From Fear to Fulfillment: Unlocking Your Ikigai and Creating a Life You Love
Release Date: 10/25/2025
How To Set A Living Boundary without Starting a Fight
Life Check Yourself
Today’s conversation features Lionel Moses—family man, veteran of Desert Storm, coach, and author of The Marriage Seed. We dig into relationship mastery across home and work: self-awareness over blame, trust over suspicion, and communication that lands (not just “gets said”). 3 Main Takeaways Start with self. Lasting change begins by checking beliefs, tone, and patterns before judging a partner. Choose trust over suspicion. Misunderstandings shrink when curiosity and clarity lead the interaction. Weed the garden, consistently. Relationships thrive when small problems are pulled...
info_outline
How to stop a checklist love and start a real connection
Life Check Yourself
Today I’m joined by April Davis, founder of LUMA Luxury Matchmaking—and yes, she’s married to a divorce attorney, which gives her a razor-sharp lens on what actually lasts. We dig into modern dating beyond the apps: values vs. chemistry, paradox of choice, readiness, standards, gender roles, and commitment—so real love stops feeling impossible and starts feeling inevitable. 3 Main Takeaways Values beat vibes. Chemistry fades; aligned values keep relationships stable long-term. Choice overload kills connection. The app era fuels paradox of choice and “dating for dismissal.”...
info_outline
From Skin Care to Soul Care: how energy healing ikigai created a purpose driven business
Life Check Yourself
Guest intro: Mayumi Pachkoski is a U.S.–based aesthetician and energy-healing practitioner who blended Eastern and Western skincare to build a thriving six-figure studio in Maryland. A former flight attendant who pivoted in her 30s, she now helps practitioners grow healing businesses rooted in purpose and service. 3 Power Takeaways Leap early; build skills on the way. Use “no-brainer” offers to get in the room and learn from pros. (20:07–22:36) Let purpose lead the model. When work sits at the intersection of talent, joy, and need (ikigai), consistency becomes easy....
info_outline
From Fear to Fulfillment: Unlocking Your Ikigai and Creating a Life You Love
Life Check Yourself
Mary Olson-Menzel is a nationally recognized expert in career and workplace success with over 30 years of leadership experience across media, tech, healthcare, and even the NFL. As the founder and CEO of MVP Executive Development, she’s coached everyone from Fortune 500 leaders to parents reentering the workforce—helping them find purpose, confidence, and a plan to do what truly lights them up. In this inspiring episode, we unpack the mindset and tools to thrive through massive change, find your “reason for being,” and design work—and a life—that truly lights you up. ...
info_outline
Rising Strong: Finding Gratitude, Courage, and Reinvention After Life’s Messiest Moments
Life Check Yourself
Today’s episode features Rachel Gitlevich, author of What in the Actual Fck: Life’s a Hot Mess—How to Find Gratitude Anyways* and founder of Ray of Consciousness. Through her writing and consulting work, Rachel fuses raw storytelling with wellness and strategy, helping people and organizations grow with authenticity. Her story is one of resilience, transformation, and radical gratitude—even in the face of unimaginable challenges. 💫 Episode Overview In this episode, Rachel shares her extraordinary journey through multiple cancer diagnoses, near-death experiences, and...
info_outline
Reclaim Your Desire, Rewrite Scripts, Rediscover Pleasure, Confidence, and Connection
Life Check Yourself
This week’s conversation is all about rewriting outdated scripts and reclaiming intimacy with confidence, connection, and joy. Lauren Elise Rogers—certified holistic sexuality educator and embodied intimacy coach—shares her empowering approach to navigating desire, healing from harmful narratives, and reigniting long-term relationships. With warmth and clarity, Lauren unpacks how to release the scripts that no longer serve, nurture your own sense of pleasure, and bring curiosity back into love. This is a reminder that nothing is broken—you have the right and the power to create...
info_outline
When Therapy Doesn't Work: How To Unlock Change Using The Solution Focused Approach to Transformation
Life Check Yourself
Guest: Elliott Connie — psychotherapist, best-selling author, and global leader in Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT). In this episode, Elliott breaks down how asking the right questions can create powerful shifts in healing, relationships, and life direction. With over 20 years of experience, he shows why focusing on strengths and desired outcomes leads to transformation faster than traditional models of therapy. 3 Powerful Takeaways The questions you ask shape your future. Change begins by focusing on outcomes, not problems. Lasting relationships thrive on...
info_outline
Career Reinvention Secrets: What This Executive Coach Wants You To Know Now
Life Check Yourself
In this episode of Life Check Yourself, Marni Battista interviews Steven Miyao, an executive coach and entrepreneur, about navigating midlife career changes and personal reinvention. They discuss the challenges faced by midlife professionals, the importance of aligning careers with personal values, and practical strategies for overcoming fear and taking action. Steven shares insights from his coaching practice, including the eulogy exercise to reflect on one's values and the significance of experimentation in making life changes. The conversation emphasizes the need for intentional living and...
info_outline
Career Reinvention Secrets: What This Executive Coach Wants You To Know Now
Life Check Yourself
In this episode of Life Check Yourself, Marni Battista interviews Steven Miyao, an executive coach and entrepreneur, about navigating midlife career changes and personal reinvention. They discuss the challenges faced by midlife professionals, the importance of aligning careers with personal values, and practical strategies for overcoming fear and taking action. Steven shares insights from his coaching practice, including the eulogy exercise to reflect on one's values and the significance of experimentation in making life changes. The conversation emphasizes the need for intentional living and...
info_outline
Learn this 60 Second Neuroscience Hack to Untangle Your Emotinal Knots
Life Check Yourself
Introduction In this episode, we explore the power of integrating body, mind, and subconscious to release long-held emotional knots and reclaim wholeness. Our guest, Esin Pinrali, is a holistic psychotherapist and relationship expert specializing in imago therapy, brain spotting, internal family systems, and somatic practices. With her experiential approach, she helps people move beyond anxiety, trauma, and codependency to become fully alive and connected. 3 Key Takeaways Labels don’t heal—untangling the root does. The body stores unresolved trauma and reveals the knots...
info_outlineMary Olson-Menzel is a nationally recognized expert in career and workplace success with over 30 years of leadership experience across media, tech, healthcare, and even the NFL. As the founder and CEO of MVP Executive Development, she’s coached everyone from Fortune 500 leaders to parents reentering the workforce—helping them find purpose, confidence, and a plan to do what truly lights them up.
In this inspiring episode, we unpack the mindset and tools to thrive through massive change, find your “reason for being,” and design work—and a life—that truly lights you up.
🔑 3 Main Takeaways
-
Change Isn’t the Enemy—It’s the Invitation.
Embrace a growth mindset and see disruption as a chance to expand your potential, not fear it.
-
Find Your Ikigai—Your Reason for Being.
Align what you love, what you’re great at, what the world needs, and what you can get paid for.
-
Dream Beyond 10% and Plan the Leap.
Most people only imagine small tweaks to their lives; true fulfillment comes from daring to design something radically different—with patience and a plan.
🕰️ Episode Breakdown & Key Insights
[00:07:55] Growth Mindset Over Fixed Fear
“Change is happening. What does this mean and how can I grow from it?”
Embracing change through curiosity transforms fear into momentum. Each disruption—AI, layoffs, or shifting industries—becomes a training ground for reinvention instead of resistance.
[00:10:54] Discovering Your Ikigai: The Sweet Spot of Purpose
“It’s what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can get paid for.”
True fulfillment lies in the overlap of passion and practicality. When you design your life around this alignment, you no longer chase success—you embody it.
[00:15:26] The 10% Trap and the Power of Big Dreams
“If you’re limiting yourself to that 10%, you’re doing yourself a disservice. There’s so much more out there for you.”
Most people imagine only small variations on their current lives. Breakthroughs come when you remove your blinders, trust your gifts, and build the courage to act on what excites you.
💬 Notable Quotes
-
“You owe it to the world to love what you do because when you’re doing meaningful work, that creates a ripple effect.”
-
“Your light is your superpower, but your network is the superhighway that gets you where you want to go.”
“Don’t conform. Be you. Own your greatness with quiet confidence.”