The Courage Coalition

When Erin Pohan and I sat down for this episode of The Courage Coalition , I knew we were going to talk about accounting but what we actually talked about was so much more than that. Erin isn’t just an accountant. She’s a creator of community, a champion of women doing things differently in an industry that hasn’t always made space for “different.” From her early days balancing registers in a Walm...

In this final episode of our four-part series on rewriting our money stories, we’re talking about integration —the powerful point where our beliefs, values, and evidence come together to create meaningful change. It's not enough to simply know what shaped us. At some point, we get to ask: Am I still playing the same old game? Or is it time to tell a different story? Because true financial ali...

There’s something sacred about a woman who tells the whole truth—especially when that truth includes repossessions, rationed meals, shame, and a slow rebuild from rock bottom. In my recent conversation on The Courage Coalition with Kim Kinsfather, founder of Rise and Rain Movement and co-owner of Pure Aqua Tek, we didn’t sugarcoat a thing. We laughed, we nodded knowingly, and we dug deep into the...

In this episode of The Courage Coalition , we continue our journey through the foundations of financial awareness by talking about something that most people avoid: the evidence . Not the cold, clinical kind—but the real, living proof of how we earn, spend, and save. Too often, we ignore the very patterns that are quietly shaping our financial story. We forget to celebrate the small wins and get s...

In this episode of The Courage Coalition , I sat down with Stacey Porritt—special education advocate and founder of Bridging the Gap Advocacy—to talk about something that hits close to home for so many parents: navigating IEPs, understanding school systems, and finding the courage to speak up for your child’s needs, even when the path feels overwhelming. Stacey shares not only her 28 years of expe...

In this solo episode of The Courage Coalition , we dive deep into one of the most overlooked yet powerful tools in your financial journey: your core values. So often, we separate money from meaning—as if budgeting and financial planning exist in a vacuum, untouched by what we actually care about. But I believe values are our North Star, especially when it comes to our finances. Whether we’re decid...

Sometimes the most powerful conversations begin in the most ordinary moments—standing at a table, sharing a hello, and feeling something stir inside you. That’s exactly how I met Jess Dahl. Within minutes of hearing a sliver of her story, I knew it needed to be shared. Jess is a leadership coach, retreat facilitator, speaker, and the co-founder of Wholeness Journey , a nonprofit devoted to bringin...

In this week’s solo cast on The Courage Coalition , I’m kicking off a 4 part series breaking down my framework for values-based finances—starting with the root of it all: our beliefs . Most of us carry money stories we didn’t consciously choose. Some were shaped in childhood—by what we saw, or what we didn’t. Maybe you grew up in a home where money was always scarce… or maybe no one talked about i...

When I invited Shaye Woodward to the Courage Coalition podcast, I knew the conversation would be rich—but I wasn’t prepared for just how layered, personal, and powerful it would be. Shay is a master certified coach who specializes in ADHD and relationships, but more than that—she’s a woman who has lived what she teaches. Diagnosed in adulthood, she’s navigated ADHD as a mother, a professional, and...

We’ve been taught to treat money like a math problem—spreadsheets, budgets, numbers. But the truth is, money is deeply emotional . Behind every spending habit, every savings struggle, every under-earning pattern is a story—one that often started when we were nine, ten, eleven years old. The values we absorbed in childhood—whether through lack, conflict, silence, or shame—shape how we earn, spend,...

Sometimes, life drops breadcrumbs—little hints, subtle nudges, and whispers that pull us toward something greater than we can see in the moment. But trusting those breadcrumbs? That takes courage. That takes a willingness to let go of control, to release expectations, and to step into the unknown with nothing but faith that something bigger is waiting. My guest today, Lou Beckman, knows this journ...

I’m diving into a concept that flipped something in me: setting your floor . We spend so much time reaching for the ceiling—setting big goals, visualizing dreams—but what about the baseline? The minimum standard we are no longer willing to fall below. Whether it’s in our health, finances, relationships, or purpose, your floor is the promise you refuse to break with yourself. And when you honor tha...

This week on The Courage Coalition , I had the absolute gift of sitting down with Bonnie Miletto — or as you’ll quickly come to know her, Bon Bon . From her heartbreaking beginnings in foster care to becoming a nationally recognized speaker, author, and fierce advocate for fun, Bonnie’s story is one of raw resilience, joyful rebellion, and deeply earned wisdom. She shares how, for most of her life...

As I wrapped up this month of mental health conversations, I found myself unexpectedly raw—sitting in the weight of memories, moments, and truths that still catch in my throat. I didn’t want to end this series with stats or strategies. I wanted to end it with heart. Because for those of us walking beside someone we love who struggles with their mental health—whether as a parent, a partner, a frien...

This week on The Courage Coalition , I’m closing out May with a vulnerable solo episode that speaks to the quiet weight so many carry but few talk about — the loneliness of being the strong one. The caregiver. The anchor. The one who keeps showing up even when your heart is breaking. This episode isn’t about answers or fixes — it’s about recognition. It’s about saying, “I see you.” And if you’ve e...

In this powerful solo episode, I open up about two deeply connected and often misunderstood realities: foster care and mental health. May is both Foster Care Awareness Month and Mental Health Awareness Month, and what I’ve learned—after 13 years as a foster mom and a lifetime witnessing mental health struggles—is that we can’t separate the two. Especially not when we’re talking about children agin...

This month, I had the incredible honor of sitting down with my son, Koby, to have a raw, powerful, and deeply personal conversation about mental health. As part of our Courage Coalition podcast series for Mental Health Awareness Month, we talked about what it’s like to grow up with anxiety and depression, how it felt as a young man struggling with invisible battles, and how hard it can be to ask f...

When we talk about mental health, especially in marriage, the conversation isn’t easy — but it is necessary. After almost 30 years of marriage to Chad, I can say without a doubt that mental health has been a part of our story from the beginning. Chad knew what depression looked like because he had lived it long before I ever entered his life. I just didn’t have the words or understanding for it. I...

This week on The Courage Coalition , I sat down with someone I’ve shared 30+ years of life with—my husband, Chad—to talk openly about something so many people carry in silence: living with chronic mental health struggles as a man. This is a raw, honest, and deeply human conversation about what it means to appear "fine" on the outside while quietly unraveling inside. We talk about high-fu...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, but in our home, mental health isn’t just a month—it’s a daily conversation, a lived experience, a journey that has shaped us in ways we never expected. It’s easy to talk about mental health in the abstract, but what happens when it enters your home? When it touches your children? When it shakes the very foundation of what you thought parenting would be? These...

This month on The Courage Coalition , we’re going where it counts — deep into the heart of foster care and mental health awareness . These two often-siloed topics are more connected than most people realize. As a former foster parent for 13 years and a fierce advocate for those aging out of the system, I’ve seen firsthand the cracks too many of our young adults fall through. When the system ends —...

One of the greatest acts of courage we can choose is questioning the life we've been told to live. Today, I want to invite you to really think about the difference between the life you're living and the life your soul is longing for. We are born with something so original inside of us, yet as we move through life, we are handed societal checklists that tell us what success should look li...

What does it mean to live an audacious life? For some, it’s bold and loud; for others, it’s slow and intentional. That’s what I love about this word—it’s personal. It’s about finding the courage to live as the fullest version of you . In my recent conversation with Erika, a powerhouse speaker, wellness entrepreneur, and civil engineer breaking barriers in a male-dominated field, we unpacked what i...

Coaching isn’t about fixing what’s broken. It’s about remembering what’s already inside you—and giving you the tools to activate it. When I talk about financial coaching, I’m not just talking about budgets and spreadsheets. I’m talking about digging into the beliefs you’ve carried since childhood, the values that fuel your decisions, and the freedom that comes when you finally say, “I get to choos...

Sometimes, we create something with the best of intentions, only to realize along the way that we’ve been following a blueprint that isn’t ours. That’s exactly what happened as Chrystal and I planned our women's retreat. The vision was clear: a deeply intimate, life-shifting experience for women who feel the nudge —the whisper that there’s something more. But somewhere along the way, we found...