111: Angela Burk in the hot seat Midlife. Identity. Rebirth.

111: Angela Burk in the hot seat Midlife. Identity. Rebirth.

Angela Burke, author of Real Girl’s Guide to Midlife, joins Listen Bitch Presents: Tell Me Why You’re Special for an honest conversation about midlife identity shifts, motherhood, hormones, emotional burnout, purpose, and what happens when women wake up one day realizing the life they built no longer fits who they’re becoming. This episode dives deep into the emotional and psychological transition many women experience in their 40s and 50s — including parenting adult children, losing identity in motherhood, hormonal changes, nervous system overwhelm, grief, reinvention, and the fear of becoming invisible. Angela shares how she sat on the idea for her book for nearly 20 years before finally stepping into her voice and creating something meaningful from her experiences. Together, Branden and Angela unpack why so many women feel isolated during midlife, how society dismisses women’s emotional and hormonal struggles, and why small brave actions can completely change the trajectory of someone’s life. This conversation is raw, validating, healing, and deeply relatable for women navigating transition, reinvention, emotional healing, self-worth, parenting shifts, and personal growth. If you’ve ever felt exhausted, disconnected, overwhelmed, invisible, emotionally stuck, or unsure who you are anymore — this episode will make you feel seen.  is the author of REAL GIRLS GUIDE TO MIDLIFE, is an award-winning marketing strategist, mother of three, bonus mom to four, and fierce advocate for women reclaiming their stories at midlife. She splits her time between California and Australia with her partner, proving that the best chapters often require a passport, grit, and zero apologies. You can learn more at www.realgirlsguide55.com [http://www.realgirlsguide55.com] or follow Angela on Substack.

110: Dr. Amanda Wilson, in the hot seat BREATHE. HEAL. TRANSFORM.

Dr. Amanda Wilson joins Listen Bitch Presents: Tell Me Why You’re Special for one of the wildest conversations yet — connecting airway health, mouth breathing, childhood development, neurodivergence, trauma recovery, faith, and the hidden health issues most people completely overlook. This episode dives into why chronic mouth breathing, poor jaw development, and sleep-disordered breathing may be affecting everything from ADHD symptoms and bedwetting to anxiety, exhaustion, speech issues, and long-term health outcomes. Dr. Amanda shares her evolution from traditional orthodontics into airway-centered care, her late autism/ADHD diagnosis, and the spiritual transformation that took her from atheism to trusting God fully with her business and purpose. This conversation blends science, healing, nervous system regulation, faith, neurodivergence, trauma recovery, and personal transformation in a way that will absolutely make you rethink health from the inside out. If you’ve ever struggled with self-worth, burnout, chronic stress, parenting challenges, breathing issues, or feeling misunderstood — this episode is going to hit hard. I’m Amanda Wilson, an orthodontist, dental consultant, and dental advisor. After 10 years in private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area, I created StraightSmile Solutions®; an orthodontic consulting company that directly services primary care dentists and their unique needs. I consult on any orthodontic service, process, vendor, or procedure but ultimately my core values are airway focused (AirwayDontics™), non-extraction, non-surgical, early orthodontic treatment (My Phase 1 Smile™). I was inspired to start this business after I met my husband, a general dentist, in dental school at UCSF. He inquired about adding ortho to his menu of services and asked me which course he should take. I took a deep dive, and I was appalled by the lack of quality, airway-focused, holistic, comprehensive orthodontic education for General and Pediatric Dentists. I’ve always loved to teach, and I thought I could help save lives and airways by not only teaching primary-care, oral physicians how to do ortho the RIGHT way, but also making the process efficient and productive. On a personal note, I live in Honolulu and I love spending time with my husband and my teenage kids. I love the flexibility of orthodontic coaching because it allows me to travel with my kids who are both nationally ranked, competitive swimmers. Evan (20 years old) is an athlete at MIT and is aiming for 2028 Olympic Trials and Olivia (17 years old), isn’t too far behind him. Supporting my small business makes this dream possible for our ohana. Mahalo! I am a proud member of the neurodivergent community. This rare, genetic trait gives me special skills in spatial and pattern recognition, which allows me to quickly analyze a patient’s malocclusion. A very small population of females have this gift and I am honored to share it with other doctors. It also makes me fun, entertaining and quirky-If you’d like to learn ortho from someone like me, I’d love to teach you! Book a free, non-clinical consultation today! I am a disciple of Jesus but I happily consult with people of all faiths and values. https://linktr.ee/straightsmilesolutions [https://linktr.ee/straightsmilesolutions]

109: Dr. Albert Bramante in the hot seat

Dr. Albert Bramante joins Listen Bitch Presents: Tell Me Why You’re Special to break down the psychology of self-sabotage, fear of success, imposter syndrome, trauma, emotional regulation, and why talented people stay stuck. We talk performance psychology, visibility fear, entrepreneurship, acting, podcasting, and the subconscious patterns keeping people from reaching their full potential. If you’ve ever felt “not ready,” frozen, inconsistent, or afraid to fully step into your purpose… this one will punch you directly in the soul. Dr Albert Bramante is a seasoned talent agent with more than two decades of experience in the entertainment industry, holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from Walden University. Additionally, he is a certified Hypnotist and NLP Practitioner, bringing a unique blend of psychological insight and practical expertise to his work. Driven by a passion for both the performing arts and the human psyche, he embarked on a mission to empower actors to overcome self-sabotage and unlock their full potential. Throughout his impressive career, Dr. Bramante has achieved remarkable success as a talent agent, securing roles for actors in a wide array of productions including TV shows, films, commercials, Broadway, and Off-Broadway performances http://www.albertbramante.com/ [http://www.albertbramante.com/]

108: Jason Saltzman in the hot seat

This episode of Tell Me Why You’re Special went deep into the emotional reality of building companies, carrying responsibility, sleepless nights, startup pressure, self-doubt, impact-driven business, and the hidden psychological weight entrepreneurs carry while everybody online thinks they’re “living the dream.” Jason shared the story behind building Relief, a company helping people trapped in debt and collections, while also talking openly about the pressure founders experience that nobody sees on social media. One of the strongest parts of this conversation was Jason’s honesty about success. He talked about how real success isn’t just money, vanity metrics, followers, or looking productive online — it’s impact, peace, responsibility, and building something that genuinely helps people. We also discussed: * startup pressure * investor expectations * entrepreneurship myths * financial stress * debt stigma * burnout * resilience * founder anxiety * personal growth through failure * responsibility in leadership * ego vs impact * the emotional toll of building a business Jason brought a calm, intelligent, deeply experienced perspective without pretending entrepreneurship is glamorous 24/7. No fake flexing. No “10X hustle bro” nonsense. No pretending founders have it all figured out. Just real conversation about pressure, perseverance, learning from mistakes, and continuing to build anyway. The debt conversation was especially powerful because it humanized something millions of people quietly carry shame around. Jason explained how debt affects families emotionally, mentally, and relationally — not just financially — and why transparency and practical help matter. This episode is for entrepreneurs carrying invisible pressure. It’s for founders exhausted from pretending they’re fine. It’s for people drowning financially who need hope without judgment. And it’s for anyone trying to build something meaningful without losing themselves in the process. Honestly, this conversation felt less like a business podcast and more like a reality check for ambitious people trying to survive their own expectations. ⸻ Jason is the founder of Relief, a transformative platform revolutionizing debt management for everyday people. With two successful exits under his belt, over a decade mentoring founders through Techstars, and experience teaching entrepreneurship, Jason brings a wealth of expertise and a passion for empowering others to thrive in the world of business and innovation. As Co-Chair of MIT’s REAP program, he’s shaping the future of entrepreneurial ecosystems.

107: Tash Lankester in the hot seat

In this episode of Listen Bitch Presents: Tell Me Why You’re Special, I sit down with coach Tash Lankester  for a brutally honest conversation about body image, diet culture, self-worth, fitness obsession, emotional eating, sustainable habits, GLP-1 culture, women’s health, and the psychology behind transformation. Tash Lankester  shares her personal journey from restrictive dieting and toxic relationships with food into a balanced, sustainable lifestyle focused on confidence, consistency, and self-respect rather than punishment and perfectionism. We discuss how diet culture impacts women’s mental health, how self-worth affects consistency, why people self-sabotage progress, and how modern fitness culture can quietly turn into obsession and emotional burnout. The conversation also dives into: * body image struggles * restrictive dieting * emotional eating * self-sabotage * confidence building * sustainable weight loss * GLP-1 conversations * habit formation * women’s fitness * fitness mindset * food guilt * all-or-nothing thinking * discipline vs punishment * realistic health goals * consistency and motivation Tash Lankester explains why transformation starts with small achievable steps instead of overwhelming perfectionism, and why sustainable habits matter more than extreme short-term results. We also discuss how fitness trends have evolved over the years, how social media affects body image, and why so many women feel trapped between health culture and self-acceptance. If you’ve ever struggled with your relationship with food, your body, consistency, or your own self-worth, this episode is going to hit home hard. This isn’t surface-level wellness talk. This is the emotional side of transformation nobody talks about honestly. Tash Lankester, a body transformation coach who's helping women achieve something most people think is impossible: sustainable transformation that actually sticks. Tash has worked with hundreds of clients, and what sets her apart is that she doesn't just help women transform their bodies—she helps them transform their entire relationship with themselves and optimise their health in the process. She's seen women reverse PCOS symptoms so dramatically their doctors no longer recommend medication. She's helped busy women lose between 10-30kg while actually enjoying the process and falling in love with it. And she's built a community of women who don't just build their dream bodies—they gain confidence, clarity, and control over their bodies for life. But here's what's really interesting: Tash didn't start out as a coach. She struggled with her own weight and fitness journey for years. She tried every diet, every workout program, every supplement. Nothing stuck. Until she figured out the one thing that actually works—and it's not what most people think. In this episode, we're diving into the TLC Method, why most diets fail, what actually works for sustainable fat loss, and how to build a body you actually love. If you've ever felt stuck, hopeless, or like you've tried everything—this conversation is for you. https://www.tashlankester.com/ [https://www.tashlankester.com/]