Life Leaps Podcast

Latest Episodes:

21. "We Can Do Hard Things" - A Family That Moved Across The World And Isn't Done Yet, With Sara and Nick Windschitl Apr 19, 2023

Show notes

Sara and Nick Windschitl moved their family of five across the world intending to stay for only a short time and - four years later - realized that that leap was only the beginning. In Ep. 21, the couple reflects on:

What drove them to leave their comfortable lives in Minneapolis (and how Sara never actually thought she’d do it!)
How their kids handled the transition
How a surprise hardship in their new lives forced them to make a choice about whether to pursue yet another long-held dream (hint: they took the leap, and several more, after that first dramatic turn of events)
And why doing hard things is more important than you might think.

They also reflect on how their faith and their relationship with each other played a role in all these changes with - as usual - insights for the rest of us considering making life changes.

Episode 21 of Life Leaps Podcast is live now! Learn more about this podcast and your host's own leap-in-progress here.
Follow Sara and Nick's journey at https://thaischitls.wordpress.com and learn more about the school they founded in Chiang Mai, Thailand - The Nest International School - here.

*Sponsored Content*

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Have guest ideas? Can't wait to hear what leaps will be next?
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*ACCESSIBILITY: Transcripts are available for each episode here. (Just click your episode of choice, and then click the "transcript" tab! And if you have any issues at all don't hesitate to reach out.)

20. "We've Changed The Conversation" - Turning Workplace Harassment Into A Nonprofit That Protect Others, With Aliza Shatzman Apr 12, 2023

Show notes

Aliza Shatzman wanted to be a prosecutor. But when her first boss - a federally-appointed Judge - started telling her he was 'more comfortable' with her male counterparts, she realized she'd need to navigate an entirely different set of challenges. In Ep. 20, we'll hear how Aliza:

Decided to come out about harassment at work (including through Congressional testimony!)
Realized anti-discrimination laws didn't cover her particular situation and so founded a non-profit - The Legal Accountability Project - to help change that.
Now works to protect others in a way that no other organization is doing.

Aliza's writing on judicial accountability has been featured in the Harvard Journal on Legislation, Yale Law & Policy Review, UCLA Journal of Gender & Law, Administrative Law Review, NYU Journal of Legislation & Public Policy, Law360, Above the Law, Slate, Ms. Magazine, and Balls and Strikes, and more.
Today, Aliza shares her leap - which was both deeply personal and professional - into this world of advocacy.
Follow Aliza Shatzman on Twitter @AlizaShatzman or on LinkedIn. Read her House Judiciary testimony here, and learn more about The Legal Accountability Project at https://www.legalaccountabilityproject.org/.

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Online at: https://lifeleapspodcast.com/
Or send us a good old-fashioned email at lifeleapspodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you.

19. "I Gave My Two Weeks" - Deciding It's Time To Step Back, Breathe, And Figure Out What's Next, With Andrea Apr 05, 2023

Show notes

Andrea Gomez Kerr just left her full throttle job in marketing in search of some time, space, and who knows what's next. Today we'll hear how Andrea:

Realized she'd reached the point of burn-out
Is creating the financial space for her family - she's got three small kids - to live on 1 salary instead of 2 (hint: she's managed to cut 40% of their expenses!)
Is now examining the kinds of decisions - conscious and not - that landed her on her current trajectory and how she can re-think and rearchitect her life moving forward
Insights for us along the way

Andrea's is another leap we'll track in the months to come and I can't wait to introduce her to you all today in Episode 19.
Learn more about this podcast (and us, with a blog I recently started!) on the Life Leaps Podcast website here.
*Sponsored Content*

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Online at: https://lifeleapspodcast.com/
Or send us a good old-fashioned email at lifeleapspodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you.

18. Leap-In-Progress: Your Host! *Update #3 - "3 Steps Forward, 2 Back - But We're Stepping!"* Mar 29, 2023

Show notes

We're back! With an update on our move with our toddler to southern Spain (after we leapt *see Episode 8* and pivoted *see Episode 13*!) and can't wait to share our highs, lows, and lessons learned.
Learn more about this podcast (and us, with a blog I recently started!) on the Life Leaps Podcast website here.

Facebook: Life Leaps Podcast
Instagram: @LifeLeapsPodcast
Online at: https://lifeleapspodcast.com/
Or send us a good old-fashioned email at lifeleapspodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you.

17. Part 2: "I Just Felt Alive" - Being A First-Time Entrepreneur With A Mission, With Liliya Mar 22, 2023

Show notes

We’re back with Liliya Reshytilo, who told us last week how she quit her corporate job and became an event planner and flight attendant, and everything was going great until - just a year in - COVID hit. Liliya was pregnant, basically out of both jobs, and found herself needing to leap again. Today we pick up where we left off. Liliya shares how she:

Figured out what to do next (hint: as with most of us, her everyday life was full of clues - she just needed the tools to help her connect those dots)
Managed to break into a new industry - sustainable fashion - that she had no background or experience in
Learned to put herself out there as an introvert
Approached the uncertainty of it all; and
What is happening RIGHT NOW in her world - which is the launch of her brand new sustainable children’s clothing brand, Tiny Advocates.

So catch up on last week if you have not already, and then dive into today’s episode because Liliya’s leap is LIVE and we’ll actually track it in the months to come!
Learn more about Liliya Reshetylo and Tiny Advocates at https://linktr.ee/tinyadvocates, and check out her adorable, ethically made and sourced children's clothing on Instagram at @tiny_advocates, Facebook at Tiny Advocates, and on Linkedin.

Facebook: Life Leaps Podcast
Instagram: @LifeLeapsPodcast
Online at: https://lifeleapspodcast.com/
Or send us a good old-fashioned email at lifeleapspodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you.

17. "I Just Felt Alive" - On Leaving Corporate To Fly And Launch A Sustainable Fashion Brand, With Liliya (Part 1) Mar 15, 2023

Show notes

Liliya Reshytelo isn't afraid of work. After moving from Ukraine to Canada at 15 without speaking English, she settled and succeeded in the way she thought she was supposed to: by earning her degree and joining the corporate world. But for her, the shoe never quite fit. Liliya finally leapt - several times, actually - and is now starting her own eco-friendly, sustainable kids clothing company - Tiny Advocates - that also educates kids about their clothes. Liliya is launching her brand as we speak! We'll track her leap in the coming months and, over this and next week, we'll hear how she:

First got the guts to leave her corporate job without a backup
Realized why it wasn't right for her in the first place
Thought through the finances
Leapt into two careers she enjoyed but was grounded (literally, as she had become a flight attendant at the time) by COVID and had to rethink what was next - all while pregnant, by the way.
(And next week we'll hear all about that *next*: how she got the idea to start her children's clothing brand; worked with a mindset coach to grow her dreams (with tips!); learned to 'put herself out there' in business as an introvert; and broke into an industry she had no background in, and made a name for herself.)

Learn more about Liliya Reshetylo and Tiny Advocates at https://linktr.ee/tinyadvocates, and check out her adorable, ethically made and sourced children's clothing on Instagram at @tiny_advocates, Facebook at Tiny Advocates, and on Linkedin.

Facebook: Life Leaps Podcast
Instagram: @LifeLeapsPodcast
Online at: https://lifeleapspodcast.com/
Or send us a good old-fashioned email at lifeleapspodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you.

16. "How Much Time Do We Actually Have?" - From Law to Livestock, With A Foot In Both Worlds, With Kristin Aquino-Pham Mar 08, 2023

Show notes

Kristin Aquino-Pham admits she had no business (literally or otherwise!) being a livestock farmer when she bought her first piece of land in 2020 in the north Georgia mountains. An urban lawyer and mother of three young kids, what started as an exploration - even just a distraction - for her during chaotic times became a full-fledged mission, business, and so much more (goats, sheep, pigs and all!) as Kasama Farm Foundation / OOBD Products. Today, we'll hear how Kristin:

Decided to do this in the first place, starting with a very helpful approach
Was pushed by an unexpected hardship in her law world
Now manages to do law and farming, reminding us you don't have to leave your old life completely - or wait for retirement! - to test a dream
Talks about being a woman of color - she's Filipina - in this space
And offers really solid advice - which we haven't heard before - about approaching a leap when loved ones are leaping with you

More on Kristin Aquino-Pham, Kasama Farm Foundation and OOBD Products in Elijay, Georgia at https://kasamafarmfoundation.com/ on Instagram at @tintinpham and @oobdfarm, Facebook at Kristin Aquino-Pham: Livestock Farmer, and on YouTube. (And for more on her 'other' professional life and background, including in law, check out her LinkedIn.)
And SUBSCRIBE to your host's *Leap-in-Progress* blog here (very bottom of the page) and catch up past posts here!

Facebook: Life Leaps Podcast
Instagram: @LifeLeapsPodcast
Online at: https://lifeleapspodcast.com/
Or send us a good old-fashioned email at lifeleapspodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you.

15. "I Had Nothing To Lose" - How A Leap Of Faith With A Stranger Changed His Life Forever, With Marco Mar 01, 2023

Show notes

Marco Ferrari is a Master Stylist from Milan, Italy with decades of experience in Milan, London, and LA who now owns and runs the upscale Salon Ferro in downtown Washington, DC. (Recently voted Best in DC, by the way!) But rewind - just a *few* years - and you'd see a young, sort of reckless guy leaving his home - and what was supposed to be his future in the family business as a hairstylist - for a short stint in the UK where he instead ran out of money, was almost forced to head home, but had an extraordinary encounter with a stranger that gave him another chance. Marco took that chance and it changed everything. Today we’ll hear how Marco:

Took a HUGE leap of faith with a stranger
Found his calling and, along with it, some surprising new relationships
Almost leapt again, but instagram (of all things)changed his mind
Takes a very unique (and helpful!) mindset in the face of failure - which he and I really tie together at the end of the episode - and which allowed him to actually strengthen his business during COVID

SUBSCRIBE to your host's *Leap-in-Progress* blog here (very bottom of the page) and catch up past posts here!
And follow Marco on Instagram @MarcoFerrariHair and Ferro Salon DC on Instagram @FerroSalonDC and Facebook at Ferro Salon DC. And Check out Episode 14 and others on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts!

Facebook: Life Leaps Podcast
Instagram: @LifeLeapsPodcast
Online at: https://lifeleapspodcast.com/
Or send us a good old-fashioned email at lifeleapspodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you.

14. "Cracking Into Creativity" - Leaping 25-Years-In And Coaching The Rest Of Us To Do The Same, With Yale Prof. Astrid Baumgardner Feb 22, 2023

Show notes

Astrid Baumgardner is a New York City-based career coach, author of the book Creative Success Now and teaches creativity and entrepreneurship at Yale University's School of Music where she coaches students on career (and life) success. She's given a TedX talk on the topic, and leads frequent workshops, lectures, you name it - all in the name of helping others make life and career choices based on their values, strengths and passions. But - for an important twist - Astrid also made her own life leap, which really came to focus in a time of personal and physical crisis, 25 years into her career.
In Ep. 14, Astrid delves into:

What sparked her own life leap after 25 years
The questions we should all ask ourselves
What mindset is (and isn't!) helpful
Why we should all unlock and cultivate our inner creativity when making life and career changes - and how to do it

Check out Episode 14 and others on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts!

And learn more about Astrid Baumgardner at www.astridbaumgardner.com, on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram @astridlrb. Learn more about her book, Creative Success Now, and watch her TEDx talk, Cracking the Code on Creativity.

Facebook: Life Leaps Podcast
Instagram: @LifeLeapsPodcast
Online at: https://lifeleapspodcast.com/
Or send us a good old-fashioned email at lifeleapspodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you.

13. Leap-In-Progress: Your Host! *Update #2 - "We Leapt, Now We Pivot"* Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

We're back! With an update on your host's own leap-in-progress. Catch up on our highs, lows, and one big plot twist. (And, if you haven't yet, listen to Ep.8, where we first explain how and why we - with our 18-month toddler in tow! - left our Washington, DC apartment, sold our car, and resigned from a job (mine!) in pursuit of some big life changes.)
**And, as promised, follow more of our adventures on our new BLOG housed on on the Life Leaps Podcast homepage at https://lifeleapspodcast.com/leapinprogress-blog! (PS - pictures and other blog post edits/updates to come - but we decided to just GET the thing up there, imperfect as it is, for right now!)**

Check out Episode 13 and others on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts!

Facebook: Life Leaps Podcast
Instagram: @LifeLeapsPodcast
Online at: https://lifeleapspodcast.com/
Or send us a good old-fashioned email at lifeleapspodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you.

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