All Episodes
Episodes
Ep 108: Find Your Cheerleaders w/ Mohana Rajakumar
How do you navigate a pandemic lockdown as a massive extrovert and creative?
Novelist and screenwriter Mohana Rajakumar joins us to share how the COVID lockdown while living abroad set her on a self-care...
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Ep 107: How to Practice Self-Care through Pain and Uncertainty w/ Ana Quinn
How do you practice self-care when faced with three years of undiagnosed, excruciating leg pain?
On this episode, Ana Quinn—leadership development and executive coach—shares how she approached the most challenging...
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Ep 106: Creative Placemaking and Individual Authenticity w/ Kate Pittman
Have you ever visited a place and felt an intangible sense of belonging?
In this episode, I welcome Kate Pittman, Executive Director of the ViBe Creative District in Virginia Beach, to shed light on community spaces...
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Ep 105: A Fish Out of Water: Navigating an Unexpected Career Transition w/ Stephanie Vatalaro
How do you move forward from an unexpected jolt to your 20-year non-profit career?
Stephanie Vatalaro found herself grappling with this question when her non-profit lost funding in 2025. Faced with the reality that...
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Ep 104: Leadership, Confidence, and Self-Care w/ Rebecca Kleinhample
In this episode, I’m joined by Rebecca Kleinhample—Executive Director of the Virginia Living Museum. She describes the pivotal moment that led her to discover meaning and purpose in her career after years of...
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Ep 103: Assertive, Aggressive, or Angry—Which One Is It? w/ Toni Collis
Have you ever been labelled aggressive or angry when you’re simply asserting yourself as the only woman in the room?
In this episode, I talk with Toni Collis, executive coach and host of the Leading Women in Tech...
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Ep 102: Generative AI and Mental Health: Helpful or Harmful?
Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussion of suicidal ideation. Please take care while listening. If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline...
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Ep 101: The Comeback Episode
After a 7-month hiatus, Essential Self-Care is back with new episodes, fresh insights, and meaningful conversations to support you on your journey of cultivating a kinder, more compassionate relationship with...
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Ep 100: Celebrating 100 Episodes + What We’ve Learned Together
In this milestone episode, I’m celebrating 100 episodes of the Essential Self-Care Podcast! Over the past three years, I’ve had the privilege of speaking with 60 guests who’ve shared their stories, insights, and...
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Ep 99: Becoming a Steward of Yourself w/ Dr. Nneka Unachukwu
In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Nneka Unachukwu, also known as Dr. Una. As a physician and founder of EntreMD, Dr. Una helps doctors build profitable businesses and practice medicine on their own terms. In this...
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Ep 98: Permission to Slow Down w/ Jennifer Fluke
In this episode, I’m joined by Jennifer Fluke, a physician assistant and founder of Inspiring Wild Hearts. She shares how she found peace and healing during one of the most challenging times in her life. Through...
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Ep 97: Traveling Beyond Your Comfort Zone w/ Bianca Lynch
In this wanderlust episode, I’m joined by Bianca Lynch, travel content creator and digital nomad, who shares how travel became an essential part of her self-care journey. From an impromptu trip to El Salvador that...
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