Dancing in the Discomfort Zone with Anne Bonney

What do Donald Trump, Christopher Walken, Morgan Freeman, speech therapy, and persuasion have in common? Apparently… everything. This week, Anne sits down with Emmy-nominated emcee, comedian, speaker, impressionist, and all-around character John Di Domenico ( https://beacons.ai/thejohnnydshow ) for a conversation that starts with celebrity impressions and unexpectedly turns into a fascinating deep...

What do a rock-and-roll roadie, a resilience researcher, and a CPA-turned-yogi have in common? More than you think. At first glance, June's guests seemed to disagree completely.  Amy Vetter embraced reinvention. Scott Scovill preached tenacity.  Courtney Clark advocated quitting.  But when I looked closer, I realized they were all teaching the same lesson: Don't quit because it's ha...

What if "Never Give Up" is terrible advice? (watch this full interview on YouTube.  https://youtu.be/6ROfazVZBco) We've all heard it: Quitters never win. Winners never quit. But what if hanging on too long is actually what's holding you back? In this fascinating conversation, resilience researcher, change strategist and keynote speaker Courtney Clark (https://courtneyclark.com/...

What if the thing standing between you and your dream... is your fear of failing? (Watch the full video interview on YouTube here. https://youtu.be/nEINMa-lDJU ) Scott Scovill (www.scottscovill.com and https://tenaciousbook.com/ ) was flunking out of college, waiting tables, and terrified to try when a chance encounter with a touring crew from U2 changed everything. Two years later, he was on tour...

Most people think business success and personal wellbeing live in separate worlds. Amy Vetter thinks that's exactly why so many leaders are burned out. In this fascinating conversation, Amy Vetter https://www.amyvetter.com/ shares her journey from accountant to partner, from burnout to balance, and from classical violinist to electric rock performer. Along the way, she discovered that fulfill...

What if the reason you’re stuck… is because you haven’t accepted what’s true? In this month’s wrap-up episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone , Anne Bonney pulls together a powerful insight from all 3 May guests: You can’t change anything… until you accept reality. From parenting challenges to toxic relationships to business collapse and reinvention, this episode explores the pivotal moment wher...

What happens when everything you’ve built… disappears overnight? In this powerful episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone , Anne Bonney sits down with Lisa Pagotto, founder of Crooked Compass (https://www.crooked-compass.com/) to talk about resilience, reinvention, and the courage to lead when there is absolutely no clear path forward. When the pandemic shut down global travel, Lisa’s entire bus...

Why do we ignore red flags… even when we know better ? In this raw, revealing, and wildly relatable episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone , Anne Bonney sits down with Dr. Stephen Paul Edwards—speaker, spiritual counselor, and author of The Venus Flytrap (https://vft23.com/)—to unpack the messy, magnetic, and sometimes destructive reality of toxic relationships. Stephen shares the true story be...

How do you keep going when the life you planned is replaced by a daily battle for survival? In this moving episode, host Anne Bonney sits down with Nancy Ferraro —attorney, author of When the Bough Breaks , and keynote speaker—to discuss the raw, unfiltered reality of raising a child with severe disabilities and violent behavioral challenges.  Nancy shares her journey of adopting her son, George,...

Ever notice how something small can ruin your whole mood…  …but something BIG barely fazes you? RIGHT?  How weird is that??   In this April wrap-up episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone , Anne Bonney connects the dots from three powerhouse April episodes with Alaina G. Levine, Henna Pryor, and Bob Mathers, and uncovers a game-changing insight:         It’s not what’s happening… it’s the meanin...

What if your life changed overnight… and then quietly went right back to normal? That’s exactly what happened to Bob Mathers, and it forced him to ask a brutally honest question: Am I actually living… or just reacting to fear? In this powerful and refreshingly real conversation, Bob (https://bobmathers.ca/) shares the moment his son’s life-threatening health crisis snapped everything into focus, a...

Ever replay an awkward moment in your head… for 3–5 years?  Me too! And according to communication expert Henna Pryor… you might be doing it ALL wrong. In this laugh-out-loud and wildly insightful episode, Henna (hennapryor.com) breaks down why awkwardness isn’t something to avoid.  It’s actually a powerful tool for connection, confidence, and growth. From career pivots to cringey social moments,...

What if the career you’re chasing…isn’t actually yours? In this high-energy episode, I sit down with powerhouse speaker, author, and self-proclaimed “Queen of Nerds,” Alaina G. Levine (www.alainalevine.com), to talk about building what she calls a Unicorn Career... one that’s authentic, meaningful, AND pays the bills (because…yeah.  Dinner) From "humble beginnings" as a billiards champio...

What do tough conversations, grief, fear, and habits all have in common? Discomfort. In this month-end wrap-up, I’m pulling together the biggest insights from conversations with a hostage negotiator, a grief coach, a keynote speaker, and a habit expert—and the message is clear: discomfort isn’t the problem… avoiding it is. If you want more resilience, stronger relationships, and habits that actual...

Let’s talk habits… but not the cute, color-coded, “new year new me” kind. I’m joined by CHRISTOPH Merrill (aka the Habit Freak, thought-leader, speaker, author CHRISTOPHmerrill.com ), and this conversation goes way deeper than discipline and checklists. After a life-altering moment that nearly cost him everything, CHRISTOPH discovered a truth most habit advice completely ignores: Habits aren’t bui...

Today we’re dancing in the discomfort zone with Greg Bennick (www.gregbennick.com) keynote speaker, author, musician, juggler (yes, actually), and professional reminder that you matter. Greg’s message? If you want a better future, build a better now . We talk about what it really means to embrace discomfort.  Not as something to survive, but as something to lean into. Greg shares how his early day...

Grief. Death. Loss. Deep breath. Stay with me.  (The name of the podcast should have warned you!)  In this episode, I sit down with life transition coach and death doula Jennifer Sanfilippo (www.jennifer-sanfilippo.com) to talk about something we ALL experience… but rarely talk about well. PLOT TWIST: grief isn’t just about death! We explore how unacknowledged losses (like career shifts, identity...

What do hostage negotiations and workplace conflict have in common? More than you think. Former SWAT hostage negotiator Scott Tillema (https://scotttillema.com/) joins me to break down what it really takes to influence emotional people in high-stakes moments...whether you’re outside a barricaded building, delivering some uncomfortable performance feedback or trying to solve a problem with your spo...

Two Super Bowl commercials. Two very different emotional reactions. And one curious conversation that opens the door to something much bigger.  In this episode, your host Anne Bonney (https://YourChangeSpeaker.com) contrasts a feel-good moment of human connection with a symbol-heavy display of comfort and certainty and explores what our reactions to each might say about how we view belonging, agen...

What happens when success on paper no longer feels right in real life? In this episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone , Anne Bonney talks with Trevor Blondeel (www.trevorblondeel.com) about leadership, emotional intelligence, and what it really takes to connect people across the C-suite and the shop floor. From manufacturing leadership to tough conversations and values-based decisions, this epi...

What happens when life knocks you all the way down—and then keeps going? In this powerful episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone , Anne Bonney talks with Front Row Frankie (https://frontrowfortitude.com) about addiction recovery, resilience, personal growth, and rebuilding life after rock bottom. This raw, honest conversation explores emotional intelligence, accountability, courage, and how rea...

How do you perform under pressure without burning out ? In this episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone , host Anne Bonney sits down with Jay Abbasi (https://jayabbasi.me/) global keynote speaker, TEDx speaker, former Tesla leader, and host of the Unstuck podcast to break down how high performers can navigate stress, uncertainty, and change with resilience and clarity. Jay draws from his experie...

What if the clarity you’re waiting for doesn’t come before the action—but because of it? In this solo January wrap-up episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone , Anne Bonney connects the dots between this month’s conversations with Linda, Kim, Adam and Sabine and reveals a powerful truth about change, growth, and resilience: clarity comes after you move . Our brains crave certainty, but real progr...

What happens when you’re eating “healthy,” doing all the right things, and your body still refuses to cooperate?  Or you diet and lose weight...and then find it again? In this episode of the Dancing in the Discomfort Zone Podcast, Anne sits down with Sabine Richard ( revealyourself.info  ), who shares her powerful and refreshingly honest story of gaining 42 pounds in her 40s after moving to the U....

If you prefer to watch on YouTube, go here.  https://youtu.be/cIDt3PGnnz8 What happens when a successful, analytical professional looks at his life during COVID and realizes he is not happy, it's not working, and a change HAS to be made? In this episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone, Anne Bonney sits down with Adam Peters (https://mindmaprenovations.com/), neuroscience-based trainer, happ...