Think Courageously with Deb Cummins Stellato

If you are a listener of the Think Courageously podcast, I know you have heard me RAVE  about The Co-Co. 

The Co-Co is a collaborative co-working and co-learning community. It is a women-led  business with female-forward content, community, and design. Co-Co members are energized to join the movement to support and inspire women at all stages of life and career.

Today on the podcast, I’m talking with Suzanne Willian, a co-founder of The Co-Co. 

After graduating from Purdue University with a BS in Civil Engineering, Suzanne’s professional journey started at IBM. She spent 15 years in technology sales and marketing. Suzanne took a pause in her career,  raising her three children.  She immersed herself in the local community as a friend and volunteer. 

Suzanne re-entered the workforce in 2014, serving as a consultant to nonprofits and small businesses. She became certified in change management and is pursuing certification as a coach. In January of 2019, she and her business partners opened the Co-Co. 

Launching the Co-Co was an entrepreneurial adventure sparked with a sense of urgency... to create an empowering space for women at all stages in life and career. 

Suzanne and The Co-Co leadership team used COVID as a learning opportunity. A chanceto revisit its purpose and passion and to pivot accordingly.  The group found the power of creating space to listen, the courage to say yes, and the importance of staying connected to their vision and values. 

To learn more about Suzanne and The Co-Co visit:
www.theco-co.com
www.instagram.com/thecoconj/
www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-willian

“Being courageous grows our self-love.” -Katrina Summers

 Meet Katrina,  Founder + CEO of Katrina Summers Brand. KSB  empowers business leaders and teams to think outside the box by leaning into their bold, authentic and powerful selves. She is on a mission to help leaders find their purpose and live a fulfilling life. And she means it!

This is a story that so resonates with me and lives at the heart of Think Courageously. 

In today’s conversation, we explore:

• The Power of Leaving a Leadership Legacy
• Evolving into your new definition of success
• Katrina’s powerful act of courage during COVID as a leader
• Leading by intent vs. default

I love Katrina’s definition of courage…”being brave, strong and showing up like the badass you are, doing exactly what you want to make the world a better place.”

Katrina’s previous experience includes 10 years of corporate sales leadership, overseeing $80 million+ in revenue. 

Her drive of excellence comes from her  support system and plenty of coffee (seriously, her  dream is to own a boutique coffee shop). She married the love of my life and have a beautiful family together, including three wild kiddos and their puppy, Sophie!

For more information about Katrina, visit: 
https://ksbagency.co
www.instagram.com/ksbagency/
www.facebook.com/katrinasummersbrand
www.linkedin.com/in/kksummers/

“Let me start out by saying that I am Laura and I am an alcoholic.”

In this episode, Laura Waits, shares her powerful story of a life filled with substance abuse and her journey to sobriety. 

Laura is not really sure the exact day of her  last drink or drug. What she does  know is that she was  42 years old, in her  parent’s care, and entered a treatment facility on July 3rd of 2012. She spent most of my life under the influence of mind altering substances and  functioned for a long time in that state. So long in fact that when she couldn’t function, she didn’t recognize that drugs and alcohol were the problem. She convinced herself that  life was just plain awful and I didn’t want to live it.

Because of her  experiences she founded a non-profit recovery community organization called Synchronicity Recovery Foundation, Ltd. Their  mission is to provide an outlet for people seeking long term sobriety and more importantly thrive to become the best authentic version of themselves.

In this episode we explore:

• Trusting Yourself
• Courage and Connection
• Finding a healthy passion
• Limiting beliefs
• Recovery capital
• Turning your story into something powerful through service

“I have come to understand that this life of mine is in fact a miracle. It is a gift that I will not take for granted and want to be completely present for it. All of it. Everything.”

Learn more about Laura at: 

[email protected]
https://syncrecovery.org
www.facebook.com/syncrecovery/
www.linkedin.com/in/laura-waits-b9907047

Today, I’m catching up with a very special friend, Dr. Petra Frese. Petra is a scientist turned spiritual healer. She is an expert in brain health science and peak mental performance.

After her multiple near death experiences, which dramatically widened her views on life, she integrated her spiritual insights into her Science based coaching practice. 

She became a healer and has dedicated her life to assisting others to heal from trauma, accessing their full-mind and Brain power. 

 During this episode, we explore: 

•  The insights gleaned from her multiple near death experiences
• Curiosity 
• Intuition and Spirit
• What is our purpose? 
• The power of mentorship
• Living life in alignment
• Releasing and letting go of what no longer serves us
• Having the courage to live and not just exist

Petra is the founder of Peak Mind Academy and Lehigh Valley Hypnosis LLC Serving clients around the globe. She is the award winning author of two bestselling books and earned the Excellence in Hypnosis Award 2020.

Born in Germany, influenced by her time living in Switzerland where she founded her first company and also served as a firefighter, Petra is a passionate mother and wife living in Pennsylvania, USA.

Her motto: “Science plus Wisdom is LOVE.”

Learn more about Petra at:
www.petrafrese.com
www.instagram.com/dr.petrafrese/
www.facebook.com/petra.frese.92
www.linkedin.com/in/petra-frese

Today on the podcast, I chat with Darlene Hawley. 

Darlene is a speaker, personal branding and online business coach who shows ambitious, heart-centered service-based entrepreneurs how to create a profitable online business while making space for themselves and their families.

Prior to starting her own business, she worked her way up in big box retail operations management, as a mortgage loan officer, and as a financial coach. 

During our conversation, we talk about:

• The power of saying YES
• The comparison game
• Mom guilt
• Intuition vs. impulse
• And the art of slowing things down…

As the host of the Attract & Stand Out Podcast, Darlene has been featured on podcasts, in articles, and on stages such as the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, Authority Magazine, Elephant Journal, Salvation Army, Pechanga Casino, UNLV, MACC Project, and San Diego Gas & Electric.

Darlene is the SCORE Inland Empire Workshop Chapter Chair and the former president of the International Coach Federation of Nevada.

She is a mom of four, and a wife, connector, storyteller, and dream builder based in Temecula, California.

You can connect with Darlene and learn more about her speaking and coaching at darlenehawley.com.

You can learn more about Darlene at: https://www.darlenehawley.com/attractandstandoutonline

Grab my free roadmap to create a successful business with less hustle and more ease: https://mailchi.mp/e779e4dd3f2e/6stepstoattractstandoutonline

Grab a Chai & Let's Connect:

Website: https://www.darlenehawley.com

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

Blog: https://www.darlenehawley.com/blog

Attract & Stand Out Podcast: https://www.darlenehawley.com/podcast

I’m not going to lie…this episode will blow you away. Today Adrienne Miller and Mary Beth O’Connor join me to share their powerful stories about their journey to a substance-free life. And equally as important the joy found on the other side of their courageous journeys.

Leaders in the national movement to change the faces and stigmas of recovery, this conversation focuses on women’s empowerment. 

We also explore:  

Adrienne started using alcohol and other drugs to cope with childhood trauma, severe stress, and lifelong mental health challenges at the age of 14. She spent the next 16 years drug-hopping and at 30 years old, found herself divorced, failing out of college, and severely dependent on alcohol and marijuana. Finally recognizing that her drug use had changed from being the solution to all her problems to becoming a problem itself, she joined Women for Sobriety (WFS) in 2009. After some initial false starts, she has been living a substance-free life since 2010. 

In recovery, Adrienne rediscovered the joy of volunteerism through Seattle Area Support Groups (SASG – now Peer Seattle). She served as a peer support group facilitator for both SASG and WFS before becoming a Peer Recovery Coach. She returned to university and received her BA in Psychology, then went on to receive additional education in chemical dependency counseling. 

Adrienne was invited to serve on the Board of Directors of WFS and SASG and has served as Vice President for both organizations. She was appointed President/CEO of Women for Sobriety in 2018 and has dedicated herself to empowering the women that use the New Life Program to help run the organization and expand its reach, bringing WFS back into the national recovery conversation.

Adrienne has used her New Life confidence in public speaking, including giving the Keynote Address at the 2013 Seattle AIDS Walk to thousands of rain-soaked walkers. She has appeared on multiple podcasts on behalf of WFS, including the Beyond Addiction Show, Soberful, and SoberSoul Recovery. Adrienne appeared on Mental Health Mondays by She Recovers has presented multiple webinars through the Cigna Behavioral Awareness Series: Coping with Substance Use Disorders.

For Mary Beth, childhood abuse and other traumas led to substance use disorder (addiction). 

Beginning with alcohol at age 12, she spent several years abusing various drugs. She found methamphetamine at 16 and started shooting up at 17. Mary Beth struggled with meth until she was 32 years old.

By incorporating ideas from multiple sources to build a secular (not 12-step or faith based) recovery plan that works for her, Mary Beth has accrued 27 years of sobriety. She used similar techniques to address the trauma and related anxiety as well.

Mary Beth is a board member for LifeRing Secular Recovery and She Recovers Foundation. She speaks on behalf of these organizations and about multiple paths to recovery.

In 2020, Mary Beth published two opinion pieces about substance use disorder and recovery in major national publications.

She has published memoir pieces and completed a book-length memoir.  

Professionally, 6 years into recovery, Mary Beth attended Berkeley Law. She worked at a large firm in Silicon Valley, then litigated class actions for the federal government. In 2014, Mary Beth was appointed a federal Administrative Law Judge, a position from which she retired in 2020.

To learn more about Mary Beth and Adrienne and the organizations they work with check out: 

www.womenforsobriety.org
https://wfsonline.org
www.facebook.com/WomenForSobriety/
www.instagram.com/womenforsobriety/
https://twitter.com/wfs4c
[email protected]

Mary Beth's website: www.junkietojudge.com
LifeRing: www.lifering.org
She Recovers Foundation: www.sherecovers.org

Today, I welcome Sheryl Morley on the podcast! Sheryl teaches other women how to achieve financial independence and time freedom.

She began her career in direct sales in 1997 when she joined a new company, Youngevity International. After getting married and having her twin boys, Sheryl took 8 years off from the business. Upon returning, she had to make some pretty big pivots! 

We discuss the changes Sheryl's business went through during those 8 years, and how she had to redefine her definition of success upon returning. 

As part of our courageous conversation, we talk about:

-Figuring out what you really want in life
-Redefining your "why"
-Not playing small in life
-Making pivots until you reach the goal
-Choosing persistence even when things get difficult

Today, Sheryl is the Co-Founder of The Institute of Wholistic Health that trains and certifies health coaches. Her passion is to promote optimal wellness through nutritional supplementation and healthy lifestyle choices. 

To learn more about Sheryl:
https://www.facebook.com/sheryl.morley.33
https://linktr.ee/sherylmorley

Today on the podcast, Julia Becker Collins and I discuss the power of problem solving...and redefining success. Julia recently faced what she calls... the perfect storm. She was forced to pivot her business due to COVID. And received a thyroid cancer diagnosis simulateously.

Julia is the Chief Operating Officer at Vision Advertising, a women-owned marketing agency located in Massachusetts. She has a long history of working with nonprofits and co-founded the MetroWest Women's Network. 

Recently returning from medical leave,  Julia has plunged back into business while continuing treatment. 

In this episode, she shares lessons learned as a business leader.

We discuss:

• Leadership for life
• Failing fast
• Redefining boundaries
• Creating your own “new normal”
• Battling perfectionism
• Getting resourceful! Asking for help when you need

Outside of work, Julia is an avid marathoner and trail runner. 

To learn more about Julia visit:  

www.instagram.com/visionadvertisingrocks
www.facebook.com/visionadvertising
www.twitter.com/visionrockstars
www.linkedin.com/company/vision-advertising

Tessa Kidd describes herself as “just a mom” who’s worked on redefining her “who”.

In this episode of The Think Courageously Podcast, Tessa, an avid traveler, shares how her journey to Rwanda to meet the children she and husband sponsored, was life changing. 

We also talk about the power of journaling. Tessa has a robust journaling process. A process she developed after reading “The Artist's Way”. A process that allows for self-expression and the gift of writing for oneself. 

Tessa is a fellow author in the soon to be released book, Elevate Your Voice. 

As part of our courageous conversation, we talk about:

-Limiting beliefs around being “just a mom”
-Travelling alone
-The role of abundance and generosity in our lives
-Redefining our “WHO”

To learn more about Tessa:
www.instagram.com/joymusterer/

For 18 years, Ashley Reed helped shape marketing and branding initiatives for leading global brands, including Amazon, iHeartMedia, Audi, Johnson & Johnson, and the NBA.

Although she built a successful career as a Marketing Executive, she felt like she was constantly pulled between two sides of herself.

In this powerful conversation, we talk about Ashley's purposeful pause.

We discuss:

-What It felt like to have different characters inside of her head trying to lead at the same time, and the exhaustion it caused.
-Her 2019, pivotal pause for purpose and internal rebalancing and awakening
-The journey back to her true self.
-The power of #ThePing
-Her work as a Transformational Teacher and Guide.

Ashley now helps other high performers re-find internal balance, and in turn, find the true freedom they've been searching for.

To learn more about Ashley, visit her at:

www.ashleyreed.com
www.instagram.com/ashleyreedofficial
www.linkedin.com/in/ashleymariereed