Never Perfect

Have you ever skipped a coffee shop, a walk in the park, or even church,  just because you'd have to go alone? For so many of us, the fear of being watched, judged, or talked about keeps us from living the life we actually want. But what if the thoughts we imagine others having about us are the very thing holding us back?

In this brief, spontaneous and deeply honest episode, Dr. Beth sits down with a brave 25-year-old client we're calling "Mary." Fresh out of a breakup and new to her city, Mary shares how social a...

Have you ever felt like your dreams are just out of reach, like you're doing all the right things but somehow still scattered, stretched thin, and unsure if it's working? What if the secret isn't doing more, but learning how to do what you already know? In this episode, Dr. Beth sits down with serial entrepreneur, media powerhouse, and dear mentor Deborrah “Deb” Drummond, a woman who has built seven businesses, mentored hundreds of women (and also  “cool dudes”) around the world, and lives by the belief that your body is your "most important real estate."

Deb opens up...

What if menopause isn't an ending, but the beginning of your finest self? In Japan, the transition is called Konenki — the season of renewal and regeneration, a "second spring" that elevates women into a higher stature of wisdom and influence. Yet here in the West, nearly a third of women consider quitting their careers at the very height of their power, convinced that brain fog, anxiety, and hormonal chaos mean something has gone terribly wrong.

Dr. Beth welcomes back Dr. Suzannah (Suz) Bozzone, a board-certified family and lifestyle medicine physician, educator, and opera singer — for an honest, hope...

Hidden heartaches and secret struggles with addiction are everywhere, including in the church.  What if the family that looks the most "put together" on Sunday morning is the one quietly falling apart by Monday night? Behind matching pajamas, anniversary posts, and small-group Bible studies, so many women are carrying a secret heartache they can't bring themselves to name out loud. In this honest, hope-filled conversation, Dr. Beth sits down with author and women's ministry director Jody Allen to talk about what happens when the marriage you prayed for, prepared for, and did "everything right" to build still doesn't turn o...

What happens when the version of you that worked so hard in the morning of life no longer fits the afternoon? When the criticism becomes too heavy, the certainty starts to crack, and your body quietly tells you it's time to listen differently? For David Cook, a beloved teacher, longtime columnist, and founder of Food as a Verb — the answer began with silence, humility, and the courage to turn over his own stones.

In this deeply honest conversation, Dr. Beth sits down with David Cook to explore burnout, self-righteousness, shadow work, parenting through fear, the inner work of...

What if the very things that made you successful were quietly destroying you from the inside out? Paul Hutchinson built a $50 billion empire, married an NFL cheerleader, and rescued thousands of children from trafficking — yet found himself emptier than ever. In this raw and remarkable conversation, he reveals how the same darkness he was fighting in others (arrogance, greed, and lust) had quietly taken root in his own heart.

Dr. Beth sits down with entrepreneur, philanthropist, and child rescue advocate Paul Hutchinson — the real-life inspiration behind Sound of Freedom — for an unflinching conversation about transformation. Paul shares the st...

What if the pain you've been carrying isn't actually yours to keep? What if your body — every ache, every heaviness, every story it whispers — is asking you for something different than what you've been giving it? 

In this conversation, Dr. Beth sits down with trauma release practitioner Pearly Montagu, whose rare gift of seeing emotional and physical pain as colors and structures inside the body emerged after a profound near-death experience at age 29.

Pearly shares the unexpected detour from a corporate finance career to a calling rooted in deep healing work, walking through her own journ...

The majority of  individuals struggling with addiction experience a mix of shame and self-hatred, but does this improve their chances for getting healthy and sober? Accountability is essential, but self understanding and self compassion are as well. What if the path to healing isn’t choosing between accountability or compassion—but learning how to hold both at the same time? Sometimes rewriting the stories and narratives behind our addiction helps us identify risk factors and underlying mental health issues that increase susceptibility to our addictive  behaviors. 

So many people struggling with addiction are caught in a painful cycle o...

What if healing isn’t about fixing yourself—but learning how to come back into balance? So many of us push through stress, pain, and overwhelm, searching for quick solutions… but what if real transformation begins when we slow down, listen, and reconnect with what truly matters?

In this powerful and deeply human conversation, Dr. Beth sits down with Dr. Lisa Piper and Wendy Cohn-Osborne, co-founders of CODE Health. With backgrounds spanning natural medicine, spirituality, law, and entrepreneurship, their journeys are vastly different—yet beautifully aligned in one shared mission: helping others rediscover healing through balance, awareness, and purp...

What happens when college becomes overwhelming… and avoidance takes over? If you’ve ever felt behind, anxious, or unsure how to get back on track—this conversation will remind you that you’re not alone, and it’s not too late.

In this honest and encouraging episode, Dr. Beth sits down with Holden, a 22-year-old college student navigating ADHD and the intense transition into college life. From falling five weeks behind in assignments to catching up and regaining confidence, Holden shares what truly helped him shift his mindset, take action, and move forward. Together, they unpack the realities...

About our Guests:

Elena is a mother of a young adult son with autism spectrum disorder . She shares their journey of diagnosis, adapting, and advocating with patience and love.

Rylee is an 18-year-old who shares her own  experience of being diagnosed with autism, offering insight into the inner world of sensory sensitivity, social challenges, and self-discovery.

For many families and individuals, autism can feel confusing, isolating, and overwhelming—but it can also reveal unexpected beauty, strength, and purpose.

In this heartfelt and eye-opening episode, Dr. Beth Capecchi sits down with Elena  and...

What if the very thing you’ve struggled with most could become your greatest strength?

What if your obstacles weren’t holding you back—but actually preparing you for your purpose?

In this powerful and inspiring episode of the Never Perfect Podcast, Dr. Beth Capecchi sits down with keynote speaker and world-class impressionist John Di Domenico. From a childhood marked by economic disadvantage, family conflict, ADHD, and a severe speech impediment, John shares how he transformed adversity into a thriving career on some of the world’s biggest stages. Through resilience, faith in his calling, and a co...

What if the way we grow and choose our food could change not only our physical health—but our mental well-being too?

Many of us feel disconnected from where our food comes from, yet the journey from soil to plate has a profound impact on our bodies, our communities, and even our emotional health.

In this episode of the Never Perfect Podcast, Dr. Beth Capecchi sits down with farmer and entrepreneur Neil Smith to explore the powerful relationship between nutrition, agriculture, and mental wellness. Neil shares his journey from growing up on a farm to la...

What happens when faith is manipulated, truth is twisted, and the people you love most are turned against you? In this powerful episode, author and former sports broadcaster Peter Young shares the deeply personal story of how he unknowingly became entangled in a destructive religious cult—and how faith ultimately helped him find freedom and healing.

Dr. Beth Capecchi sits down with Peter to explore his remarkable life journey—from college basketball and broadcasting to a devastating spiritual and personal crisis. Peter opens up about how a manipulative “family guru” slowly gained control over his marriage, faith, and fami...

In this episode of Never Perfect, Dr. Beth sits down with Brad Walsh—best-selling author and host of the top-rated podcast Empowerography—to explore how purpose often unfolds in unexpected ways. Together, they discuss how childhood experiences, life’s challenges, and career detours can merge to reveal a calling later in life.

At age 50, Brad Walsh felt like he had won the lottery when the winding roads of his life finally converged at one powerful intersection—his life’s purpose.

As a young boy, Brad was deeply inspired by the strength, sacrifice, and resilience of the two wo...

What happens when a world-class macromolecular scientist—who engineered innovations for NASA and the US Army—reaches the breaking point of burnout? You don’t just heal; you decode the biology of joy.

In this powerhouse episode of Never Perfect, Dr. Beth sits down with Dr. Mamta Bhatt, a scientist and executive consultant for J&J and Nike turned holistic wellness pioneer. After spending 20 years in a monastery, Dr. Bhatt synthesized her rigorous scientific background with ancient wisdom to create a revolutionary healing protocol to get herself well after years of being bedridden. Now she helps clients global...

What is “wellness,” really—and how do we know who’s credible in a world full of modalities, certifications, and strong opinions? 

In this episode, Dr. Beth sits down with Lawrence Ellyard, founder of the International Institute for Complementary Therapists (IICT) and the International Institute for Reiki Training, to explore what complementary care is (and isn’t), why healing doesn’t have to be medicine versus natural therapy, and how ethical standards help protect both practitioners and the people seeking care.

Together, they dive into how environment, relationships, habits, mindset, and intention all play a role in heali...

What if we used money like a mirror in order to discover what your spending, saving, or your avoidance of financial matters reveals? What if the way you handle money isn’t about discipline or intelligence—but about what you learned growing up? 

In this episode of Never Perfect, Dr. Beth sits down with Doug Lynam, TEDx speaker, author, former Marine, Benedictine monk, and now money manager. He's been featured in The New York Times, CNBC, Entrepreneur, and The Street. He's guided clients from Main Street to Hollywood and worked with businesses and faith communities across the count...

What do you do when life tells you there’s no future left to plan for?

In this powerful episode of Never Perfect, Dr. Beth sits down with Sean Swarner, a two-time terminal cancer survivor who was once given just days to live—and went on to redefine what’s possible. With one lung, Sean became the first cancer survivor to climb Mt Everest and the only person in history to climb the highest mountain on every continent and ski to both the North and South Poles.

There’s a reason Sean was voted one of the 8...

Why does college feel so much harder than you expected it to be?

This episode is about the struggles associated with adjusting to college, but many of the themes are universal and apply to other life stages and transitions as well. 

Some of the biggest challenges in life involve managing expectations and dealing with disappointment. These challenges often come into play when you’re navigating unknowns and big milestones such as going to college, developing new relationships, getting a new job, and more.

College can be one of the biggest transitions of your lif...

In this solo episode, Dr. Beth dives into a topic that touches every relationship we have—navigating differences, competing needs, and the tension between togetherness and independence. From dating to long-term marriage, friendships to family life, differences are inevitable—but how we think about them can make all the difference.

Using real client conversations, personal reflections, and everyday examples, Dr. Beth explores questions we often avoid but desperately need to ask: How much do you expect your partner to fulfill you? How much independence do you need to feel like yourself? What happens when the traits you once...

In this episode, Dr. Beth tackles a topic she’s deeply passionate about—but has taken time to approach thoughtfully: conflict avoidance and peacemaking. While peacemakers often value kindness, harmony, and sensitivity, avoiding hard conversations can quietly erode relationships over time.

Using real client stories, personal insight, and research from experts like Drs. John and Julie Gottman, Beth explores why holding things in often leads to resentment, emotional shutdown, or explosive anger—and how “being nice” can actually be a disservice to both yourself and the people you love.

This episode covers:

What it really...

Today Dr. Beth sits down again with relationship expert Dr. Carol Stoney to explore one of the most common phrases couples use to describe their relationship: “We’re just not compatible.” Instead of couples seeing their differences as signs of failure, they unpack what actually lies beneath that thought—discouragement, unmet connection, and the skills we never learned but desperately need in relationships. Together they dive into:

Why compatibility isn’t about agreeing on everything

What happens when life stress wears down the “insulation” of congratulation

Practical habits that rebuild connection (eye contact, reassurance, w...

Why is it so hard to start the things we know we need to do?

In this quick, solo, and spontaneous episode, Dr. Beth shares practical ADHD-friendly strategies to break through procrastination without shaming yourself or waiting for perfect motivation. Using real-life examples from her own school days and a recent session with a late-twenties client, she talks about why big-picture thinkers with ADHD struggle to break tasks into small steps, how perfectionism fuels putting things off, and why “all-or-nothing” workouts and work plans backfire.

You’ll hear simple and helpful strategies such as:

Crea...

In this episode, Dr. Beth sits down with her friends Amanda (a business owner) and Stephanie (a therapist) to tackle a tough, real-world question: How do you talk about a diagnosis with someone who doesn’t want one—especially when daily weed, anger outbursts, or past substance use are in the mix? Through the story of a 30-something creative with possible bipolar disorder, they unpack self-medication (the classic “upper, downer, mood-stabilizer” pattern), why partners and employers draw hard lines (“it’s legal” ≠ “it’s okay at work”), and how shame keeps talented people from becoming their best selves.

You’ll hear practica...

In this special role-reversal episode, Beth hands the mic to her longtime friend of 40+ years, OB-GYN Dr. Patricia “Tricia” McClelland—a familiar voice on the podcast from past episodes on hormones and menopause. This time, Tricia interviews Beth, asking the questions Beth usually asks everyone else.

Together they dive into the values that quietly steer Beth’s life—love, kindness, community, authenticity, using your gifts to help others, and treating everyone with dignity—plus how her Christian faith gives her peace with her own imperfections. Beth opens up about parenting three kids close together, her journey with ADHD, and ho...

What if your pain is real—and also not the whole story?

In this episode, Dr. Beth sits down with two “pain whisperers” who bridge medicine and recovery: Dr. Matt McClanahan, an osteopathic physician (Neuromusculoskeletal & Family Medicine; Center for Insight Medicine), and Joe Timberlake, a 35-year sober addictions specialist and chronic-pain coach. Together, they explore how the brain processes danger—physical and emotional—in the same places, why neuroplasticity can both help and hurt us, and how grief, stress, and identity conflicts can keep alarms blaring long after tissues have healed.

You’ll hear why “pain × resista...

Parenting teens isn’t about perfection—it’s about presence, honesty, and learning to let go.

In this conversation, Beth welcomes Randi Crawford, a straight-talking parenting coach who brings humor, vulnerability, and decades of life experience to the table. From co-founding a women’s health company with her father to becoming an empty-nester, Randi shares her journey of reinvention and what it taught her about resilience, grit, and independence.

Together, they dive into:

Why letting kids sit in discomfort is a gift (not punishment)

How to practice “tough love” without the toughness

Figs o’Sullivan and his wife Teale are marriage therapists and relationship experts who developed the Empathi method.

They are the architects of the Empathi Method and they think of themselves as “wounded healers and fellow strugglers.” Figs takes a casual approach in his work with couples and see himself as “just another wounded person trying to make his own relationships work.”

Figs believes that “every person makes sense and every person is worthy of love”, AND if they can get beyond the narrative that one partner is right and one partner is wrong, they can find a neu...

Today Dr. Carol Stoney, Beth’s most frequent (and very likely one of the most popular ) podcast guests returns to the show to talk about marriage. She likes to encourage married couples to ask themselves the question regularly: “ Why did we get  married?” Like when things get hard  or when transitions happen, she urges them to sit down and have a conversation “What’s our purpose?” Sometimes couples have change their mission, she said.

Dr. Stoney stated “I don’t care what couples are fighting about, I care what they are fighting FOR“ “What is the mission and the purpose and the...

What is the difference between unconditional love and conditional love? Does healthy love have to include approval of all choices? Are we showing love to our children or our loved ones even when we don’t approve of their choices, or when we grieve their choices? Is our love for them more selfish or more selfless? Are we wanting them to make choices that are good for US or for THEM? How do we handle it if they have different priorities or make different choices than we want them to? Are we allowing them to be their healthiest best se...

What do we need to know about midlife and how to navigate it? How does wellness intersect with women’s experiences of midlife? Today Beth discusses these topics with counselor Elizabeth O’Brien, the author of “The Power in the Middle”. Check out links to her book at sign up for her monthly  newsletter at her website HERE

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John Wang, a leadership coach, corporate speaker, Podcast host and book author, is on a mission to empower Asian Americans to break through external and internal limitations in order to reach their full potential professionally and personally. Many of them get overlooked for leadership positions in spite of their brilliance and conscientiousness. John’s book, “Big Asian Energy: An Unapologetic Guide for Breaking Barriers to Leadership and Success” was published this month (May 2025) and can be found, along with information about his coaching and his podcast HERE

Listen to this episode and more: ⁠⁠⁠neverperfect.org⁠⁠⁠

Before becoming a high performance relationship coach and gender dynamics social scientist Katarina Polonska struggled in her own relationship journey, calling off her first engagement. And today, this Oxford, trained therapist and relationship coach specializes in helping people figure out when to stay or when to go. She helps individuals as well as couples identify blind spots in their relationships and in their careers. Katarina has a podcast called Successfully in Love and a free 20 minute Masterclass outlining her  “Successfully in Love method”. For more information, check out  her website HERE

Listen t...

Julie Baumgardner has spent 35 years helping guide people to create healthy vibrant marriage relationships. Almost 28 years ago, she helped launch First Things First, an award-winning nonprofit dedicated to helping people have healthy relationships. In this episode,  she addresses some common myths about marriage and shares some of her favorite research and advice, for walking through hard seasons of marriage and why building a culture of appreciation in marriage can make all the difference. She emphasizes the importance of individuals building their own happiness as a way to put less pressure on  their spouse to meet all their needs. Also be o...

Today Dr. Beth and her husband Remo experience the benefits of Enneagram coaching with Kat Smith, certified Enneagram teacher and co-host of the Enneagram + Yoga podcast.  Kat gives an overview of the Enneagram test and how it helps us in our journey of self discovery and understanding our loved ones better, and how it can help us reframe narratives. She then shares an overview of Beth’s type, which is 7, “The Enthusiast” and Remo’s type, 8, “The Challenger.” if you want to get a feel for what Enneagram coaching could do to strengthen your connection with your partner or loved ones, ch...

Today Dr. Beth and one of her clients (a man in his 70’s) spontaneously record their conversation about nonverbal communication and its impact on relationships. Researchers suggest that nonverbal communication is more important than verbal communication, and comprises 70 to 93% of communication. Today’s conversation stemmed from a comment he made about two tour guides on a trip who didn’t seem to include him. Beth decided to get brave and tell Kim that she had misperceived his nonverbal communication on several occasions, thinking he was angry when he wasn’t… This sparked some soul-searching for Kim and he reflected on his res...

This is what happens when 3 therapists get together for coffee, and spontaneously invite Beth’s dietician friend Ellie Paulauskaite to join them. Today’s episode is a recording of this fun and informative discussion about body image, fat shaming, and nutrition. Things include societal perceptions around nutrition and body image, emphasizing that being thin does not equate to being healthy. It highlights the necessity for a balanced approach to nutrition, acknowledging the impact of modern conveniences on physical activity and the tendency for people to seek quick fixes for emotional and behavioral issues through medication . The importance of motivation to c...

Today Dr. Beth interviews Jordanne Sculler, a therapist who specializes in relationships, approaching her clients with a “ tough yet compassionate style”.  She challenges her clients to look in the mirror at themselves rather than pointing their finger at others in an effort to “bring the work back to them.” She also challenges the delusion that relationships can be perfect. For her, the heart of effective therapy requires two components: building  a strong bond and challenging clients with pushback. Jordanne says that her hope/goal for her clients (and all people) is 1) to be completely ourselves, 2) to be loved for exactly who...

In relationships, conflict is universal and unavoidable because we all have different viewpoints, opinions, needs and irritable moods and poor affect regulation often exacerbate these issues. Conflict itself is not the problem, but how we manage it can cause the problems. Today Dr. Beth shares several examples of common everyday conflicts and issues. She also includes several examples, including one with her 15 year old daughter and a client sharing her recent argument with her partner, both illustrating some classic communication issues. Dr. Beth suggests reviewing a previous episode called Straight Talk.

Listen to this ep...