Shows
Sparkle on Substack(Live) GROW with JOY - Pre-summer sessionThank you RAJ KAUR, Sara Stansberry, Annelise Riles, Kerry Graham, Nicole Clark, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sparkleon.substack.com/subscribe
2025-07-3135 min
How To Blow Up Your LifeJoy is the Resistance: What Jess Greenwood Taught Me About Finding Light in the DarkIn this powerful conversation, Sara sits down with serial entrepreneur and author Jess Greenwood to explore the profound difference between happiness and joy. After navigating her mother's terminal cancer diagnosis, single parenting during COVID lockdowns, and her husband's devastating motorcycle accident that required ten surgeries, Jess discovered something life-changing: joy doesn't abandon us during our darkest moments - it hangs out with our trauma, waiting for us to make space for it.Unlike happiness, which Jess describes as floating "in your eyebrows," joy lives deep in your gut. It's involuntary, organic, and shows up sideways when you...
2025-06-191h 08
How To Blow Up Your LifeBreaking the Pattern: Identifying Unhealthy Relationship CyclesEver catch yourself wondering why the same relationship drama keeps happening with different people? In this episode, we're diving deep into those sneaky patterns that keep us stuck in cycles we don't even realize we're in.Sara breaks down the most common unhealthy relationship patterns - from the rescuer who's always fixing someone to the conflict-avoider who'd rather suffer in silence than rock the boat. We're talking about that push-pull dynamic, the perfectionist performance trap, and why some of us keep choosing emotionally unavailable people like it's our job.But here's where it gets real...
2025-06-0519 min
How To Blow Up Your LifeThe Writing Retreat Where I Found My PackEver feel like you're back in middle school, standing with your cafeteria tray, wondering where to sit? That's exactly how I felt at Cheryl Strayed's writing conference - until I met Amy and Kendra. We bonded over our shared anxieties: wrong socks, awkward parking encounters, and the universal fear of not being accepted.This episode dives deep into how three grown women navigated vulnerability, imposter syndrome, and the truth beneath the truth. We explore why we fixate on small things (like socks) when we're really worried about bigger issues (like belonging). From Amy's sweat-soaked hill climbs to...
2025-05-221h 12
How To Blow Up Your LifeForgiveness Is For You, Not ThemIn this episode of "How to Blow Up Your Life," Sara Stansberry dives deep into the often misunderstood concept of forgiveness. She explains that true forgiveness is more about acceptance than relationship restoration - it's cutting the invisible string that ties you to pain and resentment.Through a compelling client story, Sara illustrates how holding onto hurt actually makes us slaves to our past, preventing us from building the future we desire. As one of the top female life coaches in the space, Sara offers practical wisdom on how to recognize when forgiveness might be necessary in...
2025-05-0816 min
How To Blow Up Your LifeLive with Sara StansberryGet full access to How To Blow Up Your Life at sarastansberry.substack.com/subscribe
2025-04-2505 min
How To Blow Up Your LifeAre Your Unprocessed Feelings Making You Sick? The Emotional Root of Physical Illness with Dr. SG GettmanIn this enlightening episode, Sara Stansberry interviews Dr. SG Gettman, a naturopathic doctor who specializes in treating chronic illness, burnout, and autoimmune conditions. They dive deep into the fascinating connection between unprocessed emotions and physical ailments. Dr. Gettman shares compelling research showing how emotional suppression increases inflammation markers in the body, while properly processing feelings actually lowers them.The conversation explores what it truly means to metabolize emotions and why so many of us avoid doing it. Dr. Gettman shares a personal story about how her unresolved grief manifested as physical symptoms that didn't fully resolve until...
2025-04-2444 min
How To Blow Up Your LifeWhat Codependency Really Is... And What It Isn'tIn this revealing episode, Sara Stansberry breaks down what codependency really is versus what most people think it is. Drawing from her 15+ years in codependency recovery, she explains that codependency isn't simply being financially dependent on a partner, but rather a trauma response rooted in childhood emotional neglect.Sara clarifies that codependents are those who overextend themselves in relationships, taking on more than their fair share of responsibility to make the relationship work. This pattern stems from childhood wounds where the person learned to caretake their parents in hopes of eventually having their own emotional needs met.
2025-04-1018 min
How To Blow Up Your LifeHow Your Inner Child Impacts Your Relationships TodayIn this heart-to-heart conversation, I chat with Shannon Yonge, an intuitive master life coach who specializes in helping women navigate midlife transitions. We dive into the concept of inner child work and how our early childhood experiences (ages 0-7) shape our adult relationships. Shannon explains that during those formative years, we develop strategies to belong and connect, which often continue to influence how we show up in relationships decades later. We discuss how reconnecting with your inner child can help you reclaim joy, heal relationship patterns, and live more authentically. Shannon offers practical suggestions for starting inner child work...
2025-03-2741 min
How To Blow Up Your LifeBlowing Up Your Life and the Art of Creative DestructionIn this first episode of "How to Blow Up Your Life," I share my personal journey from being a seemingly perfect suburban wife and mother who was secretly struggling with emptiness and rage to discovering a path toward authentic living through what I call "creative destruction." I reveal my "garage door moment" – when a simple malfunction triggered an emotional breakdown that became my wake-up call. I openly discuss my battles with codependency, unaddressed childhood needs, unhealthy communication patterns, and various forms of numbing behaviors. I explain that "blowing up your life" isn't about destruction but about intentionally evaluating your be...
2025-03-1313 min
How To Blow Up Your Life[TRAILER] How To Blow Up Your Life PodcastEver catch yourself thinking: "This isn't how my life was supposed to turn out"?You're doing everything "right." Being the good daughter. The supportive partner. The one who keeps the peace, holds it all together,The one who makes sure everyone else is okay.But something's off.Maybe you're exhausted from walking on eggshells.Tired of doubting yourself.Sick of watching the same patterns play out (over and over) in every relationship.Or maybe you've just hit that moment where you realize…I can’t do t...
2025-03-1002 min
How To Blow Up Your LifeStress-Free Holidays: Oxymoron? or Doable?This post is part of my Holiday SOS series where we learn how to better navigate tricky relationships, especially over the holidays, so we can better understand ourselves and others. This week, I’m sharing my interview with Alexa Juanita Jordan, a fellow Substack writer and life coach, about ways to navigate holiday stress and cultivate a meaningful life. Our discussion delves into the pressures and expectations we experience during the holiday season and how intentional living, self-worth, and setting boundaries are crucial during this time more than ever. Alexa shares her insights on...
2024-12-1034 min
The Michelle Chalfant Show — Life from the Adult Chair426: How to Work with Your Inner ChildWelcome to another episode of The Adult Chair Podcast. Today, we're diving into the world of inner child work with Rebecca Fellenbaum, Sara Stansberry, and Jill Vyn. Get ready to unlock some serious emotional healing and personal growth as we explore how reconnecting with our inner child can change our lives. In this episode, you'll hear some truly inspiring stories. We hear stories about feeling naive and asking "dumb" questions transformed into finding confidence through inner child work. Plus, you'll get practical advice on how to start your own journey to emotional wellness. We'll also...
2024-10-031h 06
How To Blow Up Your LifeThat Thing We DoI was on deadline. Five thousand words due, of which zero words were written. So, naturally, I did the thing you do (or rather the thing I do) sometimes when under a daunting deadline. Procrastination is delaying or postponing a task despite knowing its importance and the potential consequences of not completing it. It’s a simple concept, but it feels so big, especially when you’re in its throes. How can this daunting invisible force bring us to our knees so quickly? And with it, the unwelcome guests of guilt, shame, and self-doub...
2024-05-2806 min
How To Blow Up Your LifeFeeling Your FeelingsIn last week’s post, I considered the experience of experiencing multi-dimensional feelings (i.e., being nervous but confident, scared but excited), and I realized I wanted and needed to go a bit deeper on this topic. For you and for me. So this week, I sat down with my stagemate and friend, Stacy Smith Rogers, for a conversation on feeling our feelings, and what happens sometimes when you try something new. Get full access to How To Blow Up Your Life at sarastansberry.substack.com/subscribe
2024-05-2031 min
How To Blow Up Your LifeAll the FeelsDo you ever get all the feels? You know, where you have many different emotions all at once? When my daughter was young (I hope you had a fabulous Mother’s Day yesterday), she used to say she was ‘nercited,’ a combination of nervousness and excitement. It was super cute and also very wise.This week, I’ve pondered the topics of authenticity and the importance of feeling your feelings. I wanted to show that you can be both confident and nervous. Both are possible at the same time. When you’re living in a grounded, au...
2024-05-1304 min
How To Blow Up Your LifeWhy Does This Feel Like a Middle School Sleepover?The staircase from the greenroom was too steep for my 4” heels, and I was a little wobbly—or maybe that was just my imagination.You might have seen on social media that I repped Team 50s at the last Generation Women show. The event is—well—genius, really. Each month, the producers take a topic and ask someone from each generation to share a story from their life perspective on that topic. The show goes chronologically, starting with the 20s and working its way up. The last generation is 70+; this month, the 70+ was 81. Incredible. I didn’t kn...
2024-05-0604 min
How To Blow Up Your LifeScenes From New YorkI take Shasta for her afternoon walk.A police car turns on our street, sirens blazing. Loud - Deafening. She jumps.There is a couple with a baby in a stroller.The woman's face lights up as she spots Shasta. She is so cute! she exclaims, her voice filled with genuine affection.She’s very elegant, the man agrees. The baby is silent.A group is taking a selfie—or attempting to take a selfie. There are five of them, faces smiling, reluctant to leave each other or whatever it i...
2024-04-2903 min
How To Blow Up Your LifeI Almost Didn't Hit SendIt’s 1:00 am, and I never stay up until 1:00 am.I’ve started this new thing, and the tasks are adding up.I had issues with my computer this week—the ‘L' and' P’ keys stick intermittently, and I eat and drink too much while working - honestly, it was getting gross. On a whim, I got a new one, and there’s been a learning curve, so I’m behind on said tasks. Tonight, I chose to ‘do’ something instead of just lying there thinking about it. And here we are…If you’re reading this...
2024-04-2304 min
How To Blow Up Your LifeWhat I Learned From These NoodlesI don’t like ramen. I’ve never liked ramen. Is it soup? Because you only eat soup when you’re sick. Is it noodles? Because noodles are pasta and pasta is for spaghetti, you eat it with a fork. Plus, it raises blood sugar too quickly and messes with the glycemic index. I’m not sick, nor do I want diabetes, so I don’t like ramen. It was a decision I made decades ago.Was I being rigid about this whole ramen thing? Rigidity is a protective mechanism we use to help u...
2024-04-1505 min
How To Blow Up Your LifeMy Missive on Managing ExpectationsHow often do we allow our expectations to determine how we feel? How often are those expectations living outside of us, in a place we have no control over? Those wrestling with or recovering from codependent behaviors tend to look outside of themselves for their happiness. So, how does one create their own safety and better manage expectations? I’m glad you asked! A Simple Strategy for you... Get full access to How To Blow Up Your Life at sarastansberry.substack.com/subscribe
2024-04-1004 min
How To Blow Up Your LifeHow Is This My Life?I’m presenting at the next Generation Women event (April 30), representing Team 50s. I’m excited - and nervous and all the things. This is new to me. How is this my life? Almost a decade ago, I asked myself the same question, but back then, I asked out of disbelief instead of astonishment.Then I deconstructed my life, and learned to live authentically... Get full access to How To Blow Up Your Life at sarastansberry.substack.com/subscribe
2024-04-1003 min
In Your Ear BallsWhy you should NOT be putting your podcast on YouTubeIf you're putting your podcast on your YouTube channel... STOP. Here's why it's probably (definitely) killing your whole channel. Here's the successful YouTube/podcast example I mentioned in the episode from Sara Dietschy's channel https://youtu.be/tszveicEfKA Shop all my courses, templates, and more! https://heyjessica.com/shopnow Get started with Descript today! https://heyjessica.com/descript Follow me on the 'gram! Personal Account: @jessicastansberry Biz Account: @heyjessicatv
2023-01-0920 min