It has been an added-bonus in my life to get to meet some of the amazing women who walk through my Community and begin sharing their story. 

I've watched Tami VanHoy rise to share her story with such passion and conviction because of how grounded she is in her faith & identity. It's inspiring. 

Tami spreads a message today that is calling women to stop living with their hair on fire, and instead, light their heart on fire! 

I hope you fall in love with her story as much as I have! 

APRIL: Let's start with a little introduction. Tell everyone a bit more about you & share a piece of your journey. 

TAMI: Nana. That's what my biggest fans call me! I have 6 grands with #7 on the way, and of all the titles I've had, this one is my favorite. Other titles I've answered to include: mom (I've raised 4 who call me that!), wife, entrepreneur, business owner, founder, CEO, Mindset / Business Coach, Speaker, employee and yes...daughter and sister. But my story is one where I learned to stop letting...

What I’m sharing with you today is something I have not openly talked about with other people.

It’s not so much that I’m ashamed of it. It’s because I don’t want it to define me as a person, and I don’t want to offend somebody dealing with this differently from me… so much so that as a result, I’ve been keeping myself from discussing it. 

It’s about my life-long battle with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

I’ve long planned to record this episode, but I kept pushing it back since talking about it made me uncomfortable. Today, I am finally opening up and giving you the inside story on my life with RA.

Here are some of the things I share in this episode:

• What RA is and what it was like to be 18 months old suffering from this disorder
• The doctor’s prognosis of what my life would be like with RA
• The non-traditional way I have dealt with my condition
• Realizing that the pain from RA was only half the battle; the other half was having the mindset to overcome what was stopping me from living ...

I’m fresh off 2 events that have left me feeling energized and truly inspired! And the relevant insights I took away were not just for the way I do my work as a Storytelling coach, but also for how I live my personal life.

On both occasions, one valuable truth struck me: we have to make the conscious effort of putting ourselves in the room and allowing ourselves to be transformed when we do that.

But what do I mean by “putting yourself in the room”?

Here’s what I’m sharing with you today:

• My experience in Montana, and what it felt like to attend my first in-person event in over a year
• The virtual Storytelling Symposium I led that was attended by women who chose to put themselves in the room
• What it means to give yourself the chance to be in the room fully and truly present, ready to soak up the lessons other people in the room impart
• Putting yourself in the room not just to receive wisdom from others but also giving something back by sharing your own stories
• Ultimately, it’...

This week’s episode is brought to you by the Storytelling Symposium presented by LIGHTbeamers, a Transformational Storytelling Event To Empower You to Make a Bigger Impact with Your Story!

Step into your Brave this year and join the Storytelling Symposium!

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It’s a pretty special day at The Inside Story Podcast because today, we have our very first gentleman on the show!

Dan Mangena is a motivational speaker, best-selling author & Wall Street Journal “Master of Success”.  He is a multiple 7-figure business owner who has had his share of ups and downs before getting to where he is now. And as he and I take a look back at his journey, he shares some pretty powerful truths that will make you dream bigger for yourself than ever before.

Here are some of what Dan and I talk about in today’s episode:

• His life as a trilogy and where he is at this point
• The life-changing diagnosis of having Asperger’s Syndrome, and what this revelatio
...

When you’re an entrepreneur trying to build and elevate your business, surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals has a transformative effect not only on how you work, but also how you live your personal life.

When I met Hayley Hunter Hines in 2018, she was already sharing stories of the women she was helping, and her passion for what she was doing was evident. And when I approached her to talk about her initiative, I realized I was speaking to a real LIGHTbeamer.

Since then, she and I have been supporting each other both in business and in our personal endeavors. And knowing her has had such a positive effect on me and the way I live my life (remember my red dress moment in Paris?), and impacted the vision I have for my business.

Hayley shares so much of her journey and insights with me in this episode. Here are some pieces of our conversation:

• What it means to be a Soul-Centered CEO and the 3 C-words that embody being that person
• Her journey that began in 2016, giving...

Before I met Madge Gillen, I did not have the slightly clue what Foot Zoning was. 

Do you?  Have you ever heard of this?

Madge was already a big part of the LIGHTbeamers Community and was sharing a lot about self love... when she began exploring her story deeper, and discovered a powerful healing modality that has quite literally changed her life! 

I've watched her enthusiasm and passion reach a whole new level. Her energy is infectious! 

I had to feature her this month so more of you could get to know this bubbly, superhuman. When she says "sunshine in my soul" -- you can feel it! 🌞

APRIL: Madge, I love how your story has evolved over time. Tell us a little bit about your journey!

MADGE: I was that person who would say “YES!” to everyone and everything. Before I knew it I was in the PTA, I was a room mom, I was a High School Cheer coach, I was on the Board of Dyslexia for the State of Utah, I was a Girls Scout Leader, I was a mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister, and a friend.

I was over...

If there’s one thing I have always considered to be a blessing in my personal life and my business, it would be the gift of Community.

But the significance of having and being part of a Community has not stood out more to me than during my very recent experience with Covid. What I went through emphasized clearly how my wonderful tribe of LIGHTbeamers plays such a big role in my life.

Whether you’re part of a huge community or a smaller tight-knit one, you’re going to want to listen to this episode. And if you’re part of LIGHTbeamers, this one right here is an ode to you!

I invite you and your friends to listen together as I talk about:

• How my community has made an impact in my success
• One of the top life skills we must have as adults, that was shared to me in an interview
• The way my people showed up for me as I battled Covid and how their love contributed to my healing and recovery in a big way 💛
• The 3 ways to build community
• The secret ingredient I highly recommend if you ...

Last week, I posted a story prompt inside my LIGHTbeamers Community on Facebook and it went like this:

What is something positive in your life now that you didn’t have a year ago? 

Today, as I sit in a quiet spot by the beach — on a much-needed break with my family — I am sharing with you by way of this podcast episode, my own reflection and response to this significant question.

I hope you join me as I share with you:

• How I paused and looked back at the last 12 months, including my family’s recent bout with Covid
• What’s at the top of my positive list 💛
• The concept of tight containers which I learned from my own mentor and coach
• How even just managing my time using Google calendar has made such a huge impact in my business and personal life!
• What I believe this past year has taught us and brought about in us

To say the least, these past months have been consequential for all of us one way or the other. So I invite you to take some time to really think about what positive...

Sometimes, life takes you on a path that’s way different from the one you thought you’d be on.

For Melonie DeRose, being a corporate lawyer was a big check mark on her to-do list. She was doing what she thought she was meant to do, and what everyone else said she was supposed to do.

But when she realized most of her days were just spent on autopilot and not making her feel alive, Melonie knew there was something missing. She knew she had to make a change. So she went and took a leap of faith, pursued her real passion, and never looked back.

There’s a lot you can take away from Melonie’s story, and I invite you to listen in as she shares with us: 

• The three things that made her rethink her life
• That pivotal moment she had leaving work at 2AM while 7 months pregnant
• Her mission to empower women which drove her to create Empact Bars
• Her unconventional way of partnering with non-profit organizations in her pursuit of making an impact on women’s lives
• The really funny story abou...

Today’s episode with international keynote speaker and public speaking trainer Melanie Spring is such a good one!

She takes us on her journey from being a brand strategist interviewing companies and finding out what made them work (hint: it has something to do with stories!), to becoming a public speaker and trainer who helps other people bring their stories to the big stage.

I had such a fun and enlightening conversation with Melanie, and I invite you to listen in as we talk about:

• How she unexpectedly found her passion in teaching people how to say what they need or want to say
• Her life-changing retreat that goes beyond public speaking, and allows people to find out what’s standing between them and who they want to be
• What she feels are the things holding people back from sharing their stories and making an impact on stage
• Being an introvert and why her personality makes her good at what she does
• A major tip she has for anyone who is getting ready to speak on stage (this i...