Sandra Dias Da Cunha is the Owner of Sundance Ranch Portugal, a unique retreat near Lisbon offering immersive riding courses that blend horsemanship, personal growth, and harmony with nature. Previously, Sandra ran one of Portugal's largest urban riding schools, delivering up to 1,400 lessons per month, before founding Sundance Ranch to align her business with her values — prioritizing horse welfare and authentic human connection. An INSEAD graduate, Sandra is known for creating a safe, restorative environment where guests and volunteers from around the world can learn, connect, and return year after year.

Some businesses feel less like enterprises and more like breathing ecosystems — places where people slow down, reconnect, and remember how they actually want to live. But what does it take to build something that honors well-being and genuine connection rather than speed, pressure, and profit at all costs? And what happens when you let those values lead?

For Sandra Dias Da Cunha, the answer begins with flipping the traditional hierarchy of business priorities. According to Sandra, an equine educator who has spent years observing how humans and horses learn from one another, everything works better when you honor the well-being of the beings at the center — equine and human — before you ever think about money. She describes how, after running a packed riding school that left her depleted and her horses constrained, she rebuilt her work around freedom, presence, and emotional safety. At her ranch, people learn by slowing down, syncing their breath and movement with the horses, and rediscovering a more grounded version of themselves. The result is a business that not only functions but also transforms everyone who engages with it.

In this episode of The Soul Soothing Podcast, Christiane Witt is joined by Sandra Dias Da Cunha, Owner of Sundance Ranch Portugal, to discuss building a values-driven business rooted in connection and well-being. You'll hear how Sandra created a unique teaching experience that attracts deeply aligned clients, why her natural horsemanship programs inspire lasting community, and how slowing down becomes a strategy for success.

Michelle McKenzie is the Founder and Chief Insights Officer at Empowering Insights, a leadership development firm that helps entrepreneurs strengthen their inner capacity to lead and scale. She is a purpose-driven strategist who has moved more than $120 million in catalytic capital to support founder growth around the world. Drawing on her background in international development, angel investing, and coaching, she teaches leaders how to build trust, communicate clearly, and evolve with their businesses. Michelle is also the creator of The Unbreakable Founder and host of the WHERE'S THE FUNDING? (WTF) podcast.

Growing a business often feels like trying to steer a ship while building it at the same time. The pressures to perform, lead, and stay resilient can stack up fast, especially when you're scaling beyond your first wins. But what really makes a founder unbreakable, and how do you know when it's time to shift from doing the work to actually leading the people behind it?

According to Michelle McKenzie, a seasoned global development strategist and leadership coach, the answer starts with the founder's inner evolution. As she explains, most accelerators teach entrepreneurs how to build companies, not how to build themselves, which is why so many hit a wall when they begin hiring and scaling. Michelle views leadership as an "inner game" that requires trust, clarity, and the courage to let go of old ways of operating. For her, real scale only happens when leaders grow at the same pace as their business, becoming steady, trustworthy anchors for their teams and investors.

In this episode of The Soul Soothing Podcast, Cerice Berndsen is joined by Michelle McKenzie, Founder and Chief Insights Officer at Empowering Insights, to discuss the shift from doer to leader. They explore why trust is the foundation of sustainable growth, how clarity strengthens team culture, and the role of community in building resilient founders. Michelle also shares advice on cultivating emotional agility during times of change.

Christiane Witt is the Founder of Soul Soothing Co., a company that helps women entrepreneurs build AI-enhanced systems and self-managing teams that restore spaciousness, flow, and creative freedom. She focuses on the mental, emotional, and spiritual side of entrepreneurship — guiding clients to regulate their nervous systems, find peace, and redefine success beyond constant hustle.

Cerice Berndsen is the COO and Systems Architect at Soul Soothing Co. She helps clients design streamlined processes and implement automation so they can delegate effectively, reclaim their time, and lead their businesses with clarity and calm.

Leah Hielsberg is the Chief Implementation Officer and Co-founder at Soul Soothing Co. She teaches women entrepreneurs how to organize their operations, manage their tech stacks, and leverage automation to eliminate redundant tasks.

Women entrepreneurs often find themselves trapped in a cycle of overwork, self-doubt, and the belief that their value is tied to constant productivity. This mindset fuels burnout, erodes joy, and creates pressure to meet impossible standards. What happens when leaders finally pause long enough to ask whether relentless effort is truly the path to success?

Christiane Witt, Cerice Berndsen, and Leah Hielsberg, experts in transformational leadership, explain how rest, enoughness, and self-compassion help break this cycle. It's about recognizing internalized pressure and redefining worth beyond usefulness. By practicing small moments of ease, expanding the capacity to rest, and understanding the root causes of overwhelm, leaders can calm their nervous system and return to their work with clarity. This shift replaces constant striving with grounded confidence, allowing women to lead with more intention, spaciousness, and self-trust.

In this episode of The Soul Soothing Podcast, Christiane Witt, Cerice Berndsen, and Leah Hielsberg of Soul Soothing Co. are interviewed by Chad Franzen of Rise25 to discuss breaking the burnout cycle for women leaders. They delve into the power of rest, redefining enoughness, and leading from emotional spaciousness. The conversation also demystifies nervous-system thresholds, cultivating safety in leadership, and building a supportive company culture.

Helen Ingersoll is the Founder of EquiClarity, where she facilitates exploration and empowerment by fostering meaningful interactions between humans and horses. As a teacher of other equine professionals, Helen draws on over two decades of experience to help clients expand their awareness, create compassionate connections, and transform both their lives and their businesses. Her nonprofit work also serves women returning from challenging circumstances. Helen has combined her extensive background in the beauty industry and life coaching to develop unique, impactful programs for personal and professional growth.

Some seasons of entrepreneurship feel like you are moving through life at full gallop without ever touching the ground. You know there must be another way to work and live — one that feels steadier and more aligned — yet slowing down long enough to find it can be difficult. What if clarity and resilience come not from pushing harder, but from reconnecting with yourself?

According to Helen Ingersoll, a teacher of teachers and a lifelong student of embodied wisdom, the answer begins with learning to stay in your own body. She explains that the lessons she draws from horses have shaped her ability to recognize fear, pause before reacting, and choose responses that bring her closer to balance instead of deeper into avoidance. When Helen notices a horse startle or shut down, she sees her own patterns reflected, which helps her interrupt behaviors driven by fear or overgiving. Helen shares how these insights guided her through major life transitions, including stepping away from a long career, embracing needed rest, and redesigning her work as she steps into the role of caring for her mother.

In this episode of The Soul Soothing Podcast, Christiane Witt is joined by Helen Ingersoll, Founder of EquiClarity, to discuss how women entrepreneurs can find clarity and steadiness by reconnecting with their inner landscape. Helen also shares advice on creating spaciousness during seasons of caregiving and transition.

Kathy Taylor is the Founder of Kathy Taylor Coaching, a practice that empowers high-achieving women to cultivate presence, clarity, and self-trust. She blends nervous-system science, embodiment techniques, and equine-assisted work to help clients shift from perfectionism to confidence. Kathy holds certifications as a coach and equine professional and has trained in Applied Neurology and Natural Lifemanship. Her mission is to help women claim their space, honor their wholeness, and lead from a place of fullness instead of exhaustion.

Some days, success feels like something you have to chase. You push a little harder, speed up a little more, and hope your body keeps up. But what if the real key to lasting progress is learning to slow your internal pace before everything around you speeds up? What might unfold if settling your system became the first step instead of the last?

According to Kathy Taylor, a nervous system and somatic practitioner who helps women shift from chronic striving to grounded clarity, sustainable success starts with regulation. She explains that when your body transitions from survival mode, you stop reacting and start choosing, which changes everything you build. Kathy describes how subtle cues in breath, posture, and pacing reveal what your nervous system is trying to protect. She provides examples of feeling "buzzy" and pulled in every direction during dysregulated moments, and how returning to simple sensations, such as feeling her feet on the floor, restores her sense of self.

In this episode of The Soul Soothing Podcast, Christiane Witt is joined by Kathy Taylor, Founder of Kathy Taylor Coaching, to discuss calming the nervous system for sustainable success. They explore how regulation shifts overthinking into clarity, why slow presence can be more productive than hustle, and how nervous system awareness strengthens boundaries. Kathy also explores building internal capacity so your business grows without overwhelming your body.

Karin Volo is the CEO and Director at Evoloshen, a Sweden-based company that partners with purpose-driven CEOs to build high-trust cultures and drive growth by integrating AI solutions without losing the human touch. Karin is an accomplished entrepreneur and author whose work has helped numerous organizations increase employee engagement, retention, and productivity. Her culture and trust programs have been implemented globally, and she holds three certifications in AI, including implementation and data science. The author of the book Engage, Karin's personal journey includes overcoming significant life challenges, such as four years of wrongful imprisonment and a recent triumph over stage four cancer.

Modern leadership is at a crossroads. Technology races ahead, reshaping how we live and work, yet many still crave deeper meaning, human connection, and joy in what they do. Can innovation and humanity truly coexist? Or does progress always come at the cost of the soul?

According to Karin Volo, CEO and Director at Evoloshen, the future belongs to leaders who blend both. After decades of helping companies build trust-driven cultures, Karin now integrates AI into her work to enhance (not replace) human potential. She believes that when businesses align people, purpose, and technology, they create workplaces where engagement and productivity thrive naturally. From her journey through personal adversity to leading culture transformations worldwide, Karin highlights how soulful leadership and intelligent systems can coexist beautifully. The result isn't just higher performance — it's freedom, fulfillment, and a renewed sense of purpose.

In this episode of The Soul Soothing Podcast, Christiane Witt is joined by Karin Volo, CEO and Director at Evoloshen, to discuss how to integrate AI innovation with a people-first approach to leadership. They explore why today's business landscape favors entrepreneurial innovation, how a quadruple bottom line drives stability and success, and what happens when AI and human engagement work together. Karin also shares how leaders can create freedom and fulfillment through trust, purpose, and automation.

Cerice Berndsen is the COO and Systems Architect at Soul Soothing Co., a company that helps women entrepreneurs build AI-enhanced systems and self-managing teams that restore spaciousness, flow, and creative freedom. She helps clients design streamlined processes and implement automation so they can delegate effectively, reclaim their time, and lead their businesses with clarity and calm.

Leah Hielsberg is the Chief Implementation Officer and Co-founder at Soul Soothing Co. She teaches women entrepreneurs how to organize their operations, manage their tech stacks, and leverage automation to eliminate redundant tasks.

For many women founders, success can start to feel strangely heavy. The business they built to create freedom begins to run their lives instead. Instead of clarity and flow, their days fill with decision fatigue, constant firefighting, and a quiet sense of overwhelm. Is it possible to build a business that sustains your creativity instead of draining it?

According to Cerice Berndsen, a systems strategist who helps women reclaim their time and freedom, the answer begins with structure. She explains that most businesses operate with everything living in the founder's head, creating chaos that ripples through the team. Documenting processes, implementing automation, and weaving AI into operations isn't about rigidity but about creating spaciousness. Leah Hielsberg adds that these systems are really a form of self-leadership: the discipline to design a business that supports your well-being as much as your goals. Together, they show how clarity, automation, and team empowerment can transform a business from a source of stress into one of true creative freedom.

In this episode of The Soul Soothing Podcast, Cerice Berndsen and Leah Hielsberg of Soul Soothing Co. are interviewed by Chad Franzen of Rise25 to discuss how women founders can build self-managing businesses through systems and AI. They share how to recognize the three stages of business maturity, why documenting your "business DNA" protects your vision, and how AI can lift your team instead of replacing it. They also provide insights on finding peace, presence, and purpose in the process of scaling sustainably.

Christiane Witt is the Founder of Soul Soothing Co., a company that helps women entrepreneurs build AI-enhanced systems and self-managing teams that restore spaciousness, flow, and creative freedom. She focuses on the mental, emotional, and spiritual side of entrepreneurship — guiding clients to regulate their nervous systems, find peace, and redefine success beyond constant hustle.

Cerice Berndsen is the COO and Systems Architect at Soul Soothing Co. She helps clients design streamlined processes and implement automation so they can delegate effectively, reclaim their time, and lead their businesses with clarity and calm.

Leah Hielsberg is the Chief Implementation Officer and Co-founder at Soul Soothing Co. She teaches women entrepreneurs how to organize their operations, manage their tech stacks, and leverage automation to eliminate redundant tasks.

Many women entrepreneurs build businesses that look successful on the outside but leave them feeling exhausted, overworked, and disconnected from what truly matters. As they chase growth and productivity, rest and fulfillment often feel out of reach. What if success didn't have to come at the cost of your well-being?

For Christiane Witt, Cerice Berndsen, and Leah Hielsberg, redefining success begins with challenging the belief that constant busyness equals worth. It's about creating space to breathe, finding ease in leadership, and trusting that rest can actually fuel creativity and better decision-making. By integrating intentional systems, supportive teams, and the right use of automation, women can step away from the grind and build businesses that serve their lives — not the other way around.

In this episode of The Soul Soothing Podcast, Christiane Witt, Cerice Berndsen, and Leah Hielsberg of Soul Soothing Co. are interviewed by Chad Franzen of Rise25 to discuss redefining success for women entrepreneurs. They explore breaking free from hustle culture, embracing rest as a strategy, and using AI to create more space and flow. They also share how emotional awareness and systems thinking work together to sustain long-term growth.