Empowered Conversations

Aging isn't decline—it's expansion. It's a powerful stage of meaning, contribution, and generativity. Dr. Deborah Heiser is an Applied Developmental Psychologist, TEDx speaker, author of The Mentorship Edge, and founder of The Mentor Project. She helps people rethink aging as a stage of expansion—not loss—and shows us how to live a meaningful, impactful life at any stage. In this episo...

He prompts AI to criticize his own publications—and then publishes the unedited transcripts. He advocates for a single global government ruled by citizen assemblies. And he believes we all have the power to think for ourselves. Mohamed Nabil is an independent philosopher and author based in Egypt. He's the creator of AIDOP (AI Debates on One's Publications), the codifier of Enlightened Pop...

For more than three decades, Dr. Marcia Ruben has sat across from leaders who are smart, capable, and completely overwhelmed. They're not failing because they lack skill or drive—they're stuck because their brains are running patterns that made sense once and now work against them. Dr. Marcia Ruben is The Untangle Doctor—an executive coach, organizational consultant, and author of The Neur...

He didn't learn marketing in a lecture theatre. He learned it on the job, building an agency from scratch, breaking things, fixing them, and keeping what works. Wes Towers runs Uplift 360, a digital agency for builders and trades. For over 20 years, he's helped real-world businesses turn websites and SEO into steady, qualified work. His approach is simple: prioritize authenticity and human...

No one has to listen to, work with, and follow you. So why should they? Larry Robertson is a leadership advisor, speaker, and author who has spent over 30 years in 30 countries helping leaders make a real difference. He's worked with chairmen, presidents, CEOs, politicians, and private families—and helped client organizations win over USD 9 billion in new business. His book, WHY listen to, wor...

America and the world are screaming for a transformation of consciousness. But what exactly do we need to change—and how do we achieve it? The Paraclete is the author of The Modern Citizen, a book that explores the spiritual transformation of the past and what actions we need to take to make humanity a more powerful, prosperous, united, and conscious species. In this episode of Empowered Conversat...

Have you ever walked into a room and felt like you didn't belong—even when you had every right to be there? You're not alone. Tara Connaghan is a professional Irish fiddle player, podcaster, author, and creator of Session Etiquette—a cultural literacy project that explores how people navigate unspoken social rules in shared spaces. Using Irish traditional music sessions as a real-world cas...

Someone always pays for how leadership is exercised. The question is: who? Dr. Sharalyn Payne is the founder of Return on Power™, a framework built on the idea that leadership always has a cost. With two decades in high-stakes leadership—healthcare, financial services, public sector, legal—she helps C-suite leaders see the true return their leadership is generating before that cost compounds into...

She watched her mother grieve the loss of her own mother, who died of a stroke at 63. That fear became part of her family's DNA. Then, 23 years into practicing medicine, her own blood pressure hit 154/91. Dr. Natasha Meadows ("Dr. Tasha") is a board-certified internal medicine physician with 23 years of clinical practice and the author of Blood Pressure Peace. When her own blood pres...

He did all the right things. Went to church. Checked the boxes. But inside, he was dry—spiritually exhausted, grieving, and quietly longing for something more. Then, at 50, everything changed. Eli Brackenbury is a writer, father, and author of Finding God at 50. His unexpected spiritual awakening reshaped every part of his life—and now he helps others navigate midlife transitions, identity confusi...

Audacity isn't about reckless moves or grand gestures. It's about everyday courage—choosing yourself, showing up, and inspiring others to do the same. Audley Stephenson is the host of The Audacious Living Podcast, with nearly 700 episodes dedicated to helping people live life audaciously through bold conversations, real stories, and purposeful living. He's also the author of an upcomin...

She had a successful international career in marketing and innovation. But she discovered that external success doesn't always bring inner fulfillment. A life-changing rafting trip led her to rethink everything she believed about happiness, purpose, and what it means to truly live. Joy-Yafit Pascal is a transformational speaker, Design Thinking coach, women's empowerment facilitator, and d...

She's been a family physician for over 30 years. She's seen the teen mental health crisis up close. And she's discovered that sometimes, the best medicine isn't a prescription—it's a story. Dr. Danice Rinderknecht is a board-certified family physician, author, and advocate based in Golden, Colorado. Her debut novel, The Spark: Light Begins Between a Rock and a Hard Place, uses...

She was a single mother of three for sixteen years. She's been through the school of hard knocks. And now, she's the "Old Bird with Feathers of Wisdom for Women and a Soft Spot for Single Moms." Gail Showalter is a personality specialist, author, speaker, and founder of Single Moms EmpowerEd—a nonprofit that supports single mothers pursuing degrees that lead to meaningful employm...

He's been doing this for 41 years. He's made a lot of mistakes. And he's not afraid to say it. Brad Smith is an executive coach who believes that leadership is not about knowing the right answer—it's about knowing the right question. Brad has worked with C-level executives, served as a guest lecturer at TCU Neeley School of Business, and been recognized in Who's Who in Human Re...

She's a cancer survivor, an above-knee amputee, and someone living with chronic illness. She's also a motivational speaker, advocate, and counseling trainee who uses humor and personal experience to help others build a toolkit for life's challenges. Cheyenne Heflin's story is one of extraordinary resilience. She's faced more than most people could imagine—and she's still st...

For over two decades, every time Cassian Bellino tried to read her Bible, she felt lost. The Bible felt like a locked book—and her lack of understanding left her feeling disconnected from God, from her Christian family, and from the deeper meaning she knew was there. Then, one day over lunch, she vented to a friend: "I just wish there was someone who could break it all down." Five years...

For decades, she lived with a victim mentality. She believed her weight struggles, years of family caregiving, infertility, and widowhood were reasons life could never be what she hoped for. Then, at 50, everything changed. Debbie Weiss is a best-selling author, professional speaker, and host of the Maybe I Can podcast. Her story is one of transformation—from "I can't" to "I can...

Two months into what should have been her job until retirement, she was fired. Her boss and his attorney delivered a two-page soliloquy of reasons. As a single parent with two teenagers heading to college, Merry Korn was terrified. But in the depths of her despair, she remembered her mother—a Holocaust survivor who escaped both a death train and a death march—and Oscar Schindler, who proved that c...

She's been to over 130 countries and all 50 states. She's never married and has no kids—and she's found deep joy around her. She's had a handful of failed businesses, but now she's living financially free. Kerry Damiano—Ms. World Traveler—is a pageant coach, fashion and jewelry designer, creator of a Scripture memorization ministry, and host of her own web series about travel,...

She spent 17 years in an abusive marriage. She was isolated from family and friends. She had little access to money. And she had two teenage daughters depending on her. But she found a way out. Amanda J Scott is the author of Finding My Way Back to Me—a raw, honest account of her journey from domestic, emotional, and financial abuse to freedom and healing. In this episode of Empowered Conversation...

He investigated the Kansas City Mafia. He worked on serial killer cases. He went undercover in bars while battling his own struggles with alcohol. Then, at age 70, he started a podcast, wrote three books, and produced four documentary films. Gary Jenkins is a retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective, former attorney, author, filmmaker, recovering alcoholic, and host of the Gangland W...

We are a collective creator species of nature. We each have a unique life perspective. And yet, we've been trained to prioritize systems over our own humanity. Michaell Magrutsche is an Austrian-Californian multimedia artist, creativity-awareness educator, author of five books, podcaster, speaker, and former Newport Beach Arts Commissioner. His life experience—including being forced into an &q...

Her world came crashing down in June 2017 when her son announced he was transgender. The Christian values she'd instilled in him seemed to fade away. But in the pain, Debra McNinch made a promise: she would share her story, build a community, and never stop believing in miracles. Debra McNinch is the founder of the BATTLECRY Prayer Movement—a global community of over 1,200 warrior moms believi...

For years, she lived a double life. Professionally, she was building one of Canada's Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies. Personally, she was coming out of a failed marriage and wondering: Why is connection so much easier in boardrooms than in my own relationships? Sandy Gerber is a Communication Coach, Emotional Intelligence Trainer, and Best-Selling Author of Emotional Magnetism—a book that ha...