Life Updates: Travel Whiplash, Settling Down (Or Nah?), and Why Committing is So Effing Hard

This is essentially one long voice note I'm sending you, sharing everything I've been going through these last few months, including:The whiplash of logistical planning every few weeksWhy settling down feels like a "downgrade"How the fear of committing to a location mirrors my fear of intimacy in relationshipsTBD on motherhood and realizing I should at least have options (aka egg freezing is now on the table)Why I want to learn Spanish and how a Netflix show fueled this desireThe tarot card readings that doubled as 5 years of therapyMore ramblings on travel, commitment, energy, friendship and more!Can you relate to any of the above?! Please say yes so I don't lose my mind. 🙃Drop me a line on Instagram @chelseariffe or email me [email protected] with your thoughts! Connect with Chelsea: 💻 Website 🪐 Pitch Perfect - next round Spring 2026, get on the waitlist! 🎤 1:1 Podcast Coaching 🎙 Launch your podcast with the ultimate podcast launch course - Mic Drop! 📲 Instagram 📲 ✈️ Slight Turbulence Substack 👀 Ready to launch your very own podcast? Grab my FREE cheat sheet right HERE. ☎️ Want to send a voice note to the podcast and have Chelsea answer you on air? Do so ⁠HERE⁠. 🫶 Don't forget to rate, review, and share in the group text. This podcast is free and ratings/reviews and shares are our currency. 🙌🏼 Want to contribute to IMNEO to show your appreciation (and keep us going?) Click HERE

In this episode, I dive deep into the cultural firestorm surrounding Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny — two modern day titans who've become lightning rods for conversations about identity, belonging, and makes me wonder all the things we project onto celebrities. I'll be honest: I outlined this episode about 40 different times because I kept realizing this isn't really about music quality or whether you're a "Swiftie" — it's about how these artists have become permission slips for different parts of our identity.As someone who's both a white woman and Puerto Rican, watching the discourse around Taylor's "Life of a Showgirl" album and Bad Bunny headlining the Super Bowl has activated something in me about representation, cultural space, and the uncomfortable idea around paradoxes and simultaneous truths.I'm not here with final answers (honestly, I'm suspicious of anyone who claims to have them), but I am here to explore why we become such fierce defenders of celebrities we've never met (including my own story of kneeling at the altar of wellness influencers for YEARS), what our reactions reveal about our own identities, and how multiple truths can exist simultaneously. This one's messy, it's vulnerable, and I'm genuinely inviting dialogue, so come find me in the DMs because I want to hear what this brings up for you!Connect with Chelsea: 💻 Website 🪐 Pitch Perfect - next round Spring 2026, get on the waitlist! 🎤 1:1 Podcast Coaching 🎙 Launch your podcast with the ultimate podcast launch course - Mic Drop! 📲 Instagram 📲 ✈️ Slight Turbulence Substack 👀 Ready to launch your very own podcast? Grab my FREE cheat sheet right HERE. ☎️ Want to send a voice note to the podcast and have Chelsea answer you on air? Do so ⁠HERE⁠. 🫶 Don't forget to rate, review, and share in the group text. This podcast is free and ratings/reviews and shares are our currency. 🙌🏼 Want to contribute to IMNEO to show your appreciation (and keep us going?) Click HERE

PLOT TWIST EPISODE: You're listening to a full episode from Chelsea's limited series podcast: The Art of the Ask. Get ready to learn HOW TO ASK FOR MONEY!I'm breaking down why money is such an anxiety-inducing topic, and the different ways to ask for money, including asking for a raise, a family investment into your biz, a refund from an airline and more!PLUS, I spill the tea on the time I was in Australia and BROKE AF. I'm talking "living off a tax refund with maxed out credit cards and nannying for accommodation" broke. This experience taught me how feeling shame wasn't a luxury I could afford.What You'll Learn:Ancient anxiety: How THOUSANDS of years of money evolution hardwired financial insecurity into your DNAWhy It's So WEIRD to talk about money: The psychological mess of tying your net worth to your self-worth, plus cultural taboos that make salary talk feel like a federal crimeThe trust factor: Every financial transaction is a tiny negotiation of power, status, and "will this person screw me over?" - asking for money is about trustHow to ACTUALLY ask: stop with the "just wondering if maybe possibly..." passive word salad and start using active language like you mean itThe Harvard hack: One word that increases compliance by 60% My Rock Bottom Era: That time I was so broke in Australia I DM'd literally everyone I'd ever met to sell $15 yoga classes (and it worked)!If you liked this episode, you'll LOVE these:⁠⁠The Witch Wound - Taking Down the Patriarchy Through Putting Yourself Out There⁠⁠⁠⁠Shoot Your Shot - Or Miss Out On Life's Biggest Opportunities⁠⁠⁠⁠Rejection Won't Kill You - What It Means & How to Deal With It⁠⁠P.S. ⁠⁠Pitch Perfect⁠⁠ is down to the final 2 spots! We start October 13th 👀Connect with Chelsea: 💻 Website 🪐 Pitch Perfect - next round Spring 2026, get on the waitlist! 🎤 1:1 Podcast Coaching 🎙 Launch your podcast with the ultimate podcast launch course - Mic Drop! 📲 Instagram 📲 ✈️ Slight Turbulence Substack 👀 Ready to launch your very own podcast? Grab my FREE cheat sheet right HERE. ☎️ Want to send a voice note to the podcast and have Chelsea answer you on air? Do so ⁠HERE⁠. 🫶 Don't forget to rate, review, and share in the group text. This podcast is free and ratings/reviews and shares are our currency. 🙌🏼 Want to contribute to IMNEO to show your appreciation (and keep us going?) Click HERE

Ever notice how we obsess over hitting these insane follower milestones, thinking that's when we'll finally feel legit? Chelsea's fed up with this narrative and breaks down why you don't need massive numbers to create something extraordinary. Just like you wouldn't throw a dinner party for 100 people and expect intimate conversations, your business thrives when you focus on nurturing smaller, engaged communities first. She shares why learning to hold space for 10 people beats chasing 100 every single time.Some rules of treating your biz like a dinner party:curate the vibe - playlists, mood, themeset clear expectations with your "invite" (aka your branding and messaging)actually be present for your guests instead of already planning the next occasionChelsea shares how this exact approach made her latest Pitch Perfect launch feel effortless and fun, plus why treating your audience like dinner party guests (complete with themed vibes and personalized attention) beats the whole "pray I go viral and sell out my program" marketing approach. Time to grab some glitter and wax seals for your invites and start planning your own digital dinner party! Connect with Chelsea: 💻 Website 🪐 Pitch Perfect - next round Spring 2026, get on the waitlist! 🎤 1:1 Podcast Coaching 🎙 Launch your podcast with the ultimate podcast launch course - Mic Drop! 📲 Instagram 📲 ✈️ Slight Turbulence Substack 👀 Ready to launch your very own podcast? Grab my FREE cheat sheet right HERE. ☎️ Want to send a voice note to the podcast and have Chelsea answer you on air? Do so ⁠HERE⁠. 🫶 Don't forget to rate, review, and share in the group text. This podcast is free and ratings/reviews and shares are our currency. 🙌🏼 Want to contribute to IMNEO to show your appreciation (and keep us going?) Click HERE

Your favorite creator is BACK - PJ aka Poster Journal returns to spill the tea on why they nuked their entire YouTube channel (listen to Part 1 from last year for the lore), how they went from snark machine to reformed human who actually cares about kindness, and what it's like being creatively pregnant. We dive deep into sustainable creativity, the exhaustion of being perpetually anti-everything, and why your bare minimum might be your secret weapon. Plus: we find PJ's birth chart (he's a Projector!), discuss why I want to hire him as my life coach, and he presents the radical idea that being unserious is actually the highest form of spirituality.Some snippets from the convo:"I don't want to be anybody's guru... I'm nobody's teacher.""The trick is to take being unserious very seriously.""I make what I wish existed and I share it with the world. Simplicity is my strength.""Your bare minimum is a lot better than you probably think.""You're a tree, and you're going to keep changing and getting stronger. But you just need to put out fruit."Listen to Part 1 from Summer 2024 HERE.Connect with (and buy everything from) Poster Journal below:InstagramWebsiteConnect with Chelsea: 💻 Website 🪐 Pitch Perfect - next round Spring 2026, get on the waitlist! 🎤 1:1 Podcast Coaching 🎙 Launch your podcast with the ultimate podcast launch course - Mic Drop! 📲 Instagram 📲 ✈️ Slight Turbulence Substack 👀 Ready to launch your very own podcast? Grab my FREE cheat sheet right HERE. ☎️ Want to send a voice note to the podcast and have Chelsea answer you on air? Do so ⁠HERE⁠. 🫶 Don't forget to rate, review, and share in the group text. This podcast is free and ratings/reviews and shares are our currency. 🙌🏼 Want to contribute to IMNEO to show your appreciation (and keep us going?) Click HERE

Ever notice how your most profound realizations happen when you're completely out of your element? In this episode, Chelsea sits down with Edila Smith (in-person in Lisbon!) to explore why disrupting your environment might be the fastest way to disrupt unconscious patterns that are running your life. From the reality of working while traveling to building a business that feels like home, this conversation reveals why most of us are sleepwalking through carefully constructed routines without questioning if they actually serve us.Episode themes:Why "perfect" morning routines can become creativity killers and how to build adaptive systems insteadThe reality check on laptop lifestyle myths (spoiler: working by the pool actually sucks!!!)How environment disruption strips away familiar identities and forces growthWhy dropping your "professional mask" makes people want to invest in youMicro-disruptions you can try without booking a flightWhy it might be time to throw the journal outUse life as your mood boardThe case for having way more fun in business and life (and both Chelsea and Edila share their unhinged wishes for having more fun)This episode is for those who feel stuck in routines that no longer serve them, entrepreneurs tired of performing "professionalism," and anyone curious about using environment disruption as a tool for conscious living.Connect with Edila:InstagramHOMECOMING | 1:1 mentorship for the ones building businesses that move with themTHE LINK UP (PORTUGAL 2026) | Where internet friends become IRL soulmates FLIGHT PLAN | The official landing pad for remote life dreamersConnect with Chelsea: 💻 Website 🪐 Pitch Perfect - next round Spring 2026, get on the waitlist! 🎤 1:1 Podcast Coaching 🎙 Launch your podcast with the ultimate podcast launch course - Mic Drop! 📲 Instagram 📲 ✈️ Slight Turbulence Substack 👀 Ready to launch your very own podcast? Grab my FREE cheat sheet right HERE. ☎️ Want to send a voice note to the podcast and have Chelsea answer you on air? Do so ⁠HERE⁠. 🫶 Don't forget to rate, review, and share in the group text. This podcast is free and ratings/reviews and shares are our currency. 🙌🏼 Want to contribute to IMNEO to show your appreciation (and keep us going?) Click HERE

If you've ever bulldozed through your day on black coffee and determination, ignoring every signal your body sends until you're bent over crippling in a parking garage (literally, in Shantani's case) — this episode is your wake-up call. Chelsea chats with Body Intelligence Coach Shantani Moore about where we learned to ignore our body, why "fine" is the enemy of extraordinary, and how capitalism trained us to ask permission to pee (WTF).Episode themes:Body intelligence vs. wellness overwhelm — Moving from tracking every metric to asking "what does my body actually need?"The utility principle — Training your body for life, not likes (and how Earth is your gym!!)Environment as everything — Why your nervous system picks up 11 million bits of information per second and why black-box gyms feel like a sad mess of Armani Exchange and broken dreamsSleep as non-negotiable — The two-hour cortisol spike rule that changes everythingDecolonizing wellness — How to interrupt capitalist programming one habit stack at a timeThe "so I can what?" framework — The question that separates aligned action from performative productivityFinal reminder: Your body wasn't made for other people to look at — it was made for you to live an extraordinary life. Shantani reminds us that listening to your body isn't luxury, it's leadership.Connect with Shantani:Homecoming 1:1 Mentorship — her business accelerator for ambitious visionariesBook a Spinal Energetics sessionTake her "What wild animal is your subconscious?" quiz to discover your instinctual patternsShantani's WebsiteShantani's InstagramConnect with Chelsea: 💻 Website 🪐 Pitch Perfect - next round Spring 2026, get on the waitlist! 🎤 1:1 Podcast Coaching 🎙 Launch your podcast with the ultimate podcast launch course - Mic Drop! 📲 Instagram 📲 ✈️ Slight Turbulence Substack 👀 Ready to launch your very own podcast? Grab my FREE cheat sheet right HERE. ☎️ Want to send a voice note to the podcast and have Chelsea answer you on air? Do so ⁠HERE⁠. 🫶 Don't forget to rate, review, and share in the group text. This podcast is free and ratings/reviews and shares are our currency. 🙌🏼 Want to contribute to IMNEO to show your appreciation (and keep us going?) Click HERE

The next stop on the sabbatical train: PUERTO RICOOOO!Chelsea takes us along for the ride through the island: family reunions the size of small weddingsthe beauty and chaos of island timethe night that led to one violent hangover (!!)releasing the grip on making plans for the famthe surprising ways reconnecting with her Latina roots shifted how she wants to show up in life and business (yes, that means big gold hoops are coming back)feeling the Puerto Rican Pride between the Bad Bunny concert kickoff and watching a Latino couple win Love Island while in PROther snippets:Why the sabbatical is likely extending for one more monthIsland time lessons and releasing controlSobriety slip-ups, and why self-awareness matters more than perfectionCultural permission to be “too much” Balancing group travel chaos with non-negotiable hermit timeSome fun Puerto Rican traditions you may have never heard of before!Chelsea left Puerto Rico with a tan, and a mission to reconnect with her Latina side: hello arroz con habichuelas, gold hoops, and extremely animated, expressive, affectionate ways to connect!PITCH PERFECT FALL ROUND IS OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT (with a generous 5-part payment plan until August 31!!!) Grab your seat here!Connect with Chelsea: 💻 Website 🪐 Pitch Perfect - next round Spring 2026, get on the waitlist! 🎤 1:1 Podcast Coaching 🎙 Launch your podcast with the ultimate podcast launch course - Mic Drop! 📲 Instagram 📲 ✈️ Slight Turbulence Substack 👀 Ready to launch your very own podcast? Grab my FREE cheat sheet right HERE. ☎️ Want to send a voice note to the podcast and have Chelsea answer you on air? Do so ⁠HERE⁠. 🫶 Don't forget to rate, review, and share in the group text. This podcast is free and ratings/reviews and shares are our currency. 🙌🏼 Want to contribute to IMNEO to show your appreciation (and keep us going?) Click HERE

279: Chelsea dishes on her sabbatical starting with Chicago: the extreme sticker shock, the regrets, and the revelations that came with finally not working.Here's what you didn't see on Instagram:A Hallmark movie moment on the airplane that didn't pan outNonstop commentary on Chicago pricesWhy was it so EERILY QUIET?!!?The exhaustion of starting calls at 9 am and going back to back all dayWhat's the point of big cities?Regrets of not leaving the house moreThe $52 BBQ platter haunting Chelsea to this dayOther tidbits:Breaking down the financials: how TF do you actually budget, save, and prep for two months away? Especially in cities that have about a 5X cost of living than you're used toThe emotional rollercoaster: battling productivity guilt and the urge to “earn” your time off.Logistics 101: finding the sweet spot between structured plans and deliciously unscripted days The good news is the to-do list will survive without you. The bigger question? Who are you with no to-do list? 👀P.S. PITCH PERFECT FALL ROUND IS OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT (with a generous 5-part payment plan!!!) Grab your seat here!Connect with Chelsea: 💻 Website 🪐 Pitch Perfect - next round Spring 2026, get on the waitlist! 🎤 1:1 Podcast Coaching 🎙 Launch your podcast with the ultimate podcast launch course - Mic Drop! 📲 Instagram 📲 ✈️ Slight Turbulence Substack 👀 Ready to launch your very own podcast? Grab my FREE cheat sheet right HERE. ☎️ Want to send a voice note to the podcast and have Chelsea answer you on air? Do so ⁠HERE⁠. 🫶 Don't forget to rate, review, and share in the group text. This podcast is free and ratings/reviews and shares are our currency. 🙌🏼 Want to contribute to IMNEO to show your appreciation (and keep us going?) Click HERE

278: "I am only interested in becoming known for what is true because one day you're going to fucking slip. And I think that is the scariest thing is to paint an entire picture around the most acceptable version of yourself and then fall from that because it's a lie." - Xanthe AppleyardIf you've ever thought you needed 100K followers to "matter" or felt guilty for working weekends while preaching about your “soft girl era”—this episode will rewire your entire approach to online business. Xanthe Appleyard gets incredibly honest about building a successful business on her own terms, from both a financial and energetic lens, ditching the "serious entrepreneur" mask (and why you can still be a silly goose while helping your people), and why leisure and pleasure are just as important as profit and revenue. She may have also single-handedly changed Chelsea’s notoriously anti-social media POV!Episode ThemesWhy impulsivity isn't self-sabotage when you're moving toward what you actually wantMonotasking your way to sanity: how compartmentalizing tasks prevents burnoutThe follower count lie: why 1K engaged people beats 100K passive scrollers every damn timeSocial media as a tool vs. social media as your worth—and how to tell the differenceThe cognitive dissonance of building businesses on platforms we're morally conflicted aboutWhy hiding your "unprofessional" side perpetuates everyone else's shameThis episode isn't about clocking 60 hour work weeks to see results or becoming more palatable—it's about getting so clear on your values that every business decision becomes glaringly obvious. Whether you're sending emails at 5AM or taking two-month sabbaticals, remember: there's no prize for following someone else's blueprint. Your business should energize you, not drain you. PERIOD.Connect with Xanthe Appleyard:Join Xanthe’s content creation membership Social Life (at a special price!) until Friday, July 11th!Xanthe’s Website Xanthe’s IG Xanthe’s SubstackLove You to The Core Podcast Wanting in Public PodcastConnect with Chelsea: 💻 Website 🪐 Pitch Perfect - next round Spring 2026, get on the waitlist! 🎤 1:1 Podcast Coaching 🎙 Launch your podcast with the ultimate podcast launch course - Mic Drop! 📲 Instagram 📲 ✈️ Slight Turbulence Substack 👀 Ready to launch your very own podcast? Grab my FREE cheat sheet right HERE. ☎️ Want to send a voice note to the podcast and have Chelsea answer you on air? Do so ⁠HERE⁠. 🫶 Don't forget to rate, review, and share in the group text. This podcast is free and ratings/reviews and shares are our currency. 🙌🏼 Want to contribute to IMNEO to show your appreciation (and keep us going?) Click HERE