🎙️ Episode Title: Becoming Awesome: How We Can Reignite the Spark

In this heartfelt and empowering episode of The Inspired Woman Podcast, Sam Bell sits down with her Burnout to Joy co-founder and business partner, April Lara, for an open conversation about rediscovering your spark after burnout. Together, they dive into the power of collaboration, the lessons learned from creating Burnout to Joy, and the emotional journey of reclaiming energy, purpose, and joy.

Sam and April explore what it means to say “no” from the vibration of obligation, and how that subtle guilt we carry can keep us stuck in cycles of depletion. They share personal insights, laughter, and practical wisdom to help you shift from people-pleasing to powerful boundaries — and begin living in alignment with your true self again.

✨ Tune in for an honest, soul-filled conversation that will remind you: you don’t need to do more to be awesome — you just need to reignite your spark.

Find out more about April Lara:

"I am proud to say that my guest this episode shares my mission to create a new way forward for service professionals—teachers, nurses, first responders, and beyond.

Together, we have created Burnout to Joy - a course and numerous resources designed to help our service professionals recognize the signs of burnout and stop it in its tracks! "

What started with helping a few colleagues has grown into this mission to reach thousands. Along the way, April wrote the best seller Becoming Awesome to share stories, tools, and encouragement for anyone ready to reclaim joy in their work. As CEO of a high-risk youth program in Chicago Public Schools, she saw the positive transformation in students once they were taught meaningful life skills typically missing from regular school curriculum.

As a speaker and workshop leader, she inspires others to open up to the miracles in their life. She holds a BSBA degree from Aquinas College. A lifelong Cubs fan, she lives in Chicago, just a few miles from Wrigley Field, with her family.

Join host Sam Bell as she adds another powerful conversation to this series. Today's Inspired Woman is Michelle Minke, who, in her own words, committed 'brand suicide' as she left a successful stage career as an opera star and followed her intuition to become a spiritual medium.

Michelle emphasises the importance of women supporting each other and the power of intuition in guiding our life decisions. She explains that her work as a medium focuses on healing grief and teaching others about their own intuitive abilities. This powerful conversation touched upon the themes of the mother-daughter relationship and death as a part of life, and the connection we can choose to have with our loved ones even after they have passed.

ABOUT MICHELLE:
In demand as an inspirational speaker, author, podcast host and spiritual mentor- this award-winning opera singer, entrepreneur, community builder, and recording artist wants to connect you with your loved ones.

Professional Timeline:
With her boundless vitality and powerful voice, Michelle performed operatically throughout Europe and North America before returning to her hometown of Calgary where she was the founder and artistic director of Calgary's Cowtown Opera for a decade. Michelle's heartfelt excitement for contributing to the cultural identity of her city earned her a place among arts champions.

Michelle was named as one of Calgary’s Top 40-Under-40 by Avenue Magazine, was a recipient of the Mayor's Enbridge Emerging Artist Award, and was named one of Alberta’s 25 Inspiring Artists by Alberta Foundation for the Arts for her commitment to the arts community of Calgary.

Michelle has been named Cultural Ambassador for the Canadian Women of Inspiration Award by the Universal Women’s Network and was nominated for Female Artist of the Year by the YYC Music Awards in 2018.

Michelle holds a Master's in Vocal Pedagogy from the University of Toronto and is a graduate of the Opera School at the Royal Academy of Music in London, England, as well as the Solti Te Kanawa Accademia in Italy.

Career highlights include creating her two albums; Expect the Unexpected and M.O.M- Opera for Kids, performing La Boheme in the piazza in Anghiari, Italy, singing back up for Sarah Brightman, Headlining in the Calgary Stampede Grandstand Show, Performing with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra with Rupauls Drag Race winner, Thorgy Thor, and performing her opera/hip hop single, Carmen Remix nationally.

After many changes in life, she is now an international medium, shares her story publicly through speaking engagements, and builds community for developing intuitives and wellness retreats. She is just finishing her national tour from Newfoundland to Yellowknife to B.C.

She now only performs from the heart and for fun with her son Max and his friends

To connect with Michelle, take a look at her website www.michelleminke.ca

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Carrie Montgomery is a trailblazer in leadership transformation, blending neuroscience, somatic intelligence, and sovereign self-expression to help visionary leaders create sustainable success. With over 25 years of business expertise, Carrie guides her clients to scale without burnout, transforming stress and overwhelm into calm, aligned authority through Sovereign Presence™.

Carrie has reshaped industries through achievements like selling $100M + in real estate pre-sales and revitalizing New Mexico’s film industry. Her clients—many of whom grow from six to seven-figure businesses—credit her with helping them expand their leadership capacity while maintaining well-being.

Her work has been featured in Forbes, Hay House, and Coastal Living, and she is sought after for her ability to bridge science and embodied wisdom, empowering leaders to build legacy-level impact with ease and alignment.

Find out more about Carrie or Contact her via https://www.carriemontgomery.com