The Junel Popp Podcast

What if the reason so many of us feel lost, anxious, and exhausted is because we stopped having faith — not in God necessarily, but in life itself? In this deeply personal episode I talk about my long and winding journey with faith. From growing up Mormon and Protestant, to leaving religion behind and letting my mind take complete control, to slowly realising something was missing and what happene...

Hotel receptionist. Sales rep. Bouncer. Makeup artist. Cafe runner at Freddie Mercury's old favourite Munich bar. Video game communications manager. House cleaner. Family business operations manager. If you looked at my CV, you'd probably wonder what on earth I've actually been doing with my life. In this episode I walk through my entire winding career path — every weird job, every ind...

We love to say relationships are complicated. But what if they're not — what if we're the ones making them that way? In this episode I talk about why I've stopped projecting my past onto new people who enter my life — partners, friends, colleagues, even strangers. I share the moment an ex-partner called me out for comparing him to someone from my past, and how that completely changed the way I sho...

Last week I met with one of my dearest friends — a woman who was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in 2023 and walked through hell and back. And she stood in front of me. Smiling. Shining. This episode is inspired by her, and by a question I've been sitting with: why is it so easy to share our happiness — and so hard to share our suffering? I talk about toxic positivity, the danger of pushing d...

What if the thing that brings you the most joy is also the thing you were meant to do for a living? This week I'm talking about purpose — what it really means, why most of us were never taught to find it, and why we keep waiting to pursue what actually makes us happy. From watching the Rafa Nadal documentary and seeing the cost of pushing your body beyond its limits, to a conversation with a frien...

This one's the most honest episode yet. I've spent most of my life putting a lampshade over my light. Dimming my spiritual side whenever I started a new job, met someone new, or moved to a new place. Adapting, observing, surviving — and slowly forgetting who I actually am in the process. In this episode I talk about what it means to be deeply spiritual in a world that doesn't always ha...

"Follow your gut." "Trust your intuition." "The answer is within you." But what if you spent years completely disconnected from your body, your feelings, and your inner voice — and had no idea how to find any of it? In this episode, I share my long and complicated relationship with intuition. From growing up in an environment where emotions were shut down, to burnouts...

Banjo and I just arrived in France — and a Sunday market visit that left us both overstimulated opened up something much deeper. This week I'm talking about the thing that came up loudest during a few weeks of intense inner work: worth. Not self-esteem, not confidence — worth. That quiet, deep-down belief about whether you actually deserve good things. I share where this pattern came from for...

Fear. We all feel it. Most of us spend our lives trying to get rid of it. But what if we became friends with it? In this episode I talk about why fear never fully goes away — and why it was never supposed to. From the science of our freeze-fight-or-flight response to the wisdom of legendary free-solo climber Alex Honnold, I explore what it actually means to work with fear rather than against it. B...

Episode recorded end of March 2026, which explains the cray cray Spring weather in England. Self-esteem. One of the most important pillars of building the life you actually want — and one of the hardest things to develop when you've spent years as a people pleaser, constantly questioning yourself and seeking validation from others. In this episode I get personal about growing up with condition...

In this follow-up episode I talk about those who are trying and it's not happening, those who never wanted children but felt the pressure anyway, and those still waiting for the right partner or moment. I talk about how hyper-focusing on what we don't have yet blocks us — and what happens when we surrender. And I share how I've found ways to fill that cup: from volunteering with children in Canada...

Childless, childfree, or simply not there yet — this episode is for all of you. In this honest and personal episode, I'm talking about something I get asked about often: not having children at 37. From growing up Mormon with a vision of being a young mother, to three abortions, a marriage, and a partnership where it simply never happened — I'm sharing the full story. This isn't a sad episode. It's...

Burnout, career change, and finding purpose beyond the 9-to-5 — this week I’m sharing my full corporate story and why I finally walked away in 2024. From cold calling in Paris to opening offices in Munich, from startups to large corporations across Europe and North America, I spent 14 years in the tech and software industry. And throughout all of it, I kept asking myself the same question: why mos...

Personal growth isn't linear — and neither is life. In this episode, I'm talking about self-compassion, reframing failure, and why the unconventional path you've taken might be exactly right for you. Spring is here, and I've been going through 10 years of photos on my phone — and with them, 10 years of experiences I used to call failures. Cities, countries, jobs, relationships. A life that looked...

My journey towards finding my definition of home, after moving more than 30 times in 37 years in multiple countries. Maybe this might help you re-think your own definition of Home and how your environment currently makes you feel… Enjoy!! And sorry for the background Banjito noises!! As usual, please comment or message me on instagram if you have any feedback or want me to talk about something spe...

Authenticity is a word that we hear a lot lately. But what does it mean to be authentic, to be the real you, to find yourself. Here is my take on it, I hope you enjoy it ! As usual, if you have any feedback or want me to talk about a specific topic, message me on instagram or via comment on the episode. Love!

For those who don’t know my story and my background: Where I lived and when Moving countries when knowing almost nobody What I learned My family My religious experience Skip if you already know me too well ;-)

Welcome to the Junel Popp podcast! I am so very excited to have you here, thank you for listening! On this first episode, I share why I am doing this podcast and what to expect on here. This is a podcast based on learning, positivity, optimism, hope, and growing. If you have any questions or feedback, please message me on instagram: junel_popp