Wise Women: Wisdom's Discovery

Wise Women
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Wisdom’s Discovery: Finding Your Center at the Edge is a limited-series podcast featuring 20 women reflecting on the experiences that stretched them, surprised them, reshaped them, and brought them closer to themselves. These are not stories of having life perfectly figured out. They are stories of becoming. Of meeting uncertainty, loss, transition, humor, ambition, motherhood, identity, and change, and discovering something worth carrying forward. Hosted by Catherine Jelinek, each conversation offers wisdom drawn not from theory, but from lived experience. Come for the stories. Stay for the moments that make you pause, recognize yourself, and see your own life a little differently. This podcast accompanies the anthology book Wisdom’s Discovery: Finding Your Center at the Edge, created by the Wise Women. Find the book on Amazon: https://bit.ly/44BM1av Find the book on Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/4bSO5yC

  1. Jul 31

    Mary Reilly-Magee: Where Mercy Meets Truth

    Mary Reilly-Magee built a thriving learn-to-swim business that served thousands of families. Then, during a supervised event at one of her locations, a young child drowned after trained staff failed to follow established safety protocols. In this deeply personal conversation, Mary shares what it meant to be publicly held accountable for an unimaginable loss. She reflects on separating accountability from responsibility, releasing what was not hers to carry, and navigating the painful experience of being cast as the villain in a story far more complex than the public understood. Alongside judgment and grief, Mary also experienced an extraordinary outpouring of love. Friends, colleagues, and communities supported her for months and years, teaching her that generosity is not simply something we give. We must also be willing to receive it. Mary and Catherine explore forgiveness, faith, humility, and the practice Mary calls infinite generosity. Her story reminds us that even after devastating loss, we can choose not to remain trapped in suffering. We can continue loving, allow ourselves to be loved, and seek meaningful ways to honor what has happened. Connect with Mary: Website: https://maryreillymagee.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-reilly-magee-41997516/

  2. Jul 31

    Amanda Barkey: They Crawled So I Could Run

    Amanda Barkey’s story begins with generations of resilience. Her family fled political and religious persecution, eventually building a new life in Canada. Years later, Amanda and her husband moved to the United States with a baby and everything they owned packed into a Honda Civic. In this conversation, Amanda shares how she built a full life as a mother of five, entrepreneur, and nonprofit leader, then reached a point when she wanted to invest more intentionally in herself. She began with small steps: sitting in the gym parking lot, walking for ten minutes, creating a space for spiritual reflection, and building simple habits that gradually changed her life. Amanda also reflects on her decision to stop drinking after alcohol caused her to miss a cherished Christmas evening with her family. What began as a dry January became a lasting commitment to experiencing her life fully and clearly. Her story reminds us that transformation rarely requires seeing the entire path. We only need to believe in what is possible, take the next right step, and continue becoming the person we know we can be. Connect with Amanda: Website: https://www.amandabarkey.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-barkey-409908107 EOS Website: https://implementer.eosworldwide.com/amanda-barkey/

  3. Jul 31

    Wendy Waldron: Trusting Your Wings

    Wendy Waldron spent years building successful healthcare teams and organizations, believing that hard work and a secure position with a large employer would create safety for her family. Then, without warning, she was laid off. In this conversation, Wendy shares how that abrupt ending gave her the space to reconsider the career she had built. Time with her daughter, long days in the garden, and honest reflection helped her recognize that healthcare had been the setting for her work, but building people, teams, and businesses was the work she truly loved. Wendy and Catherine explore the difference between perceived safety and genuine self-trust. Wendy realized that if even the most stable-looking job could disappear, believing in herself and creating something new was no more dangerous than staying where she no longer belonged. Her story reminds us that safety does not always come from the branch beneath us. Sometimes it comes from remembering that we have wings—and trusting our ability to fly toward the life we can already imagine. Connect with Wendy: Website: https://www.wendywaldron.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendywaldron/ EOS Website: https://implementer.eosworldwide.com/wendy-waldron/

  4. Jul 31

    Jackie Kibler: The Pied Piper

    Jackie Kibler grew up between cultures, religions, and family systems that did not always know how to accept one another. Rather than allowing those experiences to harden her, she learned to create belonging wherever she went. In this conversation, Jackie shares how the support of a few deeply trusted people helped her continue moving forward, even when others underestimated or judged her. Across a career in psychology, business leadership, coaching, and entrepreneurship, she became known for seeing people clearly, meeting them where they were, and helping them recognize their own potential. Jackie and Catherine explore the power of encouragement, genuine relationships, and looking beyond first impressions. Jackie also names an important limit to helping others: we can offer tools, belief, and support, but lasting change has to be chosen by the person making it. Her story reminds us that we do not have to wait for someone else to create the place where we belong. We can march to our own rhythm, invite others along, and become the person who helps someone else feel fully seen. Connect with Jackie: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackiekiblereos/ Website: https://www.eosworldwide.com/jackie-kibler/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackiekiblereos/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackiekiblereos/

  5. Jul 31

    Sandi Mitchell: A HEROIC Day

    After losing her 58-year-old sister, Sandi Mitchell began thinking differently about the future. She no longer wanted to focus only on how long she might live, but on how fully and healthfully she could live those years. In this conversation, Sandi shares the flexible morning practice she created to support her physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health. Through movement, reflection, visualization, learning, and daily commitments, she is becoming more intentional about how she wants to experience each day. Sandi and Catherine also explore grief, perspective, and the freedom that comes from recognizing that circumstances are not inherently good or bad. Even within painful experiences, we can look for the love, connection, and wisdom that remain available to us. Her story reminds us that meaningful change does not have to be perfect or dramatic. Small, consistent choices can strengthen the body, expand our world, and help us move from constant doing into a more joyful and present way of being. Connect with Sandi: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandimitchell/ EOS Website: https://implementer.eosworldwide.com/sandi-mitchell/ Apex Catalyst Group: https://apexcatalystgroup.com/

  6. Jul 31

    Sue Frech: Invite Them In

    Sue Frech launched her own technology company confident that her experience helping other founders grow businesses had prepared her to succeed. She soon discovered that building something from zero was far more difficult—and far lonelier—than she expected. In this conversation, Sue shares how she sold her first major client before the technology was built, then tried to manage every responsibility herself. Afraid that others might see her uncertainty, she kept the company’s biggest challenges hidden. Joining a peer group changed her understanding of leadership. Watching successful women speak openly about their struggles showed Sue that vulnerability was not weakness. It was an invitation for support, wisdom, and better decisions. Sue and Catherine explore learning to delegate, trust a leadership team, stand up to a board, and walk away from people and clients who no longer served the company. Her story reminds us that meaningful growth rarely happens alone. When we invite others into our challenges, we create the trust and collaboration needed for people and businesses to flourish. Connect with Sue: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suefrech Website: https://www.eosworldwide.com/sue-frech

  7. Jul 31

    Sonya Jury: Context Before Conclusion

    While helping rebuild a casino resort after Hurricane Katrina, Sonya Jury overheard colleagues describe her as overwhelmed, frantic, and difficult to work with. Her first response was hurt and defensiveness. Then she listened again and realized they were right. In this conversation, Sonya shares how that moment taught her the importance of context: understanding how we are showing up, what others may be carrying, and the fuller story behind any situation. Rather than treating feedback as an attack, she began using it as an invitation to become a calmer, more present leader. Sonya and Catherine explore how quickly we judge people based on incomplete information, why the first version of a story can shape everything that follows, and how greater awareness can transform communication within teams and relationships. Her story reminds us to pause before reaching conclusions, ask clarifying questions, and become curious about the experiences shaping another person’s behavior. We may not agree with someone’s perspective, but understanding even a small part of their context can create the common ground needed to communicate, collaborate, and move forward. Connect with Sonya: Website: https://implementer.eosworldwide.com/sonya-jury/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonyajury/ Business Sherpa: https://www.businesssherpa.org/

  8. Jul 31

    Stefani Schwartz: Coming Home

    By late 2019, Stefani Schwartz was so burned out that she dreamed of leaving her executive role to become a grocery store cashier. But she gradually realized that changing jobs would not solve the deeper problem: she had built her identity and self-worth around how much she could accomplish for others. In this conversation, Stefani shares how she rose from a part-time bookkeeping position to become the second-in-command of a rapidly growing company. Determined to prove she deserved the opportunity, she worked seven days a week, rarely took vacations, and began resenting colleagues who maintained healthier boundaries. A coaching program intended to help her recover from burnout instead revealed how completely she had abandoned herself. Once Stefani recognized that staying in her role felt like a betrayal of her own needs, she faced one of the hardest conversations of her life and chose to leave. The transition was uncomfortable. Without every minute scheduled, Stefani had to discover who she was beyond work and what genuinely brought her joy. Through travel, painting, gardening, flower arranging, and time outdoors, she began reconnecting with creativity, curiosity, and play. Stefani’s story reminds us that choosing ourselves is not necessarily a rejection of others. When we honor our values, protect our energy, and stop forcing ourselves into places that no longer fit, everyone around us can benefit. Self-worth is not something we earn through performance. It has always been within us, waiting for us to return. Connect with Stefani: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanicalvano/ Website: https://implementer.eosworldwide.com/stefani-schwartz/ Outpace Enterprises: https://outpaceenterprises.com/coaches/stefani-calvano-schwartz/

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About

Wisdom’s Discovery: Finding Your Center at the Edge is a limited-series podcast featuring 20 women reflecting on the experiences that stretched them, surprised them, reshaped them, and brought them closer to themselves. These are not stories of having life perfectly figured out. They are stories of becoming. Of meeting uncertainty, loss, transition, humor, ambition, motherhood, identity, and change, and discovering something worth carrying forward. Hosted by Catherine Jelinek, each conversation offers wisdom drawn not from theory, but from lived experience. Come for the stories. Stay for the moments that make you pause, recognize yourself, and see your own life a little differently. This podcast accompanies the anthology book Wisdom’s Discovery: Finding Your Center at the Edge, created by the Wise Women. Find the book on Amazon: https://bit.ly/44BM1av Find the book on Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/4bSO5yC

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