Chainmail jewelry designer Vanessa Walilko has made armor for Broadway, WWE's Cody Rhodes, and a very niche art-fair crowd. In this episode, she shares how one cold DM led to five WrestleManias, why tenacity — not patience — is the real skill behind the work, and what two decades of hand-linking rings has done to her wrists.

In this episode:

• How a college metal-smithing class became an 18-year chainmail career

• The cold DM that led to designing wrestling gear for Cody Rhodes

• Why she works in aluminum instead of steel

• The physical toll of building pieces by hand, ring by ring

• Her advice to her younger, burned-out self

Dr. Angie Boyer is a multi-species animal nutritionist and founder of Grain & Grace Consulting. She breaks down what actually goes into the food we feed pets and livestock, why “complete and balanced” matters more than the format, and the real story behind the push for human-grade pet food.

In this episode:

• What an animal nutritionist actually does, across pets and livestock

• Why “complete and balanced” matters more than kibble vs. fresh vs. raw

• The real difference between human-grade and animal-grade food — and what's at stake

• What it's like to raise livestock, and making peace with where that relationship ends

• How to break into animal nutrition, with or without a PhD

Licensed clinical social worker Alexa Servodidio opens up about trauma therapy, EMDR, and helping clients rebuild their sense of self.

In this episode:

• How a single field placement redirected her from law school to social work

• What EMDR is and how bilateral stimulation reprocesses stuck trauma

• The realities of crisis intervention, safety contracts, and staying safe as a therapist

• A career-defining case that shows what long-term trauma recovery really looks like

• Why demand for mental health care is outpacing the therapists who can meet it

We're taking a week off from new interviews to look back and catch you up if you're new here. This compilation pulls moments from 10 conversations across Season One: from Labor & Delivery Nurse Julia Parker, calm in the highest-stakes moments, to Wealth Advisor Heidi Foster, helping women rewrite their money mindset, to Daycare Owner Britt Riley, who built the childcare village she couldn't find anywhere else. Some of these are our most-downloaded episodes ever; others are recent conversations already climbing fast. Consider this your starting point — or your reminder of why you started listening in the first place.

Kitty Sum is a pharmacist who chose medicine without the blood, needles, and procedures, and found her chemistry with pediatrics almost by accident.

Kitty joins Liane and Annie to talk about why she chose the science and study of treatment over hands-on procedures, and how getting every dose exactly right is its own kind of chemistry, plus how landing in pediatrics almost by chance changed the way she parents her own child.

This episode covers:

● How Kitty chose pharmacy over medical school and why avoiding needles led to her calling

● What a hospital clinical pharmacist actually does, versus a retail pharmacist

● Why every dose for a child is calculated by body weight, not a standard adult amount

● The hardest and most rewarding parts of working in the pediatric ICU

● How the job has changed the way she parents her own child

● Her advice for anyone considering pharmacy school

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Can your body tell real laughter from fake laughter?

Laughter Yoga Teacher Cathy Nesbitt says it can't, and that's exactly the point behind laughing on purpose. She also shares how a 24-year worm-composting business led her to Laughter Yoga, and why she believes managing our own joy is one of the most underused tools we have.

In this episode:

• What Laughter Yoga actually is (and the myths it isn't)

• Cathy's path from a 24-year worm-composting business to becoming a certified Laughter Ambassador

• The real science behind why the body can't tell real laughter from fake

• Where laughter yoga shows up: senior care, corporate wellness, cancer treatment, dating, and exam stress

• What it takes to become a certified laughter yoga leader or teacher

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Marriage proposal planner Ash Fox has orchestrated 3,000+ engagements in 15 years — and never once heard a "no."

As founder of Ash Fox Proposals, she's helped orchestrate everything from private rooftop reveals with skyline views to a proposal staged inside a designer sample sale — and along the way, coached hundreds of men through one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.

In this episode:

• How Ash accidentally launched a job that didn't exist yet

• Why New York City's chaos makes it one of the best (and hardest) places to propose

• The psychology of letting him take the lead

• What it actually takes to break into proposal planning

• The secret to keeping a surprise secret for weeks

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Steffy Simms is a systems engineer and the founder of Guava & Co, a sustainable, Hawaiʻi-based resort wear brand — built out of late-night doodles during maternity leave. Also an Oʻahu physics teacher and robotics coordinator, Steffy joins Liane and Annie to talk about pivoting from engineering into entrepreneurship, why her son's eczema shaped Guava & Co's non-toxic materials, and how growing up immersed in Hawaiʻi's culture of environmental stewardship drives every design decision she makes.

This episode covers:

● How a systems engineering background shapes running a sustainability-driven fashion brand

● Why AI is reshaping supply chain careers — and what that means for engineers today

● The real cost (and creative workarounds) of running a business from Hawaiʻi

● Building an inclusive, non-toxic, size-flexible resort wear line rooted in Pacific culture

● Balancing founder life, motherhood, and the shift from solo "doer" to CEO

What does it actually take to find real connection in the age of dating apps? Matchmaker Jill Dunn, founder of Jillin' It, joins Annie & Liane to unpack why modern dating feels so exhausting — and what to do about it. Jill shares the divorce that accidentally launched her matchmaking career, how she screens singles before ever introducing them to a client, and the one mindset shift that can change your next first date.

In this episode:

• How one sold-out singles event turned into a full-time matchmaking business

• Why dating apps create a "shopping list" mindset that hurts self-worth

• The difference between expectations for a life partner and expectations for a first date

• How COVID reshaped dating for an entire generation

• Jill's number-one piece of advice for anyone who's single right now

Whether you're newly single, navigating divorce, or just curious how a real matchmaker works, this conversation is full of honest talk about love, patience, and showing up as your best self.

Sawsan Abublan spent years building a career as a pharmacist before an idea she had with her husband led to an entirely new path. She's now a restaurant franchisor.

In this episode, Sawsan joins Annie & Liane to talk about walking away from a license she'd worked hard for, learning a completely new industry from the ground up, and what it actually took to build confidence as a woman stepping into restaurant franchising.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why Sawsan held onto her pharmacist's license for years before finally letting it go

• How her pharmacy training in discipline and cleanliness shaped an unexpected second career

• What a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) is — and why every franchisor needs one before selling a single unit

• What it took to earn confidence as a woman in restaurant franchising

• What she'd tell her younger self about the hardest early years