Curveball: A podcast about possibility

She’s built businesses from Google searches, walked away from law school with zero regrets, and could roof your house tomorrow if she had to. (Seriously.)

Taylor Bradford doesn’t follow straight lines. She doesn’t need to.

From law school to oil and gas to running her own event rental company – Taylor’s journey is one big entrepreneurial improv show, powered by grit, gumption, and a lifelong crush on Google University. She’s also the voice behind And So (formerly Boss Girl Creative), a decade-strong podcast that’s chronicled her wild ride from perfectionist to powerhouse...

She was teaching autistic kids how to regulate – while quietly unraveling herself.

Kassandra Alvarez looked like she had it all together. Board-certified behavior analyst, climbing the ranks, thriving in her field. But behind the scenes? Toxic relationships. Burnout. Addiction. And a brutal realization: she was teaching skills to kids that she wasn’t living herself.

That truth cracked her open – and ultimately saved her.

In this episode, Kassandra shares how she broke free from burnout by turning her clinical insight inward, quit job-hopping for external validation, and started modeling the regulation she once only c...

She was six when the world told her she was wrong – for coloring outside the lines. So she spent decades getting it all right. Until illness forced everything to stop, and her inner artist finally picked up the brush.

What spilled out next? Messy, wild, glorious truth.

Deborah Ann Baker was the model of perfection – a PhD in counseling psychology, the gold medals, the mask that never cracked. Until her body did. A sudden diagnosis brought her life to a halt. No more pushing. No more pretending.

And in that stillness? She met her...

He lost the one identity that had defined him forever. Then he lost the job. And then almost lost his marriage.

But this isn't a story about failure. It's about what you do next.

Tony Coyne is a former Yale baseball star turned corporate leader, dad, and accidental life philosopher. He wrote the book The Curveball Life – no connection to this podcast, though it's kind of perfect – to unpack how we bounce back when everything we built our lives on gets stripped away.

In this conversation, Tony talks about navigating brutal setbacks (think: a ca...

She spent 15 years becoming a doctor. And then she quit.

Dr. Zarya Rubin did what most people only fantasize about: she stepped off the treadmill before it broke her completely. After chasing the dream of medicine all the way to Columbia and beyond, she hit a wall – the kind you don’t bounce back from with a vacation or a green juice. It took a literal wake-up call (a phone call, actually) to snap her out of the “I’m fine” trance and into a radically new life.

In this conversation, Zarya shares what no one tells...

She tried to be the perfect picture of Zen – silent retreat, serene vibes, inner peace, and all that. But it only made her more anxious.

Turns out, healing didn’t come from silence. It came from dance floors, karaoke nights, and finally listening to her body.

Hannah Talbot was the last person you'd expect to become a meditation teacher. Too loud. Too busy. Too movement-obsessed. But when a traditional 10-day silent retreat left her more anxious than enlightened, she realized something big:
 Stillness isn’t safe for everyone.

In this conversation, Hannah shares...

What happens when a “painfully shy” woman loses her job, sells her house, packs up her family (and two dogs), and starts a business from a 300-square-foot RV?

Turns out, she finds her voice — and helps hundreds of speakers find theirs, too.

Nona Prather used to be the quiet one. The behind-the-scenes girl. The “don’t call on me” kid who hated public speaking and avoided the spotlight like it was contagious. But then 2020 hit like a wrecking ball. Nona and her husband both lost their jobs. Instead of spiraling, they sold everything, moved into an RV with t...

What do you do when your body taps out mid-shampoo and leaves you holding the scissors and the pieces of your old life?

Ronni Morgan was doing what she loved – building her business behind the chair, running, living life full throttle – when her hip suddenly gave out. Right in the middle of a haircut. What followed was a medical mystery tour that included two hip replacements by 31, a diagnosis of hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a neck that couldn’t hold up her head, and chronic pain that redefined her entire identity.

In this vulnerable, funny, deeply human...

What do you do when your TEDx is about to blow up… and a pandemic blows everything up instead?

Robbie Samuels had it all lined up. TEDx talk? Check. Big breakout moment? Imminent. Ten years of reputation-building as the go-to networking expert? Locked.

And then March 2020 hit.

In a matter of days, the world shut down–and Robbie’s in-person speaking career went poof. Most people would’ve panicked. Robbie pivoted. He threw a virtual happy hour on Zoom, invented a whole new offer in real time, and rebuilt his business in a way that...

What do you do when life pitches you nine curveballs… in two years? If you’re Bruce Cryer, you take the hit, heal your heart (literally), and come back tap dancing on titanium hips.

Bruce Cryer had it all dialed in. Broadway star turned CEO of HeartMath, globetrotting educator, and champion of heart-brain coherence. Then life went full demolition mode: bladder cancer, four staph infections (one in his blood), his mom died, he got divorced, and both hips needed replacing.

All that – in under two years.

But here’s the kicker. He didn’t just rec...

Her husband was diagnosed with cancer. She quit her job.
Not the plot of a rom-com – Toby Myles’s real life.

And it led her exactly where she was meant to go.

Toby Myles had a plan – a dream, really. Leave her corporate job of 15 years, grow her handmade jewelry biz, ride into the sunset with her newly retired husband and a few restored motorcycles. But life had other ideas: incurable blood cancer kind of ideas.

Most people would cling to the job, the benefits, the security blanket. Toby handed in her notice...

She had the credentials, the clients, the “dream career.” Then her body hit the brakes so hard she ended up in a neurology unit, unable to walk.

What Fleur Sclarandis discovered in the aftermath wasn’t just healing – it was a new way to live.

At the height of her career as a psychotherapist and certified coach, Fleur Sclarandis was doing everything “right.” She was helping others, hitting milestones, showing up with a smile – and feeling absolutely dead inside. Until one morning, her legs just… stopped working.

That medical mystery became her body’s way of saying en...

She failed accounting. Became a top storyboard artist. Got booted by the industry. Painted 40 canvases in 30 days. Sold 11 in an hour. Susan Peppler’s story is what happens when you follow your joy and trust your gut – even when it’s covered in paint.

Susan Pepler didn’t set out to become a professional fine artist. She just kept following what felt almost impossible – and then doing it anyway.

In this vibrant and joy-splashed episode, Susan shares how she went from flunking business school (twice) to becoming a wildly successful painter, selling giant florals for $11K a piece...

He spent decades training for fights in the ring. But the biggest one? It showed up uninvited, with no gloves and no warning.

Shane Swartz grew up in the boxing world — breaking records at 7, training under his dad, and going pro by the time most kids were still learning long division. But in his 40s, mid-sparring session with one of his fighters, he felt a lump on his neck. What followed wasn’t a title bout — it was cancer. Stage: terrifying. Timing: brutal. Twin toddlers at home. A wife. No backup plan.

In this raw and po...

She survived blood clots in her brain, a crumbling marriage, a depression so deep she couldn’t get out of bed – and came back as a full-blown joyful anarchist. 

Now, Mama Kate’s here to help you torch the “shoulds” and light up your soul.

Kate White – aka Mama Kate – has been through it. Fibromyalgia. Liver disease. Brain bleeds. A gastric bypass that almost ended her marriage. Retirement that nearly broke her. And underneath it all, a lifelong secret: she was raised in a seance room by psychic parents but spent decades cloaking her truth just to stay sa...

She thought she’d swan dive into motherhood and belly-flop back into boss mode. But postpartum depression had other plans.

Emily King had the dream life on paper – a thriving business, a new baby, a panini press (a true sign of adulthood). But what came next wasn’t the sweet maternity leave she pictured. 

It was darkness. Full-on, heart-racing, can’t-sleep, can’t-eat postpartum anxiety and depression.

In this raw and deeply human conversation, Emily shares what it’s like when your body and brain betray you at the same time. The breaking point, the me...

She checked all the boxes – dream job, dream guy, dream health – and still had a panic attack in her graduation cap. What her body told her next changed her whole damn life.

Loren Cellentani looked like she had it all together. Art school grad. Landed a fashion industry job. Clean-eating her way to Instagram-worthy “wellness.” 

But when she had a panic attack at her college graduation, everything cracked. Turns out, beneath the curated life was chronic anxiety dressed up in affirmations and quinoa bowls.

In this deeply honest, beautifully woo-but-practical conversation, Loren unpacks how her a...

The marriage unraveled. Her body gave out. Her big-deal career fell apart. And somehow… she got happier.

Here's how Shawn Mahshie flipped her rock-bottom into a life of peace, purpose, and pretty unbelievable healing.

Shawn Mahshie doesn’t just talk about transformation – she embodies it. After her health, marriage, and career all collapsed like a row of sad dominoes, she found herself sobbing in a clawfoot tub, realizing she’d abandoned herself one small compromise at a time. That moment cracked her wide open – and kicked off a two-decade journey into energy medicine, nervous system healing, a...

She had the PhD, the healthcare leadership job, and the burnout badge of honor. Then COVID and E. coli said, “Sit down.” So she did – and stood up for her life.

Before she became a burnout coach and psychology-whisperer to high achievers, Jesseca Tighe was a therapist-turned-healthcare exec just trying to keep it all together. She had the title, the inbox, and the never-ending calls at all hours. 

But the truth? She was one exhale away from collapse. 

Then the curveballs came in fast – first COVID, then E. coli, then back-to-back losses that left her p...

She left her marriage, her children, and her entire identity as a cardiac nurse – because her body begged her to. It nearly broke her… until it didn’t.

For decades, Jodi Anne Law was the picture of Western medicine: cardiac nurse, ICU shifts, adrenaline-fueled precision. But her own heart had other plans. After a breakdown left her sobbing through yoga classes and doubting everything she thought she knew – including what it meant to be a good mother – Jodi walked away from the life that was breaking her down, one ignored signal at a time.

In this raw...

She finally cracked the code on mindful eating – then life flipped the table. A terrifying diagnosis. A stress spiral. A breakthrough she never saw coming.

Claire Ketchum had finally found food freedom after 20 years of yo-yo dieting. Mindful eating wasn’t just working – it felt like magic. Until her 9-year-old daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and suddenly food became math, medicine, and anxiety. The mindful bliss was gone, replaced by panic and guilt. 

In this powerful, illuminating conversation, Claire breaks down how she escaped the chronic stress loop – that sneaky cycle where stress hijacks your will...

She was taking care of everyone – her parents, her child, her career, and someone with cancer. Then she realized she was disappearing.

Rachel Collins was juggling a demanding HR career, raising a son, and helping care for her aging parents – when someone else in her life was suddenly diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. 

With zero warning, she became the full-time caregiver for a full-time crisis. She held it together like only an oldest daughter can – but beneath the to-do lists and doctor visits, Rachel felt herself vanishing. Until a moment of clarity (and a good cry with gi...

She left a penis off her sketch – and it cracked open a decades-long pattern of shame she didn’t even know she was carrying.

When Michelle Dovey sat down to draw a statue of Apollo in Florence, she didn’t mean to leave something out. But there it was – a blank spot where the genitals should’ve been. This accidental omission turned into a revelation: her artistic gaze had been unconsciously edited by years of shame, modesty, and good girl conditioning. So what did she do? She started drawing cocks. A hundred of them. 

The result is h...

He lost his marriage, his home, his business, and his health. He hit rock bottom – and called it the best year of his life.

Dallas Collis didn’t just get a curveball – he got the whole pitching machine. 

In one brutal year, he was diagnosed with cancer, hit a breaking point with alcoholism, and watched his marriage, family, and business fall apart. And somehow, he looks back on that year and says, “It was the best thing that ever happened to me.” 

In this gripping, grace-filled conversation, Dallas shares how he stopped chasing safety and s...

She woke up in an upside-down car, miles from home, with a shattered pelvis – and still tried to project manage the rescue.

Lillian Mumford was riding in an Uber, two states away from home, when a car crash turned her world literally upside down. One moment she was the new hire on a business trip – the next, she was lying on the roof of a totaled vehicle, unable to move. What followed was a year of learning to walk again, living with traumatic brain injury, and figuring out how to ask for help when every bone in her...

He spent years saving his kids’ lives. Then he lost his son – and found his voice.

Jason Tuttle was in the trenches of parenting in a way most of us can’t imagine. His two children were born with rare, complex medical needs – non-verbal, seizure-prone, and in need of constant care.

Jason became their full-time caregiver, learning to read every cue, every silence, and navigating hospital stays with the precision of a NASCAR pit crew.

Then, in 2022, Jason faced the unimaginable – the sudden loss of his 15-year-old son, Zachary. What happened next? Instead of retreat...

Her backup plan needed a backup plan. Then Tiffany got creative – and made $7,000 off Craigslist without leaving her house.

Tiffany Archer was cruising through life with not one but two careers – flight attendant and real estate agent – until the pandemic took them both out in a matter of weeks. No flights. No listings. No paycheck. But instead of panicking, Tiffany did what all great curveball survivors do – she got scrappy. 

What started with a desperate Craigslist search turned into a profitable real estate investing business, her first $7K deal, and a complete mindset shift. In this c...

She saw the pandemic coming before it had a name. Then she manifested a private jet in under two weeks. But the real plot twist? She’s here to help you do the same – no magic wand required.

What do you do when life flings a flaming curveball at your head? If you’re Allison Al-Khemia, you turn it into something sparkly, meaningful, and maybe even airborne.

Allison isn’t just a quantum manifestation coach. She’s a lifelong intuitive who’s been seeing visions since she was three, raised three boys as a single mom, alchemi...

She got fired from her “safe” job after 17 years. Then she hiked the Inca Trail, discovered ADHD, and became a financial coach. (Not in that order.)

Sherry Andrews spent nearly two decades climbing the corporate ladder at a cheese packaging plant – no joke. She was loyal, reliable, and doing what she thought she was supposed to do. Then the company handed her a pink slip and a very abrupt identity crisis. Suddenly jobless, in shock, and forced to reevaluate everything, Sherry went on a literal trek (to Peru), got real about her finances, and built a whole new ca...

She spent 15 years chasing a dream that almost killed her. Then came the burnout, the grief, the tango – and the decision to turn back.

Dr. Zarya Rubin was supposed to be living her dream. She was on track to become a neurologist, deep into her fellowship at Columbia, doing the doctor thing after fifteen years of training. But the dream had started to feel like a beautifully wrapped trap – and then came the wake-up call: a sudden death, soul-crushing burnout, and the realization that her body, mind, and life were waving giant red flags. In this episode, Zary...

She was living the travel blogger dream – until the dream got old, COVID wiped her income, and Google finished the job.

Taylor Lorenz had what most of us daydream about: a life of nonstop travel, a successful blog, and money rolling in while she crisscrossed the globe. 

But behind the highlight reel? A serious case of burnout, loneliness, and a creeping sense that her dream life wasn’t dreamy anymore. 

Then COVID hit, slashing her income by 90% overnight. Just as she pivoted to writing about yoga – boom – Google’s algorithm tanked her traffic again. Curve...

She tried hustling her way to success – until a hurricane, an ICU stay, and a failing launch forced her to rethink everything.

Laura Brandenburg was chasing every online business goal: bigger launches, bigger teams, bigger revenue. 

But in 2018, life said, “Girl, sit down.” First came Hurricane Florence. Then, a mystery illness that landed Laura in the ICU – days after a business launch had flopped. 

It was a cosmic smackdown, and it worked. Laura started asking herself the questions most entrepreneurs avoid: What do I actually want? And what if scaling back could be the best g...

She tried to end her life at 13. Now she helps others find their way back from the dark – with a literal magic wand.

When Alexis Skopos was 13, she made a decision to end her life. Instead, the universe threw her a messy, painful curveball – one that rewrote her story entirely. 

She grew up, got her degree in counseling, and dove headfirst into community mental health – until burnout hit hard. That’s when a friend casually asked, “Why don’t you start your own practice?” Alexis did – and she’s never looked back. 

Today, she’s the co-founder...

She lost her dad, canceled her first retreat, and nearly stayed stuck playing small – until she turned grief into her greatest leadership lesson.

When Talmar Anderson sold out her first-ever retreat, she thought she was finally hitting her stride as a business owner. 

But life had other plans. 

Just two weeks before the event, Talmar’s dad passed away unexpectedly. The retreat? Canceled. The money? Gone. 

And what followed wasn’t just grief – it was years of staying small, convincing herself she didn’t need to lead live events, hiding behind “reasonable” bus...

She’s a work-from-home mom of five who homeschools, cooks from scratch – and still runs a business. Her secret? It’s not hustle. It’s strategy.

Alyssa Wolff isn’t here to sell you another hustle story. She’s here to show you how to unbusy your life – even when it’s bursting at the seams. 

A homeschooling mom of five (yes, five), Alyssa launched her business with a newborn in tow and never looked back. Her secret? A three-part strategy that keeps her sane: scheduling, delegation, and mindset – in that order. 

In this conversation, w...

When life left him flat on his back, Jonathan Marion discovered how to stop proving his worth — and start living it.

Jonathan spent years collecting all the shiny gold stars — tenure, titles, academic success — until life came in swinging.

In the span of months, Jonathan’s body broke down from spinal nerve damage, his most meaningful relationship ended, and his identity as a “human doing” completely unraveled.

Stuck on his back, unable to walk, Jonathan had one of those dark-night-of-the-soul moments: Who am I if I’m not constantly achieving?

What came next was...

She followed every rule her father gave her — until he told her she was nothing without him.

Eloise Tomkins grew up doing exactly what was expected. She got the good grades, earned the safe degree, landed the secure job — all with her dad’s voice in her head telling her that women couldn’t manage money and needed men to provide.

But then her dad had a stroke. And what followed cracked her entire identity wide open.

One sentence – “You are nothing without me” – flipped a switch. Eloise walked away from the life she was told to...

Alison Vidotto doesn’t just teach resilience — she embodies it. Over 30+ years running her own businesses (while raising six kids, mind you), she’s survived the kind of curveballs that knock most people flat: economic collapse, industry crashes, an office literally underwater.

Her secret? Systems. Strategy. And a refusal to crumble.

In this episode, Alison breaks down how to bounce back like a boss, why marketing isn’t always your problem (even if it feels like it), and how AI is leveling the playing field for entrepreneurs who’ve been bootstrapping their way through chaos.

I...

In this episode, Heather sits down with Anissa Faus to discuss how life’s unexpected curveballs—like the sudden loss of her husband—reshaped her perspective on love, resilience, and leadership. Anissa shares her journey through grief and how she found strength for her sons in the darkest moments. The conversation explores the stigma of widowhood, the importance of gratitude, and the signs she received from her late husband.

Anissa also talks about building the Loved Ones Collective, her approach to leading with authenticity, and how vulnerability became her superpower. The episode draws parallels between personal loss and na...

In this episode, Elizabeth King, a renowned fertility coach and advocate, talks about her personal journey through fertility challenges, miscarriages, and ultimately motherhood in her forties. She shares her story, the emotional and physical complexities of fertility, and her mission to change the conversation around fertility loss and hope.

Key Points Discussed:

She was living the life she thought she wanted — until her body told her otherwise.

Jocelyn Quall had the picture-perfect life: big job, beautiful family, charming log cabin.

But under the surface?

Total burnout. Anxiety, weight gain, and an eye twitch that wouldn’t quit. A single blood test confirmed what her body already knew — she was stuck in fight-or-flight. Worse, as a lifelong people pleaser, she’d built a life around what others expected, not what she wanted.

That wake-up call led her to question everything — her marriage, her friendships, her career...

What if the person who’s supposed to love you unconditionally is the one causing the deepest wounds? That’s the reality for many, and it’s exactly why Geraldine Crane does what she does.

Geraldine is a serene spiritual hypnotherapist and coach who helps people heal from toxic mother relationships. Growing up as her mom’s caregiver from the age of 12, Geraldine knows firsthand the pain of feeling responsible for a parent’s emotional well-being. In this episode, she opens up about her journey from being her mother’s caretaker to finding freedom, self-love, and serenity on her own t...

What do you do when life throws you cancer, caregiving, and stolen cars – all at once? You turn it into a country song, of course.

Steve Wunch is one of the most joyful, hilarious, and resilient people I know. He’s the kind of person who can crack a joke even while fighting cancer or dealing with the chaos of caregiving. In this episode, Steve shares how he managed to keep his sense of humor through a testicular cancer diagnosis, brutal rounds of chemo, and caring for his mom through dementia – all while maintaining his signature joyful spirit...

What if talking about death didn’t have to be so damn scary?

Yeah, I know. It sounds like the kind of thing you’d rather avoid, like cleaning out the garage or filing taxes. But my guest today, Yvonne Caputo, has a way of making those tough conversations not just bearable, but surprisingly beautiful.

Yvonne didn’t plan on becoming someone who talks openly about death. Then life threw her a curveball - her father called her home and asked her to take on a role no one really wants: being his voice when he cou...

What if you could train your brain to stop working against you and actually start working for you?

Sounds almost too good to be true, right? But that’s exactly what Craig Meriwether did. After struggling with depression and anxiety from his teenage years well into adulthood, Craig finally got hit with a diagnosis that made everything click - bipolar II. At age 50. It wasn’t the answer he wanted, but it was the start of figuring out how to reclaim his life.

In this episode, Craig and I dig into what it’s like to liv...

What do you do when life just won’t stop hitting you with one brutal blow after another?

If anyone knows, it’s Andrew Bowen. In just three years, his family faced a cascade of crises: his 10-year-old son was diagnosed with a potential brain tumor, Andrew nearly died during his black belt test from an undiagnosed heart condition, and his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. And if that wasn’t enough, his oldest son spiraled into clinical depression. 

Andrew calls it his “timeline of suck” - but he didn’t just survive it, he found a wa...

In this episode of Curveball, I sit down with Dr. Anne Arvizu – a powerhouse entrepreneur who knows firsthand what it’s like when life knocks you flat. 

In 2021, Ann was diagnosed with endometrial cancer, and just like that, her world shifted. Suddenly, running her business took a backseat to fighting for her life – with six months out of work, unexpected medical expenses piling up, and no income in sight.

But Ann’s story isn’t just about survival – it’s about grit, resilience, and finding purpose in the midst of chaos. She talks about facing fear head-on, f...

Today on Curveball, I’m chatting with Bobby Owsinski – a guy who went from being a professional touring musician to, well, just about everything else. Seriously. He’s a music producer, author, blogger, podcast host, and probably a few other things he hasn’t even mentioned yet.

Bobby’s story is all about letting go of what you think your career should look like and saying yes to what actually lights you up. After leaving the touring life behind, Bobby reinvented himself – and then kept reinventing. He’s written over 30 books (five of which are used as college textbo...