Hot Takes on Healing with Jess Leone

Hot Takes on Healing with Jess Leone

Hot Takes on Healing is a community-centered podcast where real stories spark real change. It’s where we stop sugarcoating and start getting real: about burnout, boundaries, grief, growth, and the messy middle of it all. Each episode offers raw stories, honest & unfiltered conversations, and mic-drop moments that challenge what healing is supposed to look like—and remind you of what’s possible when you come home to yourself. A note to our listeners: not every guest records with Jess in person, so the audio *might* vary from episode to episode! Head over to www.jessleone.com to connect further!

Episodes

May 28, 2025 56 mins

Putting yourself first isn’t selfish, it’s survival. This conversation is your reminder that you don’t have to wait until you break to tend to yourself.

This week’s episode is a heart-opening, deeply grounded conversation with Stacy, an independent cat rescuer in Connecticut who’s currently in the process of opening her own feral cat sanctuary! She’s a force of compassion, honesty, and intentional living, and her wisdom is for anyo...

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In this episode, I’m joined by Lindsey Ryan—entrepreneur, wellness advocate, and co-owner of the Blender Bar (in Cheshire, CT)—to talk about what it really looks like to walk away from a “safe” 9-5 career in Corporate America and choose the wild, messy, and meaningful path back to yourself.

After years in higher education, a major health transformation, and a powerful reset in Ireland, Lindsey had a wake-up call: her inner voice to...

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In this episode, Carrie and I are breaking down the loop—the mental replay, the Groundhog Day energy, the autopilot patterns that keep us stuck—and how something as simple as ChatGPT (or whatever name you’ve given your AI… go ask it!) can actually help you get out of your own head and into a new rhythm. We talk about how to “glitch the loop” on purpose:

  • Taking a different route to work

  • Going to a new coffee shop

  • Intention...

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In this raw and powerful episode, I’m joined by Kate Sullivan, who drops this #hottake: mental health struggles can be just as devastating as addiction—instead of healing the root, we keep slapping Band-Aids on the symptoms. Together we dig into what it really means to live with that weight, including the addiction to sorrow and suffering, the link between dyslexia and addiction (learning something new every day!), and the life-cha...

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This episode features Kay Robbs, a Connecticut-based lifestyle blogger whose platform is all about wellness, food, self-care, and fun date ideas. Kay’s grounded presence and honest perspective make her the perfect guest to dive into a conversation about healing anxious attachment and stepping into your high-value era.

We talk about the deep fear of abandonment that drives anxious attachment, and how often that fear shows up as anxi...

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In this episode, I sit down with Robyn Miller Brecker & Karen Loenser and dive into their personal "hot takes" on healing and the journey that led them to create The Seeking Center.

Robyn, an Emmy® award-winning producer, spent over 20 years working alongside Oprah Winfrey (YEAAAAH, THAT Oprah!), shaping impactful programming with some of the world’s most brilliant thought leaders. She has a background in media innovation, hav...

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Welcome to my series within Hot Takes on Healing: "Fly On a Wall", where you get an all-access pass to the deep, inspiring, & unfiltered conversations I’ve had with some of my closest friends.

These are the moments we’ve always wished other people could hear—the real, *no edits*, NO-BS chats where nothing is off-limits. We’re talking about the stuff that hits you right in the gut, the kind of truths that stick with you, and the...

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The hardest thing to admit? You have a choice.

Because once you do, you have to own the choices that haven’t made you happy—and that’s where real change begins.

This episode was recorded LIVE in our Soundboard community, where we dive deep into accessible somatic techniques to help you ground into your body and regulate your nervous system—because the issues are in our tissues. 

🔥 Key Takeaways:

  • Movement as Release: Whether i...
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So nice, I had to post it twice.

There are a few episodes I always go back and listen to—because the message hits every time.

And this is one of them.

Whether you missed it the first time or need a reminder, this episode with Barbara Yager is packed with insights that will hit differently depending on where you are in your journey.

Barb is an intuitive consultant, coach, and author known for empowering spiritual seekers with tools ...

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Life isn’t always a straight climb up—sometimes it’s a goddamn rollercoaster.

But here’s the thing: No matter what season you’re in, you deserve self-compassion. You deserve to recognize how far you’ve come. And you deserve to celebrate yourself—right now, not just when you hit some imaginary finish line.

In this episode, I go LIVE in 'The Soundboard' to reflect on my own life—what’s changed, what’s stayed the same, and how I’ve le...

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Sometimes ya just gotta hit record on a GOOD conversation. Excuse the low quality audio — it was worth the high quality conversation. 

My beautiful friend, Mindy and I went LIVE back in 2024 in The Soundboard and had a powerful conversation about her healing journey over the last five years. What we've learned is healing isn’t just about moving through the hard stuff—it’s about learning to exist in the good without waiting for the ...

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This one’s different. Hit play—you’ll see.

I think this is my favorite episode to date y'all. I literally grabbed my dictionary a few times because—spoiler—I needed to get clear on what words like “selfish” and “perfection” actually mean. (And trust me, the definitions will surprise you.) Here's what I'm jamming out about:

  • The difference between your self and your ego—because you are NOT the loudest voice in your head.
  • The pow...
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Welcome to my series within Hot Takes on Healing: "Fly On a Wall", where you get an all-access pass to the deep, inspiring, & unfiltered conversations I’ve had with some of my closest friends.

These are the moments we’ve always wished other people could hear—the real, *no edits*, NO-BS chats where nothing is off-limits. We’re talking about the stuff that hits you right in the gut, the kind of truths that stick with you, and the...

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Welcome to my new series within Hot Takes on Healing: "Fly On a Wall", where you get an all-access pass to the deep, inspiring, & unfiltered conversations I’ve had with some of my closest friends.

These are the moments we’ve always wished other people could hear—the real, *no edits*, NO-BS chats where nothing is off-limits. We’re talking about the stuff that hits you right in the gut, the kind of truths that stick with you, an...

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Happy 1st Episode of 2025! 🎉🎉🎉

This episode was *actually* recorded LIVE into my Facebook group, The Soundboard on the last #MindfulMonday of 2024! Quite a few of our members contributed to this discussion about morning routines, momentum, and finding balance in the chaos. It was beautiful to peel back their layers of fear surrounding new/old habits, all-or-nothing thinking, and more!

👇👇👇

✨Friendly reminder to PLEASEEE subscr...

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In my very last episode of 2024, I’m taking a moment to reflect—not just on this past year, but on the last seven years, the time when I feel I really started living my life. I will never forget my husband (during the first six months of dating, might I add) saying:"You're a bird in a cage with the door wide open—I have no idea why you aren’t flying."

Since then, I've started shared my journey publicly of learning to spread my wing...

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This week, I’m joined by the brilliant Jade Starbala, founder of Spring Fed Solutions, educator, writer, holistic healer, and Wayfinder Life Coach-in-Training. Jade’s work is all about helping you discover your innate power to heal, thrive, and align with your truest self. In this episode, we explore a tool she uses called ⁠The Body Compass—a powerful method for connecting with your body’s wisdom to guide you in making aligned deci...

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In this episode, I sit down with Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach and personal trainer Jen Harris to dive deep into the choices that shape our physical, emotional, and mental health. She shares her no-nonsense approach to understanding the why behind our habits—whether it’s food, sleep, or boundaries—and how to build a lifestyle that works for you, not against you.

Key Topics Covered:

  • The importance of correcting your postur...

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Hello and WELCOME to 'Hot Takes on Healing'!

In this episode, I kick things off by sharing a bit of my own story—how my healing journey began and how the recent challenges of grief have shaped me. These experiences inspired me to create Hot Takes on Healing, which offers an honest voice in wellness where healing isn’t just a journey of positivity— it also embraces "the mess" and the pain.

Community played a huge role in my jou...

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In this inspiring episode, we dive deep into the power of being your own advocate with Amy Conroy, a true anomaly who beat an incredibly rare and aggressive cancer. Amy’s journey not only contributed to advancing medical understanding of her rare condition, but underscores the resilience of the human spirit and the miraculous ability of our bodies to regenerate every seven years.

Amy shares how, even on her worst days battling canc...

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