Builders of a Better World Podcast

New Episode - Your Body as an Instrument: Nervous System Regulation, Meditation, and Self-Devotion What if your body isn’t a problem to fix, but an instrument to tune? In our latest episode of the Builders of a Better World podcast, “Your Body as an Instrument: Nervous System Regulation, Meditation, and Self‑Devotion,” Ashlieya and Neff dive deep into what it truly means to live in partnership with your body—so you can receive more wisdom, serve more fully, and experience mor

New Episode - Finding the Sweet Spot Between Extremes: Suffering, Joy, and Emotional Balance What if the goal isn’t to stay “high vibe” all the time, but to learn how to live in a grounded, sustainable middle — where you can hold both suffering and joy without getting swallowed by either? In the newest episode of the Builders of a Better World podcast, Ashlieya and Neff dive into what they call the “sweet spot between extremes” and how finding it can transform the way you rel

New Episode - Using Judgment Without Losing Your Peace: Mystic Wisdom for a Better World There are moments in life that invite us to pause, reflect, and ask deeper questions about how we move through the world. This episode of Builders of a Better World is one of those moments. In a thoughtful and expansive conversation, Ashlieya and Neff explore what it means to use judgment as a tool for clarity and direction without letting it pull us out of peace, coherence, or compassion

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

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

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

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

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