Be Freaking Awesome Podcast
Tired of surface-level conversations and sugar-coated advice? You’re in the right place. Be Freaking Awesome is not your average personal growth podcast. Hosted by Angela and Sami, an insightful mother-daughter duo with a gift for keeping it real, this is the space where authenticity, emotional intelligence, and radical self-awareness come together. We’re not here just to inspire you. We’re here to equip you with tools, stories, and soul-level truths that will help you grow in the real world, not some Pinterest-perfect version of it. Each week, we open up the real stuff: the messy middles, the limiting beliefs, the grief we never processed, the boundaries we were never taught to hold, and the dreams we’re still afraid to say out loud. From navigating burnout and setting healthy boundaries to healing your relationship with money and learning how to sit with hard emotions, we go deep and we do it with compassion, humor, and zero judgment. This show is especially for the big-feeling, high-achieving, people-pleasing, growth-obsessed folks who are ready to stop pretending they’ve got it all together and actually start living aligned. If you've ever said, “I know there’s more for me,” or “I’m tired of carrying all this alone,” this podcast was made for you. We bring two generations of experience, two distinct but complementary perspectives, and one shared mission: to help you stop settling, start healing, and live a freaking awesome life. You’ll hear from a mix of powerful guests including trauma-informed financial coaches, creatives who turned pain into purpose, and business leaders with heart. We also share solo and co-hosted episodes where we dive into our own struggles and triumphs from the therapy room to the boardroom to our own kitchen table. We’re not into quick fixes or perfectionism. We’re into progress, emotional regulation, nervous system safety, redefining success, and showing up with more courage, joy, and clarity than you ever thought possible. No matter where you are on your journey, whether you’re starting over, in transition, building something bold, or just feeling a little lost, we’re here to remind you that you are not broken, you are not too much, and you are capable of far more than you’ve been led to believe. Take a breath. Hit play. And get ready to do the deep work of becoming who you were always meant to be. This is your space to grow, heal, laugh, cry, question, and transform. Because life’s too short to settle for anything less than freaking awesome.
Episodes
What if the person standing in your way isn’t your competition at all but you?
In this episode, Sami and Angela sit down with Jake Thompson, keynote speaker, leadership coach, and Chief Encouragement Officer at Compete Every Day, to talk about what it really means to compete with yourself instead of everyone else. Jake opens up about how years of chasing other people’s success left him feeling drained and unfulfilled, ...
Have you ever stopped yourself from telling a story because you thought, “Well, that’s not important enough” or “That’s too small, nobody cares about that”? Or maybe you’ve worried that if you share your story, people will think you’re being too vulnerable, too much, or (worst of all) a little bit “woe is me.”
That’s exactly why Sami and Angela were so excited to sit down with Sara Lohse on this episode of Be Freaking ...
Ever feel like you’re stuck in that “in-between” space where life feels uncertain, overwhelming, or just plain messy? You’re not where you were, but you’re not where you want to be yet. That’s the messy middle, and it can be one of the hardest seasons to walk through.
In this episode, Angela and Sami sit down with Amy Wilkins, Messy Middle Mindset Coach, to talk about what it really takes to find strength in the middle...
Sami returns to the podcast with an honest look at what life has been like after becoming a mom of three through an unexpected guardianship that is now on the path to adoption. She shares the emotional highs and lows of bonding with a toddler, navigating work transitions, and leading a major community project all at once.
This episode unpacks what it means to follow through on something meaningful even when it’s incred...
What if the bravest thing you could do… was stop?
In this powerful and vulnerable episode, Angela sits down with fellow podcaster and author Stacy Ryan to talk about what it really looks like to consciously walk away from something—even something meaningful, purpose-driven, and healing.
Stacy shares her journey through surviving cancer, losing her husband, launching a podcast and book series about grief—and then making ...
Happy September! In this solo episode, Angela reflects on why this time of year feels like the real New Year and how we can use it to reset, reflect, and rewire the beliefs that are holding us back.
She also celebrates the anniversaries of publishing Be Freaking Awesome (2017) and Traveling Light (2023). Angela shares what she’s learned since writing them, what’s shifted in her healing journey, and why rewriting your i...
🎙 Episode 186: From GED to PhD: Hope, Healing, and a Hunger to Learn
with Dr. Jessi Brewer | Part 2 of 2
What if the way back to yourself started with a book?
In Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Jessi Brewer, we move from big systems to deeply personal transformation. Jessi opens up about growing up below the poverty line, navigating limited access to formal education, and how discovering books and community college ...
🎙 Episode 158: What Literature Teaches Us About Justice with Dr. Jessi Brewer
Part 1 of 2 with Dr. Jessi Brewer
What does Victorian literature have to do with modern prisons?
This week, we’re joined by Dr. Jessi Brewer, a literary scholar and Arkansas native, for a conversation that just might blow your mind. From GED to PhD, Jessi’s journey is packed with grit, purpose, and a radical rethinking of what justice could lo...
On this episode of Be Freaking Awesome, Angela is joined by Dr. Roz Griffiths, a chiropractor from Wellington, New Zealand, for a fascinating deep dive into the polyvagal theory and how understanding your nervous system can help you move from feeling stuck or overwhelmed to feeling safe, regulated, and empowered.
Dr. Roz shares her own health journey, explains the three main nervous system states (ventral vagal, sympat...
What if being kind to yourself wasn’t just a nice idea—but the key to better relationships, leadership, and daily peace?
In this episode, Angela sits down with executive coach and author Massimo Backus to explore what self-compassion in action really looks like—especially for high achievers and recovering perfectionists. With Sami on a surprise maternity leave (yay!), Angela and Massimo keep it real, diving into everyt...
What if the way we usually talk about confidence is kind of wrong?
This week, we’re joined by speaker and confidence igniter Meshell Baker for a conversation that challenges everything you thought you knew about confidence. Meshell doesn’t just inspire. She equips you to take ownership of your confidence. This isn't surface-level motivation. It's a real conversation about building lasting confidence.
Angela an...
Ever felt torn between loving the body you have and wishing you moved it a little more? Or walked into a gym, got slammed by fluorescent lights and clanging weights, and thought, “Nope—hard pass”? This conversation with personal-trainer-turned-neurodivergent-fitness-whisperer Abby Clapper is your permission slip to ditch the shame-spiral and find movement that actually fits you.
In this episode we explore
- How ADHD b...
What if the fastest way to dial down drama and crank up joy is as simple as giving everyone around you a permission slip to be themselves—including you? In this episode, Angela and Sami invite well-being therapist Jamie Lerner to spill the secrets of her Art of Allowing, a practice that turns judgment into curiosity and workplace chaos into something you can actually manage.
You’ll get:
- The story of why Jamie ditche...
Ever had a wild idea you couldn’t shake—even if it sounded totally out of left field? That’s exactly what happened to Deborah Niemann, a suburban mom who packed up her family, moved to the middle of nowhere, and accidentally became a nationally recognized goat expert.
In this episode of Be Freaking Awesome, Deborah shares how her journey started with a desire to eat organic and live more intentionally. What u...
What if joy isn’t random—but a daily quest you can map out?
In this uplifting episode, wellness entrepreneur and podcast host Moyra Gorski joins Angela and Sami to reveal how she turned a season of overwhelm into a life anchored in grace-filled, repeatable joy practices. From mirror work to micro-habits and community, Moyra shares simple tools that anyone—no matter how busy—can start today.
Press play to laugh, learn, a...
This episode is Part 2 of our 2-part conversation with writer and coach Omar Ferraira of A Soul’s Quest. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet, go back and start there—we explore life transitions, identity, and what it means to go on your own hero’s journey.
In this second half, we’re turning toward men’s mental health, emotional resilience, and what it takes to find your footing when life has fallen apart. O...
This episode is Part 1 of a 2-part conversation with writer and coach Omar Ferraira. Both episodes drop this week, so when you’re done here, hop over to Part 2 to continue the conversation.
We’re diving into life transitions, inner growth, and the search for purpose when it feels like you’ve checked all the boxes—but still feel like something’s missing. From Carl Jung and Maslow to the hero’s journey and cult...
This isn’t just a milestone—it’s a moment to pause, reflect, and celebrate the practice of showing up. In this episode, Angela and Sami get real about what 175 episodes have taught them: how to let go of the pressure to be perfect, reframe what success looks like, and lean into meaningful, fun, and fulfilling work.
They talk about the doubts that almost stopped them early on, the episodes that unexpectedly to...
What if the colors around you could transform your mood, mindset, and even your life?
In this vibrant episode of Be Freaking Awesome, Sami and Angela sit down with brand architect and color psychology expert J. Nichole Smith (Nic) to explore the powerful (and often overlooked) connection between color, psychology, and joy.
From navigating burnout to creating joy-centered brands, Nic unpacks how we can all use color as a...
We’ve all heard “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know”—but what if that’s actually true and empowering? In Part 2 of our conversation with Anna Beth Gorman, we shift from financial literacy to the life-changing concept of social capital—and how women can build it with intention.
This episode is a masterclass in forming relationships that matter—not just for your career or business, but for your personal safety, fr...
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