108: Jason Saltzman in the hot seat

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/]

106: Seth Payne in the hot seat

This episode of Tell Me Why You’re Special went deep into addiction, masculinity, military conditioning, mental health, fatherhood, emotional healing, neuroplasticity, radical honesty, and what it actually looks like to rebuild your life from the inside out. Seth is a Marine Corps veteran and performance coach who opened up about returning from Afghanistan carrying trauma, eventually spiraling into addiction, emotional suppression, and a psychiatric hospitalization in 2022. But what made this conversation powerful wasn’t just the struggle — it was the ownership. No victim mindset. No fake motivation speeches. Just brutal honesty about what happens when performance-based identity finally collapses. We talked about the pressure men feel to suppress emotions, how military culture conditioned him to disconnect from vulnerability, and how healing required him to stop numbing himself and actually feel life again. Seth also shared his journey into neuroplasticity, habit formation, self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and the daily disciplines that helped him slowly rebuild peace, stability, and self-respect. One of the strongest parts of this conversation was Seth’s honesty about fatherhood and learning how to become emotionally available instead of emotionally armored. We also discussed Marines boot camp, parenting, addiction recovery, self-compassion, PTSD, mental health, emotional regulation, and why real transformation is usually boring, repetitive, consistent work — not flashy overnight breakthroughs. This episode is for men who are silently drowning. It’s for veterans. It’s for parents trying to break cycles. It’s for people who are exhausted pretending they’re okay. And honestly… it’s for anybody tired of hiding behind performance while quietly falling apart. Seth here. Marine Corps veteran, performance coach, and someone who has been through addiction, shame, mental health diagnoses, and the slow collapse of everything I thought defined me. I didn’t just survive it. I rewired it. What I found on the other side was simple and it changed everything: I wasn’t broken. I was conditioned. And if I could be conditioned into those patterns, I could condition myself out of them and into the person I actually wanted to become. That’s what I call Armor to Alignment. No hype. No surface level fixes. Just real work that leads to real change. Your mess becomes your message. I’m living proof. Your mess becomes your message. I’m living proof. Let’s talk about it. https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-payne-657787350 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-payne-657787350] Inst: seth.g.pn [http://seth.g.pn]

105: David Petrash in the hot seat

In this powerful episode of Listen Bitch Presents: Tell Me Why You’re Special, I sit down with David Petrash — Navy submariner, pastor, entrepreneur, author, leadership speaker, and survivor of devastating personal loss — for one of the most honest conversations about faith, leadership, mental health, surrender, and rebuilding your life after collapse. David shares the deeply personal story of how infidelity, divorce, church collapse, emotional burnout, and a mental breakdown led to a complete unraveling of his identity and eventually landed him in a mental institution for three months. Instead of destroying him permanently, that season became the beginning of a completely different relationship with God. We discuss authentic Christian leadership, overcoming mental health struggles, surrendering control, rebuilding faith after trauma, leadership pressure, divorce recovery, emotional healing, letting go of outcomes, trusting God during suffering, and why real faith is often built in broken places. David also talks about his book The Ripple of Faith, his music projects including songs releasing on Spotify, and the importance of focusing outward instead of becoming consumed by fear, shame, or self-protection. This conversation dives deep into Christianity, spiritual growth, emotional resilience, healing from betrayal, leadership burnout, mental health recovery, purpose, obedience, and trusting God when life completely falls apart. If you’ve ever questioned your purpose, struggled with faith, carried hidden pain, or wondered whether God could still use your story after disaster… this episode is going to hit hard. This is not polished church talk. This is survival, surrender, rebuilding, and faith made real. David Alan Petrash is a submariner, pastor, businessman, and water-treatment professional whose life bridges faith, service, and leadership. He served eight years aboard U.S. Navy nuclear submarines as a nuclear engineer before embarking on a distinguished career in industrial water treatment, where he became a Certified Water Technologist and award-winning corporate trainer with Nalco Water, Solenis, and Siemens. Alongside his technical career, David spent more than three decades as Senior Pastor of Grace Point Vineyard Church in Wolfeboro, NH and Connections Vineyard Church in Tucson, AZ, where he delivered hundreds of sermons that blend scriptural depth with everyday wisdom.  Today, David and his wife, Trina, co-own City Wide Facility Solutions of Southern Arizona, a multimillion-dollar enterprise serving regional businesses. Drawing from his unique background - from submarine hulls to the pulpit and the boardroom - David writes with both authority and compassion, inspiring readers to live with faith, courage, and purpose. https://www.rippleoffaith.com/ [https://www.rippleoffaith.com/]