A surprise birth story becomes a blueprint for building community, changing how a family sees disability, and creating something the Midwest desperately needed.

Emma Mulvany and Kari Treat unpack how one unexpected diagnosis sparked a mission that now reaches hundreds of families through sport, advocacy, and connection. Kari shares the moment her daughter Mackenzie was born with a limb difference, the swirl of fear and guilt that followed, and the shift that happened when she stopped searching for what was “wrong” and started building a life around what was possible.

What follows is a candid, deeply human conversation about turning uncertainty into action. You’ll discover how the Limb Difference Collective Foundation grew from Facebook groups and local meetups into a nonprofit with tax-deductible donations, a podcast, and a “hugs in a box” care package designed to help parents, schools, and kids feel less alone from day one.

Kari also breaks down why respectful language matters, what most people misunderstand about limb difference, and how community events like the Brookfield Zoo meetup drew 150 people in year one and 250 the next.

We also get into the practical side of raising a child with a disability - adaptive sports, early intervention gaps, prosthetics, therapy, and why Kari now coaches swimmers through GLASA and helps athletes prepare for Paralympic-level competition.

Along the way, she shares what her kids, her community, and her own lived experience have taught her about belonging, resilience, and embracing a version of motherhood she never expected.

Essential listening if you care about parenting, disability advocacy, community building, or the power of saying yes to the life in front of you.

Kari Treat is a swim coach, nonprofit founder, and community connector in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. She co-created the Limb Difference Collective Foundation to support families navigating limb difference through events, resources, and care packages.

You can find out more about Kari Treat and The Limb Difference Collective and Macaroni Kid Schaumaburg, check out:

Limb Difference Collective Online: https://limbdifferencecollective.org/

Limb Difference Collective On Social: https://www.instagram.com/limbdifferencecollective/

Macaroni Kid Schaumburg Online: https://schaumburg.macaronikid.com/

Macaroni Kid Schaumburg On Social: https://www.instagram.com/mackidschaumburg/

What if the thing you’re best at is the thing you’ve been undervaluing all along? Emma Mulvany sits down with Lexis Krieg, a clarity-first brand designer, to unpack how deep listening, pattern recognition, and human-led AI can turn a scattered brand into one that feels unmistakably true.

Lexis shares how she went from artist and graphic designer to building Most Beautiful Design, a business rooted in conversation before creation. Instead of starting with logos and visuals, she starts with the words, story, and voice underneath the brand and then uses her proprietary AI system to organize the patterns without polishing off the truth.

In this conversation, you’ll discover:

• Why the easiest thing for you to do may actually be your hidden superpower
• How Lexis uses thoughtful conversation to uncover a client’s real message
• Why live dialogue can reveal more authentic language than written questionnaires
• How she combines intuition, transcripts, and AI without losing the human edge
• How creativity, color, and joy can make a brand feel more professional—not less
• Why slowing down before designing a logo can create a stronger business foundation
• How the Brand Clarity Key bridges the gap between who you are and how you show up in business

Emma and Lexis also explore motherhood, advocacy, entrepreneurship, and the importance of creating a business that supports the life you actually want to live.

This conversation goes deeper than branding. It’s about honoring what comes naturally, trusting your voice, and building a business that reflects your most fully expressed self.

Lexis Krieg is the founder of Most Beautiful Design, where she helps women find clarity in their message and brand through thoughtful conversation, strategic writing, and visually aligned identity work. She also writes The Art of Joy, a Substack newsletter about creativity, motherhood, and business.

You can find out more about Lexis Krieg and Most Beautiful Design -

Most Beautiful Design Online: https://www.mostbeautifuldesign.com/

The Art of Joy Substack: https://theartofjoywithlexis.substack.com/

What if midlife is not the ending, but an invitation to finally come back to yourself? Ingrid Bayer shares the raw, honest story behind recent book, Not Done Yet: The Journey Back to You, and why the real work of reinvention often begins when your body, your career, or your life forces you to stop.

Ingrid shares about the health crisis that became a wake-up call, the workplace bullying that unexpectedly opened the door to entrepreneurship, and the wisdom that comes from finally listening to your own inner compass.

If you’ve ever felt stretched thin, stuck in survival mode, or unsure who you are beneath the roles you’ve carried, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why Ingrid rewrote her book from scratch after publishing the first version
• The difference between pushing through and actually honoring what your body is telling you

• How a severe back injury exposed years of burnout she had been ignoring
• The pivotal moments that helped her turn adversity into a new chapter
• Why she believes women need more conversations, community, and their own permission to change

Ingrid shares how a transformational course in her early 20s first taught her to question conditioning, choose more intentionally, and recognize the value of stillness. She also reflects on the long arc of identity, motherhood, entrepreneurship, and the moment she realized she was ready to build something new around supporting women in midlife and beyond.

This episode is for women who feel like the best years might be behind them, for anyone standing at a crossroads, and for listeners craving a reminder that exhaustion is not a personality trait. There is power in pausing, power in asking what you want next, and power in deciding you are not finished yet.

Ingrid Bayer is the author of Not Done Yet: The Journey Back to You and the founder of the VA Institute, where she has helped thousands of women build online businesses. She now creates spaces for women in midlife to pause, reconnect, and rebuild with more honesty, ease, and community.

You can find out more about Ingrid Bayer, her books, and upcoming opportunities to work with her on her website at https://ingridbayer.com

You can also follow along on her journey with Not Done Yet on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ingrid.bayer.58