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Choose Your Hard: Neff's Story of Dance, a Foot Wound, and Radical Freedom What happens when the thing you love most is suddenly on the line? For Neff, a professional dance instructor of over 30 years, dance isn’t just a job. It’s identity, joy, confidence, and community all wrapped into one. When a severe foot wound, soaring blood sugar, and 300+ pounds of weight gain threatened his ability to move—let alone dance—everything had to change. In this episode of Builders of a Be

If you’ve ever rehearsed the perfect conversation in your head—only to go blank the moment it’s time to speak—you know how frustrating it is when your body seems to override your best intentions. You prepared, you practiced, you told yourself to “stay calm,” and yet your heart raced, your thoughts scattered, and your words disappeared. That isn’t a character flaw or a lack of discipline. It’s your nervous system state taking the wheel. Behind every choice you make—what you sa

Stress, overwhelm, and constant mental noise are not just “in your head”—they’re signals from your nervous system. When your body is stuck in fight-or-flight or shutdown, it affects everything: mood, sleep, digestion, focus, and even how you see yourself. Meditation offers a way to gently retrain your nervous system toward safety, presence, and connection.​ Our upcoming Intro to Meditation and Mindfulness workshop (March 29, 1–4 pm) is designed to help you understand how  thi

When most people hear “meditation,” they picture someone sitting perfectly still on a cushion, eyes closed, with a completely empty mind. For beginners, that image alone can feel intimidating—or impossible. The truth is, meditation is less about forcing silence and more about learning a new kind of relationship with your mind and body. It’s a skill you can learn, one small step at a time, much like learning a new dance or instrument: you build coordination, strength, and conf

From Married to Meaningful: Building Partnership and Friendship After Divorce Some relationships aren’t meant to follow a traditional script—but that doesn’t make them any less sacred. In episode 3 of the Builders of a Better World Podcast, “From Married to Meaningful: Building Partnership and Friendship After Divorce,” host Ashlieya invites her ex-husband, Neff, into an honest, tender, and sometimes hilarious conversation about how they rebuilt their connection after their

When you decide to “contribute goodness through pure intention,” you stop waiting for permission and start owning the way you move through the world. This episode of Builders of a Better World is an invitation to do exactly that—by facing fear, honoring your truth, and choosing joy as your teacher instead of suffering. Facing Fear and Choosing to Be Seen In this conversation, Ashlieya shares what it really took to say “yes” to being seen—online, in business, and in life. She

This solo episode of Builders of a Better World  is a rich, foundational invitation into the philosophy, science, and spirit behind the movement. Ashlieya (Lieya) introduces her book, Audacious Authenticity: Building a Better World Is Building Inner Wealth , and shares why she considers herself “exceptionally wealthy” in inner resources—and why her mission is to share that wealth with anyone ready to receive it. She unpacks the provocative idea that there is no truly selfless

Builders of a Better World is a new podcast hosted by Ashlieya Mariano Hanelin that invites listeners to rethink what it really means to change the world: not through grand gestures, but by daring to live a life that is fully  your own. Podcast overview Builders of a Better World is designed for people who feel called to contribute more, but want to do it in a way that aligns with their deepest values, creativity, and integrity. Each episode features real stories, hard-won wi