The Secrets of Being Podcast

Embracing Imperfect Action on the Path to Growth

In this heartfelt episode of The Secrets of Being, I am joined by bestselling author, entrepreneur, and podcast host Sarah Barnes Humphrey for a powerful conversation about self-worth, authentic leadership, and the courage it takes to find your voice. Sarah’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and embracing the imperfect path of growth. From starting her career in her family’s logistics and supply chain business to becoming a recognized thought leader, author, and podcast host, her journey is a reminder that progress often begins with a leap into the unknown. Sarah shares how her career began straight out of high school when she stepped into the family business with dreams of eventually leading the company. After more than two decades in the industry, she found herself at a turning point when the company closed its doors. Suddenly without a job, a team, or a clear roadmap forward, Sarah leaned into creativity and determination. What began as a podcast experiment, inspired by listening to other creators, turned into a platform that connected voices across industries and eventually grew into a thriving media company supported by a team of talented professionals, many of whom are women-led entrepreneurs. Throughout our conversation we explore the deeper theme that guides Sarah’s work today: self-worth. She speaks openly about the ongoing process of learning to find and reclaim her voice over and over again. Rather than seeing self-worth as a fixed destination, Sarah describes it as a lifelong journey shaped by experiences, setbacks, growth, and reflection. Together we talk about the power of progress over perfection, the courage to pursue ideas that feel aligned with your soul, and the importance of allowing yourself to evolve beyond society’s expectations of what success should look like. Sarah also shares the inspiration behind her memoir and how writing the book became a therapeutic process that allowed her to revisit difficult experiences with compassion and perspective. Through storytelling, she discovered new layers of understanding about her own journey and the role self-worth plays in shaping the way we show up in our relationships, our careers, and our leadership. We discuss the importance of awareness and self-reflection when navigating difficult moments, including the role of therapy, mindfulness, and honest conversations in helping us better understand ourselves. Sarah emphasizes that growth often comes from taking inventory of our experiences without judgment and learning to give ourselves grace along the way. She also offers insight into building authentic communities, blocking out unnecessary noise, and focusing on meaningful connections rather than constant consumption. One of the most powerful ideas Sarah shares is the concept of discovering your “superpower.” Instead of searching endlessly for a single purpose, she encourages listeners to reflect on how they naturally show up in the world and how their strengths can create impact. For Sarah, that superpower lies in creating safe spaces for conversation where people feel seen, heard, and valued. This episode is a reminder that self-worth is not something we achieve once and hold forever. It is something we rediscover again and again as we grow. When we embrace authenticity, allow ourselves to learn from our experiences, and have the courage to begin even when things are not perfect, we create space for transformation. If you have ever struggled with self-doubt, questioned your path, or wondered how to step more fully into your authentic voice, this conversation will offer encouragement and perspective. It is an invitation to move forward with courage, compassion, and the understanding that progress is always more powerful than perfection. With love, Dawn P.S. You can connect with Sarah here: https://sarahbarneshumphrey.com/

You Don’t Need a Title to Lead!

In this episode, I am honored to sit down with Leonard Weingarten, a leader whose career spans professional sports, the LA Olympics, nonprofit partnerships, civic engagement, and higher education. Leonard’s journey is a powerful reminder that leadership is not about titles. It is about integrity, courage, creativity, and the way you treat people along the way. We talk about his early days working with the Oakland Raiders and how he learned firsthand that respect and empathy matter just as much as strategy. Leonard shares how he leveraged creativity and bold networking to land opportunities with the LA Olympics and major institutions, demonstrating what it really means to think outside the box. His career path was never linear, but it was always guided by purpose, passion, and preparation. One of the most powerful themes in this conversation is risk-taking. Leonard believes that personal growth requires stepping into the unknown and trusting yourself enough to act. He shares practical advice about visualizing your goals, writing down your passions, and spending quiet time in reflection to discover what truly matters to you. We explore how preparation, resilience, and proactive thinking can open doors that others might never see. Leonard also speaks about his current role as vice president of a lifelong learning program at a community college that offers free education for individuals over 50 and is expanding to all ages. His commitment to lifelong learning, mentorship, youth employment initiatives, and community impact reflects his belief that growth never stops. Education, leadership development, career guidance, and civic engagement are all threads woven throughout his life’s work. This episode is about more than career success. It is about character. It is about choosing integrity over ego. It is about treating people with kindness, even in competitive environments. It is about taking risks that align with your values and trusting that your path will unfold when you show up prepared and open. If you are navigating a career pivot, seeking leadership wisdom, exploring civic engagement, or simply wondering how to live with more courage and purpose, this conversation will speak directly to you. With love, Dawn P.S. You can connect with Leonard here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonard-weingarten/ Learn about ESCOM: https://escom.marin.edu/

Why We Trade Away Our Happiness Without Realizing It

Welcome back to The Secrets of Being. In this episode, I sit down with Cynthia for a deeply grounding and illuminating conversation about yoga, trauma-informed practices, embodiment, and the subtle ways we trade away our present moment joy. Cynthia shares her personal journey into yoga, which began in childhood and evolved into a lifelong devotion to movement, breath, and body awareness. Her work today centers on trauma-informed yoga teacher training and her book Embodying the Goddess, which invites readers into a more intimate and empowered relationship with their bodies. One of the core themes we explore is what Cynthia calls bartering the heart. This is the pattern of making quiet contracts with life that delay happiness into the future or trap it in the past. We talk about how this shows up through longing, regret, nostalgia, shame, and the belief that peace will arrive once something changes. Cynthia offers practical ways to bring awareness to these patterns, including noticing our internal bargaining language and reclaiming agency through conscious choice. We also discuss present-moment awareness beyond meditation, and how mindfulness can be woven into everyday life through movement, curiosity, and listening to the pulse of the heart. Cynthia reframes the idea of triggers as activations and encourages curiosity instead of judgment. She also introduces the idea of shifting from rigid boundaries to personal standards rooted in self-trust and clarity. This conversation is an invitation to stop waiting for life to begin and to come home to yourself right now. If you have ever felt caught between who you are and who you think you need to be, this episode will gently meet you where you are and remind you that peace is available in this moment. With love, Dawn P.S. You can connect with Cynthia here: https://www.cynthiaabulafia.com/

What People Actually Need When They Are Struggling Mentally!

Welcome back to The Secrets of Being. In this episode, I’m honored to be joined by Rachel Corbett, CEO of SupportGroups.com, for a thoughtful and timely conversation about mental health, technology, grief, and the power of connection. Rachel shares how her personal experiences with loss and her background in behavioral health led her to create a platform designed to make mental health support more accessible, affordable, and less intimidating for people who might otherwise never reach out. We talk about the evolution of SupportGroups.com, which offers free peer-to-peer discussion forums, professional-led support groups, and innovative AI-powered mental health coaching. Rachel explains how the platform’s AI avatar is not meant to replace human care, but to support it. She describes AI as “ancestral intelligence,” a way of compiling collective human experience to help people feel seen, heard, and guided while still encouraging real-world connection and community support. Our conversation also touches on the deep importance of community as an antidote to isolation, addiction, and mental health struggles. Rachel speaks openly about treating the whole family in the healing process and the stigma that still prevents many people, especially men, from seeking help. We discuss provider burnout, boundaries, and why mental health professionals must care for themselves just as intentionally as they care for others. Along the way, we discover shared roots in La Cañada and La Crescenta, reflecting on how community shapes who we become and why small-town connection still matters in a digital world. We explore the challenges of reaching younger generations who prefer online interactions and how technology can meet people where they are without losing the soul-to-soul connection that healing requires. This episode is a reminder that innovation and compassion can coexist. Whether support comes through a screen, a support group, or a single honest conversation, what matters most is knowing you are not alone. If you’ve ever wondered how AI fits into mental health care, how community heals grief, or how to find support in a world that feels overwhelming, this conversation will offer clarity, hope, and perspective. With love, Dawn P.s. You can connect with Rachel here: https://supportgroups.com/

The Truth About Being a Spiritual Being in a Human World

On this episode of The Secrets of Being, I’m honored to sit down with Dr. Bill Clark, a scientist, entrepreneur, author, podcast host, and modern-day mystic who beautifully bridges the worlds of logic and spirit. From the moment we begin, it’s clear this is a conversation about more than credentials. It’s about calling, consciousness, and what becomes possible when we stop separating who we are from how we live and work. Dr. Bill shares how his journey began in science, studying chemistry and building a decades-long career in the supplement industry, while quietly nurturing a parallel spiritual path through meditation, journaling, and inner exploration. That path deepened dramatically after a profound spiritual awakening in the early 2000s, an experience that shifted his perception of reality and opened him to dimensions of awareness he could no longer ignore. What followed was not an abandonment of science, but a deeper integration of it with spirituality, quantum theory, and human consciousness. We talk about his rich spiritual inheritance, including generations of Episcopal ministers in his family, and how that lineage quietly shaped his life even as he pursued a scientific career. Dr. Bill shares powerful stories that challenge conventional thinking, including moments of intuitive knowing, energetic connection, and experiences that defy easy explanation yet feel undeniably real. As a scientist, he doesn’t dismiss these moments. Instead, he examines them, asking what they reveal about energy, intuition, and the nature of human existence. Throughout the conversation, we explore what it means to live as a spiritual being having a human experience, how intuition functions as an energetic language, and why creativity, inspiration, and purpose are not accidents. Dr. Bill explains how practices like meditation help us tune into deeper frequencies of awareness, and why inspiration is less about forcing ideas and more about being open to receiving them. We also talk about his poetry, divinely inspired writing, and how words carry energetic resonance that can awaken something within the reader. At the heart of this episode is a reminder that each of us has unique gifts, skills, and talents for a reason. Dr. Bill shares his belief that our purpose is not just self-fulfillment, but service, creating ripples of impact through kindness, creativity, leadership, and presence. This conversation is an invitation to stop shrinking, stop separating your spiritual self from your everyday life, and start trusting that your journey, even the painful parts, is shaping you into who you are meant to become. If you’ve ever felt there is more to life than what you can see, measure, or explain, this episode will meet you right at that edge and invite you to step forward with curiosity, courage, and trust. With Love, Dawn P.S. You can connect with Dr. Bill Clark here: https://drbillclark.life/