Power to Pursue

What does it look like to build a life that actually feels as good as it looks?
In this episode of the Power to Pursue Podcast, we sit down with Jane Karlson, women’s health coach, entrepreneur, and founder behind Train Like Jane, to talk about the real work behind wellness, ambition, and alignment.
Jane shares her journey from a 17-year corporate career into full-time coaching, and how burnout, people-pleasing, and the relentless pursuit of “more” forced her to redefine success on her own terms. From competing in over a decade of bodybuilding to navigating the mental and physical toll it took, Jane opens up about the discipline, the damage, and the deep self-awareness that ultimately led her to something new.
Enter her latest venture: Protein Treat Queen, a passion project born from a need for high-protein, actually enjoyable foods that support women’s health without sacrificing taste. What started as a Saturday ritual in her kitchen has quickly evolved into a full-scale business, rooted in intention, innovation, and a desire to serve women differently.
This conversation dives into:
The tension between burnout and ambition, and how to recognize when you’re out of alignment
The truth about “wellness” culture and redefining it for yourself
Taking leaps of faith (and knowing when to pivot)
Building something from scratch—and giving yourself permission to try
Why peace, prosperity, and productivity don’t have to be mutually exclusive
At its core, this episode is a reminder: you’re allowed to change your mind, choose yourself, and pursue what actually lights you up.
Because sometimes the most powerful thing you can do… is try.
(And yes—there’s bread, brownies, and a whole lot of protein involved.)
Connect with Jane:Facebook: Jane Karlson, James KarlsonInstagram: @trainlikejane_ | @jamesmkarlson

Recorded at 1819 Innovation Hub during Professional Readiness Day, this special live episode of the Power to Pursue Podcast brings together powerful voices across entrepreneurship, leadership, and student experience.
Hosted by University of Cincinnati students Mirsayah Wasnuk and Anna Kantz, this conversation features Rachel DesRochers and Camryn Ellis for an honest, energizing dialogue on what it really means to build a life, and career, with intention.
From navigating imposter syndrome to redefining success, this episode dives deep into the realities of leadership as a woman, the pressure to “have it all figured out,” and the courage it takes to show up anyway. The panel explores themes of identity, burnout, community, and the power of choosing growth over perfection.
With moments that are both deeply personal and widely relatable, this conversation is a reminder that you don’t need to have all the answers... you just need to keep going.
What are you in pursuit of?

In this episode of the Power to Pursue Podcast, Rachel DesRochers sits down with Emmy-award winning journalist and community leader Michelle Hopkins for a powerful conversation about reinvention, storytelling, and finding joy in unexpected places.
Michelle shares her journey from a shy girl growing up in Fort Wayne, Indiana to becoming a respected television journalist, host of Coffee with Michelle, and community engagement director at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation. Along the way, she reflects on the mentors who helped her find her voice, the courage it took to step back into television after more than a decade away, and the joy she’s discovered in telling the stories of people who make Cincinnati extraordinary. 
Rachel and Michelle explore what it means to enter a “third act” in your career, how curiosity and connection can transform storytelling, and why pursuing joy — even when it feels uncomfortable — can open doors you never imagined.
This conversation is a reminder that our paths are rarely linear, and sometimes the most meaningful work happens when we return to what once lit us up. If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s too late to start something new, Michelle’s story is proof that your best chapter might still be ahead.

If you’ve ever attended Power to Pursue, you’ve felt her work, even if you’ve never seen her on stage.
In this special behind-the-scenes episode, Rachel sits down with Tara Litmer... the right-hand woman, operational genius, and heart-forward “do-er” behind the Power to Pursue programming. From volunteer wrangler to run-of-show architect, Tara has been a pivotal force in building this community for nearly five years.
A full-time special education teacher (entering year 27!) and longtime friend of Rachel’s, Tara shares how what started as “helping a friend for grahams” turned into co-building one of the region’s most powerful women’s conferences. Together, they reflect on:
The evolution of Power to Pursue from passion project to movement
What it really takes to produce a 900-woman summit
The systems, spreadsheets, and soul behind the scenes
Why volunteers return year after year
The real emotions behind leadership, growth, and visibility
What makes Year 5 different... and why this might be the year you finally attend
This episode is funny, honest, tender, and deeply real. It’s about friendship. It’s about building something bigger than yourself. And it’s about the women who make the magic happen long before the doors open.
🎟️ Power to Pursue Year 5 is coming May 15. Tickets are on sale now! 
Come be seen.Come be heard.Come be loved.
We can’t wait to welcome you.

A special live-recorded edition of the Power to Pursue Podcast, Host Rachel DesRochers sits down with New York Times bestselling poet Kate Baer, where poetry, friendship, motherhood, aging, creativity, and community meet in one deeply honest conversation.
Recorded in front of a live audience at the Mercantile Library, Kate shares how her words are born from ordinary moments, why women’s friendships are lifelines, and what it means to stop apologizing for the work we’re called to do. This episode is a reminder that truth-telling is an act of courage, and that we’re not meant to pursue it alone.
Learn more about Kate Baer at https://www.katebaer.com/

In this deeply reflective episode of the Power to Pursue Podcast, Rachel DeRochers sits down with writer, founder, and cultural thinker Rachel Cargle for a conversation about what it means to be well, not as a goal, but as a daily practice.
Rachel shares what she’s learning in this season of stillness: returning home to Ohio, paying attention to cycles, redefining ambition, and letting go of the noise that once shaped her choices. Together, they explore grief as an expansive teacher, the freedom that can coexist with loss, and how tending to ourselves, and each other, is an act of radical care.
This episode touches on:
Redefining success, rhythm, and enoughness
Grief, gratitude, and the ways they live side by side
Aging, self-trust, and learning yourself over time
Creating spaces of safety, community, and belonging
Why “it can just be this beautiful” is more than a mantra
This is a conversation for anyone navigating change, healing, or the quiet courage it takes to choose yourself, again and again.

What does it mean to keep moving, through uncertainty, grief, growth, and the quiet seasons in between?
In this episode of the Power to Pursue Podcast, we sit down with Hannah Chapman for a grounded, honest conversation about becoming: how we listen to ourselves, how we change course, and how meaning is often found not at the destination, but in the pursuit itself.
Hannah shares reflections on growth that isn’t linear, the courage it takes to keep going when clarity is incomplete, and the ways our stories evolve as we do. This episode is for anyone navigating transition, re-defining success, or learning to trust the unfolding.
Related Listen:Host Rachel DesRochers previously explored themes of grief, gratitude, and growth on the Expansive CEO Podcast.🎧 Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/grief-gratitude-growth-with-rachel-desrochers-217/id1662417916?i=1000728079893&l=fr-CA
Slow down. Listen deeply. Stay in pursuit.

What does it look like to grow a business without doing it all alone?
In this episode of Power to Pursue, host Rachel DeRochers sits down with Jill Morenz, President & CEO of Aviatra Accelerators, to talk about women-led businesses, side hustles, sustainable growth, and the power of community. From helping women launch their very first idea to supporting founders scaling multi-million-dollar enterprises, Jill shares what she’s learned after working with more than 1,000 women entrepreneurs in a single year.
This conversation is about permission, to start small, to ask for help, to build a business that fits your life (not the other way around), and to stop believing you have to do it alone.
Remember, You can do this. And you don’t have to do it alone.
Listen now and ask yourself: what are you in pursuit of?

In this episode of Power to Pursue Podcast, Rachel sits down with storyteller, entrepreneur, and community-builder Amy Scalia to explore what it truly means to never give up, even when life doesn’t look the way you planned.
Amy shares her journey from founding Cincy Chic, Greater Cincinnati’s first online-only publication for women, to launching Local Creator Studio, where she now helps women tell their stories with authenticity and heart. But this conversation goes far beyond career milestones.
Together, Rachel and Amy dive into motherhood, infertility, chronic illness, caregiving, perfectionism, gratitude, and the quiet courage it takes to keep choosing joy, especially in the messy middle. Amy opens up about her husband’s battle with severe rheumatoid arthritis, how that experience reshaped her definition of success, and why “never give up” became not just a mantra, but a mission, leading to the creation of the PSNeverGiveUp Foundation, which supports individuals navigating chronic illness and fertility challenges.
This episode is a powerful reminder that living life to the fullest doesn’t mean doing it all, it means doing what matters, letting go of what doesn’t, and giving yourself permission to evolve.
If you’ve ever felt like you were rebuilding in real time, learning to loosen control, or searching for meaning in the chaos, this conversation is for you.

What does it really take to lead with integrity, especially when you’re stepping into a legacy that isn’t entirely your own?
In this episode of the Power to Pursue Podcast, we’re joined by Mollie Lewis, President of New Riff Distilling. Mollie reflects on her journey from the wine industry to the bourbon world, what it means to define her leadership style beyond her father’s legacy, and how she’s building a company rooted in trust, culture, and community impact.
We talk imposter syndrome, women in leadership, and why creating a workplace where people feel safe and valued isn’t just good ethics, it’s good business.
Listen in for an honest conversation about growth, courage, and leading with purpose.
Company: New Riff Distilling
Website: www.newriffdistilling.com