My Story on TURTZED
Some journeys unfold slowly. Mine didn’t. It showed up in therapy circles, on podcast recordings, in moments where my voice shook while telling the truth, and in quiet mornings where I wondered whether building something of my own was brave or reckless. Before this podcast, I was someone who chased achievement for validation, avoided my own feelings, and thought success would fix what hurt. Now, I’m someone learning to sit with myself and tell the truth out loud.
Saying Yes To Conversations That Actually Matter
When Mari asked who my ideal guest was, the answer came easily. It’s not about fame or expertise. It’s about willingness. Anyone ready to revisit their story with clarity, honesty, and reflection belongs here. Those are the conversations that shaped me in group therapy, the ones where someone’s truth cracked something open in me too. That’s what I want to recreate on TURTZED.
Where Skiing Taught Me What My Life Hadn’t Yet
I started skiing before I could form memories. The mountain became the first place I felt both free and capable. As I got older, it became family, community, escape. The moment that changed me was building a ski program for teens, trusting an idea, following my gut, watching something grow. I just didn’t learn how to follow that same instinct for the rest of my life until much later.
Learning To Sit In My Own Story
Before therapy, it was easier to talk about everyone else’s pain than my own. Group therapy forced me back into myself again and again. “What are you feeling? What is this bringing up in you?” That practice is now the foundation of the podcast. I can’t ask guests to go somewhere I’m not willing to go too.
When Someone Else’s Story Feels Familiar
Finishing the episode with Taylor, I was unexpectedly emotional. Our details were different, but the internal dialogue was the same, the self doubt, the survival mode thinking, the fear of change. That was the connection. Trauma is experienced differently by different people, but the patterns often feel the same.
Learning Forward, Not Perfectly
I don’t regret questions, but I’ve learned how to ask better ones. Sometimes I’ve used language that wasn’t as sensitive as it should have been. Instead of shame, I try to meet that with accountability. Every guest deserves safety. Every episode is another rep in learning how to hold someone’s story with care.
Balancing Ambition With Emotional Reality
Entrepreneurship is messy. Some days I feel clear and motivated. Others I feel overwhelmed by everything on my plate. What I’ve learned is that emotion has to lead. If I’m anxious or overloaded, forcing productivity only makes things worse. When I anchor myself, excitement, curiosity, alignment, the work flows again.
Redefining Success So It Doesn’t Break Me
For years, success meant worth. Every promotion, every win felt like proof I deserved to breathe. But the higher I climbed, the emptier I sometimes felt. Success now looks different. It’s emotional clarity, healthier relationships, and the ability to separate who I am from what I produce.
Seeing the Whole Picture, Not Just the Hard Parts
Talking about childhood and family dynamics taught me something crucial: experiences can be both painful and formative. The difficult moments shaped skills which I rely on today. Healing comes from seeing the full picture, not labeling events as good or bad, but understanding how they became part of me.
What Trauma Taught Me About People
People experience life differently, even in the same room, even in the same family. Healing starts with compassion, not comparison. Trauma doesn’t disappear, but you can soften its impact. You can shorten recovery time. You can move closer to the person you want to be.
The Reminder I Hope You Carry
If this chapter of my story shows anything, it’s this: growth isn’t loud. It’s not glamorous. It’s choosing honesty over avoidance. It’s noticing your emotions instead of drowning in your to do lists. It’s remembering that your past shapes you, but it doesn’t have to define your future.
You don’t need perfection, certainty, or a five year plan.
You just need one thing.
The willingness to tell yourself the truth and take the next honest step forward.
