She Begins: Recent Episodes
Jennifer Whitney
Welcome to the She Begins podcast! Jen Whitney sits down with remarkable women of all different ages and with extraordinary stories about how they started over, began a new chapter in their life, or just decided to show up different in a different way one moment or one day. They share the most vulnerable parts about what it's like to begin again. All beginnings aren't rainbows and unicorns. They can be unwanted or unexpected. They can be funny, hard and beautiful all at the same time. The most interesting part of each new beginning story is what we learn about ourselves. Jen Whitney is a divorce recovery coach, an expert trainer and a mom to a teenage daughter. She has had her own share of beginnings, many of them unwanted and painful. From losing an adult sibling in a car accident to trying to save a marriage after infidelity and then eventually becoming a divorced single mom, Jen experienced heartbreak over and over. But, just like millions of other women, she chose to begin again, and again and again. Her mission is to help women feel more supported, encouraged and less alone as they navigate all of life's endings and beginnings. New episodes premiere every Thursday.
This episode has been on my heart to share for a long time. It is about the story of the passing of my younger brother, Johnny, when he was just 24 years old. I share what it was like trying to grieve while still being a mom, a wife (at the time), and trying to go on with life. I share why I stopped grieving him for years and why I finally couldn't stuff the sadness down any longer. At the end I share 10 things to do and not to do when someone you know is going through grief.
I mention the She Rises Community at the end of this episode. For more information about this community, visit:
https://sherises-community-signup.carrd.co/
In this episode you will hear Katie's courageous story. Katie, like so many of us, wasn't not aware that the experiences she was having in her marriage were actually emotional abusive. Katie is an insightful, educated and successful woman, with two children, but found herself in a ongoing hell of gaslighting, blame shifting and devaluation. Katie shares openly about the toll that this took on her self-esteem, self-respect and overall well-being. You will hear how she finally decided to end the marriage and the ways in which she is helping her children navigate their own emotions now.
Katie Bowman is the Founder & CEO of Tribe Consulting, a Florida-based consulting firm. Tribe's mission is to empower exceptional people and transform the culture of work. As a Gallup certified Strengths coach, Katie provides a Strengths-based approach to personal and professional development, executive coaching, and leadership development. After navigating upheaval in her personal life, Katie expanded her coaching offerings to focus on women who are in a season of transition and transformation, seeking to reconnect with self to make courageous next steps in life. She founded the Courage Collective in 2019 for this purpose.
https://www.triblife.co/couragecollective
Find Katie on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@katieandcourage
Welcome back to Season 2 of the She Begins Podcast! Today's conversation is with Jenna, a mom of a 4 year old little girl who was married to a person who was emotionally abusive. Jenna endured 14 years in that marriage. She speaks so honestly about her experience and the journey that she is going through to find her light again. She shares how the question of "would you choose this for your daughter?" was a profound turning point for her.
Interested in the She Rises Community? It opens on October 1, 2022. Register below to receive an invite:
https://sherises-community.carrd.co/
It's been awhile! I have missed you guys! Here is one last episode before I wrap up Season 1 of the She Begins Podcast. Season 2 begins September 15th!!
In today's episode, I share what I have learned since beginning a new relationship. Yes, a new relationship. A relationship that is healthy and hold the phone, I am being MYSELF!!
Hope you enjoy! See you on September 15th!!
In today's episode, you will hear the story of Brandy, a registered nurse, of navigating life during the Covid-19 pandemic. Not only did Brandy have to endure the horrors of providing medical care during a worldwide pandemic, she also faced having to place her father in long term care due to early onset Alzheimer's Disease. Brandy speaks openly about the significant challenges she has faced during the last two years and the impact that those experiences had on her mental health and well-being. Brandy has also begun a new chapter in her healthcare journey and will share a few details about why she is so passionate about this next new chapter.
Here is another short episode with a few things that I came to realize and remember while being sick with Covid this week.
This guest is near and dear to my heart. She is an incredible woman whom I have had the honor of coaching. She generously agreed to share her story of divorce, the hell that happens during and after, and how she is healing despite it all. She is a mom to three children and has put their needs first at every point along the way. She is insightful, brave, and beautiful, inside and out!
I was walking tonight, and feeling a lot of things so I decided to record them. I hope that you find them helpful if not at the very least entertaining. Parenting is a series of wins and fails and not knowing. And that’s OK.
In this episode you will hear the story of Zoe and her baby Luke. There really aren't any words to even summarize this interview, her story. So, I won't. But I will just thank her again for her bravery, her honesty and her choosing to share with us.
This is the first in a series of very casual, informal episodes I will share about the most recent things I am learning, experiencing or dealing with. I'll mix in some words of wisdom from my favorite books into these stories and hope that they will provide you with just a bit of entertainment and new knowledge.
This episode was really hard to record. In it I talk about what I am learning as the two year relationship that I was in ended recently. This is a major new beginning for me and not an easy or fun one. But a necessary one. I am trying to heal, and even grow into a better version of myself throughout this process.
The poet I speak of is Julia Fehrenbacher. You can find more of her work here:
https://www.juliafehrenbacher.com/my-poetry
A phrase that I have never heard before, "keep your head where your feet are", was the biggest aha moment and gem in this conversation. Quite literally, the idea is to stay in the present, to not get caught up in your head wanting to go forward and worry or go backward and regret. If you are a single mom, trying to do it all, you will so relate to Kayla. Kayla is a single mom to 3 quite amazing children. She has put them first since she became a mom and has made countless sacrifices to provide them with a beautiful life and home. She made the brave choice of quitting a job that she had held for many many years, to finally return to her pursuit of a nursing degree. And in this conversation, I learned why pursuing nursing was so important to her. Kayla's energy is honest, positive and humble. Enjoy!!
In this episode I share the journey I took to go from self-loathing and beating myself up for so many past mistakes and heartbreaks to being proud of the woman who kept fighting, kept getting back up.
Key points and questions:
· Where have you been the champion in your own arena? What did you endure to keep getting back up? And how can you honor that instead of beating yourself up?
· The point in a beautiful and authentic life is to err again and again, to come up short, but still know your worth and know how loved you really are by those around you
· Where are the places in your life now where you see the arena, know in your bones that you are being called to enter it and fight for what your soul knows is meant for you?
· I encourage you to enter that arena, scared, shaking, and uncertain. You already have everything you need inside of you as the person who took the blows but kept getting back up.
Welcome back to another conversation with Kaidy. For each episode Kaidy chooses a topic that she wants to talk about. This week's topic is "What is good or not so good in living in a house as an only child and living with other kids in another house?"
Highlights of our conversation:
- There are some times when teens want alone time and other times when they really want to interact with their parents
- How to ask for what you need in relationships with others
Hope you enjoy!!
Todays episode started off talking about coaching and business but quickly veered into an even more meaningful conversation with Joella Autorino. Joella lost her mother to cancer as a little girl. Joella was profoundly impacted by this in a positive way and credits her mother's constant presence and light for guiding her on a path that has led to success and fulfillment. Joella coaches business owners and entrepreneurs, not just in strategy, numbers and sales, but speaks directly to their hearts to help them create a life that they truly love,
Important points:
- We all have the power to design our lives. We just need to decide to own that power.
- Empathy is a superpower
- We can use our menstrual cycle to tap into our most creative energy while honoring our body's need for rest and stillness
I know you will love Joella's infectious energy and spirit. You can connect with her using the links below:
Badass Business Builders on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/308131680872200
https://businessesonpurpose.com/
Ever wonder what it's like to have a teenage daughter as a single mom? Wonder what is talked about? Wonder how you get along together or not get along? These conversations will give you a glimpse into what is important to teenagers today, what I get right as a parent and what I get wrong. Parenting a teenager is a new beginning every single day because they change so fast. I'm grateful that my daughter still talks so openly with me at this stage in her life. I might not agree with what she says, but the older she gets the more wisdom she has. Hope you enjoy!
In this episode, I talk to Melissa Crocetta about her journey through infertility, the ongoing struggle with endometriosis and the importance of choice in how she chooses to move forward in life. The information provided about endometriosis was completely new to me and it was quite shocking to learn how pervasive this disease can be in every aspect of a woman's health. The signs and symptoms of what to look out for, as well as resources are included below.
You will find Melissa's story to be raw, honest, and extremely informative with a good amount of sarcasm and humor thrown in.
Common Symptoms of Endometriosis Include:
• Painful menstrual cramps
• Pain during ovulation
• Irregular or heavy menses
• Painful bowel movements especially during menstruation
• Urinary pain especially during menses
• Chronic pain lower back pain
• Spotting or bleeding between menstrual periods
• Changes in bowel habits during menstruation
• Abdominal bloating
• Chronic pelvic pain
• Infertility or difficulty conceiving
• Dyspareunia: Pain during and after intercourse
Endometriosis is correctly defined as “a systemic, inflammatory disease characterized at surgery by the presence of endometrium-like tissue found outside the uterus, usually with an associated inflammatory process. - Center for Endometriosis Care
Resources:
Resolve: The National Infertility Association https://www.facebook.com/resolveinfertilityorg
Endo Warriors https://www.facebook.com/endowarriorssupport/
ICareBetter - https://m.facebook.com/1555400304767817
Endometriosis Summit - https://m.facebook.com/1456981957765827
Center for Endometriosis Care - https://m.facebook.com/121660604539648
You are in for a treat! Today's guest, Meredith has a beautiful story about a remarkable new beginning in her life...living at sea!
Meredith is a novice sailor that is living on a sailboat with her partner Conrad and “ship’s cat” Chinola. Although she had created a business on land that she cherished, life (& love) presented her with an opportunity for adventure and growth. She took it and now lives (as she puts it) “life amplified”.
Learn more about her adventures and learnings here:
https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=hearty%20dolphin
We talk about:
- The best way to keep or hold onto things is in our heart
- Being a gentle coach with yourself instead of a critical dictator
- What dolphins can teach us about trust and living in the moment
- Why being sideways is the only way to sail forward (i.e. we have to be somewhat uncomfortable and unbalanced when pushing forward with any new beginning)
- The importance of being open to another perspective, especially in challenging moments
In this episode I go back to one the most pivotal parts of my life. I hit a kind of rock bottom. Looking back at this day now, I realized that the beginning of real healing and growth came from a moment of complete surrender, of having literally nothing left in me to keep on going as if everything was okay.
Here’s what I think matters in this story:
· We are conditioned to believe that surrender, that giving up control is weak. That’s a lie. The strength and courage that is required when surrendering is brutal as hell and is far harder than we give it credit for.
· Let people in, the people who really care about you and love you just as you are. Let them in. They’ve got you. You know in your gut who these people are. They are in your life for a reason. And they may need you in the same way at some point. Let it be okay for them to surrender fully in your presence too.
· Stop being an asshole to yourself. In my home with my daughter, we have one simple rule “Don’t be an ahole”…you might cringe or wonder if that’s appropriate, but that doesn't matter to me. This is said in the most loving way as possible. Being an ahole is not caring about someone they way they should be cared for, not loving and supporting them, talking sht about them…and too many more to list. But she knows when I say, "don’t be an a*hole," it means to be kind, empathetic, understanding, patient, gracious…
· Ask yourself if there are parts of your life that you can surrender to…to ask for help and receive help. Even consider asking yourself for guidance and strength and actually listening to that voice.
In this introductory episode, Jen Whitney shares details about how she navigated the most most painful and difficult new beginning of her life. Jen takes you on a journey up a mountain, jumping over a Spartan fire finish line and finally listening to the knowing whisper inside of her that knew her marriage of 13 years was over.
She talks about how we can't always wait until we're ready, until we are prepared or having everything just right before we decide to begin something new. We learn the most about ourselves and we discover the most strong and beautiful parts of us when we are forced to begin before we are ready.
She doesn't sugar coat her fears and won't ever pretend to have everything figured out.
Instagram: @jenlynncoaching
Facebook: Jen Lynn Coaching
Welcome to the She Begins Podcast! Jen Whitney sits down with remarkable women of all different ages and with extraordinary stories about how they started over, began a new chapter in their life, or just decided to show up different in a different way one moment or one day.
They share the most vulnerable parts about what it's like to begin again. All beginnings aren't rainbows and unicorns. They can be unwanted or unexpected. They can be funny, hard and beautiful all at the same time.
The most interesting part of each new beginning story is what we learn about ourselves.
Jen Whitney is a divorce recovery coach, an expert trainer and a mom to a teenage daughter. She has had her own share of beginnings, many of them unwanted and painful.
From losing an adult sibling in a car accident to trying to save a marriage after infidelity and then eventually becoming a divorced single mom, Jen experienced heartbreak over and over.
But, just like millions of other women, she chose to begin again, and again and again. Her mission is to help women feel more supported, encouraged and less alone as they navigate all of life's endings and beginnings.
New episodes premiere every Thursday.