The Inner Spark: Kirsten Guest on Reclaiming Joy, Boundaries & the Whole Self
Release Date: 12/29/2025
The Policy Architect: Dr. Karla Estrada on Turning Lived Experience Into Systemic Transformation
Spark Sessions
In this episode of Spark Sessions with Sonya Locke, Sonya sits down with Dr. Karla Estrada, Ed.D., Deputy Superintendent of Instruction for the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest school district in the country. A proud LAUSD graduate and daughter of immigrants, Dr. Estrada shares how her early experiences with homelessness, alternative education, and systemic barriers shaped her path from struggling student to national education leader. Now overseeing instructional strategy for more than half a million students, she is working to transform compliance-driven systems into...
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The Protector’s Pivot: Sherri Foster on Courage, Culture, and the Fight to Keep Us Safe
Spark Sessions
In this episode of Spark Sessions with Sonya Locke, Sonya sits down with Sherri Foster, a lifelong protector whose four-decade career spans local law enforcement, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, international service as a DEA Special Agent, and now corporate leadership in hospitality safety. Sherri shares how personal trauma shaped her purpose, what it took to lead in male-dominated environments, and how courage, discipline, and empathy guided her through high-risk roles around the world. Now as Director of Safety and Security for Extended Stay America, she is helping the hospitality...
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The Inner Spark: Kirsten Guest on Reclaiming Joy, Boundaries & the Whole Self
Spark Sessions
In this episode of Spark Sessions with Sonya Locke, Sonya sits down with Dr. Kirsten Guest, a clinical holistic psychotherapist, resilience advocate, author, and founder of a boutique wellness practice devoted to helping high-achieving women reconnect with joy, boundaries, and their whole selves. After spending 23 years as a stay-at-home mother, Kirsten answered a quiet but undeniable call to begin her third act. She returned to graduate school, launched a private practice in New York City, and began blending traditional psychotherapy with integrative modalities including EMDR, mindfulness,...
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Power. Pleasure. Presence: Sarrah Rose on Reclaiming the Fire Within
Spark Sessions
In this episode of Spark Sessions with Sonya Locke, Sonya sits down with Sarrah Rose, a Tantra coach, intimacy expert, and founder and CEO of CEO on Fire, whose work is challenging women to reclaim power not through performance, but through presence. Raised in a deeply conservative environment that taught her to be quiet, contained, and compliant, Sarrah shares the path that led her from early marriage and spiritual suppression to embodiment, healing, and self-trust. Through yoga, Tantra, and formal training in India, she began to rebuild her relationship with her body and redefine what...
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Power in Every Step: Dr. Krista Archer on Walking Boldly
Spark Sessions
In this episode of Spark Sessions with Sonya Locke, Sonya sits down with Dr. Krista Archer, a board-certified podiatric surgeon, lifelong athlete, and founder of ARCH by Dr. Krista Archer, whose work is redefining what it means for women to move through the world with comfort, confidence, and power. From NCAA lacrosse captain to one of New York’s most sought-after foot and ankle surgeons, Dr. Archer has built a career at the intersection of precision medicine and aesthetic care. She shares how injury shaped her perspective, why foot health is far more than vanity, and how restoring mobility...
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The Fairy Godsister of Founders: Chevy Arnold on Championing Women, Building Ecosystems, and Rewriting Access
Spark Sessions
In this episode of Spark Sessions with Sonya Locke, Sonya sits down with Cheveryn “Chevy” Arnold, Managing Director of Private Equity and Entrepreneur Strategy at EY and a true champion for women founders. Known as the “Fairy Godsister” of entrepreneurship, Chevy has built a career creating access, opening doors, and ensuring women have the visibility, networks, and support they deserve. From investment banking to launching her own advisory firm to leading programs like Entrepreneur Of The Year and Winning Women, Chevy’s journey is rooted in purpose, grit, and a deep belief in the...
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The Power of Connection: Meg Williams on Breaking Barriers and Building Inclusive Growth
Spark Sessions
In this episode of Spark Sessions with Sonya Locke, Sonya sits down with Meg Williams, Executive Director of ACG Atlanta, one of the most dynamic chapters in a global network of middle-market leaders, to explore how connection, inclusion, and courage are reshaping finance. From church halls to boardrooms, Meg’s journey is one of reinvention and resilience. She shares how a background in ministry and hospitality became her superpower in the world of mergers and acquisitions, leading billion-dollar deal forums and building bridges in a field where women hold just 10% of senior private equity...
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Log Off to Lead: Emma Lembke on Gen Z’s Fight for a Safer Digital Future
Spark Sessions
In this episode of Spark Sessions with Sonya Locke, Sonya sits down with Emma Lembke in New York City, founder of LOG OFF, Director of GenZ Advocacy of the Sustainable Media Center, and co-founder of Design It For Us, to talk about Gen Z’s fight for a safer, more intentional digital world. At just 23, Emma has testified before the U.S. Senate and earned a spot on Forbes 30 Under 30 for her work in digital advocacy. She shares how turning her own struggles with social media into purpose sparked a movement toward balance, boundaries, and awareness. This episode is a powerful reminder...
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Resilience in Motion: Marian Giacoman on Reinvention, Identity, and the Power of Style
Spark Sessions
In this episode of Spark Sessions with Sonya Locke, Sonya sits down with Marian Giacoman, stylist, content creator, and entrepreneur whose minimalist aesthetic is anchored in a deeper story of reinvention. From architecture studies and a Bolivia-inspired fashion line to fleeing political unrest and starting over in the U.S., Marian shares how she rebuilt without a blueprint, a network, or a guarantee and grew a community of women drawn to confidence, elegance, and intention. Sonya and Marian explore the spark that shaped her: parents who modeled grit and entrepreneurship, the discipline behind...
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The Voice of the Unheard: Jessica Velazquez on Building Equity in Cannabis
Spark Sessions
In this episode of Spark Sessions with Sonya Locke, Sonya sits down with Jessica Velazquez, CPA, CFE, Principal at BeachFleischman and founder of Indiva Advisors, the first Latina-led CPA firm dedicated to cannabis. From Big Four boardrooms to cannabis policy tables, Jessica has built a career at the intersection of finance, advocacy, and equity. She shares the spark that drew her into a taboo industry, the burn of proving herself in rooms not built for her, and the mission that fuels her fight for communities left behind. This is a story of courage, conviction, and creating pathways where...
info_outlineIn this episode of Spark Sessions with Sonya Locke, Sonya sits down with Dr. Kirsten Guest, a clinical holistic psychotherapist, resilience advocate, author, and founder of a boutique wellness practice devoted to helping high-achieving women reconnect with joy, boundaries, and their whole selves.
After spending 23 years as a stay-at-home mother, Kirsten answered a quiet but undeniable call to begin her third act. She returned to graduate school, launched a private practice in New York City, and began blending traditional psychotherapy with integrative modalities including EMDR, mindfulness, yoga, Reiki, and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy. Drawing from her own experiences with burnout, people-pleasing, anxiety, and reinvention, Kirsten shares how healing begins not with fixing what is broken, but with remembering what is already whole.
Together, Sonya and Kirsten explore why so many high-achieving women suffer in silence, the myths surrounding boundaries, and what becomes possible when women stop performing and start listening inward. They also dive into Kirsten’s work as author of Building Up Boundaries, her leadership at the iRest Institute, and her belief that joy is not a reward. It is a right.
This episode is a reminder that it is never too late to reclaim your spark. Healing does not come from striving harder. It comes from coming home to yourself.