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The Life Actually Podcast

Author: Laura Behnke

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Life doesn't always go according to plan. Scratch that--life pretty much never goes according to plan. And that's okay! That's what makes it interesting. There's the way you thought your life would go and then there's your life, actually. This is where we celebrate the "actually", as Laura Behnke talks with women from all different backgrounds and perspectives about their own unique life paths. We're tossing out societal norms and redefining what it means to be a happy and successful woman right now, one story at a time.
43 Episodes
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Jamilah Lang knows what it's like to struggle.  She understands working so hard for something you want so badly and still having it not work out in the way you expect.  But that struggle is all part of her story.  It's a huge reason why she's currently living a life of abundance.  As a professional organizer and interior stylist she brings a holistic approach to helping people simplify and design a home they love.  Because, as she knows through experience, organizing your life and your purpose goes deeper than cleaning out your closet.  But that's certainly a good place to start!  Jamilah has gone from a successful career in the corporate world, to starting over on her own.  She's gone from struggling to buy groceries for her family to now fully supporting that family so her husband can stay home with their kids.  All thanks to her own spiritual awakening, as she learned how to let go in order to let in opportunity and peace of mind.  Links:  Instagram: @laurabbehnke  Instagram: @thelifeactuallypodcast  Website: laurabehnke.com  Guest Links:  Instagram: @jamilahlangFree Guide: Decluttering For Abundance
It didn't take Amanda Greenspan-D'Souza long to realize her now-husband was "the one" when they first met. She expected them to get married and start a life together at some point. What she didn't expect was how quickly that point would arrive. But four months into dating they both had to make a life-changing decision as he faced possible deportation back to his native India. The result? They had two weeks to plan a wedding and get married. Amanda never doubted her decision or their relationship, but that didn't make the reality of their situation any easier. Gone was the big wedding celebration, the perfect dress, and the enjoyment of a proposal and engagement. Instead Amanda found herself worrying about what people would think as their plans moved so quickly. Now five years into marriage, she's fully realized just how special her story is. And that what makes it special is its uniqueness. That's why she's telling her story now. Because life rarely goes according to plan--and that's okay. This is Amanda's journey, and she's owning it.Links:  Instagram: @laurabbehnke  Instagram: @thelifeactuallypodcast  Website: laurabehnke.com  Guest Links:  Instagram: @its_agd
Elizabeth DiAlto is all about telling it like it is. Because when we have a deeper connection to ourselves through embodied living and self liberation, well, we have the tools needed to help us through the difficult times. But Elizabeth never planned to become the spiritual guide that she is today. No, she was going to become a millionaire selling knives. And, yes, you read that correctly! But after experiencing burnout at just 25 she knew there had to be more to life than just going after a paycheck. That realization eventually led her to create the Institute For Embodied Living and the Wild Soul Movement. She knows life isn't perfect but believes there is a freedom that comes with giving ourselves permission and grace to get through the messy times. At 38, Elizabeth is single, and after really learning to date on her terms she knows the right relationship is out there, but it has to enhance the life she's already created. Because that life is already pretty special.Links:  Instagram: @laurabbehnke  Instagram: @thelifeactuallypodcast  Website: laurabehnke.com  Guest Links:  Instagram: @elizabethdialto  YouTube: @elizabethdialto  Facebook: @elizabethdialto  Website: untameyourself.com  Wild Soul Archetypes Quiz  Embodied Living Center Enrollment (ends 11/22/21)  Become An Embodiment Specialist (apply by 12/12/21)  
On paper Tiffany Paul was living her own definition of success. Happily married, a mom of two, and working her way up the corporate ladder over a 10-year career at Proctor & Gamble. But what that on-paper success didn't show was the struggles it took to actually become pregnant and then the struggles to find joy and satisfaction in the career she was building. It all made her wonder, was this where her heart was leading her? The answer to that question would change her life and her family's lives as she left her six-figure salary and ventured into the world of entrepreneurship, eventually becoming the founder of The Slept Life. It would also challenge her original idea of what it means to be successful, and what society tells us about success.Links:  Instagram: @laurabbehnke  Instagram: @thelifeactuallypodcast  Website: laurabehnke.com  Episode 28: Solo Episode: Our Pregnancy Story  Guest Links:  IG: @iamtiffanypaulIG: @thesleptlife  Website: thesleptlife.com  Podcast:  Break the Matrix: Wake Up To Your Dream Life (formerly known as Dream Life)  
For as long as she can remember Femi Olafioye-Omogbehin wanted to be in a relationship. In fact, the rest of the details of her plan were pretty fuzzy. Because the real expectation was to fall into her husband's plan. But as she grew up, Femi realized how much this plan was shaped by her own internalized racism. The daughter of Nigerian parents, she also realized how little she saw of women who looked like her in the mainstream media she consumed. And that didn't sit right with her. After giving the corporate world a try, Femi is now building her own brand that seeks to increase the representation of black women and encourage them on their journeys of self love. She is a speaker, writer and self love activist. She's also still single. Which she appreciates while also still finding herself sometimes grieving the relationship she doesn't have yet. Femi is all about supporting black women by sharing her own observations and life lessons. And her honesty and transparency are things that can inspire us all.  Links:  Instagram: @laurabbehnke  Instagram: @thelifeactuallypodcast  Website: laurabehnke.com  FREE Guide and Workbook: Dating, Actually: The Anti-Dating-Guide Dating Guide  Guest Links:  Podcast: The Femiio Podcast  TikTok: @femiio  Instagram: @femiio  Twitter: @_femiio  PayPal: @femiio
Gigi Robinson's life changed in ways she never could have expected at the age of 11 when she was diagnosed with a chronic illness.  It altered not only her childhood but also her dreams for the future. Now just 23, this New York City-based content creator has already experienced living with chronic pain, disordered eating, and pushing herself to the point of burnout in college. Not to mention graduating from college during a global pandemic while also realizing you're never too young to feel all of those dating and societal pressures placed on women. Now she creates content that reaches and supports a global Gen Z audience, focusing on mental health, chronic illness, body image and self advocacy. Gigi knows her story is just beginning, but already she has plenty of twists and turns to share.    Links:  Instagram: @laurabbehnke  @thelifeactuallypodcast  Website: laurabehnke.com    Guest Links:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsgigirobinson/  Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@itsgigirobinson?lang=en  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gigirobinson  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GigiRobinson/featured  Twitter: https://twitter.com/itsgigirobinson?lang=en  Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/itsgigirobinson/_created/  Website: https://www.gigirobinson.com  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/52gJoINiT5B86t1CdwMb6F?si=frTtgIZ0T7KOAuJx9eUmyw&dl_branch=1  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itsgigirobinson  FB podcast page: https://www.facebook.com/everythingyouneediswithin  
What do you do when you're 32 and find everything you've spent your life working toward just disappear before your eyes? This was Ruth Chan's reality when she found herself getting a divorce at the same time that she lost her job. For a while she didn't know her way forward. Especially because she had spent her life assuming it would all go according to plan like the rest of her friends. Instead Ruth made a complete career and life pivot... going from a decade spent working with youth and families in underserved communities to becoming a writer and illustrator of comics and children's books. You can bet she never saw that career coming years earlier! Now Ruth is very happily remarried, enjoying a newfound love of surfing, and doing things that truly make her happy. But getting to this point was anything but simple or easy. Because putting things back together after life seemingly falls apart is complicated and heavy. But can be so rewarding, too.    Links:  IG: @laurabbehnke  @thelifeactuallypodcast  Website: laurabehnke.com    Guest Links:  IG: @ohtruthWebsite: ohtruth.com
There are so many topics and life experiences for women that have been silenced by society, including being childless not by choice. Which is something Jody Day is on a mission to change. As the founder of Gateway Women, a global friendship and support network for childless women, she is a voice for so many who are facing a reality they never expected in life. Jody's own life has followed an unexpected path as well. From ending a pregnancy when she was 20, to struggling to conceive years later, to watching her marriage end, to eventually coming to the realization at 44 that she would never be a mother, none of it went according to plan. And all the while she came to this childless acceptance she faced another unexpected part of life--grief. Known as the "voice of the childless generation" and the author of Living The Life Unexpected: How to Find Hope, Meaning and a Fulfilling Future Without Children, Jody works with women every day to help them accept and process their grief in order to keep going in their own unexpected lives.  Links:  IG: @laurabbehnke  @thelifeactuallypodcast  Website: laurabehnke.com  FREE Guide and Workbook: Dating, Actually: The Anti-Dating-Guide Dating Guide  Guest Links:  IG: @gatewaywomen  Facebook: @gatewaywomenuk  Twitter: @gatewaywomen  Website: gateway-women.com  Book: Living the Life Unexpected: How to Find Hope, Meaning and a Fulfilling Future Without Children
Ever since she was young Debbi Rice wanted one thing in her life--to be single. Okay, maybe two things--to be single AND amazing. What she didn't expect were the societal pressures, especially from her church, that would push her toward marriage, even when she knew it wasn't right for her. Years later now Debbi truly is living her single and amazing life. She even created a community to support other women who are looking for the same thing. But getting here wasn't easy. From getting married at a young age to navigating divorce and becoming a single parent, Debbi has persevered. And now it's her mission to make it clear that being single is so much more than just a relationship status.  Links:  IG: @laurabbehnke  @thelifeactuallypodcast  Website: laurabehnke.com  FREE Guide and Workbook: Dating, Actually: The Anti-Dating-Guide Dating Guide  Guest Links:  IG:  @singleandamazing  Facebook: @singleandamazing  Website: singleandamazing.com
Getting married, having kids and achieving professional success.  That is exactly how Winn Clark expected her life to go.  The professional success?  She had that covered.  But a husband and family?  That was a lot more difficult to find.  Winn struggled through years of being single, eventually coming to the difficult realization that she might never have kids.  But she never gave up on the idea of love.  Winn is now happily engaged and running her own coaching business, things that didn't happen until after she was 40 and 50, respectively.  She's proof that it's never too late to make a change, or to find true happiness.    Links:  IG: @laurabbehnke  @thelifeactuallypodcast  Website: laurabehnke.com  FREE Guide and Workbook: Dating, Actually: The Anti-Dating-Guide Dating Guide  Guest Links:  IG: @winnclark  Website: winnclark.com  Work With Winn: All-In With Winn Group Coaching Program
For years Paola Rosser was punishing herself for her traumatic and abusive childhood. She knew she wanted a better life but she didn't know how to make that happen. After years of falling into the same patterns, Paola realized her fate was in her own hands. She also discovered what it truly means to manifest the life you so desire--and spoiler alert, it isn't just about making a vision board. Paola is now the founder and CEO of the Fearless Female movement as well as a spiritual mentor and life coach. She's also married to her soulmate (whom she met after she was 35) and living a lifestyle she had previously only ever been able to imagine. Paola is proof it's never too late to change or do anything in life--especially when it comes to taking control of that life.    Links:  IG: @laurabbehnke  @thelifeactuallypodcast  Website: laurabehnke.com    Guest Links:  IG: @fearlessfemalepodcast  Website: fearlessfemale.com  Facebook: @fearlessfemalemovement  Twitter: @fearlessfemale9TikTok: @paola.rosser  YouTube  Podcast: Journey of a Fearless Female
Cat Cantrill didn't really have a plan for how she wanted her life to go, but she did have a very strong idea about how her life should go. As a result, she found herself married at 22 even though she had doubts about the relationship heading in. Even after divorcing 13 years later and navigating life as a single mom, she still felt the pressure of how her life was supposed to look. It wasn't until years later that she gave herself permission to create her own idea of happiness, and that means helping other women do the same. From dating again before she was ready to opening a burlesque dance studio in Iowa to finding love after 40, Cat's journey to get to this point wasn't easy or quick, but it made her who she is today.    Links: IG: @laurabbehnke  @thelifeactuallypodcast  Website: laurabehnke.com    Guest Links:IG: @catcantrill  Website: Single Women's Society  Podcast: Single Women's Society 
Sandra Rodriguez Bicknell has found her purpose. And it all began when she finally shared her voice through her bestselling memoir, Cuts of a Diamond. Now she works with others to help them do the same through their own writing. Sandra knows this is the work she was meant to do. But it didn't all come together until she was in her 50s. Which is further proof that there are no time or age limits in life. Sandra is also a mom, a model, an acclaimed jeweler, and so much more. So far her life definitely has not gone according to any plan. And she wouldn't have it any other way.  Links: IG: @laurabbehnke  @thelifeactuallypodcast  Website: laurabehnke.com    Guest Links:IG: @sandrarodriguezbicknell  Website: cutsofadiamond.com  Book: Cuts of a Diamond
Alexa Cawley didn't know exactly how her life would go but she did expect a couple of things: she'd be married and have kids. Now in her early 30s she's realized that may not go according to plan.  At least not on her original timeline!  Alexa has been too busy following her entrepreneurial spirit and carving out her own space in the health and wellness industry.  Because while she enjoyed her time in the corporate world, there was something tugging at her heart and urging her to take that scary--but exciting--leap out of her comfort zone.  From there her company, Forever Friday Consulting, was born.  Just as a global pandemic began.  Talk about things not going according to plan!  All the while she was also going through an unexpected breakup.  It wasn't what she expected, but it led to her now being exactly where she knows she should be.  Links: IG: @laurabbehnke  @thelifeactuallypodcast  Website: laurabehnke.com    Guest Links:IG: @foreverfriday.co  Website: foreverfriday.co
There are certain things we openly celebrate in a woman's life, like engagements, getting married, having kids and getting that promotion. But what about everything else? Lisa Cleary knows all about what she calls the "toxic milestone mentality".  And the feeling that if you aren't checking off those boxes then you are failing. After ending a toxic relationship in her early 30s with the person she thought she would marry, this tough love self-help writer knew it was time to start redefining the idea of life milestones and the things we celebrate. Because there's more to life than just chasing the next societal norms. And being single presents plenty of experiences and achievements that deserve to be acknowledged.  Links: IG: @laurabbehnke  @thelifeactuallypodcast  Website: laurabehnke.com    Guest Links:IG: @lisacleary3  Website: lisacleary.com  Book: How To Survive A Breakup: When All Of Your Friends Are Birthing Their Second Child
It has been a long journey, but in this solo episode Laura tells her pregnancy story. She and her husband Marc and so thrilled to be welcoming a baby in December, 2021, but getting to this point has not been easy. From dealing with a rare genetic condition, to educating themselves on infertility treatments, to dealing with a global pandemic and enduring multiple failed rounds of IVF, Laura shares it all. She's also letting you in on the baby's gender. This is an emotional episode that could be difficult for those triggered by talk of infertility and IVF. It's also a real look into one person's path to having a baby which looked nothing like how she had planned.  Links: IG: @laurabbehnke@thelifeactuallypodcastWebsite: laurabehnke.com
For 27 years Laura Friedman Williams thought she was living out her happy ending. She'd been in a loving relationship with her husband for nearly three decades and had three beautiful kids as a result. It was everything she had planned for. Then one day she learned of her husband's affair and it not only rocked her world but also set her off on a course of self discovery. While she had always loved the life she had, Laura found there was more than one way to create a new happiness for herself. And it just so happened to involve a lot of sex. Because there's no single outcome that gives your life meaning. We all have a choice. And Laura isn't apologizing for hers.  Links: IG: @laurabbehnke@thelifeactuallypodcastWebsite: laurabehnke.comDating, Actually: The Anti-Dating-Guide Dating Guide  Guest Links:IG: @laurafriedmanwilliams The Book: Available: A Memoir of Sex And Dating After A Marriage Ends
Francesca Hogi has never really had a plan.  In fact, she still doesn't! Her main goal has always been to not live an ordinary life. Turns out, that hasn't been a problem. Francesca has been a corporate lawyer, worked in Hollywood, gone back to being a lawyer, been a two-time reality show loser--her words!--tried her hand at matchmaking, and now helps people as a love coach. She also has no interest in getting married or having kids, despite all the questions she still gets asked about it. Francesca doesn't know what's next, but it's safe to say that whatever happens, it won't be ordinary.  Links: IG: @laurabbehnke @thelifeactuallypodcast Website: laurabehnke.com Dating, Actually: The Anti-Dating-Guide Dating Guide  Guest Links: IG: @dearfranny Website: dearfranny.com Dating Archetype Quiz
Hillary Seiler never wanted to be a person who just checked off a box because that's what someone else told her she was supposed to do. No, Hillary refuses to settle, not only in relationships but in every aspect of her life. Her perspective on life changed drastically when she watched her family struggle for years through her mom's terminal illness and saw the toll it took both emotionally and financially. When her mom passed she knew she wanted to help others understand and establish their own financial ability. And with that her first business was born. She's a certified financial education coach and works with several NFL teams to help their players achieve longterm financial stability. Hillary never expected her life to go this way, but now she couldn't imagine doing anything else.LinksIG: @laurabbehnkeWebsite: laurabehnke.comThe Life Actually Podcast on Apple PodcastsGuest LinksIG: @hillary_seiler@seilerfec@financialfootworkWebsite: financialfootwork.com
Ceta Walters's plan didn't exactly go the way she expected but the end result was the same: a great job, a husband, and two beautiful kids.  But that's where much of her story begins.  Because in the span of just a few months in 2019 Ceta filed for divorce and then learned she had breast cancer.  That's right, it was the Big C and D, as Ceta calls them.  And she went through the thick of it all right in the middle of a global pandemic.  The last two years have been anything but simple for Ceta, but she knows she can't be the only person who is going through something like this.  Which is why she tells her story of perseverance.  Because no one should feel alone in their own struggles.
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Comments (1)

Jax Sirotiak

I've been binge listening to this podcast while I reevaluate where my career is going and it's soooooo helpful to hear other women's stories and what they've learned from them. For anyone trying to stop their bad inner critic or make a large life change this is a great podcast to listen to! 10/10

Apr 26th
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