Best You Can B

A Nashville Native, Tally Bevis Graduated with honors from Belmont University’s Curb College in 2019 with a Business Administration Degree and many incredible accomplishments under her belt. Tally considers her greatest honor serving as Miss Tennessee 2021 with the Miss America Organization. 

As Miss Tennessee 2021, Tally spoke to thousands of school children about voter registration and lobbied in Washington, DC for increased civic literacy education. Tally launched a podcast, traveled, earned over $35,000 in academic scholarships, and even received three additional awards at the 100th Anniversary Miss America Competition. She is an avid solo traveler, keynote speaker, micro-influencer for good, spin class lover, and Dolly Parton fangirl.

My favorite takeaway from today was Tally’s advice: “You have to be a novice before you can be an expert” 

Taking this episode to hit the rewind button and head back to episode 21. Long-term Leadership: How to Lead Like it's Your Last Change. It was a favorite, so why not? 

This episode comes out right after Memorial Day when we honor and remember the men and women who have died in service to our country. It is a  fitting reminder that life is fleeting and each day is a precious gift.  Believe it or not: This could be one of the most important ties into  leadership and your ability to influence others.

How to lead others like it's your last chance and opportunity to do so:

1. Show people that you appreciate them. Tell them that you love and care about them today.

2. Stop comparing your life to other lives; Your leadership journey  to other journeys. Life is too short to let comparison steal your  valuable time, so don't let it distract you from what breakthroughs are  waiting for you just around the corner.

3. Focus on what is actually important and fulfilling in the long run.

4. Take more risks in your leadership, in getting out of your comfort  zone, and in doing the things that will make a difference in the lives  of others and in your progress towards your goals.

5. (the Sparknotes version of the episode) Think of yourself less. At  the end of our ropes, we will not regret the time we spent pouring into  and encouraging others, so let's not waste it all on ourselves.

In today's episode, Registered Dietitian and Founder of Funk It Wellness Kate Morton chats with us about everything it takes to build a business from the ground up. She started out of her kitchen and has now grown her business to have a significant following and impact in the world of women's health. 

One of my favorite takeaways from this conversation is her perspective on failure. To Kate, failure is simply not giving ourselves the chance to try in the first place. 

What you'll learn:

- Seed Cycling

- Starting a Business and Acting on it

- Healthy Habits

and a lot more!!

Paralympic gold medalist and world record holder McKenzie Coan joins us today to share lessons she has learned from overcoming countless physical obstacles and set-backs in her athletic journey. 

One of my favorite takeaways she leaves us with from this conversation is the reminder that leadership is about what we can do for others and not for ourselves. She also shares advice on healthy balance for high-achievers and insight into how we can all aspire towards her unshakable mindset and positivity despite countless setbacks.

On today's episode, I'm chatting with Taylor Joy Murray. Taylor is an author, working on her masters in clinical mental health counseling, a speaker, and a big-time encourager. She grew up as the daughter of missionaries and has an inspiring and relatable journey toward healing. She marries the spiritual, prayer-focused, faith-filled approach to healing with more of a clinical approach and has great advice for anyone walking through anxiety.

A mix of practical tips for starting the year off strong with the mindset you’ll need to tackle your amazing goals!

On today's episode, I'm chatting with Hanna Wilson. Hanna is a dear dear friend who I met through her boyfriend, we had our first catch-up call and instantly connected and felt like longtime friends. She has walked through some serious seasons of waiting in a way I really admire, she is courageous, confident, and spreads love with every conversation she has. She is a new teacher for first graders and I’m excited to see that side of leadership leading little ones.

On today's episode, I'm back with another solo on all things gratitude. When we are grateful for what we do, what we have, who we have in our lives, so on and so forth, we are left so so much less likely to fall into the trap of thinking things don't matter or that the grass might be greener on the other side of something. 

So, I'm here to spill a few ways on how to practice gratitude in our everyday lives. 

When winning the gold, Cynthia Monteleone ran faster at age 43 than she did as a Division I collegiate track athlete, and there is quite the story to go along with that accomplishment. 

Today’s episode marks my first time recording an episode since having our little boy, so I thought I'd share 5 lessons I’ve learned so far since having a baby:

1: Don’t fear the future

2: Live in the moment even if it means tossing a to-do to tomorrow's to-do list

3: Don’t think, just do

4: Share. Share joy, share time, share resources

5: Fulfillment takes sacrifice

Leah Brueggemann is a functional diagnostic nutritional practitioner who works with women from all over to support their bodies through proper nutrition in order to balance their hormones.

Especially when it comes to leadership, I know firsthand how closely she works with and leads her clients through what can be overwhelming changes. She shares with us the importance of creating a safe space for the people in our lives, and the downfall of comparison especially when it comes to pursuing what you are passionate about. Enjoy and follow along for more hormone-healing guidance from a source I trust!

In today’s episode, we take that one step further by exploring the key to connection: Our imperfections.

This is a short episode, but a massive topic. I hope just this small snippet gave you something to think about and, as always, send any feedback my way!

Until next episode,

B

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In this conversation, we have a very special guest: My mom! We hear from her and her many years of tried and true experience on what success can look like as a parent, the importance of remembering delayed gratification, leadership as a mother, and the challenges of balancing work and family life. She gives us practical tips from things she has learned along the way as someone who has run multiple businesses in her life time all while raising three children.

To give you the SparkNotes version of today’s episode, I would sum it up with this quote which I’ve heard far too many times to even know its original source: At the end of the day, people won’t remember what you say to them. They’ll remember how you make them feel.

Dr. Deanna Holdren is a board-certified family practice physician currently practicing in the area of functional medicine. She specializes in nutritional healing, bio-identical hormone balance, whole-body detoxification, and the reversal of inflammation within the body.

In this conversation, we talk about what leadership looks like as someone walking alongside patients at their most vulnerable, dealing with anxiety and its relationship to gut health, and easy-to-implement guidelines for better nutrition and energy.

Quitting isn’t easy and it is viewed oftentimes in a negative light. No one wants to be a “quitter,” and no one wants to feel like they are giving up, but sometimes, quitting is the best way to open up opportunities for yourself that are even better than you can imagine!

In this episode, we cover:

• Questions to ask yourself if you are considering quitting something currently on your plate
• Personal examples of times I have quit something that turned out for the better
• How quitting does not equate to a lack of success

Jess Bargenquast is the founder of Lady ChangeMakers, an all-inclusive e-commerce platform for women-owned businesses. Jessica is an expert in creating exposure and driving traffic for e-commerce businesses, and she is also an introvert! Listen as she shares about her journey building a business from the ground up, and learning to see the benefit of being an introvert.

The stories we tell ourselves set a lot of the trajectory for our future. We can choose to repeat the stories of times we fell short of a goal, and feel deflated in the face of our next big obstacle. Or, on the other hand, we can choose to tell ourselves of the times we overcame challenges and let those stories fill us with confidence for our future.

In this episode, we walk through practical episodes to steer our minds towards the good stories we have and away from the draining ones, and we also talk about why this is so valuable!

In this episode, we walk through the deep ties between our habits, our confidence, and our identity. Then, we go through practical tips to quit bad habits and develop beneficial ones. 

Today, we go over my personal favorite way to build sustainable habits: The Lulubuck System!

I came up with this as a way to give myself small, tangible rewards on my way towards developing the habits I knew I wanted to solidify. Delayed gratification can be hard and can even make us give up sometimes, but when you can identify a few, key habits to work on and create your own milestones along the way. 

Sometimes the idea of being really successful and reaching all of our goals can be daunting. There are so many strings attached to success in any number of areas that we question if we would be able to maintain it and sometimes if we even deserve it! 


Today's episode walks through seven ways we can find ourselves trapped in the fear of success and how a tiny perspective shift on each one could just make all the difference you need to remove this obstacle between you and flourishing.




Happy 1 year to the Best You Can B podcast! In celebration of our first whole year together, I (Brigitta!) actually have the privilege of being interviewed. We return to some basic questions like "what makes women's leadership unique?" and "how does leadership and wellness go hand-in-hand?" Enjoy! 

In today's episode, we cover all things leading while being spread thin from the discipline to look beyond the here and now craziness to value-based prioritization; From practically getting rid of distractions to still prioritizing the people that matter in your life and in your leadership roles. 

Rebecca Bender is grit, resiliency, wisdom, and definitely a sense of humor all wrapped up in an incredible story of redemption and triumph. Relentless in her mission to help others find their purpose, she is CEO of the Rebecca Bender Initiative and founder of Elevate Academy, the largest online school for survivors of trafficking in the world.  In our conversation, we touched on how to stop our spiraling thoughts in their tracks, how to develop grit, why our stories all matter, and even how to go about instilling good character in the next generation. 

Today’s episode is about leading through anxiety. With a little perspective, we can stop letting anxiety get in the way of our capacity and potential to lead others and make a difference. 

In this episode, we cover not only why it is so important for us to celebrate others, but also why we need to celebrate others from the prized position of inner confidence. 

Darynne Dahlem is a graduate of the University of Arkansas, current medical school student, and she was crowned Miss Arkansas in 2019. She also represented Miss Arkansas at the 2020 Miss America Pageant and has earned a number of awards throughout the process including the Jessie Ward Bennett Leadership Award. She has served as Arkansas’ spokesperson for the Children’s Miracle Network and the Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Her platform for the competition, “Know Who You Are,” is rooted in Darynne’s belief that if you truly know who you are, you won’t be led to do or be something you’re not.

This episode comes out right after Memorial Day when we honor and remember the men and women who have died in service to our country. It is a fitting reminder that life is fleeting and each day is a precious gift. Believe it or not: This could be one of the most important ties into leadership and your ability to influence others. 

How to lead others like it's your last chance and opportunity to do so:

1. Show people that you appreciate them. Tell them that you love and care about them today. 

2. Stop comparing your life to other lives; Your leadership journey to other journeys. Life is too short to let comparison steal your valuable time, so don't let it distract you from what breakthroughs are waiting for you just around the corner. 

3. Focus on what is actually important and fulfilling in the long run. 

4. Take more risks in your leadership, in getting out of your comfort zone, and in doing the things that will make a difference in the lives of others and in your progress towards your goals. 

5. (the Sparknotes version of the episode) Think of yourself less. At the end of our ropes, we will not regret the time we spent pouring into and encouraging others, so let's not waste it all on ourselves. 

You are going to love this conversation so much with Debbie Neal. I don’t think she has a negative bone in her body, but I also know that her positive attitude and infectious spirit of belief has come with likely a lot of discipline and a lot of mental practice. She has an extensive resume from being the director of training for CVS pharmacy to being extremely successful with her own global health & wellness business. One of my favorite quotes of hers is “passion IS developing leaders.” Passion is developing leaders. Debbie is someone that I look up to very much. She has four amazing children, an adorable dog named Tito, she also has her own podcast, and she lives in New Jersey. I hope you enjoy this episode, because I know I did! 

Many of us have either chronic pain, chronic illness, emotional baggage, heartbreak, or repeated frustration that feels like we are sometimes walking with heavy chains dragging behind our feet and keeping us from fully living life. That heaviness and emotional burden from chronic struggle can seep into every other aspect of our life to limit our joy, fulfillment, and, of course, our leadership.

In this episode, I share a somewhat personal story on the topic, and then we dive into what you can and can't control as someone experiencing any number of chronic pains whether it be physical, mental, or emotional. We even end on the positive note trying to see the pain from the perspective as something that can actually really benefit your growth as a leader! 

Dr. Tanda Cook, ND is a naturopathic physician, farmer, author of a cookbook, and a teacher of all things food, nutrition, sustainable farming, and natural medicine. She has a special talent for breaking down complex medical ideas into more easily understood terms and shining a light on just how carefree a holistic lifestyle can truly be. I’ve learned so much just through her youtube videos and her weekly Tuesday Tip on Instagram, but she also offers an in-depth online course as well. 

Part two of the six leadership traits for inspiring change at the heart level: Competency, consistency of character and of action, and honesty with self and with others. This six-part series has been so fun, and I also get the chance to introduce my new Leadership Launching Course!

"Insecurities don’t get conquered, they become understood, and when this happens they don’t have power over us any longer."

This is a quote by Bob Goff that sets the stage for today's episode. Insecurities get in our way when we are trying to lead in any capacity. Not only is it important to understand them, but it is also beneficial to know where they come from, what triggers them, and how gratitude can turn our areas of lower confidence into tools for helping others.

In todays episode, we cover why it's normal to want to fit in and belong, some of the reasons why we tend to feel this way, and ideas of ways around this issue of never feeling like we fit in. No matter how old we are, we all crave relationships, friendships, and connection with others, but can be met with feelings of hurt and rejection instead. 

Some reasons why we might feel like we don't fit in: 

• We can feel like we don’t belong as a result of things we cannot change, like physical characteristics or our appearance, but there are so many other (more meaningful!) ways we can connect with others.
• Having beliefs that are different from those around you can make it hard to participate in conversations, but there are ways around this as well.
• If we feel like we don’t belong just because our goals are really different from the ones our friends have, the answer is this: We can either keep our goals, have aspirations, and be ambitious, or we can change to fit the mold. That is 100% our choice.
• When we find ourselves growing in different ways or at a faster pace than our friends, we might not be interested in the same things anymore, but a little bit of patience will go along way here!
• With a little reflection, we might find that we aren't as inquisitive about others as we might think, and this can make it really hard for our friends to want to include us. So, next time you have the chance, ask your friends how they are doing and genuinely show interest! 
• Like the last reason, maybe we don't listen as well as we should, so try to be a little more open to your friend next time the two of you chat. 
• Making friends is hard and requires effort and patience, so don't give up if it just hasn't worked yet!

As a tremendous amount of societal pressure is put on perfect plans and extreme success, how can we protect ourselves from that by having our own, solid understanding of success? How can we prepare ourselves for the best possible opportunities that could pop up along our journey? 

Your definition of success needs to be your very own, and hard work today is what will open the best doors of possibility tomorrow. That way, when life happens and plans change, we aren't stuck with living our "second best" life. We get to embrace the opportunity of change, because we are prepared! 

Listen to Learn more!

Until next episode, 

B

Stephanie  Lanier — award-winning realtor, founder of The Inspiration Lab, and  trail-blazing mother to a son with special needs — is full of wisdom and  loving life in the little details. Her attitude of gratitude is  infectious, and her perspective given in response to our questions is  sure to give you food for thought.

Emotional leadership is an approach to leading that will put you head and shoulders above others in no time. That doesn't mean it is easy to cultivate, but it definitely helps to understand the building blocks that make it so unique.

Shannon Huffman Polson, a consultant, former military pilot, author, and speaker pulls from a wealth of personal testimony to train and educate on the topic of developing grit. She was in the first group of women to fly the Apache attack helicopter in the US army, an experience that gives her a unique perspective on topics such as leading authentically to who you are, rising above resistance, and staying connected with your core purpose. Shannon’s newest book, “The Grit Factor: Courage, Resilience, and Leadership in the Most Male-Dominated Organization in the World” walks readers through applicable and transformative exercises that solidify many of these hard lessons.