Send us a text A loud motorcycle, a quiet plaque, and a promise: we will remember. Maria sits down with Token Squid—executive director, veteran, storyteller—to unpack a mission that’s as simple as it is hard: show up for Gold Star families in person and keep their loved ones’ legacies alive. No scripts. No bureaucracy. Just miles, presence, and the right words at the right time. We explore what a Gold Star family truly is and why visibility still lags, illustrated by a father who learned his...
Send us a text What if the story you inherited—be perfect, earn love, never be too much—was the very thing keeping you from feeling worthy? We sit down with inner glow coach and author Angie Hawkins to trace a breathtaking arc: childhood emotional neglect seeds a belief that love must be earned; success becomes a shield; a cross-ocean move promises a reset; and then life unravels. A flooded home, job instability, isolation, a breakup, and a pandemic converge into despair and an overdose. A fr...
Send us a text A promising career, a growing business, and a baby on the way—then everything crashed. Mike shares how dehydration led to a severe concussion, relentless stress triggered chest pain from pneumomediastinum, and sleepless nights pushed him to the edge. One last kiss to his newborn daughter pulled him back. He started with a loop around the apartment, holding his baby, and rebuilt from there—first steps, then rucking, then losing 80 pounds and completing 37.5 miles with a 100-poun...
Send us a text When survival becomes your whole identity, integration can feel impossible. We invited children’s therapist and author Stacy Schaffer to share how she moved from early trauma and institutional harm to a practice built on safety, consent, and repair—and how those same tools can help any family navigate grief, anxiety, and big feelings. Stacy opens up about not being believed at first, the perfection armor that followed, and the moment she chose to stop splitting her life into “...
Send us a text What if the real shift isn’t “why me” but “now what”? We sit down with author and coach Terri Kozlowski to unpack how a childhood marked by sexual trauma and abandonment transformed into a life of awareness, courage, and purpose. Terri shares the moment her father asked the question that would change everything, the difference between guilt and shame, and why speaking the truth dissolves secrets that keep us small. Together, we explore the messy, human process of healing. Terr...
Send us a text A bullet hit the truck. A doctor set a countdown. For years, Dwayne Morton lived like time was running out—until a seventh oncologist connected the dots and uncovered severe sleep apnea, not blood cancer. The whiplash between relief and regret reshaped everything: how he worked, who he trusted, and the way he shows up for himself and others. We go deep into resilience without buzzwords. Dwayne shares how survivor’s guilt and PTSD forced him to slow down, listen to his body, an...
Send us a text What if belonging isn’t something you find out there, but a home you build inside your body? Maria sits down with Jhorna—a mother, wife, and embodiment healer—whose journey spans transracial adoption across countries, a late diagnosed neurological condition, and the jarring introduction to American racial dynamics. Together we trace how the constant pressure to pass, perform, and fit in drains our energy, and how self compassion and nervous system regulation can restore it so p...
Send us a text Some lives seem to collect plot twists, and Sarah’s has a few you won’t see coming. From sudden near-death moments and a long wrestle with addiction to deep grief and a full-bodied reinvention, Sarah opens up about how she stopped performing for attention and started building a life rooted in boundaries, ritual, and self-respect. We go there—assault, cancer, mental health, and the hard truth that change usually starts when you’re tired of your own patterns. We dig into women’s...
Send us a text What if the moments you fear most are the ones that can set you free? Maria sits down with transformational coach and author Morgan Rich to unpack how we move from victimhood to agency, not by pretending pain isn’t real, but by training our bodies and minds to meet it with presence. From breath retention and cold-water exposure to small daily rituals that anchor integrity, we explore practical ways to calm your nervous system, speak hard truths, and show up as the person you sa...
Send us a text What if the real leap isn’t to more, but to enough—enough safety to hold money, enough clarity to work fewer hours, and enough courage to choose your family first without shrinking your ambition? That’s the heart of our conversation with strategist and former CFO Sarah Dumas, whose story moves from poverty and pregnancy loss to boardrooms and bold, sovereign leadership. We dig into the money patterns that start early—growing up surrounded by wealth you can’t access, the shame ...
Send us a text What if your mind is brilliant at solving problems but terrible at steering your life? We sit down with Vinaya, a traveler-turned-guide who left rigid expectations in his early 20s and learned to trust the quiet authority of intuition. His path winds through the Himalayas, European ashrams, crystals, and esoteric study, then circles inward to a simple idea: the heart speaks first, and the mind arrives a moment later with reasons to ignore it. That tiny gap, he says, is where fr...
Send us a text Burnout doesn’t arrive with sirens. It shows up as heavy mornings, wet cheeks you didn’t notice, and a calendar that rewards you for disappearing. With Karolina, a burnout recovery strategist who has overcame two burnouts and spent 20 years supporting vulnerable adults, we unpack why so many high-capacity women slip into overgiving and how to climb out with dignity and ease. We get honest about the beliefs that keep us stuck: the oxygen mask myth that feels selfish, the wellne...
Send us a text A quiet hoodie, a crowded hall, and a long wait for words that never came. That’s the moment Yoel realized his soul needed something his community wouldn’t name. From a childhood inside the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society to a basement prayer that stripped away pretense, this conversation follows a raw journey through belonging, culture, and the courage to change. We unpack the early affirmation of field service and public readings, the high of baptism, and the grief of ...
Send us a text What would you do after hearing “six months to live” not once, but three times? Our guest, executive leader and resilience coach Tom Lenoble, shares how he navigated life‑threatening illness while climbing through Palm, Walmart, and Facebook—and why he believes risk, resilience, and reinvention are muscles you can train. We dive into his powerful idea of terrible gifts, the hard experiences you would never choose that can still deliver meaning, creativity, and service if you’re...
Send us a text The mic is back on, and the purpose is louder than ever. After nearly a year off, Maria returns with an honest check-in about grief, midlife health, identity shifts, and why season three will weave together unreleased conversations with brand-new stories of resilience. This isn’t a victory lap; it’s a real-time reset where alignment matters more than momentum and purpose wins out over pressure. Maria opens up about navigating postmenopause after big shift in hormonal imbalance...
Send us a text What if the most challenging moments in your life were actually blessings in disguise? Join me, Maria Aponte, as I sit down with the extraordinary Ra Netjer, an ordained Buddhist monk who once thrived in the high-stakes world of Silicon Valley technology. Ra's journey from a tech professional to a spiritual mentor is nothing short of inspiring. Together, we uncover how his early spiritual insights and experiences with darkness transformed his life, leading him to embrace simpli...
Send us a text What if the most heart-wrenching moments of your life could fuel a movement of healing and resilience? Jason Tuttle joins us to share his profound journey through parenthood, grief, and emotional expression. As a stay-at-home dad navigating the challenging world of special needs parenting, Jason's candid recounting of his son Zachary's unexpected passing offers listeners a raw and heartfelt perspective on loss. His Facebook blog, Letters to Zachary, has become a beacon of suppo...
Send us a text What happens when two women, barely acquainted, find themselves on a journey they never imagined? Becky and Ashley’s tale of unexpected friendship formed in the shadow of cancer is nothing short of extraordinary. We unravel their compelling narrative of resilience, exploring how they turned a life-altering diagnosis into an unbreakable bond. Becky, initially dismissed by her doctor, shares her shocking experience of being diagnosed with stage three HER2 positive breast cancer, ...
Send us a text What happens when you embrace both your inner darkness and light? Join us as Kate, an inspiring guest who lives with Crouzon syndrome, opens up about her remarkable journey of self-discovery and resilience. Through the silence of the pandemic, Kate bravely faced societal judgment and internal chaos, learning to trust her intuition and embrace her inner child. She shares the profound lesson that acknowledging our struggles and practicing self-compassion can be transformative, es...
Send us a text Have you ever wondered how someone can rise from the depths of despair to embrace a life of healing and purpose? Join us as we explore the remarkable journey of Tywanah Evette, an intuitive healer and psychic, whose life story is a testament to the strength of the human spirit. From facing life-threatening circumstances at birth to surviving unimaginable abuse, Tywanah's early years were marked by a tumultuous mix of love and trauma. Her candid recounting of discovering a pregn...