Building the Best You

10 Guests Who Impacted Me Most

• Jeanne Collins • Season 2 • Episode 76

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This week, I am celebrating 75 episodes of the House of JerMar Podcast with a look back at the conversations that shaped me the most—and opening the door to our next chapter: Building the Best You. My podcast's mission stays the same: wellness starts within. The weekly episodes are there to combine soulful stories with practical tools that help you design a life that fits you.

Before we evolve into Building the Best You, I wanted to revisit ten standout episodes that continue to resonate with me. You’ll hear how a near-death experience led Dr. Lotte to medicine and meaning, and how acupuncturist Erica Prince Ben-Zur uses simple physiology to calm the nervous system and reset stress. Jennifer Johnson shares how naming a limiting belief unlocked college and a career pivot, while Andrea Carson reframes discomfort as proof of growth. We make the mystical usable with Remington Donovan’s numerology and angel numbers, and Tarot Lori’s rituals that feel like a conversation with your soul.

The toolkit widens with Emma Mumford’s aligned approach to manifesting—the mirror your day holds up—plus recovery coach Stephanie Hazard’s lived-experience bridge for substance change. Ophi Edut shows astrology as a map, not a mandate, and Jennifer Stanley breaks down the Enneagram as a powerful framework for motivations under behavior. Around those anchors, I nod to other listener favorites: intermittent fasting, women’s health, teen performance, sustainable building, dermatology trends, elderberries, Reiki, Feng Shui, the Gene Keys, AI, and more.

I also share gratitude for the team and community who made this growth possible, and preview a big premiere with fashion icon Anne Fontaine as we step into the relaunch. If you’re ready to refine your habits, upgrade your self-understanding, and build a life that feels aligned from the inside out, this milestone is your on-ramp.

Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review to help us reach one million women. Get ready for the launch of Building the Best You next week with a special on location interview not to be missed.

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Read Jeanne's Book: Two Feet In: Lessons From an All-In Life
WELCOME TO OUR HOUSE!

SPEAKER_09:

Welcome to the 76th episode of the House of Germar podcast. I'm your host, Gene Collins, and today we're doing something a little bit different. First, as you might notice if you're watching this video, I am in a different location. My amazing standing desk broke, so until the parts arrived to fix it, I had to find a different location to record. And my dining room became that space. This episode is all about reflection because next week marks a major milestone. After 75 incredible episodes, we're officially turning the page and stepping into a brand new chapter. That's right. Beginning with episode 77, the show will relaunch under its new name, Building the Best You. The mission, however, stays beautifully the same, helping you remember that wellness starts within and giving you the tools, resources, and inspiration to build the best version of yourself from the inside to out. If you're already subscribed, don't worry. Nothing changes except the name and the artwork. I've been working on this rebrand for nearly five months. And honestly, the process deserves its own episode. Finding the perfect name felt harder than naming a child. But this new identity brings clarity, expansion, and focus, a chance to reach more people and serve in an even more aligned way. But before we step into that new chapter next week, with a huge premiere episode featuring my fashion icon, Ann Fontaine, I wanted to pause for a moment and celebrate. Today I'm sharing my 10 favorite episodes from the first 75 shows. And let me tell you, narrowing this list down was not easy. I've loved every single guest and every conversation. This isn't a top 10 ranked list, as that would be impossible. These are simply the episodes that touched my heart the most, the ones that made me laugh, taught me something new, and left me deeply connected to their story and their mission. So let's take a look back at some of the conversations that shaped the House of Germar podcast into what it is today. Welcome to the House of Germar Podcast, where wellness starts within. The House of Germar is a lifestyle brand empowering women to live all in through interior design and personal wellness. We are a destination for women ready to reimagine what is possible in their homes and lives and then create it. We are honored to have you join us on our mission to empower one million women to live all in. I am your host, Gene Collins, and I invite you to become inspired by this week's guest. All right, let's dive in. These are in no particular order, but every one of them holds a special place in my heart. First up, Dr. Lottie from episode 41, Near Death to New Life. Dr. Lottie is simply incredible. She went to medical school at 54. She shared how her near-death experiences transformed her from a skeptic to a spiritual healer and a psychic medium. Her story is such a beautiful reminder that life can open us up in the most unexpected ways.

SPEAKER_03:

This bright white light, almost like if you're in a dense fog and the fog rolls in, but there's a spotlight in the fog. So it's that you're surrounded and immersed in this white light. So the brightest, whitest light that sort of starts to come forward. And as I'm turning around in this light, there is an outline of angels in this bright white light. But I am completely aware of the fact that I don't believe in angels, but I'm seeing angels. So and I think that these experiences, if I had believed in that, I would just have said, oh, it's a hallucination. This my mind made it up because it's my belief system. But I did not have any belief system to support what it was that I was experiencing. So there's an outline of angels in the light, and the music is coming from the angels. But the bright white light that is like being with source, uh, you know, or God or whatever you want to call it, but that is what we come from. We are part of that. We are part of source, we come from source, we carry this light within us. We are all part of this magnificent, incredible, divine source, right? But when we are in our bodies, we have the feeling that we are separate, which is just really an illusion. It's an illusion that we are separate when we're in our bodies because we're here to have this earthly experience in these little body suits.

SPEAKER_09:

Next, Erica Prince Bensur from episode 19, acupuncture and the nervous system. This one dives into how acupuncture helps regulate the body and the mind. It's fascinating to hear how ancient practices intersect with modern wellness.

SPEAKER_05:

Acupuncture helps the nervous system go into the rest and digest mode. So oftentimes we're in that fight or flight. Ah, like you know, going a mile in a minute, having to do so many things in your day, and we can't just drop down into our body. You really can't fight acupuncture. You can't fight the needles. It really automatically helps your nervous system calm down. Then the treatment will release endorphins, which are like the feel-good hormone, lower cortisol in the body, which is the stress hormone, which we don't want a lot of. So it really does make these very palatable or measurable changes within our nervous system, in our inner body with a single treatment. So no matter what someone comes in for, really, they almost are always like, oh, I am just so relaxed. You know? So then if we really focus on it, you can make a big change.

SPEAKER_09:

Then we have Jennifer Johnson in episode 14, fueling the fire within. Jennifer's story of releasing her limiting belief that she wasn't smart enough to go to college is one of those moments that makes you want to just cheer her on. Also, her realization that her job was getting in the way of her doing what she loved is pure inspiration. Since having her on my show, I am proud to now call her a friend.

SPEAKER_02:

And I finally just got really honest with her and I said, I really want to go get my college degree, but I don't think I'm smart enough to go back to college. And it was like this weight just fell off of me. And it was like I released that limiting belief that was really holding me down. It was like in that moment, I let it go because it's not true. Of course not, you know, and and just that freedom and letting it go, releasing that weight, I was in almost immediate action. So within weeks of that moment, I had driven literally one day, drove down to the community college, registered for all my classes, did my financial aid, got everything all squared away, drove to work the very next day and put in my notice.

SPEAKER_09:

I love it. Andrea Carson, episode nine, embracing fear and being brave. Andrea was one of my early guests and someone who I knew only a little bit at the time of the recording. Since this recording, Andrea and I have become great friends, and I am so appreciative of her friendship and her support. In this episode, Andrea reminds us that growth and discomfort go hand in hand, that being brave often means stepping straight into what scares us most. And Andrea is one of the bravest women I know. So be sure to go back and watch that one.

SPEAKER_10:

When I say uncomfortable, I really have to support the concept of uncomfortable. Uncomfortable now in my life means growth. Yeah, means journey, means things happening. And I was embracing it. And I was like, okay, this is different, and I don't necessarily love every minute of it. But that experience, unlike the running, was a really, really spiritual and special experience for me. I was alone. I did something that I was afraid to do, and I risked on it and went and felt uncomfortable doing it. And it really opened up a lot more doors of hey, that didn't feel good, but you're like awesome after it.

SPEAKER_09:

Remington Donovan joined me not once, but twice. First in episode 48, Decoding Numerology, and later in episode 70, Angel Numbers 101. He is such a gift for making the mystical practical. We talked about the meaning behind triple numbers, known as angel numbers, and how numerology can serve as a spiritual compass.

SPEAKER_00:

Triple numbers, in my experience, is when people think of angel numbers. It's you know, five five five, whatever, seven, seven, seven. I was on the fence about 101010. I mean, sorry, 1010. 1010, yes. Because in the in the book, I explained a very simple sort of Kabbalistic creation mythology, if you will. But the idea behind anything three, which makes like a triangle, is if you go from creation one, two, and three, the three is the first time. If you take three dots or three points, this is the first time in the creation of the universe that you have something that makes a container. You have all these sides. So the three is considered the idea of form. So three is a powerful number of manifestation. And so when we see things in threes, because it's the space that manifests all the concepts of it, it really is stronger and it seems more intense. And I'm and people really notice those numbers in my experience. And that's why you would notice triple numbers.

SPEAKER_09:

Tarot Lori is another guest who returned for two episodes. Episode 32, Rituals Getting Woo, and episode 66, Big Deck Energy. I absolutely love Tarot Lori's energy. We talked about her two books, rituals, intuition, and that tarot cards are really a conversation with your soul.

SPEAKER_08:

I always say a tarot reading, at least with me, I call it a conversation with your soul. You know, and I'm the interpreter, but you can have this conversation yourself with your own deck or just with the book. A lot of people just flip through the book, and what do I need to know today? Doink and they choose a page, and there's the reading. So you don't even really need the cards. But it's why, you know, these messages are so specifically random and randomly specific. And that's why I say a card of the day. I'm thinking it means something very specific to me. You see me do it, and you're like, oh my God, this message is just for me. This is crazy. And then three months from now, someone somehow gets that Instagram post coming up in their feed and sees it three months later and they're like, wow, this is exactly what I need to hear. That's why I'm very, I never say the date in the card of the day. Yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_09:

Because it finds you when you need it. Then there's Emma Mumford, episode 42, creating aligned abundance. Emma is the queen of spirituality in the UK. After reading one of her books, I knew I wanted to have her on the show, and she kindly agreed. In this episode, Emma shares her approach to manifesting success, but not in a fluffy way. It's about alignment, trust, and building a life that feels good from the inside out.

SPEAKER_06:

A lot of people hear about manifesting or the law of attraction, but they're like, what on earth is this? How is everybody manifesting? What are they manifesting? So manifesting or the law of attraction as it's more formally known is one of the seven energetic claws of the universe. So it's the notion that determines like attracts like in life. So I like to see it a bit like a divine mirror. So how you're showing up to the divine mirror of life is what is being reflected back to you. So if you are going about your day, spreading positivity, feeling optimistic, saying positive things, you are going to be attracting more positive energy towards you through conversations, through experiences, through abundance. But on the flip side, if we're going about our day feeling pessimistic or complaining or, you know, really reveling in those annoying moments that happen in life and telling loads of people about it. And then something else annoying happens and we go and tell more people about it, we know the score. We're going to feel rubbish at the end of the day. We're going to feel like, oh, like my energy feels so low. And this is the law of attraction and action. So our thoughts, our energy and our vibration create our reality. Now, I always caveat this with not every single one of our thoughts will manifest. I think a lot of the time people are like, I can never think a bad thought again. And that is just not true.

SPEAKER_09:

Stephanie Hazard, episode 65. What is a recovery coach? Stephanie is a guest who I was introduced to at an event in my town. When we later met for coffee, she opened my eyes to a whole new side of personal healing with a recovery coach. Stephanie shares how her approach, training, and lived experience with the recovery process make her an incredible coach.

SPEAKER_04:

A recovery coach is someone who has lived experience, plus professional training to support an individual who is either curious or struggling with substances, curious about their relationship, maybe wanting to make a change in their relationship. Maybe, you know, we've heard sober curious, we've heard about people who are choosing to be alcohol free. But the coach acts as the bridge to help a person get from where they are to where they want to be.

SPEAKER_09:

Which I love how you define that for me, because I had no idea. I'd never even heard of a recovery coach. You reached out, I'm like, what is a recovery coach? I don't really understand. Ofi Adu, episode 29, The Astrology Advantage. If you've ever wondered how astrology can actually guide your decisions and actions, this is the one to listen to. Ofi has such a grounded way of explaining how the stars influence our everyday lives. Her book, The Astrology Advantage, had me laughing while I learned how my astrology influences who I am. Can you explain to people you talked about the 13 areas, you talked about astrology. Like what is astrology? What are those 13 areas? And how did you come up with your I am, which is your system here, your I am system? How did you come up with that?

SPEAKER_07:

Yeah. Astrology as we use it, it's a tool. It's not a belief system, it's not um, it's not an ism. It's it's a tool, it's a map of the relationship of the planets in the sky related to where you or an event is happening, where you were born, where you are right now on this planet. So your astrology chart, your birth chart, is almost like a screenshot of the sky overhead at your exact time, date, and location of birth. If you were to look up at the sky and take a screenshot of it or a selfie of it, um, of all the planets arranged, they'd be forming a pattern. And that is actually the instruction manual or the roadmap that all human beings come with.

SPEAKER_09:

And finally, Jennifer Stanley, episode 73, the nine Enneagram types explained. I love this conversation because it gives you a deeper understanding of yourself and the people around you. The Enneagram is such a powerful tool for personal growth and self-awareness. Jennifer does an amazing job of explaining the nine types and how that knowledge can help someone with their personal development.

SPEAKER_01:

What the Enneagram is, is I will say it is a framework for understanding human motivation and behavior. And it is also a wisdom for how to chart a path of personal growth. So, to break that down just a little bit, the Enneagram looks at the subconscious. It taps into the subconscious. And so it really is not just talking about the behavior of people, it's really getting underneath the behavior as to why we behave the way we do.

SPEAKER_09:

Each of these episodes represents a unique piece of this podcast's journey and a piece of my journey too. If you've missed any of them, I really encourage you to go back and listen. Every single one holds something special that might speak to exactly where you are right now. There's so many other topics we've covered in these first 75 episodes. Everything from intermittent fasting, holistic nutrition, and mental performance coaching for teen athletes to dermatology trends, women's health, divorce, and even the power of elderberries. We've explored mindset coaching, life coaching, breath work, the gene keys, photo archiving, Reiki, Feng Shui, AI, the toxic relationships, and even conversations with inventors like the founder of Pry Beauty. We also went on location with carbon custom builders discussing sustainable building, both in our homes and our lives. As this episode pivots from the House of Germar into building the best you, I am incredibly proud of the content we've had the privilege of sharing. The guests, their stories, and their wisdom have been such a meaningful part of my own growth journey. I want to give a heartfelt thank you to my producer Evan for helping me grow as a host and continually raising the bar on the quality of the shows we create. He truly is a genius in this space. And most importantly, I thank you to every listener and viewer for being part of this journey. Your feedback, your messages, and your time mean the world to me. I feel so grateful to have a platform that allows me to empower women to live better, more intentional lives. It is a gift, and I deeply appreciate you sharing your time to listen and watch what I create. Be sure to follow and subscribe as we evolve into building the best you, a destination for you to reimagine what is possible in your life, and then create it. Thank you for being a part of this journey. I can't wait for what's next. Thank you for joining us for another episode of the House of Germara Podcast, where wellness starts within. We appreciate you being a part of our community and hope you felt inspired and motivated by our guest. If you enjoyed this episode, please write us a review and share it with friends. Building our reach on YouTube and Apple Podcasts will help us get closer to our mission to empower one million women to live all in. You can also follow us on Instagram at House of Germart and sign up to be a part of our monthly inspiration newsletter through our website, houseofger.com. If you or someone you know would be a good guest on the show, please reach out to us at podcast at houseofger.com. This has been House of Germar Production with your host, Gene Collins. Thank you for joining our house.