Support our work by becoming a Paid Substack Subscriber Here -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://substack.com/@thefeelpodcast⁠⁠

In this empowering episode, Dr. Corinne Auman—author of Keenagers: Telling a New Story about Aging—joins us to challenge ageism in society and redefine what it truly means to grow older as a woman. Together, we unpack how outdated narratives around beauty, ambition, and success shape women’s confidence and self-worth at every stage of life.

From workplace age discrimination to social media comparison culture, Dr. Auman explains how internalized ageism quietly limits potential—and how shifting from judgment to curiosity opens the door to reinvention. We explore midlife reinvention, female confidence at any age, and why aging is not decline, but possibility.

This conversation is especially meaningful for women navigating milestone pressure, questioning societal timelines, or redefining personal growth after 50. Through powerful stories of individuals launching businesses, traveling the world, and starting new chapters later in life, Dr. Auman reframes aging as a privilege—one that deserves visibility, respect, and celebration.

Aging is not something to fear. It’s something to honor.

Key Reflections:

• You are not behind—growth has no universal timeline.

• Social media often distorts what success and beauty look like.

• Challenging internalized ageism begins within.

• Women deserve empowerment, representation, and value at every age.

• Reinvention is always available to you.

#Ageism #WomenEmpowerment #HealthyAging #UnapologeticWomen #PersonalGrowth #SelfDevelopment #MidlifeWomen #FemaleLeadership #ConfidenceAtAnyAge #AgingGracefully #BreakTheStereotype #SocialMediaMindset #WomenSupportingWomen #DiversityAndInclusion #MindsetShift #EmpoweredWomen #ReinventYourself #LifeAfter50 #Keenagers #PodcastLife

Timestamps:

Prioritizing Self Care - ( 3:30 )

Confidently Setting Boundaries - ( 8:23 )

Taking Care of Your Emotional Health as much as Your Physical Health - ( 11:10 )

Support self & other women unapologetically - ( 19:36 )

Coming Back to Your WHY and Your VALUES - ( 28:42 )

Living Out of Your Own Expectations - ( 37:33 )

Accepting the Layered Aspects of Yourself - ( 43:20 )

Living out FEEL, how does it affect your relationships - ( 48:27 )

5 Activities That Nourish You - ( 50:56 )

5 Words for How You Want to Feel in the Next Six Months - ( 51:58 )

Original Music by Rio & Valencia Saint-Louis

✨ Free Download: Embracing a F.E.E.L Fueled Life Sample Freebie ✨- https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:02ce6c2f-90ed-4741-bdab-e62e20c2e7ad

In this empowering bonus resource, we’re giving you a free sneak peek into the Embracing a F.E.E.L Fueled Life course! This downloadable PDF guides you through reconnecting with who you truly are—beyond your roles, responsibilities, and expectations.

Want to be a guest on The F.E.E.L. Podcast? - Send Melissa Crook a message on PodMatch, here:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/feel2021⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or complete our contact form here:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.embracinglayers.com/contact ⁠⁠

Support our work by becoming a Paid Substack Subscriber Here -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://substack.com/@thefeelpodcast⁠⁠In this empowering solo episode of The FEEL Podcast, host Melissa Crook breaks down the core messaging and guiding pillars of the FEEL Framework — a transformative personal growth framework designed to support self-worth for women, embodied leadership, and intentional self-leadership for women who are ready to live with clarity and agency.

Melissa shares the deeper why behind the phrases you’ve heard her repeat:

“You are worthy. You are valuable. And you get to choose.”

These are not affirmations rooted in performance or productivity. They are grounding truths meant to restore identity and self-worth, strengthen self-trust and confidence, and guide women back into alignment with their values and purpose.

This episode explores how to move from reactive living to responsive leadership, why inner work and healing are foundational to sustainable empowerment, and how understanding your inherent value reshapes the way you show up in relationships, work, and the world. Through this lens, women and personal development become less about hustle and more about wholeness.

Melissa walks listeners through:

• How to identify your own core values and embrace values-based living• Why worth is rooted in being, not doing• The power of pause, reflection, and self-awareness practices• Shifting from productivity-driven identity to harmony and embodied leadership• Reframing boundaries and self-care as acts of self-choice and self-fulfillment• Why emotions are not problems to fix, but invitations that build emotional intelligence• How embodied choice strengthens agency, alignment, and authentic leadership

At its heart, the FEEL Framework offers a radical reimagining of wellness and leadership for women who are tired of performing, perfecting, and pleasing. It challenges the pressure to hustle and instead encourages women to reclaim their agency and live from intention.

This episode invites you into a mindset shift — grounded in values, guided by awareness, and rooted in empowerment.

✨ If you’re craving alignment and purpose, clarity, and a reminder of who you truly are, this conversation is for you.

#SelfWorth#WomenEmpowerment#SelfLeadership#PersonalGrowth#WomenInLeadership#EmotionalWellness#InnerWork#EmbodiedLeadership#MindsetShift#SelfTrust#ValuesBasedLiving#HealingJourney#AuthenticLiving#EmpoweredWomen#ChooseYourself

To lean more about Drea Guinto - https://stelliumhq.com/

Original Music by Rio & Valencia Saint-Louis

✨ Free Download: Embracing a F.E.E.L Fueled Life Sample Freebie ✨- https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:02ce6c2f-90ed-4741-bdab-e62e20c2e7ad

Want to be a guest on The F.E.E.L. Podcast? - Send Melissa Crook a message on PodMatch, here:⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/feel2021⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Support our work by becoming a Paid Substack Subscriber Here -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://substack.com/@thefeelpodcast⁠⁠

Trigger Warning: Abuse

In this powerful episode, we sit with Amanda J. Scott—author, advocate, and survivor—for an honest conversation about reclaiming your voice after emotional and financial abuse. After spending 17 years in a marriage marked by isolation and control, Amanda shares how breaking the silence became essential to her healing and her journey back to herself.

Amanda reflects on how core values can act as a compass when rebuilding self-worth after trauma, and why women healing from emotional abuse need safe, affirming relationships to remind them they are not alone. This conversation highlights the life-saving impact of women supporting women, the importance of boundaries, and what it looks like to stop tolerating disrespect in the name of love.

We also explore the courage it took for Amanda to tell her story in her book, Finding My Way Back To Me, chronicling the moment she chose to leave her abusive marriage and reclaim her identity. By embracing every layer of herself, Amanda found resilience, empowerment, and the strength to live authentically—modeling self-respect and healthy relationships for her daughters.

This episode is a reminder that women’s stories matter, healing after abuse is possible, and it’s never too late to choose yourself.

As Amanda beautifully says: “It’s never too late to come home to yourself.”

Ways to Engage:

Ask yourself:

• What does love look like for me?

• What does a healthy relationship look like to me?

Answer honestly, without comparison or expectation, and allow yourself to begin living those answers.

Resources:

National Domestic Violence Hotline

Call: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

Text: START to 88788

Center for Relationship Abuse Awareness

StopRelationshipAbuse.org

Hashtags

#DomesticViolenceAwareness

#EmotionalAbuseRecovery

#FinancialAbuse

#WomenSupportingWomen

#SurvivorStories

#HealingAfterAbuse

#TraumaInformed

#HealthyRelationships

#WomenEmpowerment

#FindingYourVoice

#SelfWorth

#LeavingAbuse

#UnapologeticLiving

#Resilience

#BreakingTheSilence

#MentalHealthAwareness

#WomenHealing

#ReclaimYourLife

Timestamps:

Prioritizing Self Care - ( 3:02 )

Confidently Setting Boundaries - ( 8:32 )

Taking Care of Your Emotional Health as much as Your Physical Health - ( 10:38 )

Support self & other women unapologetically - ( 18:05 )

Coming Back to Your WHY and Your VALUES - ( 23:06 )

Living Out of Your Own Expectations - ( 25:33 )

Accepting the Layered Aspects of Yourself - ( 29:10 )

Living out FEEL, how does it affect your relationships - ( 30:51 )

5 Activities That Nourish You - ( 34:52 )

5 Words for How You Want to Feel in the Next Six Months - ( 38:56 )

Original Music by Rio & Valencia Saint-Louis

✨ Free Download: Embracing a F.E.E.L Fueled Life Sample Freebie ✨- https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:02ce6c2f-90ed-4741-bdab-e62e20c2e7ad

In this empowering bonus resource, we’re giving you a free sneak peek into the Embracing a F.E.E.L Fueled Life course! This downloadable PDF guides you through reconnecting with who you truly are—beyond your roles, responsibilities, and expectations.

Want to be a guest on The F.E.E.L. Podcast? - Send Melissa Crook a message on PodMatch, here:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/feel2021⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or complete our contact form here:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.embracinglayers.com/contact ⁠⁠

Support our work by becoming a Paid Substack Subscriber Here -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://substack.com/@thefeelpodcast⁠⁠⁠

In this solo episode of The FEEL Podcast, host Melissa Crook invites listeners into a powerful leadership mindset shift: Are you treating yourself like a VIP? This women’s empowerment conversation speaks directly to women who give endlessly to work, family, leadership, and community, while quietly placing themselves last. Through this episode, Melissa offers a grounded approach to personal growth for women who are ready to move from overperforming to intentional, values-based living.

Melissa shares the three core pillars of VIP living that guide her own leadership mindset and empowerment coaching work:

Identity Over Productivity — You are more than your to-do list. This pillar invites women to reconnect with their layered identity, reclaim self-worth and confidence, and lead from who they are rather than what they produce.

Liberation Through Boundaries — Boundary setting for women is not about building walls; it’s about creating bridges to healthier relationships, aligned calendars, and sustainable success. Melissa explores self-care and boundaries around time, rest, movement, reflection, and emotional energy as essential tools for burnout prevention.

Embodied Wholeness — Emotional and mental wellness, physical health, spiritual grounding, and embodied wellness are deeply interconnected. True holistic wellness for women comes from honoring all parts of yourself rather than prioritizing only one area of wellbeing.

This episode also explores how treating yourself like a VIP strengthens leadership presence, reinforces self-worth, and teaches others how to engage with you more intentionally. When values-based living guides your actions, you create healthier cultures in workplaces, families, and communities — and people remember what you model, not just what you say.

Whether you’re a woman in leadership, an entrepreneur, a caregiver, or simply feeling stretched thin, this conversation offers a powerful reminder: honoring yourself is a foundational act of intentional living that supports long-term emotional wellbeing and sustainable growth.

Resources mentioned in this episode — including the VIP Upgrade Course, online programs, and one-on-one empowerment sessions — are linked in the show notes.

✨ Live aligned. Lead with integrity. Treat yourself like the VIP you already are.

#WomensEmpowerment
#TreatYourselfLikeAVIP
#IdentityOverProductivity
#BoundariesAreSelfCare
#WomenInLeadership
#HolisticWellness
#SelfWorth
#IntentionalLiving
#BurnoutRecovery
#EmpoweredWomen
#LeadershipDevelopment
#PersonalGrowthJourney
#MindsetShift
#WomenSupportingWomen
#WellnessForWomen
#LiveAligned
#SelfCareMindset

Original Music by Rio & Valencia Saint-Louis

✨ Free Download: Embracing a F.E.E.L Fueled Life Sample Freebie ✨- https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:02ce6c2f-90ed-4741-bdab-e62e20c2e7ad

Want to be a guest on The F.E.E.L. Podcast? - Send Melissa Crook a message on PodMatch, here:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/feel2021⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Support our work by becoming a Paid Substack Subscriber Here -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://substack.com/@thefeelpodcast⁠⁠

In this inspiring podcast episode, we sit down with Tsvety Roo, a courageous solo traveler and deeply reflective woman who chose to step outside of societal expectations to create a life aligned with her truth. First introduced through the Together We FEEL YouTube panels(Honest Conversations Around Child-Free and Child-Less and Celebrating Ourselves Well), Tsvety now takes center stage to share her full story of self-discovery, courage, and transformation.

Tsvety opens up about what it really means to question your life, your choices, and the paths you’ve been told to follow. Through deep introspection, she asked herself powerful questions like: What am I stifling? Why do I feel unfulfilled? What’s keeping me stuck? Those questions ultimately led her to solo travel, a decision often considered unconventional for women, yet one that unlocked freedom, confidence, and cultural curiosity.

In this episode, we explore how fear can limit our potential, how curiosity can replace judgment, and how living outside external expectations can lead to personal empowerment. Tsvety also challenges common misconceptions around women traveling alone and shares how vulnerability became a source of strength rather than weakness.

We dive into her experience navigating corporate culture, where she was labeled “too nice,” and unpack the harmful double standards women face in professional spaces. This powerful conversation reinforces the truth that women can be both strong and kind, and that authenticity is not a liability, but rather an asset.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking inspiration, clarity, and courage to live on their own terms. Whether you’re questioning your next step, craving fulfillment, or ready to embrace your complex layers, Tsvety’s journey will remind you that transformation begins with honesty and permission.

#WomenEmpowerment

#SoloFemaleTraveler

#PersonalGrowthJourney

#AuthenticLiving

#WomenWhoTravel

#SelfDiscovery

#FearlessWomen

#MindsetShift

#InnerWork

#BreakingSocietalNorms

#ChildFreeByChoice

#WomenSupportingWomen

#EmotionalHealing

#LivingYourTruth

#EmpowermentPodcast

#VulnerabilityIsStrength

#ConfidenceForWomen

Timestamps:

Prioritizing Self Care - ( 3:06 )

Confidently Setting Boundaries - ( 7:16 )

Taking Care of Your Emotional Health as much as Your Physical Health - ( 13:35 )

Support self & other women unapologetically - ( 20:39 )

Coming Back to Your WHY and Your VALUES - ( 26:44 )

Living Out of Your Own Expectations - ( 29:27 )

Accepting the Layered Aspects of Yourself - ( 47:24 )

Living out FEEL, how does it affect your relationships - ( 52:49 )

5 Activities That Nourish You - ( 58:10 )

5 Words for How You Want to Feel in the Next Six Months - ( 1:04:40 )

Original Music by Rio & Valencia Saint-Louis

✨ Free Download: Embracing a F.E.E.L Fueled Life Sample Freebie ✨- https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:02ce6c2f-90ed-4741-bdab-e62e20c2e7ad

In this empowering bonus resource, we’re giving you a free sneak peek into the Embracing a F.E.E.L Fueled Life course! This downloadable PDF guides you through reconnecting with who you truly are—beyond your roles, responsibilities, and expectations.

Want to be a guest on The F.E.E.L. Podcast? - Send Melissa Crook a message on PodMatch, here:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/feel202

Support our work by becoming a Paid Substack Subscriber Here -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://substack.com/@thefeelpodcast⁠⁠

In this one-on-one Empowerment Session of The FEEL Podcast, host Melissa Crook dives deep into The FEEL Essentials, a values-based personal development framework created to support women’s empowerment, emotional wellness, and sustainable self-care. This session is designed for women seeking clarity, alignment, and a deeper sense of self-trust in their personal growth journey.

Melissa shares how returning to the essentials can help when you’re feeling out of rhythm, overwhelmed, burned out, or disconnected from yourself. Through reflective questions and practical tools, this episode introduces the core pillars of the FEEL framework, guiding listeners to reconnect with their character traits, values-based living, emotional health, self-care practices, and healthy boundaries.

You’ll explore how embracing your layers without shame or judgment supports healing and self-discovery, and why curiosity is essential for emotional intelligence and mental health awareness. Melissa explains why naming emotions daily strengthens emotional wellness, and how tending to emotional, mental, physical, spiritual, and relational health creates a more balanced mind-body connection and prevents burnout over time.

This session also explores how to stop apologizing for your needs and practice unapologetic self-care, why women’s empowerment thrives through collaboration rather than competition, and how identifying boundaries aligned with your values protects your self-worth and confidence. Melissa also unpacks the connection between self-worth, calendar alignment, work-life balance, and burnout prevention, especially for women navigating leadership development, career transitions, or evolving responsibilities.

At its core, this episode redefines success — offering a path toward success without self-betrayal, impact without burnout, and personal power rooted in alignment rather than exhaustion. Whether you’re navigating a new season of life, relationship changes, a career shift, or simply feeling stuck, this conversation offers grounding support, empowerment coaching insights, and reflective practices to help you move forward with intention.

✨ This episode is for women ready to release external expectations and reconnect with how they want to feel — emotionally, mentally, and spiritually — while building a life rooted in self-worth, confidence, and alignment.

Resources mentioned include Melissa’s FEEL Essentials online course, one-on-one empowerment sessions, and additional mental health support and personal development resources available at embracinglayers.com.

#WomensEmpowerment
#SelfCareForWomen
#PersonalGrowthJourney
#EmotionalWellness
#MentalHealthAwareness
#HealingJourney
#BurnoutRecovery
#HealthyBoundaries
#UnapologeticLiving
#WomenSupportingWomen
#MindBodyConnection
#SelfWorthMatters
#LifeAlignment
#PersonalDevelopmentPodcast
#EmpoweredWomen
#ValuesBasedLiving
#GrowthMindset

In this solo episode of The FEEL Podcast, Melissa Crook introduces The Calendar Cleanse, a powerful and practical reset designed to help you reclaim your time, realign your priorities, and stop living in a constant state of overcommitment.

As the year gets underway, many of us start with good intentions like setting goals, creating routines, and imagining a more balanced life only to find that real life quickly takes over. Unexpected responsibilities, work demands, family needs, and emotional labor can quietly fill our calendars until we’re exhausted, stretched thin, and disconnected from ourselves.

The Calendar Cleanse is more than time management—it’s an act of self-respect. Melissa walks listeners through how your calendar reflects your boundaries, values, and relationship with yourself. This episode helps you identify where you’re overgiving, spot “hidden no’s” disguised as yeses, and begin intentionally designing a schedule that actually supports your nervous system, energy, and well-being.

You’ll learn how to gently but confidently remove commitments that no longer fit, why you don’t need to replace every removed obligation with something else, and how creating white space allows for rest, nourishment, and presence. Melissa also revisits powerful foundational practices such as clarifying how you want to feel, identifying what nourishes you, and honoring your worth when making decisions.

This episode is especially supportive for ambitious women who struggle with people-pleasing, guilt, and fear of disappointing others, and who want to show up more fully resourced in their work, relationships, and daily lives.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

• Use a calendar cleanse to reduce overwhelm and burnout

• Align your schedule with your values and energy

• Spot overcommitment and release guilt around saying no

• Practice the 24-hour pause before saying yes

• Create space for rest, nourishment, and clarity

• Build healthier boundaries through your calendar

• Design a life that feels intentional, present, and sustainable

Melissa also shares how listeners can go deeper through the Calendar Cleanse online course or one-on-one support.

Learn more and explore resources at embracinglayers.com

#CalendarCleanse
#TimeManagement
#LifeAlignment
#BurnoutPrevention
#HealthyBoundaries
#SelfWorth
#Overcommitment
#EnergyManagement
#PersonalGrowth
#EmotionalWellness
#IntentionalLiving
#WomenInLeadership
#PeoplePleasingRecovery
#SelfCarePractices
#NervousSystemSupport
#WorkLifeBalance
#MindfulLiving

Keywords for this episode:

• calendar cleanse

• time management for women

• overcommitment recovery

• burnout prevention strategies

• aligning your schedule with values

• energy and time management

• how to stop overcommitting

• people pleasing and boundaries

• self-worth and time

• intentional living practices

• healthy boundaries at work and home

• life alignment coaching

• stress reduction tools

• nervous system regulation

• reclaiming your time

• self-care through scheduling

• emotional burnout recovery