What happens when standing for your principles means losing everything you’ve built? Dr.Julie Ponesse, an ethics professor for 20 years, faced exactly that choice when her university policies fell out of alignment with her personal ethics. With a newborn baby and no backup plan, she refused—not because the decision was easy, but because staying silent would have meant abandoning who she was.

In this profound conversation, Julie unpacks the difference between having “no choice” due to fear versus having no choice if you want to remain in integrity with yourself. She speaks candidly about moral injury, the loss of trust, and the recovery time she now needs. But she also shares the unexpected gifts that came from having clarity about her core values, and a surprising new path helping others achieve financial freedom.

This is a story about being faithful to yourself even when the cost is everything.

Essential listening for anyone who’s ever wondered if they have the courage to choose their principles over their security.

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Covered In This Episode

• Integrity often costs more than we imagine—but alignment is priceless.

• The most courageous pivots aren’t always chosen; sometimes they’re forced upon us.

• Real freedom begins when we stop managing other people’s reactions to our truth.

• Moral injury doesn’t just wound the mind—it reshapes how we trust, connect, and heal.

• Staying in alignment may mean walking away from everything familiar.

• Victimhood feels safe, but it keeps you trapped in the past.

• Rebuilding starts when you stop waiting for apologies and begin repairing yourself.

• Financial freedom is a form of spiritual freedom—it gives you the power to live by your values.

• Raising children with curiosity and integrity is one of the greatest acts of resistance.

• You can’t control what happens, only how you respond—and that choice defines your life.

   

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Courageous Pivot Podcast
00:40 Meet Dr. Julie Ponesse: Ethics and Personal Integrity
04:06 The Shift in Academic Freedom and Ideological Changes
09:57 Facing Government Mandates and Personal Choices
14:05 Navigating Public Scrutiny and Personal Convictions
26:52 Redefining Purpose and Professional Identity
37:24 Victimhood and Responsibility
40:46 Balancing Motherhood and Public Work
49:32 Homeschooling and Childhood Education
57:03 Financial Freedom and Autonomy

Special Offer

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Links + Resources

Julie’s Platforms

• Julie’s Instagram 

• Julie’s Website

Books by Julie Ponesse

• My Choice: The Ethical Case Against COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

• Our Last Innocent Moment

Referenced in This Episode

• The Democracy Fund

• The Wellness Company – where Julie serves as Chief of Bioethics

• Money Mastery Course – mentioned by Meghan as a companion offering for financial freedom

For those interested in a free, 30-min financial consultation about personal/business finances, and about getting licensed themselves, reach out to Julie on Instagram.

More About Julie Ponesse 

 

Julie Ponesse is a mother and former Ethics Professor at Western University who was terminated with cause for refusing to comply with government mandates. Since then, she has become a prominent public intellectual, serving as an Ethics Scholar for The Democracy Fund, Chief of Bioethics for The Wellness Company, and creator of The Hero’s Journey, a six-month community course designed to help members build integrity and live in alignment with their values.

She is the author of two books — My Choice and Our Last Innocent Moment — both exploring themes of conscience, courage, and ethical freedom.

In early 2025, Julie began the process of becoming a licensed financial broker. After years of speaking with people who have chosen autonomy and freedom, she recognized that what many need most are more “live” options — greater financial independence to live where they want, educate their children as they wish, and secure their family’s future. Now in the final stages of licensing in Ontario and working alongside her mentor, she is guiding clients toward financial empowerment.

Though the transition from ethics to finance may seem unconventional, for Julie it represents a natural evolution — continuing her lifelong mission of helping others achieve true freedom and autonomy, now through practical, actionable means.