Wisdom for Wannabes

What would make you walk and run 2,300 miles across America? For Robb Pollard, creator of Walk With Me Brother, it wasn't really about the miles. It was about rewriting his story, creating awareness around men's mental health and suicide, and reaching just one person who might need to hear his message. In this conversation with Wisdom for Wannabes host Jackie Morreale, Robb shares the expe...

Talent isn’t everything. Yulia Beygelzimer was seven years old when a tennis coach told her she wasn’t good enough and had no talent. Instead of giving up, she returned to her first tennis coach — and went on to become a professional tennis player, reaching career-high rankings of No. 83 in singles and No. 56 in doubles. Today, Yulia is the Director of ONE Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, Florida, wh...

What happens when you take your creativity and your sketchbook and start exploring your own backyard? 🌴🎨 For this second plein air sketching journey, I decided to go north to south—from West Palm Beach to Deerfield Beach, exploring eight places along the coast and capturing each one in soft pastels. My goal was simple: explore the beauty of where I live. Intercoastal views. Historic landmarks. F...

What happens when you're exhausted, your mind is telling you to quit, and you still have a race to finish? Elite cyclist Peggy Maass Labiuk knows that feeling firsthand—and she knows how to turn it around. In this episode of ‪@wisdomforwannabes‬ , Peggy shares the mental strategies she used during an extraordinary cycling career that included competing on the U.S. National Team, becoming a two...

What happens when your grandfather's painted plates start falling off the wall? You keep drawing them. 😂 I never expected to make a Part 3 of my art honoring project for my grandfather, Robert George Etienne, but after moving his collection of painted plates to a more permanent location, plate after plate started landing on the floor. First the scuba diver and turtle.🐢 Then the pelican.🐦 Th...

What if your office was outside? Plein air sketching started for me thousands of miles from home, in the Austrian Alps. I was away from my studio and wanted to leave a unique gift for family, so I sat down with my pastels and started drawing the landscape in front of me. I didn't think I was particularly good at landscapes. So I stopped worrying about being good. I just started looking. Layer...

What if being a good parent isn't about getting everything right, but about knowing how to repair when things go wrong? Dr. Amy Todey, a Harvard-trained psychologist, parenting and co-parenting expert, and founder of Todey Psychology, joins ‪@jackiemorreale‬ on ‪@wisdomforwannabes‬ for a thoughtful conversation about families, parenting, high-conflict co-parenting, childhood development, and n...

What happens when you take an artist's work from another generation and bring it into your own world? For my grandfather Robert George Etienne's 100th heavenly birthday, I began recreating his original acrylic paintings on decorative plates using my own medium: soft pastels. After completing Part 1, I realized our family had almost 100 more of Grandpa's painted plates to choose from. S...

Celebrate an artist legacy by honoring my grandfather, Robert George Etienne, on his 100th birthday. Watch as I recreate his paintings to bridge our connection across time. This video documents a special tribute to a WWII veteran who found beauty in everyday objects. I walk through the process of recreating his specific oil paintings, including his studies of a red bouquet, heirloom tomatoes, and...

Sometimes the best vacations aren't the ones that take us far from home; they're the ones that remind us how much wonder has been waiting nearby all along. In this Wisdom for Wannabes blog voice note reflection, Jackie Morreale shares one of her favorite days of the summer: a family paddleboard adventure from Phil Foster Park to Peanut Island in Palm Beach County. What started as a simple...

"Don't wait for permission from anybody." — Nani Sahra Walker Academy Award-winning producer, writer, and director Nani Sahra Walker joins Wisdom for Wannabes to discuss her powerful new feature film, Shakti, and the five-year journey that brought it to life. In this inspiring conversation, Nani shares why she left journalism to become a filmmaker, what winning an Oscar taught her, w...

Sasha Monaco has built a career at the intersection of psychology, storytelling, technology, and entrepreneurship. In this episode of Wisdom for Wannabes, she shares how she transforms evidence-based research into children's books that help young readers navigate anxiety, OCD, goal setting, and resilience. From making technology sales calls at just 15 years old to developing her "Happines...

Wisdom for Wannabes host Jackie Morreale shares her journey of celebrating success, including her recent YouTube Silver Creator Award, then facing failure, and the lessons learned about preparation, resilience, and community. This episode emphasizes that failure is a stepping stone to growth and the importance of lifting others as we climb. Topics: The significance of celebrating milestones Lesson...

What if the "ugly middle" of your life is actually leading you somewhere beautiful? In this episode of Wisdom for Wannabes, I sit down with South Florida artist Erica Kyle, who left a successful 25-year career in banking to pursue her lifelong calling as a professional artist. Erica shares the emotional stories behind her paintings, why birds symbolize peace, how creativity became her la...

How do you reinvent yourself after decades in corporate leadership? In this episode of Wisdom for Wannabes, Jackie Morreale sits down with award-winning author, screenwriter, producer, and former Microsoft and Honeywell executive Angela Page Conti to explore the power of storytelling, creativity, resilience, and second (or third!) acts. Angela shares how family history inspired her novels, why soc...

In this reflective voice note, Wisdom for Wannabes host Jackie Morreale celebrates the first anniversary of the podcast and YouTube channel by exploring a question inspired by the musical  Rent : How do you measure a year? Through a year marked by 100,000+ subscribers on YouTube, six books, three marathons, unforgettable travels, personal growth, and the loss of her 99-year-old grandmother, Jackie...

Join author and illustrator, Jackie Morreale, daughter Natalia Morreale, and Lily the Bichonpoo, for a special read-through of Jackie's new children's book, Yin-Yang the Brave: A Puppy's Tale of Finding Home. Book One in the Voices in Wonder series follows Yinny, a tiny puppy waiting to find her forever family. Through adventures, mistakes, learning, and unconditional love, Yinny disco...

What happens when someone combines the fast-paced world of Milan fashion with cutting-edge technology and luxury experiences in Miami? In this episode of Wisdom for Wannabes, host Jackie Morreale sits down with Daniele DeMarch, Co-Founder of ELSEWAVE, a South Florida-based boutique innovation company helping scale emerging technologies in aerospace, AI, luxury hospitality, experiential sports, and...

In this episode of  @wisdomforwannabes  , host Jackie Morreale interviews relationship expert, entrepreneur, and author coach Dr. Lee Baucom  @LeeBaucom   @SaveTheMarriageSystem  about his mission to help authors turn their books into meaningful businesses through his Book-to-Business Blueprint program. Drawing from more than two decades of experience in relationships, coaching, and publishing, Le...

Jackie Morreale shares her real-world experience using Riverside to transform her podcast,  @wisdomforwannabes  , into a multi-platform content engine. Discover how video, clips, and AI tools can amplify your reach and deepen your message. Key Topics: • Using Riverside for podcasting and content creation • The importance of video and clips for reach and discovery • Workflow for editing and repurpo...

In this episode of  @wisdomforwannabes  , host Jackie Morreale sits down with women's empowerment coach Raquel Baez to explore her journey from corporate marketing into a purpose-driven career helping women build confidence, clarity, and balance. Drawing from her background in business, wellness, and coaching, Raquel shares how self-trust, intentional choices, and small, consistent shifts can...

Join ⁨@wisdomforwannabes⁩  host Jackie Morreale for a conversation with Johannes Schwab, a seasoned commercial airline pilot with certifications from FAA and EASA, as he shares his journey from Austria to the skies. Discover the intricacies of flying, decision-making under pressure, and how passion and preparation drive success in aviation. Key Topics: • Pilot training differences between FAA and...

@wisdomforwannabes  host Jackie Morreale explores the essence of authentic creation, emphasizing the importance of honesty, emotion, and releasing the need for approval. Through personal stories and reflective prompts, she guides listeners to reconnect with their inner creative process and embrace vulnerability. Key topics: • The difference between performing and creating • Creating from emotion a...

What does it really mean to win—in sports and in life? In this episode of  @wisdomforwannabes  , host Jackie Morreale sits down with two leading voices in sports psychology and youth mental health: Dr. Jonathan Jenkins and Dr. Kim O’Brien, co-authors of Mentality Wins: The Athlete’s Playbook for Thriving in Sport and Life. Dr. Jonathan Jenkins is a sports psychologist at MGH and for the Boston Red...

What if burnout isn’t a sign to stop… but a sign you’re expanding? In this episode of  ⁨@wisdomforwannabes⁩ , host Jackie Morreale shares a raw, honest reflection on building something from the ground up—chasing growth, gaining momentum, and unexpectedly hitting a wall of exhaustion. From the outside, everything looked to be working. But behind the scenes… burnout set in. Joined by her dog Lily (a...