In this episode, Mary talks with Adaku Mbagwu—a Nigerian-born, Tulum-based transformational guide and the self-proclaimed “first daughter disruptor.” Through her global community, Healed Hero, Adaku helps high-achieving firstborn daughters release generational pressure, perfectionism, and the invisible labor that keeps them exhausted—and build success that actually feels good.

What we cover

• Eldest-daughter dynamics across cultures (Nigeria, UK, Mexico)
• Invisible labor, hyper-independence, and why “strong” isn’t a life plan
• The Strategic Vulnerability Framework: awareness → sharing → receiving → magnetic authenticity
• Sibling dynamics, resentment loops, and how to repair without losing yourself
• Coaching case study: from stuck at $160K to $1M+ by unlearning “I must be needed”
• Practical scripts for asking for help (without feeling weak)

Guest: Adaku Mbagwu — Transformational Guide, Founder of Healed Hero

Host: Mary McCorvey — Experience Over Expectation (author & podcast host)

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Share this with an eldest daughter who does everything for everyone.

What if the stories you love could unlock the stories you’ve hidden? In this conversation, psychologist and author Dr. Gloria Vanderhorst shares how reading short, evocative narratives—and then pausing to reflect and respond—can surface long-stored experiences, deepen emotional access, and begin healing. We explore boys’ and men’s emotional development, why reassurance can accidentally shut down intimacy, and two simple tools anyone can use to reconnect with buried memories.

Guest: Dr. Gloria Vanderhorst — Psychologist, author, wife, grandmother; 50+ years helping people across the lifespan translate life experience into growth. Author of Read, Reflect, Respond: The 3 R’s of Growth and Change.

Host: Mary McCorvey, Experience Over Expectation—let go of the plan, live on your terms.

What if leadership isn’t about adding more “apps”… but upgrading your operating system?

In this episode of Experience Over Expectation, host Mary McCorvey sits down with executive & leadership coach Luann Horobin (MCC) to unpack vertical development—the shift from piling on skills to changing how you see and respond to the world.

We explore:

Why fear, certainty, and “I’m right” thinking lock us in old patterns

The Stretch: choosing the uncomfortable opposite to unlock new results

Moving from cortisol (defense) to curiosity (creativity & connection)

Building a map for change: awareness → stretch → new habits → new presence

Pivoting a business when the data says “stay” but reality says “change”

About Luann: Executive & Leadership Coach, transformationalist, and long-time guide to high performers navigating the “Is this all there is?” inflection point. Mantra: Changing minds, changing lives.

👉 Order Mary’s book Experience Over Expectation — out now.

👉 Connect with Luann https://luannhorobin.com

👉 Subscribe for more conversations on mindset, presence, and nonlinear living.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

00:30 What is vertical development?

05:40 Protective strategies & fear loops

10:50 The Stretch: doing the uncomfortable opposite

17:20 Pivot story: advertising → education

23:30 Building the map & new habits

26:30 How to reach Luann + closing

Hashtags: #Leadership #Mindset #VerticalDevelopment #ExecutiveCoaching #ChangeManagement #PersonalGrowth #PresenceOverPerfection #ExperienceOverExpectation

Welcome to Experience Over Expectation with Mary McCorvey—where we let go of the plan and live on our terms. Today’s guest is Gramps Jeffrey (aka Marc Joseph): father of four, grandfather of six, author of I Don’t Want to Turn 3, and co-founder of BabyBoomer.org, a powerhouse community featuring hundreds of expert contributors across health, finance, parenting, culture, and more.

We dig into:

• Why so many grandparents feel “at a distance” from their grandkids—and how to re-engage with respect and boundaries
• The surprising power of a nightly question: “What did you do that was nice for someone today?”
• Boomers’ outsized role in entrepreneurship and the coming wave of small-business transitions
• How AI can be a practical assistant (not a threat) for grandparents, parents, and creators
• Passing on values, not just valuables, in the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in U.S. history

📘 Mary’s book, Experience Over Expectation, released September 23, 2025 — now available.

👉 Get the book: marymccorvey.com

📰 Subscribe on Substack: https://marymccorvey.substack.com/

▶️ Watch/Listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MaryMcCorvey

🌐 Explore BabyBoomer.org

⏱ Chapters

00:00 Intro — Why Boomers still matter (a lot)

02:00 The shared culture that shaped a generation

04:10 Why many grandparents aren’t as involved today

07:45 Boundaries, respect, and avoiding “unsolicited advice”

10:45 What Boomers are doing right: service & legacy

12:40 Small businesses, entrepreneurship & the next 10 years

15:10 AI as a life assistant (not a replacement)

18:05 How Mary used AI to analyze life stories for her book

21:00 Teaching critical thinking in an AI world

24:00 The one question to ask kids every night

26:20 Closing & where to find the book + BabyBoomer.org

🙏 If this helped, like, comment, and subscribe—it really supports the mission.

Tell us in the comments: What value do you most want to pass on to the next generation?

#ExperienceOverExpectation #MaryMcCorvey #GrampsJeffrey #BabyBoomer #Grandparenting #Parenting #Family #Legacy #WealthTransfer #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusiness #AI #Education #Values #Kindness #Podcast

Today’s guest doesn’t just play music—he organizes it into impact. Rick DellaRatta is a world-class jazz pianist, composer, and founder of Jazz for Peace, known for uniting musicians and communities after 9/11 and channeling concerts into real resources for nonprofits. We talk origin stories (a piano on Christmas Eve), improvisation as a path to freedom, the famous United Nations concert, and why Rick believes “the final solution is love.” He also explains the Jazz for Peace Empowerment Grant model—how it helps outstanding causes become better funded, more sponsored, and more connected.

Highlights:

Improvisation, frequency, and raising human consciousness

The poem that sparked Jazz for Peace after 9/11

UN concert bringing Israeli, Palestinian, and American musicians together

Transforming communities (from schools to Rwanda)

The “zero to 100” idea: funding peace with the same seriousness we fund war

How any legit cause can tap Jazz for Peace’s grant process

Chapters (timestamps to add after upload):

00:00 Intro

02:00 Piano arrives, a kid starts improvising

07:40 Discovering jazz in a library drawer

12:10 The poem & the UN concert

21:30 Art as activism: case studies

33:15 The Empowerment Grant (how it works)

44:50 “Zero to 100” and the podcast: The Final Solution Is Love

51:00 Closing & CTAs

Guest links:

Jazz for Peace site & grants info

Rick DellaRatta’s podcast: The Final Solution Is Love

EOE links:

Pre-order Experience Over Expectation (launch Sept 23) → marymccorvey.com

Subscribe on Substack & YouTube for episodes, clips, and behind-the-scenes

#ExperienceOverExpectation #RickDellaRatta #JazzForPeace #TheFinalSolutionIsLove #Jazz #ArtAsActivism #PeaceThroughMusic #Podcast #MaryMcCorvey

You are not your job title. That’s where this conversation begins.

Today on Experience Over Expectation, I sit down with Theresa Hummel-Krallinger (Theresa H.K.)—two-time Emmy winner, author of Make Waves, President & Chief People Officer at High Five Performance, university professor, and a stand-up comic of 20+ years. She’s helped job seekers since 2003, and she’s seen every season of the market—hot, cold, and confusing.

Theresa’s “Boat Model” is the kind of simple, sturdy thinking we need right now:

• Rudder – your direction
• Hull – your skills/experience
• Sails – your reputation and brand (degrees, certs, public work)
• Motor – your network that moves you even when there’s no wind

It’s humane, practical, and—most of all—doable.

Watch on YouTube: Two-Time Emmy Winner Theresa H.K.: The Playbook to Beat a Cold Job Market (paste your YouTube link here)

Pre-order my book: Experience Over Expectation — Let Go of the Plan, Live on Your Terms →

https://www.marymccorvey.com/

• Why we confuse identity with employment—and how to separate them
• How a comic’s eye for everyday life makes you a better communicator at work
• The Boat Model and how to sketch your own “career vessel”
• Networking for introverts (relationship-first, not schmooze-first)
• What leaders get wrong about retention (hint: tell people they’re top talent)
• Financial right-sizing so a job loss isn’t a life collapse

• Don’t park your soul at the door. You bring your whole self to the work—humor included.
• Tend the garden year-round. Help others before you need help. That’s real networking.
• Stay out of complacency. Keep learning, keep building reputation signals, keep showing your work.
• Live within your means. Overextension turns a layoff into a crisis.
• Leaders: say the quiet part out loud. If someone’s top talent, tell them. It matters.

Draw your boat, honestly.

• What’s your rudder pointing toward? If unclear, write what good looks like for you.
• Is your hull strong? Which skills need reinforcement?
• How full are your sails? List visible proof of credibility (projects, posts, certs, talks).
• Does your motor start? Name 10 people you could help this month—then do it, no asks attached.

Save your sketch. Revisit quarterly.

• 00:00 – Why identity ≠ employment
• 02:00 – The origin of Make Waves and helping job seekers since 2003
• 04:00 – Stand-up comedy for work: building the “humor muscle”
• 10:28 – The Boat Model: rudder, hull, sails, motor
• 15:45 – The twin traps: complacency and overextension
• 18:18 – Networking that feels human (and works for introverts)
• 23:07 – Retaining top talent: tell them they’re top talent
• 26:21 – Making waves by leaving corporate to build your own thing
• 27:58 – Ikigai: joy, skill, need, and pay—finding the overlap

I invited Alan Lazaros on Experience Over Expectation because his story hits the heartbeat of this project: when life veers off script, you can either cling tighter to the plan—or you can build something truer.

At 26, Alan survived a car crash that forced a reckoning. He was already “successful” by the world’s measures, but the inner story didn’t match. That tension became fuel. Today he’s the founder/CEO of Next Level University, leading a global team and hosting a Top-100 podcast with 1M+ listens across 175+ countries. The work? Helping people pursue their version of success—not the one they were handed.

• My Founder Cycle (conceive → decide → resource → execute) and how many of us run that loop without naming it.
• Alan’s “Out-” framework—a deceptively simple sequence: Outfocus, Outrisk, Outwork, Outlearn, Outgrow, Outskill, Outtool, Outlead, Outlast.
• Social courage vs. the performance of success. Are we building reputations… or character?
• Boundaries & belonging as you grow. How to find your “absolutely people” (and kindly release the “absolutely not”).
• What to tell a 12-year-old about responsibility, humility, and belief.
• The one question Alan asks himself constantly: Why?

• YouTube: https://youtu.be/11ZvDQ2g3ls
• Podcast: https://feeds.captivate.fm/experience-over-expectation/
• Alan’s world: nextleveluniverse.com

1. Name one place you’re performing for the plan.
2. Ask why (five times if you have to).
3. Replace the performance with one honest action that serves who you actually are.
4. Tiny moves count. They compound.

My book Experience Over Expectation arrives September 23, 2025. If the message resonates—letting go of rigid timelines and living on your terms—pre-orders are open at marymccorvey.com. Early readers help more than you know.

Pre-Order EOE E-Book

Thank you for being here—for the stories, the courage, and the curiosity to keep asking why. That’s how we grow.

With gratitude,

Mary

Welcome back to Experience Over Expectation. Today’s episode sits right at the intersection I love most: purpose, creativity, and the courage to pivot. I’m joined by Neeti Keswani—host of Luxury Unplugged, brand/story coach, and author of the bestselling Live Your Dreams, Be You. We talk about “inner luxury,” the spirituality of work, and how to tell a brand story that actually feels like you.

Watch on YouTube

• Inner Luxury, defined. How purpose-driven leaders blend high performance with grounded values.
• AI + spirituality. Using tools like ChatGPT for reflection and clarity—plus where human intuition still leads.
• Message–Mindset–Marketing. Neeti’s triad for brand clarity that sounds like you on paper and in the room.
• Identity shifts. Clearing emotional blocks that keep founders from speaking their truth.
• The pivot. Neeti’s move from corporate consulting to creative work—and the courage that took.

1. Inside-out audit: Write your top three values. Now check your last three posts, pitches, or conversations. Do they reflect those values in tone and content? Where’s the gap?
2. One brave sentence: Craft a single sentence that names what you really do for people. Test it out loud, not just on paper.
3. AI as mirror, not master: Ask ChatGPT: “Act as a reflective coach. Help me frame my core message to [audience] in human, conversational language. Push back on clichés.” Then refine it until it sounds like your voice.

• Neeti’s reminder that “perfection is procrastination in a tuxedo”—ship the work.
• The elegant pairing of soulful success + measurable impact (yes, you can have both).
• The practical difference between content you can type and conviction you can speak—and how coaching bridges that gap.

Host of Luxury Unplugged, brand/storytelling coach, and author of Live Your Dreams, Be You. Neeti helps entrepreneurs align message, mindset, and marketing so their story lands with clarity and heart.

Find her: search “Luxury Unplugged podcast” on your platform of choice or Instagram.

• 🎧 Watch/Listen on YouTube
• 🌐 MaryMcCorvey.com — updates, essays, and upcoming episodes
• 📘 Pre-order Experience Over Expectation — out September 23, 2025 (pre-orders help more than you know)