Successful: The Podcast

44: Reflecting, Reimagining, and Renewing - Season 3 Finale

In the finale episode of Season 3, Natalie and Karla reflect on their favorite moments with this season’s guests (spoiler alert: they were all amazing!) and look ahead to some bold ideas and aspirations for Season 4.  They also introduce a surprise guest who has been hanging out behind the scenes lately - Alissa Dias, who recently joined the team as producer.  Finally, the ladies share their appreciation for the relationships that the podcast has made possible, with their guests, the audience, and the friendship with each other. Thank you for joining us for another fulfilling season of Successful: The Podcast.  If you have any feedback or ideas for guests or topics for future episodes, email us at successfulthepodcast@gmail.com [successfulthepodcast@gmail.com].  We can’t wait to see you for Season 4 - have a great summer! If you like the show, we’d be so honored if you left us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. This way, more women can learn about us and, hopefully, feel inspired to define and pursue their own success in ways that bring them joy. Click here to leave a review on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/successful-the-podcast/id1613248822] Click here to leave a review on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3d32MNcAj28tqrsEw2DxdA] Thank you to our sponsors: ⁠The Podcast Space⁠ [https://www.thepodcastspace.com/]. Learn how to craft a successful podcast with membership to the Podcast Friends and Trends.   Enroll at ⁠thepodcastspace.com/membership⁠.  ⁠The Joyful Career⁠ [https://www.thejoyfulcareer.com/]. Work with Karla to learn how to overcome fear and build the career and life that lights you up!  Schedule a Discovery coaching call ⁠here⁠ [https://www.thejoyfulcareer.com/work-together].  Sign up for The Joyful Career weekly newsletter ⁠here⁠ [https://thejoyfulcareer.substack.com/].

43: Diving Into Your Fears with Scuba Instructor Sarah Valdez

Our guest this week is Sarah Valdez, a scuba instructor with a fascinating career journey and inspiring story of facing fears and overcoming adversity.  Opening a dive shop in a foreign country had been the hardest thing she’d ever done, until the pandemic hit less than a year later and she was forced to sell the business.  Sarah shares how she got through that tough time, what opportunities it opened up in her career, and how it’s helped her live a more meaningful life teaching people about diving while supporting the conservation of our planet. Key Takeaways: * Leap and the net will appear. So many of us get stuck in fearing all the negative outcomes that could occur, but what if something great could happen? You’ll never know unless you take that leap. * Band together and achieve something great.  When we all work toward a common cause, our voice is louder and we can expand our reach to  take on some of really big challenges, like protecting our environment. * Financial freedom and time freedom are key to success.  Everyone needs a base level of financial security, but once that’s secured, having control of your time to spend it in the most meaningful way for you is what makes life successful, according to Sarah. * Tackle your fears by breaking it into smaller pieces.  If you have something big and scary that you want to do, break it down into small steps until they’re not scary.  This way, you can just chisel away at it, and before you know it, you have achieved something great. Just like scuba diving, when you are up against something scary, like being deep in the ocean, just face your fear, breathe into it, and jump in! About Sarah:  As a scuba instructor and YouTuber, Sarah Valdez uses her brand Azul Unlimited to educate scuba divers and spread the message of ocean conservation.Sarah is infatuated with nature and lives in her van with her dog Abby, exploring the land and sea throughout Canada, the US, and Mexico. PADI Courses and international expeditions run throughout the year, so Sarah and Abby may be coming to a city near you!Aside from her own brand work, Sarah also works as a freelance web developer, copywriter, content creator, and social media manager.  https://azulunlimited.com/ [https://azulunlimited.com/] Upcoming expeditions: https://azulunlimited.com/upcoming-diving-expeditions/ [https://azulunlimited.com/upcoming-diving-expeditions/] https://www.youtube.com/c/azulunlimited [https://www.youtube.com/c/azulunlimited] https://www.instagram.com/azul.unlimited/ [https://www.instagram.com/azul.unlimited/] https://www.tiktok.com/@azul.unlimited [https://www.tiktok.com/@azul.unlimited] https://www.facebook.com/AzulUnlimited [https://www.facebook.com/AzulUnlimited] Topic ideas? Guest suggestions? Questions for the hosts? Amazing story of redefining success to share? Send us an email at ⁠SuccessfulThePodcast@gmail.com⁠. If you like the show, we’d be so honored if you left us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. This way, more women can learn about us and, hopefully, feel inspired to define and pursue their own success in ways that bring them joy. Click here to leave a review on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/successful-the-podcast/id1613248822] Click here to leave a review on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3d32MNcAj28tqrsEw2DxdA] Thank you to our sponsors: ⁠The Podcast Space⁠ [https://www.thepodcastspace.com/]. Learn how to craft a successful podcast with membership to the Podcast Friends and Trends.   Enroll at ⁠thepodcastspace.com/membership⁠.  ⁠The Joyful Career⁠ [https://www.thejoyfulcareer.com/]. Work with Karla to learn how to overcome fear and build the career and life that lights you up!  Schedule a Discovery coaching call ⁠here⁠ [https://www.thejoyfulcareer.com/work-together].  Sign up for The Joyful Career weekly newsletter ⁠here⁠ [https://thejoyfulcareer.substack.com/].

42: Taking Time to Just “Be” with Natalie (solo episode)

This week, Natalie takes the mic for our very first solo episode.  With both our hosts juggling especially busy schedules during this third season of the podcast, the time couldn’t be better to dedicate an entire mini-episode to the importance of rest.  Tune in to hear what recently led Natalie to take two weeks off from work, how she spent her time (spoiler alert: not an elaborate vacation), and why rest is not a luxury, but a right. Key Takeaways: * Going away on vacation is not the only way to take time away from work.  Sometimes planning for and going on trip can just add to stress levels when what you really need is time to catch up on sleep, focus on health, and enjoy time at home. * You don’t have to “earn it”. Rest is not a luxury or a privilege. Even though it may feel like it in our capitalist society, the purpose of rest is not to come back even more productive.  It’s about giving ourselves the time to reset, daydream, get creative, and just be human.   Check out the episode that Natalie referenced, 22: Savoring Life with Maya Oren [https://www.successfulthepodcast.com/episodes/22-creative-amp-intentional-living-with-maya-oren-creative-director-a8azz]. Topic ideas? Guest suggestions? Questions for the hosts? Amazing story of redefining success to share? Send us an email at ⁠SuccessfulThePodcast@gmail.com⁠. If you like the show, we’d be so honored if you left us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. This way, more women can learn about us and, hopefully, feel inspired to define and pursue their own success in ways that bring them joy. Click here to leave a review on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/successful-the-podcast/id1613248822] Click here to leave a review on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3d32MNcAj28tqrsEw2DxdA] Thank you to our sponsors: ⁠The Podcast Space⁠ [https://www.thepodcastspace.com/]. Learn how to craft a successful podcast with membership to the Podcast Friends and Trends.   Enroll at ⁠thepodcastspace.com/membership⁠.  ⁠The Joyful Career⁠ [https://www.thejoyfulcareer.com/]. Work with Karla to learn how to overcome fear and build the career and life that lights you up!  Schedule a Discovery coaching call ⁠here⁠ [https://www.thejoyfulcareer.com/work-together].  Sign up for The Joyful Career weekly newsletter ⁠here⁠ [https://thejoyfulcareer.substack.com/].

41: Finding Balance with Holistic Wellness Coach Raanah Amjadi

This week, we welcome our guest Raanah Amjadi, a Health and Wellness Coach who specializes in Ayurveda—the sister science to Yoga. This ancient wisdom deeply influenced her own Persian culture's relationship to food as medicine. Ayurveda is about helping us understand what our unique balance looks like, and then how to counterbalance that unique nature with all forms of nourishment, whether that's food, water, breath - anything we take in from our senses.  Finding balance has been a key theme in Raanah’s story, especially when she found herself out of alignment in her career, having achieved professional success but lacking in personal fulfillment. When she took a step back and had some time to reflect, she started her business helping people realign with their well-being so that they can find self-sustaining joy, purpose, and vitalityKey Takeaways: * The first step is awareness - really paying attention to the signals that your body and your mind are sending you throughout the day. How is the quality of your sleep, appetite, digestion, emotional state?  Journaling can be an effective tool to observe your experience of both mind and body. * Give yourself permission to turn inward.  As women, there is often a sense of obligation to be in service to our kids, our partner, our job, our community - everyone but ourselves.  It can be something as small as putting everything else aside for one small habit, a sacred ritual to take care of yourself. * Realign with your wellbeing by nourishing yourself to balance your system and correcting any imbalances that you may have.  It’s not about perfection, but about finding your way back to the things that keep you healthy and happy. About Raanah: Raanah Amjadi [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramjadi] is a Holistic Wellness Coach and owner of LILI JADE [https://www.lilijade.com/]. In her practice, Raanah helps people realign with their well-being. She believes everyone’s definition of well-being is different, but when people understand how to find and return to their unique center, they’re better able to make decisions at work and in life that help them cultivate joy, purpose, and vitality. Raanah specializes in Ayurveda—the sister science to Yoga—as this ancient wisdom deeply influenced her own Persian culture's relationship to food as medicine. Prior to launching LILI JADE, Raanah worked at Microsoft for 8.5 years in communications, product marketing, brand, and operations. In July 2022, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and openly shares her experience managing a chronic illness with both modern medical science and ancient medical wisdom. You can learn more about Raanah’s practice at www.lilijade.com [http://www.lilijade.com/] or connect with her on social @lilijadewellness.

40: Stories of Courageous Women with NYT Bestselling Author, Allison Pataki

If you love to be inspired by stories of courageous women, then you are in for a treat!  We are honored to bring you our guest, New York Times Best Selling author Allison Pataki. Her historical fiction novels focus on highlighting the stories of women throughout history who are not well known today, but who have helped to shape the world as we know it.  In this episode, Allison shares how she took a chance on a career that brings her joy, how she joined “The Club of the Bad Thing” when she almost lost her husband to a stroke at the age of 30, and how that shaped who she is today and her current definition of success. Tune in now and get inspired not only by Allison’s story but also by all the amazing women from history whose stories she brings to life.  * Let Your Passion Drive You.  Fear of doing something new and different is normal, but when you follow your passion it’s a force that can help you overcome any obstacle along the way.  This is what helped Allison make the transition from journalism to writing novels, and it’s a common theme among the amazing women she chronicles in her books. * Bad Things Breed Strength & Resilience.  It may be hard to see in the moment, but there is a gift in being faced with tremendous loss or adversity in your life.  Allison calls "The Club of The Bad Thing" a membership that no one wants to join, but that adds invaluable texture to you as a human - to your empathy, awareness, relationships, and perspective.   * The Healing Power of Stories.  Allison wrote letters to her husband through his early days of recovery.  For her, it was a helpful way for her to process her thoughts in the moment, and it became the bones of her non-fiction book that she wrote to help others who may be navigating similar challenges.  Who knows, maybe your journal will become your first novel! About Allison: Allison Pataki is a writer of adult fiction, adult nonfiction, and children’s books. Her work has been translated into twenty languages and is popular in more than twenty countries. A former news writer and producer, Allison has written for The New York Times, ABC News, The Huffington Post, USA Today, Fox News and other outlets. She has appeared on The TODAY Show, Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, Good Day New York, Good Day Chicago and MSNBC’s Morning Joe. Learn more: https://allisonpataki.com/ [https://allisonpataki.com/] Topic ideas? Guest suggestions? Questions for the hosts? Amazing story of redefining success to share? Send us an email at ⁠SuccessfulThePodcast@gmail.com⁠. If you like the show, we’d be so honored if you left us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. This way, more women can learn about us and, hopefully, feel inspired to define and pursue their own success in ways that bring them joy. Click here to leave a review on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/successful-the-podcast/id1613248822] Click here to leave a review on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3d32MNcAj28tqrsEw2DxdA] Thank you to our sponsors: ⁠The Podcast Space⁠ [https://www.thepodcastspace.com/]. Learn how to craft a successful podcast with membership to the Podcast Friends and Trends.   Enroll at ⁠thepodcastspace.com/membership⁠.  ⁠The Joyful Career⁠ [https://www.thejoyfulcareer.com/]. Work with Karla to learn how to overcome fear and build the career and life that lights you up!  Schedule a Discovery coaching call ⁠here⁠ [https://www.thejoyfulcareer.com/work-together].  Sign up for The Joyful Career weekly newsletter ⁠here⁠ [https://thejoyfulcareer.substack.com/].