What if courage is not the absence of fear, but the decision to keep walking anyway?

In this episode of Rise + Rebel, Aya sits down with Carol Reid — speaker, coach, educator, caregiver, model, and contributing author of The Courage to Begin — for a powerful conversation about courage, healing, self-doubt, transformation, and what it means to begin from within.

Carol’s chapter in The Courage to Begin is titled Beginning From Within, and in this conversation, she shares what those words mean to her now. She opens up about finally telling her story, feeling exposed in the process, and discovering freedom on the other side of being honest.

We talk about fear, courage, caregiving, 12-step healing, learning to love the little girl within, claiming your space, and the moment Carol said yes to modeling at 70 — even though she was afraid.

This episode is a reminder that you do not have to feel fully ready to begin.

You can be afraid and still take the next right action.
You can carry doubt and still claim your space.
You can begin again from within.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What Beginning From Within means to Carol now
• How courage carried her through fear and self-doubt
• Why sharing her story felt both frightening and freeing
• Her journey through caregiving, healing, and 12-step recovery
• How she learned to see her own beauty from the inside out
• Saying yes to modeling at 70
• Why safe spaces matter
• The power of boundaries, support, and resourcefulness
• What it means to take the next right action

Subscribe if you’re becoming who you were always meant to be.

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Learn more about Carol at http://www.CarolReidSpeaks.com

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Connect with Carol Reid on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/reidempowermentllc

In this episode of Rise + Rebel, Aya sits down with Keisha Brooks, producer, actor, writer, creative, and founder of Helping Hands Productions, for a real conversation about creativity, resourcefulness, boundaries, and building your own world.

Keisha shares how her father taught her to get things done, how her mother modeled service and helping others, and how both shaped the woman she is today: generous, direct, resourceful, and deeply committed to creating a life on her own terms.

This conversation moves through acting, modeling, production, veganism, success, self-worth, asking for help, bartering, follow-through, and the moment you realize your time is not free.

At its core, this episode is about not waiting to be chosen. It is about using what you have, asking the right questions, protecting your energy, and creating the opportunities you wish existed.

Subscribe if you’re becoming who you were always meant to be.

Learn More and Connect with Keisha Brooks:

linktr.ee/Helpinghandsproductions

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What if peace is not the opposite of ambition, but the strategy?

In this solo episode of Rise + Rebel, Aya reflects on what her Asia trip taught her about chaos, boundaries, asking for help, visibility, and building a life and business without burning out.

This episode explores the difference between being peaceful and staying quiet, why asking for help is not weakness, and how many of us make life, business, content creation, and visibility harder than they need to be because we are trying to do everything alone.

If you are building something meaningful whether that's a business, brand, creative project, podcast, shop, career, or new version of yourself; this conversation is a reminder that you do not need chaos to prove you care.

Subscribe to Rise + Rebel for honest conversations on identity, transformation, entrepreneurship, visibility, creativity, personal growth, and building a life with intention.

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#RiseAndRebel #PersonalGrowth #Entrepreneurship #BuildingABrand #BurnoutRecovery #MindsetShift #Boundaries #AskForHelp #WomenInBusiness #Visibility #PeaceIsTheStrategy

Before you travel to Asia, especially for business, sourcing, markets, shopping, or your first major international adventure, there are a few mistakes you want to avoid before you even land.

In this episode of Rise + Rebel, I’m sharing the real lessons I learned from traveling through Asia, including China, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. This is a “go prepared so you can actually enjoy it” episode.

Whether you are planning a sourcing trip, traveling solo, visiting markets, exploring a new country, or simply stepping into a new version of your life, this conversation will help you move with more awareness, respect, and confidence.

Listen to the full episode for the stories, the chaos, the lessons, and the deeper reflection on what travel teaches us about who we are becoming.

Rise when the world is quiet. Rebel when your soul is loud.

I thought I was going to Asia to source products for Rise + Rebel.

I thought the trip would be about finding beautiful pieces, meeting vendors, walking through markets, attending the Canton Fair, and bringing back inventory for my store. And yes, I did all of that.

But what I didn’t expect was how much this trip would reveal about me as a founder, a business owner, and a woman learning how to trust her own vision.

In this episode of Rise + Rebel, I’m sharing what my sourcing trip through Asia taught me about entrepreneurship, product sourcing, global trade, fear, abundance, overwhelm, decision-making, and becoming the person who can actually hold the vision she’s building.

I talk about what it felt like to walk through markets, meet suppliers, attend the Canton Fair, sort through endless options, and realize that buying products is the easy part — finding quality, alignment, and clarity is the real work.

This episode is for the entrepreneur, creative, small business owner, or dreamer who is waiting to feel fully ready before they begin.

Maybe the question isn’t, “Am I ready?”

Maybe the question is, “What part of me is being developed through this process?”

Because sometimes, building a business is not just about inventory, pricing, websites, photos, labels, customs, or marketing.

Sometimes, building a business is really about becoming the person who can hold the vision without abandoning herself in the process.

Shop the Rise + Rebel store:
https://riseandrebel.square.site/s/shop

Thank you for listening, watching, and being part of this journey.

In this episode, I talk about:

• Traveling to Asia to source products for Rise + Rebel
• What it was really like walking through markets, vendors, and supplier booths
• Attending the Canton Fair and seeing global trade up close
• The difference between buying inventory and finding aligned products
• The overwhelm of endless opportunity
• Why focus matters when building a brand
• The behind-the-scenes work of launching a retail business
• Pricing, inventory, photos, labels, spreadsheets, and decision fatigue
• What this trip taught me about fear, courage, and trusting myself
• Becoming a founder through the doing, not the waiting

What happens when life completely falls apart… and the only way forward is to finally listen to yourself?

In this deeply personal solo episode of Rise + Rebel, Aya opens up about one of the darkest seasons of her life, depression, heartbreak, losing her sense of purpose, and hitting rock bottom.

Everything changed when she asked herself one powerful question:

“If you had a second chance at life, what would make you truly happy?”

The answer was simple: acting.

What started as one acting class to escape depression became the beginning of a complete transformation—healing, confidence, creativity, writing books, launching a podcast, and fully stepping into her purpose.

This episode is about more than acting. It’s about listening to your intuition, trusting the desires that won’t leave you alone, and taking the stage in your own life.

Aya shares reflections on:
• overcoming depression and self-doubt
• healing through creativity
• building confidence through action
• creating opportunities instead of waiting
• following multiple passions without guilt
• stepping fully into your power

If you’ve been feeling stuck or like there’s something inside you waiting to be expressed—this episode is your invitation to stop holding back.

Your life is your stage.

Take it.

Join Aya’s Inner Circle for weekly reflections, life lessons, and deeper conversations:
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Watch more episodes of Rise + Rebel Podcast for conversations on mindset, business, creativity, and personal growth.

Aya’s new book Take the Stage is now available.

If this episode resonated with you, leave a comment:
What dream is your intuition asking you to follow?

In this episode of the Rise + Rebel Podcast, Aya sits down with Jason Newhauser for a deeply honest, expansive conversation on the nature of chaos, the illusion of control, and what it really means to co-create your life. What begins as a question about uncertainty unfolds into a powerful exploration of conditioning, identity, and the quiet ways we keep ourselves stuck in survival mode.

This conversation challenges a familiar narrative: that life should be perfectly structured, predictable, and controlled. Instead, it invites you to see chaos as a creative force—something that gives your life texture, meaning, and possibility.

Together, Aya and her guest unpack:

• Why perfectionism and “I have to” thinking keep you trapped
• How shifting to “I get to” can radically change your reality
• The hidden ways your mind keeps you in survival mode
• Why healing isn’t just mental—it’s deeply physical and embodied
• The importance of community, connection, and shared human experience
• How to stop fighting yourself—and start working with your own energy

There’s a powerful reminder woven throughout:

You are not broken. You are conditioned—and that conditioning can be rewritten.

From breathwork to embodiment, from ego patterns to self-awareness, this episode brings you back to something simple yet often overlooked:

your natural state is not suffering—it’s alignment.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or disconnected, this conversation offers a grounded, refreshing perspective on how to reconnect—with yourself, your body, and the present moment.

And maybe the biggest shift of all:

You don’t have to figure everything out.

You simply get to experience it.

If this resonated with you, go deeper with us inside the Inner Circle → join here: https://risewithaya.com

Watch more conversations like this on the Rise + Rebel Podcast—where we explore growth, consciousness, and what it means to fully step into your power.

Share your biggest takeaway in the comments—we’d love to hear your perspective and continue the conversation with you.

In Part 2 of this conversation on Rise + Rebel, Aya sits back down with hypnotist Rusty Diamond—and what starts with humor and playful banter quickly unfolds into something deeper, stranger, and unexpectedly grounding.

From hypnosis and memory retrieval to past life regression and even alien encounters, this episode explores the edge of what we think we know… and what might exist just beyond it. But more than that, it asks a powerful question:

What do we choose to believe—and how does that shape our reality?

Through stories, patterns, and raw reflections, Rusty shares what he’s witnessed working with clients who genuinely believe in their experiences—whether explainable or not. And Aya brings it back to what matters most: awareness, choice, and the way we consciously create our lives.

This conversation isn’t about proving what’s real.
It’s about expanding your perspective enough to ask better questions.

You’ll also hear honest moments on:

• Navigating leadership and making difficult decisions
• The power of daily affirmations and self-perception
• Breaking patterns of distraction, doubt, and self-sabotage
• Why “everything matters—and nothing does” might be the most freeing truth of all.
  

At its core, this episode is a reminder:
You are not stuck. You are creating—whether you realize it or not.

So the real question is…
What are you choosing today?

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Watch more conversations like this on Rise + Rebel
Ready to go deeper? Join the Inner Circle for more insights, tools, and real conversations:
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