The Refined Collective Podcast

I’ve been so excited to chat with Mike Aidala. Our schedules finally aligned and we got to chat about physical fitness, toxic masculinity, transformation, and fostering healthy dialogue. I’m so challenged by all of his words. What if life wasn’t as hard as we made it out to be?

Do you have one of those friends who gives the BEST love advice? The type of friend who is willing to call you out and say ‘no, this is not the guy for you,’ or ‘do you seriously not see that he is super into you?’ I hope so, because they’re the best. Amanda Blair is that friend for me. We sat down to record this episode and she shared her story and her dating journey. I even opened up about a recent date I went on and an ambiguous guy friendship I have.

You guys, we are back with our first guest of the year! I’m so thrilled to be sharing this conversation I had with Cheryl Scruggs— she is the mother of Lauren Scruggs Kennedy (who we had on the podcast in episode 002- click here to listen!) who is a dear friend of mine. Cheryl and her husband have a nonprofit called Hope for Marriages where they support couples in reconciling their marriages and they also co-wrote “I Do Again.”

It’s faint, yet distinct. The whisper. An exhale of relief radiates throughout. The soft breeze rustles your matted hair and tear stained cheeks. A stirring unfolds. Finally, it is here. ARISE.

Reagan Pugh believes any time people gather together is an opportunity for collaboration and refuses to waste those opportunities. He founded Assemble in an effort to support teenagers in collaborations. This week we are talking about success, balance, rest, self-care, and everything in between. We went to high school together and lost touch because life happened. I recently saw his TEDtalk pop up on Facebook and had to reach out.

I am so grateful to be chatting with Radha Agrawal on the podcast today. She is the co-founder, CEO, and chief community architect at Daybreaker. She is also an entrepreneur, having co-founded THINX and LiveItUp, and the author of Belong. I could go on and on about these incredible titles, but let’s dive into who lies beneath all of that. We talk all about what her journey to motherhood has looked like and how she has worked to create community in everything she does.

You guys, this is a pretty important episode. You may know her as Tutti del Monte if you follow her on Instagram or Sara del Monte if you know her in real life. She is one of my best friends, so I call her ‘sissy.’ This episode has quite a few inside jokes and a whole lot of laughter. I wanted to share this with you because Sara has gone through a major transition in life this past year and has done so with such grace, even when plans fall to pieces.

Do you guys ever send out an email and think ‘this person probably won’t get back to me, but I’ll try anyway’? Me too. Except I got a reply back, and now I got the opportunity to talk with Bob Goff!! I am inspired by the way he discusses faith, Jesus, loving others, and living a life of adventure. A two-time New York Times best-selling author, Bob Goff wrote Love Does and Everybody Always. Get your notebooks out; Bob came with some wisdom.

Unless you’ve lived under a rock, you know Ben Higgins from ABC’s The Bachelor.  But what you may not know is that this man has a heart for social good, faith, and leadership. He understands that purchasing power can and should be used to make an impact. This episode, I talk with Ben Higgins about life on The Bachelor, his faith, and his work creating sustainable change through his for profit organization, Generous Coffee.

Integrated feminine wholeness coach Morgan Day Cecil’s message is that God designed you to embrace your inner sexy, and you deserve to lean into it. We are new friends, and already her femininity has inspired me. I hope she will inspire you to embrace your womanhood and sexiness as well. We talk about owning your sexuality for you, and not another person. We explore a topic I never have discussed publicly yet:  self-pleasure a.k.a. masturbation. 

Do you ever meet someone and just know that they’re the real deal and you immediately dive in to some real talk? Jordan Lee Dooley is one of those girls. If you know her, you know this, and if you don’t, well… you’ll see. This girl lives in a farm house in Indiana with her husband and is the author of Purpose and the creator of the She Podcast. Her mission in life is to show others their purpose and encourage them to live out that purpose. 

Davie is Nashville-based performer, producer, writer, and musician—his EP “Black Gospel Vol. 1” is available on iTunes and Spotify. I first met him years ago in LA through mutual friends; it was probably on a dance floor.  I’m sure of it.  We bonded over our shared love of Beyoncé, and the rest is history.

“Words not for the ears, but for the soul.” This is Arielle Estoria’s mantra. She is a writer, speaker, and creative based in Los Angeles, CA. When Arielle was invited to speak at Aboundco, she was given total freedom to write whatever she wanted. She graciously shares what she wrote with me and you! One line that stands out for me is “When is the last time you danced with your creator?” Tune in to the episode to hear her beautiful poem and our conversation about love, prayer, and singleness.

Three years ago, a friend gave me a ticket to the She is Free conference. Rebekah Lyons, author of You Are Free and Freefall to Fly, was at the conference speaking about her experience with anxiety. I was sitting there, not comprehending what she went through and struggling to have empathy. Fast forward to a year later and I found myself struggling with debilitating anxiety. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to chat with Rebekah about anxiety and I’m so glad we were able to have this conversation.

Christina Moses is an incredibly talented actress who is starring in the ensemble cast of A Million Little Things on ABC which premiered on September 26th. It focuses on a group of friends who come together after a friend of theirs suddenly dies, and is being called The Big Chill meets This Is Us. If you’ve seen the first episode, you’ll know how good it is. She also appears in Condor, The Originals, Containment, Roadies, and Rosewood.