Needy and Normal Podcast

How to communicate better in your relationship

EP 57 | How do you talk to your partner?! Ever really give it some thought? How do they talk to you? In this episode, you'll hear essential components to having healthy communication in your relationship, as a foundation and as a problem solver.
Listen for key tips and actual wording you can try. The theme is TRY. Toward the end of the episode, Ashley shares a life hack formula, as well as how useful love languages can be for your relationship.
Your needs matter, because you matter.
Thank you for listening to the Needy and Normal podcast. Please rate the pod before you go, and share your favorite episode with a friend! NOW, you can follow the show on IG @needyandnormalpod!
If you are curious about coaching, explore www.abllifecoaching.com and book a FREE consultation. Follow Ashley Levering on LinkedIn and find @abllifecoaching on IG. 
Be kind to yourself...and to your partner.

Cancer, romance novels, and a lawsuit, with guest, Jenna Nicoletti Williams

EP 56 | Needy and Normal welcomes Jenna Nicoletti Williams to speak about surviving cancer, while fighting and continuing to fight against wrongful termination by a social media GIANT! We also cover her love for romance novels and how it led her to become a dazzling new entrepreneur! And keep listening for Jenna's new mindset about "busy culture", and finding more joy after facing life or death. This episode is loaded with AHA moments, warmth, and honesty. Thank you, Jenna, for sharing your voice with us.
This will be a powerful reality check that your needs matter, because you matter.
Thanks for listening to the Needy and Normal podcast. Thanks also for leaving a rating and a review before you go and check out www.abllifecoaching.com to book a free coaching session. Get to know Ashley more on LinkedIn or on IG @abllifecoaching.
 
BIO: Jenna Nicoletti Williams was diagnosed in January 2023, at 38 years old, with stage 3 invasive ductal carcinoma, breast cancer. She completed 6 months of chemotherapy in August 2023, and 25 rounds of radiation in October 2023. Currently, she can say she’s cancer free!
Jenna's career has focused on learning and development in education and tech spaces. 
Jenna is a San Francisco Bay Area resident, and has two near-perfect teenage children. She is a very big baseball fan and avid romance novel reader. She is a newly minted entrepreneur who turned her love for reading into a dazzling small business. 
Find Jenna on IG @Jenna.nicoletti.williams or LinkedIn @Jenna Nicoletti Williams. Don't forget to follow her new biz @gemmedbyjenna 

How to have a healthy friendship

EP 55 | Everyone needs a friend. It's an important relationship that is actually good for your health and wellbeing. But what does a healthy friendship look like? And what does a TOXIC friendship look like?
In this episode, you'll hear signs of a healthy friendship such as: loyalty, respect, and honesty.
You'll also hear signs of a toxic friendship like: jealousy, criticism and lack of respect for your boundaries. (If you need support with this one, I can help. Email me at ashley@abllifecoaching.com)
We'll keep it real, as usual, in recognizing that no one is perfect, therefore neither is any relationship.
But, this episode will help you recognize what kind of friend you are and how you value the friendships in your own life. 
Listen to learn about the "bungee cord" friendship, and decide which of your own friendships are truly worth your effort.
Your needs matter, because you matter.
Thank you for being here, my friend, and for listening to the Needy and Normal podcast. Please rate the pod and pass it along to a friend!
For information about coaching together and to book your initial FREE session, visit www.abllifecoaching.com. And follow me on IG @abllifecoaching.
 

The value of a vent session

EP 54 | Need to vent? We all do. A vent session is a valuable and powerful thing. Don’t knock it, til you try it. 
Keeping things in only creates space for overthinking, negative self talk and pent-up stress to fester. To vent is to release. 
Whether you’re the one speaking up or you’re on the receiving end, it’s an important relationship. To hold space for someone takes just as much trust and care as being the one releasing the information. There’s understood privacy and a mutual respect. 
Listen to this episode to validate your own need for support, to vent to a “safe place”. And remember that you may be that cherished “safe place” for someone in your life.
**I don’t take lightly the scared space I get to hold for my clients, as often I am their chosen “safe place”. It’s as much an honor as it’s my responsibility.
Sometimes saying things out loud is the exact action you need to take to process feelings and/or to make decisions. Vent sessions can be incredibly useful, see?
Your needs matter, because you matter.
Thank you for listening to the Needy and Normal podcast. Share this episode with a friend, rate the pod and come back next week!
To book your free initial coaching session, visit abllifecoaching.com. And come get to know me more on IG @abllifecoaching.

REPLAY - The tornado story from EP 6, Simplify your needs

Human beings are complicated, therefore, are GREAT at making simple things difficult. Busy lives, overthinking, and fear can truly make it easy to complicate what can actually move us forward.
In this episode, learn through my dramatic (and true) tornado story, and also from real life examples, how to simplify your own needs and decision making abilities. Who doesn't need that?!
When in doubt, keep things simple. It may just be the quickest way to listen to your intuition and finally trust yourself.
Your needs matter, because you matter.
For your complimentary coaching session, to discover its power in your own life, visit www.abllifecoaching.com.  You can also find me on IG @abllifecoaching.
Thank you for being here and for listening to the Needy and Normal podcast. It would mean the world to me if you'd rate and leave a review before you go, and share this episode with someone you dig!

This is us, with Jeff Levering

FINALLY! It only took until episode 52, but THE Jeff Levering, my husband, is on Needy and Normal!!!! [Loud cheering!!!!] I am excited to share a peek into our marriage: successes, struggles, our version of normal, some laughs, and even a couple of tears at the very end.
YES, Jeff also speaks about his career as leading voice on the broadcast team for the Milwaukee Brewers, and on TV for college football and basketball for the Big Ten Network and Fox Sports.
At minute 43, Jeff will speak about working with the legendary Bob Uecker, and what it means to him to have worked with Ueck, and now navigating the loss of his friend and radio partner after 10 seasons together.
We have some fun towards the end, and we certainly keep it real. Throughout our conversation, be listening for marriage tips that work for us to stay connected, in love, and on the same page.
I hope you love this conversation as much as I loved having my favorite person join me on the podcast.
Thank you for sharing this one generously, rating the Needy and Normal before you go, for subscribing, and for continuing to listen and support the mission: to claim our needs, because it's normal to have them.
Your needs matter, because you matter.
To learn more about coaching together, visit www.ABLlifecoaching.com and follow me on IG @abllifecoaching.
BIO: Jeff Levering is a popular American broadcaster. He is currently the lead play-by-play announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers on TV and radio, and he served as partner to the legendary Bob Uecker on the radio for 10 seasons. Jeff also serves as a frequent TV broadcaster for the Big Ten Network and Fox Sports for college football and basketball. In his rare free time, you'll find Jeff enjoying time with his wife, Ashley, two kiddos, Brock and Logan, and their 120 pound Bernese Mountain Dog pup named Roy. Follow Jeff on IG or X @Jlevering4 and watch/listen to Jeff on WTMJ, TMJ, Brewers.com, MLB.com, BTN, FS1, and check your local listings if you're in Wisconsin.

Organize your mind and your to do list

It's one thing to organize your bathroom cabinet, but clearing things out and making room for what matters, is an everyday tool.
In this episode, I'll talk you through a method I like to call: Now, Next, Later, Never. It starts with prioritizing your mental and physical to-do's, then committing to organizing and scheduling them. This practical support system will help you clear your mind, minimize your overwhelm to get it all done, and lower unnecessary pressure! 
Your needs matter, because you matter.
Thanks for listening to Needy and Normal. Please review and rate the pod before you go, and also subscribe and share it with a friend!
Want to learn more about life coaching? Explore www.abllifecoaching.com and book your free discovery session. Follow me on IG @abllifecoaching for helpful, real, encouraging and some funny content.

EPISODE 50 - Motherhood is my greatest teacher, a sharing of reflections

Choosing a topic for the 50th episode was tricky, but this bubbled out of me, so here you have it. Motherhood is a journey, and I have learned more than I could have ever imagined over the last 10+ years. As a professional sports family, supporting my husband in his dreams, I have had a crash course in parenting, often solo, while finding my own definition of a successful life. You'll be able to relate to this one, especially as a parent.
My hope here is to create impact for you; to encourage you to learn, love yourself, and lighten up when you're being too hard on yourself and push yourself when you're being too light. -ABL
Your needs matter, because you matter.
Thank you very much for being here, for listening to and supporting the Needy and Normal podcast. It would mean the world to me if you'd leave me a rating and a review, share it with a friend and follow the show! You are important and the reason I am here.
For information about coaching with me, visit www.abllifecoaching.com and follow me on IG @abllifecoaching.
Take care. With love and thanks, Ashley

Do it anyways!

Overthinking does not bring certainty. Overthinking brings inaction and anxiety. Then, we become MORE unsure and LESS attached to our own instincts. And we end up NOT leaning into our intuition and letting it rightfully steer.
We overthink to become more sure and yet it quite literally does the opposite. We are instead more likely to never do the thing.
At minute 10, I share a list of permissions to do it anyways.
I'll also bring you through my feelings (and fears) towards starting the podcast a year ago, to starting a basement project on my own. 
We're so good at stopping ourselves before we even start, so I challenge you today to DO IT ANYWAYS!
You deserve a life you are proud of that is full of joy!
Your needs matter, because you matter.
Thank you for listening to the Needy and Normal podcast. Before you go, please subscribe, rate and share your favorite episode!
To learn more about me, follow me on LinkedIn or IG @abllifecoaching and book your free initial life coaching session at www.abllifecoaching.com

Baseball life to farm life with Kaycee Sogard

Married to former professional baseball player, Eric Sogard, Kaycee has seen so much life. Sharing that life with their five, homeschooled,  children, they made a giant shift from the baseball world, to life on the road in a bus converted to an RV, and it was nothing short of a life changing experience. Now, living on a "mini farm" in Tennessee, the Sogards are building a new life they never knew they'd love so much.
Enjoy this episode with Kaycee. It is full of honesty, love, joy, and reminders to keep things simple, learn as you go, and embrace change (even when there are transitions and challenges)!
Thank you Kaycee for taking the time to join the podcast for its 48th episode, and share your journey with us. Feel free to follow Kaycee on IG @kayceesogard. 
Remember: Your needs matter, because you matter.
Thank you for listening to the Needy and Normal podcast! Thanks for sharing, rating and subscribing today! For information about transition life coaching with Ashley, visit www.abllifecoaching.com. Or visit @abllifecoaching on IG.
BIO: Kaycee Sogard is a self taught farmer, a homeschooling momma to five, wife to former pro baseball player, Eric Sogard, wise beyond her years, and clearly an animal lover! Follow her on IG for inspiration, giggles, and a glimpse into life on a farm with her beautiful family.