The FEEL Podcast: Women’s Empowerment, Emotional Wellness & Self-Leadership with Melissa Crook

Reclaiming Your Power: Boundaries, Healing, and Holistic Mental Health for Women with Dr. Anna Marie Frank

Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussion of sexual assault and suicidal ideation.In this powerful and deeply authentic episode, Melissa sits down with Dr. Anna Marie Frank, whom she met at The Power of Just One conference hosted by Swell Women and Lulu Agan. What begins as a conversation between two women quickly unfolds into a transformative dialogue about boundaries, healing, self-awareness, and reclaiming personal power.Dr. Anna Marie Frank—known for her joyful, grounded, and holistic approach to life—shares her journey of rediscovering and reprogramming deeply ingrained beliefs that no longer served her. She explains how many of us live on autopilot for years before realizing that intentional self-awareness is the first step toward meaningful change.A central theme of the episode is boundaries, especially for women who are often conditioned to prioritize others’ comfort over their own well-being. Anna reminds us that it is not our responsibility to manage other people’s emotions. You are responsible for yourself. Nothing more, nothing less. This realization can feel uncomfortable, but it is also profoundly liberating.The conversation also explores the powerful connection between mental, physical, and spiritual health. Anna emphasizes that the body follows the mind, and that true healing happens when we address the whole person. Her philosophy centers on the belief that the medicine is within us, and that we have far more control over our health, confidence, and direction than we’ve been taught to believe.Melissa and Anna discuss how emotions and life experiences don’t need to be labeled as “good” or “bad.” Acceptance, rather than suppression, is often the gateway to healing. By honoring all parts of ourselves, we create space to live more authentically and fully aligned with who we truly are.This episode is a reminder that it’s never too late to start over, to follow your passions, or to reconnect with what lights you up. Through vulnerability, honesty, and wisdom, Dr. Anna Marie Frank inspires listeners to stop denying their gifts and start living with intention, confidence, and self-trust.What is your biggest passion in life?Does that answer come easily, or do you need time to reflect?What activities nourish you or help you feel grounded?How do you want to feel in the next six months?Are your passions truly yours—or influenced by others?Align your why with your passions and allow yourself to evolve.Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988National Sexual Assault Hotline: Call 800-656-HOPE or text HOPE to 64673#WomensEmpowerment#HealingJourney#SelfDiscovery#MindBodySoul#PersonalGrowthPodcast#ConfidenceForWomen#EmotionalWellness#ReclaimYourPower#HealingFromWithinTimestamps:Prioritizing Self Care - ( 4:32 )Confidently Setting Boundaries - ( 9:11 )Taking Care of Your Emotional Health as much as Your Physical Health - ( 21:19 )Support self & other women unapologetically - ( 26:24 )Coming Back to Your WHY and Your VALUES - ( 38:23 )Living Out of Your Own Expectations - ( 43:24 )Accepting the Layered Aspects of Yourself - ( 45:45 )Living out FEEL, how does it affect your relationships - ( 51:15 )5 Activities That Nourish You - ( 55:25 )5 Words for How You Want to Feel in the Next Six Months - ( 56:40 )Original Music by Rio & Valencia Saint-Louis✨ Free Download: Embracing a F.E.E.L Fueled Life Sample Freebie ✨- https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:02ce6c2f-90ed-4741-bdab-e62e20c2e7adIn this empowering bonus resource, we’re giving you a free sneak peek into the Embracing a F.E.E.L Fueled Life course! This downloadable PDF guides you through reconnecting with who you truly are—beyond your roles, responsibilities, and expectations.Want to be a guest on The F.E.E.L. Podcast? - Send Melissa Crook a message on PodMatch, here:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/feel2021⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or complete our contact form here:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.embracinglayers.com/contact ⁠⁠

Calendar Cleanse: How to Reclaim Your Time, Set Boundaries, and Stop Overcommitting with Melissa Crook

In this solo episode of The FEEL Podcast, Melissa Crook introduces The Calendar Cleanse, a powerful and practical reset designed to help you reclaim your time, realign your priorities, and stop living in a constant state of overcommitment.As the year gets underway, many of us start with good intentions like setting goals, creating routines, and imagining a more balanced life only to find that real life quickly takes over. Unexpected responsibilities, work demands, family needs, and emotional labor can quietly fill our calendars until we’re exhausted, stretched thin, and disconnected from ourselves.The Calendar Cleanse is more than time management—it’s an act of self-respect. Melissa walks listeners through how your calendar reflects your boundaries, values, and relationship with yourself. This episode helps you identify where you’re overgiving, spot “hidden no’s” disguised as yeses, and begin intentionally designing a schedule that actually supports your nervous system, energy, and well-being.You’ll learn how to gently but confidently remove commitments that no longer fit, why you don’t need to replace every removed obligation with something else, and how creating white space allows for rest, nourishment, and presence. Melissa also revisits powerful foundational practices such as clarifying how you want to feel, identifying what nourishes you, and honoring your worth when making decisions.This episode is especially supportive for ambitious women who struggle with people-pleasing, guilt, and fear of disappointing others, and who want to show up more fully resourced in their work, relationships, and daily lives. In this episode, you’ll learn how to:Use a calendar cleanse to reduce overwhelm and burnoutAlign your schedule with your values and energySpot overcommitment and release guilt around saying noPractice the 24-hour pause before saying yesCreate space for rest, nourishment, and clarityBuild healthier boundaries through your calendarDesign a life that feels intentional, present, and sustainableMelissa also shares how listeners can go deeper through the Calendar Cleanse online course or one-on-one support. Learn more and explore resources at embracinglayers.com#CalendarCleanse#TimeManagement#LifeAlignment#BurnoutPrevention#HealthyBoundaries#SelfWorth#Overcommitment#EnergyManagement#PersonalGrowth#EmotionalWellness#IntentionalLiving#WomenInLeadership#PeoplePleasingRecovery#SelfCarePractices#NervousSystemSupport#WorkLifeBalance#MindfulLivingKeywords for this episode:calendar cleansetime management for womenovercommitment recoveryburnout prevention strategiesaligning your schedule with valuesenergy and time managementhow to stop overcommittingpeople pleasing and boundariesself-worth and timeintentional living practiceshealthy boundaries at work and homelife alignment coachingstress reduction toolsnervous system regulationreclaiming your timeself-care through schedulingemotional burnout recovery

Breaking Gender Stereotypes: How One Sports Doll Sparked a Movement for Girls’ Empowerment

Support our work by becoming a Paid Substack Subscriber Here -⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://substack.com/@thefeelpodcast⁠⁠In this powerful and inspiring episode, we sit down with Jodi Bondi Norgaard, gender equality advocate, entrepreneur, author, and creator of the groundbreaking sports doll that challenged long-standing gender stereotypes in the toy industry.Jodi shares her personal journey toward advocacy, including a pivotal “aha!” moment in a toy store where she noticed how deeply gender roles in toys shape children’s beliefs about who they are and what they can become. From dolls promoting beauty standards and fashion to toys limiting boys to aggression and action, Jodi recognized how early gender stereotypes in marketing begin to influence confidence and self-worth.Motivated by the lack of positive, empowering toys for girls, Jodi created a sports doll with realistic body proportions, modeled after real children, not unrealistic beauty standards. Her mission wasn’t to replace fashion dolls, but to expand choice, allowing girls to see themselves as strong, athletic, capable, and confident.Her vision quickly proved successful when her dolls sold out at the U.S. Open, reinforcing the demand for inclusive toys that promote female empowerment, body positivity, and gender equality. This success marked the beginning of a larger advocacy journey.Jodi also opens up about how low self-esteem in women often begins in childhood, when girls start doubting their intelligence, strength, and worth. Through her work, speaking, and her book More Than a Doll: How Creating a Sports Doll Turned Into a Fight to End Gender Stereotypes, Jodi encourages women and girls to live unapologetically and reclaim their power.This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in women’s empowerment, gender equality, inclusive entrepreneurship, conscious parenting, and breaking societal norms. Jodi leaves us with a powerful reminder: “It’s okay to rest—it’s not okay to give up.”The next time you’re shopping, observe how products are marketed to men and women. What stereotypes are being reinforced? Awareness is the first step toward change, and better choices for ourselves and future generations.#GenderEquality#WomenEmpowerment#BreakingGenderStereotypes#InclusiveToys#FeministPodcast#GirlsConfidence#FemaleEntrepreneur#BodyPositivity#EmpoweredWomen#GenderRoles#WomenInBusiness#SocialImpact#AdvocacyWork#RaisingConfidentGirls#PurposeDrivenBusiness#EqualityForAll#WomenSupportingWomenTimestamps:Prioritizing Self Care - ( 2:44 )Confidently Setting Boundaries - ( 6:41 )Taking Care of Your Emotional Health as much as Your Physical Health - ( 10:58 )Support self & other women unapologetically - ( 13:24 )Coming Back to Your WHY and Your VALUES - ( 36:05 )Living Out of Your Own Expectations - ( 40:21 )Accepting the Layered Aspects of Yourself - ( 49:31 )Living out FEEL, how does it affect your relationships - ( 55:58 )5 Activities That Nourish You - ( 59:56 )5 Words for How You Want to Feel in the Next Six Months - ( 1:02:15 )Original Music by Rio & Valencia Saint-Louis✨ Free Download: Embracing a F.E.E.L Fueled Life Sample Freebie ✨- https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:02ce6c2f-90ed-4741-bdab-e62e20c2e7adWant to be a guest on The F.E.E.L. Podcast? - Send Melissa Crook a message on PodMatch, here:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/feel2021⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Episode Title: The Feel Leadership Immersion: Leading with Empowerment, Wholeness, and Unapologetic Confidence

Support our work by becoming a Paid Substack Subscriber Here -⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://substack.com/@thefeelpodcast⁠⁠In this episode of The FEEL Podcast, Melissa Crook introduces the Feel Leadership Immersion, a transformative approach to leadership rooted in empowerment, self-awareness, and wholeness rather than burnout. Designed for visionary women leaders, entrepreneurs, creatives, and change-makers, this conversation explores how to lead from identity instead of activity.Melissa breaks down what it means to live the FEEL framework first—prioritizing self-care, healthy boundaries, emotional intelligence, and alignment between mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health—and then translate it into a sustainable leadership operating system.You’ll learn how unapologetic leadership fosters trust, clarity, productivity, and psychological safety in the workplace, while creating environments where people feel seen, known, heard, and supported. This episode also challenges chronic apologizing, misalignment between personal and professional values, and leadership driven by external expectations.Whether you’re leading a business, a team, a family, or a community, this episode invites you to reflect on how you show up, communicate, and model wholeness, so others feel empowered to do the same.In this episode, you’ll learn how to:Lead with authenticity, empathy, and confidence without burnoutApply the FEEL framework to both life and leadershipClarify your values, purpose, and “why” as your leadership North StarBuild healthy boundaries and clear communication at workCreate psychologically safe, high-trust, high-productivity teamsShift from hustle-based leadership to identity-based leadershipSupport and empower women through modeling unapologetic living If you’re ready to align your leadership, health, relationships, and work with how you want to feel, this episode is your invitation to begin or deepen the journey. Learn more about the Feel Leadership Immersion and work one-on-one with Melissa at https://www.embracinglayers.com/empowerment#WomenInLeadership#UnapologeticLeadership#AuthenticLeadership#ConsciousLeadership#LeadershipDevelopment#HolisticLeadership#EmpoweredWomen#LeadershipMindset#BurnoutPrevention#ValuesBasedLeadership#EmotionalIntelligence#WomenSupportingWomen#WorkplaceWellbeing#PurposeDrivenLeadership#SelfLeadership#FemaleEntrepreneur#LeadershipCoaching#PersonalGrowth#LeadWithEmpathyOriginal Music by Rio & Valencia Saint-Louis✨ Free Download: Embracing a F.E.E.L Fueled Life Sample Freebie ✨- https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:02ce6c2f-90ed-4741-bdab-e62e20c2e7adWant to be a guest on The F.E.E.L. Podcast? - Send Melissa Crook a message on PodMatch, here:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/feel2021⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Healing After Pregnancy Loss: Grief, Stillbirth Awareness, and Journaling with Vallen Webb

Support our work by becoming a Paid Substack Subscriber Here -⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://substack.com/@thefeelpodcast⁠⁠In this powerful and deeply moving episode of The Embracing Layers Network, we welcome back Vallen Webb, a pregnancy loss educator, podcaster, and advocate for grief-informed healing. Vallen previously appeared on our Together We F.E.E.L YouTube panel discussing processing grief and hosted Melissa on her podcast, Pregnancy Loss and Motherhood. Today, she returns to share her story with courage, honesty, and purpose.Vallen opens up about the devastating loss of her daughter during a traumatic and emotionally taxing delivery—an experience no parent should endure, yet one that impacts far more families than many realize. Stillbirth and miscarriage affect millions of women, often in silence. Through her personal journey, Vallen highlights how isolating pregnancy loss can feel and why open, judgment-free conversations about grief are essential.In the aftermath of her loss, Vallen turned to journaling for grief as a way to process emotions, regulate her nervous system, and create meaning from pain. What began as a personal coping tool soon became a calling. By supporting other grieving families, she discovered her passion for education and went on to become a pregnancy loss educator, helping women navigate miscarriage, stillbirth, and postpartum grief with compassion and intention.This episode explores how grief is nonlinear, deeply personal, and often misunderstood. Vallen reminds us that there is no “right way” to grieve and that unexpected loss can leave us searching for grounding and support. Through intentional self-care practices, mindful journaling, and emotional validation, healing becomes possible, though never rushed.We also discuss the role of self-care for grieving mothers, emphasizing that it’s not about what you do, but how you do it. When everyday routines are practiced with intention, they can become powerful tools for emotional healing.This conversation is a testament to resilience, maternal mental health advocacy, and the strength it takes to transform personal loss into community impact. Vallen’s work is changing lives, breaking stigmas around pregnancy loss, and creating space for women to grieve openly and heal collectively.#PregnancyLoss#StillbirthAwareness#MiscarriageSupport#GriefHealing#GriefJourney#MaternalMentalHealth#HealingAfterLoss#PregnancyLossSupport#WomenSupportingWomen#JournalingForHealing#SelfCareForMoms#GriefEducation#PodcastForWomen#TraumaHealing#LossAndHealing#MotherhoodPodcast#IntentionalLivingTimestamps:Prioritizing Self Care - ( 3:05 )Confidently Setting Boundaries - ( 9:03 )Taking Care of Your Emotional Health as much as Your Physical Health - ( 19:05 )Support self & other women unapologetically - ( 35:50 )Coming Back to Your WHY and Your VALUES - ( 41:54 )Living Out of Your Own Expectations - ( 54:29 )Accepting the Layered Aspects of Yourself - ( 1:03:24 )Living out FEEL, how does it affect your relationships - ( 1:14:12 )5 Activities That Nourish You - ( 1:20:56 )5 Words for How You Want to Feel in the Next Six Months - ( 1:22:12 )Original Music by Rio & Valencia Saint-Louis✨ Free Download: Embracing a F.E.E.L Fueled Life Sample Freebie ✨- https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:02ce6c2f-90ed-4741-bdab-e62e20c2e7adIn this empowering bonus resource, we’re giving you a free sneak peek into the Embracing a F.E.E.L Fueled Life course! This downloadable PDF guides you through reconnecting with who you truly are—beyond your roles, responsibilities, and expectations.Want to be a guest on The F.E.E.L. Podcast? - Send Melissa Crook a message on PodMatch, here:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/feel2021⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠