Life's Essential Ingredients
Life’s Essential Ingredients is spinoff of C4 Leaders, a California based non-profit who uses PIZZA to guide all people in RISING TOGETHER. The show is hosted by two best friends who were college roommates at the University of San Francisco – (Jeff with a Mike). Season 5 started in 2025 and the show is currently listened to in 113 countries and 1064 cities.
The educational and entertaining show takes a deep, yet humorous look at life’s essential ingredients. The hosts engage in interesting conversation with some of the world’s best leaders, authors, athletes, musicians, chefs, architects, moms, dads, brothers, sisters, comedians, CEOs, coaches, professors, teachers, and many, many, more industries and professions.
The goal of the show is to have the guest highlight their life’s essential ingredients and for the listener to add an ingredient or two to their life recipe.
The hosts create space for the guest to be the star of the show and provide an incredible platform to highlight their life, their business, their passion, and most importantly, their gift they share with the world.
Our listeners are diverse and 9% are 18-24, 18% 25-29, 13% 30-34, 18% 35-44, 18% 45-54, and 55+ 24%.
Life's Essential Ingredients
Season 5 Episode #24 Author Jessica Danel is Sharing Her Authentic Self!
C4 Leaders – the ONLY nonprofit to utilize the pizza making process to create space for our companions to be seen, heard, and loved. We work with businesses, sports teams, hospitals, churches…anyone looking to RISE TOGETHER. We also write children’s books and use the most amazing handmade, hand-tossed, sourdough pizza to bring out the best in each other. Please check out PIZZADAYS.ORG to support our important work.
Season 5 Episode #24 Jessica Danel is coming from Bakersfield, Ca (inform, inspire, & transform)
You can find Jessica via her website jesssaying.net
About our guest: Jessica Danel is an animated, bold, and unapologetically honest storyteller, entrepreneur, and podcast host. As the creator of the Jess Saying podcast, she’s known for mixing heart, humor, and raw truth in ways that resonate with audiences from all walks of life.
Jessica built a million-dollar preschool business from her living room while raising three children, two of whom have special needs. Choosing to step away from it all to prioritize her family was a turning point that led to her memoir, Bucket List from a Redneck Girl. The book pulls no punches, chronicling her small-town upbringing, the chaos and beauty of motherhood, and the journey to reclaim her voice after life’s toughest hits.
Through her writing and her podcast, Jessica creates space for real conversations about family, marriage, identity, and starting over, offering stories that are messy, funny, heartfelt, and deeply relatable.
Jessica, thanks for having the courage to keep telling your story, for creating space for others to tell theirs and for being our guest on Life’s Essential Ingredients…welcome to the show!
TOTD – “Because sometimes the past deserves a second chance.” Malcom Gladwell
Build a habit - to create intention - to live your purpose!
In this episode:
What was life like growing up?
What are your life’s essential ingredients?
Congrats on the book – Bucket List from a Redneck Girl…fighting, bullying…
Family – raising three children – two special needs…joys and challenges
Identity
Fresh Starts
Mindset
Growing through tragedy
Finding your voice
Transformational vs. Transactional stories/leadership/families/interactions
Last book or books you recommend?
Legacy