The Comeback Season

In this episode of The Comeback Season Podcast , Christi Kelsey talks with professional speaker, trainer, author, and public speaking coach Donna Riccardo about why public speaking is about so much more than standing on a stage. Donna shares how her own early speaking experiences included freezing, going mute, and feeling completely unprepared, and how learning to speak became both a personal deve...

In this episode of The Comeback Season , Nichole sits down with Kristi of SomaSkye Wellness, a nervous system educator, somatic practitioner, and lead facilitator of the Subconscious Imprinting Technique Certification Program. Kristi shares how her own experience with chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and living in survival mode led her to study the nervous system and the vagus nerve. Together, N...

In this episode of The Comeback Season Podcast , Christi sits down with Ly Smith, founder of UpCycle Coaching and creator of the G3 Collective, for a powerful conversation about self-talk, identity, and moving from “reactor” to “creator.” Ly shares the deeply personal moment in Hawaii when she realized she had become disconnected from herself, covered in the language of “I’m just.” From that momen...

In this episode of The Comeback Season, Christi sits down with Leslie Nelson, founder and CEO of Pivotal Connections. Leslie shares her powerful journey of earning her first college degree over the course of 13 years while navigating military life, motherhood, frequent moves, lost credits, career interruptions, and the feeling of sometimes losing herself along the way. Her story is a beautiful rem...

In this episode of The Comeback Season , Nichole sits down with Lori Curtiss, an advice-only financial planner and founder of A Moneymaker Mindset, to explore the emotional side of money. Lori shares how early experiences, financial shame, and old beliefs can shape the way we manage, avoid, or control money long into adulthood. Together, they talk about why money is emotional before it is mathemat...

In this episode of The Comeback Season Podcast , Christi sits down with high-conflict divorce coach Mardi Winder to unpack what it really looks like to navigate a divorce involving a toxic or high-conflict partner. They discuss why these situations are uniquely challenging, how emotional abuse impacts confidence and decision-making, and why having the right kind of support—especially trauma-inform...

In this powerful conversation, Christi sits down with holistic wellness coach Carla Wainwright to explore how midlife can become a woman’s “second spring”—a season of renewed vitality, pleasure, healing, and personal power. Together, they discuss the hormonal and metabolic changes women experience in perimenopause and menopause, the impact of chronic stress on libido and energy, and why reconnecti...

In this powerful episode of The Comeback Season , Kym Coco shares the life-changing story of her late husband’s catastrophic accident, the years of healing that followed, and the lessons she learned about resilience, mindset, and the human capacity to grow through pain. Together, they explore fear, the inner critic, neuroplasticity, and how small daily choices can create extraordinary transformati...

In this episode of The Comeback Season, we dive deep into what it truly means to live in a state of integrated personal excellence. Joined by Personal Excellence Mentor Jenifer Merifield, we explore how to move beyond surface-level habits and step into a fully aligned, high-performance way of being. This conversation unpacks the hidden patterns that keep high achievers stuck in overwhelm, burnout,...

In this episode of The Comeback Season Podcast , Christi sits down with financial advisor Andrew Quebbemann to talk about what a financial comeback can look like in midlife. They discuss how to start where you are without shame, why money is a tool rather than something to fear, how to find balance between enjoying life now and planning for the future, and why budgeting, estate planning, and finan...

In this episode, Nichole sits down with integrative trichologist Jennifer Polly to talk about the emotional and physical reality of hair loss—especially for women navigating stress, trauma, and menopause. Jennifer explains why hair loss can feel like a loss of identity (not vanity), how shame and comparison can intensify the stress cycle, and why “quick fixes” often miss what’s really happening. T...

In this episode of The Comeback Season, Nichole McLeod sits down with manifestation coach Irina Portnova, founder of LifePalette, to unpack what manifestation actually is—and how to practice it in a grounded, sustainable way. Irina shares her personal comeback story, including a near-divorce that became a turning point, and explains how thoughts, words, emotions, and actions shape the results we e...

In this bonus episode, Tracy from Interstate Hypnotherapy guides us through a simple exercise designed to help you recognize and begin shifting the patterns that shape your reactions and relationships. If you haven’t listened to Episode 27 yet, we encourage you to start there first. In that conversation, Tracy shares the deeper context behind this work—how generational patterns form, how they show...

Anxiety isn’t always a diagnosis. Sometimes it’s the constant mental noise that tells you you’re not safe, not ready, or not enough. In this episode of The Comeback Season, we sit down with psychotherapist Bonnie Brindle, known as the “Anxiety Avenger,” to unpack what anxiety really is, why so many high-functioning women live in survival mode, and how to begin calming the nervous system for good....

n this episode of The Comeback Season , Nichole sits down with Dr. Dan Sneider , a licensed couples therapist and creator of The Intimacy Shift , to talk about why conflict isn’t the real threat to a relationship— disconnection is . Dr. Dan breaks down the “trigger → thoughts/feelings → behaviors” cycle that keeps couples stuck, and shares practical tools to move from blame and shutdown to safety...

In this episode of The Comeback Season, Nichole sits down with Jennie “Adrenajen” Milton—elite kite surfer, former Australian women’s champion, and the Extreme Courage Kite Coach—to talk about fear, courage, and what it really takes to step into the unknown. Jennie shares how she wasn’t “born brave,” and how her brother’s childhood battle with bone cancer shaped her understanding of resilience, ad...

In this episode of The Comeback Season, Nichole sits down with Lulu Agan of Swell Women for a real conversation about truth, alignment, and what it actually takes to create lasting change. They unpack why transformation can’t stay in your head—because fear, beliefs, and old patterns live in the body too. Lulu shares how awareness (becoming the observer), emotional intelligence, and nervous system...

Nichole sits down with Kathryn Eipl (founder of EIPL Healing: “Every Individual Person is Love”) to talk about the quieter side of addiction—how coping habits like scrolling, drinking, shutdown, or cannabis can slowly become patterns we depend on. Kathryn shares her own turning point (career misalignment, heartbreak, loneliness, and a “this isn’t me” moment) and how it led her toward healing work...

In this episode of The Comeback Season , Nichole is joined by mindset coach-in-training Haley Edwards for an honest and deeply personal conversation about trauma, grief, and healing. Haley shares her lived experience with complex trauma, mental health struggles, and nervous system survival responses—and how understanding the why behind her reactions became the doorway to emotional freedom. Togethe...

In this episode of The Comeback Season , Nichole talks with burnout coach Jennifer Keable, who shares her personal experience with burnout and why it often starts earlier than we expect. They break down the difference between stress and burnout, the subtle warning signs many people dismiss, and how people-pleasing, perfectionism, and weak boundaries accelerate burnout. The conversation focuses on...

In this episode of The Comeback Season , Christi is joined by author and speaker Caren Pascal for a powerful conversation about reclaiming your life in midlife. Caren shares her journey from anxiety and self-doubt to yoga, spiritual study, and ultimately stepping into her purpose as a teacher and writer. After losing her husband, closing her yoga studios during the pandemic, and feeling called to...

In this episode of The Comeback Season , Nichole McLeod sits down with Dr. Tamara White —therapist, author, coach, and “the Divine Disruptor”—for a powerful conversation about why change can feel so hard, even when you know you want something different. Dr. Tamara breaks down the real reason we stay stuck: fear, control, and the brain’s need for safety —even when “safe” looks like familiar dysfunc...

Perimenopause can feel like a hurricane—especially if you’ve already battled chronic illness. In this candid conversation, nutritionist and “menopause energy expert” Lindsey Spivey shares how early perimenopause knocked her flat—and the physical, emotional, and spiritual practices that helped her rebuild. We unpack how to tell perimenopause symptoms from chronic illness flare-ups, why under-eating...

In this episode, our guest, Tracy Simonnettas, dives into generational patterns in motherhood—how they’re formed, how they show up in our reactions, and how they get passed down without us realizing it. Tracy from Interstate Hypnotherapy shares her personal story of becoming a mom, recognizing the old “survival strategies” running the show, and the moment she knew something had to change. We talk...

This is our last holiday episode. Listen to this before you set your New Year resolution. We want to help you with your Comeback in 2026. Please download our free Comeback Blueprint. You can find us on Instagram: @christicountsmacros @mcleodnichole