THE ONES WHO DARED

Send us Fan Mail In honor of Mother's Day , I’m sharing a conversation that deeply impacted me. This episode was originally created as part of The Women Before Me , a special series for Women’s History Month, where we honor the women whose courage, sacrifice, and strength shaped our lives. I felt compelled to bring it here because of how powerfully it stayed with me, and I believe it will sta...

Send us Fan Mail THE WOMEN BEFORE ME is an International multi generational, and multi-cultural project and upcoming podcast dedicated to honoring the WOMEN who shaped who we became. Mothers. Grandmothers. Aunts. Teachers. Coaches. Mentors and more.  Women whose influence continue for generations. This is an invitation to give tribute to a woman in your life and to remind us all that "Our leg...

Send us Fan Mail What if the biggest threat to your future isn’t fear…isn’t failure…but distraction? And what if the reason you feel stuck isn’t laziness  but unresolved wounds quietly shaping your identity? Today we sit down with licensed therapist and author Trey Tucker to talk about purpose, trauma, masculinity, and the lie of “not good enough.” This isn’t self-help fluff. It’s practical tools...

Send us Fan Mail What does it actually take to break generational cycles and build a meaningful life you’re proud of? In this episode, I sit down with Leigh Grames , a photographer, mother, and creative who has defied the odds by building a successful business, cultivating a strong family life, and walking through the courageous journey of adoption.  Leigh shares her story with honesty and depth,...

Send us Fan Mail We pause before the new year to reflect on what the year has been, name its themes, and choose intentions over resolutions. Along with my top books from 2025. Thank you for following along THE ONES WHO DARED podcast. Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year! Feel free to share this podcast with a friend or send me a direct text below. Would love to hear from you, your year and you...

Send us Fan Mail Life will throw you curveballs – create JOY anyway! Consider this your friendly reminder to carve out moments of joy and delight when life feels heavy. Support the show -Links- https://www.svetkapopov.com/ https://www.instagram.com/svetka_popov/

Send us Fan Mail I’m launching a new series called The Women Before Me and I’m looking for women with a story to tell. This is a generational storytelling project designed to celebrate the powerful women who shaped us. Each episode invites a guest to bring forward a woman from their lineage biological or chosen and share who she was, what she taught, the impact she made. These are the stories ofte...

Send us Fan Mail Are dreams just random thoughts or are they personal invitations from God? In this episode, visionary storyteller Paige Collins , founder of Icon Media Group and author of Awaken Dream Journal: Understanding God’s Voice in Your Dreams , explores how our nighttime visions can become a language of intimacy, direction, and creativity. Paige shares her own moment of awakening the nigh...

Send us Fan Mail What if a single “yes” could reroute your life and bring hope to millions? In this episode, we sit down with Pat Bradley , founder of Crisis Aid International , to trace his unlikely journey from alcoholism and divorce to a global mission feeding the hungry and rescuing girls from trafficking.  What began as a broken heart and a yellow post-it note became feeding centers across Af...

Send us Fan Mail A fight at home and a funeral forced Mitchell Osmond to ask a hard question: Is my life worth imitating? From losing his job and carrying $100K in debt to rebuilding his health, marriage, and purpose, Mitch shares the mindset shifts that changed everything. We dive into his “Author’s Advantage” method — writing two eulogies, defining a clear future, and reverse-engineering it into...

Send us Fan Mail Actress Emily Rose ( ER , Haven , Uncharted ) joins us for an honest conversation about her path to Hollywood, not just the roles she’s played, but the values that have shaped her along the way. We trace her journey from Seattle to UCLA, from early breaks to quiet seasons, and how she’s redefined success through stewardship over spotlight. From motion capture to motherhood, Emily...

Send us Fan Mail She Built a Billion Dollar Sales Team. Then Lost 99.9% of Her Income in Just 60 Days What would you do if everything you built disappeared almost overnight? In this powerful interview with Sarah , a former kindergarten teacher who rose from the 2008 recession to lead a billion dollar sales team , only to lose nearly everything in just two months. What followed is a raw and inspiri...

Send us Fan Mail Only 1 in 3 leaders finish well. Why does this happen? Why do so many good leaders fail and not even see it coming? How can you finish well?   In this eye-opening conversation, Peter Greer the CEO of Hope International and author of How Leaders Lose Their Way: And How to Make Sure It Doesn't Happen to You explores the slow, subtle erosion of leadership integrity and what it t...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when your life looks nothing like the dream you had in mind?  In this episode, Dr. Heather Thompson Day joins us to discuss her latest book "What If I'm Wrong? Navigating the Waves of Fear and Failure" and shares powerful insights about handling disappointment when life doesn't go according to plan. Through vulnerable stories and practical wisdom,...

Send us Fan Mail What would you do if you were told you had 24 hours to live—while pregnant? In this powerful episode, Amy Suzanne, the CEO and founder of Pink Stork , unpacks her incredible journey from near-death health battles to building a thriving global wellness brand from her garage. Amy shares how her faith, resilience, and determination not only helped her survive but inspired her to help...

Send us Fan Mail What if your worst day became the beginning of your best life? At just 9 years old, John O’Leary was burned on 100% of his body in a gasoline explosion—and given a 1% chance to live. But instead of giving up, he chose to fight. And then he chose to lead. In this raw and powerful conversation, John opens up about the explosion that changed everything, the quiet heroes who helped hi...

Send us Fan Mail " It is so natural to work to avoid pain, hardship, and suffering. People will travel thousands of miles, leave, or get very good at pretending in order to escape pain. But, what does it look like to stay , especially knowing it will be impossibly hard, heart-wrenching, and will push you beyond your human limits and desires?" -written by Lori & Justin Oberholzer  &qu...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode with Dr. Brooke Weinstein, a former pediatric occupational therapist turned nervous system regulation coach, to explore the often-overlooked key to emotional wellness: understanding how your unique brain and sensory system are wired. After losing her husband to suicide, Dr. Weinstein rebuilt her life while raising two young children—not just through traditional men...

Send us Fan Mail In this inspiring conversation, Suzanne Heywood now the COO of one of Europe’s largest holding companies, opens up about her unbelievable childhood journey.  When Suzanne Heywood was seven, her father announced their family would sail around the world. What was supposed to be a three-year adventure following Captain Cook's route turned into a ten-year struggle for survival an...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when success becomes a mask—and control becomes a cage? In this episode, Ashlee Ilg shares her powerful journey from perfection-driven college student to purpose-filled entrepreneur, speaker, and mother of five. Once addicted to achievement and validation—planning her life down to the calorie Ashlee hit a wall that forced her to face her deepest limitations. That brea...

Send us Fan Mail Elisabeth Bykoff is a powerhouse in the SaaS world—startup founder, investor, advisor, and global operator with over 17 years of experience scaling companies across the tech landscape. She is the Founder and CEO of Boxsy, an AI-powered SaaS platform helping startups scale. She is also an Operating Advisor at Alinea Ventures, supporting early-stage startups in CLM, fintech, AI, and...

Send us Fan Mail Why not you? When Anne Taylor Hartzell’s daughter left for college, she found herself in the quiet aftermath of empty nest grief. But instead of staying stuck, Anne chose to ask a life-changing question: “Why not us?” That single nudge sparked a profound journey—selling the family home of 17 years, moving to a lakeside retreat, launching a podcast, and eventually writing a powerfu...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when three women—two of whom had never backpacked overnight—decide to hike 67 miles on the Appalachian Trail with 40-pound packs, all in honor of a grandmother who was forced to walk a similar distance at age 16 when taken by Nazis during WWII? In this special episode, Lauren Elhajj, Stefanie Flynn, and I share the raw, unfiltered truth of our six-day journey through...

Send us Fan Mail In this Mother’s Day episode, I share 10 important life lessons I learned from observing my incredible mother, Olya—who was born in the Soviet Union during a time of significant persecution and adversity. Her story includes experiences of living under KGB surveillance, being denied an education due to her beliefs, and her brave immigration to the U.S. Her life stands as a powerful...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when life feels like too much for too long? In this powerful episode, Kara Stout joins us to share her remarkable journey through wave after wave of loss—from surviving a near-stroke just one month after marriage, to losing both parents to cancer, enduring a decade-long path to motherhood through infertility and adoption, and experiencing the heartbreak of a failed ad...