Bia: Becoming in Action

What if fun isn't something you earn after the work is done? What if it's something you've been missing all along? A comment from Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, a surprisingly lovable character from The Bear , and research on the science of fun all led me to the same question: When was the last time you had so much fun that you lost track of time? In this episode, I explor...

What does it take to build a life with intention? In this episode, I sit down with Amber, a wife, mother of four, former nurse anesthetist, business development professional, photographer, storyteller, and community builder. While her resume is impressive, what struck me most was the intentionality behind every chapter of her journey. Amber shares what it was like growing up as the oldest child an...

For most of my life, I thought the answer was to push through. Work harder. Stay positive. Find the silver lining. Keep things moving. But what if the discomfort we're trying so hard to override is actually trying to tell us something? In this episode, I share a recent realization sparked by an Instagram post that stopped me in my tracks: "Your nervous system clocks it before your mind ex...

What does leadership look like when it isn't loud? In this episode, I sit down with my longtime friend Patti, a woman whose impact has never depended on titles, credentials, or being the loudest voice in the room. Patti is one of the most compassionate and effective leaders I've had the privilege of knowing, and her story is a powerful reminder that quiet strength can create lasting change...

Mother's Day stirred up something unexpected in me this year. In this deeply personal episode, I share a part of my story that I've carried quietly for many years. The grief of never having a daughter. As a proud mom of three incredible boys, I've often felt guilty for acknowledging that longing. But through coaching, reflection, and a willingness to sit with difficult emotions, I'...

This week on the podcast, I’m joined by my cousin Kerry for a conversation about recovery, grief, leadership, creativity, and the long process of becoming yourself again. What started as a reconnection between cousins turned into a deeply honest conversation about the many ways people heal. Kerry shares her journey from a prescription opioid addiction that began after a car accident, to years of a...

In this Real Life, Real Work episode, we explore what happens when someone else’s anger or distress activates our own nervous system. Why do some of us rush to reassure, reframe, fix, or smooth things over the moment emotions get intense? Why can another person’s frustration feel so uncomfortable in our own body? This episode dives into the connection between nervous system activation, people plea...

So many of us build lives that look right on paper before we stop and ask ourselves: But does this actually feel like me? In this episode, my friend Sarah shares the winding path that took her from psychology student to lawyer to stay-at-home mom to therapist in her 40s. What I love most about Sarah’s story is that she kept listening to the quiet voice inside her that said: there is something more...

I went for an early morning walk in Napa and ended up at a literal dead end. Standing there, I realized something that completely reframed how I think about change, failure, uncertainty, and identity: I am not the dead end. The road is. In this episode, I talk about the years I spent as a supporting character in my own life, what my divorce taught me about agency, grief, and healing, and why I now...

Content Note This conversation includes discussion of addiction, alcoholism, recovery, and emotional struggle. Please listen with care if these topics are sensitive for you. Chris made one choice at 22 that changed the trajectory of his life. What started as a reluctant step into sobriety, without much intention beyond getting help in the moment, became 25 years of choosing differently. Choosing c...

She built her career by being the one who said yes. Yes to more responsibility. Yes to filling gaps. Yes to doing whatever it took to make things work. And it worked… until it didn’t. In this episode, I walk through the moment so many high performers hit but don’t always talk about. When the very traits that made you successful start to burn you out. When caring deeply about quality collides with...

This episode includes discussion of trauma, sexual assault, self-harm, suicide attempts, and serious illness. Please listen with care. In this episode, I sit down with Katy to talk about motherhood, family, and the unexpected ways our lives unfold. What begins as a conversation about her son, Julius, and the way she approaches parenting quickly becomes something much deeper. Katy shares her story....

What happens when you’ve carried too much for too long? What does it look like to keep showing up on the outside while everything is unraveling on the inside? In this deeply honest conversation, I sit down with Evan, a first responder who spent years serving others while privately carrying the cumulative weight of trauma, loss, stress, and emotional numbness. We talk about the culture of strength...

Comparison can quietly erode confidence at work. You start second-guessing yourself, staying quiet in meetings, and assuming everyone else has more to offer. In this episode of Real Talk, Real Work , we unpack how comparison becomes the thief of confidence and how to stop letting it run the show. We talk about recognizing when you’re stacking the deck against yourself, reframing what makes you dif...

When answers don’t come easily, how do you know when to keep pushing? In this deeply moving episode, Laurie shares the story of knowing something wasn’t right with her son, Grant, even when symptoms were subtle, tests were normal, and reassurance came from every direction. What began as small concerns slowly built into a years-long journey of appointments, second opinions, self-doubt, persistence,...

What if the moments you feel the most emotional are actually the moments where growth is happening? In this episode, I share what it’s looked like for me to shift from a definition of growth rooted in learning to one rooted in feeling. When my son comes home to visit, I want it to feel like pure joy. And part of it does. But there’s also fear, pressure, and emotion tied to a past experience that d...

In this first Real Life, Real Work episode, I talk about what really happens when we try to strip the “human” out of hard conversations at work. So many of us have been taught to separate our work self from who we are everywhere else. To stick to the facts. To stay neutral. To be professional. But low empathy isn’t neutral. It creates distance. And when there’s no connection, even the most accurat...

There are seasons in life when we’re just trying to keep up. And then there are seasons when we realize, we’re actually building something. In this conversation, I sit down with Kathy, a mother of four, recent law school graduate, community leader, and co-founder of Toledo’s Share, to talk about what it really looks like to build a meaningful life in the middle of a full one. We talk about the mom...

If you listened to the last episode and found yourself sitting with some uncomfortable questions, this is for you. This is a short, 5-minute centering practice for those moments when your mind is racing, when you’re feeling behind, or when that quiet question starts to creep in: Does this even matter? In this meditation, I guide you back to something simpler. Back to your breath. Back to your body...

There’s a question I’ve been sitting with lately: Does this even matter? In this episode, I’m unpacking something that has been quietly driving a lot of my thoughts, emotions, and reactions over the past few weeks… my need to feel like I matter. After leaving my corporate role, I didn’t just lose a job. I lost the structure, the feedback, and the very visible ways I knew I was making an impact. An...

In this conversation, I sit down with Emily Crosby, former collegiate athlete, higher education leader, and now entrepreneur and founder of Throw & Co, to explore what it really looks like to outgrow a path that once felt exactly right. Emily shares her journey from rowing at Notre Dame to building a career in higher education, where she spent years creating meaningful experiences and leading...

At some point in midlife, something quietly shifts. From the outside, life may look exactly the way it was supposed to. You’ve built a career. You’ve shown up for your family. You’ve carried responsibility for years. But internally a different question begins to surface: Is this how I want to live the next 20 or 30 years of my life? For decades our culture has labeled this moment a midlife crisis...

Some people know from a young age who they are meant to be. For Mary, that identity was always tied to art. Growing up in Timmins, Ontario as the only girl in a family rooted in the lumber industry, Mary found early refuge in painting. What began as a childhood escape eventually led her to study fine art and build a career working inside major institutions like the Royal Ontario Museum and the Tol...

Criticism is one of those words that carries weight before we even understand why. It tightens our chest. It makes us brace. It whispers, you messed up… you’re not enough… you failed. But what if criticism isn’t the enemy? In this episode, I’m unpacking the fear of criticism, how it quietly shapes our decisions, shrinks our visibility, and keeps us choosing approval over alignment. Because often,...

In this episode, I sit down with Holly, a woman who proves that confidence isn’t something you wait for, it’s something you build through action. With no formal training in construction, Holly taught herself how to finish her entire basement. Years later, she turned curiosity and persistence into a thriving Etsy business that now reaches customers around the world. Along the way, she also became a...