Becoming Obsessed® | Personal Growth Podcast for Ambitious Women

Teresa Stastny
  • 5.0 (6)
  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Becoming Obsessed is a personal growth podcast for ambitious women who want to live a life they love, and it starts by following their curiosity. Hosted by Teresa Stastny, the show sits at the corner of ambition and self-care: honest conversations about trusting your intuition, quieting the pressure to perform, and letting curiosity (not comparison) guide your next chapter. Each week, Teresa sits down with founders, creatives, and everyday women who've traded the grind for something more aligned, plus solo episodes where she works through the real-time questions she's sitting with in her own life. Expect conversations on self-discovery, mindset, intuition, self-care for high-achievers, authentic ambition, purpose, identity shifts, slow business, women in entrepreneurship, and the quiet nudges that change everything. If you're craving permission to pivot, prioritize yourself, or stop performing a version of success that was never really yours, give Becoming Obsessed a listen. New episodes every Friday. Curiosity leads to a life you love.

  1. 91. How to Build Intentional Community and Reclaim Your Time with Angel Holmes, founder of Brighter Side Society

    1D AGO

    91. How to Build Intentional Community and Reclaim Your Time with Angel Holmes, founder of Brighter Side Society

    In this episode: Angel Holmes built one of the country's largest food and wine festivals from her kitchen table. Now she's teaching ambitious women how to build intentional community, reclaim their time, and grow without torching everything they've already built. Angel is a business coach, community builder, and founder of Brighter Side Society — a global community for high-achieving women built around the idea that the right people, and the right systems, can change everything. She's also the founder of the Charleston Wine & Food Festival, host of the Never Stop Dreaming Biggie podcast, and co-creator of the Homestead Hideaway, a purpose-driven retreat and bar concept coming to the Caribbean. This conversation explores what it actually takes to build a community that lasts, why most of us are wasting time on the wrong things, and what it looks like to keep evolving without burning your life to the ground. KEY TAKEAWAYS Your village and your inner circle can serve completely different purposes. Knowing which is which is what makes both sustainable, and keeps you from resenting either one. Community without rules isn't a community. If all the weight falls on one or two people, it will collapse the moment they step back. Structure is what makes it last. You don't have to burn it down to evolve. Most of what you need for your next chapter is already in what you've already built. Start there. Audit your time before you try to optimize it. Most of us are filling hours with busy work that feels productive but isn't moving the needle on what actually matters. Your big thing will come when it's ready. Angel spent decades doing events before she could finally teach others to do the same — and the timing was exactly right. "I'm not burning it down. I'm building on what I've already done." — Angel Holmes CONNECT WITH ANGEL HOLMES Instagram: @angelpholmes | @thebrightersidesociety | @neverstopdreamingbiggie | @theholmesteadhideawayJoin the Weekly Scoop NewsletterListen to the Never Stop Dreaming Biggie Podcast Connect with Teresa Join the Becoming Obsessed Playground, the weekly email for curiosity-led women building a life they love. Instagram: @becomingobsessedpod and @teresaajeanLeave a review on Apple or Spotify Podcasts. Reviews are the biggest thank-you, and reviews help ambitious women find the show.Website: teresaajean.com Topics: women's community building, intentional community for ambitious women, time management for female entrepreneurs, building without starting over, purpose-driven entrepreneurship, personal growth for ambitious women, curiosity-led living

    44 min

  2. MAY 1

    90. Crying in Public, Letting Your Guard Down, and How Emotions Build Stronger Connection

    Would you be embarrassed if you cried in public? Because I wouldn't be. And I wasn't, even after crying in a coffee shop on a "first date" with a new friend. In this solo episode, I'm exploring and celebrating my own growth around working through emotions in real time. For the first 20+ years of my life, I would bottle up my emotions, until one small trigger, and I'd have a full emotion breakdown. There was no in-between. Now? I can let tears roll in the middle of a conversation with a woman I just met, and walk away feeling more connected to her, not mortified. If you're the woman who won't let herself cry, especially not in public, especially not in front of a stranger, this episode is for you. I'm talking about why tears are not a sign of weakness, what is actually happening in your body when you bottle emotions instead of releasing them, and the middle ground between "stoic and tough" and "complete meltdown." KEY TAKEAWAYS Crying in front of someone often deepens the relationship, not damages it.Bottled emotions do not disappear, they stack.A middle ground exists between "stoic and tough" and "complete meltdown." It took me 20 years to find it, and I'm still learning how to navigate my emotions.Letting your guard down is the practice of trusting yourself to handle whatever emotions come up in real time, without making the tears mean something about your worth or your character. "We can let the tears roll down our face in the middle of a conversation with somebody we don't know. And it doesn't mean the world is ending." - Teresa StastnyConnect with Teresa Join the Becoming Obsessed Playground, the weekly email for curiosity-led women building a life they love. Instagram: @becomingobsessedpod and @teresaajeanLeave a review on Apple or Spotify Podcasts. Reviews are the biggest thank-you, and reviews help ambitious women find the show.Website: teresaajean.com Topics: how to stop bottling up emotions, crying in public, emotional regulation for women, nervous system regulation, vulnerable connection, ambition and self-care, personal growth podcast for ambitious women, curiosity-led living

    11 min
  3. 89. How to Rewire Limiting Beliefs and Master Your Emotions with Stephanie Kaplan, Mindset Coach for Tech Founders

    APR 24

    89. How to Rewire Limiting Beliefs and Master Your Emotions with Stephanie Kaplan, Mindset Coach for Tech Founders

    In this episode: Stephanie Kaplan blends neuroscience, universal laws, and emotional mastery to help founders upgrade who they are at their core because the biggest breakthroughs in business start from within. What if every argument, stuck decision, and frustrating relationship was actually a mirror showing you exactly what needs to change internally? Mindset coach Stephanie Kaplan, who works with tech founders on the inner game of leadership, joins Teresa to unpack why every decision you make is emotional (even the ones you swear are logical), how to rewire the limiting beliefs running your life, and the practice of being so internally obsessed with yourself that you become the greatest thing since sliced bread. If you've been doing the outer work and wondering why nothing feels different, this is your episode. Takeaways: The concept of life as a mirror reflects our inner beliefs and emotions, guiding us towards self-discovery.Emotions are inherently neutral and require expression; it takes merely ninety seconds to process them effectively.Recognizing one's value is vital; we must articulate our worth to ourselves to be perceived positively by others.The importance of reframing our narratives: shifting from a mindset of loss to one of gain can transform our experiences and decisions. Connect with Stephanie: Visit Stephanie's website at stephkaplan.comFollow Stephanie on Instagram @stephbodeSubscribe to The Inner Report on Substack at stephaniekaplan.substack.com Connect with Teresa: @BecomingObsessedpod on Instagram @teresaajean on Instagram Join the Group Chat - subscribe to our weekly email newsletter so you never miss an update. This episode mentions: mindset coaching, emotional mastery, tech founders, personal development, self-discovery, burnout prevention, inner work, emotional intelligence, leadership development, neuroscience in business, entrepreneurship, self-awareness, life as a mirror, decision-making skills, achieving balance, overcoming limiting beliefs, personal growth strategies, self-compassion, community building, cultivating joy

    48 min
  4. 88. How to Build Real Community While Traveling Solo with Liz Rivas of RoamCircle

    APR 17

    88. How to Build Real Community While Traveling Solo with Liz Rivas of RoamCircle

    In this episode: Liz Rivas on choosing herself at the altar, solo traveling 12 countries in 12 months, and building RoamCircle, a global women-first community app, from airport-lounge idea to live product in 90 days. If you've ever landed in a new city and realized the hardest part of solo travel isn't the logistics but the loneliness, this conversation is for you. Liz walked away from her engagement in November 2024, spent the next year digital nomading through 12 countries, and then, in a single half-hour at an airport lounge, had the quiet nudge that became RoamCircle. We get into the origin story, what it actually looks like to live a double life (corporate marketing job by day, founder by morning/night/weekend), why she books business class on purpose, and how to rest without guilt when you're building something you're obsessed with. KEY TAKEAWAYS - You don't need more time, you need more ownership. Your capacity grows with what you choose to build, not what you passively survive. - Community while traveling can be hard to find and the infrastructure for authentic female friendship on the road has been missing until now. - Self-sacrifice has an expiration date when you're building toward a life you love. Living a double life can only last so long. - You can't ask for what you've never seen. Sometimes you need to enter different rooms, or airplane cabins, to see your options differently. - Hormones, energy, and creativity aren't linear and neither is your timeline. Resting without guilt is a founder skill. "One thing that you never hear millionaires say is that they're busy. As you start to make more decisions and build something, your capacity grows, it's not constricting. You actually find more time." — Liz Rivas CONNECT WITH LIZ RIVAS Instagram: @roamcircleapp Website: roamcircle.app RoamCircle, live in 12 cities and growing Connect with Teresa - Join the Becoming Obsessed Playground weekly email for curiosity-led women building a life they love. - Instagram: @becomingobsessedpod + @teresaajean - Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it's the biggest thank-you, and it helps ambitious women find the show - Website: teresaajean.com Topics: solo female travel, digital nomad community, women entrepreneurs, building a startup while working full time, authentic female friendship, curiosity-led living, personal growth podcast for ambitious women, life design

    45 min
  5. 87. How to Price Based on Data, Pivot Without Permission, and Trust the Quiet Nudge with Olivia Austin, Founder of Current Design Studio

    APR 10

    87. How to Price Based on Data, Pivot Without Permission, and Trust the Quiet Nudge with Olivia Austin, Founder of Current Design Studio

    In this episode: Olivia Austin shares how to price your creative business like a studio instead of a freelancer, follow the pivot even when everyone thinks you're crazy, and build a business around the life you actually want. Olivia is the founder of Current Design Studio, co-founder of The Studio Co, and host of the Behind the Design podcast. She walks us through the messy middle of entrepreneurship: quitting her marketing job at 24, scaling her agency to $20K projects, and the data-driven pricing shifts that helped her clients more than double their revenue without a single new lead. We also get into the bigger pivot: relocating her family to North Carolina against everyone's advice, training for a marathon at 4:30 a.m. while her two little kids are still asleep, and what it actually looks like to trust the quiet nudge that won't leave your brain... even when the current version of your life is "good enough." If you're feeling stuck in a business or a life that technically works but doesn't feel like yours, this one's for you. Key takeaways: How to price your services like a studio owner instead of a freelancer — and why the subtle shift in positioning, not undercharging, is what unlocks premium clientsThe data-driven audit to run on your offer suite and lead sources before you "post more on Instagram," start a podcast, or add another funnelWhy the quiet nudge that won't leave your brain — the move, the pivot, the new offer — is data in itself, and worth following even when every person around you disagreesHow to make decisions from your next-level self, using Olivia's favorite reframe: goals aren't a place to get to, they're a place to come fromWhat it actually looks like to build a business (and train for a marathon) around a full life with two little kids — not the other way around Connect with Olivia Austin: Follow Olivia on Instagram @byoliviaaustinExplore Current Design Studio at currentdesignstudio.comLearn about The Studio Co and their masterminds and courses for brand and website designersListen to her podcast: Behind the Design Connect with Teresa Join the Becoming Obsessed Playground weekly email for curiosity-led women building a life they love.Instagram: @becomingobsessedpod + @teresaajeanLeave a review on Apple Podcasts — it's the biggest thank-you, and it helps ambitious women find the showWebsite: teresaajean.com On this episode we cover: pricing for creatives, data-driven business decisions, women entrepreneurs, female founders, pivoting in business, intuition-led decisions, curiosity-led living, personal growth podcast for ambitious women

    46 min
  6. 86. How to Build Real Brand Community in 2026, Rethinking Seven Figures, and the AI Pressure to Do More with Annie Mosbacher, Chief Growth Officer of Dubsado

    APR 3

    86. How to Build Real Brand Community in 2026, Rethinking Seven Figures, and the AI Pressure to Do More with Annie Mosbacher, Chief Growth Officer of Dubsado

    Get 30% off your first month or year of Dubsado when you code: OBSESSED Link: dubsado.com/?c=obsessed * TIn this episode: why community is a verb (not your customer list), what's quietly shifting about the seven-figure goal, and how to use AI without letting it intensify the "you should do more" voice, with Annie Mosbacher, Chief Growth Officer at Dubsado. A month before this episode, I was at Dubsado's headquarters for their Partnership Collaboration Day, and Annie said something I scribbled in my notebook the second it left her mouth: community is a verb. That line set the tone for this whole conversation. We get into Annie's wildly windy path from classical singer to tech executive, why Dubsado pours real money into being in community with their users, what we both heard from small business owners about quietly opting out of the seven-figure dream, and how AI is intensifying the pressure to do more, faster, better... and how to find your own path. If you've been wondering whether you're "ambitious enough" lately, this one's for you. KEY TAKEAWAYS The end goal isn't seven figures — it's a business that lets you live a life you love. Plenty of women in that Dubsado room are choosing to stay at $500K with one VA, on purpose.Community is reciprocal. If your "community" is just your customer list, it's a noun — and nouns go passive fast. Being in community is active, ongoing, and a little inconvenient on purpose.AI is intensifying the voice that says you should be doing more. Career pivots aren't reckless leaps. They're inflection points where the right question is: where can I make a bigger impact next? You can take the leap responsibly — savings, side hustles, a soft place to land — and still call it brave.You can't be a tourist in your community. You have to be a villager. "Community can't exist if it's a one-sided relationship. It has to be reciprocal." — Annie Mosbacher Connect with Annie Mosbacher Follow Annie on Instagram @anniemosbacherKeep up with Dubsado on Instagram @dubsadoConnect with Annie on LinkedInExplore Dubsado at dubsado.com Connect with Teresa Join the Becoming Obsessed Playground weekly email for curiosity-led women building a life they love.Instagram: @becomingobsessedpod + @teresaajeanLeave a review on Apple Podcasts — it's the biggest thank-you, and it helps ambitious women find the showWebsite: teresaajean.com *I may receive a kickback when you use my affiliate code or link. I only share things I love and stand behind 100%! Thank you for supporting Becoming Obsessed by using my affiliate link. Topics: how to build brand community, community as a verb, rethinking seven figures, sustainable small business, women entrepreneurs, AI and small business, ambition and self-care, curiosity-led living, personal growth podcast for ambitious women, Dubsado.

    1h 3m

  7. MAR 27

    85. with COMMUNITY OVER CONVENIENCE | The Small Moments That Actually Build a Life You Love

    In this solo episode, I'm breaking down why "protect your peace" culture has gone too far, and why real community is built in the inconvenient moments — the airport pickups, the showing up when you don't feel like it, the small nothings that actually add up to something. I'm also getting a little philosophical about the society we live in, who benefits when we stop relying on each other, and what we'd build if we could start from scratch. This one's for anyone who's been craving more — more depth, more togetherness, more of what actually matters. Connect with Teresa @BecomingObsessedpod on Instagram @teresaajean on Instagram Join the Group Chat - subscribe to our weekly email newsletter so you never miss an update.

    12 min

  8. MAR 20

    84. with TURNING 30 | Ego Death, Dropping the Business Owner Identity, & Stepping Into My Artist Era

    Your girl is officially joining the thirties club — and she's arriving with a whole new identity. In this solo episode, I'm getting real about turning 30, ego death, and what happens when you finally question the stories you've been telling yourself for years. I'm sharing the moment I decided to take off the "business owner" identity — not to stop building or creating, but to stop letting that label define me. I'm stepping into my artist era, ditching the systems and strategies, and giving myself full permission to just play. If you've ever felt trapped inside the lines you didn't even know you were coloring in, this one's for you. Also — I'm launching 30 Acts of Little Rebellion, a 30-day email series with one small daily reminder that your life is yours to play with. Get the details at teresaajean.com/rebel Connect with Teresa @BecomingObsessedpod on Instagram @teresaajean on Instagram Join the Group Chat - subscribe to our weekly email newsletter so you never miss an update.

    19 min
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About

Becoming Obsessed is a personal growth podcast for ambitious women who want to live a life they love, and it starts by following their curiosity. Hosted by Teresa Stastny, the show sits at the corner of ambition and self-care: honest conversations about trusting your intuition, quieting the pressure to perform, and letting curiosity (not comparison) guide your next chapter. Each week, Teresa sits down with founders, creatives, and everyday women who've traded the grind for something more aligned, plus solo episodes where she works through the real-time questions she's sitting with in her own life. Expect conversations on self-discovery, mindset, intuition, self-care for high-achievers, authentic ambition, purpose, identity shifts, slow business, women in entrepreneurship, and the quiet nudges that change everything. If you're craving permission to pivot, prioritize yourself, or stop performing a version of success that was never really yours, give Becoming Obsessed a listen. New episodes every Friday. Curiosity leads to a life you love.

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