Self-doubt will keep you waiting for permission that is never coming.

She was cut late in her sport. Many said she couldn't do it. Then she ended up at her dream school. How did she do it?

In this episode of Twenty Something, Olivia sits down with Eliza Smith, a D1 soccer player at the University of Utah, to talk about what it actually takes to build confidence, chase big goals, and become the kind of person who follows through.

Eliza shares her journey from getting cut, switching teams, showing up to ID camps, advocating for herself, and eventually earning the opportunity to play college soccer. But this conversation goes far beyond sports. It is about discipline, pressure, identity, resilience, and learning how to bet on yourself before anyone else does.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• How to stop letting self-doubt control your decisions
• Why confidence is built by keeping promises to yourself
• What athletes understand about discipline, pressure, and resilience
• How to chase a dream without letting it define your worth
• Why rejection is not the end of the story
• How to become the kind of person people want to bet on

Whether you’re an athlete, a former athlete, or someone trying to build the confidence to go after something bigger, this episode will remind you that you do not need the perfect path to become who you are meant to be.

Connect with Eliza:

Instagram: @elizajsmith11

TikTok: @eliza.smith7

Connect with Olivia:

Instagram: @twentysomething_podcast

TikTok: @twentysomething_podcast

YouTube: @TwentySomething-OliviaBurnett

What happens after we die? And what can near death experiences teach us about the way we live now?

In this episode of Twenty Something, Olivia sits down with Martin Tanner to discuss the stories, patterns, and life-changing lessons he has heard from interviewing more than 700 people about their near death experiences.

Martin is the host of the Religion Today podcast and radio show on KSL, co-founder of Utah’s International Association for Near-Death Studies, and a longtime researcher of near death experiences.

Together, Olivia and Martin explore the common threads Martin has heard across stories from people of different ages, backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures. From experiences with loved ones who have passed on, to life reviews, to encounters with divine love, these stories raise questions about purpose, healing, faith, and what may come next.

Martin shares some of the most powerful near death experiences he has heard firsthand, including stories of people who came back with a deeper sense of urgency, a greater desire to love others, and a clearer understanding that their life still had meaning.

Whether you fully believe in near death experiences, feel skeptical, or are simply curious, this conversation is an invitation to ask deeper questions about life, death, heaven, and why each life matters more than we may realize.

In this episode, you’ll hear stories about:

• Howard Storm, a former professor whose terrifying near death experience led to a complete life transformation
• David Herod, a Marine in Vietnam who came back with a message about learning to love others
• George Ritchie, whose near death experience with Jesus gave him a new sense of urgency about life
• Don Wood, a man with cystic fibrosis who wrestled with the unfairness of life and what his suffering meant
• Crystal Locke, a little girl who drowned at age seven and later shared what she said she experienced in heaven

• Blind individuals who say they were able to see during their near death experiences
• Jeff Olson, who lost his wife and son in a car accident
• Dr. Ron Kennedy, who described being welcomed by loved ones after a violent attack
• Ted Whiting, who saw a large gathering of family members and loved ones waiting for him on the other side

This episode is for anyone who has ever wondered where their loved ones go, what happens after this life, or whether their life has a specific purpose.

Connect with Liv:

Instagram: @twentysomething_podcast

TikTok: @twentysomething_podcast

YouTube: @TwentySomething-OliviaBurnett

Connect with Martin:

Religion Today podcast and radio show on KSL

In this episode of Twenty Something, Liv is joined by Ruston Jones and Kait Stone for a conversation about creativity, resilience, reinvention, and what happens when you give yourself permission to keep evolving.

After a motorcycle accident shifted the way Ruston moved through life, he found his way into hot yoga and Pilates, eventually becoming the kind of instructor who makes people feel seen, welcomed, and brave enough to try. But his story doesn’t stop there. Ruston is also a filmmaker, author, and fashion designer who has built a life around curiosity, courage, and trying new things even when he isn’t sure how they’ll turn out.

Together, they talk about starting over, meditation, learning how to be bad at something new, releasing the fear of being “cringe,” putting yourself in the way of luck, and how Ruston began sewing, upcycling thrifted and vintage fabrics, and eventually putting his work into fashion shows.

This episode is for anyone who feels stuck, afraid to try something new, or unsure if they’re allowed to become a different version of themselves.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• How Ruston’s motorcycle accident led him into yoga and Pilates
• Why meditation is more practical than most people think
• The courage it takes to be bad at something new
• Why being “cringe” might mean you’re actually trying
• How Ruston went from learning to sew to showing his designs in fashion shows
• Why reinvention is part of building a fuller, more honest life

Connect with Liv:

Instagram: @twentysomething_podcast

TikTok: @twentysomething_podcast

YouTube: @TwentySomething-OliviaBurnett

Connect with Ruston:

Instagram: @rustonj

TikTok: @rustonj

⁠Purchase Ruston's Book⁠

Do you ever leave the doctor’s office and think, “Wait, what did they just say?”

Or sit in your car afterward realizing you forgot to ask the one question you actually needed answered?

In this episode of Twenty Something, Liv sits down with Lauren Dudley for a conversation about what it looks like to take ownership of your health, your work, and your relationships, especially in your 20s when you’re suddenly expected to figure so much of it out on your own.

Lauren is currently living what so many of us talk about but few actually do: betting on herself before she has it all figured out. She is helping build Shepard, a health care app designed to make doctor’s appointments less overwhelming by helping patients prepare better questions, understand what their doctor is saying, and feel more confident managing their own health.

Together, Liv and Lauren talk about the frustration of not knowing what’s going on in your body, how overwhelming it can feel to navigate symptoms or diagnoses, and why so many of us leave appointments wishing we had been more prepared.

But this conversation goes beyond health. Lauren also shares what it was like to leave her job, build a business with her partner, navigate entrepreneurship in her early 20s, and create a relationship built on trust, communication, and shared vision.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to feel more prepared before a doctor’s appointment

• What to do when medical language feels confusing

• Why advocating for your health matters, even when it feels intimidating

• What it looks like to build a business in your 20s

• How to bet on yourself without having it all figured out

• Why abundance matters in dating, work, and life

• How to put yourself in the way of luck

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by their health, embarrassed to ask a question, unsure what a doctor meant, or ready to stop living reactively and start taking ownership of their life.

Connect with Olivia

Instagram: @twentysomething_podcast

TikTok: @twentysomething_podcast

YouTube: @TwentySomething-OliviaBurnett

Connect with Lauren: Instagram: @laurendudley

Connect with Shepard Health: Instagram: @shepardhealth

Dear Twenty Somethings,

Welcome to the very first episode of With Love, From Liv !!!

I’m honestly so excited to finally be doing this. Solo episodes have been on my heart for a long time, and I wanted this series to feel a little more personal. Like a conversation. Like a voice note from a friend. Just me, talking directly to you about the things you guys are asking. Things I think so many of us quietly carry in our twenties.

(But also still bringing you science-backed tools into practical strategies for change.)

And I can’t think of a better first episode than this one.

Because if we’re being honest, I think a lot of us feel behind right now.

Behind in dating. Behind in career. Behind financially. Behind emotionally. Behind spiritually. Behind in life.

In this episode, I talk about:

• why comparison affects us so deeply in our twenties
• the pressure of timelines we never consciously chose
• why uncertainty can feel like failure
• how social media distorts progress
• what actually helps when you feel stuck, discouraged, or “late”
• times where I've really struggled feeling behind

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed watching everyone else move forward while you’re still figuring things out, join the club. This one's for you.

That's what I hope With Love, From Liv will always be.. A space that feels personal. Honest. Comforting. Like we’re figuring life out together a little bit.

So wherever you’re listening from, I’m really glad you’re here.

This one’s yours.

With love,

Liv

In this episode of Twenty Something, we sit down with Logan Green for an honest conversation about faith, healing, shame, and what it looks like to ask yourself and God the hard questions.

Sometimes, asking questions about your religion can feel scary. It can feel like doubting, betraying God, or stepping too far outside of what you’ve always known. But instead of avoiding those questions, Logan has taken a different approach. He has started asking them directly, exploring different churches and religious communities, studying what they believe, and trying to learn as much as he can from the ways other people worship and connect with God or a higher power.

Logan also opens up about his experience healing from childhood sexual abuse, the religious guilt and confusion that followed, and how finally talking about what happened became part of his healing. Together, we talk about sitting in uncertainty, learning to feel safe again, finding common ground across different faiths, releasing shame, and creating enough stillness to hear what your body, soul, and God might be trying to tell you.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

1. How to ask honest questions about your faith without feeling like you’re doing something wrong
2. Why exploring different beliefs can deepen your understanding of God instead of pulling you further away
3. How shame can shape the way you see yourself, your body, your relationships, and your faith
4. What it can look like to begin talking about painful experiences you’ve kept buried
5. Why sitting with uncertainty can actually become part of finding peace
6. How stillness, honesty, and self-awareness can help you reconnect with yourself and God

Connect with Logan Instagram: @lmg.journal

Connect with Liv Instagram: @twentysomething_podcast TikTok: @twentysomething_podcast YouTube: @TwentySomething-OliviaBurnett

Content disclosure: This episode includes a discussion of childhood sexual abuse, trauma, shame, and religious guilt. We do not go into graphic detail, but it may be sensitive for some listeners. Please take care of yourself as you listen, and feel free to pause, skip, or come back to this episode when you feel ready.

If you’ve ever walked into a party and immediately wanted to leave, overthought a first date, sat through an awkward work lunch, found yourself having the same surface-level conversations with people you’ve just met, or wondered why building meaningful relationships feels harder than it should—this episode is for you.

Today, I’m joined by coach, mentor, and speaker Brayden Black for a conversation about connection, confidence, and the mindset shifts that can completely change how you show up in your relationships and your life. He shares three actionable frameworks that can immediately change the way you interact with other people.

We dive into the common things people do that actually hurt connection, why making people feel seen matters so much more than trying to impress them, and the simple questions that can instantly create deeper conversations.

Most importantly, we talk about why so many of us expect the worst in dating, friendships, careers, and life—and how that mindset may be holding us back more than we realize. Brayden shares his “gold medal mindset,” how to stop operating from a victim mentality, and why your response to life matters more than the circumstances you’re facing.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The conversation mistake that quietly kills connection
• The questions that instantly create deeper conversations
• Why trying to impress people often pushes connection away
• How to make people feel genuinely seen and remembered
• How to navigate dating, friendships, and professional relationships with more confidence
• Why expecting the worst may be sabotaging your future
• The “gold medal mindset” that can change how you approach opportunities
• How to stop operating from a victim mindset and take ownership of your life

If connection feels hard right now—or life feels like it’s happening to you—I think this episode will really help.

Connect with Brayden: Instagram: @_brayden.black

Connect with Liv: Instagram: @twentysomething_podcast TikTok: @twentysomething_podcast YouTube: @TwentySomething-OliviaBurnett

One moment, Hunter Rasmussen was planning his future, navigating relationships, working long hours, dreaming about owning a ranch, and figuring out life in his twenties.

The next, everything changed.

After a hunting accident left him fighting for his life and ultimately losing his leg, Hunter found himself facing pain, uncertainty, and an identity crisis he never saw coming. The athlete. The outdoorsman. The version of life he had planned, it all felt gone overnight.

In this episode, Hunter shares the full story of the accident, the miraculous moments that followed, and what it’s looked like to rebuild his life through faith, patience, forgiveness, and choosing God every single day, even when life hasn’t gone according to plan.

We talk about:

1. How to move forward when your life changes overnight

2. Rebuilding your identity after loss

3. Why patience can feel so painful—but necessary

4. Forgiving someone who changed your life forever

5. Creating routines that help you through anxiety, grief, and uncertainty

6. Trusting God when life looks nothing like you planned

If you’re in a season where your life feels delayed, rerouted, or completely different than what you imagined, this conversation will remind you that your story isn’t over.

Connect with Liv:

Instagram: @twentysomething_podcast

TikTok: @twentysomething_podcast

YouTube: @TwentySomething-OliviaBurnett

Connect with Hunter:

Instagram: @1_legged_hunter

TikTok: @1leggedhunter

There’s a version of your life you want.

But if you’re honest, you probably don’t fully let yourself go there.

Because hoping for it feels risky. If you really want it, and it doesn’t happen, that disappointment hits harder.

So instead, you stay somewhere in the middle. You work hard, you show up, but you don’t fully expect things to work out.

In this episode, I sit down with Blake Barney to talk about a phrase he lives by:

“Hope for the highest.”

And not in a cliché way—but in a way that actually changes how you think, act, and build your life.

In this episode you'll learn:

• Why we default to expecting the worst (especially in our 20s)
• How your expectations quietly shape your actions and opportunities
• The difference between measuring your life by outcomes vs. effort
• How habits like vision boards, affirmations, and environment actually rewire your thinking
• The idea of co-creating your life with God, instead of waiting for clarity or confidence first
• And how to keep going when nothing seems to be working (even when you feel behind)

Blake also shares his experience working toward a goal for years with no visible progress—and what it taught him about consistency, identity, and trusting the process.

This conversation is for anyone who feels stuck between wanting more and being scared to fully believe it’s possible.

Because maybe the shift isn’t doing more.

It’s learning how to hope for the highest—and live like it’s possible.

Connect with Liv:

Instagram: @twentysomething_podcast

TikTok: @twentysomething_podcast

YouTube: @TwentySomething-OliviaBurnett

Connect with Blake:

Instagram @blakebarney

If you’ve ever felt like you’re constantly starting over with your health, this episode is for you.

Because the problem usually isn’t that you don’t care. It’s that you’ve been taught to approach health in a way that isn’t sustainable.

All-or-nothing routines. Extreme plans. Trying to become your “ideal self” overnight.

And then when it doesn’t stick, you feel like you failed.

In this episode, I’m joined by Natalie Wilson - a fitness coach whose entire philosophy is built around sustainable health, realistic routines, and progress over perfection.

But this conversation isn’t just about workouts.

It’s about learning how to build consistency in a way that actually fits your life — and shifting your mindset so health becomes something that supports you, not something that overwhelms you.

We talk about why most people struggle to stay consistent, what actually works long-term, and how to stop feeling like you’re constantly starting over.

✨ What you’ll learn:

• The 3 shifts that make healthy habits actually stick
• Why motivation isn’t the thing you should rely on
• How to build routines that fit your real life (not your ideal one)
• The biggest mistakes people make when trying to “get healthy”
• How to stop starting over every time you miss a day
• Why extremes and perfectionism are keeping you stuck
• How to build a healthier relationship with your body and yourself

💬 Connect with Liv:

Instagram: @twentysomething_podcast TikTok: @twentysomething_podcast YouTube: @TwentySomething-OliviaBurnett

🤍 Connect with Natalie:

Instagram: @natwilsonfitness App & Workouts: (insert her app link here)