Psychotherapist Dr. Nadine Macaluso (author of Run Like Hell and former spouse of the real “Wolf of Wall Street”) breaks down trauma bonds, how they form, why they’re so hard to leave, and how to heal.
She explains the cycle of love-bombing → mask-slip → intermittent abuse and the two essentials that keep you stuck: power imbalance and intermittent reinforcement. You’ll hear about gaslighting, cognitive dissonance, C-PTSD, and why many survivors make multiple attempts before they’re finally out.
Most importantly, Dr. Nae maps a path forward: no/minimal contact, an accountability ally, therapy with a clinician who understands narcissistic abuse, and a disciplined return to self through self-care, self-love, journaling, values, and boundaries. Healthy love, she says, is simple: quality of connection + space to be yourself. Peace over drama, always—and recovery is possible from the beginning, middle, or end of the bond.
You’ll learn
Red flags: love-bombing, boundary-pushing, gaslighting, double standards, words ≠ actions.
The psychology of a trauma bond and why it feels like addiction.
How agreeable/conscientious traits can be exploited—and how to protect them.
What C-PTSD looks like after relational trauma.
Practical exit steps: plan for safety, no/minimal contact, and an accountability friend.
Rebuilding: write a relational manifesto, honor your values, choose partners who give you space.
“You are what you negotiate—not a penny more.” Charity auction powerhouse and best-selling author Lydia Fenet (The Most Powerful Woman in the Room Is You; Claim Your Confidence) joins Jenna to talk confidence, sales, public speaking, and getting paid what you’re worth.
Lydia has raised $1B+ for nonprofits (including $33M in 4.5 hours at the Naples Winter Wine Festival) and shares the exact tools she uses on stage—and in salary talks.
You’ll learn
The Strike Method: a simple pre-moment ritual + a locked opening line to flip nerves into control.
How to reframe adrenaline (Springsteen style) and use it to energize your delivery.
Storytelling that sells: widen the appeal, make it about them, and create community from the mic.
Why “your company will pay the least it can”—and how to ask every year (with specifics).
The money muscle: talk about pay, maximize 401(k) matches, and let compounding work for you.
Negotiation moves that work: map the role you want, name your number, and be ready to walk.
Showing up as you: ask kindly, clearly, and often—no bluster required.
Fast-track your speaking chops: Toastmasters, improv, and saying “yes” to reps.
In short: practical, high-leverage tactics to own the room and own your worth.
Silence isn’t golden, it’s learned. And it’s costly. Communication expert and best-selling author Elaine Lin Hering (“Unlearning Silence”) explains why world-class feedback and negotiation tools still fail if our teams, relationships, and cultures quietly punish candor.
We unpack the hidden rules that keep people quiet: from mitigated speech (“Are you hungry?” when we mean “I’m hungry”) to the Babel hypothesis (we mistake talking a lot for leadership). Elaine shows how identity and power shape “best practices” (e.g., “be vulnerable” lands very differently for white men than it does for women and women of color), and offers practical redesigns so more voices can be heard.
You’ll learn
How silence is taught at work, home, and in friendships—and when it actually makes sense.
A simple clarity upgrade: say what you mean (and why we often don’t).
The difference between real-time processors and post-processors—and how to structure meetings for both.
Leadership moves that stop accidental silencing: state intent, reward candor, change the question (“What are the pros/cons?”), and build reply-all follow-ups after meetings.
Ways to hold space across difference so vulnerability doesn’t backfire.
Actionable, empathetic, and sharp, this episode helps you speak your mind, unleash talent, and live more fully.
Hot flashes are only the headline. Triple-board-certified OB-GYN and hormone expert Dr. Anna Cabeca (The Girlfriend Doctor) lays out a practical, science-backed playbook for perimenopause and menopause—from the stealth signs (sudden weight gain, night sweats, hair loss, brain fog, low libido) to what actually helps.
We cover “clean up before you add” (detox your diet, products, and habits), Dr. Anna’s Keto-Green blueprint (earlier eating window + greens/ferments + feast days), cortisol/insulin control, and how to boost the most powerful hormone of all—oxytocin—with joy, connection, nature, and gratitude.
We also dig into the microbiome, vitamin D (hello sunrise, sometimes skip the sunglasses), sleep & melatonin, adaptogens (maca, turmeric, resveratrol), and the what/when of bioidentical hormones (test, don’t guess: progesterone, DHEA, estradiol/E3, compounding). Ages 35–50 are prime perimenopause—this is your Second Spring playbook.
You’ll learn
The first move when symptoms start: detox, then decide (not pills first).
Why earlier intermittent fasting beats late-night fasting for women.
Simple ways to lower cortisol and raise oxytocin to ease symptoms.
How food quality, ferments, and probiotics support estrogen metabolism.
Smart testing (blood, urine, saliva) and when bioidenticals make sense.
Sleep fixes: light timing, vitamin D, melatonin supports, and routines.
Note: For educational purposes only; talk to your clinician before making changes.
Journalist and author Janice Kaplan (The Genius of Women) unpacks how culture and expectations—not innate ability—shape who gets seen as “genius.”
She shares research showing that by age six many girls stop associating “really smart” with women, and even well-meaning parents set the bar lower (like building gentler crawling ramps for baby girls).
Kaplan challenges the subtle scripts, from The Little Mermaid “give up your voice for love” to emails padded with “just” and constant self-deprecation, that teach girls to be likable over visible.
She spotlights women who defied doubt (including a Nobel-winning chemist and a leading AI researcher) and urges us to claim expertise, get seen, and “see beyond gender” (“I’m a woman who directs—not a ‘woman director’”).
Practical fixes: stop softening everything, call out minimizing language, balance princess culture with STEM role models, and invite men to be active allies.
Key takeaways
Genius is cultivated: confidence + exposure + expectations > “born this way.”
Girls start absorbing “smart = male” messages around age six; parents/teachers can counter it.
Visibility matters: extraordinary work must meet audience attention to change the world.
Swap apologetic habits (“just,” “not an expert…”) for clear, owned expertise.
Invite allies: correct “play like a girl”-type language and model higher expectations for girls.
Growth-mindset coach and workplace wellness consultant Lisa Petrocchi-Merriman explains how the “inner critic” is a hard-wired threat response in the brain (fight/flight/freeze/fawn) that shuts down the prefrontal cortex—right when you need clarity, creativity, and composure most (e.g., before big presentations). Instead of muscling through or “thinking positive,” she teaches evidence-based ways to interrupt the threat loop and regain focus fast.
What you’ll learn:
Why the critic is loud: It’s your primitive brain trying (clumsily) to keep you safe from social risk, often recycling old shame or one-off comments from years ago.
The cascade to watch for: Trigger → shock exclamation (“Oh no!”) → self-put-down → adrenaline surge (can linger 20–72 hrs) → rumination or shutdown.
What you’ll learn:
Diaphragmatic reset (3 rounds):Sit tall, feet grounded. Inhale through the nose 6 counts → hold 4 → slow straw-exhale 8–10 → brief pause → repeat x3.Results: calmer nervous system, prefrontal cortex back online, sharper focus.
Name & reframe: Briefly acknowledge the critic (“I know you’re trying to keep me safe; I’m in charge now.”). A touch of humor helps reduce its power.
Trigger mapping: List common triggers (ambiguous emails, perfection stakes, public speaking). Plan your breath reset + response in advance.
Somatic awareness: Notice early body signs and intervene before the spiral accelerates.
Daily practice builds a new pathway: Consistent use (even 2–3x/day) creates a habit so your default becomes “pause + breathe,” not “panic + bash.”
Positive reinforcement: Become your own coach—log small wins, literally pat yourself on the back. Over time this shifts attention toward progress and dampens the critic’s airtime.
Bottom line: Your inner critic isn’t you—it’s an alarm. With a simple breathing protocol, trigger awareness, and kinder self-talk, you can switch from self-sabotage to steady performance, especially when the stakes are high.
What does it really take to go from a dorm-room idea to the world’s largest language solutions company? In this energizing conversation, Jenna sits down with Liz Elting, co-founder of TransPerfect, philanthropist, and author of Dream Big and Win: Translating Passion into Purpose and Creating a Billion-Dollar Business—to break down the mindset, systems, and day-to-day actions behind her billion-dollar success.
In this episode you’ll learn:
Bootstrapping over fundraising: Why Liz skipped venture capital, prioritized sales first, and treated revenue and profit as the only true validators.
From $0 to $1M (the hardest leap): Tactics for landing the first clients, over-delivering on value, and turning one project into a durable relationship.
Goals → actions → discipline: How daily, measurable activity goals (not vague wishes) create compounding results—and why writing and sharing goals matters.
Build a sales engine, not a solo act: The difference between a great entrepreneur and a scalable company—and how Liz built a world-class, 600+ person sales org.
Incentives that create owners: Comp plans that never sunset, entrepreneurial P&L ownership for teams, and celebrating wins to fuel a high-performance culture.
Results > hours: Why managing to outcomes beats clock-watching—for productivity, morale, and leadership modeling.
Leadership that scales: Hire for complementary strengths, succession-plan every role, and promote integrity + “own it” as non-negotiable values.
Women, culture, and choice: Liz’s decision to build the culture she couldn’t find in finance—and how economic power becomes social and political power.
Building while parenting: The honest realities of “guilt on steroids,” and practical fixes (backup plans, family leave, boundaries, and results-based management).
Liz’s story is equal parts playbook and pep talk, packed with concrete frameworks (goal setting, compensation design, sales process) and candid lessons learned. If you’re serious about scaling, without surrendering control, this episode is your blueprint.
What if the path to healing our planet also required us to heal ourselves—and our relationship with power, gender, and leadership?
In this episode of The Jenna Banks Show, Jenna welcomes Nina Simons, co-founder of Bioneers and author of Nature, Culture, and the Sacred: A Woman Listens for Leadership. Together, they explore how women’s leadership, climate justice, and cultural healing are deeply interconnected, and why embracing a more holistic, relational approach to power is essential for the future of our world.
In this conversation, you’ll discover:
The origin of Bioneers and how it became a global movement for restoring people and the planet
The difference between “pioneers” who conquer and “bioneers” who collaborate with nature
How women’s leadership and reproductive rights are proven levers in combating climate change
The legacy of historical trauma (like the Burning Times) and how epigenetics shows its impact across generations
Why rituals are powerful tools for composting old beliefs, strengthening new patterns, and cultivating authentic leadership
The importance of relational intelligence and co-creation in reshaping leadership for both women and men
How rigid binaries around masculinity and femininity harm us all, and why leadership must draw from the full spectrum of human potential
Why the future depends on men and women partnering as allies to create balance, justice, and sustainability
Nina also shares practical exercises from her book—like the practice of “composting” limiting beliefs—that help women reclaim leadership in their lives and communities. She and Jenna reflect on the urgency of personal healing as the foundation for collective change, reminding us that true transformation begins within.
If you care about women’s leadership, climate justice, or creating a more balanced world, this episode will leave you inspired to step into your own power and purpose.
When was the last time you thought about power—what it really means to be powerful, and how it impacts every part of your life? Too often, power is misunderstood as domination or control, when in truth, it is neutral energy that we all carry within us. The real question is: how are you using yours?
In this episode of The Jenna Banks Show, Jenna sits down with visionary thinker, social impact entrepreneur, and founder of the True Power Institute, Rúna Bouius. Together, they explore the concept of true power as energy, presence, and balance—moving beyond outdated patriarchal models of “power over” into a new era of “power with.”
In this episode, you’ll discover:
Why power is not good or bad—it’s neutral, and how you wield it determines the outcome
The cultural shift from 5,400 years of domination and patriarchy to a new “era of partnership” between masculine and feminine energies
How disempowering beliefs, boundaries, and burnout drain your inner power battery, and practical ways to recharge it
Why self-care, creativity, and connection to Source are essential for staying in your power
Different types of power (personal, positional, social, relational, even celebrity power) and how they show up in daily life
What it feels like to be in your power—a calm, quiet presence that others can sense the moment you walk into a room
Jenna and Rúna also dive into leadership, corporate culture, and the movement toward conscious capitalism, where thriving people create thriving companies. And in a powerful closing reflection, Jenna brings the conversation back to the greatest source of all power—love. Quoting Albert Einstein’s letter to his daughter, she reminds us that love is gravity, light, and the energy that multiplies the best within us.
If you’ve ever given your power away to fear, old beliefs, or outside forces, this conversation will inspire you to reclaim it. You are power—and your love is the most powerful force in the universe.
What if fear wasn’t the enemy, but a compass pointing you toward growth?
In this episode of The Jenna Banks Show, Jenna talks with keynote speaker, author, podcaster, and entrepreneur Judi Holler, whose mantra “Fear is My Homeboy” has inspired audiences around the globe. Judi believes the future belongs to the brave, and she’s built a career helping people face fear, take bold action, and turn discomfort into confidence.
Together, Jenna and Judi unpack the truth about fear—how it shows up strongest right before you do something big, and how procrastination, perfectionism, and impostor syndrome are simply fear in disguise. Judi shares how her improv background and years of speaking have taught her that courage isn’t about being fearless, it’s about doing the thing anyway.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why fear gets louder right before a breakthrough, and how to work with it instead of against it
The difference between low-vibe energy (fear, lack, resentment) and high-vibe energy (courage, creativity, possibility)
How to stop letting jealousy and comparison hold you back, and instead use them as clues to what you really want
Why discomfort is the secret ingredient to growth, whether it’s stepping on stage, writing a book, or putting yourself out there in business and life
Practical ways to reframe nerves, rejection, and setbacks so you can keep moving forward with confidence
Judi also gives a behind-the-scenes look at her new Speaker School, a program designed to help aspiring speakers and entrepreneurs turn stages into opportunities. Her wisdom is equal parts inspiring and tactical, reminding us that nerves mean you care, creativity is an antidote to rage, and you’ll regret the risks you don’t take far more than the ones you do.
If you’ve been waiting for “the right time” to pitch, publish, or put yourself out there—this is your permission slip. Fear will always ride along, but it doesn’t get to drive.
Growing up the eldest of 12 children in a controlling and abusive household, Jessica Willis Fisher performed with her family band, The Willis Clan, until her departure in 2016 at the age of 23. The Willis family gained notoriety in 2014 after their appearance on season 9 of "America's Got Talent," and also starred in a show on TLC titled "The Willis Family" in 2015 and 2016.In this episode of The Jenna Banks Show, Jessica courageously shares her story of what it was like growing up in what she compares to a cult-like environment, to her eventual escape and healing journey.She generously shares many of the therapy modalities and self-help books that have been instrumental in reparenting herself and trauma recovery.
What if you started looking at yourself as the CEO of you? In today’s world, your career is no longer a straight ladder—it’s a mashup of skills, passions, and opportunities that reflect all of who you are.
In this episode of The Jenna Banks Show, Jenna sits down with future-of-work expert, executive consultant, and author Connie Steele to talk about her groundbreaking book Building the Business of You. Connie shares why careers are no longer linear, how to align your professional path with your personal purpose, and why the most important skill you can master today is fluidity.
Highlights from this conversation:
How to design your own career mashup—a unique blend of your skills, passions, and experiences that evolves with you.
Why you must think of yourself as a product and brand online (and how platforms like LinkedIn function as “Amazon for people”).
The role of soft skills—like emotional intelligence, negotiation, and networking—in shaping success far more than hard skills.
Why fear of failure can actually be your biggest teacher, and how to reframe failure as valuable information.
The importance of fluidity in navigating constant change, and how to balance flexibility with long-term goals.
Practical strategies for self-analysis, building your roadmap, and testing assumptions to move forward with confidence.
Jenna and Connie also dig into networking, receiving as much as giving, and the mindset shifts that help women overcome perfectionism, fear, and outdated career programming. Connie even walks Jenna through a practical exercise on reframing fear by objectively listing outcomes—an approach you can apply immediately in your own life.
If you’ve ever felt stuck in your career, uncertain about your next move, or afraid to reinvent yourself, this episode will show you how to embrace fluidity, leverage your unique strengths, and create a fulfilling career that fits your life.
What happens when you stop living to meet everyone else’s expectations and finally reclaim what is already yours—your time, your energy, and your love?
In this episode of The Jenna Banks Show, Jenna talks with author, TEDx speaker, and coach Caroline Garnet McGraw about her breakthrough book You Don’t Owe Anyone. With raw honesty and practical wisdom, Caroline shares how perfectionism, “good girl” conditioning, and cult-like environments taught her to abandon herself in the name of politeness, compliance, and approval. Her message is a game-changer: you don’t owe anyone your compliance, your explanation, your time, or your brave face—you owe yourself first.
Highlights from this episode:
How “good girl” conditioning starts early, shaping our sense of worth and teaching us to put others’ comfort ahead of our own safety and intuition.
Why so many of us feel guilty when we set boundaries—and how to reframe guilt as a sign that we are breaking unhealthy patterns, not doing something wrong.
The difference between excellence and perfectionism, and why perfectionism is really fear disguised as achievement.
Practical ways to re-parent yourself, heal wounded inner parts, and learn to treat yourself with the same compassion you’d show a child.
The power of self-protection and why saying no—or walking away—is an act of love for yourself.
How love, not fear, is the real force that heals past wounds and unlocks authentic freedom.
Caroline also shares deeply personal stories about growing up in a fundamentalist environment, struggling with boundaries in relationships, and the moment she realized she didn’t owe anyone an interaction. Together, Jenna and Caroline unpack how letting go of guilt and reclaiming your energy creates more space for joy, authenticity, and love.
If you’ve ever felt exhausted from over-giving, struggled with perfectionism, or believed you “owed” others your time and attention at the expense of yourself, this episode will resonate deeply.
In this powerful episode of The Jenna Banks Show, Jenna sits down with spiritual teacher and awakening guide Danny Morel for a candid conversation about what it really means to live free.
Danny built a wildly successful real estate enterprise and had all the trappings of “making it” (cars, watches, the mansion). Yet inside, he felt empty. That crack in the façade began a profound inner journey toward authenticity, self-love, and a different kind of power.
Together, Jenna and Danny explore how we are conditioned to chase validation and safety outside ourselves, then offer a path back to the heart. If you have ever thought “I will be happy when…,” this episode invites you to flip that script and experience happiness now.
You will hear:
• Why external achievement without self-connection cannot satisfy the soul, and how to begin listening to your heart instead
• The difference between external power and inner power (and why love is the most reliable fuel)
• How childhood programming, school structures, and fear of judgment keep us chasing approval
• A fresh lens on money as energy and currency as “current” (keep it flowing with giving, receiving, and freedom-based choices)
• Real stories of healing grief, guilt, and shame through feeling your feelings instead of numbing them
• How intentional practices like deep meditation, breathwork, and ceremonial settings can accelerate insight and integration
• Parenting through the lens of empowerment, autonomy, and trust (including alternatives like guide-based learning)
• The feminine heart as a universal key to collective healing, plus an invitation for women to come home to worthiness, presence, and truth
Jenna also shares pieces of her own journey, including releasing attachment to money, finding peace after early life adversity, and the self-love practices that keep her grounded. Expect tender honesty, practical wisdom, and memorable reframes you can apply today.
If this conversation resonates, share it with someone who is ready to trade performance for presence and pressure for peace.
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