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What does your relationship with food reveal about your relationship with yourself? We sit down with functional nutritionist and food psychology specialist Sue Van Raes to explore the powerful intersection of nourishment, identity, and self-trust. We talk about emotional eating, the cultural narratives around control and discipline, and how reclaiming pleasure and intuition in how we eat can ripple into every other area of our lives. Whether you’ve struggled with food or are simply ready for a more integrated and joyful relationship with your body, this episode offers both insight and real permission.

Topics:

• Food psychology + emotional eating
• Women’s relationship with nourishment
• Stress + hormone regulation
• Nervous system patterns around food
• Reclaiming pleasure + intuitive eating
• Identity and body trust
• Healing through nourishment
• Letting go of all-or-nothing thinking

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:25 Sue's Background and Achievements

01:02 Developing a Sacred Friendship

02:10 Exploring the Inner Rebel

06:53 Sue's Journey of Self-Discovery

08:57 Food and Emotional Well-being

22:40 Navigating Expansion and Visibility

26:53 Serendipitous Connections and Opportunities

28:39 Overcoming Podcast Nerves

29:56 Embracing Fun and Freedom in Book Launch

31:18 Slowing Down for Authentic Expansion

32:21 Questioning Limiting Beliefs

35:21 Understanding Sensations and Food Relationships

40:08 Exploring Different Types of Hunger

46:18 The Pleasure of Reminiscing

49:39 Living with Purpose and Aliveness

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If you loved today’s episode, please leave a review and share your favorite takeaways by screenshotting this episode and tagging us on Instagram! We also have a free monthly community call on the first Wednesday of every month, join here!

CONNECT WITH INNER REBEL

Follow Inner Rebel Podcast: @innerrebelpodcast
Follow Melissa: @melissa-bauknight
Follow Jessica: @bydesignwithjess
Visit the Inner Rebel website
Check out The Nova Community and become a member https://thenovaglobal.com/

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In this rare and deeply honest conversation, we sit down with Jeff Salzenstein — former top-100 tennis player turned executive performance coach — for a soulful exploration of identity, grief, resilience, and the emotional reckoning that comes when success is no longer the point.

Jeff opens up about the moment he knew it was time to leave tennis, the trauma that called him into coaching, and the recent experiences that are humbling him back into his body — and back into his heart. Together, we unpack what it means to be truly seen, the edges of emotional risk that no one talks about, and the surprising places the inner rebel shows up in midlife.

This one’s for the over-functioners, the fixers, the seekers, and the late bloomers. For anyone wondering if it’s too late to change your story — or be truly seen in the one you’re already living.

00:00 Introduction and Setting the Scene

00:42 Meet Jeff Selzen Stein

01:13 Tennis Career Highlights and Challenges

01:40 The Importance of Names and Identity

04:49 Inner Rebel and Personal Growth

07:41 The Role of Creativity in Tennis

11:25 Holistic Approach to Performance

19:31 Navigating Fear and Intuition

26:14 Transitioning from Tennis to Coaching

31:13 Helping My Brother's Transformation

31:57 From Alone to Community: A Journey of Accountability

32:52 Navigating Life Transitions and Embracing New Challenges

33:09 The Struggle with Community and the Lone Wolf Mentality

35:06 Exploring Relationships and the Desire for Family

36:57 The Importance of Self-Work and Vulnerability

43:30 Caring for My Father and Facing Personal Judgments

47:59 Reflecting on My Brother's Journey and Its Impact

53:01 The Pain of Unseen Relationships and the Path to Healing

56:14 Concluding Thoughts and Gratitude

Support the show

If you loved today’s episode, please leave a review and share your favorite takeaways by screenshotting this episode and tagging us on Instagram! We also have a free monthly community call on the first Wednesday of every month, join here!

CONNECT WITH INNER REBEL

Follow Inner Rebel Podcast: @innerrebelpodcast
Follow Melissa: @melissa-bauknight
Follow Jessica: @bydesignwithjess
Visit the Inner Rebel website
Check out The Nova Community and become a member https://thenovaglobal.com/

Send us a text

In this special episode, we turn the mic toward Inner Rebel co-host Melissa Bauknight — and what unfolds is a deeply honest, powerful conversation about identity, expansion, and the kind of community that changes everything.

Melissa shares the story of her becoming — from high-achieving corporate sales leader silently battling imposter syndrome, to spiritual seeker, coach, and ultimately the founder of The Nova, a global women’s collective redefining leadership, belonging, and power. Through her lived experience, she offers a grounded and generous roadmap for what it really takes to come home to yourself — especially when the world you grew up in taught you to conform.

This episode explores what it means to be truly seen — and how that simple act can unlock lifetimes of untapped potential. We talk about the role of chosen family, the discomfort of being witnessed in your fullness, and the sacred rebellion of building a life that reflects who you really are.

If you’ve ever felt like the black sheep, or you’re navigating your own next chapter — in business, identity, or belonging — Melissa’s story is a reminder that transformation is rarely linear, community is never optional, and who you’re becoming is already in motion.

TOPICS:

• Navigating spiritual awakening and expanding beyond the rules we’re raised by
• How being witnessed changes everything
• The slow, courageous unraveling of identity and friendships
• The birth of a soul business rooted in alignment and integrity
• Redefining belonging through chosen family and conscious community
• Why community is oxygen — and how to create the village you long for

Support the show

If you loved today’s episode, please leave a review and share your favorite takeaways by screenshotting this episode and tagging us on Instagram! We also have a free monthly community call on the first Wednesday of every month, join here!

CONNECT WITH INNER REBEL

Follow Inner Rebel Podcast: @innerrebelpodcast
Follow Melissa: @melissa-bauknight
Follow Jessica: @bydesignwithjess
Visit the Inner Rebel website
Check out The Nova Community and become a member https://thenovaglobal.com/