A LOT with Audra

What if the thing standing between you and the life you actually want isn't your circumstances — it's still thinking in terms of “or” instead of “and”?

Alex Kuhn, founder of Born Leaders (now rebranding to All In Worldwide), joins me for a conversation about ambition, identity, and what it really means to go all in — on your career and your family, your dreams and your present moment. Alex was the...

What if your second act isn't about changing your life — it's about finally showing up in the one you already have?

Monica Packer, founder of the About Progress podcast and a certified habits and identity coach, joins me to talk about the version of personal growth nobody talks about: the quiet, internal kind. Monica spent years as a self-described aspiring perfectionist — achieving on the outside while disappearing from...

What does it actually take to leave behind everything you've built — your career, your country, your circle — and start over from scratch? Carolina Freeman did exactly that when she moved from Argentina to Wichita, and what she found on the other side is a story about identity, resilience, and the courage to finally live life on your own terms. Carolina is the chef and owner of Argentina's Empanadas in Wichita, Kansas &...

What if your birthday celebration wasn't really about your birthday at all? Jen Christian turned 40 with one of the most intentional, fun, and friendship-forward celebrations I've ever seen — and it started not with a party plan, but with a personal reckoning. After navigating a postpartum fog that hit during COVID, Jen found herself asking: Who am I now? What do I value? And who are my people for this next decade? The answer...

What if the path that didn't work out was actually the one preparing you for exactly where you're supposed to be? Career and leadership coach Jenna Bottolfsen joins me for a conversation about the unexpected pivots, restarts, and pauses that shape us — and why the thing you thought was a setback might actually be the most important step in your story. Jenna went from 25 years in corporate HR to a failed first attempt at entre...

What if the most powerful lesson from the Olympics has nothing to do with the athletes?

Executive coach Jeana Marinelli joined me for a conversation straight from her last days in Florence, Italy — capping off nearly 90 days abroad that started as a one-week trip to the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. What began as a trip to see snowboarding turned into an extended season of rest, community, curiosity, and unexpected self...

What if becoming a mom didn't just change your schedule — it changed you at your core? 

I sat down with Taryn Zweygardt, a therapist specializing in perinatal mental health and co-owner of Flourish, to talk about the identity shifts, the mental load, the perfectionism, and the ADHD diagnoses that so many of us didn't see coming — until motherhood cracked us open and showed us what was really there.

This is a conversa...

What does it actually take to wake up, choose differently, and become someone new?

Whether you're staring down a milestone birthday or quietly sensing it's time for a change, this conversation with Damon Young will meet you right where you are. Damon is a civic leader, executive mentor, public speaker, and founder of DK Young Consulting — and he sat down to talk candidly about what it looked like to go from heads-down in const...

What if the most creative thing you ever did had nothing to do with a paintbrush? Creativity isn't reserved for the artists with the fancy titles — it's a way of moving through the world, and it might be the most powerful form of self-trust you have. I sat down with Wichita-based multidisciplinary artist Jill Nicole Luten to talk about what happens when you stop performing creativity and start practicing it honestly. We cover...

What does it look like when a leader stops splitting herself in two?

Ashley Bowen Cook, owner of Alpha Charlie — an aviation-focused marketing firm based in Wichita, Kansas — stepped into full business ownership in January 2026 after nearly 23 years with the agency. The moment she did, something unexpected happened: a candid photo of her and her 10-year-old son Charlie, taken on a snow day in her office, ended up on the ...

What if you could plant one seed today that would change everything about spring?

This episode is an invitation to slow down, breathe, and get intentional about what you want to grow over the next year. Inspired by a vision exercise from one of our cohorts at The Thread, I'm walking you through the Spring Ahead Vision — a 10-minute practice you can do with a journal and your favorite drink in hand. Whether you're new to season...

What does it actually look like to shed the roles, rules, and expectations that no longer fit — and build something entirely your own? That's exactly what Amanda Mulsow did when she turned 40 in the middle of a global pandemic, a personal health crisis, and a mental health emergency with her daughter. Instead of falling apart, she chose a word, created a mantra, and started rewriting the story she had been living by for decad...

Are you waiting for permission to chase what makes you come alive? Maybe you've convinced yourself you need more time, more certainty, or more proof that your curiosity is worth following. But what if the real work isn't in achieving—it's in cultivating the conditions for growth?

Kelly Jackson Crabb, author of Beyond the Bloom, joins me to talk about courage, second chances, and the messy beauty of blooming right where you are...

Are you speeding up or slowing down? That simple question from a fellow entrepreneur mama stopped me in my tracks and sparked something big. We're either pushing the gas pedal, hitting the brakes, or keeping things on cruise control—but here's what nobody tells you about growth: it's supposed to feel uncomfortable. That pit in your stomach? The sweaty palms before you hit publish? Those aren't red flags—they're green on...

What happens when your five-year-old asks, "When can you retire?" and it forces you to reconsider everything? Today's guest, Bryan Steele—the producer of this podcast—shares the story of how that single question from his daughter revealed a profound truth: the corporate path he'd carefully followed wasn't creating the life he actually wanted. After 15 years as an aerospace engineer, Bryan found himself building a record...

What if the key to lasting success isn't perfect execution, but a willingness to experiment and iterate? As entrepreneurs, we're constantly bombarded with advice—some brilliant, some misaligned—and it can feel overwhelming to know which path to take. I'm sharing the mindset shifts that have helped me navigate the uncertainty, the comparison traps, and those moments when you're standing at the edge, wondering if you shou...

What if the key to becoming a better leader isn't learning more skills, but simply becoming more yourself?

I sit down with leadership coach Jeana Marinelli for an honest conversation about the journey from "good girl" to authentic leader. We explore how women are conditioned to disconnect from their inner knowing, the physical sensations that signal something needs to change, and why the path to leadership starts with self-awareness...

What happens when you finally stop pretending to be fine? When you peel back the layers of people-pleasing, workplace masks, and self-abandonment, what's left? This conversation explores the messy, beautiful work of radical honesty—not the loud, dramatic kind, but the quiet, everyday practice of telling the truth to yourself first. Through the lens of Alison Espach's novel The Wedding People, Amber Dunn and I unpack what it m...

Ever catch yourself thinking you should be further along by now? That quiet fear that everyone else has it figured out while you're still trying to catch up? Here's the truth: being "behind" isn't a personal failure—it's a misdiagnosis. Whether you're hitting a milestone birthday, navigating a career shift, or simply comparing your life to others, that nagging feeling of not measuring up is more common than you think. Let's t...