Think Your Way to an Epic Life

Hosted by Kara Schug

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Episodes

237

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Coach Kara Schug interviews guests on how they have changed their lifestyles with the power of their mind, thoughts and actions, leading to an Epic life!

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60 recent

September 8, 202631 min

You’ve Done the Inner Work… So Why Aren’t You Happier? | Carolyn Brouillard

Why does personal growth sometimes stall—even when you've read the books, done the inner work, and tried to become a better version of yourself? In this episode, I sit down with Carolyn Brouillard, author of Your Untamed Truths: Reclaiming Self-Sovereignty, to talk about the gap between knowing what you want and actually living it. Carolyn has taken a fascinating path through life—from riding freight trains as a teenage punk, to building a corporate career, to retiring in her early 40s to pursue her dreams. Along the way, she discovered that even significant personal growth doesn't necessarily mean we've stopped getting in our own way. We talk about why personal growth can plateau, how old stories and patterns quietly influence our decisions, and what it means to live with greater self-sovereignty. Carolyn also shares practical ways to recognize when your actions aren't aligned with what you truly want, including two simple questions she uses to cut through the noise: Is it mine? Does it align? In this conversation, we discuss: • Why personal growth stalls even when you're doing the work • The difference between insight and actually changing your life • Self-sabotage and the patterns that keep us stuck • What self-sovereignty really means • How to leave behind careers, relationships, and identities that no longer fit • Spiritual bypassing and the importance of telling yourself the truth • How to recognize when your choices aren't aligned with who you are • Setting boundaries and dealing with resistance from people around you • How to make more coherent decisions in everyday life • Finding your "life intention" and what you're here to master and share • The powerful question: "How good can it get?" Carolyn's book, Your Untamed Truths: Reclaiming Self-Sovereignty, is available through major book retailers. Learn more about Carolyn and Untamed Truths: https://www.youruntamedtruths.com/ Substack: https://untamedtruths.substack.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/untamed_truths/ If you enjoyed the conversation, be sure to subscribe for more conversations about personal growth, mindset, purpose, performance, and building a better life. #PersonalGrowth #SelfImprovement #SelfSovereignty

September 1, 202635 min

Are You Stuck in a Life of Comfort? How to Break Free From Complacency

Are you living intentionally—or simply going through the motions? In this episode, we sit down with entrepreneur, author, speaker, and real estate investor Marty Hofmann, author of Kill Complacency, to talk about one of the biggest obstacles standing between where you are and where you want to be: complacency. Marty shares how to break free from autopilot living, develop greater discipline, build powerful habits, and start becoming your future self now. With more than a decade of experience in real estate investing, 80+ transactions, and a $13 million portfolio, Marty has built businesses and wealth—but his message goes far beyond financial success. He believes that showing up consistently, making intentional choices, and refusing to settle for mediocrity can transform every area of your life. In this conversation, we discuss: • Why complacency can quietly keep you stuck • How to stop living on autopilot and start living intentionally • Becoming your future self now • Building discipline when motivation disappears • How your daily habits shape your future • Breaking self-sabotaging patterns • The importance of consistency over intensity • Balancing business, marriage, family, faith, and personal growth • Why “good enough” can become one of the biggest obstacles to growth • How to take control of your mindset and create lasting change If you've been feeling stuck, comfortable, unmotivated, or like you're capable of more, this conversation is for you. 📖 Get Marty’s book, Kill Complacency: https://a.co/d/05bRZYPV 🎯 Take the free Kill Complacency assessment: killcomplacency.life Learn more about Marty and his work: https://www.killcomplacency.com/about-marty-hofmann/ If you enjoyed the episode, like the video, subscribe, and leave a comment with one area of your life where you're refusing to settle for complacency.

August 25, 202634 min

Feeling Stuck in Life? How to Navigate Change and Start Moving Forward | Ellen Rothstein

Life Transition Coach Ellen Rothstein joins Think Your Way to an Epic Life to explain how to navigate major life changes, overcome limiting beliefs, and move forward when you don't know what comes next. Whether you're facing a career change, layoff, retirement, divorce, empty nest, relationship change, or another unexpected transition, uncertainty can make you feel like you need to figure out your entire future before taking action. Ellen shares her own experience of reinventing herself after being laid off and introduces her I-P-I method: Identify, Prioritize, Implement — a practical approach for turning an overwhelming transition into manageable next steps. In this conversation, you'll discover why capable people get stuck during change, how limiting beliefs can influence your decisions, why waiting for complete certainty can keep you frozen, and how taking one small action can begin creating clarity. If you're standing between the life you've known and whatever comes next, this conversation is for you. Connect with Ellen Rothstein through Ellen Rothstein Coaching and LinkedIn. 1. Masterclass Registration - "The Hidden Cost of Success" A live conversation with Dr. Ron Stotts & Kara Schug on how high achievers finally learn to enjoy what they've built instead of just chasing the next milestone. Date & Time: Sep 2, 2026, 11:00 AM Mountain Time Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/8EIiux2lQiq4UOyEXb2wCQ#/registration 2. Destiny App Attendees get free access to Destiny, the app we built to help people self-discover their biggest superpower, their biggest internal block, and what they really want. Destiny App: https://destiny-production-2619.up.railway.app/

August 18, 202639 min

Are You the Bottleneck? The Hero Trap Every Leader Needs to Escape

What if the qualities that make you a great leader are actually holding your company back? In this episode, Troy sits down with Bill Flynn—author, entrepreneur, speaker, multi-certified growth coach, and member of Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches community—to unpack The Hero Trap and why so many successful leaders become the biggest bottleneck in their own organizations. Bill has spent more than 30 years working across 10 startups, 2 IPOs, and 7 acquisitions, giving him a unique perspective on leadership, entrepreneurship, company growth, and organizational performance. The problem? Many leaders become so good at solving problems, making decisions, driving strategy, and getting things done that their organizations become dependent on them. Bill argues that the best leaders don't build organizations that need them to do everything—they build systems, teams, and cultures that can thrive without them. In this conversation, we discuss: • The Hero Trap and how successful leaders fall into it • Why great individual contributors can struggle as leaders • How leaders can stop becoming the bottleneck • Why most companies struggle with change, vision, strategy, and decision-making • The biggest mistakes leaders make when building teams • How to create organizations that don't depend on one person • Why feedback, hiring, meetings, and innovation often go wrong • The difference between being a great leader and being a great organizational architect • How CEOs and entrepreneurs can scale themselves and their businesses • What Bill learned from 30+ years of startups, IPOs, and acquisitions • Why leadership development often fails to create lasting behavior change Bill Flynn is the author of The Hero Trap, the first book in his Performance Operating System series, and has worked with hundreds of CEOs and senior leaders through organizations including Vistage, EO, and YPO. If you're a CEO, entrepreneur, business owner, executive, or aspiring leader, this conversation offers practical ideas for becoming a better leader while building an organization that can actually operate without you. Amazon link to The Hero Trap: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GGMSNG9C?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, business, personal growth, and building an epic life. #Leadership #Business #Entrepreneurship #CEO #LeadershipDevelopment #BusinessGrowth #TheHeroTrap

August 11, 202635 min

How to Break Free From People-Pleasing & Rebuild Your Confidence

What happens when you spend your life trying to meet everyone else's expectations? In this episode, we sit down with entrepreneur, author, speaker, and identity and leadership strategist Kamini Wood to talk about one of the biggest obstacles to living an authentic and fulfilling life: outsourcing your self-worth. Kamini shares how people-pleasing, external validation, guilt, shame, and unhealthy relationship patterns can cause us to lose touch with who we really are. We also explore how to break those patterns, establish healthier boundaries, rebuild confidence, and become the leader of your own life. Kamini brings a deeply personal perspective to the conversation, including her experience leaving an abusive marriage, helping her children heal, and transforming her own relationship with herself. In this conversation, we discuss: • Why we become dependent on external validation • The difference between people-pleasing and genuinely caring for others • Codependency vs. healthy interdependence • How toxic relationships can affect our identity • Why setting boundaries can trigger guilt and shame • How self-compassion builds resilience and confidence • Breaking limiting beliefs and destructive behavior patterns • How to stop living according to other people's expectations • What it means to become your own “self-leader” • How to rebuild your relationship with yourself Kamini Wood is the author of OM: Life's Gentle Reminders, a speaker and the host of the RiseUp - Live Joy Your Way podcast. She studied positive psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and works with high achievers on confidence, imposter syndrome, boundaries, relationships, resilience, and authentic self-leadership. If you've ever struggled with people-pleasing, needing approval, setting boundaries, or feeling like you're responsible for everyone else's happiness, this conversation is for you. Learn more about Kamini and access her free ebook on limiting beliefs: kaminiwood.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/itsauthenticme #SelfWorth #PeoplePleasing #PersonalGrowth #SelfLeadership #Confidence

August 4, 202636 min

How to Rebuild Your Identity After Trauma, Failure, or Loss with Jordan Meyer

Jordan Meyer seemed to have everything figured out. As a multi-sport scholarship athlete, his future was set—until a devastating accident at just 16 years old left him paralyzed from the waist down. Although he eventually learned to walk again, the greatest challenge wasn't physical recovery. It was rebuilding his identity after losing the life he thought he was meant to live. In this episode of Think Your Way to an Epic Life, Jordan shares his remarkable journey from tragedy to purpose, and how that experience inspired him to become a licensed psychotherapist, mental performance coach, trauma specialist, and Ph.D. candidate in Performance Psychology. Together, we explore: - How to rebuild your identity after trauma, injury, divorce, burnout, or major life transitions - Why so many athletes and high achievers struggle when their identity is tied to performance - The hidden psychological effects of adversity - How resilience is built—not born - Breaking generational trauma and creating a new future - Practical strategies for overcoming setbacks and living with greater purpose Whether you're navigating a difficult season or simply looking to become mentally stronger, this conversation offers hope, perspective, and actionable tools to help you move forward. Connect with Jordan Meyer: 🌐 Website: https://www.jordan-meyer.com/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanmichaelmeyer 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-meyer001/ If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who could benefit from Jordan's incredible story.

July 28, 202654 min

The Inner Work of Great Leaders: How Self-Awareness Creates Better Teams | Bradley McDevitt

What makes a truly great leader? According to executive coach Bradley McDevitt, leadership starts from the inside out. In this episode of Think Your Way to an Epic Life, Bradley shares how developing a stronger inner life can transform the way we lead, communicate, and build relationships. Drawing from more than two decades in professional theater, depth psychology, somatic practices, and executive coaching, Bradley explains why presence, attention, imagination, and self-awareness are essential skills for modern leaders. Bradley discusses: ✅ Why self-awareness is the foundation of authentic leadership ✅ How our inner world impacts the way we lead others ✅ The connection between theater, psychology, and leadership development ✅ How leaders can build trust and create healthier teams ✅ Why reclaiming attention and presence is more important than ever Bradley McDevitt is an Executive Coach, Leadership & Teams Development expert, Dynamic Facilitator, Jungian-Based Coach, and founder of IACULUS Coaching & Consulting. He also serves on the leadership coaching team at the Center for Creative Leadership and teaches as adjunct faculty at Pacifica Graduate Institute. Whether you’re a business leader, coach, entrepreneur, or someone looking to grow personally, this conversation will challenge you to look inward and rethink what leadership really means. Learn more about Bradley: LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram #Leadership #SelfAwareness #PersonalDevelopment

July 21, 202651 min

Beyond Quick Fixes: The Truth About Better Mental Health | Dr. Celeste Birkhofer

What if the biggest obstacle to better mental health is our search for quick fixes? In this episode of Think Your Way to an Epic Life, we sit down with Dr. Celeste Birkhofer, licensed clinical psychologist, Stanford Medical School adjunct clinical faculty member, and author of Beyond Quick Fixes: Essential Ingredients for Better Mental Health and a Fulfilling Life. Together, we explore what it truly means to build lasting mental health, why happiness is so closely connected to our emotional well-being, and the inner resources that help us navigate life's challenges with greater resilience. Whether you're struggling with stress, anxiety, relationships, grief, or simply want to become a healthier, more fulfilled version of yourself, this conversation offers practical wisdom that goes far beyond the latest self-help trends. In this episode: - Why quick fixes rarely create lasting change - What "good" mental health actually looks like - Common misconceptions about emotional well-being - The habits that quietly undermine your mental health - How to build resilience and inner strength - Creating a more meaningful and fulfilling life - Practical insights from Beyond Quick Fixes About Dr. Celeste Birkhofer: Dr. Celeste Birkhofer is a licensed clinical psychologist, adjunct clinical faculty member at Stanford Medical School, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and author of Beyond Quick Fixes. She has spent decades helping people improve their mental health through psychotherapy, mindfulness, self-compassion, and evidence-based approaches to personal growth. Learn more about Dr. Birkhofer: 🌐 https://www.celestebirkhofer.com/ 📖 Beyond Quick Fixes 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celestebirkhofer 🎙️ Subscribe to Think Your Way to an Epic Life for more conversations with world-class experts, coaches, entrepreneurs, and leaders on mindset, performance, health, and living an extraordinary life. #MentalHealth #BeyondQuickFixes #SelfHelp #Mindset

July 14, 202657 min

The Marriage Habits of Successful Couples | Communication, Trust & Grace

What does it take to build a marriage that not only survives—but thrives—through demanding careers, raising a family, and the pressures of everyday life? In this episode of the Think Your Way to an Epic Life Podcast, Ryan and Justin Major share their journey of building a strong, lasting relationship while balancing successful careers and family life. Ryan serves as an FBI agent, while Justin has built a successful career in real estate. Together, they discuss the habits, mindset, and intentional choices that have helped their marriage grow stronger over the years. In this episode, you'll learn: - Why communication is the foundation of every healthy relationship - How to establish healthy boundaries between work and family - The importance of trust and mutual support - Ways to navigate conflict with respect and understanding - How to balance demanding careers while staying connected - Practical habits that strengthen marriages over time Whether you're married, engaged, dating, or simply looking to build stronger relationships, this conversation offers practical insights you can apply in your own life. 👍 If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share it with someone who could benefit from the conversation. #Marriage #Relationships #Communication #Trust #Family #PersonalGrowth #Podcast #Leadership #WorkLifeBalance #MarriageAdvice

July 7, 202619 min

The Happiness Advantage: Why Happiness Comes Before Success

What if everything we've been taught about success is backwards? Most people believe they need to become successful before they can be happy—but research in positive psychology suggests the opposite. In this featured episode of Think Your Way to an Epic Life, Kara shares key lessons from The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor and explains why happiness isn't the reward for success—it's one of the biggest drivers of it. You'll discover practical ways to improve your mindset, build resilience, strengthen relationships, and create habits that lead to greater fulfillment both personally and professionally. In this episode: ✔ Why happiness comes before success ✔ The science behind positive psychology ✔ The 7 principles from The Happiness Advantage ✔ How to retrain your brain for positivity ✔ The power of gratitude, mindset, and social connection If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who could use a little more positivity in their life.