Career pivots, creative calling, food storytelling, women entrepreneurs, self trust, health journeys, purpose led business, becoming.

In this inspiring episode of The Journey of Becoming, Karrie Mitten sits down with Danielle Turner, chef, author, and CEO of Forklift Media, to explore what it looks like to honor your creative calling, trust yourself, and build a meaningful life through courage and curiosity.

Danielle shares how her love of food began as a latchkey kid experimenting in the kitchen, how she spent over a decade working in politics in Washington DC, and why burnout ultimately pushed her to take a leap into culinary school with no clear plan for what would come next. Along the way, she discovered how deeply creativity, storytelling, and self expression are woven into her work.

The conversation also dives into the unexpected turn that reshaped Danielle’s purpose when her husband experienced a major heart attack and was later diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Faced with the reality of a low sodium lifestyle, Danielle refused to believe that healthy eating had to mean joyless food. This challenge became the foundation for Salt Sanity, a platform and book designed to help people eat well, live fully, and feel empowered during major health transitions.

This episode is a powerful reminder that our mess often becomes our message, and that listening to ourselves can open doors we never planned for.

What you will learn

1. How to recognize when burnout is signaling a deeper calling
2. Why creative desires often get silenced by practicality and fear
3. How to leave a stable career without having all the answers
4. The mindset shifts required to trust yourself and take action anyway
5. How personal health crises can become purpose driven work
6. Why perfectionism and self doubt are often the biggest obstacles
7. How asking for help can accelerate growth and connection
8. What it means to build a life that feels aligned, meaningful, and fulfilling

Whether you are feeling stuck in a career, navigating a health related transition, or quietly longing for something more creative and aligned, this conversation will encourage you to stop settling and take the next brave step on your own journey of becoming.

Connect with Danielle

Explore her work, recipes, and low sodium lifestyle resources at saltsanity.com

Connect with Karrie

Learn more about The Journey of Becoming and explore executive and personal transformation at UpLevelYourLifeConsulting.com

If this episode resonates, share it with someone who is standing at the edge of a change and needs a reminder that it is never too late to choose yourself and create a life you love.

Career reinvention, courage, global impact, education leadership, intuition, purpose, becoming.

In this inspiring episode of The Journey of Becoming, Karrie sits down with Cristina Santoro, founder of Teaching Up, to explore what becomes possible when you listen to your inner knowing and take the leap, even when the path is unclear. After spending 12 years in corporate America, Cristina found herself successful on paper but deeply misaligned. What followed was a courageous decision to leave everything familiar behind and say yes to a life of purpose, service, and global impact.

Cristina shares how an unexpected relationship ending opened the door to living and working abroad, ultimately leading her to serve in five countries across six years. From launching schools and working with education startups, to serving with the Peace Corps and supporting inclusive education in under-resourced communities, her journey is a powerful reminder that zigzags often lead us exactly where we are meant to be.

You will hear how trusting intuition, taking action without overthinking, and allowing fear to become a guide rather than a barrier can radically transform both your life and the lives of others.

What you’ll learn

1. How career dissatisfaction can be the first signal of deeper alignment
2. Why action and instinct often matter more than having a perfect plan
3. How fear can become a compass instead of a limitation
4. What living and working across cultures teaches about connection and humanity
5. Why inclusive education is essential for creating lasting change
6. How one brave step can lead to a global ripple effect

Whether you are feeling stuck in your career, standing at a crossroads, or longing for a more meaningful life, this conversation will inspire you to trust yourself, lean into discomfort, and take the next step forward, even if you do not yet know where it leads.

Connect with Cristina

Learn more about her global education consulting work and inclusive training resources at Teaching-Up.com

Connect with Karrie

Learn more about The Journey of Becoming and explore executive and personal transformation at UpLevelYourLifeConsulting.com

If this episode resonates, share it with someone who is standing on the edge of a decision, because one brave step can change everything.

Infertility, holistic healing, mind-body connection, emotional wellness, spiritual guidance, women’s empowerment

In this heart-opening episode, Karrie sits down with Ashley Holmes, founder of Holistic Fertility Coach Inc., to explore how women can reclaim their power, hope, and health on the journey to motherhood. Ashley shares her personal experience with infertility and how she transformed her struggles into a mission to support others through one-on-one coaching, yoga, meditation, and compassionate guidance.

You’ll hear how societal conditioning around health, success, and self-worth can create emotional and mental challenges, and how holistic approaches can help women reconnect with their mind, body, and spirit while pursuing fertility naturally. Ashley invites us to honor our emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being as part of creating a fertile foundation.

What you’ll learn

• How holistic coaching supports women with primary and secondary infertility
• Mind-body-spirit practices that enhance fertility naturally
• How to navigate emotional and mental challenges without losing hope
• Why self-care, nourishment, and trauma-informed guidance are essential
• How to reclaim your power and voice during the fertility journey
• The importance of community, support, and connection for long-term success

Whether you are trying to conceive, supporting someone in your life, or seeking alternative ways to approach fertility, this conversation will inspire you to take control of your health and healing while embracing hope and empowerment.

Connect with Ashley Holmes

Explore her work, resources, and supportive community: https://holisticfertilitycoachinc.my.canva.site/

Connect with Karrie

Discover executive and personal transformation rooted in soul-aligned strategy: UpLevelYourLifeConsulting.com

If this episode resonates, share it with a friend or loved one who is on their fertility journey or seeking a holistic approach to well-being.