In this episode of The Bring Your Big Energy Podcast, Stacey K sits down with Mandy Merrifield — transformational coach, founder of The Confidence Hour, and author of F*ck the Fairytale: Find Your Own Magic — for a raw, powerful conversation about identity, recovery, and rewriting the “should” life.

Mandy takes us back to her biggest Intensity Point: the day she stopped drinking after years of alcoholism that escalated to a breaking point.

She shares what it was like to lose everything — career, stability, identity — and how she rebuilt her life from the ground up with radical honesty, support, and one foot in front of the other.

Together, Stacey and Mandy explore:

• The moment Mandy knew: “I can’t do this anymore.”

• How perfectionism and the “good girl” identity can quietly destroy us

• Why “alcohol is not just accepted — it’s expected” (and how to navigate that culture)

• The power of telling the truth and “owning the narrative”

• Letting go of pride and ego during the rebuild

• Depression, nervous system support, and the real tools that helped her keep going

• Where the “fairytale” conditioning starts — and how to question the shoulds

If you’ve ever felt like your life looks “right” but feels wrong… if you’re exhausted by expectations… or you’re standing at an Intensity Point and don’t know what comes next — this episode will meet you there with honesty, hope, and momentum.

📚 Mandy’s book: F*ck the Fairytale: Find Your Own Magic 🎧 Listen in — and let this one ignite your next brave step.

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Trigger warning: This episode includes discussion of addiction/alcoholism and depression.

Coherence Over Force + Body-Led Big Energy

In this episode, Stacey sits down with Dr. Z (Danielle “Dr. Dee” Zanzarov), Executive Health Strategist, founder of South Bay Wellness, and creator of the Coherent Longevity™ and Body-Led™ approaches.

Dr. Z works with high-performing women who look successful on the outside, but inside feel exhausted, inflamed, anxious, or disconnected. Her message is a game-changer: symptoms aren’t failures, they’re intelligent signals your body is out of coherence. And real energy doesn’t come from pushing harder. It comes from coherence, not force.

We cover:

• Dr. Z’s Intensity Point and what forced her to stop “pushing through”

• What coherence actually means (and why it matters for leadership)

• Why nervous system regulation is the foundation for energy + health

• Micro-tools you can use fast (no hour-long meditation required)

• Why you are an “experiment of one” and curiosity changes everything

• Her upcoming Pocket Coherence Coach app

Find Dr. Z:

• www.SouthBayWellness.com⁠

• ⁠www.DrDee.com⁠

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In this episode of the Bring Your Big Energy Podcast, Stacey sits down with Toby Brazwell — sales leader, speaker, community advocate, and author of The Empowerment Chords — for a powerful conversation on connection, confidence, and authentic leadership.

With more than 15 years of experience building high-performing teams and mentoring leaders, Toby shares how confidence is not something you’re born with, but something built over time through preparation, listening, and genuine connection.

Drawing from his journey in music, sales leadership, and even a City Council campaign, Toby reveals why confidence is truly a team sport — and how investing in yourself and others creates stronger relationships, deeper trust, and lasting growth.

Together, Stacey and Toby explore:

• Why connection is the foundation of leadership and success

• How preparation and listening strengthen confidence

• The role of community in personal and professional growth

• How to build authentic confidence over time

• Why helping others strengthens your own resilience

If you want to lead with greater confidence, communicate more authentically, and deepen your connection with others, this conversation will inspire and equip you.

Key reminders from Toby:* Confidence is built over time.* Confidence is a team sport.* Why you? Why not you?

Connect & Continue the Growth:
Find Toby Brazwell on Facebook to follow his work, insights, and community impact.
And if you want more tools, inspiration, and leadership energy delivered straight to you, sign up for Stacey’s Energy Hype Squad Newsletter at:
👉 www.bringyourbigenergy.com

On this episode of Bring Your Big Energy Podcast, I’m joined by Elana Merzin — marketing and social media designer, founder of The WildHERness Collective, and a woman who sees the world through color, healing, and connection.

This is a powerful conversation for anyone who has ever felt too sensitive, too intuitive, too creative, or too different for the systems they were trying to survive inside.

With over 15 years in nonprofit and Jewish communal spaces,

Elana opens up about burnout in impact work — the kind that hits your body, your spirit, and your sense of identity. What happens when the work you care about deeply starts to consume you? When your empathy becomes exhaustion?

We talk about:

• Burnout in mission-driven spaces

• Creativity as medicine

• Reclaiming your inner child

• Neurodivergence as a strength

• Why community is essential for healing

• The courage it takes to show off your gifts instead of hiding them

Elana shares how the pandemic became a turning point — leading her back to art, to stillness, and ultimately to founding The WildHERness Collective, a space designed for wildly creative, empathetic women in impact to reconnect with their purpose.

If you’ve ever felt like your sensitivity was a liability instead of a superpower — this episode is for you.

Big Energy isn’t about being louder. It’s about being fully expressed.

If this conversation resonated, make sure you’re on my newsletter list. Sign up HERE for deeper reflections, tools, and behind-the-scenes Big Energy leadership insights you won’t find anywhere else.

In this episode of the Bring Your Big Energy Podcast, Stacey sits down with Beverly Cornell—Founder of Wickedly Branded and creator of the Brand Magic Method—a colleague and friend of 30 years.

Beverly supports women-led service businesses (coaches, consultants, creatives) who are doing all the “right” things, yet still feel disconnected from their brand, overwhelmed by visibility, or unsure how to clearly express what they do.

Together, Stacey and Beverly dig into why real growth doesn’t come from pushing harder or chasing trends—it comes from alignment.

In this conversation, you’ll hear:

• Why branding is identity work (especially for women)

• How to simplify visibility by choosing one platform and going all in

• The “next 4–6 steps” approach to building momentum without burnout

• Practical ways to repurpose content so you’re not constantly starting from scratch

• How self-trust changes everything: your message, your confidence, and your business

If you’ve been feeling like your business has evolved but your brand hasn’t caught up—or you’re tired of performing for the algorithm—this episode is for you.

Connect with Beverly + Wickedly Branded:

Website + newsletter: wickedlybranded.com

Podcast: Marketing Magic in the Messy Middle (available on all podcast platforms)

And if you love these kinds of conversations, make sure you’re on my newsletter list too. Join HERE for weekly big energy, leadership tools, and updates on new podcast episodes.

In this powerful episode of the Bring Your Big Energy Podcast, Stacey K sits down with Kimberly Willis — stage three breast cancer survivor, financial coach, entrepreneur, and founder of Survivors Corner.

Kimberly shares how a life-altering diagnosis became the catalyst for profound personal growth, advocacy, and entrepreneurship. What began as survival transformed into purpose — and today she’s building community, empowering survivors, and helping others take control of both their health and their finances.

Together, Stacey and Kimberly explore:

• What resilience really looks like in the face of uncertainty• The role of community support in healing and empowerment• How advocacy changes outcomes in healthcare journeys• Turning pain into purpose-driven entrepreneurship• The importance of mental health, grief, and honoring loss• Time management and focus for mission-driven entrepreneurs• Measuring impact beyond money — by the lives you touch

Kimberly’s story is a reminder that it’s “only crazy until it happens.” The moments that break us open can also awaken us.

If you’ve ever faced an Intensity Point, questioned your next chapter, or felt called to build something meaningful from hardship — this episode will speak directly to you.

🎧 Tune in and be reminded: resilience isn’t about bouncing back — it’s about rising forward.

✨ Connect with Kimberly:Website HERE LinkedIn HEREInstagram HERE

And if this conversation resonated with you, make sure you’re on my newsletter list. I share leadership tools, personal reflections, and practical ways to build confidence, resilience, and authentic energy every single week. Join us HERE and keep bringing your big energy.

What if the life you’re craving is waiting on the other side of a plane ticket?

In this episode of the Bring Your Big Energy podcast, I sit down with Laura Ericson — cultural bridge-builder, entrepreneur, and founder of Laura Ericson Group Trips — to talk about reinvention, courage, solo travel, and the kind of personal growth that only happens when you step outside your comfort zone.

After a divorce became an unexpected catalyst for rediscovery, Laura made a bold move. In 2021, she walked away from a 14-year career in higher education and launched her own group travel company. Since then, she has guided over 300 solo travelers through transformative journeys across 10 countries in just over four years.

But Laura doesn’t design typical vacations.

She ventures beyond tourist hotspots, shining a light on misunderstood destinations like Cuba, Kenya, and Colombia. As a podcast host, writer, content creator, and impact-focused travel curator, she creates immersive cultural experiences that don’t just cross borders — they break down barriers.

In this conversation, we explore:

• How travel can be a powerful catalyst for reinvention

• Why leaving your comfort zone is essential for growth

• The concept of “Type 2 Fun” — embracing challenge for long-term transformation

• Solo travel and the unexpected confidence it builds

• Trusting intuition over anxiety

• Overcoming fear to pursue entrepreneurship and adventure

• Why it’s never too late to start over

Laura reminds us that courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s moving anyway. That travel can be deeply healing. And that sometimes the most meaningful growth comes from saying yes before you feel fully ready.

If you’ve been feeling restless… called to adventure… or quietly wondering if there’s more available to you — this episode is your sign.

Because life is short.

You can always find another job.

And it’s never too late to start over.

Connect with Laura:

Website: www.lauraericson.com

Type 2 Travel Podcast: https://type2travelpodcast.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lolawhiskey/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelauraericson

Travel Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/lolalovestravel

✨ If this episode sparked something in you, make sure you’re on my newsletter list. I share leadership insights, personal growth tools, behind-the-scenes reflections, and early access to events and programs.✨

Join us and keep building your Big Energy: HERE

And if you loved this episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who’s ready for her next chapter.

In this episode of the Bring Your Big Energy Podcast, Stacey sits down with Lisa Roche, healer, founder of Nagare Life, and host of the Find Your Flow podcast, for a deeply grounding conversation about healing, resilience, and rediscovering your natural flow.

Lisa shares her personal journey of overcoming a debilitating spinal injury and how that experience became a catalyst for profound healing and self-discovery. Together, Stacey and Lisa explore what healing really means — not as something to “fix,” but as a process of remembering who you are, listening to your body, and giving yourself permission to slow down.

This conversation highlights the power of pause, the role of meditation and sound healing, and why asking for help is often one of the most courageous steps we can take. Lisa reminds us that healing is available to everyone — sometimes we just need an invitation to remember that truth.

If you’re navigating an intensity point, feeling disconnected, or craving a more aligned way to move forward, this episode offers both reassurance and practical insight.

Key Takeaways

• Healing is a journey of rediscovery, not a destination

• Every person has the innate capacity to heal themselves

• Pausing and listening inward is essential for true healing

• Resilience is built through small, intentional steps

• Finding flow means discovering what works for you, not following a formula

About Lisa Roche

Lisa Roche is a healer and the host of Find Your Flow, an unfiltered podcast exploring what really happens when life stops working — and how burnout, breakdowns, and breakthroughs can become pathways back to alignment.

For nearly 15 years, Lisa has guided individuals toward deep healing using a blend of holistic modalities. She is a Feng Shui Expert, Reiki Master Teacher, Medical Intuitive, and Channeler for Transformative Meditations, and the founder of Nagare Life, where she inspires intentional living rooted in balance, beauty, and purpose.

Lisa is also a contributing author to The Energy Medicine Solution and Born to Rise. She is currently based in Pennsylvania and preparing for an exciting move to Ireland.

Connect with Lisa

• 🌿 Website & all links: nagarelife.com

• 🎧 Podcast: Find Your Flow (now on YouTube)

• 💬 Community, blog, resources available via her website

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