EP 025: Why Willpower Isn't the Problem: The Truth About the Knowing–Doing Gap with Ali Shapiro

What if your inability to change isn't a failure of willpower, but your heart's way of protecting you from something you're not ready to face? Ali Shapiro, creator of Truce with Food, shares how her journey from overworking addiction to radical life redesign began with a simple question: "Why does this make sense?" In this raw conversation, Ali reveals how addressing her relationship with food became the gateway to confronting deeper questions about worth, identity, and what success actually means—and why healing often requires becoming a beginner all over again. From her journey through cancer, infertility, and postpartum menopause to finally redefining wealth as "freedom over my time," Ali demonstrates how the courage to slow down and listen to your body's wisdom can unlock transformations you never imagined possible. Essential listening for anyone measuring busyness instead of impact, struggling to make changes they know they need, or ready to understand why their body might be wiser than their ambition. Links + Resources Full show notes Shop: 30% off Rise + Shine: Guided Path to Heart-Led Living and Leadership

This episode is a masterclass in resilience, the courage to question narratives (even about yourself), and what it means to keep moving when everything falls apart. Amber Joliat built a thriving wellness empire in Toronto—teaching movement, yoga, and Pilates to thousands, creating community in multiple studios across the city. Then, in June 2020, it all burned down in 72 hours. She had been 'cancelled'. In this raw and revelatory conversation, Amber shares what happened when she became the target of a coordinated cancel campaign during the height of pandemic-era social justice movements. From public accusations to media takedowns, she lost her business, her community, and nearly her sense of self. But the story doesn't end there. This episode traces Amber's journey from childhood grief and the healing power of movement, through entrepreneurial success and devastating loss, to a diagnosis that forced yet another reckoning. Essential listening for anyone who has endured a pivot that was not of their choosing and continues to seek out their inner courage to navigate the challenges as they come. Links + Resources Full show notes Shop: 30% off Rise + Shine: Guided Path to Heart-Led Living and Leadership  

What if the thing you're known for—the very success that defines you—is actually holding you back? Tiago Forte built an empire teaching millions how to organize their digital minds. Wall Street Journal bestseller. Sold-out courses. Eight-figure business. Then he walked away from 95% of his revenue. In this conversation, Tiago shares why he reinvents himself every single year like clockwork, how meditation and fasting unlock his next chapter, and what it means to watch AI devour your entire industry and choose to ride the wave instead of drown. For anyone who's achieved everything they thought they wanted and still hears that whisper saying "this isn't it"—Tiago maps the territory between success and fulfillment, between logic and intuition, between who you were and who you're becoming. Essential listening for anyone whose body knows something their brain hasn't admitted yet. Links + Resources Full show notes Shop: 30% off Rise + Shine: Guided Path to Heart-Led Living and Leadership

What if the discomfort you're feeling isn't a midlife crisis, but a chrysalis—an invitation to become who you were always meant to be? In this episode, airing just after her 46th birthday, Meghan Telpner explores how midlife isn't about decline, but about designing your next chapter from the heart rather than from obligation or fear. Learn why your body's whispers are getting louder, how to distinguish between what's truly yours and what you've been performing, and why the chrysalis stage requires dissolving old versions of yourself to make room for what wants to emerge. If you're ready to stop living from the outside in and start designing from your deepest knowing, this episode offers both permission and a path forward. Essential listening for anyone in their 40s and 50s who's ready to pivot from who they think they should be to who they actually are. Links + Resources Full show notes Shop: 30% off Rise + Shine: Guided Path to Heart-Led Living and Leadership

Textile artist Jen Arron shares her transformative journey from established Toronto photographer to full-time artist, revealing the messy, beautiful process of reinventing your creative identity. In this honest and vulnerable conversation, Jen shares the difference between being good at something and being truly creative, the terror and liberation of change, and the life shift that crystallized her need for work that felt essential. This episode offers practical wisdom about protecting your creative whispers, redefining success metrics, and the courage required to claim "artist" as your identity when everyone knows you as something else. Essential listening for anyone feeling the tension between commercial success and the whispers to follow creative authenticity. Links + Resources Full show notes  

What happens when standing for your principles means losing everything you've built? Dr. Julie Ponesse, an ethics professor for 20 years, faced exactly that choice when her university policies fell out of alignment with her personal ethics. With a newborn baby and no backup plan, she refused—not because the decision was easy, but because staying silent would have meant abandoning who she was. In this profound conversation, Julie unpacks the difference between having "no choice" due to fear versus having no choice if you want to remain in integrity with yourself. She speaks candidly about moral injury, the loss of trust, and the recovery time she now needs. But she also shares the unexpected gifts that came from having clarity about her core values, and a surprising new path helping others achieve financial freedom. This is a story about being faithful to yourself even when the cost is everything. Essential listening for anyone who's ever wondered if they have the courage to choose their principles over their security. Full show notes Money Mastery - A wildly practical approach to financial literacy, empowered money mindset, and wealth building for a life of joy and freedom (use code PIVOT30 at checkout to save 30% on the course). 

What if the biggest barrier to your courageous pivot isn't fear of failure, but fear of being truly seen? In this deeply revealing episode, Meghan explores how the masks we wear to feel safe and accepted actually keep us trapped in lives that don't fit anymore. Drawing on wisdom from spiritual teachers like Michael Beckwith and research from the HeartMath Institute, she reveals why hiding our authentic selves isn't just emotionally costly—it's literally making us less intelligent, less creative, and less capable of creating the lives we want. Essential listening for anyone ready to stop managing perceptions and start living authentically. Links + Resources Full show notes

What happens when you outgrow the life you worked so hard to build? In this episode, Meghan explores the unexpected grief that comes with positive change—the mourning that happens when you release a successful career, comfortable identity, or accomplished version of yourself that no longer fits who you're becoming. This isn't about traditional loss. It's about the complex emotions of saying goodbye to dreams you've achieved, identities that served you well, and the version of yourself that others could easily understand and categorize. If you've ever felt guilty for being sad about letting go of something you chose to release, or you're navigating the tender space between who you were and who you're becoming, this episode offers validation and wisdom for honoring both your growth and your grief. Essential listening for anyone in transition who needs permission to mourn their former selves with grace. Links + Resources Full show notes

This is essential listening for creative professionals and entrepreneurs who have found external success but are discovering that showing up authentically in their work feels more terrifying than any career risk they've ever taken. What if your most successful career moves were actually the easy part, and showing up as your authentic self was the real challenge? In this deeply vulnerable conversation, actress, producer, and director Sarah Carter reveals why launching her new website - simply being honest about who she is and what she does - has left her more terrified than any of her Hollywood pivots. Despite leaving university after booking her first six auditions, starring in hit series like "Falling Skies," and successfully transitioning from actor to award-winning filmmaker, Sarah describes experiencing a "vulnerability hangover" from finally showing up authentically. Links + Resources Full show notes

Essential listening for anyone who's letting money fears keep them stuck in a life that's slowly draining their soul. What if the biggest financial risk isn't making a change—but staying where you are? In this honest exploration of money and pivoting, Meghan dismantles the stories that keep us trapped and reveals the hidden costs of misalignment that nobody wants to calculate. From the "misalignment tax" we pay when living out of integrity to practical frameworks for financially sustainable transitions, this episode offers both the reality check and the roadmap you need. Discover why your energy and aliveness are your greatest assets, learn to distinguish between fear-based and trust-based money decisions, and find out how living in alignment often simplifies your relationship with money entirely. Whether you're contemplating a career change, relationship shift, or geographic move, this episode provides the tools to make your pivot financially intelligent—not just emotionally necessary. Links + Resources Full show notes Money Mastery - A wildly practical approach to financial literacy, empowered money mindset, and wealth building for a life of joy and freedom (use code PIVOT30 at checkout to save 30% on the course).