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By the time most people hear about meditation, they’ve already decided one thing: “I don’t have time.” Between work, family, laundry, group classes, and the never‑ending notifications, the idea of sitting down for 30 minutes can feel laughable. But what if your meditation practice didn’t have to be long, dramatic, or separate from the rest of your life? What if it could be micro—woven into the in‑between moments you already have? Research and lived experience both suggest tha

One of the most common questions beginners ask is: “Where am I actually supposed to meditate? My house is loud, I don’t have a spare room, and people are always walking in.” Here’s the good news: you don’t need a perfect, minimalist Zen den to have a meaningful meditation practice. You just need a consistent corner, a few small cues that tell your nervous system “this is our calm space,” and realistic expectations for your season of life. In our Intro to Meditation & Mindfuln

New Episode: Finding Your True Self: Human Design, Shadow Work, & Authenticity If you’ve ever questioned who you really are—or felt like you don’t quite fit into a single definition—this episode is going to hit home. In Finding Your True Self: Human Design, Shadow Work, & Authenticity, Ashlieya sits down with human design guide and authenticity advocate Sophie for a deeply honest, eye-opening conversation about identity, self-awareness, and what it actually means to live as y

Some people are naturally drawn to stillness. They see a picture of someone meditating and think, “Ahhhh, yes please.” Then there are the rest of us: the movers, dancers, fidgeters, multi‑passionate “idea factories” whose bodies and brains like to stay in motion. We’re often the ones who say, “Meditation isn’t for me—I can’t sit still.” If that’s you, I want you to know: you’re not broken, and meditation can absolutely still be for you. It just needs to be introduced in a way

Everywhere you turn, someone is telling you to meditate: your doctor, your favorite podcast, that one friend who suddenly “glows.” Maybe you’ve even downloaded a few apps, tried a five‑day streak, and then… fell off when life got busy again. If you’ve ever thought, “I know I should meditate, but I have no clue what I’m doing,” you’re not alone. Most of us were never given a simple, honest roadmap for what beginner meditation actually looks like. We’re shown images of serene p

New Episode: Teaching the Starfish – Low-Income After-School Programs with Marisa Miller If you’ve ever wondered what real impact looks like inside low-income after-school programs, this episode is for you. In our latest Builders of a Better World Podcast conversation, “Teaching the Starfish: Low-Income After-School Programs,” I sit down with consultant and curriculum writer Marisa Miller to talk about intentional teaching, equity, and why she chooses to work in the hardest p

What if your passport wasn’t just a ticket to new countries, but a doorway into a more regulated, grounded, and powerful version of you? In our newest episode of Builders of a Better World, “How Solo Travel Builds Self-Trust and Leadership,” we explore how traveling alone becomes a living laboratory for nervous system regulation, identity evolution, and genuine self-trust. Solo travel is often framed as an act of independence, but in this conversation we reframe it as initiat

What if learning to feel, name, and navigate our emotions could be as natural as learning a dance routine or stepping onto a stage? In the latest episode of the Builders of a Better World podcast, Ashlieya and Neff explore how emotional literacy, the arts, and nervous system mastery come together to help both kids and adults truly thrive. This conversation goes deep into purpose, radical accountability, and what it really means to “build a better world from within”—starting w

Many of the patterns we chalk up to personality—being “too sensitive,” “bad under pressure,” or “someone who hates conflict”—are often nervous system strategies in disguise. They’re the ways your body learned to keep you safe in environments that felt unpredictable, demanding, or overwhelming. When you start to recognize these patterns as physiological instead of moral, everything changes. Your nervous system is designed to scan for threat and move you toward safety. Sometime

Motherhood has never been a solo job—but our culture often treats it like one. In this episode of Builders of a Better World , we explore Mommune , a vision created by founder Marissa Merrill to make communal living for single moms and their children normal, accessible, and deeply supportive. It’s not just a housing idea; it’s a different blueprint for how we build families, communities, and a better world together. What Is a Mommune? A Mommune is a community‑oriented living

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

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

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