Episode Overview

What happens when the life you built around someone else's blueprint stops fitting who you are? In this deeply moving episode of Her Comeback, Michelle sits down with Audra Phelps — coach, former Mormon mom, and founder of the RECLAIMED program — connecting across the globe from Southwest Florida to Southeast Asia. Audra shares her extraordinary story of leaving a high-demand religion after 13 years, rebuilding her identity across two continents, and creating a coaching program to help other mothers do the same. This conversation is raw, real, and full of insight for any woman who has ever felt like a stranger in her own life.

Audra Phelps is an NLP and neuroscience-based life coach who specializes in supporting former Mormon mothers as they reclaim their identity, redefine their parenting, and rebuild their lives after leaving a high-demand religion.

What You'll Hear in This Episode

• The slow erosion of a life that didn't fit. Audra describes the years she spent inside the Mormon church doing everything "right" while suffering from debilitating panic attacks and depression.
• How moving overseas became the catalyst. Leaving the United States and relocating to Kazakhstan gave Audra something she had never experienced
• Learning who she wasn't — and then who she was. After making the decision to leave the church, Audra knew clearly who she was not, but rebuilding a sense of self from the ground up was a longer, more tender process.
• Parenting as the motivator. Audra's greatest fear after leaving was: how do I raise my kids without the blueprint? That fear became her fuel.
• The word that changed everything: RECLAIMED. Audra explains why this word sits at the heart of her coaching practice.
• The apple pie moment. Eight years after leaving the church, Audra found herself making an apple pie from scratch for Thanksgiving — resentful, exhausted, and realizing she didn't even like apple pie.
• What self-trust actually looks like. Audra describes a woman who has done this work as someone who can observe without engagement
• The NLP framework behind the work. Audra breaks down Neuro-Linguistic Programming in plain language

RECLAIMED is Audra's signature 8-week intensive coaching program designed specifically for former Mormon moms. The program includes a guided curriculum, group coaching, and one-on-one coaching calls

Connect with Audra Phelps

🌐 Website & Free Masterclass: mamaaudra.com 📲 Social Media: @MamaAudra on all platforms

Visit the website to access Audra's free masterclass and schedule a discovery call to explore whether the RECLAIMED program is the right fit for you.

From Michelle:

"Courageously You: Seven Simple Frameworks to Create the Life You Love" is available now on Amazon. 📚 Get the book: amazon.com/dp/B0H5717G3D 🎙️ Schedule your call with Michelle: https://www.michellethompsoncoaching.com/contact

What Does It Mean to Age with Purpose? | Robin Kencel

What if the next chapter of your life isn't about reinventing yourself — but rediscovering who you were always meant to be?

In this rich conversation, Michelle sits down with Robin Kencel — certified spiritual director, seven-time Pro-Am ballroom champion, hospice volunteer, and the voice behind the Substack Aging with Purpose. Robin brings wisdom earned across six careers, a pageant stage, a broken foot, and a pilgrimage to Lourdes — and she's not slowing down at 68.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• What spiritual direction actually is (and why it's not therapy or Bible study)
• Why midlife is such a powerful turning point — and what happens when the roles that defined us start to fall away
• The biggest lie women tell themselves after 50 ("I'm too old") — and how to rewrite it
• How to begin listening to your inner life again, starting with the practice of stillness
• The difference between reinventing yourself and rediscovering who you were made to be
• Why women over 50 feel invisible — and why Robin refuses to hand that power over
• How improv acting gave Robin unexpected confidence — and what that means for you
• The one habit-building strategy Robin swears by (hint: James Clear would agree)

Robin's challenge to you: Start with a list. What are your non-negotiables? What did you love as a child? What's one thing that's been quietly calling you? Then do a little bit of that thing — every single day.

Connect with Robin Kencel: 🌐 robinkencel.com 📧 Substack: Aging with Purpose 📱 Social: @robinkencel

Episode Sponsor

This episode is sponsored by author Patti Brown. You may remember Patti from Season 1 — she left quite an impression, and for good reason. https://youtu.be/xXHI7_0SNpo?si=TCY99pVK67vP45Co

📖 The Quiet Voice — A collection of personal essays about struggling with addiction and finding a way out, not through force, but by learning to follow that quiet inner voice we all carry. A feel-good story of overcoming, gratitude, and hope. 👉 https://a.co/d/0eymx9c8

🐢 Lola and the Sea Turtle — Patti's beautiful children's book, perfect for the little ones in your life. 👉 https://a.co/d/0gzOmlcZ

Look her up. You'll be glad you did.

Courageously You: Seven Simple Frameworks to Create the Life You Love by Michelle Thompson is available on Amazon starting June 25th. Mark your calendar, set a reminder, and share it with a friend who needs it.

📍 hercomebackpodcast.com

Episode Notes: Her Comeback with Kellie Grutko

In this episode, Michelle sits down with Kellie Grutko, founder of Purposeful Pivot and a North Carolina–based coach for women navigating "post-success reinvention." After 30+ years in corporate marketing, Kellie shares the moment she realized success had become its own trap—and what she now calls "post-success drift," the slow disconnect between external achievement and internal direction.

What you'll learn:

• The "hidden cost of success" — why doing everything right can still leave you feeling stuck, and why no one checks in once you've "made it"
• How to recognize drift even when life looks great on paper (Sunday scaries, fading motivation, pulling back from people and projects)
• Why reinvention doesn't mean starting over — it means using the skills and wisdom you've already built toward something new
• Kellie's PIVOT framework: Prepare your mindset, Identity exploration, Vision crafting, Opportunity mapping, Tailoring your path
• The difference between burnout and a true pivot signal
• Why confidence comes after action, not before — and how small steps build momentum
• A simple two-column exercise to identify what brings you joy (and what doesn't)
• Kellie's free "Hidden Cost of Success" assessment

Memorable moment: Kellie shares a story about a client so steeped in corporate language she couldn't answer a simple question for herself — until Kellie asked her to imagine she'd never worked there at all.

Connect with Kellie: Website: purposefulpivot.net (free assessment on the resources page) Email: Kellieg@purposefulpivot.net LinkedIn: Kellie Grutko

A note from Michelle: Courageously You officially launches June 25th on Amazon! If today's conversation resonated, the book goes even deeper into frameworks like this one—with stories, reflection questions, and tools to actually do the work. Sign up for updates at hercomebackpodcast.com so you're first to know when it drops.