Make it Brave

Lauren Sikes understands that honest, courageous conversations can transform lives. She’s the founder of DesignEd, a company that guides leaders and organizations on how to build healthy, thriving and high-performing teams. In this episode, Lauren will share her story of leaving her job as a teacher to start a business, and she explains how companies can start to change their cultures for the better. SHOW NOTES: https://makeitbrave.com/71 JOIN MAKE IT BRAVE FB COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/makeitbrave/ MAKE IT BRAVE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/makeitbrave/

Ashleigh Marie Brown is working to destigmatize infertility challenges and help women feel less alone. She’s the founder of Claire Fertility, an integrated wellness platform for women who are navigating reproductive challenges. Ashleigh will share her inspiring journey of becoming a tech founder, along with some advice for anyone who hopes to one day start a company. SHOW NOTES: https://makeitbrave.com/70 GET A FREE COACHING CALL: https://makeitbrave.com/coaching/ JOIN MAKE IT BRAVE FB COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/makeitbrave/ MAKE IT BRAVE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/makeitbrave/

Kirbee Miller has faced many incredible challenges throughout her life, along with working a demanding corporate job and starting her own business. Kirbee will share her moving story of dealing with childhood trauma, caring for her parents who were injured in a car accident, and becoming a brave and resilient business owner. She’ll also discuss her culinary experience company, KiNiMi Kitchen, and explain how she’s pivoted to virtual offerings during COVID-19. SHOW NOTES: https://makeitbrave.com/69 GET A FREE COACHING CALL: https://makeitbrave.com/coaching/ JOIN MAKE IT BRAVE FB COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/makeitbrave/ MAKE IT BRAVE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/makeitbrave/

When Erika Matallana moved to the U.S. at age 24, it essentially meant she had to start over in her career. She had a background in communications but didn’t even know the language in her new country. Erika will share what it was like to go from having a position of privilege in South America to becoming the minority in the U.S. We’ll also discuss her experience of climbing the corporate ladder as a woman of color and the ways in which that challenge helped her become more empathetic. SHOW NOTES: https://makeitbrave.com/68 GET A FREE COACHING CALL: https://makeitbrave.com/coaching/ JOIN MAKE IT BRAVE FB COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/makeitbrave/ MAKE IT BRAVE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/makeitbrave/

Every year, I choose three words to serve as my guiding principles for the year. In this solo show, I’m sharing the three words for 2021 and why I chose them. Listen in and then let me know which word, words or themes you chose for this year! SHOW NOTES: https://makeitbrave.com/67 GET A FREE COACHING CALL: https://makeitbrave.com/coaching/ JOIN MAKE IT BRAVE FB COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/makeitbrave/ MAKE IT BRAVE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/makeitbrave/

Today’s guest, Tim Ash, will talk about his new book, Unleash the Primal Brain, and what we can learn about fear by looking at evolutionary psychology. We’ll also talk about the ways Tim has been brave in his own life––how he became an entrepreneur, left his successful business to start over and all the pivots he’s made throughout his career. This is such a fascinating conversation, you don’t want to miss it! SHOW NOTES: https://makeitbrave.com/66 GET A FREE COACHING CALL: https://makeitbrave.com/coaching/ JOIN MAKE IT BRAVE FB COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/makeitbrave/ MAKE IT BRAVE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/makeitbrave/

For years, Judith Bright ignored her creative calling. It wasn’t until she had turned 40 and had three kids that she decided to change careers and pursue her dream of jewelry making. That creative passion turned her super-successful jewelry brand, which has been featured on both television and film. Judith’s story is proof that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams. If you have a dream that has been tapping you on the shoulder, you don’t want to miss this conversation. SHOW NOTES: https://makeitbrave.com/65 GET A FREE COACHING CALL: https://makeitbrave.com/coaching/ JOIN MAKE IT BRAVE FB COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/makeitbrave/ MAKE IT BRAVE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/makeitbrave/

Karima Neghmouche’s road to entrepreneurship wasn’t an easy one. She was fired from her first job after college and was living out of trash bags in her car. She had maxed out her credit cards and was working at a BBQ restaurant to make ends meet. And when she finally landed a job, she was miserably unhappy. So, she quit. And found her way to being a business owner at the ripe old age of 22. Today, you’re going to hear how she overcame the many obstacles she faced to become a top brand designer and host of The Creative Minds Think Alike podcast. Karima’s story is proof of the power of trusting your gut and following the work that lights you up and makes you happy. SHOW NOTES: https://makeitbrave.com/64 GET A FREE COACHING CALL: https://makeitbrave.com/coaching/ JOIN MAKE IT BRAVE FB COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/makeitbrave/ MAKE IT BRAVE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/makeitbrave/

What do you do when life throws you a curveball? I share why I took an unexpected hiatus from the show and some of the key lessons I’ve learned about what to do when life doesn’t go as you plan. EPISODE SHOW NOTES: https://makeitbrave.com/63 JOIN MAKE IT BRAVE FB COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/makeitbrave/ MAKE IT BRAVE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/makeitbrave/

There's no question that 2020 has been a difficult year for everyone––myself included. Here are three things I've learned about myself amidst these challenges. EPISODE SHOW NOTES: https://makeitbrave.com/62 GET A FREE COACHING CALL: https://makeitbrave.com/coaching/ JOIN MAKE IT BRAVE FB COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/makeitbrave/ MAKE IT BRAVE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/makeitbrave/

More than 30 years ago, Barb Jordan’s older sister was murdered by her fiancé. Two years ago, when her sister’s killer was released from prison, Barb realized that she needed to help other women from becoming a victim like her sister, Beverly. She launched Always Bev, in honor of her sister, to remind women to always be vigilant and take control of their personal safety. This is a powerful conversation about navigating grief, trauma, fear and how to trust your intuition to keep yourself safe.

After watching her father struggle with addiction throughout his life, Ashley Surma set out on a mission to bring hope and healing to families facing their own battles with substance abuse. She now does that through the company and podcast she co-founded with her husband, For the Good. She’s also the author of The Mountains We Climb: And How We Conquer Them With Faith and Resiliency. In today’s episode, we discuss how she navigated the challenges she has faced in her life and what she’s doing to empower others through similar difficulties.

Jo Worthy is a speaker, empowerment coach and author of the book Love Worthy: 21 Lessons in Creating a Deliciously Divine Life. She’s doing work she loves and is married to the man of her dreams. But this wasn’t always her story. She struggled with low self esteem through much of her life. That’s why she spent years in jobs that she didn’t love and suffered through three terribly abusive relationships. In today’s episode, Jo shares the secrets to finding your self worth and why that’s connected to everything we do in life. EPISODE SHOW NOTES: https://makeitbrave.com/59 GET A FREE COACHING CALL: https://makeitbrave.com/coaching/ JOIN MAKE IT BRAVE FB COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/makeitbrave/ MAKE IT BRAVE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/makeitbrave/

Wouldn’t life and business look a little more beautiful if we built a strong community around us? Today’s guest, Pamela Slim, would say, "yes." Pamela is an award-winning author, consultant, coach and community builder who helps entrepreneurs grow and scale their businesses. And today, we discuss the power of connecting with people who are different from you and some of the common fears around starting and growing a business. EPISODE SHOW NOTES: https://makeitbrave.com/58 GET A FREE COACHING CALL: https://makeitbrave.com/coaching/ JOIN MAKE IT BRAVE FB COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/makeitbrave/ MAKE IT BRAVE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/makeitbrave/

You’re in for a treat with today’s show. Today, you get to hear the first episode of Antiracism in Action, the new podcast by my good friend, Stan Smith. Plus, if you missed my interview with Stan in episode 41, I’m sharing an excerpt of that conversation where you’ll hear why Stan feels so strongly about educating and equipping White allies to take action against racism. EPISODE SHOW NOTES: https://makeitbrave.com/57 MAKE IT BRAVE PRODUCTS: https://makeitbrave.com/shop/ JOIN MAKE IT BRAVE FB COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/makeitbrave/ MAKE IT BRAVE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/makeitbrave/

Elizabeth Madeira never had aspirations to run for office. But now this teacher and mom of three is running for Tennessee state representative. Elizabeth is running as a Democrat in a historically red district against an incumbent who has held the office for 20 years. Some might call it a futile effort, but to Elizabeth, it was important to jump into the race instead of sitting on the sidelines. Listen to hear what made Elizabeth decide to get involved in politics and hear how her beliefs, voting preference and even party affiliation has changed over the years. And while there's a lot of attention on the presidential election, we discuss why some of the most important votes we cast are at the local level. EPISODE SHOW NOTES: https://makeitbrave.com/56 MAKE IT BRAVE PRODUCTS: https://makeitbrave.com/shop/ JOIN MAKE IT BRAVE FB COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/makeitbrave/ MAKE IT BRAVE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/makeitbrave/

Today, I’m bringing you an encore episode of the show by re-airing my interview with Matt Moreland, a farmer who appeared on Season 4 of Queer Eye. Not only was this one of my first episodes (episode #6), it’s also one of my favorites. So, if you’re a new listener of the show, I wanted to bring this one back so you could have a chance to catch one of my most popular episodes. As you’ll hear in this conversation, Matt Moreland did NOT want to appear on Netflix’s hit reality show, Queer Eye. In fact, when Netflix came knocking on his door, he said “no.” Repeatedly. It wasn’t until a production crew came to visit Matt’s dairy farm and pumpkin patch, that he realized the opportunity in appearing on the show. We’ll talk about that moment and what made him finally decide to agree to be on the show. Plus, he gives us a behind-the-scenes look at shooting his episode, including one of his favorite moments with Jonathan Van Ness that didn’t appear on camera. Whether you’re a fan of Queer Eye or not, I think you’ll love hearing Matt’s story and how he’s handled failure, challenges and big decisions. If you haven’t already listened to this one, hit play now. You don’t want to miss it!

Katie Radel grew up working in her family’s funeral home. In this episode, she shares how that experience gave her perspective for navigating difficult situations later on in her life––such as losing her mother, leaving a difficult marriage, quitting her job and starting two different businesses. This is such a beautiful conversation about learning through adversity and discovering what’s most important in life. I hope you get just as much out of this interview as I did! Hit play now to give it a listen. EPISODE SHOW NOTES: https://makeitbrave.com/55 MAKE IT BRAVE PRODUCTS: https://makeitbrave.com/shop/ JOIN MAKE IT BRAVE FB COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/makeitbrave/ MAKE IT BRAVE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/makeitbrave/

Brittany Cole left her job in corporate America to start Career Thrivers, a company devoted to creating more diverse and inclusive workplaces where everyone can thrive. In this conversation, Brittany shares what it means to create brave spaces at work that goes beyond checking a box. Plus, we discuss entrepreneurship, pulling together a TedX talk in a week and thriving through grief and loss. Brittany shared so much wisdom in our conversation and it was truly an honor to talk to her. This is a terrific conversation you won’t want to miss. You know what to do––hit play now! EPISODE SHOW NOTES: https://makeitbrave.com/54 MAKE IT BRAVE PRODUCTS: https://makeitbrave.com/shop/ JOIN MAKE IT BRAVE FB COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/makeitbrave/ MAKE IT BRAVE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/makeitbrave/

For years, Kirsten Lee Hill suffered from panic attacks and debilitating migraines. And yet, through it all, Kirsten was able to get her PhD in Education and is now a researcher, entrepreneur and education consultant. In this conversation, Kirsten shares how she overcame her health issues and how she’s dealt with the criticism and imposter syndrome that has come along with pursuing an unconventional route with her degree. Listen to this episode for an inspiring conversation about overcoming obstacles and pursuing your passion (even if it looks a little different). EPISODE SHOW NOTES: https://makeitbrave.com/53 MAKE IT BRAVE PRODUCTS: https://makeitbrave.com/shop/ JOIN MAKE IT BRAVE FB COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/makeitbrave/ MAKE IT BRAVE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/makeitbrave/