Waking the Why

This week’s guest is Nancy Sylvester. Nancy is an employment attorney, legal advisor, and community advocate with over a decade of experience helping organizations build ethical, inclusive, and high-performing workplaces. Beyond her legal practice, Nancy serves as pro bono counsel for the We Believe Foundation and co-leads the Sexual Harassment & Gender-Based Discrimination initiative for A Bo...

This week’s guest is Hermana Mylee Pedersen. A very special episode where Stacee interviews her daughter who is currently serving a mission upstate New York for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . Before her time on the mission, as a high school student, she was involved in sports and student government. Mylee never imagined she would serve a mission, but was inspired by the example...

This week’s guest is Braden Welker. Braden is a husband and father, business leader, mentor, and advocate for growth through adversity. With over thirty years of experience, Braden has built his career around trust, service, and helping others succeed. Having overcome addiction and experienced the power of support during difficult seasons, Braden is passionate about showing up for others in their...

This week’s guest is Nic Bittle. Nic is a speaker, trainer, and workforce development expert who believes values like accountability, work ethic, and personal responsibility are still essential to building strong people and successful organizations. Living with his family on a farm in Corn, Nic teaches principles rooted in integrity, discipline, and leadership both at home and in the workplace. Th...

This week’s guest is Emily Martin Prisbrey. Emily is a connector, someone who naturally brings people together and helps them see what’s possible in their lives. With a background in relationship management, event planning, and community leadership, she has built her work around people, connection, and meaningful impact. Shaped by experiences living across the country and stepping into a variety o...

This week’s guest is Jo Dailami. Jo is a people and culture-centered development leader, entrepreneur, and founder of Dailami, a drinkable yogurt brand focused on high protein, collagen, and fiber. Jo has taken experiences from her life to create for others. With over eleven years of experience, Jo has built a career around collaboration. In addition to her professional work, Jo volunteers with Bo...

This week’s guest is Representative Jill Koford. On January 1, 2025, Jill began her legislative service representing Utah’s House District 10, serving communities across South Ogden, Riverdale, Washington Terrace, and Uintah. An accomplished business owner and community leader, Jill is the owner and artistic director of Creative Design Ink, co-owner and CFO of Protean Edge, Inc., and president of...

This week’s guest is Sarah Frei Mills. On July 30, 2020, Sarah’s life changed forever when the car she was riding in was hit head-on by a drunk driver. At just seventeen years old, she suffered a T11 spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed from the waist down and required the amputation of both of her legs. After more than twenty surgeries and months of recovery, Sarah chose resilience over des...

This weeks guest is Hailey Babcock. Hailey Babcock is the founder of Hailey Happens Fitness, an online fitness and nutrition brand dedicated to empowering women over 35 to feel strong, confident, and energized through every stage of midlife. With over 20 years of experience in the fitness industry, Hailey has guided more than 50,000 women through her online programs, which focus on fat loss, stren...

(Part 2) This week’s guest is Trevor Anderson. Trevor is a husband, father of six, and kidney transplant recipient. At the age of 25, Trevor began experiencing symptoms of kidney failure. Over the next 15 years, he endured unimaginable medical and emotional hardship. During his journey toward a seemingly—and statistically—impossible kidney transplant, Trevor’s medical complexities continued to mou...

(Part 1) This week’s guest is Trevor Anderson. Trevor is a husband, father of six, and kidney transplant recipient. At the age of 25, Trevor began experiencing symptoms of kidney failure. Over the next 15 years, he endured unimaginable medical and emotional hardship. During his journey toward a seemingly—and statistically—impossible kidney transplant, Trevor’s medical complexities continued to mou...

This week’s guest is Nathan Ogden. Nathan is a bestselling author, international keynote speaker, and resilience expert who has taught thousands how to move from paralysis to progress by confronting fear and eliminating excuses. After a life-altering snow skiing accident in 2001 left him paralyzed, Nathan endured not one but two devastating neck breaks that reshaped his physical and mental reality...

This week’s guest is Bret Rasmussen. Bret is the founder and CEO of KURU Footwear. Bret is a passionate entrepreneur and visionary leader whose dream of starting a footwear company began in fifth grade and became reality with the founding of KURU. After launching the brand’s patented heel-hugging KURUSOLE® technology in 2008, Bret built KURU into a mission-driven, direct-to-consumer company focuse...

This week’s guest is Christine Jacobson-Ware. Christine is a trailblazing pharmacist, entrepreneur, and health advocate who made history in 2000 as the founder of Utah’s first woman-owned independent pharmacy. The owner and manager of Wasatch Pharmacy Care, Christine is a licensed health practitioner and registered compounding pharmacist with a Purdue University education and more than 25 years of...

This week’s guest is Weston Brandon. Weston is a speaker, men’s coach, and father whose life embodies resilience and purpose. After years of top-tier success in sales, his world shifted in 2019 when his wife passed away shortly after the premature birth of their son, a loss that led him to rebuild his life from the ground up. He found healing in the HVAC trades, remarried, expanded his family, and...

This week’s guest is Mallory Everton. Mallory is a creator, writer, and performer from Portland, Oregon. She co-wrote, co-directed, and co-starred in the feature film Stop and Go , a covid-era road trip comedy that premiered at SXSW in 2021. Known for her sharp wit and creative range, Mallory also created the hit web series Freelancers , starred in the viral Purple Mattress “Raw Egg Test” ad, and...

Welcome back to Part 2! This week’s guest is Holly Porter. Holly is a motivational speaker, trainer, animal lover, and survivor whose story is one of faith, grit, and resilience. After a near-fatal horseback accident left her on life support, and later losing her home to a fire, Holly learned to face life’s hardest moments with courage and humor. Through her speaking and writing, she inspires othe...

This week’s guest is Holly Porter. Holly is a motivational speaker, trainer, animal lover, and survivor whose story is one of faith, grit, and resilience. After a near-fatal horseback accident left her on life support, and later losing her home to a fire, Holly learned to face life’s hardest moments with courage and humor. Through her speaking and writing, she inspires others to rise after being k...

This week’s guest is Jodi Brown. Jodi is a motivational speaker, bestselling author, certified business coach, and brain tumor survivor. At thirty-three, her life changed when she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. In her bestselling memoir, "The Sun Still Shines", Jodi shares how she turned unimaginable hardship into purpose, facing paralysis, pain, and uncertainty with faith and resilie...

This weeks guest is Portia Louder. Portia is a wife, mother, author, and speaker who has walked a remarkable road of redemption. Her journey from incarceration to freedom is one of honesty, resilience, and faith. In her book, "Living Louder: A Compassionate Journey Through Federal Prison", Portia opens her heart and shares with raw vulnerability the lessons she learned about accountabili...

This week's guest is Dalton Castor. Dalton is 5+ years sober and uses his journey to recovery to give a voice to those facing similar challenges. He celebrates his new life overcoming addiction by courageously sharing his story and taking ownership of his journey. He shares, that though life may be unpredictable, you possess within you the extraordinary strength to rise above adversity, disco...

The week's guest is Aimee Stephens. Aimee is an athlete, mother, author, and VICTOR. She believes that all joy, fulfillment, and purpose in life begins with your own healing journey. Her book, "Turning Pain Into Purpose" shares her story and narrates a profound journey of self-discovery and healing as the author navigates through the complexities of life, relationships, and personal...

This week’s guest is Chad Hymas.  An internationally acclaimed speaker, bestselling author, and passionate advocate for safety awareness and personal empowerment. After a life-altering accident left him paralyzed from the chest down, Chad’s resilience, leadership, and determination have inspired audiences around the world. A devoted husband and father of four, Chad creates experiences that touch h...