COACHED with Coach Keren

This episode is not going to just inspire you. It is going to initiate you.
Amberly Lago was a professional dancer, fitness instructor, and fitness model living her California dream when a single motorcycle accident in May 2010 shattered everything. What followed was 34 major surgeries, a 1% chance of keeping her leg, a diagnosis of complex regional pain syndrome — an incurable neurological condition of relentless pain — and eventually, a quiet spiral into alcoholism that she hid from her husband, her clients, and herself.
She didn't choose this work. She was dismantled into it. And what she built on the other side — a life, a message, and a body of work centered on joy, resilience, and radical self-acceptance — is the kind of testimony that changes people.
This one is for everyone who has lost an identity, a body, a marriage, a belief system, or a version of themselves they thought they were forever — and who is ready to face the realest question life can ask: who do you become when the thing that defines you is gone?

KEY TAKEAWAYS
Acceptance is not the end — it's the beginning. Amberly spent years in denial, anger, hiding her scars under knee-high boots in 100-degree LA heat. The turning point came when her surgeon held her leg in his lap like a masterpiece. If he could see it that way, maybe she could too. That reframe changed everything. Acceptance is where all transformation starts.
Grit without grace is just resistance. High achievers are often experts at powering through — until their bodies stop them. True grit isn't white-knuckling your way forward. It requires the give of grace, the softness of self-compassion, and the wisdom to know when pushing harder is actually the problem.
The inner work is harder than the surgeries. Amberly underwent 34 major procedures. She'll tell you that wasn't the hardest part. The hardest part was looking inward — at unprocessed trauma, at shame, at the addiction she'd used to numb a pain that couldn't be outrun. Pain demands to be heard. It will find a way out — through the way we love, the way we lead, the things we can't stop reaching for.
Numbing comes in many forms. Alcohol. Workaholism. Scrolling. Overexercise. Sex. You don't have to have your life fall apart to be avoiding yourself. If you can't stop reaching for something when things get hard, ask what you're not letting yourself feel. All craving comes from a self that is incomplete. Wholeness is the antidote.
Connection is the opposite of addiction. Asking for help saved Amberly's life. So did showing up — to meetings she didn't feel like attending, to communities that held her when she couldn't hold herself. Grit with connection is resilience. Grit without connection is just more suffering.
Resilience is not bouncing back. It's embracing the change. The old version of you is gone. Resilience doesn't mean returning to it — it means asking: what brings me joy now? What do I love? And building from that place, even if you have no idea how.
Three things for anyone whose old life no longer fits: give yourself grace, drop the comparison (it is the thief of joy), and guard your company fiercely. Stick with the puppy uppers. Let go of the doggy downers — even if it's uncomfortable, even if they're upset. The integrity of your inner circle is everything.
You are a walking permission slip. When you show your scars — literally or metaphorically — you give everyone around you permission to do the same. That is not a small thing. That is the whole thing.

MOMENTS FROM THE CONVERSATION
"Grit without connection is resistance. Grit with connection is where you find resilience — and asking for help saved my life." — Amberly Lago
"Pain pushed me until purpose pulled me." — Amberly Lago
"Acceptance is the beginning of any transformation." — Amberly Lago
"God takes away what we're wrapping our identity around so that we can learn how to really, truly walk." — Coach Keren Eldad

LEARN MORE ABOUT AMBERLY LAGO
📖 Joy Through the Journey → https://www.amazon.com/Joy-Through-Journey-Amberly-Lago/dp/1394265549 📖 True Grit and True Grace → https://www.amazon.com/True-Grit-Grace-Turning-Tragedy/dp/1683506235 🤝 Work with Amberly → https://amberlylago.com/ 📸 Follow Amberly → @AmberlyLago https://www.instagram.com/amberlylagomotivation

LEARN MORE ABOUT COACH KEREN
Coaching → KerenEldad.com
Book → Buy GILDED / The Gilded Journal on Amazon
Book → Order Gilt Free — Amazon link coming soon
Audiobook → Get Gilt Free FREE on Audiobook/Spotify — link coming soon

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What if success wasn’t about more—but about better?
In this episode of Coached, Keren sits down with Erica Kiang, founder of Rooms Showroom, to explore the intersection of taste, identity, and entrepreneurship.
Erica’s work lives in a world of design, curation, and aesthetics—but this conversation goes far deeper than beautiful objects.
It’s about the discipline behind taste.
Raised between cultures and shaped by a deep sensitivity to environment, Erica developed an early awareness of space, energy, and what feels right. But like many high performers, she still had to unlearn the pressure to do more, be more, and prove more.
Instead, she chose something far more difficult:
Discernment.
Through her work with Rooms Showroom, Erica has built a business rooted in curation, restraint, and clarity—helping designers and brands elevate not just what they create, but how they see.
This conversation explores what it means to trust your eye, refine your standards, and build a life—and business—that reflects who you truly are.

What We Cover:
Growing up between cultures and developing an eye for nuance
The difference between taste and trend
Why discernment is more powerful than hustle
The role of environment in shaping identity and energy
Editing your life the way you edit a space
The courage to do less—but do it exceptionally well
Building Rooms Showroom and defining a point of view
Trusting your instincts in business and design
Why not everything beautiful is right for you
The intersection of aesthetics, clarity, and self-trust
Letting go of external validation in creative work
Creating a business that reflects your inner world

Key Takeaways:
Taste is not talent—it’s developed through attention and restraint.
More is not better. Better is better.
Discernment is a leadership skill. It requires saying no more often than yes.
Your environment is not neutral—it shapes how you think, feel, and show up.
Editing your life is just as important as building it.
If it’s not a full yes, it’s a no.
Clarity comes from removing, not adding.
The most powerful brands—and lives—have a clear point of view.

About the Guest:
Erica Kiang is the founder of Rooms Showroom, a design-forward platform representing a curated collection of furniture, lighting, and objects for architects and interior designers.
Known for her refined eye and distinct point of view, Erica has built a business rooted in taste, restraint, and intentionality—helping creatives elevate both their work and their standards.

Connect with Erica:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erica.kiang/
Rooms Showroom: https://www.instagram.com/roomsshowroom/
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What if your money wasn’t just something you earned… but something you directed?
In this episode of Coached, Keren sits down with Eva Yazhari—CEO of Beyond Capital Ventures and author of The Good Your Money Can Do—to explore the true power of capital.
Eva’s work sits at the intersection of investing, purpose, and global impact. Through Beyond Capital, she has helped deploy millions into companies solving real-world problems—proving that profit and purpose are not at odds, but deeply aligned.
But this conversation goes far beyond finance.
It’s about your relationship with money.
Because whether you realize it or not, every dollar you spend, invest, or save is a vote—for the kind of world you want to live in.
Together, Keren and Eva explore how to move from passive consumption to intentional allocation—and how redefining wealth can fundamentally change not just your life, but the lives of others.
This is not just a conversation about money.
It’s a conversation about responsibility, agency, and the legacy you’re already creating.

What We Cover:
What impact investing really means (and why it matters now)
The myth that profit and purpose are in conflict
How capital can be a force for systemic change
Rethinking your role as an investor—even if you don’t identify as one
Everyday decisions as financial “votes”
Building Beyond Capital Ventures and investing in emerging markets
The responsibility that comes with access and privilege
Why women are uniquely positioned to lead in impact investing
The emotional and psychological relationship we have with money
How to align your spending and investing with your values
Legacy—not as something in the future, but something you are building now

Key Takeaways:
Money is not neutral—it is a tool that amplifies intention.
Every dollar you spend or invest is a vote for the world you want to create.
You are already an investor, whether you realize it or not.
Profit and purpose are not mutually exclusive—they can reinforce each other.
Wealth is not just accumulation—it is allocation.
Access comes with responsibility.
The question is not “Do I have enough to make a difference?”
It’s “What am I already influencing with what I have?”
Legacy is not what you leave behind—it’s what you build every day.

About the Guest:
Eva Yazhari is the CEO of Beyond Capital Ventures, an impact investment firm that funds mission-driven companies in emerging markets focused on solving critical global challenges.
She is also the author of The Good Your Money Can Do, a practical and inspiring guide to aligning your financial decisions with your values and using money as a force for good. The book features a foreword by Coach Keren Eldad.
Through her work, Eva is redefining what it means to be wealthy—not just in financial terms, but in impact, intention, and contribution.

Connect with Eva:
Beyond Capital Ventures: https://www.beyondcapitalventures.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyondcap
Learn more about Eva’s book:
https://www.thegoodyourmoneycando.com/
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What happens when the business you built… starts to break you?
In this Coaching Masters episode, Keren sits down with Melody Jones, founder and president of VantagePoint MBA, to explore the evolution from hustle-driven entrepreneurship to aligned, sustainable leadership.
Melody didn’t just build a successful company—she built it the hard way.
After launching VantagePoint and scaling it into a nationally recognized MBA admissions consulting firm, she found herself doing everything: CEO, operator, marketer, coach, problem-solver. And like so many founders, she believed the answer was simple:
Work harder.
Until that strategy started to cost her everything.
This conversation traces Melody’s journey through overwhelm, identity shifts, a painful business divorce, and ultimately—stepping into true leadership.
It’s about what it takes to move from grinding inside your business… to actually leading it.
And what becomes possible when success is no longer defined by pressure—but by peace.

What We Cover:
Building and scaling a business the “hard way”
Why overwhelm is never a sales problem—it’s a leadership problem
The hidden cost of doing everything yourself
The moment founders realize “this isn’t working”
Shifting from hustle to clarity, structure, and support
The Gap vs. The Gain mindset (and why it matters)
Navigating a business partnership breakup
Leadership through truth, resilience, and hard conversations
Moving from doer → pacesetter
Hiring before you feel ready (and why it works)
The role of self-trust in entrepreneurship
Parenting, presence, and emotional regulation as a leader
Why success now looks like peace and freedom

Key Takeaways:
Overwhelm is not a workload problem—it’s a lack of structure and support.
Working harder is not the answer. It’s often the thing breaking you.
If you’re doing everything, you cannot think clearly—and your business will stall.
The “gap” mindset (how far you are from your goal) creates suffering. The “gain” (how far you’ve come) creates momentum.
Difficult conversations delayed become crises. Leaders address them early.
Hiring before you feel ready is often exactly what unlocks growth.
The shift from doer to leader is the shift from reacting → setting direction.
How you feel determines how you lead—and how big you allow your life to become.
Success is no longer hustle. It is peace and freedom.

About the Guest:
Melody Jones is the founder and president of VantagePoint MBA, one of the nation’s leading MBA admissions consulting firms. A Columbia Business School graduate and former finance professional, she built VantagePoint into a nationally recognized, high-touch consultancy helping ambitious professionals gain admission to top business schools.
Her work goes beyond admissions—it helps clients clarify who they are, what they want, and how to build a life with more options, alignment, and intention.

Connect with Melody:
Website: https://vantagepointmba.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vantagepointmba/

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What happens when the life that looks right stops feeling right?
In this powerful Coaching Masters conversation, Keren sits down with Dr. Bethany Weinheimer—veterinarian, coach, and founder of Evolved Vets—to explore the journey from perfectionism and burnout to alignment, love, and purpose.
Raised on a Texas farm and shaped by a culture of service, discipline, and achievement, Bethany followed the “right” path all the way to veterinary leadership—only to find herself exhausted, disconnected, and quietly unfulfilled.
What followed was not a pivot—but a profound unraveling.
Through inner work, coaching, and radical self-honesty, Bethany shed the identities that once defined her—the fixer, the performer, the perfect one—and stepped into a new way of living, leading, and loving.
This episode is about:
The hidden cost of high performance
Why burnout is self-abandonment, not weakness
The death of the “perfect” identity
The difference between performing strength and embodying it
And what becomes possible when you finally choose yourself

If you’ve built a life that works… but doesn’t quite feel like you—this conversation will meet you exactly where you are.

What We Cover
Growing up in a high-performance, service-driven environment
The “checklist identity” and perfectionism trap
Panic attacks, burnout, and emotional suppression
Relationship patterns and self-abandonment
The turning point: asking for help
Coaching as “voluntary identity death”
Shedding the fixer and people-pleaser roles
Rewiring thought patterns (CBT, NLP, inner work)
The shift from lack → abundance
Manifesting love from alignment (not effort)
Discovering your Zone of Genius
Building a purpose-driven platform: Evolved Vets

Key Takeaways
1. Burnout is not about workload—it’s about self-abandonment.
It’s the accumulation of moments where you choose performance over truth.
2. You cannot outperform misalignment.
Effort is not the gateway—energy is.
3. Coaching requires letting your old identity die.
Growth is not additive—it’s subtractive.
4. The “fixer” identity leads to exhaustion, not leadership.
Rescuing others disconnects you from yourself.
5. Abundance means no exceptions.
You cannot claim abundance while speaking lack.
6. Your body always knows before your mind admits it.
Pay attention to where it says “no”… and where it lights up.
7. Success is no longer how you’re perceived—it’s how you feel.

About the Guest
Dr. Bethany Weinheimer is a veterinarian, coach, and founder of Evolved Vets, a platform helping high-performing veterinarians move from burnout and self-abandonment into alignment, purpose, and flow.
Through a blend of neuroscience, coaching, and inner work, she supports healers in reclaiming their energy—and building lives that feel as good as they look.
Website: https://www.evolvedvets.com/

Connect with Bethany
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evolvedvets/
Podcast: The Evolved Vets https://open.spotify.com/show/6q4ewIBRnOxyK57vHUBmL0?si=8954a5e3498b4545
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EvolvedVets

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