Surviving Domestic Violence: How Courage, Curiosity & Connection Lead to Healing

Live with Intention: Lessons in Leadership, Coaching, and Connection

What does it take to lead with heart, communicate with impact, and live with true purpose? In this episode of the Teaching Journeys Podcast, host Dave Roberts sits down with Amrita Mukherjee — TEDx speaker, ICF ACC executive coach, author, and founder of the Thriving Women's Tribe — for a deeply inspiring conversation on emotional intelligence, leadership communication, and the power of intentional living. Amrita shares how personal adversity, including recovering from a burn injury and losing her sister, shaped her passion for purposeful leadership. She breaks down the EQ-i 2.0 framework and explains why emotional intelligence — not technical expertise — is the defining factor in today's workplace. The conversation also explores how her engineering background at Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo gave her a unique systems-thinking edge as an executive coach. In this episode, you'll discover: • Why listening is the most underrated leadership skill • How emotional intelligence, executive presence, and leadership communication work together • The danger of groupthink and how to build psychological safety on your team • Why Amrita chose fiction over a leadership book — and how storytelling connects generations • How the Thriving Women's Tribe empowers women through coaching, community, and connection • The one takeaway Amrita wants every listener to remember Bio and Contact Information Amrita Mukherjee is a TEDx speaker, an ICF-ACC executive coach, author, and seasoned industry leader with nearly 20 years of leadership experience in Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo. She is recognised for her expertise in EI-driven leadership, strategic communication, building remote and diverse teams, and strengthening employee engagement in today’s disconnected workplace. Known for her blend of data-driven insights, storytelling, and actionable strategies, Amrita equips leaders to build inclusive cultures that drive innovation and business performance. She has spoken at colleges, global forums, corporate events, and leadership summits across diverse sectors. As the founder of SHEvolution, Amrita is committed to empowering women through coaching, mentoring, and community-building. She has delivered impactful workshops for corporate leaders, universities, and schools, including programs designed to inspire confidence, communication, and leadership in teenage girls. Her advocacy extends to girls’ education and menstrual health awareness, supporting campaigns such as #PadforFreedom. LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mukherjeeamrita/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mukherjeeamrita/] Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/iamamritamukherjee [https://www.instagram.com/iamamritamukherjee] Website - https://thrivingwomenstribe.com/ [https://thrivingwomenstribe.com/] Links to my books: Avani The Girl Who Found Her Voice - https://amzn.in/d/056QnH4n [https://amzn.in/d/056QnH4n] She & Me - https://amzn.in/d/0a0WLRPl [https://amzn.in/d/0a0WLRPl] To connect with Dave go to davidrobertsmsw.com [http://davidrobertsmsw.com]

Childhood Loss, MDMA Therapy & Ayahuasca: A Journey Through Pain to Beauty

Can pain really become a portal to beauty? What happens when you stop numbing and start feeling everything? In this episode of The Teaching Journeys Podcast, host Dave Roberts sits down with writer and self-healing advocate Alexis Leigh, author of Pain Is a Portal to Beauty — a transformative memoir about grief, authenticity, and the unconventional path to wholeness. Alexis opens up about losing her mother to addiction at age 11, spending decades numbing her pain, and the moment a voice in the woods in 2020 told her, "If you die today, your life will have been a tragedy" — a wake-up call that changed everything. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why conventional wisdom and gratitude practices can actually keep you emotionally stuck • How MDMA therapy and ayahuasca helped Alexis access grief that years of talk therapy couldn't reach • The difference between performative happiness and genuine emotional freedom • How processing childhood trauma reshapes your identity at every life stage • Why codependency may be blocking your ability to love yourself and others fully • What it means to truly surrender — to pain, to healing, and to life itself This is a deeply honest conversation about the courage it takes to feel everything, embrace the shadow side of who we are, and discover the beauty waiting on the other side of pain. Bio and Contact Information Alexis Leigh is a writer and advocate for self-healing through unconventional methods, including psychedelics and deep inner work. With a background in finance and consulting, her personal journey led her away from the corporate world and into a life centered around authenticity and transformation. Pain Is a Portal to Beauty is her first book, a testament to the power of feeling deeply and embracing the unknown." 📖 Pain Is a Portal to Beauty is available everywhere books are sold. 🌐 Connect with Alexis at alexisleigh.com [http://alexisleigh.com] To connect with Dave , go to davidrobertsmsw.com [http://davidrobertsmsw.com]

From Abuse Survivor to Kindness Advocate: Randy McNeely & The Courageous Kindness Shift

What if kindness could literally save a life? In this powerful episode of the Teaching Journeys podcast, host Dave Roberts sits down with Randy McNeely — also known as Captain Kind Man — a survivor of childhood abuse turned passionate advocate for courageous kindness. Randy shares the deeply personal journey that shaped his mission: from surviving multiple forms of abuse and near-suicidal darkness, to becoming a bestselling author, speaker, filmmaker, and founder of the Kindness Giver LLC and The Kindness Factor International. In this episode, you'll discover: • How Randy's traumatic childhood became the foundation for a worldwide kindness movement • The 5-step Kindness Givers Formula you can start using today • The difference between ordinary kindness and courageous kindness — and why it matters • How kindness can bridge divides, heal polarization, and transform organizations • Real stories of how a smile, a hug, or nine simple words saved someone's life • Why love — delivered through kindness — is the keystone of every successful relationship, team, and community Randy's Bio and Contact Information Randy McNeely—Captain Kindman—is a man of faith, husband, father of five, survivor, and passionate advocate for Courageous Kindness. Guided by the belief that we are all children of God, Randy inspires people to live and lead with love in every part of life. Through The Courageous Kindness Shift,™ Randy teaches how to see, think, feel, listen, and respond differently—helping students, educators, and organizations bridge divides, heal polarization, and create cultures of empathy and respect. As founder of The Kindness Giver, LLC, he equips others with the ICA Method™ (Identify, Clarify, Amplify) and The Kindness Giver’s Formula™ to turn kindness into real, sustainable action. Randy is also co-founder of positive film company The Kindness Factor International, producer of For Such a Time as This, co-creator of The Kindness Factor series, and co-host of The Kindness Factor Podcast. Mantra: Love People Motto: You Can’t Fail with Kindness Mission: To inspire and equip others to embrace The Courageous Kindness Shift and transform the world—one act of love-driven kindness at a time. Connect with Randy McNeely: 🌐 captainkindman.com [http://captainkindman.com] 📚 Available on Amazon: The Kindness Givers Formula 2.0 🔗 LinkedIn: Randy McNeely If this episode moved you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it — and leave us a rating or review. Your support makes all the difference. **Teaching Journeys Podcast | Host: Dave Roberts Passing knowledge from one generation to the next — one extraordinary conversation at a time.

Sacred Law vs. Human Law: Understanding Child Loss, Consciousness & Life After Death

What happens when a child's life ends too soon — and what can it teach us about love, consciousness, and what lies beyond death? In this deeply moving episode of the Teaching Journeys Podcast, host Dave Roberts welcomes Katy Gilbertson, founder of Hauora Wellness, for a raw and spiritually rich conversation about child loss, grief, and the survival of consciousness after death. Both Dave and Katy have lived through a parent's worst nightmare — Dave lost his daughter Jeannine to cancer at 18, and Katy lost her son Jaxon to leukemia just before his 10th birthday. Together, they explore the sacred and the human dimensions of these profound losses. In this episode, you'll discover: • The concept of sacred law vs. human law — and why a short life can still be a complete one • How Jaxon and Jeannine demonstrated advanced empathy and spiritual awareness beyond their years • Real accounts of shared-death experiences and signs from the other side • How consciousness survives physical death — and how to stay connected to loved ones who've transitioned • The waves of grief that resurface at unexpected milestones, and how to navigate them • How Katy transformed her experience into Hauora Wellness, guiding high-achieving women beyond burnout into embodied leadership • Why "once you learn how to die, you learn how to live" • This episode is for anyone navigating grief, curious about life after death, or seeking meaning after profound loss. Katy Gilbertson's Bio and Contact Information Katy is the founder of Hauora Wellness, an expert in holistic wellness, embodied leadership, and human potential, guiding high-level women to expand their capacity and step into their next level of life, leadership, and business in a sustainable and deeply aligned way. Her work sits at the intersection of holistic health, nervous system regulation, human potential, identity transformation, energy work, and personal mastery. Blending a holistic and functional medicine lens with embodiment, leadership development, and transformational coaching, Katy guides women to reconnect with the deeper intelligence of their body, energy, and purpose so they can lead from alignment rather than exhaustion. At the heart of her philosophy is Hauora, the interconnected relationship between physical, emotional, spiritual, social, and environmental wellbeing. Her work is deeply shaped by lived experience. After navigating her own health challenges, chronic stress, periods of losing herself, and the profound journey of supporting her son through cancer and loss while continuing to lead in life and business, Katy’s understanding of resilience, regulation, grief, leadership, and human potential transformed entirely. These experiences became the foundation for the work she now shares through transformational immersions, private mentorship, embodied leadership experiences, and teachings devoted to sustainable expansion and self-mastery. Today, Katy supports high-level women, entrepreneurs, and leaders who know they are here for more, helping them move beyond overthinking, dysregulation, and survival-mode patterns so they can access deeper levels of vitality, clarity, creativity, leadership, and fulfillment. Through Hauora Wellness, Katy is building a movement devoted to embodied expansion, sustainable leadership, and helping women fully hold the mission they are here to lead. Connect Instagram: @hauorawellness Facebook: @hauorawellness Website: www.hauorawellness.com [http://www.hauorawellness.com] Email: katy@hauorawellness.com [katy@hauorawellness.com] Subscribe, share, and leave a review — your support makes all the difference.

Can One Partner Save a Marriage? Lee Baucom Says Yes — Here's How

What if you could save your marriage — even if your partner has already given up? In this episode of the Teaching Journeys Podcast, host Dave Roberts sits down with Dr. Lee Baucom, PhD, creator of the globally used Save the Marriage system and host of the Save the Marriage podcast (600+ episodes strong). Lee breaks down why most marriages fail — not from conflict, but from disconnection — and introduces his concept of the "pause button": the moment couples stop investing in their relationship and slowly drift apart. He reveals the three levels of connection (physical, emotional, and spiritual) that every healthy marriage requires, and explains why neglecting even one can quietly erode a relationship over years. You'll also discover: • Why premarital counseling rarely works — and what actually does • How to rebuild intimacy using a team approach, even through trauma, grief, and conflict • Why one motivated partner can shift the entire relationship dynamic (no dragging a reluctant spouse to therapy required) • The chaser-spacer dynamic — and how to invite connection instead of pushing your partner away • How Lee's Unpause app helps couples build new habits of connection daily • Whether your marriage is quietly disconnecting or at a full-blown crisis point, this episode delivers a clear, actionable roadmap for turning things around. Lee’s Bio and Contact Information Lee Baucom, Ph.D., is the creator of the Save The Marriage System, used around the world for over two decades. He is the author of four books on relationship issues and marriage recovery. As a Relationship Coach, Lee works with people around the world to save and restore their intimate relationships, even when a partner has given up. His method proved useful for people, working on their own, to turn their marriages and committed relationships around into loving, thriving, connected relationships. He shares that approach in his System, his writing, and the Save The Marriage Podcast. He has been podcasting since 2013. He is married, with two adult children and two active dogs. Connect with Lee Baucom: 📌 Connect with Lee Baucom: Chronically disconnected → unpauseyourmarriage.com [http://unpauseyourmarriage.com] At a crisis point → savethemarriage.com [http://savethemarriage.com] Save the Marriage Podcast: savethemarriage.com [http://savethemarriage.com] YouTube: Search : Lee Baucom Save the Marriage To connect with Dave, go to davidrobertsmsw.com [http://davidrobertsmsw.com]