Unfiltered With Kara Vaval

Kara welcomes transformational coach and hypnotherapist Danita Sajous, introducing her global coaching background and focus on the subconscious mind. Danita shares her Haitian diaspora roots, career path, and how a childhood fear after her sister left home fueled a lifelong need to be “perfect” for her father’s approval until she asked him to release her.  She also recounts discovering her marriage was not “pure,” divorcing quickly, then spending years mistrusting her own judgment and protecting herself by leaving relationships first, until coaching helped her recognize and stop self-directed judgment. Kara connects these themes to unconscious “programs” around love, money, and identity, emphasizing learning from experiences and feeling emotions.  Danita explains her current work using NLP and hypnotherapy to rapidly address anxiety, depression, self-esteem, weight, fertility, and other issues, and shares how her friendship and partnership with Lisa Nichols developed.

What happens when a 13-year-old loses everything that made him feel powerful? For Sean Smith, a car accident ended his dominant baseball career and set him on a dark path of secretly bullying the one person who wouldn’t fight back: his own mother. In this episode, Kara sits down with her coach Sean, a transformational coach of 20 years turned actor, for a raw conversation about childhood wounds and the unexpected road to healing. Years after his mother’s death, Sean wrote and performed a one-man show playing both himself and her. Embodying his own victim cracked him open and unlocked a compassion he’d never let himself feel. Together they explore why everyone carries parental wounds. The question isn’t if, but what are yours, because if you don’t address them, your relationships will. They dig into why mindset work is the “attic” and embodied trauma is the “basement,” and why you have to clean both. Sean breaks down the “recipe” behind your patterns, written in childhood, and how honesty about the ingredients is the first step to rewriting your script, one line at a time. Plus: a redefinition of masculinity as grounded vulnerability, strength that doesn’t need to prove anything.

There are people you meet and then there are divine appointments. A year ago, I walked into a Miami restaurant for my friend’s 50th birthday dinner and sat down next to a woman I had never met. By the end of that evening, I knew she was the one who was going to help me finally get my book into the world. That woman is Sandra Rodriguez Bicknell, my book coach. In this episode of the Unfiltered with Kara podcast, Sandra and I talk about how we met, the journey of bringing From Clearance to Priceless into the world and and why this book took seven years to write. The truth is, the delay wasn’t because I didn’t know what I wanted to say. It was because I hadn’t fully lived it yet. I was still learning the lessons. Still shedding the identities, beliefs, and patterns that had kept me settling for less than I deserved. My life had to catch up to the message before I could authentically share it. Sandra didn’t just help me write a book. She helped me excavate the truth. She challenged me, supported me, held me accountable, and created the kind of space that allowed me to tell the story I was meant to tell. From Clearance to Priceless is for the woman who has spent too much of her life looking for validation outside of herself. The woman who has confused being needed with being loved. The woman who has accepted breadcrumbs because somewhere along the way she forgot her own value. The woman who is tired of shrinking, settling, and playing a supporting role in her own life. This conversation is about healing, identity, courage, and what happens when you finally decide to stop living from your wounds and start living from your worth. If you’ve ever felt the pull to become more of who you truly are, this episode is for you. Find Sandra at Soulful Books or sandrarodriguezbicknell.com. She is the real deal.

In this episode, Nerissa and I talk about tuning out societal noise, owning your voice, and choosing growth on purpose. We talk about breaking free from the pressure to be who the world expects and finally stepping into who you truly are. Nerissa Trindade, a neuro-transformational coach, international keynote speaker, and two-time bestselling author. Once terrified of public speaking, Nerissa now moves audiences around the world through powerful storytelling, inspiring insights, and dynamic delivery. As the founder of Speak for IMPACT and Say Yes to You, Nerissa has helped leaders and changemakers across 52 countries discover their you-nique superpower, unlock their full potential, and step into the next best version of themselves. With an approach that bridges generations and fuels both personal and professional growth, Nerissa truly believes in growing through life, not just going through it. https://www.instagram.com/nerissa.trindade https://www.facebook.com/nerissatrindade9 https://www.linkedin.com/in/nerissatrindade https://www.nerissatrindade.com

Chanae Wood is an attorney, a wife, a mother, a founder, a creator …. Yes, she is “all the things” and we love it!  In this episode, Chanae and I discuss the challenges and the blessings of being a multifaceted woman who juggles multiple roles in her life, normalizing showing up fully with all of who you are. Chanae’s journey is a testament to living against the grain and shattering the invisible boxes women are often placed in. Her story is a testimony to the liberation that comes when you reject those limits and step fully into who God created you to be. Find more information about the conference here: https://www.envisionmeconference.com/ Find Chanae at Chanaelavette.com or @chanaelavette on social media

In this episode, I sit down with attorney, influencer, founder and speaker Jessica Telhirian for a real conversation about personal branding, authenticity and what it actually means to show up as yourself in a profession that often forces people into boxes. Jessica’s presence in the legal space looks nothing like the outdated “lawyer mold” and that’s exactly why her voice is so powerful. We talk about building influence without watering yourself down, choosing authenticity over approval and why the most magnetic brand you’ll ever build is the one rooted in who you truly are, not who the profession says you’re supposed to be. If you’ve ever felt pressure to shrink, sanitize, or shape-shift to belong, this conversation is your permission slip to stop. IG/TIK TOK/Twitter -jessica_esquire IG Business: attorneyjessica and @lawyerbaes www.thetlgfirm.com www.tlgaccidentattorneys.com

In this episode, I sit down with executive coach, speaker and leadership strategist Jessica Rivera, to talk about what it really means to communicate and lead with clarity, courage, and authenticity. Jessica shares her journey from corporate banking, often as the only woman and only woman of color in the room, to becoming the leader she never had. We unpack the inner work behind self-leadership, how to stop shrinking or overthinking what others think of you, and why using your voice boldly is non-negotiable for your next level. Jessica also breaks down how she went from being terrified of public speaking to coaching top leaders and speaking on major stages. If you’re ready to lead with more power and show up as the truest version of yourself, this conversation is exactly what you need. @jessicarivera.co www.jessicarivera.co

In this episode of The Unfiltered with Kara podcast, I sit with my photographer and videographer, Jordan Alieair for a deep, soul-stirring conversation around the many layers of the human experience and how to navigate the highs and the lows of life. We talk about how to sit with loss and grief and how to allow life’s events to shape us into who we’re ultimately meant to become. This conversation is a powerful reminder that even in your darkest seasons, there is an opportunity for growth, power and purpose to emerge. It will leave you reflecting on your own path and how every chapter, no matter how painful, has been preparing you for the beauty that lies ahead.

On this episode of Unfiltered with Kara, I sit down with the incredible Melissa Crook to dive into her powerful F.E.E.L. Framework (Finding Empowerment, Embracing Layers)—a transformative approach to navigating life’s challenges with authenticity, emotional awareness, and resilience. Melissa shares how this simple yet profound method can help you connect more deeply with yourself, process emotions in a healthy way, and create a life that feels aligned and empowered. Whether you’re in the middle of a transition, healing from the past, or simply ready to live more intentionally, this conversation will inspire you to truly feel your way to freedom. Find out more info at: www.embracinglayers.com

In this heartfelt episode, I sit down with one of my closest friends to unpack the lies we once believed about ourselves—lies that made us question our worth and settle for less than we deserved. We dive into how those beliefs took root, how they showed up in our relationships and decisions, and the powerful shifts that happened once we began to unlearn them. This is a raw and empowering conversation about remembering who you are beneath the conditioning. If you’ve ever doubted your value or felt stuck in patterns that dim your light, this episode is for you.