Notes from the Edge

What if the very thing you spent your life trying to hide was actually one of your greatest strengths?Coach Willie Blake, entrepreneur, speaker, podcast host, and high-performance coach, joins Lisa Lacy for an honest conversation about growing up with dyslexia, feeling broken in a world designed for different minds, and discovering that self-acceptance can change everything.From struggling with self-worth to embracing neurodivergence and building confidence through small, intentional actions, Willie shares the lessons that helped him stop merely surviving and start leading with his differences.In this episode:The emotional impact of dyslexia on childhood, relationships, identity, and self-worthReframing neurodivergence from a perceived limitation into a source of creativity, empathy, and strengthOvercoming self-doubt, people-pleasing, and the pressure to fit someone else’s definition of normalWillie’s 2% Rule and GPS Goal Method for creating momentum through manageable, consistent actionLetting go of the need to be everyone’s hero, accepting our imperfections, and learning that even the strongest people need supportConnect with Coach Willie Blake:https://coachwillieblake.com/Connect with Lisa Lacy Inside the Edge:https://www.lisalacy.com/inside-the-edgeWhat did you perform in order to survive?Welcome to the Edge.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when you begin grieving someone you love long before they’re gone?In this deeply personal episode of Notes From the Edge, host Lisa Lacy sits down with Suzanne Sherman, author, memoir editor, and writing coach, to explore childhood trauma, schizophrenia, suicide loss, complicated grief, and the healing power of storytelling.Suzanne was just four years old when her mother developed schizophrenia. At eighteen, she lost her mother to suicide. Decades later, she found the courage to tell their story in her memoir, Living in the Long Shadow: Surviving a Legacy of Mental Illness.But this conversation reveals something profound: sometimes we grieve not only the person we’ve lost, but the life mental illness prevented them from living.Through memories of her mother, decades of unanswered questions, and the decision to finally write her story, Suzanne explores how love, grief, and healing can coexist.In This Episode:Growing Up with a Parent with Schizophrenia: How Suzanne’s childhood changed when her mother’s mental illness emerged, and what happens when children are left to make sense of experiences nobody explains.Suicide Loss & Complicated Grief: The emotional complexity of losing her mother at eighteen, including the grief Suzanne experienced long before her mother’s death.Mental Illness, Family Silence & Childhood Survival: How unspoken struggles, family dynamics, and the need to remain observant can shape a child’s understanding of safety and belonging.Memoir Writing & Healing Through Storytelling: Why Suzanne waited decades to write Living in the Long Shadow, how she found the courage to revisit painful memories, and what writing taught her about her own life.Love Beyond Loss & Finding Meaning: An extraordinary personal experience that changed Suzanne’s understanding of her connection with her mother, the importance of honest communication, and the simple words that helped her persevere: “I can do this.”From the lasting effects of parental mental illness to the courage it takes to tell a deeply personal story, this conversation reminds us that grief doesn’t always begin with death, healing doesn’t require forgetting, and some of the most important conversations are the ones families never learned how to have.Connect with Suzanne ShermanExplore Suzanne’s memoir, writing workshops, coaching services, and weekly memoir classes.Website: https://suzannesherman.comConnect with Lisa | INSIDE THE EDGEJoin INSIDE THE EDGE, a membership community for deeper human conversations, personal exploration, and meaningful connection beyond the podcast.https://www.lisalacy.com/inside-the-edgeWhat did you perform in order to survive?Welcome to the Edge.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What if artificial intelligence could give us more time to be human?In this episode of Notes From the Edge, host Lisa Lacy sits down with Jon Rossiter, entrepreneur and co-founder of Zoloto, to explore AI employees, business automation, leadership, and the future of work.But the conversation goes beyond technology. Jon opens up about people-pleasing, authenticity, accountability, and why meaningful human connection matters more than ever in an increasingly automated world.What happens when technology gives us back our time, but we still have to decide who we want to be?In This Episode:AI Employees & the Future of Work: How specialized artificial intelligence workers are transforming business operations, automation, and the way entrepreneurs manage their companies.Entrepreneurship, Productivity & Work-Life Balance: Why eliminating repetitive tasks could help business owners reduce stress, reclaim valuable time, and focus on what matters most.Leadership, Accountability & Human Trust: Why taking responsibility, acknowledging mistakes, and building authentic relationships remain essential in an increasingly automated world.People-Pleasing, Identity & Authenticity: Jon’s personal experience of letting go of the need for approval and learning to show up without wearing a mask.Human Connection & the Loneliness Epidemic: Why technology cannot replace emotional honesty, meaningful relationships, asking for help, and supporting one another.From AI-powered business transformation to the deeply human need for connection and belonging, this conversation challenges us to consider whether the future of work should be measured only by productivity or by the quality of the lives we’re creating.Connect with Jon RossiterCo-Founder, ZolotoLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnrossiterofficial/Connect with Lisa | INSIDE THE EDGEhttps://www.lisalacy.com/inside-the-edgeWhat did you perform in order to survive?Welcome to the Edge.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What if your biggest financial obstacle isn’t your money, but the unconscious patterns controlling your decisions?Financial advisor, former monk, and bestselling author Doug Lynam returns to Notes From the Edge for a live Enneagram case study with Lisa Lacy, exploring how personality, trauma, fear, and identity shape our relationship with money.In this episode:Why financial stress activates survival instincts and unconscious emotional patterns.How the nine Enneagram personality types influence spending, saving, control, and financial decisions.A live examination of Lisa’s Type 8 personality, including power, boundaries, anger, and the fear of being controlled.How Type 8 and Type 5 personality patterns affect relationships, communication, and financial behavior.How self-awareness, compassion, and intentional choices can transform destructive money patterns into healthier financial habits.Missed Part 1?The Wealth We Can’t Spend: From Marine to Monk to Money Manager with Douglas Lynam.Find it on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/notes-from-the-edge/id1896943121Connect with Doug Lynam:https://www.douglynam.comConnect with Lisa Lacy | INSIDE THE EDGE Membership:https://www.lisalacy.com/inside-the-edgeWhat did you perform in order to survive?Welcome to the Edge.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when the life you’ve worked so hard to build no longer feels like the life you’re meant to live?In this episode of Notes From the Edge, host Lisa Lacy sits down with Luke Mickelson, founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, to explore purpose-driven leadership, community service, personal identity, vulnerability, and how one small act of kindness can grow into a movement that changes hundreds of thousands of lives.Luke had everything he thought success was supposed to look like. A six-figure career, financial stability, a family, and a comfortable life. But something was missing.Then a simple project to build a bunk bed for children sleeping on the floor changed everything.Luke shares the unforgettable story of Haley, a six-year-old girl who had been sleeping on her school clothes because she didn’t have a bed. When she received her very first bed, she wrapped her arms around it and kissed it.That moment transformed Luke’s understanding of success, service, and what it means to make a difference.What began as a small community project became Sleep in Heavenly Peace, an international nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that no child has to sleep on the floor.But this conversation goes far beyond building beds.Lisa and Luke explore the loneliness that can exist behind professional success, the unexpected fulfillment that comes from helping others, and the personal cost of believing that leadership means always having the answers.Luke also opens up about letting go of pride, ego, and the identity he spent years performing, discovering that vulnerability may be one of the greatest strengths a leader can develop.In this episode:Success vs. Fulfillment: Why achieving everything society calls success can still leave us questioning our purpose.One Bed, Thousands of Lives: How Haley’s story helped ignite a community movement addressing childhood bedlessness.The Five Steps to Finding Purpose: Luke’s approach to meaningful action: see it, feel it, act on it, repeat it, and share it.Community Service and Human Connection: How volunteering creates belonging, shifts our perspective, and reminds us that we’re not meant to navigate life alone.Leadership, Identity, and Vulnerability: Why letting go of the need to be strong, have every answer, and perform for others can be profoundly freeing.This is a conversation about ordinary people doing extraordinary things, not because they have all the resources or answers, but because they decide to act.And perhaps the most powerful reminder is that you don’t have to change the entire world to change someone’s world.Connect with Luke MickelsonLearn about Sleep in Heavenly Peace, find a local chapter, volunteer to build or deliver beds, donate, or start a chapter in your community.https://shpbeds.org/Connect with Lisa | INSIDE THE EDGEGo beyond the public conversations with exclusive solo episodes, deeper discussions, and monthly live experiences.https://www.lisalacy.com/inside-the-edgeWhat did you perform in order to survive?Welcome to the Edge.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.