Jenna Minecci: Patience and persistence; control your mind, control your life.

Connect and Rise with Alesha Brown, CEO and founder of Fruition Publishing. Alesha discusses her personal journey and how she has learned to be resilient in the face of adversity. She explains that “cultivating resilience is the path to fulfillment.” She reminds us that we get to decide what kind of lives we live. Alesha gives profound insight into relationships, explaining how to assess whether a relationship is withdrawing from or making deposits into our internal wells. You will come away not only feeling empowered to take bold action towards your dreams, but also remembering to be joyful  in all things- including the simple pleasure of waking up. If you are breathing, there is an opportunity to create a vibrant and meaningful life. 

Connect and Rise with Jaqueline Alnes, runner, writer, and author of the recently released book, The Fruit Cure. Jaqueline shares her story reminding us that our value can be found internally and intrinsically and is not based on any external demands that the world may place upon us. She advocates breaking free from an all-or-nothing mentality and invites us to celebrate all parts of ourselves.  Making space for failure frees us to explore, play, and enjoy life. Joy awaits. 

Connect and Rise with Susan Donnelly, minset and strategy coach for ultra runners who has finished 144 hundred mile races!! Have you ever wondered what it takes to finish a 100 mile race? Or to be a finisher in life? Susan tells us that you start by knowing what you are thinking instead of just reacting. You can then ask yourself if you are willing to make a change in your thinking. Susan discusses how women have been socially conditioned in ways that men have not, often keeping them off balance… Women are told to be beautiful, but not too beautiful, assertive, but not too assertive, successful, but not too successful. Women can shift their thinking and train themselves to think bold thoughts. Susan reminds us to be willing to gamble on ourselves and to also develop a relationship with discomfort and pain. Ask yourself: what am I willing to fight for? And remember, you don’t have to be perfect because you learn by failing. Holding yourself to perfection is unfair to you. You will come away from this amazing first episode of 2024 ready to find out what you are capable of and reminding yourself: all things are possible. 

Connect and Rise with Jaci Wilson, runner and holistic run coach. Jaci discusses how developing and working on our mindset must be practiced throughout our lives. She is an advocate for developing a gratitude practice, especially noticing the little and specific moments of joy in our lives. We open our discussion on leadership which will be a theme on the podcast as we head into 2024. Jaci talks about how important it is for a leader to be vulnerable and to keep learning. She also shares how life will continue teaching us the same lessons until we listen. Learning from the recurring themes in our lives can be a game changer. Jaci reminds us that the little things make a big difference and that every “race” has a purpose. 

Connect and Rise with Patrice Bening, runner, mom, and Certified Financial Planner who empowers women through Herself by Morton. Patrice shares the amazing story of how she learned boldness from her mother as a child in Romania. She will remind you never to settle and that change is is the only constant in life (so it’s best to get comfortable with being uncomfortable). If we don’t take risks, we won’t know if we can succeed… so give it your all. 

Connect and Rise with Tonya Bradley, ultramarathoner, Lupus patient/ Lupus awareness advocate and health equity advocate. Tonya discusses what it means to her to be audacious and tells us more about running the Berlin, Chicago, and London marathons and her plans to also run the New York City Marathon. She reminds us that in running and in life we need to embrace the “I will cross the finish line” mentality- even if it takes longer than we planned or unexpected challenges arise. She discusses how making positive changes in our lives can bring positive people and circumstances our way.  Tonya will inspire and encourage you not to wait on pursuing your dreams. It’s never too late! 

Connect and Rise with Rette Green, triathlete, mom, and autoimmune warrior.  Rette shares some of her journey and reminds us to take the chances. Always take the shots. She reminds us that the things that we value deserve to hold space in our lives; our actions should be bold. Rette also discusses carrying gratitude through it all, honoring the energy within you to press towards your goals. She tells us that on race days (or any difficult situation in life) the grit and bravery we develop through the struggle can be drawn on when needed later in life. Rette calls us to ask ourselves: when the audience goes away, what still matters? Hold those things close and also remember to have ALL THE FUN.  

Connect and Rise with Miriam Gilbert, ultrarunner and retired professor, as she discusses life, strength through struggle, and her book: Come What May, I Want to Run: A Memoir of the Saving Grace of Ultrarunning in Overwhelming Times. Miriam discusses what courage and boldness mean to her, shares some of her personal struggles and how they propelled her forward, and tells us how ultrarunning (or anything in life that is truly challenging) can push us to grow in endurance and strength.  Miriam believes in embracing everything (the good and the bad, the struggles and the triumphs) in life and reminds us all that no matter what we are going through, JOY awaits.

This is a sweet little episode with my niece Juliana that was recorded earlier in July before our shared birthday. She has such a big heart. The idea of the episode was to talk about an amazing song she knew from a dance performance. She felt very connected to the lyrics which simply put remind us that we are not alone. I love you, Juliana! 

Connect and Rise with Adriauna Davis, Founder and  Executive Director of The Harmonie Grace Foundation, a nonprofit aimed at empowering and supporting families of at-risk infants to inspire hope and serve those affected by preterm pregnancy and infant mortality.  You will be be inspired by Adriauna’s story and her desire to take what she learned from a  very difficult time in her life and use it to serve others. She reminds us that boldness builds confidence, to connect  with yourself and acknowledge your strengths and your weaknesses, and that you honor yourself and  others by sharing your authentic story. As you go through difficult times, remember  the mission. Remember your why and don’t stop there. 

More information on The Harmonie Grace Foundation: 

Website: www.harmoniegracefoundation.org
Email: admin@harmoniegracefoundation.org
Donations
Cashapp: $HGBFoundation
PayPal: theharmoniegracefoundation@gmail.com
Checks and money orders accepted also!