A LOT with Audra

What if the story you've been told about the teenage years is just... wrong? My guest today, Megan Saxelby, founder of Wild Feelings, spent 15 years teaching middle school and 4 teaching high school before becoming a parent coach — and she's here to make the case that adolescence isn't something to survive, it's a season to actually enjoy. We get into what parents misunderstand before the tween years even start, what it really costs us when we buy into the "terrible teens" narrative, and how to stay close to our kids as they pull toward independence.

Highlights

The "terrible teens" narrative is a socially constructed story — and believing it primes you to see your kid's behavior through a negative lens.
Adolescence, by current research, spans ages 10–25 (early adolescence 10–14, adolescence 14–17/18, late adolescence 18–25).
Believing the bad narrative costs you connection and self-trust as a parent.
Separate "connection" from "administration" (logistics) — they are not the same relationship currency.
Happiness isn't the goal — resilience and contentment matter more than chasing a feeling.
The research-backed parenting style that works best: high expectations + high support (authoritative parenting).
Anxious kids need validation of their feelings paired with high expectations — not accommodation of the anxiety.
Little-kid connection tools (playfulness, silliness, jokes) still work in the teen years — you just have to apply them differently.
A single family "anchor behavior" (like a weekly dinner or movie night) is linked to a 20% reduction in anxiety and depression in youth.
Family shorthand phrases (inside jokes, references) become powerful emotional shortcuts that last for decades.
A "family care chart" — a shared, visible list of everyone's comfort items and needs — is Megan's top back-to-school tip.

Chapters

0:00 — Meet Megan Saxelby
2:11 — The Teen Myth
4:30 — Beyond 18 Summers
6:03 — Happiness Isn't the Goal
9:26 — Defining Adolescence Ages
10:17 — Cost of the Bad Narrative
10:32 — Connection vs. Logistics
12:10 — Trust Your Kid
14:54 — Boundaries Without Shame
17:55 — High Support, High Expectations
19:29 — Helping Anxious Kids Grow
20:20 — Holding the Line
21:02 — Discomfort Isn't Failure
21:17 — Capitalism and Parenting Pressure
22:09 — Tween Parenting: A Second Act
22:58 — Keep the Playfulness
23:43 — Stay a Full Person
26:38 — Build Connection on Purpose
27:36 — Weird Questions and Anchor Rituals
30:25 — Family Shorthand Moments
34:11 — The Story You Tell Yourself
35:55 — High Expectations, High Support (Revisited)
37:48 — Back-to-School Encouragement
38:50 — Family Care Chart Tip
39:46 — Wrap Up and Where to Follow

Resources Mentioned

Wild Feelings
Megan Saxelby on Instagram, LinkedIn and Substack

Want to learn more?
The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

Ever feel like your best years might already be behind you? Lee Gray would tell you they're just getting started.

At 50, Lee was laid off from her corporate marketing job — and instead of it breaking her, it became the launchpad for the most successful chapter of her career. Today she's a business coach, entrepreneur, and podcast host who's helped over 100 business owners build companies that don't depend on them for everything. We talk about the mindset shift from employee to true owner, why "busy" isn't the same as "business," the sales and marketing muscles every entrepreneur has to build, and the simple, almost anticlimactic traits that actually predict success. If you've ever wondered whether it's too late to start over, this conversation is your permission slip.

Highlights:

Lee's story of getting laid off at 50 — and turning it into fuel instead of defeat
Why most "second acts" start with a gift, not a plan
The mindset shift from employee thinking to true ownership
Why business owners buy themselves a job instead of building a business (and how to avoid it)
The three simple traits Lee has seen in every successful entrepreneur she's coached
The difference between being "busy" and actually doing "business"
Lee's DGLPA formula for turning a dream into a plan
Why telling the world about your second act is the most important first step

Chapters:

0:00 – Dream Becomes Real
1:30 – Meet Lee Gray
3:36 – Laid Off at 50
5:39 – Gift and Retaliation
8:34 – Ownership Mindset Shift
11:58 – Why Second Acts Work
14:07 – Traits of Winners
15:44 – Passion vs Business
17:15 – Sales and Marketing Muscles
19:03 – Busy vs Business
19:59 – Scaling Fears and Stories
21:56 – Dreams, Goals, Learning, Action
24:56 – Stop Buying a Job
27:13 – Make It Public
28:27 – Closing and Connect

Resources mentioned:

Action Coach Business Coaching with Lee Gray
The Second Act Business Owner podcast, available on Apple, Spotify and YouTube
The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

Want to learn more?
The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

How do you inherit someone else's dream and make it your own? Molly Motsinger built a 21-year career in healthcare before walking away to become CEO of Sapahn, an ethical fashion brand she didn't found but fell completely in love with. We talk about what it's like to step into a mission you didn't create, why she got "obsessed" with Sapahn before she ever considered leaving healthcare, and how founder Brooke is learning to hand off her 15-year-old baby without losing what makes it special. Molly gets honest about the fear of disappointing investors and mentors, the guilt of not working "100 hours a week," and why she believes there's never actually a good time to take a leap. If you've ever felt torn between honoring where you've been and stepping into who you're becoming, this conversation is for you.

Highlights

Molly spent 21 years in healthcare, starting as a dietary aide at age 15, before pivoting into fashion
She founded Superb, a healthcare tech company giving nurses scheduling flexibility and advocacy
Molly met Sapahn founder Brooke through the same entrepreneurial accelerator where she met Audra
She describes getting "obsessed" with Sapahn as a signal that a bigger change was calling her
Molly and Brooke essentially became "each other's equal" — each needed what the other loved doing
Molly reframes stepping back from Superb's day-to-day as growth, not giving up
She unpacks the guilt of not working 50-60 hours a week and equating time with worth
Her advice: stop making up stories about disappointing others — most people are quietly doing the same thing
As Sapahn's CEO, her job isn't to fix a broken business — it's to protect what works and grow what's next, especially shifting into e-commerce
Key advice to women: there's never a good time to take the leap, so take it anyway

Chapters

1:03 — Meet Molly Motsinger and Sapahn's mission
3:32 — Molly joins the show
4:13 — Molly's 21 years in healthcare and building Superb
6:06 — How Molly met Brooke and fell in love with Sapahn
10:08 — Recognizing "the bridge" and the divine timing of the decision
15:02 — Letting go of guilt around time, hours, and disappointing others
19:56 — Leading Sapahn forward without losing its soul
25:40 — What Molly has learned watching Brooke let go and grow
28:01 — Advice for women standing on their own bridge
30:41 — Closing and where to find Sapahn

Resources Mentioned

Sapahn
Superb

Want to learn more?
The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What if the real reset you need this year isn't about a new planner or another five-year plan — but about getting brutally honest with who you are right now? In this solo episode, I'm walking through the psychology-backed "fresh start effect" and sharing the three lessons I'm personally carrying into the second half of 2026: why the real work always starts internally, why it's time to let go of who you used to be (and what used to work for you), and why choosing to believe life is happening for you — not to you — can change everything about how you move through overwhelm.

Highlights

The "fresh start effect" is a real psychological phenomenon — meaningful dates and transitions (New Year's, birthdays, Mondays) boost our motivation to pursue goals by giving us psychological distance and a mental clean slate.
Lesson one: no matter the goal, the work always starts internally — chasing external milestones (a new job, a relationship, a certain income) means your sense of purpose stays tied to a constantly moving goalpost.
Practices that support "internal work" include therapy, examining thought patterns, meditation, journaling, self-compassion, and visualization.
Lesson two: get honest about who you are now, not who you were 6 months or 10 years ago — habits and structures that worked in a past season (like working from home) may no longer serve you.
Lesson three: life happens for you, not to you — reframing overwhelm as something you have agency over, rather than a fixed state, helps break negative patterns.
A personal story about a birthday slumber party with her team, where a bracelet reading "for you" became a symbol of choosing agency over victimhood.

Chapters

1:04 — Fresh Start Effect
2:33 — Midyear Reset Setup
3:19 — Work Starts Within
5:28 — Tools For Inner Work
8:07 — Be Honest Now
9:48 — Life Happens For You
11:02 — Breaking Overwhelm
12:60 — Three Lessons Recap
14:02 — Wrap Up And Share

Want to learn more?
The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What if the key to growth this summer was intentionally chasing no's? That's exactly what I've been doing — and it's changing how I approach risk, rejection, and going after what I want in business and life.

After working with a coach last fall on vocational dreams, I was introduced to a goal that stopped me in my tracks: collect 100 no's. The idea is simple but powerful — the more asks you put out there, the more opportunities you create. This episode unpacks that concept, explores why "no" is actually clear and kind, and walks through how I've gamified rejection for myself this summer using a tracking spreadsheet.

Highlights

Rejection doesn't mean you're not good enough — it means "not right now" or "not for me," and those are two very different things
A "maybe" is actually worse than a "no" — a no is clear, and clear is kind
Reframing "no" as a doorway to an eventual yes from somewhere else shifts everything
The Summer of 100 No's has two goals: get comfortable taking risks, and get okay with rejection
Collecting 100 no's means you'll likely find 10 yeses — and those yeses move your business forward
The mistake in my first business wasn't the branding or the website — it was avoiding the ask out of fear of rejection
When I started The Thread, I did it differently: I ran a focus group before building anything and made the ask to everyone I met
Marketing pulls people to you; going out and asking brings people in — and that's the skill worth developing

Chapters

0:00 – Summer of 100 No's
1:45 – Gamify Rejection
2:10 – No Is Clear & Kind
3:18 – Spreadsheet and Asks
4:22 – Two-Part Goal
6:59 – Expect Yeses Too
7:34 – First Business Lesson
10:55 – Building The Thread
12:21 – Challenge and Wrap Up

Resources Mentioned
Summer of 100 No's Spreadsheet
Connect with Audra on LinkedIn — @AudraDinell
Want to learn more?
The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.