Three powerhouse women walk into a podcast… and something electric happens. This episode introduces the J.E.M. Collective—Jessica, Elyse, and Michelle—and the origin story behind their magnetic new collaboration.

In this conversation, I sit down with three women who are each a movement on their own—and together, they are a force. This episode explores how Jessica Papineau (style strategist), Elyse Archer (sales + wealth mentor), and Michelle Chalfant (global teacher + creator of The Adult Chair®️) felt an undeniable energetic pull to join forces.

We dive into the moment the “triangle lightning bolt” hit them, how they learned to trust their inner knowing, and why leading with feminine energy, intuition, and presence is the future of leadership.

You’ll hear the deeply personal stories behind their own transformations—burnout, reinvention, dismantling old identities, and reclaiming their power. You’ll also get a first look at what they’re building next: a high-caliber mastermind for women who are ready to burn down what no longer serves them and create an empire rooted in truth, alignment, and impact.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

✔️The origin story of the J.E.M. Collective and the moment everything clicked

✔️Why intuitive leadership is the next evolution of feminine power

✔️What it actually feels like to follow your knowing—even when it makes no logical sense

✔️How childhood, family dynamics, and conditioning disconnect us from our inner wisdom

✔️Why becoming your next-level self requires dismantling former identities

✔️An exclusive preview of their new Empire Mastermind for 2026 

If this episode sparked something inside you, share it with a friend who needs this conversation today. And if you want support navigating your own pivot, grab the Heart-Aligned Career Transition Starter https://www.leadintact.com/freebies/heart-aligned-career  or book a free 20-minute call at https://leadintactwithlaura.as.me/free-consultation 

To connect with each amazing woman or learn more about the upcoming Empire Mastermind:

Jessica’s Website and Social Media Handles:

• Website: (https://csjstyling.com/) 

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejessicapapineau 

• Facebook: CSJ Styling

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejessicapapineau/ 

Elyse’s website and social media:

• Website: https://elysearcher.com/ 

• IG: https://www.instagram.com/elysearcher 

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elysearcher/ 

• To listen to previous episode with Elyse: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5pdVOeygiPDmPKW2pg42k3?si=1K-4vEgiTJSZy0uHvNjDYw 

Michelle’s website and social media:

• Website: www.theadultchair.com

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themichellechalfant

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-chalfant/ 
  

To learn more about the Empire Mastermind: www.theempiremastermind.com 

Ever looked at your workload and thought, “Why is the reward for my good work… more work?” Yeah. Same. Today, I’m breaking down how to reclaim your power, your pay, and your damn sanity.

This episode is a love letter to every high-achieving woman who has quietly taken on the work of four people while whispering, “It’s fine… I’m fine.”I share the messy, honest arc of how I went from being the “Get Shit Done” girl—overworked, under-supported, and secretly furious—to someone who negotiates from grounded confidence, not righteous anger or panic.

Inside this story is the truth I avoided for years: hard work doesn’t equal self-worth. And the more I believed that narrative, the more burnout I invited. Over time, through mentors, emotional unpacking, and a lot of internal reframing, I learned how to stand up for myself, ask for help without guilt, set boundaries at work, and negotiate salaries from a place of power—not fear.

If you’ve ever felt underpaid, overwhelmed, or undervalued—or if you’re prepping for a raise or promotion—this one will shift something in you. I walk you through my exact evolution, the mindset resets, and the tactical 3-part negotiation framework I still swear by.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:✔️ Why being “the reliable one” leads to resentment—and how to break the pattern

✔️ The emotional layers behind imposter syndrome and feeling undervalued

✔️ How misaligned energy shaped my early salary negotiations

✔️ The five-month inner transformation that changed how I show up at work

✔️ The mindset and identity traps that keep high-achievers burned out

✔️ My step-by-step salary negotiation framework (the one that earned me a 16% raise)

If this episode hit a nerve (or ten), grab the Heart-Aligned Career Transition Starter at https://www.leadintact.com/freebies/heart-aligned-career And if you want support navigating your next pivot, book a free 20-minute call at https://leadintactwithlaura.as.me/free-consultation I’ve lived this the hard way. You don’t have to.

What happens when one of the strongest women in the world gets brought to her knees, literally, and has to rebuild her entire identity from the ground up? In today’s episode, Dana Wild Debore takes us inside the gritty, awe-inspiring, messy-beautiful truth of strength, surrender, and reinvention.

This episode is a masterclass in resilience, identity, and the wild plot twists life throws at even the most powerful among us. Laura sits down with Dana Wild Debore—one of the first five women in history to squat over 700 pounds—and unpacks the unbelievable, deeply human story behind her rise, her collapse, and her rebirth.

Dana takes us back to the moment she hit her lifetime goal: a 705-pound squat and a place among the strongest women on the planet. But just months later, a cascade of abdominal surgeries, an ectopic pregnancy, and a stage-two kidney cancer diagnosis flipped her world upside down. She went from elite strength to being physically carried to the bathroom by her fiancé.

What followed was a two-year stretch of uncertainty, pain, radical self-reflection, and a complete identity overhaul. Dana shares how she rebuilt her life with curiosity, movement-as-medicine, and a mindset that refuses to choose between ambition and self-preservation. Today, she blends 20+ years of corporate marketing experience with strength coaching to help high-achieving leaders release anxiety and microdose healthy habits.

Her story is raw, hilarious, heartbreaking, and wildly empowering—especially for anyone navigating a pivot, feeling misaligned, or standing in the messy middle of the unknown.

What You’ll Hear ✔️The truth behind hitting a massive life goal—and the hollow “now what?” that followed ✔️How an ectopic pregnancy and a surprise cancer diagnosis forced Dana into an identity reckoning ✔️What it’s like to go from squatting 700 pounds to needing help getting out of bed ✔️The surprising reason taking a full-time job saved her life ✔️How movement became her anchor, medicine, and pathway back to herself ✔️The connection between physical strength, emotional awareness, and high-performance leadership

“I realized I wasn’t rebuilding who I used to be—I was becoming who I actually needed.”

If this episode stirred something in you, download the Heart-Aligned Career Transition Starter at https://www.leadintact.com/freebies/heart-aligned-career  and begin reconnecting with the version of you that’s ready for more or Book 20-min consultation call: https://leadintactwithlaura.as.me/free-consultation

What if you stopped waiting for permission and started leading your own life—today? In Part 2 of the Bold Pivot Blueprint Masterclass, Laura Dionisio brings the framework to life with real coaching moments, meditative grounding, and actionable clarity on how to turn your “why” into powerful next steps.

In this episode of The Pivot Point, Laura guides listeners through the Bold Pivot Blueprint—a proven process for reclaiming purpose, energy, and direction. She introduces her Lead Intact leadership model built on Awareness, Accountability, and Aligned Action, then walks through her Why–What–How Framework for intentional change. Through reflection, community coaching, and a live meditation, listeners learn how to connect with their “why,” define the real problem they’re solving, and move forward with confidence.

You’ll hear deeply personal moments from participants uncovering their purpose—from “spread love” to “be of service and get paid doing it”—and how these insights shift the energy of their career and life choices.

If you’ve been feeling stuck, drained, or “fine but not fulfilled,” this episode will help you see yourself as the leader of your life again so you can make the boldest, most aligned decision that’s best for you.

What You’ll Learn:

✔️How to recognize yourself as the leader of your own life

✔️The power of awareness and accountability in career pivots

✔️Why clarity of your “why” matters more than the “how”

✔️Tools for shifting from fear-based decisions to aligned action

✔️How meditation and reflection can guide your next bold step

Episode Links: 🎧 Listen to Part 1 first: The Bold Pivot Blueprint Masterclass (Part 1) 💡 Explore The Career Reclamation Journey: leadintact.com/career-reclamation-journey 📅 Book your free Reclamation Call with Laura: lhttps://leadintactwithlaura.as.me/free-consultation

Ever feel stuck between craving change and fearing what it’ll cost you? This one’s for you. Laura drops the mindset blueprint behind making bold, aligned decisions—without burning down everything you’ve built.

This special live edition of The Pivot Point features part one of Laura’s Bold Pivot Blueprint Masterclass, recorded with her community in real time. She opens up about her own journey—moving across countries, building a career in corporate, and eventually learning how to lead her life from the inside out.

From control-freak tendencies to learning how to let go, Laura shares how slowing down forced her to listen to her inner world and face what she’d been suppressing under all that ambition. You’ll hear how that awareness became the foundation of her coaching work and her signature framework: see yourself as the leader of your life and take aligned, intentional action.

This episode isn’t about quitting your job overnight—it’s about reclaiming your agency and deciding, “I choose to,” instead of “I have to.”

What You’ll Hear:

• Laura’s personal “cha-cha childhood” and how constant change shaped her
  

• Why overplanning can actually be a form of fear
  

• The burnout behind performance culture
  

• The moment she realized personal growth fuels career growth
  

• What it means to lead your own life with intention
  

• The two-step Bold Pivot Blueprint:
  

  1. See yourself as the leader of your life
     

  2. Take aligned, intentional action
     

• The game-changing reframe: “I choose to” vs. “I have to”
  

Quote / Signature Wrap-Up: “Replace ‘I have to’ with ‘I choose to.’ It’s the simplest shift that changes everything.” — Laura Dionisio

Call to Action: If this episode sparked something, grab your Heart-Aligned Career Transition Starter at https://www.leadintact.com/freebies/heart-aligned-career or book a free 20-min call at https://leadintactwithlaura.as.me/free-consultation.

You are listening to the pivot point where we unpack the defining moments that shift careers and lives. I'm your host, Laura Dionisio, a founder of Lead Intact, and my mission is to spotlight the raw real stories behind career pivots, the fears, the hopes. The messy middles and the bold decisions that follow if you're feeling stuck or quietly wondering what's next?

I hope these stories help you see yourself a little more clearly and inspire you to start moving toward your own dream life. Let's begin.

Sarah. to the pivot point. Thank you so much for being here. I really appreciate it and we are inadvertently matching, but that's

Yes,

that means that the vibe is there.

absolutely.

Yeah, so how I usually do this is I'm gonna go ahead and read your bio because I know you're awesome. We've worked together, you built me the most amazing Asana board. Now I'm asing all over the place. The listeners' like, what

Nice.

but let me read your bio so that the listener can get to know who you are. Sarah Richie is a powerhouse behind some of dentistry's most efficient practices and most impactful events with extensive experience as an operations manager, event planner, and strategic director. has a proven track record of transforming businesses through organization, leadership, and scalable growth strategies. As a fractional COO, Sarah helps dental practices and companies streamline operations, optimize teams, and increase profitability without the overwhelm. specializes in building systems and leadership frameworks that strengthen team culture, drive revenue, and create sustainable success. As an event planner and manager, Sarah designs and executes high impact dental conferences, masterminds, and networking experiences that elevate brands, foster collaboration, and inspire industry-wide growth. works with private dental practices ready to boost efficiency and revenue, dental companies seeking operational leadership and scalable systems and event hosts looking for world-class planning and execution. She helps through operational efficiency and scalable systems, culture and leadership development, revenue growth strategies, and event strategy and execution. When she's not helping businesses grow or producing unforgettable events, Sarah enjoys reading, practicing yoga, and traveling with her daughters. Thank you so much for being here, Sarah. Yay.

that was the first time I've heard that, like spoken out loud. I love it.

Yeah.

That was exciting.

that's why I like to read people, because when I started this podcast, I thought about like the format, you know, like as a fellow systems person, right? We're like, how are

Yeah,

this system structure? And I was like, I could record it afterwards, but I know it feels different when you're hearing somebody else say it.

'cause you're just like, my god, that's me. Wow.

power. Yeah, there's huge power in that. Huge power in that.

Yeah, like I was telling you before we started recording, we like to like here at the pivot point with Laura Dionisio. I like to ask people's intention for the time we have together. Sarah had a really beautiful intention. Go ahead, share your intention with a listener.

Oh gosh, I'm gonna have to remember it again. Oh. We are going to let women know that it's okay and that you can be out in your own in the world creating, doing, and making a living. I just extended it by like four sentences, but that's the whole intention.

I love it. And then my intention was to be selfish

I love it.

and learn from Sarah because here's the thing, so Sarah and I know each other because we are both in this amazing ease and abundance course

Yes.

And Sarah has helped me, like I mentioned Asana, she's helped me operationally with, with me and my VA to have a system in place. And, then she briefly mentioned like, oh I remember how that felt when I left corporate and I was like, I'm sorry, what?

Ooh.

at the time I haven't left corporate. So really this whole thing asking Sarah to be a guest was for me, yes. But also like I'm, I'm joking. I mean, I'm not joking. It is for me, but also I know there's a listener out there who's in corporate, has been in corporate for a long time, has a secret dream that they're not even letting themselves talk about.

Think about. Let alone speak out out loud. And I know that they're gonna resonate with what you have to say. And so I, I love your intention. It speaks beautifully to this podcast and what I always hope to inspire others to do.

so walk us through the highlight reel of like, how did you get to where you are?

Like what was that like?

Oh gosh. I, I will say I wish I would've had a podcast like this or other female entrepreneurs to say like, Hey, this is what I wanna do. How did you do it? There's not that many out there and there, there's not that many out there that are actually like, are like, oh, hey, I did this step by step by step. So I love Laura that you're doing this.

 my journey is I was a practice manager in a dental company years ago for a practice for several practices, and then. I decided I wanted something bigger. I'm a single mom, so I know there's gonna be single moms out there too, and I wanted something bigger and better for my children, but I also wanted, I have two daughters.

I wanted them to see that as women, we can do. Whatever the heck we want to, like we are, don't have to conform to what somebody says we are. We don't have to sit in a box. And so I started working kind of in corporate, in dentistry for another company where I helped grow that company. We went from just me as a team member to 10 team members.

We went from just a couple of dental practices to over a hundred dental practices, expanded into events and all that. And after seven years I kind of was like. Like, why can't I do this for me? Like, why am I doing this for someone else? Why can't I do it for myself?

And funny enough, last October I was moving one of my daughters, her husband's Air Force, and I was like, called a, a.

Family meeting, which we had those when the girls were young, right? Where you have like a spatula and only one person can talk 'cause everybody wants to talk. So my, my poor daughters thought that something was terribly wrong with me. 'cause they were like, why mom? Why do you want a family meeting? And I was like, oh, because I actually wanted to talk to you.

I don't wanna work for somebody else anymore. I actually wanna go out on my own. But there's a lot of steps and I don't even know what the steps are. It this idea. Maybe a week old. I think it'd been simmering for quite some time, but I think it had been like a week that I was like, I'm going to do this. I need to do this for myself.

I want to do this and I'm going to do this. And as we've learned, like I get to do this and I was telling my daughters, I just need you guys to know money eventually is like, I'm not gonna be able to throw money around. Like, we have been, we're not gonna, maybe it'll take a year or two to get off the ground, we're gonna have to pull in.

And my daughters were like, finally, finally, finally, mom, go out on your own. Of course you can do this by yourself. Like, why would you ever think I know I cried. Still so emotional because my kids were like, just do it. Like

like

their minds it was like, what do you mean there's a process? Just, just go.

Just go do it, mom. Of course you can. So that was like a big boost for me. And then I actually. Sat on it for quite some time kind of internally. So I started internally, I bought Sarah richie.com off of GoDaddy. I created my own email address and then kind of like sat there and looked at it like, oh, sarah@sarahrichie.com.

Like, look what I did. Um, and just kind of like started building out the process.

And then I went to an event here in Charlotte. For all women in dentistry, and it's a super popular event and it's a networking event for women. And the first night you had to stand up with the microphone and say who you worked for, what you did, and I had not told.

Many people actually at this point had even told my family, just my daughters. And I was like, why would I say I'm working for somebody else when, by this time next year I'm gonna be working for myself? So I stood up and I said that I now work at Sarah Richie Consulting for dental practices.

And I did put in the other company and, and I'm here, but I did mine first. And I, I was shaking. I was shaking, and I sat down and a friend of mine was sitting beside me and she goes. What, what did you say? You're doing what? How, how do I hire you? Can I hire you? Do I have to go through anybody else? And that was like immediately a chat box for me to be, okay, I'm, I'm moving in the right direction.

I'm doing what I'm supposed to. From that event itself, I had three clients,

Okay.

from the get get-go.

so beautiful. I wanna pause for a second because I am, first of all, I love the story. I love your daughters.

I know. Aren't they great? They're the best.

How amazing that they were. They weren't like, what are you doing? They were like, why did it take so long?

Yeah.

through? ' cause I'm thinking of the listener who hasn't even acknowledged to themself that they want something more.

I think you mentioned that seven years ago you, you had the thought of like,

Mm-hmm.

I do this for myself? Can you walk us through like what happened in those seven years? Like how did you get to the point? Of that initial thought seven years ago to like, I think you just said back in October,

Yeah,

a family meeting.

What was that like for you?

I have always been told that I am a systems girl. I am. An organized girl. I've never, and I actually don't have any immediate family members who have ever been entrepreneurs, so I've never had anybody say or show the way where you can look and be like, oh, look, look what they did. I can do that too.

Everybody is al like in my family, which is not wrong, right? It's not wrong. It's just not been shown to me. And so I've always said, I am the integrator. I am the doer. Do we cuss on this podcast? It's always been Sarah, get shit done. Like for a long time it was like GSD. If it was a GSD, go get Sarah, get shit done.

Like, that's just how I have always been. That person I've never even imagined like. Can I own my own business? So even though it was there, it was like, no, you can't because you're not that person. I've never even considered to be that person. And because, you know, no, we put ourselves in boxes that everybody else.

Cs. Nobody has ever said Sarah, go start like, you can do that. Why wouldn't you be able to do that? I've been the person who says, oh, you're gonna start a business here. Let me help you. I'll build the systems out for you. I'll organize everything. Laura, I gave you like, I'll do the Asana board for you, but I've never said I know, I know.

And it's like nobody tells us, well, duh. Of course you can go. I had a, how old were they? 20. Four and 22-year-old look at me and go, duh. Like, why wouldn't you be able to do that? So I'm glad that my kids can see that, but it's not something I ever saw for myself. I just, I've even like have been told like, well, if you're a systems girl, then you're not creative.

And of course to be an entrepreneur, you have to be creative, right? You have to be a visionary. You have to have come up all the. All these ideas so much. So I was in an event this past week and I was talking to someone and I made the statement, I wish I was more of a visionary because now I'm an entrepreneur and I have my own business.

And my friend, her name Sarah as well, she goes, no. She was like, your zone of genius is systems organization, so you systemize and organize your business and everybody else's. That's your creative outlook. And I was like, well damn. Yeah. That's it. That's it. So we have to like, we don't recognize that if it's in us, but if nobody's like looking at you going, of course you can.

We've gotta do that ourselves. Like we have to be able to tell ourselves.

Yes. And I will say that yes, your daughters did see it in you, you first had to call the family meeting to say, this is what you're gonna do. So like

Yeah, this is,

like that you were finally like, I'm gonna, I'm

I didn't wanna work. Yeah, I didn't wanna work for anybody else. I didn't want anybody else making decisions for me. I didn't want anybody else to say, you can't take off now, but you can do it in July, or you can't do this, but you can do that. I just decided after building businesses for other people, like.

Of I can build my own business. I've built 'em for other people like, like lots of companies for other people. Like, so if I can do that, I can do it for myself. But I also wanted the opportunity, I'd already had the work from home. Pleasure of, you know, I love working from home and it's so nice, but I was so working from home from somebody else.

I wanted to be able to call my own shots is what I wanted. I just wanted to be like, you know what? Today's not a working day. I just don't wanna work, so I'm gonna go to the beach. Or I wanted to say like I wanted to take off for my 50th birthday last week, but I didn't wanna take off Monday through Friday.

I wanted to take off. I. Thursday through Wednesday. 'cause that worked better for my schedule and my daughter's schedule. Like I want to, I have the new puppy, I wanna take 30 minute break because I feel like it and go take her on a walk. Like those are the things that interested me. Instead of asking permission, I just wanted to do what I wanted to do.

I love that. Okay, so now take us back to that event where, when you introduced yourself, you introduced yourself as a consultant at Sarah Richie Consulting,

Yeah.

and what did you say? Like somebody came up to, was it somebody that you

No, she was, yeah, she was sitting beside me and the irony is, five minutes before that she was like, how do, can I clone you? Can I clone you? And you come work with me? She was like, there's so many things that you're doing that I meet and I was like.

was.

I mean, we can talk about it. And she was like, really?

And I was like, yeah. And then that was the other thing. So when I stood up, I was like, just say it and see what happens. Right. And for let's say 70% of the room, there's like 125 women, 70% of the room. It went over their heads. Like they just didn't even hear it. The ones that did were like, what?

And so when I sat back down, she was like we need to talk. And I was like, yeah, let's talk. And then I had tons of friends that were like, what are you doing, Sarah? Like, tell us what you're doing. And then from that, the three clients, two came from referrals and one came where the lady seemed beside me, was like, we're working together.

Like we're now, right now we're working together.

Oh my

So it was like, it was one of those things that you have to put it out there. We have to learn, we can't just keep it internally. You have to, you have to tell the people to get the thing. It just doesn't happen.

Yeah. 'cause otherwise they also see you in that box They're not gonna

Exactly.

like, oh, she could work for me because she's her own thing. Because that's

Yeah.

you as as well.

Yeah. That's all they know is us. Same thing like with you. You're like you, we have to tell the world. I quit corporate. I am out on my own. Like we have to. I built a website. I have these things. They're mine now. This is how. I was even thinking, somebody told me the other day on my Instagram, they're like, you know, you need to go in there and put, how do you work with me?

And I was like, oh, okay. Let me go put in. How do you work with me? We have to literally get on the mountaintops and shout it. This is what we're doing now. This is mine and this is how you can work with me.

Mm-hmm.

And I want you, I, I want you, I want the people. We want the clients to come, right?

We want them. We don't want to push for it. We want them to come to us.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So like, how did, because that's one of the things that I, I mean, I've had to work on myself, but other people who I know are like entrepreneurial spirits, but are scared of, they're always thinking about like, oh, what about the financial uncertainty? I don't know if I can leap without the certainty first.

So what would you say to a listener who feels that way, who's like. I don't know. I have responsibility. I have kids, people

Yeah.

on me. I I can't just, I can't just jump

Yeah, we all do. I have a daughter right now in graduate school that's living with me that I'm paying for. I have a grand baby on the way that I'm getting ready to spoil completely rotten. So we all have like rent and or a home or cars and water and electricity and wifi. Like we all have to pay it.

 what I did for myself is I built, I saved, I saved from October until. I actually wanted to leave my due. My date was July. And I got really lucky. I was actually released from my position in March and I had already been building, which was nice, but I also built my savings so that I had something to draw from because I will say from, um, because I thought July would be my, like.

Kickoff date full-time in my own, so it was March. So I am glad I had that nest egg because I did have, of course, like I had to pull from it April, may, June, and July because I didn't have the clients that I like the full roster. And so I did pull, but I just, I had a savings account to say like, this is.

This is in case I need it and you know, so I can use for, I also figured out what it costs a month for me to live and feed my daughter and the puppy and like make sure we have extra spending money. And then I took that time it by six and I was like, this is my savings account for when we make the leap.

Mm-hmm. I love that you said when not if like you're not,

Yeah, when, yeah,

Yeah.

had gotten to the point where I was like, I am, I have my clients. I'm doing this, I'm doing this, I'm doing this. I got released early and that day it happened. It was March 31st. I was like, oh shit, I'm not ready. And the universe, the world, everybody else was like, yeah, guess what girlfriend you are.

So now you gotta. Now you gotta go, like now you have to do the thing, you know? And, and that's what I did. I actually spent the month of April off of social media, like not posting, not doing anything. I just really like double down internally and figured out like, this is exactly what I want. I'm ready, and, and let's do this.

Mm-hmm. Okay. love that. And I'm curious because, and this is where I get to be selfish and ask questions, but you know, for anyone else who's going through that transition. 'cause I think part of the fear. One is where's the financial security coming from? So you just, you just gave like a, a way that they like that you don't have an excuse.

If you really

Yeah.

you can figure it out.

Yeah.

is and I've heard this recently because a lot of people, once I put it out there, have been reaching out to me and the thing I've said is, oh, I'm so happy for you. I know you're gonna be successful. I could never do it because I need structure and routine in my life.

Mm-hmm.

as a systems person, what was that transition like between having your day structured, knowing like exactly day by day what you needed to do, and then being your own boss?

Being your own boss. Yeah, I'm a calendar girly. I, and I actually help, I teach and help my dentist and other entrepreneurial women on how to set up a calendar. Because there's like, we have like, again, those boxes, but some people just don't, just don't know. And so my calendar is set up every day, Monday through Friday, um, at five 30 in the morning.

I get up and I spend five 30 to like seven. I like a slow morning. I'm gonna be slow. I'm gonna drink my coffee, I'm gonna play with my puppy. I'm gonna journal. I'm not gonna, I'm not, I wanna be somebody who just gets right up and like, goes to work out. I already know I'm not, so I'm not gonna force myself because I, I'll be miserable.

So first hour and a half, five 30 to seven. I'm slow. I have coffee. I play with a puppy. I journal, I play on social media. I have meditations that I listen to. And then at seven o'clock is my, okay. Now from seven to eight I'm gonna work out. Usually my workout's, 30 minutes. I get myself an hour again, slow morning.

Sometimes it's seven 15 when I put on my workout clothes, like it doesn't matter. And again, I get to, you get to run your own schedule. And so from seven to eight I work out eight to nine. I have it built in for my shower and doing whatever. So maybe that's laundry, maybe that's empty. The dishwasher, I don't know.

Like we work from home. So you, I also know that you have to build in the things that we know we're gonna do. 'cause we're at home, you know, that's emptying the dishwasher sometimes talking to my daughter doing whatever. And then after that from, I. From nine to, or depends.

So allotted, sometimes I have time built in what I call CEO time, which is answering emails going through Asana boards making sure like I know what I need to get done.

I know my assistant knows what she needs to get done for the day. And then meetings, I try to, I like to work between nine and three. I don't like to take meetings any earlier. I don't like to take meetings anytime later unless it's necessary, but my calendar is not gonna have four o'clock and five o'clock meetings all week long.

'cause I, I just, in it, I'm miserable and I know that about myself. I, I actually, I'm kind of opposite of most people. I like to.

Sit on my couch in the afternoons and type things out. Organizing things, creating things, sending emails, going through transcripts, and of course, like we take a chat class together, AI class together, doing all that stuff I like to do in the afternoon.

And then I have on my calendar at five o'clock it says. Put down computer and go on a walk. So I like literally telling myself what to do. And so I get up and I go on a walk. I also have 30 minutes built in every day. And it says, take Dottie on, walk like Dottie break. Dottie's a puppy. So I make sure I get outside with her.

She has time outside. It's also like a good lunchtime for me too. And so I just plan it around. What I like.

I actually spent June doing one calendar and I was like, ah, that didn't feel great. So July I made it a little bit different. August, I've made it a little bit different. September, I'm gonna play with a little more.

Also, knowing we're going into winter months, which, you know, the time is gonna change, daylight is gonna change. So I've just decided it's my calendar and I'm gonna make it mine.

Okay. I love that you took total ownership of the calendar,

Yeah.

about what you said is that you're not attached to whatever calendar you have for that month. You're just kind of like tweaking based on what you noticed worked, what didn't work.

Yeah.

that's like really valuable for people to hear, like starting entrepreneurs who might be scared of like, I don't know how to go from super structured to nothing.

Yeah.

like that first calendar that you made for yourself, like what was that? Process like, and I'm only asking this, I wouldn't even have known to ask this if it wasn't for me experiencing this for myself for the

Yeah,

' cause at least for me, I'm learning like, oops. I accidentally did the, I'm learning by doing.

So I'm curious, like what was it like for you, like that first month? How did you decide that, okay, this is the calendar I'm gonna try out

I well, I just decided to, I just threw things on the calendar. I was like, let's just see how this works. Let's just see what works. I will say too, for new entrepreneur, if, for any entrepreneur, we also need to remember, we need time to do things. So don't fill your calendar with just meetings, right? So like on my calendar from three until five, it's actually just blocked off time.

And it's just, but it is blocked so that I don't go, like, I don't have anything to do and like go shopping or whatever. It's, I actually block it off.

So one of my favorite things I do do is on Sundays, it's on my calendar at six o'clock, from six to seven to do a weekly check-in. And I have a list of things that, questions I ask myself. How did things work? Our weekly review, I'm gonna pull it up on my notes. So what it is, is I just have listed out questions to ask myself, and so it's a date pretty much with myself to say what went good last week what did not feel good. And then what on my calendar didn't work? So then that's how I'm figuring out my calendar for the next month.

I can go in and see, and then I have a list of like, what things can I not get done? So then I know

know,

what do I need to move forward to the next week? And then I ask questions for the next week, like, what is the top three things I need to do for the next week? And that's for my business. Like, what do I need to do for my business?

Right now, like as a new entrepreneur, it's creating social media posts, right? It's reaching out to get new clients. It's doing those things. And then what I do is I take that list that I create and that two o'clock spot or three o'clock spot, Monday through Friday, I put it in my calendar. So it's living there.

So at two, three o'clock, when it happens, I just click on it and I'm like, I'm gonna contact these four people, or I'm gonna make these four social media posts, or I'm gonna do these things so that I'm not like sitting there going, huh? I wonder what I'm gonna do during this two hours of free time and not get on social media and play right.

Or not get into the weeds of emails. I just, so I just do that weekly review to check in, like, what, what happened last week and what's most important for the week ahead?

I love that I'm like

Makes it easy.

I'm like, that's,

Yeah.

that's such a great idea. And plus like I made up this term called productive procrastination, and I.

Yes.

feel like probably new entrepreneurs and even me before I called myself out on it, it's really easy to do the productive things like make your landing page and website perfect instead of like reaching out to people for new clients because

Yeah.

like easier

That's

that.

yes, yes. And for me, being an entrepreneur and then it's like, oh, you have to call people to get clients. Like you actually have to reach out. You have to call, you have to email, you have to follow up. You have to send the voice notes. For me, that's harder than being like, oh, you want me to create you an Asana board?

Sure, I'd love to. What would you like on it? I can do that in my all day long. That brings me joy. That makes. Me happy. Happy. I love it. You want me to organize your emails? Abso freaking ly. Give it to me. I'll do it like a Monday Board. Sure. But to pick up the phone and call and like try to sell myself,

Myself

feels uncomfortable to me, so I actually have to schedule that out.

What I did do for that is every Monday at, I think it's 11:00 AM on my calendar, I have sales calls. Like, that's it. That's for one hour. And I just sit down and, and again, every Monday I put a list of people to call and follow up with and I open up my calendar and I'm like, I'm gonna call these people.

I'm gonna talk to these people. I'm gonna do it. So just so that I can get it done.

Having said all of that, my coach. Elise Archer told me one day, she was like, you're too calendar driven. You don't have any white space on your calendar. And I was like, what's white space? I don't know what that is. And she was like, you need a date every month on your calendar where you don't schedule anything.

And I was like. No, that's weird. Like why would I do that? And so that was actually, so I know, I was like, I don't, that doesn't even sound fun to me. Like, what do you mean? I have no plans for the day. It was, it was a great conversation. It was really funny. And so I picked now, the last Wednesday of every month.

'cause in dentistry, like the last week of the month is easier to block time. And I have it blocked on my calendar and I just made it reoccurring task forever and ever. And always it just says white space day. So sometimes things get scheduled because like it just has to get done or, or it would be fun to do it, but that's a day where, um, and I am still not used to it.

I soak it up and I'm like. Can somebody tell me what to do? 'Cause I need that, like, I need the structure in my life. But I, our favorite coach says, no, you actually need time just to, just to be. And so I have it on my white space was yesterday, which I actually flew home from the beach, so it was nice.

Like I actually didn't do anything because I flew home from the beach. Right. So

Yeah.

still kind of getting used to that. But I, I will say like as structured as. We need to be, we also need to be unstructured. And so how I've added that into my life is my evening walks. I no longer put earphones in my ears.

I don't listen to a podcast. I don't listen to a book. I used to like listen to a podcast or a book or do something. I just, I don't even take my headphones. I just take a walk for 30 minutes and that gives my brain time to kind of like. Start creating. I've had a lot of really good ideas at that time.

It's scheduled on my calendar, but you know, don't tell anybody, but it's on my calendar, so I know I need to go walk outside so that I do it. So, but it's, it's actually like my white space time during the day so that I don't have anything plugged into my head where I just, you know, I'm just walking.

Yeah, Sarah, I'm so glad we met up because like, I didn't, I knew we were similar from the systems thing. didn't realize how similar until you told me about the calendar thing. So I this was somebody that I had dated in the past told me the reason that he doesn't like to be too scheduled is because it doesn't leave room for the magic to come through.

And that stuck with

Yeah.

was like. shit. That's

Oh

So

yeah, that is true.

this because I'm so calendar driven as well. I was like, I wanna be more spontaneous. You know what, I guess what I

You put it on your calendar spontaneous time. I know you did. I was gonna say, I should say like spontaneous magical time is what it actually should say. If, if he say it like, we gotta make room for the magic. I would do the same thing. I would have like a Saturday afternoon blocked out. It says Make time for magic or something on my calendar.

I don't know.

yeah. No, I started doing that except I wasn't that creative at the time. I just called it a no plans block because I am such a planned person. You get this, that

Mm-hmm.

you are not allowed to make any plans. And when that time comes, you decide what you wanna do. Sometimes it was staying home, sometimes it was going out.

Yeah.

for the

love that. That's so fun. Yeah.

but I'm, that's why when you said it, I'm like, I get it. And here's the thing. It's like, it sounds ridiculous, but the way I see it is like, not use the tools that we're good at to

Yes.

Like why not? I

Yeah. Yeah.

I have been doing the no plans thing, so this was like two years ago that I started doing it

I.

intrinsically I like the white space now. I used to not, it's not that I didn't like it, it's just kind of like, like it just didn't compute. Right. You

Yeah, it's weird. It's weird. It's like, yeah. It's like, can I read? Like for me it was almost like, well, what do I do? Can I read a book? Can I listen to podcasts? Is that scheduled? Do I, can I pick, like, how do I not like, am I gonna go shopping? Am I gonna do lunch? But if I meet somebody for lunch, I need to schedule that, or I'm gonna forget.

Like it was like this whole like bizarre. Feeling. So now I have it blocked as a white space day. But if I schedule things in there so that as a reminder, like to go meet so somebody for lunch, right? Then I, I have that. Then I give myself permission that I can schedule it on there as part of my white Space Day experience.

Yeah. I'm laughing

so funny though. I know. It's so funny.

feel, you make me feel so much better because when I, like, what did I tell my friends? I'm like, it's called planned spontaneity, and they're like, that is the opposite

Exactly.

I

Yeah,

it's, it's a stepping stone. Okay. Like, I'm gonna

exactly. We're well, and you know what I've learned, like we don't have to though. We don't have to get there. If we live in planned spontaneity, then and if that works for us and we're still being semis. Semi, then it's okay. It's okay. My brain would never operate on being spontaneous every single day.

Like I feel like I would like combust. Like that's not, that's not joy for me at all, and I want to be joyful in my life. That's not joyful at all. I have, one of my closest friends is very, very, very, very, like, she's just like. Hey, do you wanna go do this? Do you wanna go do that? And I'm like, don't you have plans today?

Like, don't you have a calendar? Aren't you like working? And she owns her like, and she does own her own business. And she's like, yeah, but I hate it and I'm gonna blow off like that whole thing and let's just go get lunch. And like, that's who she is. And I'm like, and she, if I gave her a full calendar, like her assistant knows, like, don't book her out all day long.

She'll be miserable all day. My assistant knows, make sure Sarah knows what she's doing all day and she's gonna be happy. Like it's beautiful. It works for like, you just have to do what works for you to bring, especially as we're entrepreneurs, we don't want to. Like, look at our calendar and be like, Ugh, like this isn't fun today.

I've worked with an entrepreneur, Allison, and which, you know, Allison, who's doing ease and abundance and one of our things, the first quarter I worked with her is to make her calendar joyful for her.

Mm-hmm.

That was a task for me is how do I make this calendar joyful for Allison? And we worked on that and it was like trial, just like I'm doing with my own calendar, trial and error.

Like, you have to figure out how it works for you to make you happy. My calendar ain't gonna make anybody else happy. My calendar may scare people. They may be like, oh yeah, no. Like, they'll run away. You may look at my calendar, Laura and be like, oh, hell yeah. Like, yes, this is good. But other people are going to run.

And if I looked at somebody else's calendar, I'd be like, oh, what do you, how do you know what to do? Like whatcha doing during the day? So, I mean, we just gotta do what works for us and what brings us joy.

Yeah. I, oh my God. I

Just so funny.

I've never felt, so just.

I'm like imagining right now women listening to it and being like, oh my gosh. Yes. Yes. And I think that's the thing too, as we're creating our own businesses. We're creating our own lives, which we get to create our own calendars. We get to create our own day, our own structure, like how it works for us, because we're running it, we're running the show, and you don't wanna run a show that is terrible or.

Like you look at your calendar, I know there's a million women out there, whether they're in corporate or working for themselves, and they look at their calendar and they hate it and it like makes 'em cry or brings them anxiety, or they just would be like, forget this, I don't even wanna work today. Right.

So it's like you gotta make it your own. However, whatever that looks like for you. And I think one of my favorite things is, is that it doesn't have to stay the same. If you didn't like July change, August. If you don't like August, there's some things in August. So I was like, I didn't particularly care for that, so I'm gonna do it differently in September because it's mine.

I get to, I get to do whatever I want to with it.

I love that. And you know, what I'm hearing you say is like number one, so the, the biggest thing is you get to change it. Two is like

Yeah.

how your calendar looks and the flow, whether it's packed or whatever is up to you. But three is, it sounds like regardless of where you are in the spectrum, a calendar is needed to support the life that you. Desire. Right?

Yeah, we need it to support ourselves.

yeah.

Absolutely.

I love it.

So before we wrap up, if somebody's like, my God, I must work with her because she's so organized, I want to know what my joyful calendar looks like.

Oh, I love that.

yeah. How can people find you?

Uh, they can find me, um, on my Brandly new launch website. Woohoo. Um, at sarah richie.com. And Sarah is no h so it's Sarah without an h richie.com.

Amazing. I'll put that in the show notes. And before we wrap up, I like to ask this questions of all of our guests. If you were an item at a coffee shop, so you could be a drink or a pastry or something like that, what would you be and why?

Oh, I would be. I, you know what? Right now I would be a pumpkin spice latte because it is pumpkin spice latte season, and I, it's fall is my favorite season. I'm a football girl. I'm a fall girl. I'm a watch the leaves change. We were first in line to get our PSL on Tuesday when it launched on Starbucks.

I love, I love the changing of the drinks, so if you ask me this in a couple months, I'm gonna change my drink, but right now I would be a PSL.

I love that.

It's fall season.

I thought you were gonna say I would be the calendar. This is a better answer than I expected

I in the back of the employee schedules

Yeah. Of everyone's schedules.

and yeah. And in September it would have like the PS L stickers all over it. 'cause it's pumpkin spice latte season.

Love it, Sarah. you so much. I

This.

a lot. I learned a lot. I'm sure the listeners have learned a lot. One of them is that there's two very calendar driven people right now

I know on a podcast together

on a, on

Matchings

and matching pinks like having a calendar event called white space counts as white space.

Yes.

I, I love it though. I,

I.

think a lot of people, if, even if they don't resonate with like specifically that, I think it's gonna get people to think of, oh, how else can I use my calendar to support what I actually want to do in a way that, that feels nice.

Absolutely. I love it.

thank you much. And for the listeners, definitely check Sarah out brand new website and follow her into social

Thank you. I.

Thank you.

Big thanks again to Sarah Richie for sharing her story so openly. These conversations are such a reminder that no pivot is too messy, too late, or too unconventional. If something she said resonated, don't keep it to yourself. Share this episode with someone you know who needs it, and when you are ready to start your own pivot.

Head to www.leadinta.com for free resources or book a free 20 minute call with me. I'm here for you.

Ever crush a big goal only to downplay it? Laura’s been there—and she’s calling out the sneaky inner critic that keeps high-achievers small.

In this fiery, heart-opening episode of The Pivot Point, Laura Dionisio dives into the invisible tension between your inner critic and your inner bestie—that part of you that celebrates wins, cheers you on, and knows you’re already doing enough.

Fresh off leaving her corporate job, Laura gets real about how easy it is to slip back into old patterns of self-criticism, even when everything’s going right. She unpacks the mindset shift that helped her stop chasing “more” and start acknowledging her progress in real time.

With humor, honesty, and a dash of tough love, Laura invites you to rethink what staying humble really means, why we downplay success, and how to rewire your inner dialogue so you can move from pressure to presence.

What You’ll Hear

✔️How Laura realized she’d been led by her inner critic for years

✔️The “Gap and the Gain” mindset every high performer needs to hear

✔️Why we minimize wins (and how to stop doing it)

✔️How to identify your inner critic’s voice versus your inner bestie’s

✔️Simple mindset flips to start celebrating yourself without guilt
✔️Why learning to receive—compliments, joy, success—changes everything

“I realized I was so busy chasing the next milestone that I forgot to celebrate the one I just hit. That’s not ambition—that’s self-abandonment in disguise.” — Laura Dionisio

Ready to turn that inner critic into your loudest hype woman?

Listen to Episode 9: How to Know It’s Time to Leave Corporate (Even If the Money Isn’t There Yet), Also grab the Heart-Aligned Career Transition Starter at https://www.leadintact.com/freebies/heart-aligned-career or book your free 20-min call https://leadintactwithlaura.as.me/free-consultation  to start your next bold move.

What if the moment you finally looked “successful” on the outside was the same moment your soul whispered, “This isn’t it”?

This episode includes discussion of abuse and trauma. Please listen with care and prioritize your well-being.

In this deeply powerful and raw conversation, Laura Dionisio sits down with coach, strategist, and intuitive guide Laura Grabavoy—a woman who rebuilt her life from the inside out after decades of silence, trauma, and the illusion of “having it all.” Together, they unpack what it truly means to choose yourself anyway—especially when it feels impossible.

From surviving abuse and breaking generational patterns to doubling her six-figure corporate income in six months, Laura G. shares the inner shifts that unlocked her outer success. Her story is a masterclass in reclaiming your voice, healing emotional patterns, and allowing your energy—not your effort—to lead the way.

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Why does everything look perfect but feel wrong?” this episode will give you the tools, language, and permission to re-align with your truth.

What You’ll Hear:

✔️How Laura’s story of trauma and healing became the foundation of her movement, Choose You Anyway

✔️The exact question that changed her life: “How do I feel better?”

✔️Why success without inner peace still feels empty—and how to shift that

✔️What it actually looks like to stop proving your worth and start trusting it

✔️The power of emotional frequency, energy mastery, and the Law of Attraction in real-world results

✔️How she doubled her corporate income and found purpose through self-alignment, not hustle

“It’s never between you and them. It’s between you and God. So build anyway. Choose you anyway.” – Laura Grabavoy

If this episode spoke to you, explore more tools for heart-aligned growth at https://www.leadintact.com/freebies/heart-aligned-career  and download your Heart-Aligned Career Transition Starter to begin your own pivot with purpose or Book 20-min consultation call: https://leadintactwithlaura.as.me/free-consultation and don't forget to check out The Career Reclamation Journey at https://www.leadintact.com/career-reclamation-journey

Ways to connect with Laura G:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-grabavoy/

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laura_grabavoy/

• Instagram to connect on “Choose You Anyway” movement: https://www.instagram.com/chooseyouanyway/ 

Freedom isn’t about quitting your 9–5—it’s about how you choose to live now. Laura Dionisio gets real about what true freedom means after leaving corporate life and the surprising lessons she learned in her first month out.

In this episode of The Pivot Point, Laura challenges the myth that freedom only comes once you leave your job. With her signature bold honesty and cheeky warmth, she shares four hard-hitting lessons learned after walking away from corporate life—lessons that apply whether you’re employed, in-between, or building your own thing.

From realizing that structure can actually create more freedom, to breaking the toxic link between self-worth and productivity, Laura pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to feel aligned in your career and life. She also dives into how to make meetings meaningful again (yes, really) and why rest isn’t a reward—it’s strategy.

Whether you’re dreaming of your next pivot or already mid-leap, this conversation will give you the inner tools to navigate the journey with more intention, courage, and calm.

What You’ll Hear:

• Why “no calendar” freedom can backfire—and what to do instead
  

• How to stop tying your worth to your work or deliverables
  

• Simple mindset shifts that make meetings less miserable
  

• Why rest is not lazy—it’s leadership
  

• How internal shifts always precede external success
  

A heartfelt reminder: your value is not conditional

What if everything you’ve been told about success is wrong? In this episode, Laura sits down with Elyse Archer—founder of She Sells® and Superhuman Selling—to shatter the “hard work equals success” myth and show you what true alignment with money, purpose, and abundance looks like.

Get ready for a heart-opening, belief-shifting conversation between two bold women who’ve redefined success on their own terms. Elyse Archer, international sales mentor and host of Superhuman Selling, joins Laura Dionisio to unpack her journey from corporate burnout to conscious abundance.

Together, they explore the uncomfortable but necessary pivots that lead to freedom—from unlearning grind culture to building a healthy relationship with money and self-worth. Elyse shares how she turned a decade of struggle into a quantum leap, transforming her annual income into her monthly income—all by shifting her identity, not her effort.

This one’s for the ambitious high-achiever who’s feeling the tug of misalignment and wondering, “Is there more?” (Spoiler: yes, and it starts with trusting your intuition.)

What You’ll Hear

• How to debunk the “hard work equals success” myth once and for all
  

• Elyse’s real talk on money, worthiness, and spiritual expansion
  

• Why your comfort zone is secretly a cage—and how to break free
  

• How to identify and release limiting beliefs about success
  

• The spiritual and practical shifts that lead to quantum growth
  

• What to do when your soul is craving a bigger vision
  

‘’Your comfort zone isn’t comfortable—it’s just familiar. Step out of it, and you’ll meet the version of you who was always meant to lead.” – Elyse Archer

Ready to pivot toward purpose? Start your Heart-Aligned Career Transition Starter at https://www.leadintact.com/freebies/heart-aligned-career orBook 20-min consultation call: https://leadintactwithlaura.as.me/free-consultation

 💡 Explore Elyse Archer’s free resources:

• She Sells Magazine
  

• Superhuman Selling Podcast
  

The Four Quadrants of Quantum Sales Growth™

She calls herself the “Queen of Pivots” (unofficial title, but fitting). Today, Laura Dionisio gets real about why change has shaped every bold move in her career and how embracing pivots turned into her life’s calling.

In this deeply personal solo episode of The Pivot Point, Laura pulls back the curtain on her own career journey, from a cha-cha childhood that taught her change is inevitable, to high-achieving control-freak tendencies, to the New York assignment that cracked her wide open. What started as a career curveball became a doorway into inner joy, personal development, and the boldest pivot of all: choosing a heart-led career.

She shares the messy middles, the panic attacks no one saw coming, and the surprising ways surrendering control led to greater alignment. Most importantly, she reveals how the frameworks she now teaches were born out of her own pivots and why she believes every ambitious high-achiever must see themselves as the leader of their own life.

If you’ve ever been “successful on paper” but quietly misaligned in your soul, this episode will light a fire under you to stop settling and start leading your life with heart.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

✔️ How Laura’s childhood shaped her fearless relationship with change
✔️ The double-edged sword of being “the planner” and why control can backfire
✔️ The messy New York assignment that forced her into presence (and joy)
✔️ The panic attacks that signaled it was time for inner work
✔️ Why personal development cracked open her career path to coaching
✔️ The three components of becoming the leader of your life

Proceed as if success is inevitable—because it is.

Heart-Aligned Career Transition Starter athttps://www.leadintact.com/freebies/heart-aligned-career  And if you’re ready for one-on-one support, book a free 20-min call athttps://leadintactwithlaura.as.me/free-consultation

Ever felt like you’re doing everything “right” and still wondering, why does this feel so wrong? This week, I sat down with my dear friend Jenny Jansen to talk about the messy pivots that actually bring you back to yourself.

Jenny’s story is one for the books: she started out teaching fifth graders, realized the real work she loved was those heart-to-heart recess talks, and then walked straight into a full-on quarter-life crisis. We’re talking Starbucks mornings, late-night shifts, ugly cries on the couch, and a whole lot of surrender.

But here’s the thing, those two years of chaos became the foundation for everything she does now as a therapist and master coach. Jenny and I dive into what it actually looks like to choose yourself over and over again, even when your brain is screaming bad idea, and why asking for help is the most adult thing you can do.

This conversation is funny, raw, and packed with mic-drop wisdom about trusting your nudges, rewriting your “shoulds,” and pivoting into a life that feels not just aligned, but actually alive.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

✔️The real story behind Jenny quitting teaching with no Plan B

✔️How surrendering timing (again and again) changed everything

✔️Why following a “tiny nudge” (like a free podcast membership) can blow open your whole career

✔️The Adult Chair model, what it is, and why it matters if you’re pivoting

✔️How to know if you’re half-assing two things instead of full-assing one

✔️Why “should” is a dirtier word than the F-bomb“Every single minute we’re alive is an opportunity to pivot. You don’t have to wait for the universe’s permission slip.” 

Feeling the itch to pivot? Start with the Heart-Aligned Career Transition Starter at https://www.leadintact.com/freebies/heart-aligned-career  And if you’re ready for one-on-one support, book a free 20-min call at https://leadintactwithlaura.as.me/free-consultation

You’re not stuck because you don’t know what you want, you’re stuck because you won’t admit it out loud. The moment you do? Game-changer.

In this episode of The Pivot Point, I’m letting you in on the exact sliding-doors moment that shifted my life, from overthinking my way through spreadsheets (hi, Laura A) to flowing toward my dream life in New York City (hey, Laura B). Spoiler: I didn’t choose one path. I lived both.

We’re talking about the difference between circling the runway for two years versus getting crystal-clear and in motion in just a few months. If you’ve ever delayed a big career decision because you “needed a plan,” this one’s going to hit close to home.

This isn’t just a story about moving cities. It’s about learning to trust yourself without seeing the entire staircase. It’s about dropping the need to control every step and leaning into what your body, and your life, are already telling you.

Because success should feel good. What the hell is the point otherwise?

What You’ll Hear:

✔️How admitting what you want fast-tracks the path to getting it

✔️The difference between “Laura A” over-engineering life and “Laura B” going with the flow (and why you might be both)

✔️Three ways to cut through decision fatigue: trusted-friend reflection, the coin flip test, and body wisdom

✔️Why waiting until you know how is the number-one way to keep yourself stuck

✔️The sneaky ways fear dresses itself up as “responsibility” or “logic”

✔️How to take the first step even when you don’t have a five-step plan

“The fastest way to get what you want is to admit that you want it. Then? Let the plan go.”

If this episode hit home, don’t just sit there, move. Share it with the friend who needs a loving shove, and grab my free Heart-Aligned Career Transition Starter at www.leadintact.com. And if you’re done feeling stuck and ready for real movement, book a free 20-minute call with me. We’ll get you out of your head and into action.

Ever hit that point where you’re doing all the things, career, family, checklists on checklists, and still feel like something’s missing? That was Theresa. She was the glue holding everyone else together… until she realized she was unraveling.

In this episode, I sit down with empowerment coach Theresa Steighner, one of the OG inspirations for this podcast—who shares the real story behind her quiet unraveling and how one bold decision (hello, random retreat Google search) sparked a complete inner and outer life shift.

We go deep on what happens when you finally listen to that nudge that says, “There has to be more than this,” how healing your inner world changes everything in your outer world, and why self-care is not selfish, it’s strategic. If you’ve been asking yourself “What’s next?” but feel too depleted to even dream bigger, this episode is your warm wake-up call.

And yes, successful career pivots don’t start with a resume update. They start with self-care. This is your proof.

🎧 What You’ll Hear:

• How Theresa went from anxious autopilot to aligned and empowered (hint: it started with a yoga mat)

• The exact moment she knew something had to change, and why it felt “intolerable”

• What to do when guilt tries to block your self-care (yep, it will)

• How one retreat snowballed into a whole new career (and life)

• The game-changing question she used to make a major career decision (no spreadsheet required)

• Why your feelings—not just your 401(k)—should shape your next move

💬 Quote to Remember: “I made the choice from a solid knowing. I knew where I felt valued. I knew where I felt like myself. And that’s where I stayed.”

✨ Feeling the Nudge? Start Here:

• Gentle Yoga Series (Free 4-week self-paced practice)
  

• Overwhelmed to Empowered – Learn more about Theresa
  

🚀 Ready to take your own first step? You don’t have to figure this out alone. Head to www.leadintact.com to grab your free Heart-Aligned Career Transition Starter—or book a free 20-minute call with me. Your pivot starts with one small move. Let’s make it together.

Trying to pivot but low-key packing fear, guilt, and a spreadsheet for the ride? Yeah… let’s unpack that.

In this solo episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes of a real-life pivot moment, when I had to decide between a familiar job that made sense… and a terrifying, thrilling opportunity in New York that lit me up and freaked me out.

Spoiler: I tried to logic my way through it. Spreadsheets. Trade studies. Asking everyone but myself. And it didn’t work.

What I eventually realized? You can’t pack for a heart-led career pivot with tools designed to keep you safe. You need something deeper—tools that honor your inner leader. Tools like pause, discernment, faith… and maybe a good outfit or two.

If you loved Episode 3 – You Got the Dream Job… So Why Are You Still Anxious?, this one goes even deeper. Because naming the misalignment is one thing—moving through it takes a whole new set of tools.

📌 I also share more about that magical year in New York in Episode 2 – How to Make Life Feel Magical—Without Quitting Your Job or Moving to Bali.

This one’s for the high-achievers making all the “right” moves—and realizing they’re still stuck. If you’ve been spinning in indecision, this episode is the reset you didn’t know you needed.

You’ll hear:

• Why guilt and fear are the two tools you need to stop packing

• The mistake I made trying to spreadsheet my way through a pivot

• How to tell when “obligation” is just fear in disguise

• 5 tools from the Lead Intact Toolbox that helped me get unstuck

• Why over-preparing is just your nervous system trying to keep you small

• What it actually means to lead your own life

“Sometimes fear dresses up as obligation. But it’s still fear. And it’s not in charge.”

✨ Want to know what you should be packing for your next pivot? Grab the Lead Intact Toolbox—20 practical and soulful tools for navigating transitions like a damn leader.

🎁 Download it free

One day I woke up and realized, I can’t do this anymore. Three days later, I quit. No safety net, no “perfect plan.” Just a deep knowing that it was time. 

This episode is about that terrifying, exhilarating moment when the plan you thought you needed collides with the truth you can’t ignore. I always believed I’d have seven months of savings, a tidy business plan, and all the safety nets in place before leaving corporate. But real life? Real pivots? They don’t usually wait for perfect timing.

Here’s the messy, raw truth: the money wasn’t all there, the plan wasn’t polished, and my head was still yelling “you’re not ready.” But my body and my soul said otherwise. And when I finally stopped fighting myself and listened, I remembered that success doesn’t come from spreadsheets or timelines. It comes from betting on you.

What You’ll Hear

✔️ Why waiting for the “perfect plan” keeps you stuck 

✔️ The sneaky signs your career is misaligned, like fatigue, disinterest, and dreading Mondays.

✔️ How investing in yourself builds the only real safety net you’ll ever need: belief in you.

✔️ The truth about making bold decisions without guarantees, and why it’s the powerful move.

✔️ A reminder that every major pivot starts with one simple, radical act: saying yes to you.

This isn’t just a pivot. It’s a reclamation.

If this episode hit you right in the gut, don’t just sit with it, act on it. Share it with a friend who’s secretly wondering if there’s more to life than their current job. 

🌟 Listen & Connect: Subscribe to The Pivot Point for more real, raw convos about career and life pivots.

💡 Grab your free Heart-Aligned Career Transition Starter at www.leadintact.com. 📩 DM me @aura.m.dionisio if this episode cracked something open for you—I love hearing your stories.

 You did everything right. Got the degrees. Landed the job. Built the “secure” career. So why does it still feel like… ugh?

In this raw and energizing convo, I sit down with Kayla Hoffmeier, former D1 athletic trainer turned virtual assistant powerhouse, network marketing pro, and full-on alignment queen. We talk about the whispers that told her something had to change… and the scary, beautiful, non-linear pivots that followed.

From walking away mid-season from a job she worked years to get, to unknowingly prepping her life and career for one of her biggest personal challenges—Kayla shows us what it looks like to choose yourself, even when it makes zero sense on paper.

You’ll learn:

✔️ How to recognize when the pivot’s already begun (before you take action)

✔️ The power of saying “yes” before you know how it’ll all work out

✔️ What it really means to be the most “you” version of yourself in your work

✔️ The risks no one talks about when you stay in a misaligned job

✔️ Why building flexibility isn’t just about freedom, it can be a lifesaver

✔️ How to borrow some of Kayla’s badass confidence for your next move

Whether you’re stuck in a “safe” job that’s slowly draining your soul or standing on the edge of a bold leap, this one will hit deep.

🧃 Bonus: Find out why Kayla is 1000% a matcha latte and not just because she’s bright, energizing, and aesthetically pleasing AF.

🌟 Listen & Connect:

🎧 Subscribe to The Pivot Point for more real, raw convos about career and life pivots.

📲 Follow Kayla on IG @kayla_hoffmeier for daily inspo, wellness tips, and online biz vibes.

💡 Grab your free Heart-Aligned Career Transition Starter at www.leadintact.com.

📩 DM me @leadintact if this episode cracked something open for you, I love hearing your stories.

🎙️ If it’s on your heart? It’s time to start. You don’t need the full map, just enough faith to take the first step. Let’s go.

You finally land the dream job.

✨ The one with better pay.

✨ The one with less stress.

✨ The one you swore would fix everything.

...But a few weeks in, you’re still exhausted. Still overthinking. Still wondering if you made a mistake. What gives?

In this episode, we’re talking about what I call “rom-com logic”—the belief that once you make the big career move, everything else will magically fall into place. (Spoiler: it won’t.)

I’m sharing the very real story of a time I thought I had finally figured it out... only to find myself battling the same burnout in a shinier, more “aligned” job. We’ll walk through why nothing outside of you will change until you start showing up as the version of you who knows how to hold the life she wants.

You’ll learn my 3-step process to embody your Future Self, stop recycling old patterns, and finally shift your career from “meh” to meaningful.

If you’ve ever thought, “This job was supposed to feel better than this,” this episode is for you.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Future Timeline Meditation

• Previous episode: Advocating for myself + asking for a raise (insert link)Rom-Com Lies and Career Pivots: Why Your Dream Job Didn’t Fix Everything

• Heart-Aligned Career Transition Starter

• Book a free 20-minute coaching call 

👋 Let’s connect:

DM me on Instagram or Facebook@leadintact—I’d love to hear if this episode hit something deep.

 This conversation started as a casual coffee chat—and turned into a podcast episode because it was too good not to share. What you’re about to hear is a raw, unfiltered look at the part of career pivots no one prepares you for: that disorienting, “WTF is happening?” healing phase where the old you is gone, the hustle no longer fits, and you’re left figuring out how to move through the messy middle.

I sit down with NLP master coach Leslie Thornton, and together we pull back the curtain on burnout, business identity loss, debt, surrendering to feminine energy (terrifying, but necessary), and how letting go—not pushing harder—is what actually gets you to the other side. Oh, and yes… even AI helped us both see things more clearly.

If you’re in that weird limbo where nothing feels right anymore and you’re quietly asking, what now?—this one’s for you.

💡 What you’ll hear:

• Why letting go (instead of grinding harder) is sometimes the real path forward

• The truth about burnout, debt, and that “WTF” identity crisis phase

• How surrendering to your feminine energy can feel terrifying—but freeing

• Why your business (or career) might fall apart before it falls together

• The surprising way AI helped spark clarity during our pivots

🌀 Quote to remember: "I’m not gonna go back to who I was. I can tell I’m integrated. Some things just don’t bother me anymore."

🔗 Find Leslie at hpwl.co and check out her podcast Hypnosis for Permanent Weight Loss 💥 Grab my free Heart-Aligned Career Transition Starter or book a clarity call at www.leadintact.com

One quiet morning, coffee in hand, inbox open… and the truth lands: “I hate this.”

Suddenly, everything about your job starts driving you up the wall. Your coworker’s end-of-meeting monologues? Rage-inducing. Your keyboard? Too loud. Every single Zoom call? Pure torture.

You don’t just want out—you want to BURN. IT. ALL. DOWN. (Please don’t.)

In this episode, I walk you through what to do when the job you worked so hard for starts to feel like a trap. I share the story of my very first career pivot (the one where I sprinted out of burnout and made some very rookie mistakes) and how I learned to slow down, get clear, and make aligned decisions instead of reactive ones.

You’ll learn my signature Why / What / How framework to stop spiraling and start making empowered career moves—without blowing everything up.

Whether you’re in the middle of a quiet crisis or just starting to admit something’s off, this episode is your permission slip to get honest and move forward with clarity.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Free video: The Principle of Why / What / How (YouTube) 

• Free guide: Heart-Aligned Career Transition Starter 

 Let’s connect: DM me on Instagram or Facebook @leadintact—I’d love to hear your story.