A LOT with Audra

73. The Art of Celebration with Jen Christian

What if your birthday celebration wasn't really about your birthday at all? Jen Christian turned 40 with one of the most intentional, fun, and friendship-forward celebrations I've ever seen — and it started not with a party plan, but with a personal reckoning. After navigating a postpartum fog that hit during COVID, Jen found herself asking: Who am I now? What do I value? And who are my people for this next decade? The answers led her to create "40 Things for 40" — a curated list of experiences, meals, adventures, and connections she organized into a Google site and sent to the people she loves most. No pressure. No spotlight. Just an open invitation to show up and share life together. If you're approaching a milestone birthday — or honestly any season of life where you're ready to come back to yourself — this conversation is going to spark something in you. HIGHLIGHTS * Jen shares how coming out of postpartum and the COVID season prompted her to ask the big questions: who am I, what do I value, and who are my people? * Why loneliness can sneak up on you even when you're surrounded by wonderful people — and what to do about it * How Jen's eclectic friend group actually inspired the format of her celebration * The four "buckets" she used to organize her 40 things: places to dine, things she loves most, things to discover, and an evolution of Jen * Why she chose a Google Site to host the list (hint: her husband's class reunion inspired it) * How a Google Form made logistics effortless and her social calendar full for the next decade * Why celebration isn't about the spotlight — it's about pausing, reflecting, and connecting * Jen's definition of celebration: "It's about pausing. It's about reflection. It's about accomplishment, and it's about connection and relationship." CHAPTERS 0:00 – Welcome and Meet Jen 1:04 – Why Turning 40 Matters 3:10 – Reclaiming Identity After Motherhood 6:47 – Pulling Back and Finding Your People 9:57 – The 40 Things for 40 Idea 12:07 – Building the List and Buckets 17:03 – Sharing It Out and Timeline 20:11 – Favorite Picks From the 40 21:37 – Why Celebration Matters 23:05 – Template Offer and Wrap Up RESOURCES * Jen's "40 Things for 40 [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WuKwQIlI7U5wwdF8BxKBe_o8_lWiq_MX/view?usp=sharing]" Template * Saltwell Farm Kitchen — between Topeka and Lawrence, Kansas (https://www.saltwellfarmkitchen.com [https://www.saltwellfarmkitchen.com/]) * Google Sites — the free platform Jen used to build and share her celebration list (https://sites.google.com [https://sites.google.com/]) * Google Forms — used for RSVPs and tracking signups (https://forms.google.com [https://forms.google.com/]) * ChatGPT — Jen used this to help brainstorm ideas for her final bucket of five (https://chat.openai.com [https://chat.openai.com/]) * Pinterest — also used for inspiration while building the list (https://www.pinterest.com [https://www.pinterest.com/]) Want to learn more? The Thread [https://www.thethreadwlc.com/] Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network [https://www.ictpod.net]. Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

72. The Importance of Detours with Career and Development Coach, Jenna Bottolfsen

What if the path that didn't work out was actually the one preparing you for exactly where you're supposed to be? Career and leadership coach Jenna Bottolfsen joins me for a conversation about the unexpected pivots, restarts, and pauses that shape us — and why the thing you thought was a setback might actually be the most important step in your story. Jenna went from 25 years in corporate HR to a failed first attempt at entrepreneurship right as COVID hit, back to corporate, and then into the unexpected opportunity of purchasing an established business. She now runs Wallace Associates, helping people navigate career transitions, clarify their value, and take confident next steps. This conversation is full of practical tools and permission-giving perspective for anyone sitting with uncertainty about what comes next. Highlights * Why "detours are signs too" — and how Cleo Wade's poem frames the entire conversation * The difference between a failure and a learning opportunity, and why Jenna refuses to use the word failure * How letting go of a corporate title is often the hardest — and most necessary — first step * The role values and purpose play when someone feels stuck or out of alignment in their career * Why Jenna starts every client conversation with, "What got you into this field in the first place?" * The power of "five seconds of insane courage" — and how you don't have to be brave for long, just long enough * Two practical tools: the "You Are Here" exercise and the Worst Case Scenario spiral * Why "expectations are the killer of joy" — and how loosening them opens the door to forward movement * The mindset shift from "this has to be forever" to "what's my next right step?" * How a friend's grief over a missed promotion led to the realization that the job she didn't get was actually protecting what mattered most to her Chapters 0:00 — Introduction & About Jenna 2:02 — Detours Are Signs (Cleo Wade poem) 2:44 — Milestone Catch-Up 3:44 — Jenna's COVID Leap & Return to Corporate 4:52 — Buying Wallace Associates 6:07 — Resilience After Setbacks 8:10 — Five Seconds of Courage 10:26 — Audra's First Business Lesson 12:35 — Detours & Alignment 15:39 — Questions for When You're Feeling Stuck 20:09 — Letting Go of Identity 24:55 — The "You Are Here" & Worst Case Scenario Tools 28:19 — The Next Right Step Mindset 31:33 — Closing: Loosen Your Expectations Resources Mentioned * In a World of Sunrises by Cleo Wade [https://cleowade.com/] — the book Audra references and from which she reads the "Detours are signs too" poem * Wallace Associates [https://www.wallaceassociates.com/] — Jenna Bottolfsen's career and leadership coaching business * The Next Right Thing podcast  [https://emilypfreeman.com/podcast/] Want to learn more? The Thread [https://www.thethreadwlc.com/] Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network [https://www.ictpod.net]. Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

71. The Power of Noticing with Executive Coach, Jeana Marinelli

What if the most powerful lesson from the Olympics has nothing to do with the athletes? Executive coach Jeana Marinelli joined me for a conversation straight from her last days in Florence, Italy — capping off nearly 90 days abroad that started as a one-week trip to the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. What began as a trip to see snowboarding turned into an extended season of rest, community, curiosity, and unexpected self-discovery. We talked about what it really means to be present in an experience, why we're all at risk of being passive consumers of our own lives, and how the smallest act of noticing — and then sharing what you notice — can change everything. Highlights * Jeana packed for one week and stayed for 86 days — following curiosity, awe, and wonder every step of the way * Milano Cortina 2026 was the first gender-equal Winter Olympics (and Paris 2024 was the first gender-equal Summer Olympics) — and Jeana attended both * The Olympic spectator experience is completely different from watching on TV: no commentators, no play-by-play, just raw emotion and crowd energy * Jeana reframes "spectator" — she wasn't watching the Olympics, she was participating in a community * The difference between consuming community and contributing to it is one of the episode's central threads * A chance encounter with Jaelin Kauf's family at dual moguls — sparked by offering to take their photo — turned into a full day of celebration * How "noticing + sharing what you notice" is a simple, accessible way to build connection anywhere * Why slowing down is always the starting point for meaningful change — whether in personal life or organizational leadership * Turning 40 and the lessons of living in the gray (not everything is black and white) * The National Equity Project's definition of leadership: taking ownership over something that matters Chapters 2:35 — Birthday Reflections 5:35 — From One Week to Ninety Days 7:52 — What the Trip Gave Her 10:29 — Handling Transition Seasons 12:37 — Spectator Experience Reframed 16:58 — Gender Equal Olympics 18:30 — Bringing It Home Through Writing 21:37 — Consumption Versus Contribution 29:38 — Noticing Wonder Daily 34:09 — Final Threads and Farewell Resources Mentioned * 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics [https://www.olympics.com/en/olympic-games/milano-cortina-2026] Want to learn more? The Thread [https://www.thethreadwlc.com/] Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network [https://www.ictpod.net]. Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

70. The Identity Shift No One Can Fully Prepare You For with Taryn Zweygardt, Co-Founder of Flourish Wellness Collective

What if becoming a mom didn't just change your schedule — it changed you at your core?  I sat down with Taryn Zweygardt, a therapist specializing in perinatal mental health and co-owner of Flourish, to talk about the identity shifts, the mental load, the perfectionism, and the ADHD diagnoses that so many of us didn't see coming — until motherhood cracked us open and showed us what was really there. This is a conversation for anyone who has ever wondered why it feels so hard, why they feel so different, or why the life they carefully organized before kids suddenly feels like it belongs to a stranger. Highlights * Motherhood often doesn't feel "natural" at first — and the shame that comes with that is real and incredibly common * Becoming a mom can act like a rock thrown into a still pond, bringing everything that's settled at the bottom rising to the surface * Society sells us a timeline — married, then kids, then house — but the cost of following that script without self-reflection can be high * Both Taryn and Audra were diagnosed with ADHD after becoming mothers, and motherhood was the thing that illuminated it * The mental load isn't just "feeling busy" — it's a specific and invisible weight that needs to be named, shared, and actively redistributed * Asking for help requires being direct — "I'm overwhelmed" isn't enough; specific asks like "Can you handle dinner on Tuesdays?" are what actually shift the load * The "hell yes or hell no" framework is a powerful filter for deciding what deserves your limited capacity * Not every ball is glass — knowing which ones are plastic (and can bounce if dropped) is a game-changer for managing motherhood and business simultaneously * Standards can and should shift with seasons — giving yourself permission to let the grass grow a little longer isn't failure, it's wisdom Chapters 1:03 — Motherhood Changes Everything 2:08 — Expectations vs. Reality 3:02 — When It Doesn't Feel Natural 4:42 — Normalizing the Hard Parts 7:03 — Social Media and Real Life 8:45 — Identity After Becoming Mom 10:23 — Perfectionism and ADHD Revealed 11:53 — Her Motherhood Timeline 17:27 — The Pond Rock Metaphor 20:49 — Choosing Your Parenting Path 22:51 — Trust Your Parenting Gut 23:17 — ADHD Meets Business 24:38 — Capacity and Boundaries 26:48 — Hell Yes or Hell No 28:43 — Mental Load Reality 29:31 — Asking for Direct Help 31:36 — Sharing the Invisible Work 34:09 — Fair Play in Practice 36:58 — Glass vs. Plastic Balls 38:13 — Standards for This Season 39:06 — Closing Advice and Where to Find Her Resources Mentioned * Reproductively Speaking [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reproductively-speaking/id1848436789] podcast — hosted by Taryn Zweygardt * TZ Therapy [https://www.tztherapy.com/] — Taryn's therapy practice * Flourish [https://www.flourishict.com/] — Taryn's collective (also on Instagram: @flourishict) * Taryn on Instagram: @tztherapy [https://www.instagram.com/tztherapy] Want to learn more? The Thread [https://www.thethreadwlc.com/] Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network [https://www.ictpod.net]. Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

69. What Happens When You Realize You Don’t Want the Life You’re Headed Towards with Damon Young, Founder of DK Counsulting & CEO of LEAD Wichita

What does it actually take to wake up, choose differently, and become someone new? Whether you're staring down a milestone birthday or quietly sensing it's time for a change, this conversation with Damon Young will meet you right where you are. Damon is a civic leader, executive mentor, public speaker, and founder of DK Young Consulting — and he sat down to talk candidly about what it looked like to go from heads-down in construction to stepping fully into his purpose as a connector of ideas and people. We covered the grief of letting dreams die, the power of writing something down with a shaking hand, and why 10% improvement might be the most radical thing you can do. Highlights * The "roots before fruit" framework — why focusing on the fruit actually prevents it from growing * Why 10% improvement is more transformative than trying to nail it 90% of the time * The real cost of living with intention — and what you have to let go of to get there * How the 12 Week Year changed the trajectory of Damon's life and career * The shaking-hand moment: writing down a buried dream for the first time in 15 years * Why regret is a powerful motivator — if you let it illuminate instead of sink you * Letting fantasies and alternative lives die so you can fully choose the one in front of you * What Damon's son said at his rehearsal dinner that made all the intentional living worth it * The Kia story: a small, symbolic decision that said everything about who Damon was becoming Chapters 0:00 – Choosing to Wake Up 1:18 – Meet Damon Young 2:58 – Turning 40 and 50 4:30 – Kids Grow Fast 7:38 – Roots Before Fruit (don't focus on the fruit — get in the soil) 11:22 – Shiny Objects and Grace 13:37 – The Power of Ten Percent 16:17 – Advice for Your Forties 19:42 – Damon at Thirty-Five 27:40 – Stress and Self-Soothing 31:13 – The Cost of Intention 33:54 – Letting Dreams Die 35:48 – Marriage and Becoming 24:57 – Facing Regret in New Decades 25:56 – Regret and Finite Time 26:42 – Heidi and the 12 Week Year 27:52 – Writing Down the Dream 29:34 – From Baby Steps to Paid Speaking 31:15 – Assessments and Finding Your Magic 33:57 – Regret as Motivation and Experiments 36:28 – Letting Go of Comparison 42:35 – The Kia Identity Shift 44:30 – Kids Notice Your Growth 45:52 – Where to Find Damon Resources Mentioned * The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran & Michael Lennington — the goal-setting framework that helped Damon write down his dream for the first time: https://www.12weekyear.com [https://www.12weekyear.com/] * Arthur Brooks — author and social scientist; Damon references his concept of the "reverse bucket list": https://www.arthurbrooks.com [https://www.arthurbrooks.com/] * When Everyone Leads — https://kansasleadershipcenter.org/when-everyone-leads/ [https://kansasleadershipcenter.org/when-everyone-leads/] * Designing Your Life — Stanford framework referenced for experimenting and "renting" ideas before committing: https://designingyour.life [https://designingyour.life/] * DK Young Consulting — Damon's boutique consultancy focused on vision casting, executive mentoring, and public speaking: https://dkyconsulting.com [https://dkyconsulting.com/] * Lead Wichita — civic leadership organization where Damon serves as contract CEO: https://leadwichita.org [https://leadwichita.org/] Want to learn more? The Thread [https://www.thethreadwlc.com/] Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network [https://www.ictpod.net]. Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.