The Courage Coalition

Some conversations leave you nodding, some leave you teary, and some leave you completely rethinking the stories you’ve been carrying. My recent talk with Cristina P. Simmons , bestselling author of Eat Your Feelings , was one of those. Her story is raw, real, and full of courage, not the shiny, social media version of courage, but the kind that’s born out of grief, forgiveness, and rebuilding whe...

Time is the one resource we can’t earn back, yet it’s often the first thing we waste. We fight for our opinions, hold grudges, and defend our “right” to be right, only to realize later those things carried no real weight. When people reflect at the end of their lives, their regrets aren’t about making more money, building bigger houses, or winning more arguments. Their regrets are about time : tim...

There are moments in life when the truth is so raw, it offends the soul. That’s what this conversation with Alani Bankhead felt like,  a jolt of reality we can’t look away from. Alani has spent over 20 years in human intelligence, hunting down traffickers and protecting the vulnerable across the globe. From military operations to international investigations, she has stared into the darkest corner...

This week’s solo cast is a raw one, friend. I’m peeling back the layers and sharing what it’s been like to reintroduce myself to feel that soul-stirring nudge that something was waking up inside of me. It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t even clear. But it was present . And sometimes that’s all it takes to know we’re being called into something deeper. A woman named Anniston Riekstins came into my life thro...

There are people you meet who feel like a memory like someone you’ve known before in another chapter of your life. That’s how it was with Anniston Blair Riekstins. The first time she looked me in the eye and said, “You’re going to be amazing,” I felt an immediate connection one of those deep soul nudges you can’t ignore. This episode of The Courage Coalition with Anniston is a layered conversation...

When I first received the whisper of what would become the AwakeIn retreat, it didn’t arrive as a polished plan. It came in stillness on a quiet walk here in Montana wrapped in curiosity and conviction. I didn’t know exactly what it was yet, but I knew this: it had to be a space where women could reconnect with the truth of who they are. Not in hustle. Not in sacrifice. But in sacred stillness. Be...

There are moments on this podcast that feel less like a conversation and more like sacred space. This was one of them. Jessica Phillips sat down with me for one of the most raw, redemptive, truth-telling episodes we've had and I'm still letting it settle in my soul. Jessica is a coach, a speaker, and a woman who radiates light—but that light was hard-earned. Her story is one of deep pain...

As I sit with the weight and wonder of this month—finishing the hike, celebrating 30 years of marriage, and standing in the unfolding of a vision that once felt too big to say out loud—I keep circling back to one word: purpose . Not the Instagram version of purpose. Not the perfectly worded mission statement. But the kind that whispers through discomfort, nudges you in quiet moments, and feels lik...

There are some conversations that crack you wide open—and this one did just that. On this episode of The Courage Coalition , I had the absolute honor of sitting down with Tiffaney Childers, an accountant turned coach, speaker, and now author. But titles don’t capture her story. What does? A fierce devotion to show up in the raw grief of suicide loss, in the silent ache of chronic pain, and in the...

As we wrap up one of the most physically and emotionally demanding journeys of our lives—hiking the 100-mile Tour du Mont Blanc—I’ve been reflecting on how this all began. Not with certainty, not with a mapped-out plan, but with a quiet whisper that said, "You're not done yet." That whisper turned into Fostering the Summit, a nonprofit born not from ease but from deep listening. It...

This week’s episode of The Courage Coalition was one of those raw, real conversations I’ll be holding onto for a long time. My dear friend Andrea Sullenger joined me to share the winding, holy, and brutally honest journey of adoption—from the seed planted in her 12-year-old heart to saying yes decades later in a season that was anything but perfect. We talked about obedience, timing, and the gritt...

As you read this, we’re likely somewhere along the Tour du Mont Blanc trail—mud on our boots, breath a little short, hearts wide open. This 100-mile hike isn’t just a physical challenge or a dreamy European adventure. It’s a living metaphor for everything we believe in: the uphill battles, the false summits, the grit it takes to keep going when you're not sure what’s around the next bend. It’...

When Erin Pohan and I sat down for this episode of The Courage Coalition , I knew we were going to talk about accounting but what we actually talked about was so much more than that. Erin isn’t just an accountant. She’s a creator of community, a champion of women doing things differently in an industry that hasn’t always made space for “different.” From her early days balancing registers in a Walm...

In this final episode of our four-part series on rewriting our money stories, we’re talking about integration —the powerful point where our beliefs, values, and evidence come together to create meaningful change. It's not enough to simply know what shaped us. At some point, we get to ask: Am I still playing the same old game? Or is it time to tell a different story? Because true financial ali...

There’s something sacred about a woman who tells the whole truth—especially when that truth includes repossessions, rationed meals, shame, and a slow rebuild from rock bottom. In my recent conversation on The Courage Coalition with Kim Kinsfather, founder of Rise and Rain Movement and co-owner of Pure Aqua Tek, we didn’t sugarcoat a thing. We laughed, we nodded knowingly, and we dug deep into the...

In this episode of The Courage Coalition , we continue our journey through the foundations of financial awareness by talking about something that most people avoid: the evidence . Not the cold, clinical kind—but the real, living proof of how we earn, spend, and save. Too often, we ignore the very patterns that are quietly shaping our financial story. We forget to celebrate the small wins and get s...

In this episode of The Courage Coalition , I sat down with Stacey Porritt—special education advocate and founder of Bridging the Gap Advocacy—to talk about something that hits close to home for so many parents: navigating IEPs, understanding school systems, and finding the courage to speak up for your child’s needs, even when the path feels overwhelming. Stacey shares not only her 28 years of expe...

In this solo episode of The Courage Coalition , we dive deep into one of the most overlooked yet powerful tools in your financial journey: your core values. So often, we separate money from meaning—as if budgeting and financial planning exist in a vacuum, untouched by what we actually care about. But I believe values are our North Star, especially when it comes to our finances. Whether we’re decid...

Sometimes the most powerful conversations begin in the most ordinary moments—standing at a table, sharing a hello, and feeling something stir inside you. That’s exactly how I met Jess Dahl. Within minutes of hearing a sliver of her story, I knew it needed to be shared. Jess is a leadership coach, retreat facilitator, speaker, and the co-founder of Wholeness Journey , a nonprofit devoted to bringin...

In this week’s solo cast on The Courage Coalition , I’m kicking off a 4 part series breaking down my framework for values-based finances—starting with the root of it all: our beliefs . Most of us carry money stories we didn’t consciously choose. Some were shaped in childhood—by what we saw, or what we didn’t. Maybe you grew up in a home where money was always scarce… or maybe no one talked about i...

When I invited Shaye Woodward to the Courage Coalition podcast, I knew the conversation would be rich—but I wasn’t prepared for just how layered, personal, and powerful it would be. Shay is a master certified coach who specializes in ADHD and relationships, but more than that—she’s a woman who has lived what she teaches. Diagnosed in adulthood, she’s navigated ADHD as a mother, a professional, and...

We’ve been taught to treat money like a math problem—spreadsheets, budgets, numbers. But the truth is, money is deeply emotional . Behind every spending habit, every savings struggle, every under-earning pattern is a story—one that often started when we were nine, ten, eleven years old. The values we absorbed in childhood—whether through lack, conflict, silence, or shame—shape how we earn, spend,...

Sometimes, life drops breadcrumbs—little hints, subtle nudges, and whispers that pull us toward something greater than we can see in the moment. But trusting those breadcrumbs? That takes courage. That takes a willingness to let go of control, to release expectations, and to step into the unknown with nothing but faith that something bigger is waiting. My guest today, Lou Beckman, knows this journ...

I’m diving into a concept that flipped something in me: setting your floor . We spend so much time reaching for the ceiling—setting big goals, visualizing dreams—but what about the baseline? The minimum standard we are no longer willing to fall below. Whether it’s in our health, finances, relationships, or purpose, your floor is the promise you refuse to break with yourself. And when you honor tha...

This week on The Courage Coalition , I had the absolute gift of sitting down with Bonnie Miletto — or as you’ll quickly come to know her, Bon Bon . From her heartbreaking beginnings in foster care to becoming a nationally recognized speaker, author, and fierce advocate for fun, Bonnie’s story is one of raw resilience, joyful rebellion, and deeply earned wisdom. She shares how, for most of her life...