The Secret KeepHers

Abigail Gazda is back on the show for a second conversation, and this time we dive deep into her upcoming book, The Self-Critical Person's 365 Guide to a Slightly Better Life (releasing December 1, 2026). We unpack what it really means to "decondition" self-criticism — the lifelong habit of talking to ourselves in voices that were never truly our own. From childhood commercials that shaped identity to the athlete's mindset of "never satisfied," Abigail shares how she rebuilt her inner dialogue with grace instead of judgment. We also explore the difference between who you are and what you are, the myth of a single "purpose," and why healing isn't a destination — it's a daily 1% practice.
What We Cover
Abigail's life as a full-time van dweller and "snowbird," and how she built a life of her own design after divorce at 27
What "deconditioning" self-criticism actually means, explained through the lens of athletic muscle memory
Where our harshest inner voices actually come from — family, media, culture — and why they were never truly ours to begin with
Abigail reads a passage from her new book, exploring the idea of embracing yourself as "a work in progress"
The distinction between who you are (your energy) and what you are (your roles)
Abigail's publishing house, Hearts Unleashed, and how she supports authors — especially fellow Wisconsinites — in telling their stories
Why healing is a daily 1% shift, not a single dramatic transformation
Who Abigail is and how to connect:
Heart-centered entrepreneur Abigail Gazda has transformed her passion for education into a full-time career as an author, publisher, and life coach. She is the CEO of Hearts Unleashed, a full-service transformation company committed to empowering people to operate with full freedom, power, and self-expression in every area of life. As the Founder of Hearts Unleashed House Publishing, she helps authors share their mission and message with the world. She is a Clarity Coach who supports souls speaking up about their silent struggle and unleashing the authentic leader within, and she empowers heart-centered leaders to create a life of fulfillment, impact, and legacy. As Host of the Hearts Unleashed Podcast, she is committed to turning dreamers into doers and helping raise the frequency of humanity through the development of Emotional Intelligence.
Website: abigailgazda.com
Books & pre-orders: abigailgazda.com/books
Email: abigail@heartsunleashed.com
Instagram: @instagail
Facebook: facebook.com/abigail.rose.7906
YouTube: Abigail Gazda on YouTube
Hearts Unleashed authors: theheartsunleashed.com
Connect with Me
corinnezuleger.com

Stop Living at War with Yourself: Body Image, Confidence, and Self-Acceptance with Maddy Molle Anderson
In this episode of The Secret Keepers Podcast, I sit down with Maddy Molle Anderson for a heartfelt conversation about body image, confidence, self-worth, and what it means to truly come home to yourself.
Maddy recently celebrated a new season of life—getting married, turning 25, and pursuing her Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. As she shares her journey, we explore the challenges many women face when trying to fit into society's expectations and the freedom that comes from embracing who you are rather than who you think you're supposed to be.
Together, we talk about the pressure of social media, the hidden struggles behind body image, the impact of self-criticism, and the powerful realization that confidence doesn't come from a number on a scale. It comes from learning to trust yourself, keep promises to yourself, and treat yourself with the same kindness you so freely give to others.
We also explore the realities of being a young woman in today's world, navigating relationships without losing yourself, embracing personal growth, and learning that healing is not a destination—it's an ongoing journey of becoming. Through vulnerability and wisdom, Maddy reminds us that we are allowed to take up space, be seen, and love ourselves exactly as we are.
In This Episode We Explore:
Learning to take up space without apologizing for who you are

Body image struggles and the journey toward self-acceptance

The relationship between confidence and self-trust

How social media shapes women's perceptions of themselves

Why health looks different for every body

The difference between weight loss and self-worth

Staying true to yourself while building a life with a partner

The realities of growth, healing, and becoming

Creating healthier conversations around women's bodies

Finding your way back home to yourself

Memorable Moments
"I didn't want to just lose weight. I wanted to stop living at war with myself."
"I am allowed to be seen, and I am allowed to take up space."
"My body was never the enemy. The shame I carried about my body was."
"Growth doesn't always look glamorous. Sometimes growth looks like setting a boundary, resting, changing your mind, or simply trying again."
About My Guest
Maddy Molle Anderson is a graduate student pursuing her Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, with a passion for supporting children, teens, and trauma survivors. Outside of her studies, she is a reader, writer, and advocate for helping women feel at home in their bodies.
After navigating her own body image journey, Maddy has become passionate about body positivity, confidence, and creating space for honest conversations about self-worth, healing, and self-acceptance. Her mission is to help women feel less alone in their struggles and more empowered to embrace themselves fully, exactly as they are.
Connect with Maddy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mads.grace/
Connect with Corinne Zuleger & Schedule Your Breakthrough Call
If this conversation resonated with you and you're ready to explore your own journey of healing, self-discovery, and transformation, I'd love to connect with you.
I help women move beyond self-doubt, overwhelm, old wounds, and limiting beliefs so they can reconnect with who they truly are. Through trauma-informed coaching, emotional intelligence, mindset transformation, nervous system regulation, and personal growth work, I guide women back to their inner wisdom, confidence, and authentic selves.
Whether you're navigating grief, healing from the past, rebuilding self-worth, learning to trust yourself again, or simply feeling called to something more, you don't have to walk the journey alone.
Ready for a Breakthrough Call?
If you're feeling stuck and know there's a next chapter waiting for you, I invite you to schedule a complimentary Breakthrough Call. Together, we'll explore where you are, what's holding you back, and what your next step forward could look like.
🌐 Visit: Corinne Zuleger Coaching & Consulting
📧 Email: cmzuleger9@gmail.com
You are not broken. You are becoming. And sometimes all it takes is one conversation to change everything.
If This Episode Spoke to You...
Please subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a woman who needs the reminder that she is worthy, lovable, and enough exactly as she is.
Because the journey isn't about becoming someone else.
It's about coming home to yourself. 
xo, xo.
Learning from life, leading with love, 
Corinne

In this episode of The Secret KeepHers Podcast, I sit down with Westley Morris for a deeply honest conversation about childhood trauma, addiction, shame, healing, and the power of choosing a different path.
Westley opens up about growing up carrying secrets, feeling different from an early age, and how unresolved pain eventually led him into addiction and homelessness. We talk about the emotional weight people carry in silence, the stigma surrounding addiction, and what it really takes to rebuild your life when everything feels lost.
This episode is raw, vulnerable, emotional, and ultimately hopeful. It's a conversation about resilience, self-worth, personal responsibility, and discovering that your past does not have to define your future.
If this episode resonates with you and you're struggling with the weight of your own story, know that you do not have to carry it alone. Healing begins when we stop hiding what hurts. If I can support you on your journey, I would be honored to walk alongside you.
About My Guest:
Westley Morris is a nationally recognized motivational speaker, entrepreneur, coach, and author known for his powerful storytelling and "Keep Pedaling" philosophy. Through his speaking and coaching, he helps individuals and organizations navigate adversity, embrace change, and move forward with purpose.
Website: westleymorris.com
Phone: 610.554.5533
Connect with Me:
Corinne Zuleger Life Coaching

What if the need to control everything… is actually a signal that something inside of you doesn't feel safe?
In this honest and deeply relatable conversation, I sit down with trauma-informed guide Ash Mars to explore how our past experiences shape the way we show up—in parenting, relationships, and within ourselves.
We talk about emotional suppression, generational patterns, and what it really looks like to create safety from the inside out—without force, without reliving trauma.
This episode is a reminder that healing isn't about becoming someone new…
it's about releasing what was never yours to carry.
Quotes:
When I find myself wanting to control, it's because I don't feel safe—and it actually has nothing to do with what's happening outside of me." Ash Mars
"The best thing we can do for our kids isn't to control their world—it's to become our best self and model what safety, love, and truth actually look like."  Corinne Zuleger
About Ash Mars
Ash Mars is a trauma-informed guide, speaker, and creator of the Soul Release Method. She helps people gently release stored trauma and conditioning from the body so they can reconnect with their truth, self-trust, and inner freedom.
Her work is especially powerful for those healing from high-control environments, generational trauma, and emotional suppression. Ash's approach is grounded, body-based, and non-forceful—supporting deep healing without retraumatization.
She is also a parent, truth-teller, and space-holder who believes real healing happens when safety, honesty, and humanity come first.
Connect with Ash
Website: soulreleasemethod.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ash.mars.magic
YouTube: youtube.com/@MyWealthWithin
Work With Me
If this conversation resonated, you don't have to navigate this alone.
I help women move beyond burnout, self-doubt, and emotional overwhelm so they can reconnect with themselves and create lives of joy, peace, freedom, and true alignment.
Through private coaching, workshops, and group experiences, we focus on healing the root—not just managing the symptoms.
➡️ Learn more or book a Breakthrough Call: www.corinnezuleger.com

In this deeply personal solo episode, I explore why so many of us feel empty despite living in the most connected, abundant era in history. Through the lens of three C's — connection, communication, and consumption — I unpack how modern life keeps us on the surface of meaning rather than in it, and what it truly takes to feel genuinely full.
"Being watched is not the same as being known."
The Three C's
Connection
The difference between bridging (broad & shallow) and bonding (deep & costly) — and why modern life has expanded one while starving the other.
Communication
We send hundreds of messages a day yet feel profoundly unseen. Why honest speech heals the body, and why social media rewards performance over truth.
Consumption
The hedonic treadmill keeps us perpetually hungry. Meaning cannot be consumed — it must be built through commitment, staying, and refusing to abandon yourself.
Reflection Questions
Where in your life are you bridging when you're actually hungry for bonding?
Where has something true gone unspoken for so long that it started to express itself in other ways — in your body, your sleep, the way you pull back from people?
Where are you on the verge of abandoning a relationship, a practice, or a version of yourself that might need more time and presence rather than replacement?
Key Takeaways
Loneliness rates have doubled in the US since the 1980s — at the exact moment we are the most "connected" ever. That's not a coincidence; it's a clue.

Meaning lives in bonding — the long conversations, shared history, and relationships that have survived something.

The words we speak honestly heal something. The secrets we keep find other ways to surface.

Social media rewards the polished performance of a life, not the life itself. Nuance doesn't go viral.

The difference between consuming and building is staying — through difficulty, past the point when it stops feeling good.

You don't need a podcast to begin. You need one honest conversation, one safe person, one true sentence spoken out loud.

 
References & Resources Mentioned
James Pennebaker — research on expressive writing and its effects on immune function, mental health, and relationships
Bessel van der Kolk — The Body Keeps the Score
Joseph McClendon III— Corinne's mentor; "as I think, so I feel; as I feel, so I do; as I do, so I have"
Hedonic treadmill — psychological concept describing our adaptation to anything we acquire
Bridging vs. bonding — social connection research framework discussed in the episode
 
Connect with me!
Website: corinnezuleger.com
Available on most major podcast platforms and social media  
Sign up for my FREE resource :https://corinnezulegerlifecoaching.kit.com/f8ffe337cd