Your Kick Ass Life Podcast

Charlie Gilkey is back on the YKAL podcast this week, this time to talk about productivity with a twist. So many listeners offered such great feedback when he joined me on the podcast the first time around, that I knew I had to bring him back. For those of you new to Charlie, he is the founder of Productive Flourishing and the author of the new book, Start Finishing: How to Go From Idea to Done. Charlie helps people finish the stuff that matters. I mean, come on, we all could use a little bit of that in our lives, am I right?  In this latest book, Charlie walks readers through some different perspectives around getting shit done, which we talk about in this episode. We touch on topics such as perfectionism and how it’s holding you back from reaching your goals, what to do when the naysayers or derailers don’t believe in your projects, and how to get motivated for a task you are dreading. Plus we talk understanding that you have moments of choice and how changing the way you talk to yourself (and about yoursel

We like the idea of hiring a life coach, the idea of listening to all the podcasts, the idea of reading all the books and then, many times we don’t actually do the personal development work. Yes, doing this kind of what I call “passive learning” does matter. You are getting it in between your ears (better than your inner-critic!). But, there does come a time when action needs to happen. This week I have another YKAL Coaching episode for you. And Marisa, whom I coach in this episode, is a perfect example of someone doing the work.  Let’s get into this week’s coaching session. Meet Marisa, a new entrepreneur and recruiting agency employee from North Carolina. She came to me because she wanted to learn how to slow down, which we talk about in this episode. But like many coaching sessions, our conversation took a turn. We turned to the topic of values, including the difference between perfectionism and striving for excellence, as well as, Marisa’s values around integrity and patience. And then the conversation zi

This week’s guest is going to knock your socks off, y’all. Kara Loewentheil is Master Certified Coach who has pivoted her law career into a life coaching business, using her background in feminism theory to help women get the patriarchy out of their brains. Kara is also the host of the podcast, Unf*ck Your Brain and simply a stunning individual.  In today’s episode we talk all about the social messaging we receive as women and how this messaging plays into our own self-critical thoughts. Kara also talks about the work she does with women to undo the process and help them to think about themselves the way they want to. I’ve been looking forward to introducing you to Kara and I hope you enjoy our conversation.  In this episode you’ll hear: The reason women’s inner critic or not feeling good is a direct result of the patriarchy (6:00) You can’t suddenly be nicer to yourself (aka inner critic work) (10:30) How Kara addresses thought work and those who have experienced trauma and why thought work is so personal

I am delighted for this week’s episode; for two reasons. First, we are back with an episode of Conversations About Shit That Matters with Unqualified People. And second, the unqualified person joining me is none other than my bestie, Amy E. Smith. If this your first time hearing her, I know you will love her. And if this isn’t the first time hearing Amy, well, welcome back! This week, we’re talking all about money.  Everyone’s experience is different when it comes to money. Our stories vary, our circumstances might be different, but so many of us struggle in the same areas when it comes to money and our emotions. Amy has been on her own money journey for some time now and she even influenced me, gave me pause and helped me realize that I had a lot of money issues I needed to work on too. In this conversation, we share some of our own experiences with money, as well as some tips and tools with doing the work around money. We hope our conversation is hugely eye-opening and helpful. Let’s get on with it!  In thi

Raise your hand if you said yes to something you really didn’t want to do. And in doing so, you are saying no to something you actually WANT to do. It’s another exciting day here over YKAL headquarters, because it’s another coaching session episode.

To finish up the summer archived episodes run, I bring to you my conversation with Kate Courageous. This episode originally aired in May of last year - but the content is very much still applicable today! If you already heard it, it is worth listening to again. Kate is a dear friend of mine, as well, and I am thrilled that I can share this episode with you again, as it includes her thoughts on fear, courage, and the inner-critic.   Kate is also the author of The Courage Habit: How to Accept Your Fears, Release the Past, and Live Your Courageous Life. I am so happy her book is available! Today, we cover the brain science behind courage habits, and identifying and then dealing with habits that are holding you back.   In this episode you’ll hear: Four fear patterns that get people stuck  Some ways we try to deal with fear  The more you go into the things you fear, the wider your comfort zone becomes  Reaching out and creating a community, courage-based values, and being vulnerable  Fear is a wound and needs

We are back this week with another archived episode that is from a long time ago. In it, my friend and associate Amy Ahlers, author of, Big Fat Lies Women Tell Themselves and Reform Your Inner Mean Girl, talks about all things inner mean girl (aka inner critic)!  Since the original airing of this episode, I have really gotten to know Amy. She has so much experience and tenure in the personal development industry, this woman knows her stuff, so I am happy to re-share this episode with you.  We all love formulas and processes, right? Well, Amy has come up with a 3-step process for transforming your inner mean girl, which she talks about in the episode.  In this episode, you’ll also hear: What exactly is inner-wisdom and what to do if we don’t know where to start when it comes to listening to it.  I ask Amy what is the most common big fat lie women tell themselves. (The answer doesn’t surprise me at all!)  Amy tells us what her biggest trigger is and what are the steps she actually takes to manage her own inn

Hey Ass Kickers! I hope you are having a happy summer. This week on the podcast, Rebekah “Bex” Borucki is back! For those of you who are new to Rebekah, she is a mother of five, TV host, a meditation and yoga guide, and, a birth Doula. She is also the author of two books, You Have 4 Minutes to Change Your Life and her newest book, Managing the Motherload.   Rebekah’s mission is to make mental health support and stress management tools accessible to all, especially black and indigenous people of Color, LGBTQ plus folks and other marginalized communities. And I am super pumped to bring my conversation with Rebekah to you today.  We discuss her new book, including some of the lessons she’s learned over the years from being a mother. But let’s be clear, before you check out of this episode, Rebekah states both in her book and in this episode, Managing the Motherload is not a parenting book. So if you aren’t a parent, today’s episode still applies to you. We discuss topics related to being a parent, but the same t

This week I am sharing an archived episode, because ALL of us, including me, need to take a break every now and again. And I vowed to do just that this July. Today, I welcome you to listen to an oldie but goodie, my conversation with long-time friend, master certified life coach and as of this year, my coach, Susan Hyatt! Susan has been coaching for well over a decade and has thousands of fans, including Dr. Martha Beck and Maria Shriver!  One of the things that has won her many fans is the fact that this woman walks her talk. She’s used coaching techniques to drop 35 pounds, revitalize her marriage and uplevel her career. We discuss a mishmash of topics including why body issues are holding women back from leading big lives, what we can do right now to make peace with our bodies, and why it’s so important to take big risks! In this episode, you’ll also hear: Pay gap, not thigh gap: why body concerns are distracting us from our real work. Why you’ll only reap big rewards if you risk something. What's the #

This week we are back with part two of my coaching session around money with Melanie. The last time we left Melanie, she was going to be diving into some big work around money stories, core beliefs and self-worth. Today we are jumping right back into some big topics around money such as resentment, healing from the patriarchy, and getting to the bottom of unwanted identities. If you missed the first part of our conversation, you definitely want to listen to before checking out today’s episode.  In this session, Melanie shares how she has been doing with some of the personal development homework assignments I gave her, including what has been working and what she has been resisting (and why). Oh and hey, I would love to know if you are liking these coaching episodes. It’s important for me to know which kind of episodes you love (or don’t), so I can continue to bring you the content you enjoy most! Thank you for joining us for this conclusion of Melanie’s coaching session on self-worth and money issues.  In thi

Hi Ass Kickers! We have another YKAL Coaching session episode this week. We received a lot of great feedback last month when I coached Rachel on the show. I am excited to be back again, this time with a two-part coaching episode featuring Melanie.  If you can walk away from this culture without having any hangups around money, sex, or body image, you’re a-okay. But that’s the trifecta of women’s issues and most of us are feeling “meh”, or at least trying to do the work to resolve these issues. Such is the case with this week’s client, Melanie; a dog mom, working in the dental industry in Colorado.  During today’s session, she opens up about some issues she has been having around money, including managing money, self-worth, and her core beliefs about what it means to be wealthy. I am so appreciative of women like Melanie for coming on the podcast and sharing their lives with us. At the end of the day, we are having conversations around the big topics that are hard for all of us. So, thank you, Melanie, for sha

This week on the podcast I welcome, Danny-J, an award-winning entrepreneur, keynote speaker, podcast host and storyteller. Danny-J's work can be heard in her weekly show, The Best Life Podcast and can be followed in real time on all the social media platforms. She uses her real "Jerry Springer Life" stories to engage with her audience, teach life lessons and inspire others to rewrite their stories. And y’all, just wait until you hear some of her stories in this episode!   Danny-J shares her story of teen pregnancy and the decision to place her daughter for adoption, plus she details how she learned she had a biological father and met him many years later as an adult. It is so refreshing to hear honest and open stories of those in the personal development field. Danny-J shares how she processed everything and made it through to the other side. Plus, we talk about core beliefs and letting go of the ones that no longer serve you, changing negative self-talk and affirmations (are they actually bullshit or not?).

Today’s podcast episode comes from a podcast listener. She asks:  I am wondering if you have any strategies for how to help move people to a place of readiness to change? I have been doing a lot of work on myself over the past two years and am feeling so much better in my life and I notice myself wanting to spread this joy to others and show them they too can feel better! There is one person in particular in my life who I am very close to who is raising two daughters who I am even closer to. I find it very hard to sit back and watch her suffer due to her lack of skills with dealing with difficult emotions, social anxiety, and control issues. I know she is definitely not ready to change from previous conversations. She immediately shuts down any time someone tries to hold her accountable for her part in problems, uses silent treatment with them, takes no ownership for her actions and shows no awareness that all signs point to her having significant social anxiety. My heart SO wants to help this person. It is m

I am especially pumped for today's episode because it is the first time I am coaching someone on the podcast. I am so excited! But, before I dive into the content of today’s episode, I wanted to give a crash course in life coaching (for anyone new to the concept) and share how I actually coach my clients. Traditionally, life coaches act as a guide when working with clients. They ask the right questions or offer clients different perspectives. One important item to note: life coaches don't give advice nor do they give their opinion. The way I work with clients is a mix between life coaching and consulting or advising. Because I've been doing this work for so long and with the same type of woman, I see patterns over and over and over again, which helps me better help those I work with. I also get really curious. You will hear this as you listen to my session with Rachel. Speaking of Rachel, she is one of my past group coaching participants and kindly agreed to do this special podcast coaching session episode. D

This week’s episode has been a long time coming. It all started back in 2016, following the presidential election. At the time, I realized I needed to take a step back and unlearn a lot of the things that I had learned as a young adult. I needed to look at many important things through a new lens and figure out what I could do with my platform that's helpful to those that follow me. The thing is, if you’re “doing” personal development (whether you’re a student, teacher, or both), the topic of social justice matters. The end.  I spent a decent amount of time conversing with people, reading, and listening to podcasts about societal justice, the patriarchy, and race relations, all in an attempt to understand, at a deeper level, the world that surrounds me. One of the people I’ve been learning from is Dr. Tee Williams. Dr. Tee is an educator, consultant, and writer residing in Los Angeles. His passion is helping people and organizations transform themselves so that together we can collectively transform the world

Hey ass kickers! I'm happy to bring you today’s podcast episode with guest, Kira Sabin. Kira is a positive psychology practitioner and a certified life coach. She is obsessed with having bigger conversations around love and relationships; annnnd, Kira is a real life friend of mine, which means I am EXTRA excited to share this episode with you. This week we are talking about relationships, Kira’s area of expertise. But wait, even if you aren’t partnered, stick with us. The conversation we're having today doesn't matter if you are partnered or if you are single. This episode is for everyone because all humans are in some kind of relationship and are deserving of love. In this episode we discussed love and what it actually is (or can be), the knowledge that love is for everyone and how to overcome feelings of unworthiness. In this episode you’ll hear: What nobody teaches us about love and why Kira doesn’t believe in love at first sight (7:28) The knowledge that love is for everyone, why many don’t feel worthy

Hi ass kickers! This solo episode comes from something one of my clients told me about, and it was something I’ve heard from many women in the YKAL community. My client went to a live event-- a personal development sort of conference/retreat. She went alone, and this particular client is, like many people, massively uncomfortable with vulnerability, but really wants to change and grow, so she did the vulnerable thing by going alone to this event. The event was all women, and a few hundred there. As the days went on, my client kept noticing people talking about their “a-ha” moments, their breakthroughs, and how their felt their lives shifting. And my client was feeling...well, not that. It’s not that she didn’t enjoy herself and have many takeaways from the event. But, she fell into comparisonitis. Listen to the episode as I talk more about what to do if you find yourself comparing your personal development journey to someone else’s. http://yourkickasslife.com/podcast/283/ Learn more about your ad choices. Vis

This week Dr. Sasha Heinz is hanging out with me on the podcast. And as usual, I am super excited! I can’t help it, y’all-- I get excited when I get to talk to someone who I know in real life mostly because I CAN’T WAIT to introduce them to YOU. Sasha is my friend, is very, very smart and talks about all of the things we love to talk about over here at the YKAL headquarters, like negative self-talk and perfectionism. She is a Developmental Psychologist and Life Coach, is an expert in Positive Psychology, lasting behavioral change, and the science of getting unstuck. In today’s episode we talk about being deliberate with our thinking and how doing so has an effect on our emotions. We also talk about negative emotions and how we can have either gratuitous negative emotions or instructive negative emotions (and what that all means, plus what I call them instead of “negative” emotions). And we also tackle the million dollar question, “How can someone get to a place of worthiness, of feeling worthy?” In this episo

I am super excited to bring you this episode for three reasons! First, I have a fun confession at the top of the show. Second, I make an announcement about a new addition to the podcast format and let me tell you, I am soooo excited about it. And last, but certainly not least, I am thrilled to share my conversation with Kelly Covert!  Kelly is the creator of In Her Voice, a podcast for women who are called to do more. Yes, Kelly, yes! She is also an inner voice coach with a passion for helping women believe and achieve their big vision. I simply love this woman and I have no doubt you will too. In today’s episode, you’ll hear Kelly and I talk about inner voice coaching and what it is. Plus, we talk about the importance of taking up space in the world as a woman, which in a nutshell means deciding you are worthy of sharing your story, your thoughts, and your feelings without fear or regret. Finally, we close out our conversation on the topic of inspired potential and how tapping into it is not about having to

It’s May y’all, I just come alive in the springtime! I am equally excited to bring you my conversation with Jeanette LeBlanc, writer and author of the book, “You Are Not Too Much.” I have followed her work for a while and think she's a brilliant writer. And yes, in this episode we're going to be talking about writing. Specifically, we talk about writing rituals, how to create one and use it to connect with your story. Plus, we talk about how writing can be transformative and even therapeutic. If you don't consider yourself a writer, don’t skip this episode. Why? Well, because we also touch on that topic too. I believe that we are all writers in our own right and we all have a story to share. Whether you plan on sharing your story with one person, nobody or millions, writing can be an amazing outlet for creativity and meditation. In this episode you’ll hear: Why “I’m not a writer, so nevermind,” doesn’t fly with Jeanette and why helping people that think that way is her passion (5 minutes and 25 seconds) Jea