Bella Vasta didn’t stumble into systems, hiring, or AI. She earned them through necessity. From building a six-figure pet sitting business in Scottsdale to navigating NICU nights, divorce, and reinvention, Bella’s story is a masterclass in resilience, identity, and intentional infrastructure.

In this conversation, we unpack why most business owners resist systems until crisis forces their hand, how AI is not replacing human connection but protecting it, and why alignment, not grind, is the real unlock for sustainable success.

If you’re running your business on gut instinct and prayer, this episode will challenge you in the best way.

Key Takeaways

1. Systems aren’t restrictive—they’re what allow freedom during life’s hardest seasons

2. AI isn’t about speed; it’s about reclaiming your genius

3. Hiring is marketing—and culture is a two-way love letter

4. Nervous system regulation is a business skill, not a luxury

5. Alignment beats effort when effort is misdirected

Quotes

• “If you’re in business long enough, something will happen and your systems will decide if you survive it.”

• “AI doesn’t replace your humanity. It protects it.”

• “Hiring isn’t transactional. It’s relational.”

• “Your business will never outgrow your identity.”

• “Ease isn’t laziness. It’s alignment.”

Connect with Bella

• Instagram & Facebook: @BellaVasta

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Stay Connected & Take Action

✅ Clarity | Coaching | Consistency | Community → NextLevelHQ.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Alignment First. Progress Always.

#AlignmentFirst #Leadership #AIForBusiness #SystemsThinking #Entrepreneurship #HiringSystems #FounderLife #PeacePresencePower

This episode is a deep, honest exploration of what happens after the uniform comes off. I got to jam with Ed Lubowicki—former Notre Dame lacrosse player, ex–Deloitte consultant, and founder of Lubowicki Performance Advisory—to unpack the identity shift athletes face when sport ends, and how to intentionally transcend and include the best parts of that chapter into the next one.

Ed shares insights from 400+ conversations with athletes navigating life beyond competition, challenging the narrative that “athletes die twice,” and reframing transition as a bigger Plan A: not a fallback.

In this conversation we explore stoicism, process over outcomes, intentional adversity, and why support systems matter more than willpower alone.

Key takeaways

• Why most athletes undervalue their lived experience, and how that creates friction post-sport

• The difference between knowing resilience and practicing it through intentional adversity

• How identity stories can stall momentum; and how to update the narrative without erasing the past

• Why outcomes don’t tell the whole story, and how to reclaim agency through process

• How to rebuild the scaffolding of support that once existed in sport

Quotes

• “Athletes don’t need an option B. They need a bigger option A.”

• “You don’t just fall out of shape or alignment. You fall out of a system.”

• “Resilience isn’t learned in theory. It’s earned in experience.”

• “The story that got you here might not be the one that keeps you here.”

Connect with the Guest

• Website: https://luboadvisory.com

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edlubowicki/

_____________________________________________________________

Stay Connected & Take Action

✅ Clarity | Coaching | Consistency | Community → NextLevelHQ.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

✅ Ready to be the Fittest Leader Possible? → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CoachDerz.com/blog

✅ Subscribe to the Next Level Substack → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://nextlevelalignment.substack.com/

✅ Subscribe to Alignment First on Spotify → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5DmNDDIPLiYIfO278S32hM?si=258af1623c974b00

Partners & Sponsors

@ThorneHealth → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thorne.com/u/progressalways

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@StrongCoffee → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠strongcoffeecompany.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — Code: NEXTLEVEL15

Alignment First. Progress Always!

#AlignmentFirst #AthletesBeyondSport #IdentityWork #LeadershipDevelopment #ProgressAlways

In this episode, I sit down with Rita Hudgens, holistic mindset life coach and founder of Transform University, for a grounded, coach-to-coach conversation on identity, flow, healing, and what it really means to build a life that feels aligned, not just impressive on paper.

What began as a reconnection through shared space at the gym evolves into a deep dialogue on mountaintops and valleys, hustle culture, redefining contribution, and the courage required to outgrow identities that once fueled success but now quietly drain peace.

Rita shares her journey through near-death illness, divorce, long-haul COVID, and decades of leadership alongside professional athletics: revealing how self-awareness, faith, and intentional action became the foundation of Transform University. I got to reflect on my own evolution from force-driven leadership to alignment-first living, unpacking how presence, time, and legacy become the real metrics of success.

This conversation is honest, reflective, and deeply human: especially for high performers who have achieved a lot but sense there’s a more integrated way to live, lead, and serve.

Key Takeaways

• Alignment isn’t about doing less—it’s about doing what matters most

• Flow is a promise that must be protected intentionally

• Identity evolves fastest when environment and circles of influence evolve too

• Healing and growth require action, not just belief

• Time isn’t managed—it’s invested

Notable Quotes

• “Our strengths can be overused just as easily as they can be underused.”

• “Flow is when you’re no longer hitting your head against life.”

• “You don’t get the promise unless you act on it.”

• “We don’t need balance—we need harmony.”

• “It takes a lot of work to make life feel effortless.”

Connect with Rita
Transform University → https://transformuniversity.net

Linkedin → https://www.linkedin.com/in/rita-hudgens/

___________________________________________________________________________________

Stay Connected & Take Action

✅ Clarity | Coaching | Consistency | Community → NextLevelHQ.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

✅ Ready to be the Fittest Leader Possible? → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CoachDerz.com/blog

✅ Subscribe to the Next Level Substack → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://nextlevelalignment.substack.com/

✅ Subscribe to Alignment First on Spotify → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/5DmNDDIPLiYIfO278S32hM?si=258af1623c974b00

Partners & Sponsors

@ThorneHealth → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thorne.com/u/progressalways

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@StrongCoffee → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠strongcoffeecompany.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — Code: NEXTLEVEL15

Alignment First. Progress Always

#AlignmentFirst #LeadershipDevelopment #HolisticCoaching #MindsetMatters #FlowState #IdentityWork #HighPerformance #PersonalGrowth #Presence #ProgressAlways