Hot Takes on Healing with Jess Leone

There's a part of you that's been trying to get your attention for years. 👀 You haven't been ignoring her on purpose...I know. 🫶 You've just been busy. You've had things to do, people to take care of, jobs to keep, fires to put out. So when she showed up—through the headache that wouldn't quit, the tension you couldn't explain, the fatigue that no amount of sleep seemed to fix—you took note. May...

Welcome to Season 2 of 'Hot Takes', it feels so good to be back with you all! 🖤 I've decide to kick us off with a mini series of original poetry and music I've written that's helped me navigate my own recent experiences. It's some of the most honest work I've created, and I wanted to share it here first. Today's episode features the first poem in the series: 'The Pedestal' (If you want to just li...

In this episode, I sit down with Leah Mitchell, a love and relationship coach blending neuroscience, energy, and embodiment to help people build healthier, more secure relationships. Leah opens up about her own journey from trauma and PTSD to discovering the science behind attraction — including how stress hormones, pheromones, and brain chemistry all influence who we’re drawn to (and why). Togeth...

In this powerful, embodied conversation, I sits down with Majo Torreli , a somatic coach who found healing after a decade of struggling with PCOS, body image issues, and disempowering relationships. What started as a painful chapter in her 20s became the catalyst for radical transformation when she learned to stop overanalyzing and start feeling. Majo shares how years of therapy and mindset work c...

In this episode, I sit down with Raditia Lasry and dive into a conversation about personal growth, resilience, and the small, intentional steps that shape a meaningful life. Raditia shares her approach to breaking big goals into manageable pieces, redefining concepts in a way that aligns with who she is, and rewriting her own story through curiosity and presence. She opens up about childhood momen...

In this episode, I sit down with Carrie for a raw, honest, and refreshing conversation about The Gratitude Myth and what it really means to practice grounded, authentic gratitude without slipping into toxic positivity. We explore how to stay true to yourself during the holiday season, especially when outside pressure pushes people to act cheerful, grateful, or “fine” even when that doesn’t match w...

Every October, I gather with women for something that looks a little wild from the outside: "The Great Pumpkin Smash". We write down the things we’re done carrying — the guilt, the grief, the rage — and then we smash those damn pumpkins into the ground. And this ritual actually comes in two parts: Part one: expressing anger in a safe way: through sound, movement, & symbolic release so the ener...

This week I sit down with one of our Sacred Circle sisters Melissa, whose story of resilience and redirection reminds us that sometimes losing what we thought defined us is what sets us free. After being forced to retire from her long-standing, respected career due to MS, Melissa found herself grieving not just her work, but her identity. For years, she’d pushed through anxiety and depression, bel...

We spend so much time chasing what’s next that we forget to stop and look at what’s already in our hands. In this episode, I’m inviting you to slow down, breathe, and actually notice your harvest: the things you’ve grown through, not just the things you’ve grown. I share how this season has been teaching me the difference between producing and harvesting...how one is loud and visible, and the othe...

Dani is back for Part 2 of our conversation, and this time we go deeper into what the second year of grief really feels like. For many, the first year is about survival—going through the motions, trying to build some kind of routine, and leaning on the support that’s more available in those early months. But as Dani shares, year two can hit harder. The world expects you to be “better,” yet the gri...

This week’s Fly on the Wall episode takes a sharp left turn into truth-telling, breakdowns, and what it really looks like to come back to life after years of numbness. I’m joined by Melissa, a friend I’ve known since high school who I reconnected with just ten months ago when a mutual friend brought her to Sacred Circle. What followed wasn’t just a nostalgic reunion, but a deep, soul-level remembe...

This week’s Fly on the Wall episode, I sit down with my good friend Dani Collins to talk about what it really looks like to rebuild your life after unimaginable loss. Together, we explore: -The raw reality of navigating trauma and grief while raising children alone -The courage it takes to step into single motherhood after losing a partner -How to hold space for both heartbreak and healing in the...

In this weeks episode, I sat down with Natalie and Dale Glover, the soulful minds behind LumenKind , a brand dedicated to helping people reconnect with what truly matters. I am excited to share the powerful story behind their latest offering, the 'Light Through Loss Pack', and how grief became a catalyst for deeper presence, purpose, and healing. This episode isn’t just about loss, but about what...

What if the truth you’re avoiding is the very thing that could set you free? In this episode, I sit down with Michelle Aalbers, coach and catalyst for self-healing, to explore what it really means to choose healing, especially when it’s uncomfortable. Michelle brings a grounded, honest voice to the conversation, reminding us that real kindness often shows up in the form of hard truths. Hot take: C...

Putting yourself first isn’t selfish, it’s survival. This conversation is your reminder that you don’t have to wait until you break to tend to yourself. This week’s episode is a heart-opening, deeply grounded conversation with Stacy, an independent cat rescuer in Connecticut who’s currently in the process of opening her own feral cat sanctuary! She’s a force of compassion, honesty, and intentional...

In this episode, I’m joined by Lindsey Ryan—entrepreneur, wellness advocate, and co-owner of the Blender Bar (in Cheshire, CT)—to talk about what it really looks like to walk away from a “safe” 9-5 career in Corporate America and choose the wild, messy, and meaningful path back to yourself. After years in higher education, a major health transformation, and a powerful reset in Ireland, Lindsey had...

In this episode, Carrie and I are breaking down the loop—the mental replay, the Groundhog Day energy, the autopilot patterns that keep us stuck—and how something as simple as ChatGPT (or whatever name you’ve given your AI… go ask it!) can actually help you get out of your own head and into a new rhythm. We talk about how to “glitch the loop” on purpose: Taking a different route to work Going to a...

In this raw and powerful episode, I’m joined by Kate Sullivan, who drops this #hottake: mental health struggles can be just as devastating as addiction—instead of healing the root, we keep slapping Band-Aids on the symptoms. Together we dig into what it really means to live with that weight, including the addiction to sorrow and suffering, the link between dyslexia and addiction (learning somethin...

In this episode, I sit down with Robyn Miller Brecker & Karen Loenser and dive into their personal "hot takes" on healing and the journey that led them to create The Seeking Center. Robyn, an Emmy® award-winning producer, spent over 20 years working alongside Oprah Winfrey (YEAAAAH, THAT Oprah!), shaping impactful programming with some of the world’s most brilliant thought leaders. She has a b...

Mary is BACK, and this conversation is powerful. (You can listen to our first 'Fly on the Wall episode HERE ) She’s opening up about finally leaving her toxic job and the hard lessons she’s learned about boundaries, backhanded compliments, and navigating a toxic work environment—especially when narcissistic behavior is at play. The biggest realization? Toxic relationships don’t just happen in roma...

Life isn’t always a straight climb up. Sometimes it’s a goddamn rollercoaster. But here’s the thing: No matter what season you’re in, you deserve self-compassion. You deserve to recognize how far you’ve come. And you deserve to celebrate yourself—right now, not just when you hit some imaginary finish line. In this episode, I go LIVE in my Facebook Community to reflect on my own life—what’s changed...

Sometimes ya just gotta hit record on a GOOD conversation. Excuse the low quality audio, it was worth the high quality conversation.  My beautiful friend, Mindy and I went LIVE back in 2024 in The Soundboard and had a powerful conversation about her healing journey over the last five years. What we've learned is healing isn’t just about moving through the hard stuff—it’s about learning to exist in...

This one’s different. Hit play—you’ll see. I think this is my favorite episode to date y'all. I literally grabbed my dictionary a few times because—spoiler—I needed to get clear on what words like “selfish” and “perfection” actually mean. (And trust me, the definitions will surprise you.) Here's what I'm jamming out about: The difference between your self and your ego—because you are NOT the loude...

In this 'Fly on the Wall' episode, I sit down with Mary Rauber, owner of MMoonchild Scented Creations . Mary isn’t just an incredible entrepreneur, but my soulmate best friend for over 20 years. Together, we share laughter, raw truths, and the kind of connection that only decades of friendship can build.  We dive deep into topics that hit home for anyone navigating life’s complexities like breakin...

Welcome to my new series within Hot Takes on Healing: "Fly On a Wall", where you get an all-access pass to the deep, inspiring, & unfiltered conversations I’ve had with some of my closest friends. These are the moments we’ve always wished other people could hear—the real, *no edits*, NO-BS chats where nothing is off-limits. We’re talking about the stuff that hits you right in the gut, the kind...