Ignited by Inner Beauty

Itto grew up in the rural Atlas Mountains of Morocco. She experienced homelessness, learned to read at age 17, and was abused by her family. As a result of the abuse, she is now blind. The challenges in her life have not stopped her from becoming a journalist, author, entrepreneur, Fulbright Scholar, Steinbeck Fellow, MacDowell Fellow, and Founding Editor at The DateKeepers, an international media...

Debbie McCulloch has lost many loved ones before they reached their older years, so she is passionate about sharing her message that life past age 50 is a gift to be appreciated. She talks about retiring from her job as a pharmacist and launching her podcast Older & Bolder, where she interviews women who are "fearless, fabulous, and fifty-plus." During our conversation, she talks abo...

In a world of body positivity, Bri is all about body grief. Bri describes body grief as "the perceived loss that causes distress accompanied with body change." She talks about using the stages of grief when thinking about grieving our changing bodies (or grieving the bodies we wish we had) and how this process puts us on the path to body acceptance. She also talks about how we've bee...

From hiding behind trees during a proposal to photographing newlyweds skiing down a mountain, Telluride, CO photographer Palma Caruso has done it all. But most importantly, she makes people feel comfortable in front of the camera. In our conversation, she talks about people's fears of being photographed and what she does to help all people feel supported and beautiful in photos. She also talks...

For a long time, Kiran felt disempowered by the people around her. She was in a toxic environment and it took her a while to realize her strength and become in control of her life. Kiran is now an entrepreneur with a company and a podcast called You Are Not Invisible After 50. Kiran highlights women over 50 doing incredible work all while embracing her own age and inner beauty. Now at the age of 6...

Shayna worked as a wedding planner and saw a need for a bridal shop where plus size brides could not only try on sample wedding dresses but could also have an incredible wedding dress shopping experience. When she launched Luxe Bridal it was only one of three plus size bridal shops in the U.S. and today, it stands as a leader in the bridal space. Mahle and Shayna share their inner beauty as they t...

Helene Ioannides (@iamhelenealexiioannides) started out as a personal trainer but noticed that while her clients were working on their outer appearance, they lacked self-love and needed to work on who they were on the inside. She has since become an Empowerment Coach and helps women navigate their journey to discover their authentic selves.

Louise Ashby was a model and actress before she was in a car accident that took away her face, dreams and identity. Louise made the decision to trust in herself and embrace her inner beauty, and she has found a life better than she could have imagined. Louise talks about using her experience and learnings to support others as a Transformation and Mindset Coach. She now helps other women overcome c...

Jessica Terenyi, the owner of JK Organizing LLC, is a professional organizer and coach. Jessica talks about being a female entrepreneur and working intentionally with many clients going through life transitions. She also talks about her impressive background and her journey to  becoming the successful business owner she is today. She also shares some of her favorite organizing tips! Learn more abo...

Chantelle Lott, Founder and CEO of Bounceless shares her journey of starting a company that creates sports bras for fuller-bust women in mind. She talks about her journey of becoming a CEO, being surrounded by supportive women, and saying yes to herself. You can check out Bounceless and purchase their sports bras at www.bounceless.com

Dania spent years feeling insecure about her introversion and trying to "fix" herself to become more extroverted. In this episode, she discusses how she accepted her introversion and now helps other women thrive as introverts. Dania says, "Just as beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors, it also comes in all personalities, whether someone identifies as introverted or extrovert...

Narissa founded REUZE, a sustainable moving supply company, and she talks about how no contribution is too small when we're trying to live a more eco-friendly life. She also talks about the importance of taking care of herself (mind and body) and how she surrounds herself with inspiring women. Learn more about REUZE at myreuze.com and follow them on Instagram at @myreuze

After an experience where Adeola found out she was making significantly less than a male co-worker, she started FemEquity, a membership-based platform that connects underrepresented professionals with the tools, resources, and education to close any pay gaps they may be facing. In our conversation, Adeola discusses the importance of removing the pay gap and finding a company that truly values pay...

Louisa is a nurse and a life coach for women. In a world where women are always expected to be there for others, Louisa is helping to coach women on how to follow their own dreams and take time for themselves. She discusses why it's so important to put the "self" in self-confidence. She also talks about the power of taking breaks, meditating, and working to be our best selves. You can learn more a...

Ana discusses her experiences traveling in the van she built, provides tips for solo female travel, and talks about her current training to become a pilot. As she shares stories of living in Peru, being deployed to Haiti, and participating in the Rickshaw Run in India, she reflects on the goodness of other people as well as the beauty inside herself. Ana will inspire you with her innate curiosity...

Sutikshna describes herself as a citizen of the world. She has grown up practicing Indian classical music and dance, and she currently works at a high school as a special education educator. She discusses the importance of brave spaces that open up doors of opportunity to women and all people. She also discusses treating everything you think about yourself as a hypothesis and how diversity adds va...

Jackie discusses moving from the East Coast to the West Coast and discovering herself along the way. She discusses her job as a life coach and talks about unique ways in which we can practice self-care.

Author Gabrielle K. Chevalier joins me to talk about her novels that are centered around different types of abuse. She shares what it was like to write her books on abuse and tell these stories from the victim's point of view. Her beauty is ignited by righteous anger as she continues to stand up for victims and speak out about the harm of all kinds of abuse. You can hear more from Gabrielle at the...

I had the pleasure of speaking with Rae about health and wellness, and her experience as a personal trainer. She also shares her insights on growing up in a body-focused environment, and her thoughts about beauty and body standards today. For more body positive support and discussion, please consider joining my Body Positive Book Club for Women at https://www.ignitedbyinnerbeauty.com/book-club

I just got married! (Yay!) And the wedding industry is wrapped up in diet culture (boo!) Here are a few tips on how to have and promote a body positive wedding experience whether you're the bride, in a bridal party, or a guest.  Please share with your engaged friends! 

Author Anne-Marie Bacon discusses fulfilling her mother's dream of writing the book "The Monkey's in My Dreams: Healing Generational Trauma through Love, Hope and Forgiveness." She discusses the process of writing the book, what it means to her, and how she hopes to create a wave of forgiveness in the world.

Ignited by Inner Beauty is partnering with Cambridge Women's Center to hold a monthly body positive book club! This book club is for women who are interested in having a safe space for body positive support and discussion. Please sign up at www.ignitedbyinnerbeauty.com/book-club If you don't have time to read the book, we still welcome you with open arms! This week, Sarah interviews her long time...

Sarah discusses the damaging effects of before/after weight loss pictures. Michelle joins to talk about social justice, how she is a lifelong learner and how her passion in life is to work for and with others.

Sarah talks about discrimination against fat people and the way thin privilege exists in the world. Brandi (@the.diet.epidemic) talks about developing an eating disorder during a time in her life when she was working as a stripper. She talks about how the necessity of an anti-diet approach to eating disorder recovery, her passion for supporting women as a health coach, and her hopes for a world of...

Sarah talks about how people use lent to promote diet culture. Interviewee Katie discusses the importance of mental health, working for a mental health startup, and how she has struggled to love her body when growing up.