Mary Olson-Menzel is a nationally recognized expert in career and workplace success with over 30 years of leadership experience across media, tech, healthcare, and even the NFL. As the founder and CEO of MVP Executive Development, she’s coached everyone from Fortune 500 leaders to parents reentering the workforce—helping them find purpose, confidence, and a plan to do what truly lights them up.

In this inspiring episode, we unpack the mindset and tools to thrive through massive change, find your “reason for being,” and design work—and a life—that truly lights you up.

1. Change Isn’t the Enemy—It’s the Invitation.
   Embrace a growth mindset and see disruption as a chance to expand your potential, not fear it.
   
   

2. Find Your Ikigai—Your Reason for Being.
   Align what you love, what you’re great at, what the world needs, and what you can get paid for.
   
   

3. Dream Beyond 10% and Plan the Leap.
   Most people only imagine small tweaks to their lives; true fulfillment comes from daring to design something radically different—with patience and a plan.
   
   

“Change is happening. What does this mean and how can I grow from it?”
Embracing change through curiosity transforms fear into momentum. Each disruption—AI, layoffs, or shifting industries—becomes a training ground for reinvention instead of resistance.

“It’s what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can get paid for.”
True fulfillment lies in the overlap of passion and practicality. When you design your life around this alignment, you no longer chase success—you embody it.

“If you’re limiting yourself to that 10%, you’re doing yourself a disservice. There’s so much more out there for you.”
Most people imagine only small variations on their current lives. Breakthroughs come when you remove your blinders, trust your gifts, and build the courage to act on what excites you.

• “You owe it to the world to love what you do because when you’re doing meaningful work, that creates a ripple effect.”
  
  

• “Your light is your superpower, but your network is the superhighway that gets you where you want to go.”
  
  

“Don’t conform. Be you. Own your greatness with quiet confidence.”

Today’s episode features Rachel Gitlevich, author of What in the Actual Fck: Life’s a Hot Mess—How to Find Gratitude Anyways* and founder of Ray of Consciousness. Through her writing and consulting work, Rachel fuses raw storytelling with wellness and strategy, helping people and organizations grow with authenticity. Her story is one of resilience, transformation, and radical gratitude—even in the face of unimaginable challenges.

In this episode, Rachel shares her extraordinary journey through multiple cancer diagnoses, near-death experiences, and the powerful process of reclaiming her life. Together, we explore what it really means to find strength, surrender, and joy when everything falls apart—and how to rebuild from a place of courage and truth.

1. Adversity Is a Wake-Up Call for Alignment
   Hardship can be the catalyst that strips away illusion and reveals what truly matters. Rachel’s story shows how pain can crack us open to purpose, presence, and self-compassion.
   
   

2. Healing Requires Both Science and Spirit
   She learned that holistic healing doesn’t mean rejecting medicine—it means embracing every form of support available, from faith and therapy to immunotherapy and inner work.
   
   

3. Gratitude Is the Gateway Back to Life
   Gratitude doesn’t deny the hard—it invites grace into it. Even in the storm, finding small glimmers of gratitude restores hope, patience, and possibility.
   
   

1️⃣ [04:17–07:29] — The Awakening: When “Holistic” Meets Reality

“I was trying to pretend like this was mutually exclusive rather than inclusive… you need all of it—throw everything into the fire.”

Rachel

When healing becomes a spiritual competition, we forget that medicine and mindfulness can coexist. True healing is not choosing between worlds—it’s weaving them together.

2️⃣ [11:17–13:50] — From Victimhood to Victory

“Yes, there are so many situations that have been horrible and horrifying… and I’m still here. I’m clearly meant to be here.”

Rachel

Finding humor and meaning in suffering doesn’t minimize it—it transforms it. Choosing to see life’s absurdity as proof of resilience helps reclaim power from pain.

3️⃣ [30:05–32:22] — Riding Out the Storm

“Storms always pass. Maybe you wanted sunshine, but Mother Nature said, ‘Not today.’ You just have to sit where you are and know the sun will shine again.”

Rachel

Every storm teaches surrender. Instead of resisting what’s unfolding, staying grounded in the present moment builds trust in life’s natural rhythm—chaos, calm, and renewal.

• “It’s not about finding gratitude for every little thing—it’s about finding gratitude anyway.”
  
  

• “Even when it’s not okay, it still will be.”
  
  

• “We can’t stop the waves, but we can learn to watch them—and trust they’ll settle.”
  
  

Rachel’s story reminds us that life rarely unfolds as planned—but within every detour lies the chance to redefine strength and rediscover joy. Whether you’re healing, rebuilding, or standing in your own messy middle, remember this: storms pass, gratitude grounds, and reinvention is always possible.

Connections:

Visit us: MarniBattista.Com
Ready To Create Your Corporate Escape Plan? Book A Call With Me
Take the Quiz: Unlock the shocking truth about how your unique personality type is silently shaping your future
Buy Your Radical Living Challenge: 7 Questions For Living The Meaningful Life
Buy: What in the Actual Fck: Life's a hot mess, how to find gratitude anyways

This week’s conversation is all about rewriting outdated scripts and reclaiming intimacy with confidence, connection, and joy. Lauren Elise Rogers—certified holistic sexuality educator and embodied intimacy coach—shares her empowering approach to navigating desire, healing from harmful narratives, and reigniting long-term relationships.

With warmth and clarity, Lauren unpacks how to release the scripts that no longer serve, nurture your own sense of pleasure, and bring curiosity back into love. This is a reminder that nothing is broken—you have the right and the power to create intimacy that truly feels like yours.

1. You’re not broken—just running an old script.
   
   

2. Pleasure is your birthright, not a bonus.
   
   

3. Curiosity keeps love alive.
   
   

1. Rewriting Sexual Scripts (04:09)

“It’s okay to look at them and go, hey, is this really the script I still want to follow? Or do I want to do a rewrite?”

Lauren Racehel

Outdated beliefs about bodies, sex, and roles often sneak in early in life and quietly shape choices. Recognizing them as “scripts” allows you to decide if they still fit—or if it’s time for a rewrite. This creates freedom to align intimacy with who you really are today.

2. Healing the Sexual Garden (13:35)

“Some beliefs feel like dandelions we can pull, but some are like soil blight. And yet, a good farmer knows soil blight can be healed.”

Lauren Racehel

Deeply rooted shame and negative beliefs can feel permanent, but healing is possible. Just like tending a garden, cultivating intimacy takes patience, sunlight, and nourishment. Seeing it this way replaces shame with compassion and invites long-term healing.

3. Bringing Curiosity Back to Long-Term Love (32:03)

“So many of us have lost curiosity in our long-term partnerships. And there is nothing wrong with wanting surprise, anticipation, or a bit of play.”

Lauren Racehel

Long-term safety doesn’t have to mean boredom. By discovering personal erotic themes and sprinkling them back into relationships, intimacy can feel exciting again. Curiosity and play are not only allowed—they’re essential ingredients for keeping desire alive.

Connections:

Visit us: MarniBattista.Com
Ready To Create Your Corporate Escape Plan? Book A Call With Me
Take the Quiz: Unlock the shocking truth about how your unique personality type is silently shaping your future
Buy Your Radical Living Challenge: 7 Questions For Living The Meaningful Life
Sex For You (Lauren’s Website)

Lauren’s Podcast