You already know the feeling. You put your phone down after an hour of scrolling and somehow feel more drained than before you picked it up. Maybe you're in a room full of people you love, and everyone's looking at their screen instead of each other. Maybe you've been quietly wondering if the way you've been living and connecting is actually working for you anymore.

If any of that sounds familiar, this conversation is going to feel like coming up for air.

I brought Julie Sands back into The Ripple Effect Podcast, and I'll be honest with you: time completely disappeared during this one. Julie is one of the most curious, well-read, and genuinely giving people I have ever had the pleasure of calling a friend. And her story alone is worth the listen.

She started her career as an architect, then moved into project management, public works administration, and business development for a construction cooperative. But every single transition she has made has been driven by one thing: a deep commitment to understanding people and helping them show up as their best selves. She is an author, podcast host, and entrepreneur, and she recently became a chapter leader for Mothers Against Media Addiction (MAMA), an organization dedicated to raising awareness about the very thing we talk about in this episode. That is not a coincidence. That is Julie living out exactly what she believes.

We got into what the research actually says about what makes people happy (and it is probably not what most of us spend our days chasing), why doom scrolling is quietly reshaping the way we relate to the people right in front of us, and what it really looks like to pursue meaningful relationships in a world that is designed to keep you distracted.

We also touched on something I think a lot of people in that halftime stage of life are feeling but not saying out loud: the quiet question of what you actually want to do with the time you have left. What lights you up? What have you been putting off? What does your real purpose look like now that some of those earlier pressures have started to lift?

Julie is also running two podcasts, working on a book, and the way her brain connects ideas is something you genuinely have to hear for yourself.

Come hang out with us. You will not regret it.

Want to go even deeper? Check out Patreon for exclusive content and behind-the-scenes insights. And if you are ready for something more immersive, our Connect + Grow Ripple coaching program is a full year of community, coaching, and accountability designed to help you build more meaningful relationships and create an even bigger Ripple out there in the world. Links below.

Ripple On!!!

Dive into Julie Sands' first interview on The Ripple Effect Podcast: https://youtu.be/Q5mfnER_nbA

Ripple with Julie Sands

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Julie also started making earrings as a fundraiser so her son could go on a mission trip to Jamaica with their church. In three weeks, without posting a single thing on social media, she sold over 1,000 pairs! She sold them out of her purse to friends and acquaintances. No ad spend, just genuine human connection doing what it does best. You can check out her awesome collections here: https://jewelsbyjules.net

Ripple with Steve Harper
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Website: http://www.ripplecentral.com

Have you ever walked into a room and felt like everyone else already knew how to network, how to pitch themselves, how to sound confident, and how to make the right connections?

Here is the much-awaited part two of my conversation with Sasha Grinshpun on The Ripple Effect Podcast. We get into the real stuff that so many professionals, founders, entrepreneurs, and leaders are wrestling with right now.

- How do you build meaningful connections without feeling fake?
- How do you stop being the world's best-kept secret?
- How do you turn feedback, rejection, and even those frustrating "nos" into something that actually moves you forward?

Sasha brings such a refreshing perspective on authentic networking, career confidence, design thinking, LinkedIn networking, and the entrepreneur mindset.

What I love about Sasha is that she does not just talk about career growth and business coaching from theory. She has lived the messy, nonlinear path herself, and she has helped thousands of professionals find the words, confidence, and clarity to take the next step.

Sasha Grinshpun is an executive coach, career strategist, facilitator, and founder of Catapult Circles and the LinkedIn Accelerator. Over the last 15-plus years, she has worked with Fortune 500 executives, founders, and accomplished professionals as they navigate their next chapter. Her background spans Yale Economics, Harvard Business School, Monitor Deloitte, and IDEO, giving her a rare mix of strategic rigor, design thinking, and genuine warmth. Sasha is also a leading voice on how AI is changing networking, hiring, professional visibility, and the future of work.

Sasha will be launching Networking for Introverts and LinkedIn Accelerator cohorts. She's also building with AI in communities around the world with her AI-in-Action workshops. See catapultcircles.com for more info!

If this conversation hits home, I hope you will watch it all the way through. There are a lot of Ripples in this one, and I have a feeling one of them might be exactly what you need to hear right now.

Ripple with Sasha Grinshpun
Website: https://catapultcircles.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sashagrinshpun/
X: https://x.com/catapultcircles
Substack: https://sashagrinshpun.substack.com/

Ripple with Steve Harper
Instagram: http://instagram.com/rippleon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rippleon
X: https://twitter.com/rippleon
Website: http://www.ripplecentral.com

This one felt personal.

If you've ever walked into a room and felt like everyone else had it figured out, or you've ever watched somebody get an opportunity and thought, "Wait, how did that happen for them?" then you're going to connect with this conversation.

It was such an honor to have Sasha Grinshpun on The Ripple Effect Podcast.

Sasha is an executive coach, career strategist, and facilitator who has spent more than 15 years helping people get honest about what they actually want and how they'll get there.

She has worked with Fortune 500 executives, founders, and professionals navigating major career transitions, helping them turn the conversations they've been rehearsing in their heads into the ones that open real doors.

Sasha's background is anything but ordinary. Yale Economics, Harvard Business School MBA, Monitor Deloitte strategy consulting, IDEO design thinking, and now the founder of Catapult Circles and the LinkedIn Accelerator.

She brings a rare mix of strategy, warmth, and straight talk to the questions so many of us are quietly carrying.

A lot of us were taught to keep our heads down, do good work, and trust that people will notice. But if you've lived long enough, you know it doesn't always work that way. Sometimes the missing piece is not talent. It is connection. It is trust. It is learning how to show up, be curious, and build meaningful relationships without feeling fake or salesy.

Sasha has such a great way of talking about relationships, personal branding, LinkedIn networking, AI career advice, and the future of work in a way that feels simple and doable. Especially now, when AI is changing professional visibility, hiring, networking, and how people get found or overlooked, this conversation feels incredibly timely.

There are a few moments in this episode that made me stop and think, and I think they'll do the same for you.

So grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and watch this one all the way through. You might hear exactly what you need today.

Good news. If you learned a lot from this conversation, part two is coming soon. Stay tuned!

Ripple with Sasha Grinshpun
Website: https://catapultcircles.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sashagrinshpun/
X: https://x.com/catapultcircles
Substack: https://sashagrinshpun.substack.com/

Ripple with Steve Harper
Instagram: http://instagram.com/rippleon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rippleon
X: https://twitter.com/rippleon
Website: http://www.ripplecentral.com