensitive about my sh*t"

Connect with Karisma Jay

Follow Karisma on social media and support her work:

• Learn more about Abundance Academy and their educational programming
• Share her content with your networks to amplify her message
• Connect her with speaking opportunities and collaborations
• Support her upcoming film projects and artistic endeavors

Key Takeaways

1. Reframe scarcity questions: Ask "What do I have in my luggage?" instead of focusing...
   
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Meet Emily Levin, who made a stunning career pivot from trauma therapist to tech co-founder, creating AI solutions for the affordable housing crisis. In this powerful conversation, Emily shares how she went from helping individuals heal to transforming entire systems, co-founding Access—an AI platform that's already raising capital and getting families into homes faster.

🏠 What You'll Learn:

• How Emily transitioned from 15 years as a psychoanalyst to co-founding a tech startup
• The "slow enrollment of possibility" that prepared her for this major leap
• Why storytelling skills matter more than technical expertise in early-stage startups
• Her "future casting" practice for building confidence in unfamiliar territory
• How she's navigating the male-dominated startup world as a female founder
• The shocking statistics about affordable housing and why this problem matters

💡 Key Takeaways:

• Only 1 in 5 Americans who qualify for affordable housing actually receive it
• It takes property managers 80 hours to lease up one affordable housing unit
• Female-run startups receive only 1.4% of venture funding
• Your existing expertise is more transferable than you think
• Community and mentorship are essential for courage-building

🎯 Perfect for:

• Women considering major career pivots
• Anyone interested in social impact entrepreneurship
• Therapists or helping professionals wanting to scale their impact
• People curious about the affordable housing crisis
• Anyone building courage to start something new

00:00 - Introduction to Emily Levin

01:48 - The kitchen table moment that changed everything

04:46 - The "slow enrollment of possibility"

07:00 - Leading a tech company without tech background

10:19 - Navigating the male-dominated startup world

11:47 - The power of play and "future casting"

13:00 - Finding community in the Robin Hood accelerator

15:02 - Getting support from her 82-year-old father

17:19 - Bringing her daughters into the business

21:04 - The affordable housing crisis explained

26:25 - Future plans: scaling nationally and writing a book

27:45 - Advice for "words and feelings" people entering business

28:41 - How to support Emily's mission

Emily Levin co-founded Axccess, the first AI platform that streamlines affordable housing processes. After 15 years as a psychoanalyst and trauma therapist working with chronically mentally ill New Yorkers transitioning from the streets into stable housing, Emily recognized that individual healing wasn't enough—the system itself needed to change. Axccess is already raising capital, signing customers, and generating revenue while getting families into safe, affordable homes faster.

Start with Emily's Nominator:

• Susannah Ludwig - The woman who saw Emily's courage and nominated her for this show

Fellow Founders Breaking New Ground:

• Susie Jaramillo - First Latina CEO of a media company in the US
• Jenny Jing Zhu - From village maid to $100M company founder
• 
  
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Guest: Mahogany L. Browne - Award-winning writer, playwright, organizer, educator, Lincoln Center's inaugural poet in residence, and founder of the Woke Baby Book Fair

Episode Summary:

In this powerful conversation, Mahogany L. Browne shares her journey from a young mother who almost dropped out of college to becoming Lincoln Center's inaugural poet in residence. We explore how she learned to bet on herself when no one else would, the difference between naming problems and solving them, and why service doesn't have to be selfless to be meaningful. Mahogany discusses her acclaimed novel Chlorine Sky, the importance of creating spaces where marginalized voices can thrive, and how to turn opposition into rocket fuel for your dreams.

Key Topics Discussed:

• The universal experience of playing both victim and perpetrator in our relationships
• How poetry serves as a mirror but isn't therapy - and why both are needed
• The importance of choosing critics who want you to succeed
• Building sustainable service models that feed the giver too
• Creating spaces for voices that haven't been heard
• Turning rejection into motivation and opposition into opportunity
• The difference between naming injustice and taking action to change it

Guest Bio:

Mahogany L. Browne is an award-winning writer, playwright, organizer, and educator whose work spans poetry, young adult literature, and community building. She is the inaugural poet in residence at Lincoln Center and founder of the Woke Baby Book Fair, where she creates spaces for marginalized voices to be heard and celebrated. Her books include the award-winning Chrome Valley, the frequently banned Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice, and her novel Chlorine Sky. She has been recognized for her unwavering commitment to lifting up other voices while refusing to play small in a world that often asks artists and activists to diminish themselves.

References mentioned in the interview:

• Mahogany's books Chlorine Sky, Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice, Chrome Valley
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison - the book that changed everything for young Mahogany
• Mahogany’s Substack

Lift Mahogany Up:

• Follow her on Substack for her latest thoughts and work
• Buy two copies of her books (gift one!) and start a book club discussion
• Attend or support the Woke Baby Book Fair
• Invite her for conversations and speaking engagements that matter
• Share her work with the truth-tellers in your life
• Create spaces in your own community where marginalized voices can be heard – be part of the ripple effect that says everyone deserves to play big

Nominated by: Desha Philyaw, who said: "She is one of one. She is genre bending,...

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