IN THIS EPISODE

What would you do if the life you built… no longer felt like yours?

In this powerful and deeply human conversation, I sit down with Alese Johnston, who made a bold and unconventional decision at 69 years old—she walked away from a life that looked beautiful on the outside but felt misaligned on the inside.

This isn’t a story about loss.
It’s a story about truth, courage, and what becomes possible when you finally listen to yourself.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re living a life that looks right but doesn’t feel right, this episode will hit home.

✨ In This Episode, We Explore:

The quiet realization that your life no longer fits
Why “having it all” can still leave you unfulfilled
The courage it takes to walk away—from identity, comfort, and expectations
What it actually means to “start over” later in life
How curiosity can become your compass
Letting go of everything that no longer aligns (literally and emotionally)
Redefining success on your own terms

🔑 Key Takeaway:

Reinvention isn’t reckless—it’s honest.
And it’s never too late to choose a life that truly feels like your own.

💭 Questions to Reflect On:

Where in my life am I settling for “good enough”?
What feels out of alignment that I’ve been avoiding?
If I trusted myself fully… what would I change?

Guest Bio - Alese Johnston

Alese Johnston is a visionary entrepreneur, investor, and advocate for redefining aging with vitality. As co-founder of StorageTrader, the first platform enabling fractional investment in self-storage facilities, she has spent over a decade in the self-storage industry. She shares her expertise in her book, Beyond the Locks.

Alese is a seasoned speaker who thrives on engaging audiences with thought-provoking insights. She has spoken on stage at the ISS World Expo in Las Vegas, the Exit Planners National Conference, and various industry events. Her ability to blend expertise with an engaging, relatable style makes her a sought-after voice on entrepreneurship, investment strategies, and navigating personal reinvention.

Beyond business, Alese is deeply passionate about longevity, healthspan, and the power of reinvention. She founded the Fabulous70 Challenge, a movement proving that turning 70 is not a time to slow down—but to speed up, take on new experiences, and challenge outdated beliefs about aging.

An experienced mentor and investor, Alese serves as board chair emeritus of the Arkansas Angel Alliance and consults with startups at The Forge and The Venture Center in Little Rock. She has represented Arkansas investors at the Angel Capital Association’s National Conference and is a graduate of the ACA’s Angel University.

Alese’s leadership and impact have been widely recognized, including being named an Arkansas Business Power Woman (2021) and one of About You Magazine’s Most Intriguing Women (2023). She is an alum of Leadership Greater Little Rock (Class 21) and Leadership Arkansas (Class 12).

When she’s not speaking, writing, or mentoring, Alese can be found hiking, dominating Beat Saber, rocking out to her favorite music, and indulging in her love of sci-fi films. Above all, she is a proud mom and grandmother, embracing life with curiosity, adventure, and a relentless pursuit of what’s next.

🌿 Connect with Erin Currin:

If this episode resonated with you, you’ll love the work we do inside my programs designed to help you reconnect with what truly matters and create a life that reflects it.

👍 If This Spoke to You: Like the video Subscribe for more conversations like this Share with someone who might need to hear it

🎙 About the Podcast: The

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Description:

What happens when the life you’ve built starts breaking you?

In this powerful conversation, I sit down with holistic midlife strategist Victoria Lefebre, who shares the moment everything changed—standing in front of a mirror, exhausted, overwhelmed, and realizing she didn’t even recognize herself anymore.

She THOUGHT she was doing everything right…
Taking care of her family.
Running a business.
Holding it all together.

And yet—her body was shutting down.

This episode is about what happens when you can’t push through anymore…
…and why the healing you’re avoiding is what will change everything.

You can’t bypass your way into healing.
You can’t outwork it.
You can’t positive-think your way around it.

At some point… you have to face it.

Chapters:

| 0:00 | Teaser
| 0:28 | Introduction
| 2:06 | Just a normal chaotic morning
| 5:48 | I know what I'm doing. I'm in control
| 10:25 | Naked on the table
| 14:28 | I knew there was something more
| 18:28 | I instantly felt this relief
| 21:20 | What is EFT?
| 25:02 | Creating a new vibe - intentionally
| 27:20 | Where are you now?
| 32:55 | Just sit the F#ck down and LISTEN!
| 36:50 | Did you have a support system?
| 42:16 | What do you do when the old "voices" come back up?
| 48:00 | It takes time
| 54:22 | Parting thoughts

💥 In this episode, we explore:

• The breaking point that forced Victoria to wake up
• Why burnout isn’t just physical—it’s emotional and energetic
• The truth about “having all the tools” but not using them
• How unprocessed stress and trauma show up in the body
• What happens when your body no longer feels safe to live in
• How Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT or tapping) creates real release
• The power of acknowledging what’s actually true (even when it’s uncomfortable)
• Learning to trust yourself after years of override
• Why your “inner voice” doesn’t go away—and what to do instead

🎙️ About Our Guest:

Victoria Lefebvre is a holistic midlife strategist. She helps women in midlife, releasing overwhelm, reconnecting with their inner strength and stepping into the next chapter with clarity and confidence. She does this using holistic nutrition, yoga, meditation and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique aka tapping). She blends Mind, Body tools with intuitive practices.

Victoria believes that midlife is not the end of who you are, it's the awakening of who you were always meant to be.

🎧 About the Podcast:

The Secret of My Success explores what it really means to live a fulfilling life—beyond achievement, beyond appearances, and beyond what we’ve been taught success is “supposed” to look like.

👉 Watch the full episode and then…

If something in this conversation resonated with you, don’t just nod along—do something with it.

If you’re ready to go deeper:
💬 Drop a comment with your biggest takeaway
👍 Like the video so we know this conversation matters
🔔 Subscribe for more real conversations about fulfillment, growth, and truth

Want to learn more about exploring what it means to live a fulfilling life?
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What if the voice you stopped trusting is the one that could change your life?

In this episode of The Secret of My Success, Erin Currin sits down with NLP and hypnotherapy practitioner Heidi Wells to talk about what it takes to finally listen to your intuition after years of ignoring it.

After spending 20 years in a marriage she knew deep down wasn’t right, Heidi began to recognize the patterns that had kept her stuck—fear, religious expectations, trauma responses, and a lifetime of second-guessing herself.

“Twenty years of really not trusting myself, when I had a lot of little nudges and knowings…”

In this conversation, Heidi shares how chronic illness, nervous system shutdown, and deep inner work eventually forced her to confront the truth—and reclaim her voice.

You’ll hear about:
• Why we override our intuition
• How trauma patterns keep us stuck in relationships
• What the nervous system has to do with healing
• The danger of outsourcing your inner wisdom
• How learning to trust yourself changes everything

“If you haven't already, go spend time with yourself. I think that that's where it will be.”

If you’ve ever wondered whether the life you’re living is really yours, this conversation will resonate deeply.

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In This Episode
• Why we ignore our intuition—even when we know something is wrong
• The impact of trauma patterns and attachment wounds in relationships
• How chronic stress and emotional suppression affect the body
• The difference between religious structure and personal faith
• Why thoughts are often just stories our brain creates
• The role of the nervous system in healing and emotional regulation
• How learning to ask “What do I really want?” changes everything
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About Heidi Wells
Heidi Wells is a Master Practitioner of NLP and hypnotherapy with a background in biology and a passion for emotional healing. She blends neuroscience, unconscious mind work, and intuitive insight to help women stop second-guessing themselves and reconnect with their inner voice.

Her work focuses on helping women feel safe in their bodies again so they can create lasting change with clarity, confidence, and self-trust.
https://www.facebook.com/wells1heidi

________________________________________
About the Podcast
The Secret of My Success explores what it truly means to live a fulfilling life. Each episode dives into the turning points, paradigm shifts, and hard-won wisdom that shape our personal journeys.

Hosted by Erin Currin, the show invites thoughtful conversations with people who have faced life’s challenges and discovered something meaningful on the other side.
________________________________________
👍 If you enjoyed this conversation, like the video, subscribe, and share your thoughts in the comments.

What part of Heidi’s journey resonated most with you?

Want to learn more about exploring what it means to live a fulfilling life?
Subscribe to the YouTube channel here.

Show Notes
What happens when a mistake doesn’t break you—but builds you?

In this episode of The Secret of My Success, host Erin Currin sits down with nurse Crystal Culp for a powerful, honest conversation about mistakes, burnout, boundaries, and what it really means to live a fulfilling life.

Crystal shares her journey from a wide-eyed nursing student who nearly quit after a serious error, to a seasoned professional who learned that perfectionism is not the goal—presence is. Along the way, she reveals how reflection, authentic communication, and gratitude helped her rebuild passion in a system that often leaves caregivers exhausted and undervalued.

This episode is for anyone who:
• Feels burned out, overworked, or emotionally drained
• Is afraid a mistake defines their competence or worth
• Struggles with boundaries at work or in relationships
• Wants fulfillment without chasing perfection

In this conversation, we explore:
• Why mistakes are inevitable—and how to learn from them without self-punishment
• The hidden cost of burnout and “just pushing through”
• How honest communication builds trust (and why softening the truth backfires)
• Why reflection is essential for growth and emotional resilience
• The role of boundaries, gratitude, and self-awareness in sustainable success

Crystal’s story is a reminder that fulfillment doesn’t come from doing everything right—it comes from doing the work with awareness, integrity, and humanity.

🎧 Watch the episode and listen to the rest of the story.
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More about Crystal Culp

Crystal Culp is a retired senior nursing leader whose decades-long career has deeply fulfilled her through caring for people, mentoring new nurses, and advocating for system-level change to make nursing better.

For Crystal, nursing isn’t just a profession — it’s been a lifelong calling and a core part of her and her family’s identity. Now, as a speaker and advocate, she’s helping nursing leaders think differently about how they support their staff, with a focus on retention, culture, and creating workplaces where nurses feel valued, supported, and inspired to stay.
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Connect with Erin Currin
Life Coach | Reiki Master | Host of The Secret of My Success

Helping women redefine success, reclaim their time, and live aligned lives.

👍 If this episode resonated, like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs permission to stop being perfect and start being real.

Want to learn more about exploring what it means to live a fulfilling life?
Subscribe to the YouTube channel here.

Show Summary

What happens when a sporty car, a four-day course, and a clear vision collide? You get Joan Nordemann’s inspiring story.

In this episode, Joan shares how one invitation in her twenties changed the trajectory of her entire life. From visualizing her dream car to building a life aligned with purpose, integrity, and joy, Joan walks us through the real (and sometimes raw) journey of learning, unlearning, and becoming.

We explore:
✨ The moment that introduced her to the Law of Attraction
✨ Why clarity, not just vision boards, is the real secret sauce
✨ How “driving” her dream car—but not owning it—taught her a lesson in specificity
✨ The power of journaling, gratitude, and internal alignment
✨ Her transition from receptionist to radio sales rep (and meeting her husband!)
✨ Why mindset work isn’t optional if you want real change
✨ How she’s still navigating life with grace after the loss of her husband

Joan’s warmth, humor, and unwavering commitment to her growth will leave you asking, “What do I really want?” and “Am I clear enough to receive it?”

🔔 Watch now and get ready to reframe your own possibilities.

👉 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more conversations that unlock the life you were meant to live.

Bio

The oldest daughter of 7 children in a family of Dutch immigrant parents, Joan grew up on a dairy farm. Though they didn’t have much financially, they always had fresh food, warm clothing, and a roof over our heads. Until she was older, she did not know how fortunate or wealthy she really was.

Still close to her family, she talks with two of her siblings regularly.

She truly had many interesting experiences in life. Including having to basically start over financially a few times and with her husband. They built a few businesses, including her own sales and marketing business that she still runs from home after 29 years.

She and her two sons own and operate a ferment on premise winery, as well. They even own some real estate and have done very well in financially over the years.

She likes to tell everyone “I have a grade 12 education and a triple PHD in life.” Her greatest success is her family, especially after being told she couldn't have children.

She is mother of two sons who are part of a blended family of four. They all get along and enjoy getting together to do fun things, including travel.

Want to learn more about exploring what it means to live a fulfilling life?
Subscribe to the YouTube channel here.

🔍 In this episode, Erin shares her powerful journey of self-discovery and personal growth, revealing that tenacity—not quick fixes—became the true secret to her success.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

The Search for Quick Fixes: Erin reveals her decades-long quest to find the "one thing" that would fix her problems, only to discover that growth comes from consistent effort, not magic solutions.

From Defining Problems to Creating Solutions: After becoming an expert at identifying her issues, Erin shares how she finally learned to focus on creating the life she wanted instead of dwelling on what was broken.

The Bankruptcy Lesson: Hear about Erin's journey from quitting her corporate job for her "destiny," losing her house, and what she learned from hitting rock bottom.

The Podcast Journey: 15 years and many personal development programs later, Erin describes how launching this podcast finally brought together all her seemingly disconnected experiences and skills.

Breaking Through Limiting Beliefs: Discover how Erin's Buddhist practice helped her recognize and overcome the deep-seated belief that she was "broken" and unworthy of success.

The Power of Perspective: Through powerful personal examples, Erin illustrates how seeing situations from multiple viewpoints—including her parents' divorce and life challenges—transformed her understanding.

The Tenacity Formula: "No matter how many times I fail. No matter how embarrassed I feel. No matter whether or not any of you give 2 shits about what I have to say. I keep fucking going."

You can find my book - Hate Your Way to Happiness on Amazon here.
https://a.co/d/bZ3bTdZ


If you enjoyed this episode, please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE with someone who needs to hear this message today!

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Episode Overview
In this transformative conversation with Effie Cao, we explore her journey from being a high-achieving digital nomad to finding authentic peace through surrender. Effie shares how a debilitating bout with COVID forced her to confront her identity and discover the power of Buddhist practices in her darkest moments.

Key Highlights
- How a severe COVID experience became the catalyst for Effie's spiritual awakening
- The challenge of losing your identity when you can no longer "perform"
- Trading one form of performance for another in the digital nomad lifestyle
- Finding true freedom beyond the "hustle culture" mentality
- The power of Buddhist practice in facing life's challenges
- Learning to embrace the shadow self through surrender

Effie's Journey
- From corporate New York life to global digital nomad adventures
- Realizing she was still "performing" even in her new free lifestyle
- The three-month health crisis that changed everything
- How she found herself through Buddhist meditation when nothing else worked
- Moving from superficial practice to deep spiritual commitment

Practical Wisdom on Compassion
- Compassion as action rooted in bringing out the best in ourselves and others
- How to show kindness to yourself during your darkest moments
- Creating safe spaces for growth and exploration
- The balance of wisdom and kindness in true compassion
- Why coddling isn't compassion - empowering others instead

Finding Your Way
- Recognizing when you're replacing one set of limiting behaviors with another
- The courage to face your struggles with humor and self-compassion
- Understanding that spiritual growth is never "finished"
- The liberation that comes with taking responsibility for your life
- Remembering that "life is a game that is challenging - and that's exactly the point"

Effie Cao's Bio
Effie is a Chinese Mahayana Buddhist practitioner and life coach who integrates spiritual wisdom, compassion, and personal transformation into every aspect of her work. She currently lives near the Temple of the Universe, founded by Michael Singer, author of The Surrender Experiment, where she continues her spiritual practice among a community of seekers.

Before becoming a coach, Effie worked in New York in management consulting, learning & development, and corporate training within the education and tech sectors for over a decade.

After leaving the conventional corporate world, she spent about two years living and traveling around the world, deepening her focus on self-development and conscious living.

Want to learn more about exploring what it means to live a fulfilling life?
Subscribe to the YouTube channel here.

🌟 Is This Your Life… Or Someone Else’s Script? 🌟

Have you ever looked around and wondered, "Whose life am I living?"
In this soul-stirring episode, motivational speaker and coach Burcu Onaranel shares her powerful journey from checking all the “right” boxes—degree, corporate job, marriage plans—to realizing she was living a life designed by someone else.

Burcu takes us behind the scenes of her bold decision to break free from cultural expectations, walk away from the traditional path, and follow the whispers of her soul—first to a new purpose, and eventually, to a new country.

In this episode, we explore:
✨ How society quietly scripts your life—and how to wake up from the trance
✨ Why feeling lost is actually a powerful turning point
✨ Listening for the whispers of your true calling
✨ What to do when your dreams don’t fit the mold (or your friend group)
✨ How to start reconnecting with your authentic story

This is for the black sheep, the dreamers, the seekers, and anyone who’s ever felt like there’s more to life than what they’ve been told.

🌀 "Dreaming is free." Start by giving yourself permission.

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BIO and Contact information

Burcu Onaranel Erten is an International Motivational Speaker, Founder of JOYY! LLC, and a Branding & Marketing Consultant who helps entrepreneurs build authentic brands. With 9+ years in marketing, 7 years in speaking, and over a decade in coaching, she has guided 100+ individuals across 23 countries.

As an NLP Master Practitioner and Certified Life Coach, she blends coaching, branding, and mindset strategies to help people create a business and life that aligns with their true selves. She also hosts The Coffee o’clock Podcast, featuring global guests sharing insights on personal and professional growth.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joyyburcu/
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/tr/podcast/coffee-oclock-podcast/id1545878160
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joyyburcu/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp_7tlE3KdlqII3Ad-8ghcA

Want to learn more about exploring what it means to live a fulfilling life?
Subscribe to the YouTube channel here.