Courageous Pivot with Meghan Telpner
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What if the next right move is to slow down, let go, or completely change course?
Hosted by bestselling author and entrepreneur Meghan Telpner, The Courageous Pivot explores what it really means to honour your truth—even when it challenges everything you’ve built.
Through personal stories, guest interviews and practical tools, Meghan shares how to navigate fear, trust your intuition, and redefine success on your own terms.
In real time, through this podcast she is developing a framework to help you determine what to do when you don’t know what to do. Because often, the bravest thing you can do is dare to do it all differently.
More at https:/courageouspivot.com/
Hosted by bestselling author and entrepreneur Meghan Telpner, The Courageous Pivot explores what it really means to honour your truth—even when it challenges everything you’ve built.
Through personal stories, guest interviews and practical tools, Meghan shares how to navigate fear, trust your intuition, and redefine success on your own terms.
In real time, through this podcast she is developing a framework to help you determine what to do when you don’t know what to do. Because often, the bravest thing you can do is dare to do it all differently.
More at https:/courageouspivot.com/
56 Episodes
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In this raw and timely reflection, Meghan addresses the toxic state of online conversation and our fundamental capacity for critical thinking, our willingness to understand opposing views, and our ability to hold conflicting ideas with grace. With her characteristic blend of urgency and heart, she explains why she’s moving deeper conversations to Substack and focusing on helping people find their way back to themselves. Essential listening for anyone feeling overwhelmed by the current cultural climate and ready to prioritize coherence over chaos, depth over dopamine hits, and authentic connection over performative engagement. Links + Resources Full show notes Learn: Try my FREE Coherence session
What happens when standing for your principles means losing everything you’ve built? Dr. Julie Ponesse, an ethics professor for 20 years, faced exactly that choice when her university policies fell out of alignment with her personal ethics. With a newborn baby and no backup plan, she refused—not because the decision was easy, but because staying silent would have meant abandoning who she was. In this profound conversation, Julie unpacks the difference between having “no choice” due to fear versus having no choice if you want to remain in integrity with yourself. She speaks candidly about moral injury, the loss of trust, and the recovery time she now needs. But she also shares the unexpected gifts that came from having clarity about her core values, and a surprising new path helping others achieve financial freedom. This is a story about being faithful to yourself even when the cost is everything. Essential listening for anyone who’s ever wondered if they have the courage to choose their principles over their security. Full show notes Money Mastery - A wildly practical approach to financial literacy, empowered money mindset, and wealth building for a life of joy and freedom (use code PIVOT30 at checkout to save 30% on the course).
What if the biggest barrier to your courageous pivot isn't fear of failure, but fear of being truly seen? In this deeply revealing episode, Meghan explores how the masks we wear to feel safe and accepted actually keep us trapped in lives that don't fit anymore. Drawing on wisdom from spiritual teachers like Michael Beckwith and research from the HeartMath Institute, she reveals why hiding our authentic selves isn't just emotionally costly—it's literally making us less intelligent, less creative, and less capable of creating the lives we want. Essential listening for anyone ready to stop managing perceptions and start living authentically. Links + Resources Full show notes
What happens when you outgrow the life you worked so hard to build? In this episode, Meghan explores the unexpected grief that comes with positive change—the mourning that happens when you release a successful career, comfortable identity, or accomplished version of yourself that no longer fits who you’re becoming. This isn’t about traditional loss. It’s about the complex emotions of saying goodbye to dreams you’ve achieved, identities that served you well, and the version of yourself that others could easily understand and categorize. If you’ve ever felt guilty for being sad about letting go of something you chose to release, or you’re navigating the tender space between who you were and who you’re becoming, this episode offers validation and wisdom for honoring both your growth and your grief. Essential listening for anyone in transition who needs permission to mourn their former selves with grace. Links + Resources Full show notes
This is essential listening for creative professionals and entrepreneurs who have found external success but are discovering that showing up authentically in their work feels more terrifying than any career risk they've ever taken. What if your most successful career moves were actually the easy part, and showing up as your authentic self was the real challenge? In this deeply vulnerable conversation, actress, producer, and director Sarah Carter reveals why launching her new website - simply being honest about who she is and what she does - has left her more terrified than any of her Hollywood pivots. Despite leaving university after booking her first six auditions, starring in hit series like "Falling Skies," and successfully transitioning from actor to award-winning filmmaker, Sarah describes experiencing a "vulnerability hangover" from finally showing up authentically. Links + Resources Full show notes
Essential listening for anyone who's letting money fears keep them stuck in a life that's slowly draining their soul. What if the biggest financial risk isn't making a change—but staying where you are? In this honest exploration of money and pivoting, Meghan dismantles the stories that keep us trapped and reveals the hidden costs of misalignment that nobody wants to calculate. From the "misalignment tax" we pay when living out of integrity to practical frameworks for financially sustainable transitions, this episode offers both the reality check and the roadmap you need. Discover why your energy and aliveness are your greatest assets, learn to distinguish between fear-based and trust-based money decisions, and find out how living in alignment often simplifies your relationship with money entirely. Whether you're contemplating a career change, relationship shift, or geographic move, this episode provides the tools to make your pivot financially intelligent—not just emotionally necessary. Links + Resources Full show notes Money Mastery - A wildly practical approach to financial literacy, empowered money mindset, and wealth building for a life of joy and freedom (use code PIVOT30 at checkout to save 30% on the course).
What if the secret to a fulfilling life isn't finding your one true calling, but embracing the courage to constantly reinvent yourself? In this inspiring episode, classically trained chef Christine Flynn shares her remarkable journey through multiple pivots—from fine dining kitchens to viral internet fame as Jacques La Merde, from single motherhood with twins to building a self-sufficient farm life in Nova Scotia. Christine's story reveals how each career change, each challenge, and even a near-death experience became stepping stones to greater authenticity. Now raising three children while sewing clothes, growing food, and writing cookbooks, she demonstrates that true success comes from aligning with who you're becoming rather than clinging to who you were. Essential listening for anyone feeling called to live more authentically, parents seeking to model courage for their children, or anyone ready to embrace the beautiful uncertainty of constant growth. Links + Resources Full show notes
Essential listening for anyone ready to stop playing it safe and start leading with courage. What happens when a respected ICU doctor realizes that staying silent about what he's witnessing costs more than speaking up? Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng shares his powerful transformation from following medical protocols to courageously advocating for prevention-based healthcare—even when it meant facing threats, professional backlash, and personal PTSD. In this raw conversation, Dr. Kyeremanteng reveals how the COVID crisis became his catalyst for speaking truth about metabolic health, the devastating impact of lockdowns, and why the healthcare system desperately needs root-cause healing. He opens up about the price of courage to teaching his three sons that adversity is okay when you're fighting for what's right. If you've ever felt the tension between staying safe in your profession and speaking your truth, this episode offers a powerful framework for leading fearlessly when the stakes are highest. Links + Resources Full show notes
What if your greatest success has become your most beautiful prison? In this powerful episode, Meghan Telpner tackles the hardest part of any pivot: letting go of what you've built, invested in, and poured your heart into—especially when it still looks successful from the outside. Drawing from the liberating concept of sunk cost fallacy, Meghan reveals why we often choose the certainty of familiar unhappiness over the uncertain possibility of fulfillment. If you've ever felt like an employee in a life you wouldn't have applied for, or wondered why you feel trapped despite your apparent success, this episode offers both permission and a pathway. Meghan transforms the narrative around "letting go" from loss to liberation, showing how releasing what no longer serves you becomes a sacred act of trust. Essential listening for anyone feeling the quiet rebellion of their own heart. Links + Resources Full show notes Learn: Try my FREE Coherence session Shop: 30% off Rise + Shine: Guided Path to Heart-Led Living and Leadership
What happens when questioning what to feed your baby leads you to question everything you've built your life on? Former NICU nurse Kristen Nagle's journey from healthcare worker to losing her 14-year career, facing $100,000 in fines, and finding profound freedom is one of the most courageous pivots you'll ever hear. In this raw and powerful conversation, Kristen shares how becoming a mother cracked open her worldview, leading her from fear-based decisions to heart-led knowing—even when it meant standing alone against every institution she'd once trusted. This isn't just about medical freedom—it's about the courage to change your mind, the strength found in losing everything, and the unexpected gifts that emerge when you finally stop living for others' approval. Essential listening for anyone questioning the path they're on or ready to discover what freedom actually feels like. Links + Resources Full show notes Learn: Try my FREE Coherence session Shop: 30% off Rise + Shine: Guided Path to Heart-Led Living and Leadership
What if the most courageous thing you could do today is admit you might be wrong about everything—including yourself? In this paradigm-shifting episode, Meghan explores the "sacred art of disillusionment" and why our greatest liberation might come from questioning the very beliefs we've built our lives on. Meghan reveals why changing your mind isn't weakness. If you've been clinging to beliefs, identities, or paths that no longer serve you but feel too invested to let go, this episode offers a completely new framework for embracing the unknown. Essential listening for anyone ready to trade false certainty for authentic possibility—and discover the profound gifts waiting on the other side of everything you thought you knew. Links + Resources Full show notes Learn: Try my FREE Coherence session Shop: 30% off Rise + Shine: Guided Path to Heart-Led Living and Leadership
What if courage isn't about fearless leaps, but about consistently doing what brings you joy? In this conversation with UJ Ramdas—the co-creator of the Five Minute Journal, which sold over a million copies before selling his share of the company—we explore why real courage is a muscle you build through small, daily acts of aliveness. UJ shares his remarkable journey from leaving India alone at 17 to building a multimillion-dollar business, then choosing freedom over the "success" everyone else saw. But this isn't just another entrepreneur story. This is about redefining purpose as aliveness, learning to examine fear versus intuition, and understanding why doing what you love is actually a radical act of courage. If you've ever felt trapped in your own success, wondered how to know when you're in a "comfort loop," or questioned what it really means to live with purpose, UJ's insights on seeking the source of being while navigating the practical world offer a refreshing perspective on what it means to stay awake to your own life. Essential listening for anyone ready to trade comfort for aliveness. Links + Resources Full show notes 30% off Money Mastery: A simplified, effective and joyfully aligned path to money literacy and financial freedom
What if your resistance to change isn't weakness, but wisdom trying to keep you safe? In this eye-opening episode, Meghan explores the fascinating concept of "immunity to change"—why even the smallest shifts can feel impossibly difficult, and why willpower alone isn't enough. Drawing from groundbreaking research by psychologists Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey, she reveals how our unconscious "competing commitments" create an internal tug-of-war that sabotages our best intentions. Through personal stories and practical examples, Meghan shows how to work with your resistance instead of against it, using gentle experiments to test the fears that keep you stuck. Whether you've been beating yourself up for not following through on micro-pivots, or you're curious why change feels so hard even when you genuinely want it, this episode offers a compassionate new framework for understanding your inner protective system. Essential listening for anyone ready to stop fighting themselves and start creating sustainable change from a place of self-compassion. Links + Resources Full show notes Learn: Try my FREE Coherence session Shop: 30% off Rise + Shine: Guided Path to Heart-Led Living and Leadership
What if transformation doesn't require blowing up your entire life? In this essential episode, Meghan Telpner introduces the powerful concept of "micro-pivots"—those small, strategic shifts that move you toward greater alignment without the dramatic upheaval. Whether you're constrained by young children, financial commitments, or simply aren't ready for the grand gesture, this episode offers a practical roadmap for change that honours your current reality. Micro-pivots prove that courage doesn't always look like a bold leap—sometimes it's simply the choice to honour your heart in ways that are available to you right now. Perfect for anyone feeling the pull toward change but wondering how to start, or those who need permission to take the smaller, gentler path toward alignment. Links + Resources Full show notes Learn: Try my FREE Coherence session Shop: 30% off Rise + Shine: Guided Path to Heart-Led Living and Leadership
What if the biggest obstacle to your success isn't external circumstances, but the mental barriers you've inherited without question? In this provocative conversation, Sean Croxton reveals how challenging tribal thinking and limiting beliefs transformed him from a broke personal trainer to a multi-millionaire entrepreneur—and why he walked away from it all to rebuild on his own terms. From deleting millions of YouTube views in a moment of self-doubt to losing friendships over refusing to stay silent, Sean shares the real cost of independent thinking and why most people choose comfort (even when it's miserable) over uncertain possibility. If you've ever felt trapped by others' expectations or wondered why you keep sabotaging your own progress, this episode will challenge everything you think you know about success, wealth, and what it really takes to live authentically and follow the whispers of your heart. Essential listening for anyone ready to break free from a self-made mental prison and build your life on your own terms. Links + Resources Full show notes Learn: 30% off Money Mastery: A simplified, effective and joyfully aligned path to money literacy and financial freedom
What if the most productive thing you could do right now is absolutely nothing? In this essential episode, host Meghan Telpner explores the sacred space between hearing your heart's whisper and knowing your next move—that uncomfortable liminal zone where transformation actually happens. Drawing from her own two-year journey in the "fertile void" after scaling down her successful business, Meghan reveals why rushing to fill uncertainty might be robbing you of your most profound pivot. She shares practical wisdom on creating intentional space, grieving old identities, and trusting life's timeline over your own agenda. If you're caught between what was and what could be, feeling pressure to have it all figured out, or struggling with the discomfort of not knowing, this episode offers a radical reframe: the unknown isn't empty—it's full of potential Essential listening for anyone in transition who needs permission to trust the process and stop forcing clarity before it's ready. Links + Resources Learn: Try my FREE Coherence session Blog: The Time In Between: How To Be Present
Meghan reveals why the words to Roxette's "Listen to Your Heart" isn't just feel-good advice—it's scientifically backed wisdom your body's been trying to tell you all along. Meghan breaks down the biology behind intuition, explains why your mind keeps you stuck in familiar (but soul-crushing) territory, and shares simple practices to tune into the expansion vs. contraction signals your body is constantly sending you. Whether you're standing at a crossroads, feeling disconnected from your current path, or exhausted from overthinking every decision, this episode offers a refreshing alternative: trusting the intelligence you already carry within. Learn to distinguish between fear-based thinking and heart wisdom, and discover why the most courageous pivots don't come from logic—they come from truth. Perfect for anyone ready to stop gaslighting their own inner knowing and start making decisions that actually feel aligned. Links + Resources Full show notes Learn: Try my FREE Coherence session Blog: How to Retrain Your Brain for Happiness Blog: Creating Inner Harmony in 30 Seconds Shop: Try this HeartMath Inner Balance Coherence Device Shop: 30% off Rise + Shine: Guided Path to Heart-Led Living and Leadership
Have you ever felt the pull toward something that makes absolutely no logical sense? Angela de la Agua's story will remind you why following your heart is the most radical act of courage—and why it's worth every uncomfortable moment. From fashionista to desert mystic, Angela shares what happens when you finally stop ignoring the whisper and leap into the complete unknown. This conversation gets real about the messy middle of transformation: the relationships that shift, the identity crises that hit, and how to trust your inner knowing when everyone around you thinks you've lost it. We explore the difference between mind wisdom and heart wisdom, what it takes to rebuild your life from scratch, and why the most aligned path often looks like the craziest one. Angela's journey proves that sometimes the thing that terrifies you most is exactly what your soul is calling you toward. If you've been sensing that your current life no longer fits, or you're afraid of what might happen if you actually listen to that persistent inner nudge, this episode offers both inspiration and permission to trust the mystery. Essential listening for anyone ready to discover what becomes possible when you choose alignment over approval. Links + Resources Subscribe on Substack Full show notes 30% off Rise + Shine: Guided Path to Heart-Led Living and Leadership
What happens when everything you've built stops feeling like you? This isn't a story about burnout or business failure—it's about the radical courage to honor who you're becoming, even when it makes zero logical sense. In this episode, Meghan shares why she walked away from a globally successful business that was thriving by every metric. The real moment she knew. The price tag of freedom. And the terrifying question every successful person faces: "Who am I without this?" If you've ever felt disconnected from something you worked hard to build, wondered if you're allowed to want something different, or questioned whether success is supposed to feel this heavy—this conversation will hit different. Because sometimes the most courageous pivot isn't growing bigger. It's trusting the whisper that says it's time to scale down and come home to yourself. Perfect for anyone ready to redefine what success actually means. Links + Resources Subscribe on Substack Full show notes 30% off Rise + Shine: Guided Path to Heart-Led Living and Leadership
Before the big dramatic moment, before the crisis, before the leap—there's always a whisper. That quiet inner knowing that something isn't quite right anymore. The subtle nudge that says, "This isn't it." In this episode, we explore how to recognize and honour those early signals before they become overwhelming. You'll discover what the whisper actually sounds like, why we resist listening to it, and how to tell the difference between a passing frustration and a true call for change. If you're feeling that quiet stirring, that sense of "something more," this episode will help you trust what you're sensing and take the first courageous step: simply listening. Ready to stop ignoring your inner wisdom? Tune in and discover the power of the whisper. Links + Resources Subscribe on Substack Full show notes 30% off Rise + Shine: Guided Path to Heart-Led Living and Leadership
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