What The Shift

What if your drive wasn’t ambition—but addiction?

In this raw and revelatory episode, Gia sits down with keynote speaker, business coach, and bestselling author Kim Rogne to unpack the hidden reason so many high-achieving women can’t slow down—even when they know they need to. From CEO of a multi-million-dollar real estate brokerage to founder of For the Love Of, Kim shares how a ski accident forced her to finally pause—and face the identity she'd been performing for decades.

Together, they explore:

The “fixer” identity and why so many women can’t stop rescuing

How busyness becomes a coping mechanism—and an addiction

The lie of balance and what it really means to live in alignment

What it takes to rewrite your success story after burnout

Kim’s bold move from hustle to harmony—and how you can make the shift too

If you’ve been moving at full speed and still feel like it’s never enough, this conversation will stop you in your tracks—in the best way.

That pain, that fatigue, that anxiety? It’s not random. It’s your nervous system screaming what you’ve been too busy to feel.

In this powerful conversation, licensed therapist and nervous system coach Grace Secker unpacks the hidden root of chronic pain, fatigue, anxiety, and burnout—and how it’s often your body’s last-resort attempt to get your attention.

Grace shares her personal journey from debilitating pain to full-body healing and introduces her Mind-Body Healing Method, a proven approach to regulation, safety, and sustainable wellness. We dig into:

The brain-body connection and why pain is never just physical

The link between emotional suppression and physical symptoms

How trauma rewires your nervous system—and how to gently rewire it back

Why “pushing through” is the fastest path to collapse

What real regulation looks like—and how to come home to yourself again

If you’ve been “functioning” but not truly living, this episode is your wake-up call. You’re not broken. You’re just disconnected from the one thing that can actually heal you: you.

Learn more about Grace at: https://www.elevatetherapywellness.com

What does it really take to walk away from what’s working—and bet on what’s right?

In this episode of What the Shift, I sit down with Leslee Owen, Co-Founder & CEO of Movement Maker Web Design Agency, to talk about the radical decision that changed everything. She was running a profitable coaching business, hosting a podcast, and doing all the “right” things—until she realized none of it felt aligned anymore.

Leslee shares:

The solo retreat that revealed the misalignment in her business

Why she shut down a launch mid-promo—and never looked back

What radical focus looks like at home and at work

How to build a website that works as hard as you do

The mindset shift that took her from burnout to billion-dollar clients

If you've ever felt like the life you built no longer fits, this one will hit deep.

Learn more about Leslee’s work at: https://movementmaker.pro

When Melissa Lafsky Saleh lost her child days before delivery, everything shattered. Career. Identity. Marriage. Meaning. But what emerged from the ashes wasn’t just survival—it was sovereignty.

In this raw and revelatory episode of What the Shift, Melissa shares the deeply personal story of how unimaginable grief burned off everything that wasn’t her—and unlocked the one superpower the world taught her to silence: her intuition.

We talk about:

What it means to rebuild yourself cell by cell after trauma

How high-achieving women often bury trauma beneath success

The difference between fear and intuition—and how to hear the voice that’s actually yours

Why grief doesn’t end—but it can evolve

The real ROI of reclaiming your inner knowing

This isn’t just a story of loss. It’s a masterclass in becoming unshakable.

What happens when everything that used to work for your health… suddenly doesn’t?

In this episode of What the Shift, Gia Lacqua sits down with women’s wellness and empowerment coach Erin Trier for a no-BS conversation about why the one-size-fits-all model of wellness is failing women—especially high-achieving moms navigating midlife shifts. Erin shares her personal wake-up call after baby #4, when her health hit a wall and everything she’d been taught about “doing the right things” stopped working.

Together, we dive deep into:

The myth of more is better in health and hustle culture

How stress is silently sabotaging your wellness (and what to do about it)

Why listening to your body is the most radical act of self-leadership

What bio-individuality really means—and why it’s your key to longevity

How to stop outsourcing your wellness and build systems that actually fit your life

This episode will challenge everything you thought you knew about self-care, wellness, and success. If you’ve ever wondered why you feel burned out despite doing all the “right” things, this one’s for you.

🎧 Listen now and take the first step toward wellness that finally works—for you.

Learn more about Erin: https://www.erintrier.com/

You’re exhausted, unfulfilled, and running on autopilot— but what if this isn’t burnout? What if it’s betrayal—of your identity, your truth, your needs?

In this unfiltered and fire-starting episode of What the Shift, Gia sits down with transformational coach and TEDx speaker Lora Cheadle, author of It’s Not Burnout, It’s Betrayal. After discovering her husband had been unfaithful for 15 years, Lora was forced to confront not just the collapse of her marriage—but the quiet ways she had been betraying herself for decades.

This conversation is a reckoning.

We unpack:

You don’t need more discipline. You need a different truth.

🎧 Press play and start unraveling the betrayal—so you can finally come home to yourself.

Learn more about Lora: loracheadle.com

What if everything you’ve been searching for—confidence, power, freedom—was already in you?

In this raw and radically affirming episode of What the Shift, Gia sits down with Liz Hansen, founder of Chicago Boudoir Photography and TEDx speaker, to unpack the truth about embodiment, shame, and the lies we’ve been taught about being “good women.”

From shaking in her boots before her first boudoir shoot to becoming the most sought-after boudoir photographer in Chicago, Liz shares how stepping in front of the camera cracked her wide open—and why she’s now on a mission to help thousands of women reclaim their power, their sensuality, and their damn selves.

This conversation unpacks:

What boudoir photography is really about (hint: it’s not just sexy pictures)

How societal conditioning convinces women to shrink—and how to unlearn it

The difference between performing confidence and actually embodying it

Why your scars—visible or not—deserve to be honored

And the truth about the woman you were always meant to be

This episode is your permission slip to stop waiting, stop hiding, and start becoming.

🎧 Press play—and let her out.

Learn more about Liz and Chicago Boudoir: chicago-boudoir.com

What if gratitude isn’t just a feel-good practice—but a path to healing the parts of you that still hurt?

In this powerful episode of What the Shift, Gia sits down with Dr. Peggy DeLong, a psychologist, speaker, and bestselling author known as The Gratitude Psychologist. But Peggy’s not here to talk about keeping a cute journal. She’s here to reframe everything you’ve been told about gratitude, emotional pain, and what it really takes to reconnect with joy.

After losing her fiancé and father just six weeks apart, Peggy didn’t bypass grief—she met it. And what she found in a simple cup of hazelnut coffee became the foundation of her life’s work.

Together, we explore:

Why gratitude isn’t about ignoring pain—it’s about holding space for it

How emotional avoidance numbs your joy as much as your grief

The real reason high achievers stay stuck in burnout and disconnection

Simple, science-backed gratitude practices that rewire the brain

Why “fine” isn’t a feeling—and how to reconnect to what’s real

This isn’t about forced positivity.

Tune in now and discover why the emotions you’ve been avoiding are the exact doorway to the joy you’ve been missing.

This one hits deep—because you can be grateful for your life and still want more from it.

Learn more about Dr. Peggy: drpeggydelong.com

You know the feeling.

In this powerful episode of What the Shift, Gia sits down with Xenia Ambatzoglou, former corporate executive turned co-founder of womenowned88—a fashion-meets-advocacy brand built to empower women to own their stories, businesses, and futures.

After nearly two decades in financial services, a sudden career shift forced Xenia to confront what so many high-achieving women ignore: the quiet ache for more. Instead of chasing another role, she built something of her own—from scratch—and turned one forgotten moment in women’s history into a cultural movement.

Together, we explore:

What to do when life kicks you out of your comfort zone

The itch for reinvention—and why so many women silence it

The untold story behind the 1988 Women’s Business Ownership Act

How to stop trying to “do it all” and start building with support

The power of owning your voice, even if it shakes

This isn’t just a story about career change.

Tune in now and get inspired to stop ignoring the itch—and start making shift happen.

Grab your 1988 merch today: womenowned88.com

What happens when the version of you that "succeeds" isn't actually who you are?

In this episode, I sit down with top-ranked podcast host and personal brand strategist, Matt LeBris to unpack the identity crisis so many high achievers face—losing themselves in performance, people-pleasing, and the pursuit of external validation. From childhood black sheep to top 1% globally ranked podcast host, Matt shares the raw, unfiltered truth behind his journey back to self—and the emotional reckoning that came with it.

We talk about:

The hidden cost of being the chameleon in every room

How trauma-fueled achievement eventually runs out of gas

What purpose really feels like (hint: it’s not always peaceful)

The internal shift that separates true fulfillment from performative success

If you've ever adapted so well you forgot who you are, this episode will hit home. It's time to stop shape-shifting—and start soul-shifting.