Dancing in the Discomfort Zone with Anne Bonney

What do swamp volleyball, software debugging, and self-doubt have in common?

 A lot more than you’d think. In this episode, Anne sits down with Kari Sipinen (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kari-sipinen), a Finnish-born engineer, world-champion swamp volleyball player, and all-around discomfort-zone explorer, who has turned mud, mistakes, and mindfulness into a philosophy for life.

Kari shares how wading waist-deep in the muck during the...

What happens when the therapist becomes her own best client? Meet Judy Herman (https://www.judycounselor.com/), psychotherapist, author, and retreat facilitator who turned decades of personal pain into a roadmap for emotional freedom. After surviving a 30-year marriage filled with toxicity and raising four kids, Judy didn’t just heal—she rewrote the rules for how women reclaim their power.

In this deeply honest and surprisingly upli...

This week, Anne (https://YourChangeSpeaker.com) takes a quick dive into one of her favorite emotional-intelligence tools for real-world connection: how to approach tough conversations without blowing up the bridge you’re trying to build.

Drawing on her keynote and workshop material, Anne revisits the cognitive triad—how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors shape our results—and adds one crucial twist: before you assume someone’s be...

When the gloves come off in divorce court, Lois Liberman (https://www.blankrome.com/people/lois-j-liberman) brings empathy, grit, and a wicked sense of humor. In this Dancing in the Discomfort Zone episode, the powerhouse attorney with 36 years in matrimonial law spills the truth about what really goes down when love unravels—and how to come out stronger.

Always striving to reduce her clients “emotional capital expenditure,” Lois he...

What happens when you give one woman a year to run around to all 50 states to share a meal with total strangers? In this Dancing in the Discomfort Zone episode, Shari Leid (https://linktr.ee/animperfectlyperfectlife) proves that connection is the ultimate adventure.

Adopted from Korea after being found in a cardboard box, Shari has flipped her story—literally. Her “Flip the Box” movement transforms isolation into belonging, inspirin...

What do you do when life hits you with every curveball imaginable—hearing loss, heartbreak, grief, and single parenthood—all before 40?

In this powerful episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone, I talk with AJ Coleman, (https://keepthosefeetmoving.com) widower, single dad, financial crime fighter, and author of Keep Those Feet Moving. His story is equal parts heartbreak, humor, and hard-won wisdom about what it really takes to keep...

What happens when a rule-following lawyer trades the courtroom for the dance floor—then builds a business teaching leaders how (and when) to break the rules?

In this episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone, I sit down with Kim Bolourtchi,(www.kimbolourtchi.com) recovering perfectionist, competitive Latin dancer, and now strategic unruliness expert. Kim’s story begins with a jaw-dropping moment in front of the Missouri Supreme Cour...

What if confidence isn’t something you’re born with—but something you build?

In this episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone, I talk with Jenn Espinosa-Goswami, (https://www.weightlesschronicles.com/)  international speaker, certified speaking coach, and founder of Weightless Chronicles, about her journey from bullied kid to bold speaker. After growing up teased for her weight and hiding from the spotlight, Jenn discovered her voi...

What would you do if you started losing your sight in high school—and by graduation, the world had gone completely dark?

In this episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone, I sit down with Laura Bratton, (Www.laurabratton.com) speaker, author, and founder of Ubi Global, whose story proves that adversity doesn’t define you...your mindset does. Diagnosed with a rare eye disease at nine years old, Laura lost her vision completely as a t...

When life comes crashing down—literally—what do you do next?

On this episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone, I talk with Kijuan Amey (ameymotivation.com), a U.S. Air Force veteran, blind comedian, musician, and motivational powerhouse whose story redefines what it means to rise after tragedy. One moment he was flying high, running his own business, serving in the Air Force, and chasing a pilot’s license. The next, a motorcycle ac...

What if your pain, physical, emotional, even traumatic, wasn’t a life sentence, but an invitation?

In this episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone, I talk with Amazing Soul (www.themindfckco.com), Army veteran, mentor, and founder of The MindFCK Co., about what it really takes to heal. After years of chronic back pain, trauma, and suicidal thoughts, her turning point came when a mentor bluntly told her she was “full of it” until s...

What happens when life throws you the hardest challenge—and you choose to turn grief into growth? In this episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone, I sit down with Gretchen Schott, (https://www.gretchenschott.com/) speaker, author, and leadership powerhouse, to talk about her new book Joy at Work When Women Lead and what it really means to bring authentic joy to the workplace.

Spoiler: joy at work isn’t about plastering on a grin. ...

What if getting happier wasn’t about buying more, doing more, or being “fearless”, but about learning a few smart survival moves for modern life? In this episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone, survivalist-professor-midwife Ruth Ann Colby Martin (https://RACMedge.com) turns a year in the wild into a practical framework you can use at work, at home, and anywhere stress tries to hijack your joy. From “shelter, water, fire, food” t...

After last week's conversation with Sarena Diamond, I started to think about Letting Go, and whether my perspective was right.  (My perspective: Letting go is good...most of the time!)  I do this a lot.  "Am I wrong?  I could be wrong!  Let's investigate."

So I invited my friend and consummate Change Hater, Lisa Demmi (https://LisaDemmi.com) over for an argument!  The question: Is Letting Go actually the right ap...

What do you do when life hands you a layoff, single parenthood, and a house full of 28 years’ worth of memories… all at once?

In this episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone, I sit down with organizational change powerhouse Serena Diamond (www.diamondsolutionsgroupllc.com) —former IBM exec turned entrepreneur—who shares how she navigated a major life and career pivot by betting on the one person she could trust: herself.

From leade...

It’s a milestone, y’all! In this solo episode, I’m throwing a little party in your ears to celebrate the 350th episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone! But don’t worry—it’s not just a victory lap. It’s a powerful reminder of one of the most overlooked confidence-building tools we’ve got: looking back.

If you’re stuck in “I’m not there yet” mode, this is your loving nudge to pause, reflect, and realize—you’ve already come a hell of...

 In this episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone, we’re busting the myth that confidence is something you either have or don’t. (Spoiler: that’s garbage.)

Speaker, coach, and talent optimization strategist Diana Rogers Jaeger (https://www.dianarogersjaeger.com/) joins me to break down confidence into something way more approachable—and buildable. From whitewater rafting as a tiny but mighty kid to coaching leaders and Girl Scouts ...

You’ve met them—Two-Face Timmy, Micromanaging Maria, and Pessimistic Pete—and no, they’re not cartoon villains. They’re your coworkers… and they’re draining your soul.

In this episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone, I sit down with Rich Salon (aka “The HR Guy” https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-salon-sphr-shrm-scp/) to talk about how to handle jerky workplace behavior without losing your cool—or your job. Author of The One Minute J...

What do rolling your ankle, pulling coins from thin air, and publishing a book have in common? They all show up in this refreshingly honest and hilarious conversation about the messy middle of personal growth.

In this episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone, we’re talking to Ben Whiting (benwhiting.com) about Imposter Syndrome, rejection sensitivity dysphoria (say that five times fast), and how the secret to showing up confidently...