Becoming in Action

The Nourished Recovery: A Conversation with Kerry

This week on the podcast, I’m joined by my cousin Kerry for a conversation about recovery, grief, leadership, creativity, and the long process of becoming yourself again. What started as a reconnection between cousins turned into a deeply honest conversation about the many ways people heal. Kerry shares her journey from a prescription opioid addiction that began after a car accident, to years of alcohol dependence, to finding lasting recovery and community through Celebrate Recovery. We talk about relapse, shame, self-awareness, and the daily practices that help her stay grounded today. But this episode is about so much more than addiction. It’s about motherhood. Holding space for others. Working for 35 years in a male-dominated industry. Learning to lead even when you don’t feel fully ready. Processing the loss of a parent. And discovering creativity later in life through cooking, storytelling, and her YouTube channel, The Nourished Recovery. Kerry’s story is a reminder that healing rarely happens in one big breakthrough. More often, it happens in small honest moments. In conversations. In community. In learning how to feel instead of numb. We also talk about: • the difference between guilt and shame • why mindset matters • how recovery applies far beyond addiction • what it means to truly let people support you • and how creativity can become part of healing This conversation felt incredibly special to me, and I think it will stay with you too.

Real Life, Real Work: Anger Is Not Danger

In this Real Life, Real Work episode, we explore what happens when someone else’s anger or distress activates our own nervous system. Why do some of us rush to reassure, reframe, fix, or smooth things over the moment emotions get intense? Why can another person’s frustration feel so uncomfortable in our own body? This episode dives into the connection between nervous system activation, people pleasing, conflict avoidance, and emotional safety. We talk about how early experiences can shape the way we respond to anger, why many of us confuse anger with danger, and how those protective patterns may now interfere with the way we want to show up in our relationships, parenting, leadership, and work. We also explore: * the difference between anger and aggression * co-regulation and how nervous systems affect one another * why trying to “fix” someone’s emotions can leave them feeling dismissed * practical ways to stay grounded during difficult conversations * how to build more tolerance for emotional discomfort * the role of centering practices, boundaries, and nervous system healing If you have ever felt responsible for making everyone else okay, this conversation may help you understand why and offer a more grounded way forward. Because real growth is not learning how to control every emotional moment around you. It is learning how to stay present without losing yourself inside of it. This is Real Life, Real Work.

Digging Until You Find Your Thing: A Conversation with Sarah

So many of us build lives that look right on paper before we stop and ask ourselves: But does this actually feel like me? In this episode, my friend Sarah shares the winding path that took her from psychology student to lawyer to stay-at-home mom to therapist in her 40s. What I love most about Sarah’s story is that she kept listening to the quiet voice inside her that said: there is something more true for me than this. We talk about: • chasing approval • success that does not feel aligned • motherhood and identity • starting over later in life • marriage and support • and the courage it takes to keep becoming yourself One of my favorite lines from the conversation: “I wanted to show up in my life as the best version of myself, so I kept digging until I found the thing that felt like... this is the thing.” I think this episode will resonate deeply with anyone who has ever felt pulled toward a different version of their life. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Not a Dead End

I went for an early morning walk in Napa and ended up at a literal dead end. Standing there, I realized something that completely reframed how I think about change, failure, uncertainty, and identity: I am not the dead end. The road is. In this episode, I talk about the years I spent as a supporting character in my own life, what my divorce taught me about agency, grief, and healing, and why I now believe one of the most important skills we can build is the ability to choose again. I also share honestly about this current season of building my coaching business. The slow burn of it. The doubt. The fear that maybe it will not work. And why I am learning that many things that eventually succeed look flat for a very long time before the curve changes. This episode is about: * perceived agency and why it matters for well-being * learning to trust yourself inside uncertainty * grief, growth, and rebuilding * role modeling “main character energy” for our children * and letting go of the idea that we need to have the next five years figured out Maybe we only need to decide who we want to be this week.

One Choice, A Lifetime of Change: A Conversation with Chris

Content Note This conversation includes discussion of addiction, alcoholism, recovery, and emotional struggle. Please listen with care if these topics are sensitive for you.Chris made one choice at 22 that changed the trajectory of his life. What started as a reluctant step into sobriety, without much intention beyond getting help in the moment, became 25 years of choosing differently. Choosing connection. Choosing growth. Choosing to show up. In this conversation, I sit down with Chris to talk about what it really looks like to build a life one day at a time. We talk about addiction and recovery, and also what comes after. Fatherhood. Friendship. The humility to keep learning. The discipline of staying grounded in relationships that matter. Chris is someone who has been all in on his sobriety, his kids, and the people in his life for decades. And he’s also honest about where he’s still growing, especially when it comes to fully showing up in romantic relationships and letting himself be seen. This is a conversation about the long game. About becoming. About the quiet, daily decisions that shape a life. And about what’s possible when one choice actually holds.