The Table Podcast

Hosted by Haley Westfall

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Oct 2026

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About the show

Not every room is worth being in. The Table Podcast is where builders, entrepreneurs, and big thinkers pull up a chair for the conversations that actually move the needle. Hosted by Haley Westfall — event curator, strategist, mom of three, and professional bevy enthusiast — this show dives into the real stories behind building businesses, cultivating powerful rooms, and surrounding yourself with the right people… all while raising a family and chasing big dreams.

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57 recent

November 3, 202610 min

Events Spark, Community Sustains: Why the Fire Dies by Wednesday (and How to Keep It Lit) | Ep. 56

You leave the event completely lit up, with new friends, a notebook full of ideas, and a master plan. Then by Wednesday… it’s MIA. If that’s you, you’re not flaky and you’re not alone. In this episode I’m breaking down why the post-event crash happens, why it was never the event’s job to keep the fire burning, and what you can actually do to turn a two-day spark into relationships that last for years. In this episode: Why events are built to create the spark, not sustain it The three things that keep a connection alive after you leave the room: proximity, rhythm, and small reps How a brand new friend turned one trip to Phoenix into two years of collaborations, speaking gigs, and podcast swaps The ecosystem I wish existed back when I was the one losing the fire by Wednesday How to be more intentional about the rooms you invest in, before, during, and after the event Your homework: Look at the events on your calendar for 2027 and make a plan. Decide what you want from each room, how you’ll build momentum leading up to it, and how you’ll follow up after. Then actually do it. More is not always better. Being intentional is. Because honestly? I’m tired of collecting moments that don’t stick. Come be in the room: The Table Experience 2027 is happening February 5–6 in Phoenix, AZ. It’s two days of real conversations, real tools, and real people, and every ticket includes 3 months inside Seated, our virtual community, so the connections don’t stop when the event ends. 🎟️ Grab Your Ticket 🤝 Explore Partnership Opportunities 💬 Virtual Community: Seated Connect with me: Instagram: @thehaleywestfall Website: www. haleywestfall.com LinkedIn: Haley Westfall Subscribe to The Weekly Pour Newsletter

October 28, 202627 min

Event Host Horror Stories (Part 1) with Inbal Claudio | Ep. 55

The content is gorgeous. The testimonials are glowing. And behind the scenes, the host is in a full ball gown with a mic in her hand while someone asks her to go get them a fork. Haley is joined again by her friend Inbal Claudio for a crossover episode of The Table and The Magic of IRL. They recorded it from a bed, in another country, on a time difference. Inbal is an event and membership strategist who helps female founders create profitable in-person experiences that people actually show up for. She’s the founder of Like Minded, an in-person community and co-working space for women in business in Orange County, and the creator of The IRL Effect. They asked listeners for their event host horror stories, and nobody held back. There’s a corporate vision that someone should have talked down, a brand trip undone by one piece of gossip, an exit that ended in a countdown, and a whisper at a 100-person event that ended with lawyers and HR. They laugh through most of it. Underneath, it’s a serious conversation about protecting yourself, your attendees and your vendors, and why every host needs people to call when an event goes sideways. In this episode we get into: Why the price tag and the highlight reel never tell the full story of what it costs to host Liability waivers, legal forms and vendor contracts, and why you can’t skip them, even with the nicest attendees How to stay steady for a whole room while a crisis is happening in the middle of it What to do when a vendor backs out two weeks before your event Why hosts need a circle of other hosts, and what attendees can do to make the host’s day easier CONNECT WITH INBAL Instagram: @inbalclaudio Website: www.inbalclaudio.com Podcast: The Magic of IRL CONNECT WITH HALEY Instagram: @thehaleywestfall Website: www.haleywestfall.com TikTok: @thehaleywestfall LinkedIn: Haley Westfall

August 27, 202639 min

Nobody Is More Responsible For Your Experience Than You Are with Inbal Claudio | Ep. 54

Most people walk out of an event and decide the room was a flop. Very few of them stop to ask whether they actually did their part. In this episode, Haley sits down with Inbal Claudio — an event and membership strategist who helps female founders create profitable in-person experiences that people actually show up for. Inbal is the founder of Like Minded, an in-person community and coworking space for women in business in Orange County, and the creator of The IRL Effect, her framework for turning real-life connection into recurring revenue. She's hosted roughly 140 in-person events over the last three years, which means she isn't theorizing about what makes a room work. The conversation takes the topic from both sides of the table. First from the seat of the attendee — what you're actually responsible for when you walk through the door, why "it didn't work for me" is usually a vetting problem, and the one line Inbal uses at every event she attends that opens a conversation every single time. Then it flips to the host's chair: how to start smaller than your ego wants you to, why what you host doesn't have to match what you sell, and the money conversation most women hosting events are avoiding entirely. In this episode we get into: Radical responsibility as an attendee — vetting the room, knowing what you're actually there for, and being present once you're in it The one line that makes walking into a room of strangers survivable, even for introverts What separates an actual community from an audience, and why "community" has lost its meaning Starting smaller than your ego wants you to, and why what you host doesn't have to match what you sell The case for charging — and why the women who don't charge tend to spend the most Mentioned in this episode: Like Minded Live — Costa Mesa, October 2nd . *Code HALEY10 saves 10%! Connect with Inbal: Instagram: @inbalclaudio Website: www.inbalclaudio.com Connect with Haley: Instagram: @thehaleywestfall Website: www.haleywestfall.com TikTok: @thehaleywestfall LinkedIn: Haley Westfall Subscribe to The Weekly Pour Grab your ticket to The Table Experience 2027 | Feb 5-6, 2027 in Phoenix, Arizona

August 19, 202637 min

An Ecosystem Powered by Women®: The Tool That Finally Makes It All Work with Bri Norberg | Ep. 53

On today's episode we are joined by a woman who has built her entire community around actually walking the walk when it comes to putting business back into the hands of women — one fourth of the infamous Quad Pod, Bri Norberg. Bri is the founder of Powered by Women® based out of Sacramento, California and currently building what is easily the most anticipated networking app built for women in business. And before we get into any of that, you should know how we got here. The Quad Pod met as complete strangers on the internet. On paper, we were direct competition. Four communities, four founders, all doing the same thing. And within a shockingly short window we were handing each other our P&Ls without a second thought. No hesitation, no questions asked. That does not happen by accident. It happens because we poured into each other first. Which is the whole reason this conversation goes where it goes. Eight years of community. Eight years of events. And in those eight years Bri watched the same thing happen over and over again. Women showing up. Doing the work. Having the conversations. And then walking away with absolutely nothing to show for it. No system. No follow up. No way to track what their network was actually producing. So she's fixing it. In this episode we get into: Why collaboration over competition doesn't count until it costs you something Why connection without a system is just a nice memory What it takes to stop collecting ideas and actually build one Why community builders need rooms full of other community builders The three ring framework: the human, the life, and only then the business CONNECT WITH BRI Instagram: @poweredbywomenco @itsmebrinorberg Powered by Women Live — September 25–27, Sacramento, CA PBWL Tickets: www.poweredbywomen.com/live (discount code SPEAKER50) CONNECT WITH HALEY Instagram: @thehaleywestfall Website: www.haleywestfall.com TikTok: @thehaleywestfall LinkedIn: Haley Westfall Subscribe to The Weekly Pour Grab your ticket to The Table Experience 2027 | Feb 5-6 | Phoenix, Arizona

July 16, 202616 min

Urgency Is an Excellent Manager. It's a Terrible Architect | Ep. 52

What if the reason you can't hear what's possible is because you've become too good at responding to what's urgent? In this episode, Haley gets honest about something most high-achievers won't say out loud — that most of our days aren't actually chosen. They're responded to. And if we're not careful, urgency becomes the architect of a future we never actually designed. This episode is built around one idea: Urgency is an excellent manager. It is a terrible architect. Urgency keeps the lights on, gets the kids where they need to be, answers the client, runs the payroll. None of that is wrong. But urgency has never once built a future. Because building a future requires something urgency simply cannot give you — space. Haley pulls back the curtain on a chapter she doesn't talk about often: nearly two decades in healthcare operations, two layoffs, and what it felt like to build her first company out of necessity in an industry she didn't choose. She shares the visceral difference she felt the moment she started building something that was actually hers — not a choice made for her, but a choice made by her. And why that distinction changes everything. This episode is for you if: You're driven, capable, and still somehow feel like you're just treading water You keep telling yourself you'll get to the bigger vision when things slow down You left your nine-to-five for freedom and quietly rebuilt the same pace in a different zip code You know there's a future you're meant to build — and urgency keeps winning In this episode: The one question that will make you uncomfortable about yesterday Why urgency is keeping you in survival mode — even as an entrepreneur The personal story behind building out of necessity vs. building by choice What it actually costs to stay in response mode How Future You is already being shaped by what gets your attention today The Table Experience 2027 — Phoenix, AZ | February 5–6 A two-day intimate experience for entrepreneurs and professionals who are done surviving the week and ready to design the next chapter. 100 people, intentional by design, because the room is the product. Tickets drop to the waitlist on August 14th. 👉 JOIN THE WAITLIST TO JOIN US FEBRUARY 5-6, 2027 IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA CONNECT WITH HALEY: Instagram: @thehaleywestfall LinkedIn: Haley Westfall Subscribe to The Weekly Pour Newsletter

July 9, 202619 min

You're Not Lonely, You're Unavailable | Ep. 51

Let's talk about adult friendships — and the conversation nobody actually wants to have with themselves. In this solo episode, Haley gets honest about the friendships she's held onto too long, the reason she's probably been kept around by others for the wrong reasons, and the thing that helpers and givers almost never see coming: being needed and being loved are not the same thing. This one is a lot of mirror. And it might be the most important conversation you have with yourself this week. In this episode, we get into: Why "I don't have time for deep friendships" is not a time problem — it's a priority problem How convenience and proximity-based friendships are fueling the loneliness epidemic without us realizing it The helper trap: why the people who show up for everyone are often the last to realize when a relationship isn't mutual The difference between being needed and being known — and why that distinction changes everything What radical responsibility actually looks like in your relationships The one question worth sitting with this week before you grieve the friendships you don't have CONNECT WITH HALEY Instagram: @thehaleywestfall Website: www.haleywestfall.com LinkedIn: Haley Westfall Want more of this conversation delivered straight to your inbox? Subscribe to The Weekly Pour

June 11, 202625 min

Self Trust: Why It's the Relationship That Changes Everything with Matt Gottesman (Part 3 of 3) | Ep. 50

This is the one that brings it all home. The finale of a three-part live studio conversation recorded in front of a real audience at The Good Vibe Studios in Phoenix, Arizona — and by part three, the room is fully in it. The conversation opens up in a way that only happens when people feel safe enough to stop performing and start sharing. In this episode, the audience becomes part of the conversation. Two guests step forward and get honest — one about navigating his wife's open heart surgery three months after delivering twins, and what it took to surrender control and lean into faith, community, and calling. Another about the disorienting experience of building momentum, then watching it all shift, and the very real struggle of letting go of an identity that no longer fits — even when it still feels safe. This is what self-trust looks like when it stops being a concept and starts being a lived, messy, real thing. In this episode we get into: What it looks like to trust God with something you're afraid to even pray about Why you can't have one foot in and one foot out — and what full surrender actually requires The difference between sharing open wounds online versus sharing earned scars How reverse engineering your ideal day changes the decisions you make right now Why setting something down completely is the only way to create space for what's next What it means to be in the arena alongside the people you serve — not quarterbacking from the sidelines The one question Matt leaves the room with that might be the most convicting of the entire series If you've been sitting in a season of uncertainty, identity shift, or the uncomfortable in-between — this episode was made for you. The one thing Matt asks you to do before you close this episode: Think about what you know you need to pray over but have been afraid to. That's exactly where your answer lives. This is part three of three. Go back and start with part one if you haven't yet — you'll want the full arc. CONNECT WITH MATT Instagram: @mattgottesman Podcast: The Niche is You Podcast Substack: Subscribe to The Niche is You Substack CONNECT WITH HALEY Instagram: @thehaleywestfall Website: www.haleywestfall.com TikTok: @thehaleywestfall LinkedIn: Haley Westfall

June 8, 202629 min

Self Trust: Why It's the Relationship That Changes Everything with Matt Gottesman (Part 2 of 3) | Ep. 49

If part one cracked it open, part two goes deeper. This is the second installment of a live studio conversation recorded in front of a real audience at Good Vibe Studios in Phoenix, Arizona and the room is fully in it by now. In part two, the conversation gets personal. Haley shares her own experience of being let go from a job (not once, but twice) and what it took to finally stop running from the lesson and sit in the stillness long enough to hear it. Matt opens up about a relationship that was heading toward marriage, the moment something felt off, and what it looks like to practice self-trust even when you really, really want to override it. This is the episode where self-trust stops being a concept and starts becoming a practice. In this episode we get into: Why we override our intuition even when we already know and how to close that gap The difference between self-sabotage and healthy self-reflection when things go sideways How to know if something is from God or from fear and what to do when you're not ready to hear the answer What it means to be self-aware even when you're not listening to yourself Why self-regulation is the foundation of every relationship you have — with your spouse, your business, your team, and yourself The nervous system as a navigation system and why women are wired to know more than the world gives them credit for What it looks like to actually process hard seasons instead of just moving past them This is part two of three. Go back and start with part one if you haven't yet and subscribe so part three lands right in your feed. CONNECT WITH MATT Instagram: @mattgottesman Podcast: The Niche is You Podcast Substack: Subscribe to The Niche is You Substack CONNECT WITH HALEY Instagram: @thehaleywestfall Website: www.haleywestfall.com TikTok: @thehaleywestfall LinkedIn: Haley Westfall

June 4, 202629 min

Self Trust: Why It's the Relationship That Changes Everything with Matt Gottesman (Part 1 of 3) | Ep. 48

This episode is the first of a three-part series recorded live, in front of a real studio audience at Good Vibe Studios in Phoenix, Arizona — and the energy in that room is something you're going to feel. Matt Gottesman is a 3x founder, writer, and top-ranked podcaster whose work sits at the intersection of creativity, spirituality, and modern entrepreneurship. As the creator of The Niche Is You®, his platform has generated over 1 billion impressions, 500 million video views, and a global community of 300,000+ purpose-driven creatives and founders. His podcast ranks in the top 0.5% worldwide, and his Substack is one of the highest-subscribed publications in Philosophy. With 20+ years in tech and media — partnering with brands like Louis Vuitton and Moët Hennessy — Matt has become a leading voice on building with integrity, alignment, and intentional impact. And in this conversation, he brought all of it to the table. We start with his story — three startups, a divorce, the loss of his best friend and mentor, and a series of pivots he didn't ask for but couldn't ignore — and land somewhere most of us rarely go: an honest look at what it means to actually trust yourself. Not the motivational poster version. The real one. The kind that requires stillness in a world that rewards urgency. The kind that means honoring what you feel before you can explain it. The kind that changes every relationship you have — because the one you have with yourself sets the tone for all of them. In this episode we get into: Why self-trust is the root relationship — and what it costs you when it's broken The nervous system toll of hustle culture and urgency-driven decision making Why stillness isn't quiet — it's clarity How entrepreneurship forces the kind of self-honesty most people spend a lifetime avoiding What it looks like to stop outsourcing your answers to the noise and start coming home to yourself This is part one of three. Subscribe so you don't miss what comes next. CONNECT WITH MATT Instagram: @mattgottesman Podcast: The Niche is You Podcast Substack: Subscribe to The Niche is You Substack CONNECT WITH HALEY Instagram: @thehaleywestfall Website: www.haleywestfall.com TikTok: @thehaleywestfall LinkedIn: Haley Westfall

May 21, 202618 min

The Summer Duality Nobody Talks About: Motherhood, Momentum & Guilt | Ep. 47

Today we’re talking about the emotional duality so many ambitious moms quietly carry this time of year. The kids are home for summer and routines are shifting. And somewhere between the snack requests, wet towels and swimsuits, and “MOMMMM?” every 14 seconds… you’re also trying to maintain momentum in the things you’ve worked really hard to build. In this solo episode, Haley opens up about the tension between wanting slower mornings and core memories with your kids… while also craving progress, structure, and uninterrupted thought. Because both things can be true: You can deeply love motherhood AND still want to build big dreams. You can romanticize summer AND still feel overwhelmed by the chaos. You can crave presence AND still desire momentum. This episode is a reminder that building a rich life was never supposed to require abandoning yourself in the process. If you’ve ever answered emails from a pool chair with an emotional support bevy in hand… this one’s for you. In this episode, we get into: The duality of motherhood and ambition Summer schedule shifts as an entrepreneur Releasing guilt around wanting both presence + purpose The pressure of “perfect” motherhood online Modeling ambition and humanity for our kids Redefining success during different seasons of life If this episode resonated with you, share it with another ambitious woman navigating the messy middle this summer. And if you’re not already subscribed to The Weekly Pour, Haley’s weekly newsletter, it's the place where many of these real-time thoughts begin before they become podcast episodes. Subscribe to The Weekly Pour CONNECT WITH HALEY: Instagram: @thehaleywestfall Website: www.haleywestfall.com TikTok: @thehaleywestfall LinkedIn: Haley Westfall