Dr. Jodi Blinco shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Jodi, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
What I’m most proud of is not the shiny launch of a course or the coaching sessions people can buy into, it’s the hours and years of inner work that nobody ever sees. In Inner Alchemy, I talk a lot about breaking cycles and being willing to “unf*** the mess” of your own life. That work… sitting in the discomfort, facing patterns that kept showing up over and over until I had no choice but to look at them in the mirror, that is what built ZenLeader behind the scenes.
The coaching packages, the courses, the frameworks, they exist because I lived through the process first. I know what it feels like to keep running into the same wall, to reach for unhealthy regulators like food or shopping or overachievement, to be stuck in a box of my own making. Nobody sees the nights I stayed up writing and rewriting stories from my own life so they could be turned into lessons for someone else. Nobody sees the self-reflection, the yoga mat tears, the journal pages filled with “why does this keep happening to me?” before I realized the harder question was “what is my role in this?”
So, when someone comes to ZenLeader today and finds a tool, or a practice, or even just a sentence that resonates, they’re touching the result of years of unseen work. That’s what I’m most proud of because it proves that the pain can be turned into something useful, not just for me, but for others walking their own paths.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Dr. Jodi Blinco, founder of The U School, ZenLeader and author of Inner Alchemy: Transforming Everyday Bullsh*t into Sunshine.* At my core, I’m a teacher and a guide, but not in the sense of having all the answers. I’ve lived through my own share of chaos, and my work is about helping people find their calm in the middle of it, not by bypassing the hard stuff, but by using it as fuel for growth.
ZenLeader is special because it’s not built on theory alone; it’s built on lived experience. I know what it feels like to climb the corporate ladder, get the salary, buy the car, have all the “things,” and still feel completely empty. I know what it feels like to keep chasing approval from others, to wear the mask, to stay in the “box” because it feels safe—even if it’s suffocating. What ZenLeader does is help people take the mask off, break down the walls of that box, and start creating the life they actually want, not the one they’ve been told they should want.
What makes ZenLeader different is the fusion of practical leadership development with what I call “human development.” You can’t lead others if you don’t know how to regulate your own emotions. You can’t create vision if you’re still stuck in your own cycles of comparison and self-doubt. ZenLeader blends tools from higher education leadership, corporate coaching, yoga, mindfulness, and lived stories of transformation so that people can learn to lead with authenticity, resilience, and calm.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
The moment I left the only world I knew behind and moved to Las Vegas changed everything. I grew up in a world where the “box” was already defined, what success looked like, what I was supposed to achieve, how high I was supposed to climb. Moving to Las Vegas meant stepping into complete uncertainty, and that moment taught me that real growth is on the other side of fear.
In Inner Alchemy, I write about how we build boxes for ourselves out of limiting beliefs, out of opinions of others, out of our own fears and insecurities. The box feels safe because it’s familiar, we know what to expect, even if the result makes us miserable. When I moved, I had to break down that box and face the unknown. And what I discovered was that freedom lives outside those walls.
That moment reshaped how I see the world because it showed me that the stories we tell ourselves, “I can’t do this because…,” “I have to stay here because…”—are often just the walls of the box talking. The world is so much bigger than those walls. Sometimes all it takes is the courage to step out and see what’s waiting on the other side.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering has been my greatest teacher. Success can be validating, but suffering is where the transformation happens. In Inner Alchemy, I talk about the cycles I lived through—gaining weight, drowning in debt, using food and shopping as regulators to try to make myself feel better, chasing approval from everyone else, believing that if I just achieved one more thing, then I’d be lovable. Those weren’t just struggles; they were my classrooms.
What suffering taught me is that you can’t regulate your way into peace with temporary fixes. You can shop, eat, scroll, drink, but the peace lasts five minutes, and then you’re right back in the same cycle. Suffering forced me to face the root, not just the symptom. It taught me self-awareness, accountability, resilience, and compassion in a way that success never could.
It also taught me that the things we think are breaking us are often the things building us. In the book, I say that alchemy is not about escaping struggle but transforming it, turning pain into compassion, obstacles into opportunities, and self-doubt into empowerment. That’s what suffering gave me: the chance to alchemize.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
One truth is that worthiness isn’t earned through titles, money, or approval, it’s remembered. For years, I believed my value was tied to what I achieved. I thought if I climbed high enough, drove the right car, wore the right clothes, then I’d finally be “enough.” But the truth is, I was always enough. That’s a truth I rarely articulate, but it guides everything.
Another truth is that your mind can be your best friend or your worst enemy. In Inner Alchemy, I share how our patterns of thinking can trap us in boxes we don’t even realize we’re in. If you don’t consciously regulate your mind, it will regulate you.
And maybe the deepest truth is this: no one else can transform your life for you. People can inspire you, they can guide you, they can walk alongside you, but the responsibility for change is yours. Transformation begins WITHIN. That truth is so foundational, I don’t always say it out loud, but it’s at the core of everything I do.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
Absolutely! I think many people can relate to that. I spent years chasing things: the salary, the title, the house, the closet full of designer tags. I thought once I had them, I’d finally feel fulfilled. And for a fleeting moment, I did. I remember sitting back one day and thinking, Wow, I made it. I have all the things I thought I wanted.
That feeling was only temporary. The voice inside of me grew louder: This isn’t what’s really making you happy. That was one of the hardest lessons to learn… that everything I thought would satisfy me, didn’t.
The dissatisfaction taught me that fulfillment doesn’t come from the box society tells you to build. It comes from alignment, living in your authentic truth, serving others, doing the work you’re called to do. Getting what I thought I wanted was the best thing that could have happened, because it showed me so clearly that the ladder I was climbing was leaning against the wrong wall.
Over the years, this journey has revealed that genuine peace, contentment, and joy emerge when we confront the hidden aspects of ourselves. It’s about illuminating our true desires, transforming from who we believed we should be, and aligning with our authentic inner alchemy and magic.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jodiblinco.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/drjodiblinco
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjodiblinco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drjodiashbrook
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFd21wQHJhCb5WhoYPv9-IFdcnOW9FXYB
