Brenda Ridgley never imagined herself competing in a pageant, but a chance conversation in 2020 led her to enter Mrs. America and step far outside her comfort zone.

In this episode of the To Your Health podcast, Brenda shares what it looked like to go from an immediate “no” to fully committing, including six months of preparation, hiring a coach, and navigating the vulnerability of putting herself out there in a completely new way.

We also talk about what surprised her most about the experience, the supportive community she found, and how the process ultimately inspired her to write a book and build a platform centered around connection and women’s friendships.

Brenda Ridgley is the Connection Connoisseur. A Mindvalley certified life coach, author, speaker, and girlfriend guru, Brenda loves helping women who seek clarity, find success, and discover joy through connection. Her mission is to support women who have lost themselves in their roles as wife, mother and professional and help them connect to their passions, purpose and people. Through her retreats, workshops, coaching, and podcast ~ Find Your Lady Tribe, Brenda helps women connect and communicate with respect, love, and trust.

https://www.wholeyou-niverse.com/

https://www.facebook.com/brendaridgleyconnections

https://www.facebook.com/groups/savetheworldsister

Tune in each week for practical, relatable advice that helps you feel your best and unlock your full potential. If you’re ready to prioritize your health and level up every area of your life, you’ll find the tools, insights, and inspiration right here.

Check out Esther’s website for more about her speaking, coaching, book, and more: http://estheravant.com/

Buy Esther’s Book: To Your Health: https://a.co/d/iDG68qU

Esther’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esther.avant

Esther’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estheravant/

Learn more about 1:1 health & weight loss coaching: https://madebymecoaching.com/coaching

Whitney Merchant was nearing 40 when her life unraveled—within weeks, she experienced a divorce, the loss of her pets, and a sudden layoff. Searching for an outlet to process grief and rediscover herself, she made an unexpected decision: she signed up for a pole dancing class.

What began as a bold step outside her comfort zone evolved into a transformative journey of healing, confidence, and self-expression. In this episode, Whitney shares how embracing curiosity helped her reconnect with her body, explore feminine embodiment, and move through one of the most challenging seasons of her life.

We discuss the emotional and physical power of pole dancing, the courage it takes to try something new in midlife, and how women can rewrite limiting narratives about aging, confidence, and sexuality.

Whitney’s story is a powerful reminder that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself—and that sometimes the smallest step into the unknown can open the door to profound personal growth.

This episode is part of the Women Who Did series within the To Your Health podcast—a series about real women who followed through on something important to them and what that experience taught them, so other women can see what’s possible for themselves.

Whitney Merchant helps women reclaim the parts of themselves they were taught to quiet: their desire, their intuition, and their unapologetic feminine presence. Her approach is traumainformed, body-based, and outrageously liberating.

Whitney has taught internationally alongside esteemed teachers such as Sheila Kelley, Tony Robbins, and Heather Ash Amara, and holds a degree in English and French Literature from UCLA.

Her own healing journey as a sexual trauma survivor is what drives her to create the kind of safe, transformative space where embodied change is not just possible, but deeply felt.https://www.whitneymerchant.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitneybird/

Free mini class for your viewers: https://subscribepage.io/quick-wins

Tune in each week for practical, relatable advice that helps you feel your best and unlock your full potential. If you’re ready to prioritize your health and level up every area of your life, you’ll find the tools, insights, and inspiration right here.

Check out Esther’s website for more about her speaking, coaching, book, and more: http://estheravant.com/

Buy Esther’s Book: To Your Health: https://a.co/d/iDG68qU

Esther’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esther.avant

Esther’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estheravant/

Learn more about 1:1 health & weight loss coaching: https://madebymecoaching.com/coaching

Melanie Michaelchuk spent nearly 30 years thinking about climbing Mount Kilimanjaro before she finally decided to go for it. When she committed, she didn’t have perfect timing, unlimited resources, or peak fitness—she had doubts, obstacles, and a goal she couldn’t ignore any longer.

In this conversation, Melanie shares what it actually looked like to follow through, from rebuilding her fitness step by step to navigating the very real fears and logistics of traveling alone and doing something far outside her comfort zone.

We talk about why so many women put their goals on hold, how to start even when nothing feels fully in place, and the power of deciding “if not now, then when.”

Plus, Melanie shares how accomplishing this one goal changed the way she approaches everything else in her life—and why she now focuses on staying ready so she can say yes to whatever comes next.

Melanie Michaelchuk is a hiking coach, author, and Mount Kilimanjaro summiteer who helps women build confidence through movement and outdoor adventure. She is the founder of Just Hyke, host of the Just Hyke Podcast, and author of Sidewalk to Summit, inspiring women to take the first step toward their own big goals. https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-michaelchuk

Tune in each week for practical, relatable advice that helps you feel your best and unlock your full potential. If you’re ready to prioritize your health and level up every area of your life, you’ll find the tools, insights, and inspiration right here.

Check out Esther’s website for more about her speaking, coaching, book, and more: http://estheravant.com/

Buy Esther’s Book: To Your Health: https://a.co/d/iDG68qU

Esther’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esther.avant

Esther’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estheravant/

Learn more about 1:1 health & weight loss coaching: https://madebymecoaching.com/coaching

Morgan joins me to share her journey from battling an eating disorder as a teenager to becoming an ultramarathoner, author, and mom committed to modeling a healthy relationship with food and fitness.

We talk about what recovery really looked like after inpatient treatment in 2010, how her struggles evolved in college and early adulthood, and the surprising mindset shift that happened when she began training for her first 50-mile race.

Morgan also opens up about the role her stepmom and husband played in her healing, what it means to fuel your body for performance instead of shrinking it, and why raising a daughter has deepened her commitment to living in alignment with her values.

Morgan is an ultramarathoner, Navy wife, mom, and eating disorder survivor. Connect with her on Instagram at @morganleeb_

Tune in each week for practical, relatable advice that helps you feel your best and unlock your full potential. If you’re ready to prioritize your health and level up every area of your life, you’ll find the tools, insights, and inspiration right here.

Check out Esther’s website for more about her speaking, coaching, book, and more: http://estheravant.com/

Buy Esther’s Book: To Your Health: https://a.co/d/iDG68qU

Esther’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esther.avant

Esther’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estheravant/

Learn more about 1:1 health & weight loss coaching: https://madebymecoaching.com/coaching

Kara shares how starting a simple book club during a season when she barely had an hour to herself became a source of connection, identity, and momentum during frequent moves and overwhelming stages of motherhood.

We talk about what it actually looks like to build community from scratch, why book clubs work so well for adults craving deeper connection, and how reading can be a surprisingly powerful alternative to screens, small talk, and default social habits.

Kara also walks through how that first book club eventually led to a podcast, author interviews, speaking opportunities, and a renewed sense of confidence—without any grand plan at the start.

Kara Infante is the creator and host of the top-rated Bookish Flights podcast. Kara believes we all have a story to tell. That story can be told by our favorite books. She is a passionate believer that books are a wonderful way to foster friendships and community. She is a military spouse that lives in San Diego, California with her husband and three children. When she is not busy creating or reading, you would most likely find her outside exploring with family and friends.

www.bookishflights.com

www.instagram.com/bookishflights

www.facebook.com/bookishflights

Tune in each week for practical, relatable advice that helps you feel your best and unlock your full potential. If you’re ready to prioritize your health and level up every area of your life, you’ll find the tools, insights, and inspiration right here.

Check out Esther’s website for more about her speaking, coaching, book, and more: http://estheravant.com/

Buy Esther’s Book: To Your Health: https://a.co/d/iDG68qU

Esther’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esther.avant

Esther’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estheravant/

Learn more about 1:1 health & weight loss coaching: https://madebymecoaching.com/coaching

Content note: This episode includes discussion of emotional abuse and coercive control, which may be difficult for some listeners. Please take care as you listen.

After 29 years in a marriage marked by covert narcissism, control, and emotional abuse, Mia made the decision to leave and start over. She shares what life was really like behind closed doors, why leaving felt so complicated, and what it took to reclaim her agency, confidence, and sense of capability on the other side.

I am a survivor of narcissistic abuse. I was married to a covert narcissist for 29 years and in 2024 I published an award winning memoir titled Bride-Made. I am passionate about raising awareness of narcissism and helping other victims find their voices. www.miajhanks.com TikTok- @npdandme IG- @npd.andme

Tune in each week for practical, relatable advice that helps you feel your best and unlock your full potential. If you’re ready to prioritize your health and level up every area of your life, you’ll find the tools, insights, and inspiration right here.

Check out Esther’s website for more about her speaking, coaching, book, and more: http://estheravant.com/

Buy Esther’s Book: To Your Health: https://a.co/d/iDG68qU

Esther’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esther.avant

Esther’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estheravant/

Learn more about 1:1 health & weight loss coaching: https://madebymecoaching.com/coaching

Zoe Price, CEO of Resume Pilots, joins me to share why she chose to buy an existing business instead of starting one from scratch. We talk about how she discovered buying a business was even an option, what appealed to her about stepping into something already established, and what the process actually looked like.

Zoe also shares the less talked-about realities of business ownership, including decision fatigue, the lack of a safety net, and the mistakes she’s had to make to learn and grow into the CEO role.

Zoe Price is a career strategist and CEO of Resume Pilots. After rebuilding her own career, she now supports experienced women in midlife who feel stuck, ignored, or undervalued at work. Her work focuses on career visibility, confidence, and helping capable professionals move forward when the traditional career rules stop working. This includes modern positioning, LinkedIn optimization, job search strategies and interview coaching.

Website: https://www.resumepilots.com/

Email: zoe@resumepilots.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cvandresumepilots/

Tune in each week for practical, relatable advice that helps you feel your best and unlock your full potential. If you’re ready to prioritize your health and level up every area of your life, you’ll find the tools, insights, and inspiration right here.

Check out Esther’s website for more about her speaking, coaching, book, and more: http://estheravant.com/

Buy Esther’s Book: To Your Health: https://a.co/d/iDG68qU

Esther’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esther.avant

Esther’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estheravant/

Learn more about 1:1 health & weight loss coaching: https://madebymecoaching.com/coaching

Tammie joins me for a candid conversation about earning her master’s degree at 50 while working full time, managing ADHD, and parenting kids in different stages of leaving the nest.

We talk honestly about what the experience was actually like — finding a program that fit real life, being twice the age of most classmates, managing the mental load, and staying connected to herself while pursuing a demanding goal.

Tammie also shares why finishing didn’t come with a dramatic life shift, but did bring a deeper sense of confidence, validation, and trust in her ability to do hard things when the outcome matters.

As a coach of 18 years, I bring a mix of practical and woo, strategy and mindset, to help go-getter women feel better faster by helping them go after goals that align with their purpose. They learn how to say yes to the life they want to live and no to burnout, guilt, and people-pleasing.

https://showupsociety.com

https://instagram.com/showupsociety

Tune in each week for practical, relatable advice that helps you feel your best and unlock your full potential. If you’re ready to prioritize your health and level up every area of your life, you’ll find the tools, insights, and inspiration right here.

Check out Esther’s website for more about her speaking, coaching, book, and more: http://estheravant.com/

Buy Esther’s Book: To Your Health: https://a.co/d/iDG68qU

Esther’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esther.avant

Esther’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estheravant/

Learn more about 1:1 health & weight loss coaching: https://madebymecoaching.com/coaching