Media Rebel Unplugged
Welcome to Media Rebel Unplugged, the podcast where leaders unplug from the grind and speak the unfiltered truth. I’m Janice Becker, CEO, speaker, and author of Rebel Rising Within (Releasing March 2026). This show is your backstage pass to real conversations about business, leadership, motherhood, healing, mental health, and what it really looks like to rebuild and rise.
Each week, we feature new conversations with leaders, entrepreneurs, creatives, and change-makers who are navigating life and business.
Topics we cover:
Women in business and entrepreneurship
Women’s leadership and personal growth
Mental health, healing, and resilience for women
Motherhood, work life balance, and boundaries
Digital marketing, branding, and business strategy
Media Rebel is a full-service digital marketing agency that rebels against traditional agency norms.
Subscribe and hit the bell so you don't miss a thing!
Media Rebel Unplugged
Turn Grief Into Leadership and Hope
Janice sits down with bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and grief advocate Marie Alessi to talk about healing beyond loss and how you can have hope and a life of leadership, sometimes because of the grief itself. Marie shares her deeply personal journey, from losing her father at 20, to the sudden passing of her husband Rob, to finding empowerment through grief and helping thousands of others along the way.
Together, Janice and Marie explore private vs. public grief, the unexpected waves of mourning, and why self-love and boundaries are essential to healing. This conversation is raw, real, and full of hope.
📖 Learn more about Marie’s books & work: MarieAlessi.com
⏱ TIMELINE:
00:15 – Introduction to Marie Alessi and why grief matters now
01:27 – Losing her father and the first steps in grief
03:29 – Meeting Rob and the promise they made to each other
05:33 – The night of her breakdown and asking for help
07:50 – Writing “Loving Life After Loss” and creating a movement
09:39 – The most misunderstood thing about grief
11:53 – Choosing joy and compartmentalizing grief
13:49 – Public mourning vs. private grief (Charlie Kirk tragedy)
18:25 – Social media, desensitization, and our children
21:53 – Advice for Erica Kirk navigating public loss
26:02 – Other forms of grief: friendships, jobs, milestones
28:16 – Why belonging makes loss so painful
32:04 – The importance of self-love in grief
33:44 – First steps in practicing self-love
🎧 Don’t miss Marie’s insights on navigating grief, loss, and rediscovering joy.
🌐 Website: media-rebel.net
📸 Instagram: @mediarebeldigital
📘 Facebook: @mediarebelnet
🎥 YouTube: @mediarebelunplugged
💼 LinkedIn: janicembecker
💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/media-rebel-unplugged/id1794827623
🟢 Leave a rating on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/7rIWuspkWxxAAbLZxy4D3A
Grab Marie's Books and to learn more about her go to her site
https://www.mariealessi.com/books
