Second Chances with Christy Belz

Second Chances with Christy Belz is a showcase of women’s stories of second chances, life-changing choices and perspectives to support our listeners and their journey. Enjoy our vast array of guests who stand for the empowerment of women. We are an upbeat and casual format, interacting with our listeners and guests. NEW You is a safe place for exploration and possibilities. Learn more about Christy Belz: Website: https://christybelz.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christybelz/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c

Second Chances with Christy Belz is a health podcast hosted by Christy Belz, with 53 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Christy Belz hosts Second Chances with Christy Belz, a health show with 53 episodes published.

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  Second Chances with Christy Belz

  The Open Window: Dafna Michaelson Jenet on Faith and Reinvention

  Sep 9, 202648 min

  Christy Belz sits down with Dafna Michaelson Jenet — author, TEDx founder, former Colorado state senator, and 2026 Girl Scouts of Colorado Woman of Distinction — for a story about courage, faith, and second chances. A legislator turned advocate, Dafna shares how a decade of open windows led her from the statehouse to confronting antisemitism full-time, and why she keeps choosing to jump through them. Key Takeaways A Grocery Store Conversation: After a lottery ticket didn't win, a conversation with her boyfriend about what she'd do with the money led Dafna to commit to 50 states in 52 weeks, meeting 500+ community changemakers. The First TEDx Women License in Colorado: TED New York agreed to Dafna's women-only event, but only if men were included — she held one with eight women and two men, and got the license a month later. Deciding to Run: Dafna didn't set out to run for the state legislature — a city councilman's ask nudged her toward city council, and a different ask, from a Democrat who'd lost her seat, redirected her to the House instead. A Family Crisis Becomes Policy: After her son's mental health crisis at age nine exposed gaps in care for kids with unmet needs, Dafna advocated for free youth mental health care for any Colorado student. Leaving the Legislature: After a decade in office and antisemitism she experienced directly, Dafna left this year to lead the David Merage Foundation for Confronting Antisemitism. Connect with Dafna Michaelson Jenet: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dafnamichaelson Website: https://journeyinstitute.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DafnaMichaelson/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dafnam Connect with Christy Belz: Website: https://christybelz.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christybelz/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christybelzcoach/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristyBelzCoach/ UPROOT Course: https://christybelz.com/uproot/ Book: https://christybelz.com/influencer/ The Brick & The Sponge: https://a.co/d/0acCxcX5 The Brick & The Spong- Friendships, Feelings, and Finding Your Voice: https://a.co/d/0amPIULN

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  Second Chances with Christy Belz

  Health Care Is a Right: Annie Lee on Medicaid, Equity, and Staying in the Room

  Sep 2, 202648 min

  Christy Belz welcomes Annie H. Lee, JD — president and CEO of Colorado Access, the state’s largest Medicaid health plan, and the first woman and first person of color to lead the organization. A first-generation Korean-American and daughter of immigrants, Annie’s path from watching her family navigate a health care system not built for them to running one of Colorado’s most consequential health organizations is equal parts personal and profound. Listen on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Amazon Music , iHeartRadio, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts! Key Takeaways Your origin story shapes your purpose: Annie didn’t find health equity through a policy paper — she found it at the grocery store watching her mother struggle to be understood, then imagining that same mother trying to communicate her symptoms to a doctor. That fear became her career. Health care requires a sacred exchange: When language, culture, or bias interrupts the moment between patient and provider, the damage runs deep. Annie watched it happen with her grandmother in Houston first — and spent the rest of her life making sure it happened less. Know who Medicaid actually serves: Most enrollees work. The rest are caregivers, people with disabilities, kids in poverty, and people in transition. Once you know who’s actually in the program, the word “deserve” gets a lot harder to throw around. Coalitions are the only path forward: Annie and Donna Lynne aren’t talking big picture in the abstract — they’re working through enrollment funding, briefing the next governor, and building the cross-org advocacy the moment demands. No single organization absorbs what’s coming alone. Connect with Annie H. Lee, JD: Website: https://www.coaccess.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-l-70a9a938 Connect with Christy Belz: Website: https://christybelz.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christybelz/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christybelzcoach/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristyBelzCoach/ UPROOT Course: https://christybelz.com/uproot/

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  Second Chances with Christy Belz

  Seeing Takes Time: Nancy Sharp on Grief, Healing, and the Stories That Set Us Free

  Jul 29, 202642 min

  Christy Belz welcomes Nancy Sharp — award-winning author, TEDx speaker, story coach, and resilience expert — for a conversation that begins with one of life’s most unimaginable collisions: the day Nancy gave birth to premature twins and learned her husband’s cancer had returned. What followed were years of caregiving, grief, and ultimately the courage to begin again — moving across the country, opening her heart to love, and building a life centered on purpose and storytelling. This is a warm, honest, and deeply moving conversation about living in the gray space, choosing hope, and reclaiming your story as a path to healing. Key Takeaways The Day Everything Changed: On the same day Nancy gave birth to premature twins, her husband Brett got the call — his cancer was back everywhere. She knew in that moment he was going to die, and the years that followed would reshape everything. Living in the Gray Space: Releasing the pressure to have life be black or white gave Nancy permission to take chances again — and it became the philosophy she now teaches others navigating their own hard seasons. Putting Yourself in the Path of Opportunity: Every second act in Nancy’s life — love, career, platform — traces back to one deliberate choice to show up and stay open, even when the outcome was uncertain. Write Like a Mother******: Cheryl Strayed’s advice changed how Nancy thinks about creative practice — you don’t have to write every day, but when you do, make it count. You’re Never Truly Stuck: No matter the circumstances, there are always options and always a next step — and true resilience isn’t bouncing back, it’s reframing your experience so you can grow, move forward, and choose hope.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Connect with Nancy Sharp: Website: https://www.writeyourlifeletter.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancysharp Book/s: https://www.writeyourlifeletter.com/books Email: nsharp@nancysharp.net Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nancystorymuse/ Connect with Christy Belz: Website: https://christybelz.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christybelz/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christybelzcoach/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristyBelzCoach/ UPROOT Course: https://christybelz.com/uproot/

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  Second Chances with Christy Belz

  Nelisha Firestone: a story about crisis, presence, and the unfinished business of women and wealth.

  Jul 22, 202635 min

  Christy Belz sits down with Nelisha Firestone — founder and CEO of Firestone Financial Group — for a story about crisis, presence, and the unfinished business of women and wealth. A financial strategist who's spent two decades helping business owners plan their futures, Nelisha shares how a sudden brain bleed on a Colorado mountainside reordered her priorities, and why she's convinced women are sitting on more financial power than they realize. Key Takeaways The Roots of the Work: Her father's rocky business exit and her grandmother's sudden widowhood at 49 shaped Nelisha's path into financial planning. The Day Everything Changed: A pre-season ski day in Breckenridge turned into a sudden subarachnoid hemorrhage and an eight-day hospital stay — landing her in the lucky third who recover fully. What Survival Reframed: Coming that close to not making it back to her daughters left Nelisha more present and acutely aware that any day can shift on a dime. Women and the Wealth Gap: With women projected to control 40-45% of retail assets by 2030, Nelisha says the real barrier is discomfort talking about money, not access to it. The 80% Problem: Most business owners exit with no plan, per Exit Planning Institute research — Nelisha guides clients through valuation and balance sheet strategy years ahead of any sale. Define the Next Chapter First: Owners who exit without a clear picture of what's next, Nelisha's seen, often end up walking back into the business they left. Connect with Nelisha Firestone: Website: https://www.firestonefingroup.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelisha-firestone Connect with Christy Belz: Website: https://christybelz.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christybelz/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christybelzcoach/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristyBelzCoach/ UPROOT Course: https://christybelz.com/uproot/ Book: https://christybelz.com/influencer/ The Brick & The Sponge: https://a.co/d/0acCxcX5

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  Second Chances with Christy Belz

  Second Chances with Renee Ferrufino on Corporate Walls, Nonprofit Purpose, and Latina Leadership

  Jul 15, 202649 min

  Christy Belz welcomes Renee Ferrufino — president, CEO, and first Latina to lead the Women’s Foundation of Colorado — for a conversation about humble beginnings, corporate walls, and the leadership role she kept turning down because she didn’t feel ready. From Sterling, Colorado to the helm of one of the state’s most powerful foundations, Renee’s story is honest, grounded, and fiercely values-driven. This is a conversation about what it really takes to say yes to yourself — and what happens when you finally do. Listen on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Amazon Music , iHeartRadio, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts! Key Takeaways First in the Family: Renee grew up in Sterling, Colorado — the first of 70-plus cousins to go to college — figuring it out largely alone, with a thousand-page scholarship book and no roadmap. Pushed Out for Being a Mother: Four months into a hard-earned promotion, Renee got pregnant — and her president made clear that women in her position had wives who stayed home. Being forced out opened the door to everything that followed. The CEO Role She Almost Said No To: Renee turned down CEO offers for years, waiting to feel ready. Her reframe: women wait for 100%, men jump in at 60% — and you can’t become a CEO without actually becoming one. Values Under Pressure: She started January 6th, 2025. Twenty days in, the federal DEI rollbacks began. Her response: stay rooted, because the community’s risk is far greater than the foundation’s. The Danger of Self-Exclusion: As a mixed-race, non-bilingual Latina, Renee quietly distanced herself from the Latin community before they could reject her. Belonging, she learned, starts with the story you tell yourself. Connect with Renee Ferrufino: Website: https://www.wfco.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renee-ferrufino-340415a Connect with Christy Belz: Website: https://christybelz.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christybelz/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christybelzcoach/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristyBelzCoach/ UPROOT Course: https://christybelz.com/uproot/

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