Learn From People Who Lived it
Navigating painful life circumstances would be easier if they came with a how-to guide. This podcast writes the book! Our show is all about transformation. Mathew Blades, a seasoned radio and television personality, uses his exceptional interview skills to guide individuals in sharing their challenging stories. With the support of our in-house psychologist and psychiatrist, we explore the patterns and strategies that enabled these individuals to transform their lives from a difficult phase to a thriving one.
Episodes

Monday Jul 29, 2024
Behind the Scenes with Your Neighborhood Therapist, Colleen Steppa
Monday Jul 29, 2024
Monday Jul 29, 2024
Therapy Insights with Colleen Steppa
In this episode, you'll hear:
Why people stay in “bad” relationships, and how to communicate with someone in a “bad” relationship
The realities of getting into therapy
The importance of balancing empathy and accountability
How to have a hard conversation and make a repair attempt
Tips to shift the way you view yourself
Colleen Steppa is a licensed clinical social worker with active licenses in both Minnesota and Arizona. She owns a private practice located in Phoenix, Arizona, and focuses on trauma, healthy relationships, anxiety, depression, and managing challenging emotions using CBT, DBT, sand tray, IFS, and EMDR.
In this episode, Mathew and Colleen also talk about why people stay in “bad” relationships, how to communicate with someone in a “bad” relationship, the realities of getting into therapy, and the importance of balancing empathy and accountability. Colleens also gives us tips on how to have a hard conversation and make a repair attempt, a practical way to shift the way you view yourself, and who her ideal clients are.
Colleen tells us many of her clients wish they could get the people in their lives to go to therapy or do something to impact the systemic problems in the world. Her advice to them? All you can do is tend to your own garden. If you are always concerned with things outside of your control and always give too much, you will find yourself empty and burned out.
Years ago, Mathew found himself in that exact position. That is why he decided to walk away from the path that was leaving him empty and focus on helping people tell their stories through the podcast, since stories are the way we connect with each other.
Follow the podcast:
Listen on Apple Podcasts (link: https://apple.co/3s1YH7h)
Listen on iHeart (link: https://ihr.fm/3MEY7FM)
Listen on Spotify (Link: https://spoti.fi/3yMmQCE)
Resources:
AmityCounsel.org
AnxiousGeneration.com
Candide, ou l'Optimisme by Voltaire
The Gottman Institute
Inside Out 2 is Here to Help: Navigating Your Teen’s Emotions with Dr. Lisa Damour
Unconditional Positive Regard
Love and Logic Parenting Skills and Techniques
Connect with Mathew Blades:
Twitter - twitter.com/MathewBlades
Instagram - instagram.com/MathewBladesmedia/
Facebook - facebook.com/mathewbladesmedia/
Website - learnfrompeoplewholivedit.com/
Additional Credits:
LFPWLI is managed by Sam Robertson

Monday Jul 22, 2024
Monday Jul 22, 2024
Black Girls Do Engineer: Empowering the Next Generation in STEM with Kara Branch
In this episode, you'll hear:
How can we make STEM exciting for young people?
How to become an ally and provide support Black Girls Do Engineer
How parents and children can overcome limiting beliefs and roadblocks
Top careers for the future
Kara Branch is a multi-award-winning chemical engineer who has headed up projects for NASA and Intel. Kara was raised by a single mother with limited resources who knew her daughter was smart but wasn't sure what to do with her abilities. Kara didn’t find her love for chemistry until high school, and she didn't learn her skills could lead her to be a chemical engineer until her freshman year in college. During her time as an engineering major at HBCU Prairie View A&M University, she was only one of a handful of women in her program. Throughout her subsequent career in chemical engineering, she has often been the only Black woman in the room.
In 2019, Kara found herself increasingly troubled by the systemic issues within the field of STEM. and launched Black Girls Do Engineer to empower a future pipeline of academically gifted Black girls and young women by providing access, education, representation, and mentorship. As of today, BGDE has served over 4,000 girls, from kindergarten through college, with 60% coming from underrepresented communities. The program also has a 100% college acceptance rate and a 100% job placement rate among its members.
In this episode, Mathew and Kara discuss tactics she uses to inspire her girls to pursue STEM, the importance of representation and exposure, why she created Black Girls Do Engineer, and how you can support them. Kara also talks about struggling to have her voice heard, the role of allies, and having to overcome additional challenges in male-dominated fields. They also talk about the success BGDE has had over the years, careers kids should be thinking about for the future, and the importance of having passion in whatever career you choose to pursue.
Follow the podcast:
Listen on Apple Podcasts (link: https://apple.co/3s1YH7h)
Listen on iHeart (link: https://ihr.fm/3MEY7FM)
Listen on Spotify (Link: https://spoti.fi/3yMmQCE)
Resources:
Title 1 Tech – Future Stars AZ
BlackGirlsDoEngineer.org
Kara Branch on Linkedin
Connect with Mathew Blades:
Twitter - twitter.com/MathewBlades
Instagram - instagram.com/MathewBladesmedia/
Facebook - facebook.com/mathewbladesmedia/
Website - learnfrompeoplewholivedit.com/
Additional Credits:
LFPWLI is managed by Sam Robertson

Monday Jul 15, 2024
Monday Jul 15, 2024
How to Fix Your Relationship with Food and Live the Life You Crave with Lia Pinelli
In this episode, you'll hear:
How mothers' relationships with their bodies impact their daughters
The dangers of letting yourself down and how to rebuild self-trust
Practical tips and tools to begin to Live the Life You Crave
The science of intermittent fasting and how to do it successfully
How to navigate a household that is not on your nutrition journey along with you
Lia Pinelli is the owner of The Life You Crave and the leader of The Fempire, “a community of powerhouse women who are invested in feeling good in their own skin, building baller businesses, and creating the lives they crave unapologetically.” She came from an Italian-American household full of great food, and as a kid, she was teased for her weight. It wasn't until she turned 9 when her mother suggested they go on a diet together, that she began to see her different body as “bad”. This kickstarted three decades of yo-yo dieting that ended when she found a coach who helped her rethink her relationship with food and herself. Now she is paying it forward as a coach to other women who are ready to start living the life they crave.
In this episode, Mathew, Dr. Dave, and Lia discuss the line between good-natured teasing and inappropriate bullying, the difference between being self-conscious and health-conscious, and how being health-conscious can turn into orthorexia. Lia tells us how she fell into self-sabotaging behaviors around food and how she rebuilt trust in herself by changing her mindset from plans to promises, learning how urges impacted her, and moving through the feelings rather than running away from them.
“Any real growth requires discomfort.”
Follow the podcast:
Listen on Apple Podcasts (link: https://apple.co/3s1YH7h)
Listen on iHeart (link: https://ihr.fm/3MEY7FM)
Listen on Spotify (Link: https://spoti.fi/3yMmQCE)
Resources:
Dr. David Leicken, MD
LiaPinelli.com
Connect with Mathew Blades:
Twitter - twitter.com/MathewBlades
Instagram - instagram.com/MathewBladesmedia/
Facebook - facebook.com/mathewbladesmedia/
Website - learnfrompeoplewholivedit.com/
Additional Credits:
LFPWLI is managed by Sam Robertson

Monday Jul 08, 2024
You Are Your Own Healer with Shamanic Breathwork Expert, Lukis Mac
Monday Jul 08, 2024
Monday Jul 08, 2024
In this episode, you'll hear:
Practical Ways Breathwork Impacts Your Daily Life
What Chris and Mathew experienced during their breathwork session
The Science Behind Breathwork
Lukis Mac is the founder of Owaken Breathwork, a groundbreaking modality that empowers individuals to heal and transform through the power of breathwork. Lukas had a turbulent childhood growing up in New Zealand that led him on a journey to try and understand himself and heal from his past. He found what he was looking for through breathwork, and now he is bringing the practice to others as a shamanic breathwork expert. He works with many high-profile celebrities and athletes, but his sessions are also widely available to everyone on his website, in his app, and through the events he facilitates across the world.
In this episode, Mathew, Chris, and Lukis discuss mental blocks people face when exploring breathwork and how to overcome them, how Owaken is unique, and who can benefit from the practice. Lukis outlines ways we can identify negative patterns and break those patterns for ourselves today, how different breathing techniques impact us, and how learning self-regulation can change our lives.
“You are your own healer.”
Follow the podcast:
Listen on Apple Podcasts (link: https://apple.co/3s1YH7h)
Listen on iHeart (link: https://ihr.fm/3MEY7FM)
Listen on Spotify (Link: https://spoti.fi/3yMmQCE)
Resources:
LukisMac.co
ChrisPowell.com
INeededThatPodcast.com
Connect with Mathew Blades:
Twitter - twitter.com/MathewBlades
Instagram - instagram.com/MathewBladesmedia/
Facebook - facebook.com/mathewbladesmedia/
Website - learnfrompeoplewholivedit.com/
Additional Credits:
LFPWLI is managed by Sam Robertson