In this episode of the UpliftHER Leadership Series on the Self-Care Goddess Podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Mary Brodie , digital experience strategist, founder of Gearmark, two-time author, and a thoughtful voice at the intersection of technology, human experience, and conscious leadership.

Our conversation was a beautiful, expansive exploration of what it truly means to navigate change with grace. Mary shared her nonlinear career journey from aspiring English professor to digital strategist, from corporate roles shaped by layoffs and pivots to founding her own consultancy — and the deep self-awareness, curiosity, and compassion that carried her through each chapter.

This episode weaves together career evolution, leadership, spirituality, and resilience, offering gentle yet powerful insights for anyone navigating uncertainty or redefining success on their own terms.

✨ Here’s what we explored in this rich and reflective conversation:

✅ Embracing nonlinear career paths and releasing the pressure to “have it all figured out”

✅ Why knowing what you don’t want can be just as powerful as knowing what you do

✅ Navigating layoffs, job loss, and career transitions without internalizing shame

✅ Reframing rejection and understanding that most setbacks are not personal

✅ The role of curiosity, experimentation, and flexibility in conscious leadership

✅ How meditation, Buddhism, and self-compassion reshaped Mary’s inner world

✅ The difference between empathy and compassion — and why compassion creates healthier boundaries

✅ Letting go of codependency and learning not to take things personally

✅ Acceptance as a leadership skill, not a form of resignation ✅ Insights from Mary’s upcoming book: Acceptance: The Key to Being a Good Listener

Mary reminds us that most paths are reversible, few decisions are permanent, and growth often comes from allowing ourselves to pause, reflect, and evolve. Through her wisdom and lived experience, she invites us to lead with presence, listen more deeply, and meet life’s transitions with compassion rather than fear.

Leadership isn’t about certainty; it’s about awareness. When we stop taking life’s twists personally and start meeting them with acceptance and curiosity, we open the door to more aligned, human-centered leadership.

✨ Take a deep breath. Your journey doesn’t need to make sense to anyone else — only to you.
Connect with Mary BrodieLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mfbrodie/Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mary-Brodie/author/B07ZBP6359?shoppingPortalEnabled=trueWebsite: https://www.mfbrodie.com/Connect with Me ( Rita)

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In this deeply moving episode of the Self-Care Goddess Podcast, we explore the healing power of love, presence, and self-awareness with Chrystal Rae, spiritual author, yogi, artist, poet, and co-owner of multiple yoga studios and teacher training schools based in Dallas, Texas.

Chrystal shares her extraordinary life journey, including a near-death experience following a devastating car accident that became a profound turning point in her understanding of love, purpose, and the nature of the soul. What emerged from that moment was a clear mission: to remind the world that love is all that matters.

Through heartfelt storytelling, spiritual wisdom, and lived experience, Chrystal invites us to see healing not as something to fix, but as something to remember, our true nature rooted in unconditional love. Drawing from yoga philosophy, near-death experiences, sound healing, and conscious living, this conversation gently guides listeners back home to themselves.

✨ Here’s what you’ll learn in this soul-nourishing episode:

✅ How a near-death experience reshaped Chrystal’s understanding of love, life, and purpose

✅ Why love is not just an emotion, but a universal healing force and state of consciousness

✅ The difference between intimacy-based love and unconditional, universal love

✅ How trauma, addiction, and shadow experiences can become pathways to healing and wisdom

✅ Why leaning into discomfort is often where the deepest transformation begins

✅ How yoga, breathwork, and meditation help regulate the nervous system and build emotional resilience

✅ Why sound and light are emerging modalities in healing and future medicine

✅ The role of self-compassion in breaking cycles of perfectionism, addiction, and self-judgment

✅ A simple guiding question to return to during difficult moments: “What is my most loving thought, word, or action?”

✅ How to respond instead of react when life feels overwhelming

✅ Chrystal’s perspective on forgiveness as a way to free yourself, not condone harm

✅ The importance of choosing an “overriding principle” for your life as a compass for decisions

✅ Why healing is a daily practice rooted in presence, breath, and conscious choice

Connect with Chrystal Rae

🌐 Website:https://chrystalraesoul.com/📖 Book: Love Letters to Your Soul (available on Amazon, audiobook narrated by Chrystal)🎙️ Speaker, sound healing guide, yoga teacher, and spiritual mentor

Connect with me (Rita)

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In this inspiring episode of the Self-Care Goddess Podcast, UpliftHER Leadership Series, we welcome Jill Proud, leadership coach, peer group facilitator, and founder of Vital Visionary, for an honest and empowering conversation about vitality, vision, and sustainable leadership for high-performing women.

With over 20 years of experience supporting Olympic athletes, CEOs, founders, and executive teams, Jill shares how true leadership begins from the inside out. She reflects on her personal journey, the lived experiences that shaped her work, and why women do not need to push harder to succeed. Instead, she invites leaders to ground themselves in clarity, internal alignment, and embodied vitality.

This episode is a powerful reminder that success does not require self-sacrifice. It requires presence, self-trust, and the courage to center yourself in your own vision.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this empowering episode:

✅ Why vitality is the foundation of sustainable leadership, not hustle or burnout

✅ How women are conditioned to prioritize everyone else and how to gently shift back inward

✅ The difference between external success and internal success

✅ Why clarity is the first pillar of confident, impactful leadership

✅ How to reconnect with your personal vision beyond roles, titles, and expectations

✅ The power of peer groups and being in rooms where women truly feel understood

✅ Common patterns Jill sees in high-performing women, including feeling stuck, isolated, or exhausted

✅ How menopause, life transitions, grief, and leadership pressure intersect and what actually helps

✅ The role of boundaries, nervous system regulation, and embodied self-care in leadership

✅ Jill’s “Three Words” framework and how it becomes a daily filter for aligned decision-making

✅ Why embracing feminine leadership does not mean losing strength, but leading with wholeness

Jill’s Core Leadership Wisdom

“If you’re not vital, you can’t deliver on the vision.”

Connect with Jill Proud

• Website: https://www.vitalvisionary.com
• LinkedIn: Jill Proud
• Jill's links and resources: https://linktr.ee/jill_proud

• Founder of Vital Visionary Leadership coaching, women’s peer groups, and executive facilitation

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In this energizing episode of the Self-Care Goddess Podcast, we explore strength, nutrition, metabolism, and longevity with Dr. Derek Alessi, fitness and nutrition expert with nearly 30 years of experience helping adults over 40 lose fat, build strength, and reclaim vibrant health.

Dr. Derek shares his powerful personal journey, including losing over 80 pounds in his early twenties, and how that transformation shaped his mission to help people improve their health using sustainable, science-backed strategies rather than extreme diets or fitness fads.

This conversation is a deep dive into how nutrition, strength training, mindset, and self-care work together to support energy, hormone balance, fat loss, and long-term wellbeing as we age.

✨ Here’s what you’ll learn in this empowering episode:

✅ Why nutrition and exercise are not interchangeable and how each uniquely supports health and metabolism

✅ The importance of stabilizing blood sugar and insulin for fat loss, energy, and longevity

✅ How muscle loss with age slows metabolism and why strength training is non-negotiable after 40

✅ Why protein is “first importance” for the body and how it supports muscles, organs, hormones, and the brain

✅ Animal protein vs plant-based protein and why complete amino acids matter

✅ How continuous glucose monitors can personalize nutrition and reveal hidden blood sugar spikes

✅ Common fat-loss misconceptions in midlife, especially for women

✅ Why extreme diets like keto or carnivore are often unsustainable for most people

✅ The role of dietary fat in hormone health and brain function

✅ How and when to strength train for fat loss, metabolism, and joint health

✅ The benefits and risks of HIIT training as we age

✅ How fasting can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce stress eating for some individuals

✅ Why mindset is the foundation of sustainable health and self-care

A Powerful Reminder from Dr. Derek:

“You must believe you are worth improving. If the mindset isn’t there, the strategy won’t last.”

Connect with Dr. Derek Alessi

• Website & Resources: https://strengthgenesis.com/
• Instagram: @alessifitness
• LinkedIn: Derek Alessi
• Free eBooks, recipes, programs, and educational tools available on his site

Connect with Me (Rita)

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In this soul-nourishing episode of the UpliftHER Leadership Series on the Self-Care Goddess Podcast, I sit down with Anu Bhat — founder of The Rural Painter, art curator, Reiki practitioner, world traveler, and intuitive, heart-led entrepreneur whose work brings the spiritual essence of Southeast Asia into homes around the world.

From Indonesia to Nepal, Vietnam to Thailand, Anu has spent years cultivating relationships with local artists, honoring their cultural stories, and transforming their creations into meaningful, mindful art experiences in the West. Her approach blends mindfulness, feminine energy, cultural wisdom, and intentional living — creating sanctuaries of beauty and peace in both homes and corporate spaces.

This episode is a gentle, inspiring exploration of work-life balance, preventing burnout, spiritual self-care, intuition, and the evolving role of women in leadership.

In This Insightful + Transformational Conversation, We Explore:🌿

✅ How meditation and spiritual openness sparked the creation of The Rural Painter✅ The challenges and beauty of working with artists across Southeast Asia✅ Why storytelling, heritage, and cultural identity matter in modern art✅ The healing power of Reiki, EFT tapping, and energy awareness✅ How to recognize early signs of burnout in the workplace — and why numbness is a warning sign✅ The importance of protecting your energetic boundaries as an empath✅ Work-life balance vs. work-life intention — and how Anu organizes her week with mindfulness✅ How feminine energy, authenticity, and softness make women stronger leaders✅ Advice for high-performing women navigating uncertainty, self-doubt, and resilience✅ The role of art, beauty, and ritual in regulating nervous system stress✅ Why women must give themselves permission to rest, receive, and take up space✅ The future of culturally conscious, heart-centered leadership

Anu’s stories remind us that beauty is medicine, presence is power, and leadership begins with the courage to slow down and listen inward. Her wisdom invites us to honor the sacred in the everyday — through art, breath, movement, and meaningful connection.

✨ Take a deep breath… your life is a canvas you are still painting.

Connect With Anu Bhat

Website: https://theruralpainter.com
Instagram: @theruralpainter
Book Your FREE Consult: https://theruralpainter.com/consult#get-started

In This Insightful + Transformational Conversation, We Explore:🌿 Connect With Anu BhatConnect with Me ( Rita)

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In this powerful episode of the Self-Care Goddess Podcast, trauma practitioner and breathwork guide Brian Coones joins us for a deeply grounding conversation on emotional healing, nervous system regulation, and the transformative role breathwork plays in recovering from trauma.

Brian shares his own lived experience with trauma, addiction, and emotional dysregulation — and how rebuilding his relationship with breath, sleep, and movement helped him reclaim clarity, presence, and inner strength. Through his work guiding thousands of students in breathwork and trauma integration, Brian offers a compassionate, embodied perspective on what healing truly requires.

Together, we explore the science of the nervous system, why the body carries our emotional history, and how simple daily practices can restore safety, resilience, and emotional freedom.

✨ Here’s what you’ll learn in this healing-focused episode:

✅ The link between trauma, emotional suppression, and nervous system dysregulation✅ Why the body carries unprocessed stress — and how breathwork helps release it✅ How breath patterns influence fight-or-flight, freeze, and emotional reactivity✅ Why somatic practices can create deeper healing than traditional talk therapy✅ The role of community, support, and co-regulation in trauma recovery✅ Why men often struggle to access emotions — and the importance of safe spaces to feel✅ How changing your breathing can immediately shift stress, anxiety, and overwhelm
✅ Brian’s teaching on “bottom-up” healing vs. “top-down” mental strategies
✅ His daily self-care rituals that anchor clarity, presence, and emotional steadiness

💫 A grounding reminder from Brian:
“Your breath is the most immediate way to change how you feel inside your body.”

This episode is a gentle yet powerful guide for anyone navigating trauma, overwhelm, anxiety, or the desire to reconnect with inner calm and resilience.

💛 Connect with Brian Coones

Instagram: @brian_coones
FREE 7-Minute Nervous System Reset:
https://rewirewithbriancoones.myflodesk.com/sevenminutereset?brid=Ov35lIpHk9HRI7ldKv-h0g
Website: briancoones.com

Connect with Me ( Rita)

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In this uplifting episode of the UpliftHER Leadership Series on the Self Care Goddess Podcast, I sit down with Leah Goldstein Moses, founder, CEO, board member, advisor, and certified neuroscience coach with over three decades of experience supporting leaders through trust, adaptability, and heart centered wisdom.

As the founder of Tranquil Bay, Leah helps women rise with clarity and confidence by blending neuroscience based tools, a beginner’s mindset, and deep emotional intelligence. Her journey from third generation entrepreneur to CEO to coach is a beautiful reminder that leadership is not about control… it is about courage, compassion, and connection.

This episode is rich with insights on work life balance, preventing burnout, leading with feminine energy, and redefining success on your own terms.

Here Is What We Explore in This Transformational Conversation:

✅ Leah’s entrepreneurial upbringing and how it shaped her leadership mission
✅ Why entrepreneurship is not for everyone, but anyone with passion and resilience can do it
✅ The pivotal moment when her business grew beyond her capacity and the healing process of “grieving” the work she once loved
✅ How a mini sabbatical reshaped her clarity, creativity, and leadership role
✅ The surprising emotional side of stepping into true CEO leadership
✅ Early warning signs of burnout in the workplace such as resentment, exhaustion, and loss of joy
✅ How mindset shifts (“I get to” instead of “I have to”) help prevent burnout
✅ Why she believes work life balance is real, but requires intentional self compassion and boundaries
✅ The role of journaling, breathwork, gratitude, and rituals in sustaining wellbeing
✅ How feminine and masculine energy show up differently in leadership, and why women must embrace both
✅ The importance of leaning into community, support networks, and asking for help
✅ Advice for high performing women navigating uncertainty, imposter syndrome, and resilience
✅ What the next decade of women’s leadership could look like such as visibility, confidence, and limitless possibility

Leah’s grounded wisdom reminds us that you cannot hear your heart when your mind is racing. But when you slow down, breathe, and listen, your inner knowing always rises. Her stories, humor, and practical tools will inspire you to trust yourself, redefine success, and lead with feminine grace and quiet courage.

✨ Take a deep breath. Leadership begins by listening to your heart.

🔗 LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-goldstein-moses/

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In this deeply emotional and profoundly healing episode of the Self Care Goddess Podcast, we explore the tender and transformative experience of grief, trauma, PTSD healing, and emotional resilience with Sylvia Moore Myers, author, grief recovery expert, and creator of the SCAR Framework.

With over thirty years of experience guiding individuals through unimaginable loss, Sylvia teaches us that our wounds are not signs of weakness, but powerful reminders of our strength, courage, and capacity to heal.

Her story is both heartbreaking and inspiring, from losing her grandmother as a child, enduring years of bullying, burying her brother, losing her son to murder, surviving an attack by a serial predator, and navigating the long term effects of PTSD. Through it all, Sylvia has learned not to “move on,” but to mend beautifully.

Drawing wisdom from Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, Sylvia reminds us that our emotional scars can become symbols of resilience, connection, and beauty.

✨ What You Will Learn in This Heart Opening Conversation

✅ Why grief rewires the brain and reshapes your identity after loss
✅ The SCAR Framework: Strength, Courage, Adaptability and Resilience
✅ Why forgiveness is optional but emotional closure is essential
✅ How trauma is stored in the body and the healing power of writing letters you never send
✅ What people truly need at funerals such as silence, presence, and witness
✅ How humor, joy, and “hilarious resilience” support trauma recovery
✅ How to model healthy grieving for children in a world uncomfortable with death
✅ Tools from Sylvia’s Seven to Heal method such as Help, Healing, Healthy, Hope, Holy, Happy and Hilarious
✅ How Sylvia transformed her pain into purpose through her Gold Scars mission

Sylvia’s wisdom is a compassionate reminder that:
💬 “If you are going to have a scar, why not mend it beautifully?”

This episode stays with you, offering comfort, insight, and tools for navigating grief with grace, strength, and renewed hope.

💛 Connect With Sylvia Moore Myers

🌐 Website: https://www.sylviamooremyers.com/my-story
✨ Free Resources: https://goldscars.com🌐 Follow & ConnectInstagram | https://www.instagram.com/ritasavoia_/?hl=enFacebook | https://www.facebook.com/savoia1X | https://x.com/rsavoia?lang=enLinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritasavoia/?originalSubdomain=ca