Episodes

What if the next chapter of your career was already taking shape, but you weren't quite ready to trust it? Eleanor Antonacci had a corporate career in marketing and a growing travel business she started as a passion project. She loved what she was building, but the security of a steady paycheck was hard to walk away from. In fact, she was considering scaling the business back when an unexpected layoff changed everything. In this episode of The Leap Lounge, Joan Russell sits down with Eleanor, ...

Money is one of the biggest reasons we tell ourselves we can’t make a change yet. Maybe you want to leave your job, start something of your own, retire, move somewhere new, or simply build a life that feels more like yours. But then the practical questions show up: Can I actually afford it? What happens to my income? What about healthcare? How much is enough? In this solo episode of The Leap Lounge, Joan Russell takes a closer look at the role money plays when we’re standing at the edge of a ch...

What happens when the freedom you’ve been looking for comes with more uncertainty than you expected? When an unexpected rent increase pushed Lauren Dionysius to reconsider what came next, Bali entered the picture. What followed became about much more than changing locations. Lauren joins Joan to talk about freedom, independence, intuition, belonging, and what it means to keep moving when you can’t see the whole path ahead. In This Episode: The unexpected decision that led Lauren to Bali What...

What if the parts of your career that seem disconnected are actually preparing you for what comes next? Heather Terry joins Joan for a conversation about adaptability, expertise, AI, and what it means to follow a career path that makes more sense looking backward than it did while you were living it. Heather’s path has taken her through teaching Shakespeare, writing, marketing, small business, and eventually into building an AI company. Rather than leaving those earlier chapters behind, she be...

Sometimes changing your life isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about finally making enough space to recognize who you already are. After years of working at an intense pace, Philecia McCain found herself returning to a dream she had carried since childhood: living in Europe. Eventually, that dream led her from the United States to Portugal—and into a completely different way of living. But moving countries didn’t magically solve everything. It gave Philecia the space to slow down, pay att...

What happens when being the person everyone relies on becomes the very thing that is wearing you down? Laura Brody joins Joan for a conversation about identity, art, boundaries, and what happens when the roles that once made you feel valuable no longer fit. Laura is a costume designer, curator, and founder of Opulent Mobility. For years, being the fixer the person who could manage, mediate, and keep things moving became deeply connected to how she understood herself. But eventually, she began ...

What happens when you’ve spent years becoming good at what you do—and suddenly find yourself becoming a beginner again? Kevin Gibson joins Joan for a conversation about service, identity, responsibility, and starting over without starting from nothing. Kevin’s path has taken him through military service, nursing, education, mentorship, and new forms of work. Beneath those roles is a more universal question: how do you move toward something new when other people depend on you and you don’t have...

Taking the leap is one thing. Living with what comes after it is another. After time away from the podcast, Joan Russell returns to The Leap Lounge with a deeply personal look at what happened after she stepped away from the path she thought she was supposed to follow. Because sometimes the hardest part isn’t deciding to change. It’s navigating what comes next: uncertainty, financial pressure, unexpected turns, and the uncomfortable question of whether you made the right choice at all. If you...

Accountability might sound boring, but it’s one of the mostpowerful hacks for achieving your goals. In this solo episode, host Joan Russell breaks down how accountability takes you from a 10% chance of success to a 95% chance, and the simple questions you can use to stay on track. From group dynamics to the importance of celebrating wins, this episode will inspire you to get clarity, commit, and finally follow through. 🎧 What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why accountability dramatically increas...

When you’re starting something new, whether it’s launching a business, making a career change, or stepping into life’s unknowns, there’s a lot of pressure to “have it all figured out” from the start. In reality? Most of us are learning as we go. In this solo episode, host Joan Russell shares the things we need to normalize in order to approach our leaps with more compassion, courage, and staying power. From embracing a beginner’s mindset to navigating the frustrating quiet of “The Void,” this c...

In this short solo episode, Joan shares a surprisinglymeaningful story that began with a simple Google Alert - one that unexpectedly reminded her (over and over again) of the reality of death. But instead of spiraling into existential dread, Joan turned it into fuel for how she chooses to live her life, and here’s how you can too. Drawing inspiration from the Latin phrase Memento Mori(“remember you must die”), Joan invites listeners to reflect on what they truly want their life to look like, no...

What does it take to create a fulfilling, aligned career in2025? In this episode of The Leap Lounge, host Joan Russell sits down with career coach and leadership development expert Kolby Goodman for a deep and empowering conversation about navigating today’s evolving job market—with clarity, confidence, and purpose. Kolby shares how professionals at any stage in their leap can rethink how they communicate their value, break out of limiting mindsets, and align their strengths with opportunities...

The Leap Lounge — Episode 5 Title: Leaving, Laid Off, Lost? Now What? In this solo episode, host Joan Russell dives into whatreally happens when change isn’t your idea -- or even when it is. Whether you walked away from a job, got laid off, ended a relationship, or packed up your life to start over, this episode explores the psychological difference between choosingthe leap and being forced into it. From identity loss and rejection to self-doubt and eventualself-trust, Joan breaks down what bo...

Have you or someone you know experienced burnout? In episode 4 of The Leap Lounge, host Joan Russell sits down with burnout recovery coach Bonnie Graham to explore the emotional rollercoaster of big life changes and how fear, self-doubt, and burnout are often intertwined. Whether you're making a career leap, leaving a long-heldidentity, or just feeling stuck, this episode will help you reconnect with your truth, challenge perfectionism, and take small courageous steps forward - starting with y...

In this solo episode, Joan explores one of the most common yet complicated thoughts people have: "Something has to change." Joan breaks down the four key areas where people most often feel stuck—health, relationships, work, and money—and invites listeners to get honest with themselves about what isn’t working and what they really want instead. With stories from her coaching practice and personal reflections, Joan explores how our conditioning, fear, and comparison traps often keep us from spe...

What happens when you finally stop holding the door shut on your dreams and let go? In this powerful episode, Joan interviews our first Leap Lounge member to take their leap! Rebecca Snowball, yoga teacher and vibrant body coach, recently left her restaurant job to leap into her business full time. She shares what it took to finally say "yes" to herself, how she rebuilt her confidence in midlife, and the surprising clarity that came after taking action. We talk about yoga, freedom, navigating...

In this raw and heartfelt first episode, Joan Russell - change coach, transformation strategist, and founder of The Leap Lounge - shares how a casual conversation is turning into a movement. She dives into the origins of The Leap Lounge, why it matters in our current climate, and how it's already changing lives. From a near-death experience to growing a new community from scratch, Joan takes you behind the scenes of what it really means to leap.