The Stories That Sparkle

In this episode of the Stories That Sparkle Podcast , Gale (G-A-L-E) makes me laugh, reminds me to relax, and makes the world’s best case for having fun. Like me, Gale likes to hit the road, make new friends, and take notes—on her legal pad. She is such a hoot and reminds me so much of Barbara (my mentor and spiritual mom who passed away last year). It was a real pleasure to spend the afternoon wi...

IIn this episode of the Stories That Sparkle Podcast , Stephanie and I have an incredible conversation in her tree house (I call it a sunroom) about her two-year long battle with insomnia, the rest she found in her Yoga Nidra practice, and the key of forgiveness. I cry at least twice. It’s powerful. This is the second recording of the Discoball Tour and my final one in Nashville (I drove to Memphi...

In this episode of the Stories That Sparkle Podcast , Becca and I sit down in her sunroom in Nashville, TN and talk about turning 40, the different kinds (and meanings) of endurance, and what she would want the younger version of herself to know. What a perfect way to kick off the series of conversations I had and recorded with eighteen different women during my four-week driving Discoball Tour ac...

To close out Domestic Violence Awareness month, Zoie (their mom is Jenn, who shared her story in Episode 21: I Stand By Me ) joins me via Zoom and shares their experience as a kid coming of age in a home impacted by domestic violence. Zoie is an inspiration to me about how to set boundaries, make choices around relationships, and reclaim the sparkle within. This story perfectly illustrates that no...

IIn this episode of the Stories That Sparkle Podcast , Holly and I get to know each as she tells me about how she and her business partner Bonnie started Winchester Brew Works ten years ago. At the time, it was the only women-owned brewery with a woman as the brewer in the state. Wow! Holly’s easy-going vibes and chilled out approach to even the scariest moments make her the perfect person to crea...

In this episode of the Stories That Sparkle Podcast , Jaclyn shares how her passion and desire for connection (to family, community, and food) pushed her to make a change which then led her to start a regenerative vineyard, farm market and community center in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Located less than two hours outside of Washington, DC, Patti’s Place and Laurel Grove Wine Farm stand as the i...

In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness month, I invited Jenn to join me via Zoom to discuss her journey as a survivor, her healing through movement and dance, and her commitment to stand by (as in for ) herself (as much as she welcomes her community to stand by and with her). At the end of our conversation, we also discuss Jenn’s experience with relationships, dating and finding joy in her...

In this episode, Meredith and I talk about a lot of things including how she became a creative solo-preneur with a design company, detaching with love, and giving back to help build community. Buoyed by her faith, Meredith is an inspiration to me about how to radiate joy after deep loss and heartache and how to show up and serve even when it’s not in my comfort zone. And she brought me Owly, my pl...

In this episode, I chat with Caroline, an incredibly talented actor and teacher (acting/public speaking/yoga—I refer to what she and I work on together as feminine movement ) about what success as an actor means to her today, the difference between a want and a need, and the lows she has overcome at different times in her career. She is a shining example of the art of balance. She has helped me pe...

I'm kicking off a little mini series about creativity with three different women who do three very different things. In this episode, I sit down with Laura, an old friend of mine with whom I reconnected recently. She's an incredibly talented woman who works as a writer, producer, director, and actor. And most recently, she is a documentary filmmaker with her debut doc short, Tiny Movements . Toget...

Partners sleeping in separate bedrooms (or, as The NY Times calls it, “sleep divorce”) is a topic many different people have a bajillion different thoughts—and feels—about. Does it reinforce intimacy? Does it mean there’s a problem in the relationship? Does it represent the end or an expansion? Does it mean it’s time to leave or an opportunity to be even more intentional? And all the other things...

This episode of the Stories That Sparkle Podcast is the last of three conversations I recorded while on the road around Atlanta, GA, and it bookends the trip perfectly. My bestie Lucy and I lounge around in our PJs, sip coffee in her sunroom, and talk about her journey after receiving a breast cancer diagnosis. Hint: her story honors the fear and anger while also celebrating the love and service....

In this week’s episode of the Stories That Sparkle Podcast , I sit down with Kathryn, who is a woman I have known for almost twenty years, and from whom I have learned a lot of important spiritual lessons. This is the second conversation I recorded on my 10-day driving tour outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Because so much came up for me during that trip and by the time I got to Kathryn’s house, I real...

This episode of The Stories That Sparkle Podcast is the first in a trio of conversations I recorded on a mini driving tour around various towns outside the perimeter of Atlanta, GA. Over ten days, I covered 1,400 miles start to finish, stayed in multiple homes, and recorded three different with women I know. It was a trial run in preparation for the big cross-country tour I am doing in September (...

In early June, I loaded up my recording equipment, and drove to Hillsdale, NY to meet up with Joanna. The last time we saw each other was sixteen years ago when we both lived in NYC and she would crash the East Village Radio recording studio while Ruth and I were live on the air with the Hella Fabulous Show . But, from the way we launched right into our raucous conversation and finished each other...

In this episode of The Stories That Sparkle podcast , Natalie shares about how becoming a runner helped her bring order into chaos and embrace her body’s strength. We also discuss health & wellness, ways in which we talk about our bodies, and how we could shift the conversation about our body image issues. And I just love Natalie’s effort to pass on a new vocabulary and open dialogue to her daught...

In this episode of The Stories That Sparkle podcast , I sit down with Vanessa, a woman who knows what she wants and is not afraid to ask for it, to talk about how she connects to purpose in her work, steps in to help out no matter her title, and always remembers to trust the process. I will definitely have her back to talk about a whole lot of things we get to at the very end of this episode. Alll...

In this episode of The Stories That Sparkle , Mandy shares about the devastating loss of her mom, the need to confront her own anger in order to move through her grief, and the healing power of a community that never stopped showing up. Mandy is one of the most exuberantly loving people I know, and a woman who knows how to hold space when you’re struggling. I want to give you a brief content warni...

Three years ago, I stuck a big post-it note on my wall. It’s still up there, even if a little bit faded. On it, I wrote: “Within two years—I will have a very different job and the way I make my money will look NOTHING like it does now. One. Woman. Show.” Then I got nervous. I did not want to limit or “tell” the Universe or the God of my Experience aka my Higher Power, the Still Small Voice, what t...

In this episode of The Stories That Sparkle podcast, Carrie and I crisscross time and space, loop around only to come full circle as we chat about her evolving experience of motherhood and her own growth as seen through the lens of giving birth to four amazing kids. This episode concludes the series on Change with a BANG! Carrie is as magical and funny as she is wise and loving so we cover: Mother...

In today’s episode of The Stories That Sparkle , Shelley shares about a time in her late 30s when a confluence of major changes (including a serious health situation) hit her all at once and how, twenty years later, she chooses to keep it simple. Shelley is a survivor who has learned how to live every day. And I won’t lie, this conversation was, at times, hard for me and brought up some active vul...

In today’s episode of The Stories That Sparkle , Shyama shares with me how what felt like a near-death experience changed everything—how she practices medicine, who she lives with. and how she sees herself. She also shares about how she uses the perspective of astronauts to look back on her life without regrets. It gave me a whole different way to look back on my own life. And I cannot wait to hav...

In this episode of The Stories That Sparkle , I take notes while Mascha, a woman who not only knows how to adjust spines (she’s a chiropractor) but also plans, describes how she reaches the goals she sets. Spoiler Alert: it involves flowing with the changes—in life, and in business. Her spirit is so buoyant and uplifting, I could sit and listen to her for hours. If you are local to the Shenandoah...

Sometimes change does not happen until we hit some kind of bottom or choose a disruption to our status quo. In this episode of The Stories that Sparkle , I talk with Linda, a woman who helped pick me up when I was building myself back, about what led her to become a personal trainer, health coach and reiki master, the power of two-way accountability, and the gift of learning to love yourself first...

In this episode of The Stories That Sparkle , I sit down with my good friend Mandy for the kind of chat we might have at brunch and talk about the many different symptoms of “The Change,” aka menopause, or, in her case, perimenopause. Along the way, we take some significant detours, reveal some major stuff to each other that we did not know before, and discover all the different ways we now know h...