Spark Something New

People are talking about you. And chances are, you're not even in the room. Before you cringe, this isn't about gossip. And it's certainly not about obsessing over what other people think of you. It's about your reputation. Your influence. And the experience people have when they encounter you. Whether you realize it or not, you're shaping that experience every single day....

Put it out into the universe. Visualize what you want. Raise your vibration. Trust that the Law of Attraction will bring it your way. Sounds familiar, right? But what if we've misunderstood how manifestation actually works? In this episode, Dr. Katie Sandoe welcomes Brian Trzaskos, somatic coaching expert, co-founder of the Somatic Coaching Academy, and co-author of Manifestation for Dummies...

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Or is it?! The holidays can be filled with joy, connection, traditions, and beautiful memories. AND they can be downright exhausting. Especially if you're the person responsible for making all that holiday magic happen. The planning. The shopping. The cooking. The decorating. The gifting. The coordinating. And ALL THE THINGS that nobody else even...

What if being good with money has less to do with understanding the stock market and more to do with understanding yourself? Too often, we convince ourselves that we need to be financial experts before we can make meaningful decisions about our money. We get caught up in market performance, retirement goals, and whether we're saving enough, while overlooking a much bigger question: Is our mon...

We want to get it right with the people who matter most.   We try to be the supportive partner, the good parent, the thoughtful friend, the leader who knows what to say when things get hard. And then… we’re human. We lose our patience. We react instead of respond. We say the thing we wish we could take back. Or our face says the thing even when our mouth doesn’t. And then we worry we might have da...

Who are you without the roles you play? Take away the job title, the accomplishments, the relationship status, the parenting, the caregiving, the things you’re really freaking good at.  Even the things you absolutely love. Who are you then? We spend so much of our lives answering " Who am I?" with " What do I do?" ... Answers like I'm a parent, leader, spouse, caregiver, a...

Two years ago, Spark Something New began with a conversation about the Human Energy Crisis —a world increasingly overwhelmed, exhausted, disconnected, and running on empty. One hundred episodes later, that conversation feels more relevant than ever. In this milestone episode, Dr. Katie looks back at what nearly 100 conversations with incredible humans have taught her about building a life that doe...

What if you knew you couldn't get it wrong? We spend a lot of our lives trying to know what happens next. We make the plan. Calculate the risk. Imagine everything that could go wrong. And sometimes, we stay in a life that doesn't feel particularly good simply because at least we know what to expect. But what if the unknown isn't something to fear? What if it's actually an invit...

Ever find yourself thinking... I’m stuck. I don’t know what to do. There’s no other option. That person is NEVER going to change. Yeah. Us too. But what if the problem isn’t that there are no other possibilities? What if you just can’t see them yet? In this episode, Dr. Katie sits down with organizational psychologist and executive coach Dr. Irina Cozma to talk about becoming a possibility thinker...

What if loving yourself first isn’t selfish, but one of the most loving things you can do for everyone around you? In this episode, Dr. Katie chats with leadership coach, speaker, and author Lisa Kohn to challenge the way we think about self-love. Lisa shares her philosophy of “First, Most, Always” : the belief that when we learn to extend compassion, grace, acceptance, and care toward ourselves,...

You know the person. The one everyone can count on. The one who figures it out. Who follows through. Who handles the hard stuff. Who gets. it. done. Maybe that person is you. And for a long time, that identity may have served you really well. It helped you build a career, care for the people you love, earn the trust of others, and accomplish things you're genuinely proud of. But what happens...

What if “I’m good” isn’t actually true? Think about how many times someone asks, “How are you?” and you automatically respond: “I’m good” or “I’m fine” or “Good… just busy!” Sometimes the exchange is simply a pleasantry. But sometimes, we’ve repeated “I’m good” for so long that we’ve started believing it ourselves—even when something inside us knows otherwise. Maybe you have the career. The family...

What if the leadership (and maybe life) you've been striving for... isn't actually yours? Many of us spend our existence performing the version of leadership (and life) we believe others expect—editing our voice, suppressing our instincts, and following blueprints handed to us by family, culture, organizations, or society. From the outside, everything may look great...successful even. Bu...

We often think of self-awareness as a personal pursuit—something we do to better understand ourselves, improve our mindset, or become the "best version" of who we are. But what if knowing yourself isn't ultimately about you at all? In this episode, Dr. Katie chats with leadership advisor and author Rajiv Mehta, who challenges the individualistic view of self-awareness and offers a c...

Stress has become so normalized that many of us wear it as a badge of honor. We equate busy with productive, exhaustion with success, and believe the answer is simply to push harder. In this episode, Dr. Katie sits down with speaker, leadership strategist, and author Jennifer Stanford to challenge one of the biggest misconceptions about stress: pressure and stress are not the same thing.   Pressur...

Episode Snapshot: What if your hesitation to speak up, share your ideas, or take up space isn't actually a confidence problem? In this episode, Dr. Katie sits down with mindset coach and former pharmaceutical executive Kapu Patel to explore why visibility is really a nervous system skill. Together, they unpack the subtle ways we "shrink" ourselves—from downplaying our accomplishment...

Episode Snapshot: What if midlife isn't a crisis to survive, but an invitation to come home to yourself? In this episode, Dr. Katie Sandoe sits down with transformational guide and midlife mentor Andrea Mancuso to challenge one of our culture's most enduring narratives. Together, they explore why the restlessness many people experience in midlife isn't a sign that something is wrong...

Send us Fan Mail Episode Snapshot: What if building a life you love isn't just an individual pursuit—but something you intentionally create with the person you're sharing it with? In this episode, Dr. Katie sits down with Rebecca and James Lockwood, founders of The Thriving Couple, to explore how the same intentional practices that help businesses thrive—shared vision, strategic planning...

Send us Fan Mail Episode Snapshot: We don't just inherit stories. We choose which ones we carry forward.  In this episode, Dr. Katie welcomes genealogist, speaker, and Rich Roots founder Rich Venezia for a conversation about identity, belonging, and the powerful act of returning to our roots. Together, they explore how family history is not simply about dates, records, or distant relatives —...

Send us Fan Mail Episode Snapshot: Your life can look great on paper and still not feel right in your body. In this episode, Dr. Katie chats with speaker and coach Nisha Patel to unpack what it really means to live in alignment. Together, they explore why so many high-achievers feel fragmented, anxious, or disconnected despite checking all the boxes—and how reconnecting with your values, your body...

Send us Fan Mail Episode Snapshot: What if the thing you were taught to hide became the very thing that helped you build something meaningful? In this episode, Dr. Katie is joined by sisters Nicol Varona Cancelmo and Cory Varona Corniel, co-founders of OCOA, a clean curl care brand rooted in Dominican heritage, identity, confidence, and community. Together, they explore what it means to build a bu...

Send us Fan Mail Episode Snapshot: What if purpose isn't something you find—but something you practice every day? In this conversation, Dr. Katie welcomes back ikigai expert Nick Kemp to discuss his new book, A Year of Ikigai , and explores how the Japanese philosophy of ikigai invites us to stop living for the weekend and start savoring the small moments that make life worth living. Summary:...

Send us Fan Mail Episode Snapshot: What if the moments that change your life aren't random at all? In this episode, speaker, entrepreneur, and author Joel Steele introduces his concept of Life Switches —those sparks of clarity, urgency, and conviction that move us from drifting through life to actively creating it. While many people wait for a watershed moment or external event to force chang...

Send us Fan Mail Episode Snapshot: We’ve never been more connected… and yet so many people feel painfully alone. Why? In this episode, Dr. Katie and Rachel Rozen unpack the modern crisis of belonging — from surface-level networking and curated identities to the exhaustion of adult friendships and the fear of rejection that keeps us from truly being seen. Together, they explore what it actually tak...

Send us Fan Mail Episode Snapshot: What happens after we become aware that modern systems are intentionally designed to keep us scrolling, consuming, reacting, and constantly engaged? Following last week’s conversation (E81 with Dr. Mitika Kanabar) about why these systems are so psychologically sticky, this episode with Elizabeth Ross explores the lived human impact of living in an “always-on” wor...