Sam Mitchell joins me today. Sam was diagnosed at the age of 4 with high-functioning Autism. Sam wants people to know that he is not broken, and he doesn’t need to be fixed. He also wants people to know that there is no normal in this world. He embraces who he is and wants the same for everyone else. Period.

Sam is a successful podcaster, an advocate for Autism, a motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and blogger. He has even published a Ted Talk. He has made it to the top 10 in the People's Choice Podcast Awards, placed second in the state of Indiana for the JAG Entrepreneurship project, was selected as the best business at the CEO trade show in Indiana, and he is in the top 200 podcasts in all of Canada.

Connect with Sam Mitchell:

• Website
• Podcast: Autism Rocks and Rolls

Let's Connect!

• Facebook: The Beauty in the Mess podcast
• Instagram
• Website

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Art of Parenting Adult Children with Lori Badry

Many of us have children who are now adults or will be before we know it. There is a difference in how you parent your children when they are minors versus how you parent them as adults. The role you play in their lives, whether we like it or not, changes. It must change.

I’m joined by Lori Badry, who is a Christian woman with a wonderful husband, 3 adult children, and 3 beautiful grandchildren. Education was her career of choice as she was a teacher for 34 years. Now she is happily retired, with a side gig that brings her a lot of joy.

Lori had to learn the transition to parenting adult children the hard way. She made a mistake, and it forced the need changes in her life. She wanted God to put instructions on a neon sign, but instead He told her to be still and look inward. Through a journey of personal development, growing closer with the Holy Spirt, and growing closer with her husband she has found peace and balance in her life. Now she wants to share with other parents how to navigate parenting adult children so that they don’t find themselves in a perfect storm the way she did. She is so open and vulnerable and so willing to help. You will enjoy listening to her journey.

Tune in to this 8th episode of The Beauty in the Mess to hear about how Lori’s experiences and wisdom are now helping other parents navigate this new way of approaching parenting of adult children.

Some Questions Asked:

• What do you think she meant at the time (speaking to the fact that her therapist had just told her that she ‘was not that important’)? (08:59)
• Do you think some of that micromanaging your children was just the need to be needed? (10:46)
• So, for people that want to avoid that perfect storm but still have the same results you’ve had, what do you think the number one thing to do is? (14:54)
• So, is he (husband) kind of on the same path? Was he doing the prayer and the personal development as well or was that mostly your journey? (18:30)
• How do you do that without feeling guilty that you are not offering that solution (to your kids)? (23:69)
• What does strengthening your relationship with your husband look like now (26:69)?

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• You are not as important as you think you are (08:58)
• Find personal development material that will help you grown and find your purpose (15:24)
• Find a therapist to help you work through things if needed (16:19)
• Prayer before anything (17:30)
• Talk About It Saturdays (17:69)
• Reconnect with your spouse (18:68)
• Ask Adult children if they are wanting a sounding board or advice (19:74)
• Kids change from your kids to your friends (30:58)
• Don’t let your emotions be the decisive factor in your decisions (31:61)

Connect with Stephanie:

• Lori Badry's Facebook Profile
• loribadry@gmail.com

Let's Connect!

• Facebook: The Beauty in the Mess podcast
• Instagram: the.beauty.in.the.mess
• The Beauty in The Mess Website

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this insightful episode, Michele welcomes Star Hansen, a certified professional organizer and author, to discuss the emotional and psychological dimensions of clutter. Starr shares her expertise on how clutter impacts our lives, the types of clutter, and practical tips for overcoming it. The conversation dives deep into personal stories, ancestral clutter, and actionable strategies for managing both practical and activated clutter.

Star Hansen is a Certified Professional Organizer (CPO©) and Clutter Whisperer on a mission to help you banish your personal Clutter Monster, take control of your stuff, and create a life you’re truly proud of. Star looks at the deeper meaning of your stuff to help you figure out WHY you feel overwhelmed by your clutter in the first place. Star’s best-selling book, “Why the F*#@ Am I Still Not Organized?”, has inspired countless individuals to tackle their clutter head-on and find lasting solutions. She has appeared on over 30 TV shows, given a TEDx talk, and shared her fitted sheet folding secrets with Oprah & her fans. Her unique methodology has helped thousands of people get (and stay!) organized when nothing else worked.

02:20 Introduction to Star Hansen

05:04 Two Types of Clutter: Activated vs Practical

05:43 Emotional Aspect of Clutter

10:01 No Need to Rush to Get Rid of Clutter

10:55 Handing the Death of a Loved One

11:38 Organizing is Boundary Work

14:06 Guilt of Letting Things Go

26:31 Ancestral or Generational Clutter

46:47 Making Time for Yourself

47:03 Small Steps to Organizing

47:01 Consistency Over Time

47:28 Varying Levels of Engagement

50:31 Clutter In Every Room In Your Home Has a Different Meaning

Connect with Star Hansen:

· https://www.starhansen.com/podcast

· https://www.starhansen.com/freeresources

· https://www.tiktok.com/@starhansen

· https://www.facebook.com/starhansen

· https://www.instagram.com/star.hansen

· https://www.starhansen.com/book

· https://www.youtube.com/starhansen

Let's Connect!

• The Beauty In The Mess
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/676609323457906
• https://thebeautyinthemess.com/

· https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-simms-mba-a061b96a/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sometimes the Biggest Loser is the Biggest Winner with Megan Hoffman

Today’s special guest is Megan Hoffman from the USA’s Biggest Loser. She was the At-Home Winner of the show’s reboot season in 2020. She is a model, Keynote Motivational Speaker, and Author who primarily focuses on Personal Development, Health & Wellness, and Body Positivity. She has been a leader in the Fitness Industry for over a decade and after overcoming her own weight loss battle has made it her life’s passion to help other break free from self-imposed limitations. She has been featured on People, E-news, USA, The Reality TV, Women’s Health, PC Pop culture, Floor 8, Blog talk Radio, the Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Deadline, Prevention, and Simi Valley Acorn.

She is not only gorgeous on the on the outside, but she is just as beautiful on the inside. Her motto is, “you don’t have to be the fastest, you don’t have to be the strongest, you just have to keep going,” and that she has. She has not only worked tirelessly on her body, but she has worked tremendously hard on her mindset as well, and she is happy to share all that she has learned.

Tune in to this 11th episode of The Beauty in the Mess to hear about Megan’s experiences and learn from her wisdom.

Some Questions Asked:

• How do you sit with that emotion and not go to food? (07:57)
• She found confidence and the self-love before the weight loss. (11:20)
• What do you think that Biggest Loser taught you that you hadn't already learned on your own? (32:44)
• Do you feel like they prepped you well mentally? Or do you feel like you had done most [00:38:00] of that? What they taught you already? (37:53)
• What do you think the key, as far as the losing weight part has been for you, is it the macros or just the consistency or meal prep or what do you think? All the above? (41:40)
• Prior to the surgery, what was your total weight loss? Or even now? (01:00:11)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• The trap of romanticizing weight loss. (02:06) (13:56)
• Cleaning up your social media. (03:52) (19:58)
• The importance of keeping promises to yourself. (05:35) (12:54)
• Learning not to numb out on food. (07:57)
• Never start over again. (16:22)
• Consistency is key. (18:43) (41:52)
• Setting yourself up for success; asking for help; finding support and accountability. (19:41) (35:31) (43:55) (52:57)
• What got you to the point of weight loss is what will keep you there. (49:34)
• Just get started. (56:06)
• God has a way for you to succeed. (01:03:19)

Connect with Megan:

• Megan Hoffman on Instagram: @iamhoffy
• Megan Hoffman's Facebook Profile

· http://iamhoffy.com/

Kelly Hudson’s Book available on Amazon:

Losing, Learning, and Loving: Through Christ's Example, Learn How Contestants on a Reality Weight-Loss Show Achieve Wellness by Healing Body, Mind, and Soul

Let's Connect!

• Facebook: The Beauty in the Mess podcast
• Instagram: the.beauty.in.the.mess
• The Beauty in The Mess Website

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when homeschooling doesn’t just change your child’s education… but exposes your own wounds?

In this powerful conversation, Julieta Duvall shares how what began as a chaotic homeschooling decision during the pandemic turned into a deep personal reckoning. She opens up about anger, control, guilt, perfectionism, and the painful realization that she wasn’t showing up as the safe space she wanted to be for her children.

This episode goes far beyond curriculum and learning styles. It’s about deconditioning the beliefs we inherited about education, success, and parenting. It’s about healing ourselves so we don’t pass down what hurt us.

If you’ve ever felt triggered in motherhood… this one is for you.

[2:30] Julieta’s early life, perfectionism, and how her upbringing shaped her parenting

[5:10] The pandemic shift and how homeschooling exposed her anger

[7:15] “I wasn’t a safe space.” Facing emotional regulation and control

[10:30] Guilt, healing, and the evolving relationship with her oldest son

[16:30] Was homeschooling part of her own healing journey?

[19:00] Deconditioning: questioning the belief that learning only happens at school

[21:30] Redefining education, success, and what achievement really means

[26:30] Homeschooling stigma before and after the pandemic

[30:30] Socialization myths and what thriving really looks like

[38:30] The chaos of leaving traditional school and “deschooling”

[44:00] The fear of meeting state requirements and testing expectations

[48:00] Teaching adaptability in a world where jobs don’t even exist yet

[50:30] Listening to your body, intuition, and raising aware children

[53:00] Julieta’s work helping parents transition into homeschooling

✨Connect with Julieta Duvall:

• The Unschooling Lifestyle Podcast
• Website: https://unschoolinglifestyle.com

✨ Connect with Michele Simms:

• Website: thebeautyinthemess.com
• Instagram: @the.beauty.in.the.mess
• LinkedIn: Michele Simms
• Facebook Group: The Beauty in the Mess Podcast

💬 Rate & Review

· Loved this episode? Please consider leaving a 5-star review and sharing it with a friend!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Progress doesn’t always look like momentum. Sometimes it looks like losing everything you thought defined you. Starting over. Rebuilding quietly while questioning your own direction, identity, and worth.

In this episode of The Beauty In The Mess, I sit down with Sofia Pedroso, founder of Shiffully. Sofia works with entrepreneurs to address the emotional and nervous-system patterns that often sit beneath inconsistent growth, burnout, and self-doubt. But her work didn’t begin with theory. It began with her own lived experience of losing everything and having to rebuild from the inside out.

We talk about what it means to hit rock bottom, how emotional patterns quietly shape our outcomes, and why traditional strategies often fail when deeper nervous-system patterns are driving our behavior. Sofia shares how she rebuilt her identity, developed self-trust, and began helping others do the same.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that feeling stuck doesn’t mean you’re broken. It often means there’s something deeper asking to be understood.

04:32 — Sofia’s rock bottom and losing everything

08:15 — Moving back in with her parents and rebuilding identity

12:40 — Why progress felt slow and invisible

17:05 — Emotional patterns and nervous-system responses

21:30 — Why strategy alone doesn’t create real change

26:10 — Recognizing the patterns that keep us stuck

30:55 — Learning to rebuild self-trust

35:20 — How her experience led to creating Shiffully

40:05 — Helping others break cycles and grow sustainably

✨Connect with Sofia Pedroso:

• Website: https://shiffully.com
• Unlock Growth Community: https://www.skool.com/unlock-growth-4645

✨ Connect with Michele Simms:

• Website: thebeautyinthemess.com
• Instagram: @the.beauty.in.the.mess
• LinkedIn: Michele Simms
• Facebook Group: The Beauty in the Mess Podcast

💬 Rate & Review

· Loved this episode? Please consider leaving a 5-star review and sharing it with a friend!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some of the people who help us most are the ones who have walked through the darkest things themselves.

In this episode of The Beauty In The Mess, I sit down with Stacy Schaffer, MA, LPC, a children’s therapist with over 20 years of experience working with grief, trauma, and anxiety. Stacy is also a survivor of childhood trauma, and she brings that lived wisdom into every conversation she has with families, educators, and young people.

We talk openly about how trauma shows up in kids, why silence in families can be dangerous, and how play, safety, and relationship are often the real medicine. Stacy shares what she wished she’d had as a child, what she now creates for others, and why healing is not a destination but a practice.

This is a tender, honest, and deeply practical conversation for parents, teachers, caregivers, and anyone who cares about breaking generational cycles with compassion instead of shame.

05:10 — Stacy’s childhood story and what shaped her calling

09:25 — How trauma quietly shows up in kids

13:50 — Why family silence keeps wounds alive

18:15 — The healing power of play therapy

22:40 — Grief beyond death and why it matters

27:05 — Warning signs parents should not ignore

31:30 — Repair, safety, and relationship as medicine

36:10 — What Stacy wishes every parent knew

40:55 — How to break generational cycles with love

✨Connect with Stacy Schaffer:

• Book: With Love From a Children’s Therapist: #lessonsihavelearnedalongtheway
• Website: https://authorstacyschaffer.com

✨ Connect with Michele Simms:

• Website: thebeautyinthemess.com
• Instagram: @the.beauty.in.the.mess
• LinkedIn: Michele Simms
• Facebook Group: The Beauty in the Mess Podcast

💬 Rate & Review

· Loved this episode? Please consider leaving a 5-star review and sharing it with a friend!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.