Bia: Becoming in Action

Sandy Hebert
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

I am working to awaken a community of meaningful connection for people who are becoming—as leaders, as professionals, as humans. We never fully arrive in our lives. It is a journey not a destination. I hope this podcast supports the ongoing process of becoming and the courage and curiosity that are necessary to have authentic conversations.

  1. Oct 12

    Making Sense of Purpose: A Conversation with Suneet

    What if the work you have always been drawn to is not something to fit around your career, but the work itself? In this episode of BIA: Becoming in Action, I sit down with Suneet Bhatt, author, educator, coach, and former high-growth executive, for an honest conversation about clarity, purpose, and the courage to reevaluate the life you have built. Suneet shares the journey that led him back to teaching at Rutgers and to writing his USA Today bestselling book, Making Sense of Purpose. Together, we explore why purpose begins with understanding yourself, how to separate strengths from the things that drain your energy, why meaningful feedback must come with space and grace, and what keeps us human in the age of AI. We also discuss the difference between caring and carrying, how empathy becomes compassion through action, and why self-forgiveness may be one of the most powerful and underused tools for moving forward. This conversation is an invitation to notice what matters, tell yourself the truth, and create the space to become who you have always been. In this episode: • Why clarity comes before purpose • Strengths, non-strengths, energy, and values • Giving feedback people can actually use • Purpose and humanity in the age of AI • Caring deeply without carrying everything • The role of self-forgiveness in growth Learn more about Suneet Bhatt and his book Making Sense of Purpose, available now.

    Making Sense of Purpose: A Conversation with Suneet

  2. Sep 15

    What Helps Us Rise

    What happens when you say yes before you feel completely ready? In this solo episode of Bia: Becoming in Action, I reflect on a life-changing year filled with personal reinvention, career transition, entrepreneurship, networking, creativity, and unexpected new beginnings. I share how one spontaneous yes to a BNI meeting changed my understanding of networking and introduced me to an incredible community of business owners, leaders, coaches, creators, and changemakers. I also explore why baking sourdough has become a meaningful practice during this season of growth, and what it continues to teach me about resilience, sensitivity, rest, strength, and becoming. This episode is for anyone navigating a career change, building a business, redefining success, recovering from overgiving, stepping into leadership, or creating a more intentional next chapter. Along the way, I consider: • Why meaningful networking is about connection, not transactions• How small decisions can open unexpected paths• Why sensitivity can be a leadership and creative strength• How challenge and recovery work together to build resilience• Why rest can still look like meaningful, creative work• What it means to keep becoming at midlife and beyond Bia: Becoming in Action features honest conversations with entrepreneurs, community builders, leaders, coaches, creatives, and everyday people who have navigated adversity, reinvention, personal growth, professional change, grief, resilience, and courageous new beginnings. What conditions help you rise? What stretch is building your strength? And what invitation might be waiting for your yes?

    What Helps Us Rise

  3. Aug 24

    The Courage to Be Silly

    What happens when a moment of pure silliness turns into a spiral of self-consciousness? In this episode of Bia – Becoming in Action, I share the story of accidentally matching my outdoor couch, leaning all the way into the joke with a ridiculous George Costanza pose, and then immediately wanting the photo deleted. What started as laughter became embarrassment and judgment. Why did I do that? Why didn't I just change? Why did something that felt so fun in the moment suddenly feel so uncomfortable once I saw myself in a picture? We're exploring the social science of silliness, including the spotlight effect, our fear of social evaluation, the importance of play in adulthood, and how a little psychological distance can change the story we tell ourselves. More importantly, I'm asking what our discomfort with looking ridiculous might reveal about us. When did being competent and grown-up start requiring us to be so serious? And what might happen if we gave ourselves permission to be playful, imperfect, and fully seen? Maybe freedom doesn't always look graceful. Sometimes it looks a little ridiculous. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

  4. Aug 10

    Find Your North Star: A Conversation with Mia

    Careers rarely follow a straight line and maybe they aren't supposed to. In this episode, I sit down with Mia, a young professional who has already navigated multiple career pivots with remarkable clarity and self-awareness. From studying journalism at Northwestern to consulting at Bain, working in beauty startups, and now standing at yet another crossroads, Mia shares how she's learned to distinguish between work that is simply hard and work that no longer aligns with who she is becoming. We explore: Why confidence often comes before certainty The surprising power of networking with intention How storytelling can become your greatest career advantage The difference between "this is challenging" and "this isn't right for me" Why finding your North Star makes career decisions clearer How every chapter—even the difficult ones—can prepare you for what's next One of my favorite moments in our conversation is when Mia says, "Hard is motivating. Not right is demotivating." That simple insight captures something so many of us wrestle with, whether we're navigating our first career, considering a major pivot, or redefining success in midlife. If you're wondering what's next, questioning whether you're on the right path, or trying to build a career that reflects your strengths instead of someone else's expectations, this conversation is for you. Because becoming isn't about having it all figured out. It's about trusting yourself enough to take the next step. Until next time, keep noticing what matters, keep trusting yourself, and keep creating a life that feels true to you.

    Find Your North Star: A Conversation with Mia

  5. Jul 27

    New Prescription

    What if the way you see yourself isn't reality? What if it's a prescription you were given long before you were old enough to choose it? After reading Yesteryear, I found myself thinking less about the novel and more about the invisible lenses we inherit from childhood. The beliefs we absorb about who we are, what we're worth, and what we have to do to be loved can become so deeply embedded that we stop recognizing them as beliefs. They simply feel like the truth. In this episode, I explore the gap between the person we project to the world and the story we carry inside. I share my own journey of realizing how much of my life has been spent trying to turn red lights into green ones, earning acceptance, proving my worth, and believing that more effort always meant more value. Drawing on psychology, attachment theory, and neuroscience, we'll talk about how these early "prescriptions" shape our lives, why they're so difficult to see, and how we begin to update them. Along the way, I reflect on a memorable scene from The Family Stone that has taken on a whole new meaning for me and why I'm learning to stop trying so hard and start paying attention to the green lights that have been there all along. If you've ever felt like you're working endlessly to be enough, this conversation is an invitation to ask a different question: What if you don't need to try harder? What if you simply need to see yourself differently?

    New Prescription

  6. Jul 10

    What Sounds Fun?

    What if fun isn't something you earn after the work is done? What if it's something you've been missing all along? A comment from Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, a surprisingly lovable character from The Bear, and research on the science of fun all led me to the same question: When was the last time you had so much fun that you lost track of time? In this episode, I explore the difference between true fun and distraction, why play can feel so uncomfortable as adults, and how many of us have unintentionally traded curiosity for productivity. I also reflect on my own tendency to give every hobby a purpose and why learning to play again may be one of the most important parts of intentional reinvention. We'll talk about: The three ingredients of true funWhy some people seem naturally comfortable being themselvesHow our nervous systems shape our relationship with playWhy peace and joy can be surprisingly activating to othersHow asking, "What sounds fun?" might open the door to your next chapterBecause maybe reinvention isn't always about becoming someone different. Maybe it's about becoming someone who feels safe enough to be fully yourself. Reflection Questions: When was the last time you had so much fun that you lost track of time?What activities bring you playfulness, connection, and flow?What would you do if it didn't have to be productive?What sounds fun?

    What Sounds Fun?

  7. Jun 29

    Good At Being Bad At Something: A Conversation with Amber

    What does it take to build a life with intention? In this episode, I sit down with Amber, a wife, mother of four, former nurse anesthetist, business development professional, photographer, storyteller, and community builder. While her resume is impressive, what struck me most was the intentionality behind every chapter of her journey. Amber shares what it was like growing up as the oldest child and only girl among three brothers, pursuing a career that was encouraged as a practical path for women, and then continually expanding beyond what was expected of her. We talk about marrying young, raising a family while building a career, moving across the country to pursue graduate school, and what it feels like to leave a role where you're an expert and become a beginner again. We also explore motherhood, marriage, creativity, community, and the legacy we leave through the ordinary moments of our lives. Through photography, storytelling, hospitality, and intentional family traditions, Amber has spent years creating a life worth remembering and helping others feel connected and seen. One of my favorite moments in the conversation is when Amber says, "I'm good at being bad at something." It's a simple phrase, but it captures the courage required to keep growing, learning, and becoming throughout every season of life. In this episode, we discuss: • Growing beyond expectations while honoring your roots• The courage to be a beginner again• Raising confident children and rewriting generational stories• Why connection and community must be intentionally created• Balancing ambition, motherhood, and personal fulfillment• The role of creativity in building a meaningful life• What it means to keep becoming If you've ever found yourself standing at the edge of a new chapter, wondering whether you're capable of starting something unfamiliar, this conversation is for you.

  8. Jun 23

    The Tightening Is The Information

    For most of my life, I thought the answer was to push through. Work harder. Stay positive. Find the silver lining. Keep things moving. But what if the discomfort we're trying so hard to override is actually trying to tell us something? In this episode, I share a recent realization sparked by an Instagram post that stopped me in my tracks: "Your nervous system clocks it before your mind explains it. The tightening is the information. Don't override it." Over the past several weeks, I've been reflecting on my own patterns of overfunctioning, self-judgment, and the subtle ways I've connected my worth to being useful. Through my Energy Leadership assessment, a missed podcast episode, and some honest conversations with myself, I'm beginning to see how often I've ignored important signals in the name of being capable. We explore:• Why overfunctioning can be a strategy for avoiding vulnerability• The difference between being needed and being known• How our nervous system often notices things before our conscious mind does• The hidden cost of constantly rationalizing, justifying, and pushing through• What social science teaches us about belonging, self-awareness, and emotional resilience• Why being witnessed can be more powerful than being validated This episode is an invitation to get curious about the signals you've been dismissing, the stories you've been telling yourself, and the possibility that real strength isn't found in overriding yourself, but in listening. Because maybe the tightening isn't the problem. Maybe it's the information.

    The Tightening Is The Information
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About

I am working to awaken a community of meaningful connection for people who are becoming—as leaders, as professionals, as humans. We never fully arrive in our lives. It is a journey not a destination. I hope this podcast supports the ongoing process of becoming and the courage and curiosity that are necessary to have authentic conversations.

Information

  • Creator
    Sandy Hebert
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Sandy Hebert
  • Show Website
    Bia: Becoming in Action