The Daring Well Podcast - Holistic Health & Wellness, Mindset, and Personal Growth

Are you running on empty? Do you ever feel emotionally exhausted before your day has even begun? Like you're constantly pouring into everyone else while your own emotional battery feels like it's completely drained.

In this episode of The Daring Well Podcast, we're exploring what emotional capacity really is, why it matters, and how to recognize when your mind, body, and spirit are asking for rest instead of more resilience.

We'll di...

Did you know...how you begin your morning has the power to shape your mindset, influence your emotions, and set the tone for your entire day?

In this replay episode, Rita Mercer guides you through a calming morning meditation designed to help you slow down, reconnect with yourself, and intentionally step into the day with hope, gratitude, confidence, and peace.

Whether you're navigating stress, recovering from burnout, experiencing a...

What if true success isn’t about pushing harder, achieving more, or constantly striving for the next milestone?

In this powerful conversation, Rita Mercer sits down with performance consultant, coach, and founder of The Inner Life of Sport, Benjamin Smith, to explore what it means to achieve sustainable success without sacrificing your well-being, identity, and sense of purpose.

Together, they unpack why so many high achievers,...

What happens when grief changes not only your heart, but also your brain, body, and sense of safety in the world?

In this deeply moving episode of The Daring Well Podcast, Rita welcomes Sylvia Wolfer, a neuroscience-informed grief educator, writer, speaker, and advocate who combines personal experience with cutting-edge grief research to help others navigate loss with greater understanding and compassion.

After experiencing the sudde...

What happens when success comes at the expense of your health, energy, and peace of mind?

In this powerful episode of The Daring Well Podcast, Rita Mercer sits down with veteran strength and conditioning coach Jim Laird, founder of Vitality Brotherhood and Vitality Sisterhood, to discuss how high achievers can recover from burnout, rebuild their health, and create lasting vitality.

Drawing from nearly 30 years of coaching experience&...

Have you ever stayed in a relationship where you were pouring into someone who wasn't pouring back into you?

In this powerful episode of The Daring Well Podcast, Rita Mercer sits down with therapist, author, and storyteller Johnzelle Anderson to explore the hidden cost of unreciprocated relationships and the impact they have on our identity, peace, and emotional well-being.

Johnzelle shares the inspiration behind his debut memoir Mix...

What if one powerful story could completely transform the way you lead, communicate, and connect with others?

In this inspiring and high-energy episode of The Daring Well Podcast, Rita Mercer sits down with keynote speaker, story coach, and author Dr. Danny Brassell to explore the art and science of storytelling, leadership communication, and authentic connection.

Dr. Brassell—co-founder of Well Crafted Story and author of 20+ ...

In this powerful episode of The Daring Well Podcast, Rita Mercer sits down with Stephen McConnell — CEO, speaker, NLP coach, and author of the upcoming book The 7 Laws of Personal Mastery. Together, they explore how to redefine success, overcome limiting beliefs, and create sustainable growth without burnout.

Stephen shares his deeply personal journey through addiction recovery, emotional healing, and discovering purpose. He e...

In this heartfelt episode of The Daring Well Podcast, Rita Mercer dives into the powerful practice of creating “white space” in your life. If you’ve been feeling emotionally exhausted, overwhelmed, overstimulated, or constantly pressured to keep going, this episode is your reminder that rest is productive too.

Rita explores how creating intentional pauses in your daily life can improve emotional well-being, reduce ...

In this heartfelt and deeply affirming episode, Rita Mercer explores the life moments that often go unseen, unacknowledged, and uncelebrated. Titled “There’s No Card for That,” this conversation shines a light on the silent wins, invisible strength, and unspoken grief we all carry at different points in our journey.

From making responsible adult decisions and choosing healing, to navigating personal loss and emotio...

Have you ever felt like you’re holding it all together on the outside… but quietly falling apart on the inside?

In this powerful and honest conversation, Rita sits down with therapist and author Cherise Small to unpack what it really means to “perform strength.” Together, they explore how survival mode, people-pleasing, and silent suffering can disconnect us from our true selves—and how to begin the jo...

✨ If you’ve been struggling with chronic pain, anxiety, or feeling “stuck,” this conversation may open a door you didn’t know existed.

In this powerful episode of The Daring Well Podcast, Rita Mercer sits down with Gwen Bernardo, a myofascial release therapist, to explore the deep connection between the body, trauma, and healing.

After a life-altering horseback riding accident that left her with both physical ...

 Cam Cordin - I wasn’t waiting to die, I was racing to live!

In this raw and deeply honest conversation, Rita Mercer sits down with Cam Corden, founder of Savage Chill and author of Savage Chill: Die to Live, to explore what it really takes to go from being stuck in survival mode to living fully.

Cam shares his personal journey through chronic pain, failed marriages, emotional collapse, and a pivotal “911-day contrac...

When was the last time you truly paused and asked yourself, “How am I really doing?”

In this heartfelt and grounding episode of The Daring Well Podcast, Rita offers a moment of stillness in the middle of life’s busyness. This episode is a gentle invitation to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with your emotional well-being.

Life can feel overwhelming, exhausting, and unpredictable—but instead of pushing throug...

In this final episode of the Healing Attachment Wounds series, Rita Mercer, podcast host, holistic wellness & mindset coach, and licensed counselor, explores what it truly means to experience secure attachment—the foundation of healthy, balanced, and emotionally safe relationships.

If trust has ever felt difficult…
If vulnerability has felt unsafe…
Or if you’ve found yourself stuck in patterns of ...

In this insightful episode of The Daring Well Podcast, Rita Mercer sits down with Jo Stewart, Yoga Teacher & the Founder of Garden of Yoga, Cohost of the Flow Artists Podcast, and author of Eight Limbs of Aerial Yoga.  Together in this episode we explore how gentle movement and aerial yoga can provide relief and support healing from anxiety, trauma, and chronic stress.

Jo shares her 20+ years of experience teaching yoga and...

Have you ever found yourself reacting in ways you later regret or feeling overwhelmed despite “doing everything right,” or constantly seeking validation from others?  If you answered yes, you might be struggling with emotional safety and I hope that this episode will speak directly to you and give you the tools to Dare to Be Well.

In this powerful and insightful episode of The Daring Well Podcast, Rita sits down wit...

Anxious Attachment: Calming the Fear of Abandonment (Healing Attachment Wounds – Part 3)

Relationships can bring us deep joy and connection—but they can also awaken some of our deepest fears.

Have you ever found yourself worrying that someone might leave, questioning whether you’re “too much,” or feeling anxious when a message goes unanswered?

In this episode of The Daring Well Podcast, we continue our se...

This week on The Daring Well Podcast, we’re pausing our attachment styles series for something deeply needed — a reminder and permission slip to embrace softness.

This message is not just for women. It’s for men too!

In a world that glorifies hustle culture, grinding, and constant productivity, we often forget that we are human beings — not machines. You do not have to be strong and hardcore all the time. It i...