Giving Voice to Your Story

We open the New Year with an inspiring and insightful conversation with Dr. Shellie Hipsky, respected education professor, bestselling author of the Common threads book trilogy, founder of Inspiring Lives Magazine and the Global Sisterhood Non-Profit on the role of courage in overcoming some of life's challenges and finding creative ways to rise above them.

Excited to be in conversation about the topic of courage with SWP author Carol Walsh about her upcoming memoir Painting Life. Carol Walsh's life was turned upside down in seconds when she pulled her dead fiancé from the bottom of a diving well, after he had a sudden, massive heart attack. Even though she was a psychotherapist working with clients suffering from trauma, this personal shock felt unbearable. Nonetheless, she had to heal herself while working with clients and, as a single mother, supporting her two children. Using the creative interests she developed during childhood while emotionally saving herself from a difficult mother, she fully recovered from her grief and PTSD symptoms.  More importantly Carol thrived by recreating her personal, artistic, and professional life.   Join us as we talk about the courage it took for Carol to survive and thrive throuh the process of creativity and healing. This is sure to be a riveting conversation!!

It takes great courage to rescue one's kidnapped daughter as in the case of Lizbeth Meredith who tells the courageous story in her tell-all memoir Pieces of Me. We'll unpack the theme of courage as it pertains to the book and how she's managed to write her memoir.  Check out archives over at my website Giving Voice to Your Courage over at www.DoritSasson.com

Let's give a BIG welcome to Cheryl Fields: Founder of the Lifestyle Wealth Group to today's podcast Giving Voice to Your Courage and author of The W.E.A.L.T.H report.  I want to pick Cheryl's brain on the mindset of coruage and what it takes to build a wealthy life (beyond just wanting it) and if it's something for everyone, and what lessons she's received from some of her greatest successes and challenges. her story is indeed fascinating.  This is a podcast you don't want to miss! Her lessons, trials and tribulations will help you understand what it means for maintaining a mindset of courage.

Patti Clark, my colleague and friend, author of This Way Up, is currently doing a US book tour and I thought to bring her back to the Giving Voice to Your Courage podcast again to learn what people can perhaps learn from her courageous spirit having traveled half-way across the world from her home base of New Zealand to find herself on itty-bitty planes to  conduct book tours and workshops on the theme of transformation regardless of the turnout or the outcome..... So naturally, one of my first questions to Patti will be... How much courage do you, as an author have to prove or show to reap the rewards?   Check out Patti's website and book here. I'm reading her book now! Riveting! I'm celebrating one month of my book being out in the world - Learn more about my courage to leave the United States and my Mom to serve in the Israel Defense Forces!

In this episode of Giving Voice to Your Courage, Dorit Sasson author of Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces, will interview author Iris Waichler of Role Reversal: How to Take Care of Yourself and Your Aging Parents. We'll talk about what it means to have the courage to take care of aging parents and how to overcome some of the problems.   This is sure to be a very informative and important session about how to cope with some of life's most pressing and challenging issues that involve a great deal of courage. Join us! About the book:  Role Reversal is a comprehensive guide for the 45 million people currently taking care of family members who need assistance because of health-related problems. It is written to help caregivers understand how to cope with and overcome the overwhelming challenges faced by caregivers. Ms. Waichler shares her personal experience caring for her beloved father and his life story with her forty years of expertise as a patient advocate and clinical social worker. The result is a book offering invaluable information on topics ranging from estate planning to grief, building a support network and finding the right type of care for your aging parent.

In today's episode of Giving Voice to Your Courage, we'll be talk with Diana Paul about her novel Things Unsaid and how it reflects the greatest themes in a novel -- that of courage.   In this engaging and complex family drama that is carefully crafted, Diana Paul writes a story of a family that could be mine and yours. When up against a difficult situation of choosing between the family, courage is the first ingredient that is needed to make a good decision that will benefit both sides. ,    Click here to listen to past episodes of Giving Voice to Your Courage and to learn more about Dorit Sasson's newly released memoir Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces.  Click here to learn about Diana Paul and her debut novel, Things Unsaid.

On this episode of Giving Voice to Your Courage, I'll be interviewing Terry Lancaster, author of the book BETTER! Self Help For The Rest Of Us (love the title!) about the courage it takes to avoid being perfect and then doing what it takes to be even better! Yes, believe or not, this sounds like sage advice. So why do we get in our way?  I'm looking forward to hearing Terry's wisdom on what it takes to be a better person and how courage supported by faith can help you and I help reach our goals.  To listen to more episodes of courage over at "Giving Voice to Your Courage, tune here.  My ultimate story of leaving New York City to serve in the Israel Defense Forces is now available - check out Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces!

Stephanie Calahan was fast-tracking her way to business and financial success – quick promotions followed by hefty salary packages. Even though she was knocking down six-figures a year, the emotional and physical blows she was absorbing were knocking the wind out of her spirit and wearing down her health.  She had pushed herself to the limit of her personal endurance, and had hit a crossroads. In her own words “I created a trap for myself where I took that toxic environment that I had in the corporate world and created my own version. I was doing things that I was really excited about, but the problem was that I did not put any of me into any of that time.”   Stephanie's journey towards courage has taken her to work with busy, purpose-driven entrepreneurs at the intersection of heart and head,  to leverage their business and get their message out with power, ease and joy; so they can make a powerfully positive difference in the world, exponentially up-level their profits, shift their mindset towards possibility and take a no-excuses approach to boldly creating a highly successful and meaningful business built around who they are.   Tune into our podcast this Thursday, at 1pm EST where I'll interview Stephanie on her courageous journey to stop and and reroute her life.    To learn more about Stephanie, click here.  To learn more about my book, Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces click here.

For this week's podcast, I'll be hosting Amy Oestreicher who will share the lessons and takeaways of her couageous journey which brought her to it took to her most difficult experiences. Until, the week before her high school senior prom, Amy abruptly developed a blood clot, her stomach exploded in the operating room of the hospital, and, after both her lungs collapsed, she nearly died.    Learn more updates about the release of Amy's new book! By the way, did you know that my book Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces is now available for order on Amazon??

Sometimes the greatest secrets have the power to set you free, but when it comes to knowing the truth versus staying silent, your courage is on the line.  I'll be talking with Barbara Donsky, the author of the upcoming debut memoir Veronika's Grave about the courage it took to keep the secret of her mother's existance from her younger brother and the courage to educate herself despite her father's stance against women's education. We'll also discuss the implications of Barbara's courageous lessons in real life.    Tune in on May 5th, 1pm EST, to what will surely be a riveting and enlightening discussion.

Research shows that people who have a vision supported by goals are more likely to achieve their goals than those who do not. Lucinda Cross knows what it takes to reach high heights of success and how to navigate this journey with courage. Tune-in for an informative chat with Lucinda on the in-s and outs of what it takes to have the courage to stay the course of faith.

For Rita Gardner, author of the award winning memoir The Coconut Latitudes, it took decades to summon up the courage to write my story of survival in a dysfunctional family while attempting a new life on a remote tropical farm. On this podcast, we'll talk about the courage it took for her to share the secrets that were so deeply buried and what happened as a result of sharing them.     There's also going to be a special announcement - please tune in for all the nitty-gritty details!

So excited to welcome to the #courageous #living podcast, She Writes Press author, Irene Allison of the upcoming non-fiction book, Stay, Breathe with Me. We'll be talking about the theme of courage as it relates to her work and upcoming book, Stay, Breathe with Me.  As she writes over at the She Writes blog, "it takes courage to share your writing with the world because everyone has something to say, sometimes in ways that nurture, sometimes in ways that scorch." Serious, incurable illness is a drama of body, mind, and soul where symptoms and suffering cannot be separated from the person who is ill. Yet that is what happens in our modern medical system, a system so focused on technology and cure, it loses sight of the person behind the illness. The result is cruel and needless suffering. In Stay, Breathe with Me, the authors make the argument that it’s time to revive the art of care. If we fully embrace the human side of illness, if we remove the false barriers separating caregivers from the seriously ill, we can meet in that space of shared humanity and universal human needs. This is the space of heart and compassion, where healing hands can be guided by the wisdom of the patient and where suffering can be eased. Informed by the voices of the seriously ill, their families, and the lifelong experience of a pioneer in palliative care, Stay, Breathe with Me illustrates how to bring heart back into healthcare and compassion for those who need it most.

The last thing authors want to feel is salesy and sleasy. Norine Dworkin-McDaniel has a knack for selling books organically, with pizzazz and with courage.  Is selling books something that can be self-taught? Are you doomed if you don't think like an extrovert? What kind of skills do you need? What works and doesn't in the promotional world? In 2013, Norine Dworkin-McDaniel created the illustrated humor blog Science of Parenthood with Jessica Ziegler, named one of Parenting.com’s “blogs every parent should read.” Together they’ve published three books, including The Big Book of Parenting Tweets and The Bigger Book of Parenting Tweets. Their latest book is Science of Parenthood: Thoroughly Unscientific Explanations for Utterly Baffling Parenting Situations,published by She Writes Press in November 2015.

Patti Clark's new non-fiction book This Way Up: Seven Ways for Unleashing Your Creative Self and Transforming Your Life is just as dynamic and courageous as her publishing journey which required a ton of courage! We're going to have a blast really digging into that moment of courage that changed Patti's writing and publishing journey and ultimately her life. This Way Up: Seven Tools for Releasing Your Creative Self and Transforming Your Life   This Way Up is a story of healing for women who yearn to lead a fuller life, accompanied by a workbook designed to help readers work through personal challenges, discover new inspiration, and harness their creative power... Women spend so much of life nurturing and giving to others that when they find themselves alone—because of an empty nest, the end of a marriage, or the death of a partner—they often struggle with feeling purposeless.This Way Up provides a step-by-step way out of this sense of loss and into a life filled with enthusiasm, creativity, and joy.

Garinè Isassi's debut novel Start with the Backbeat, is about being true to yourself while stepping out of the stereotype that others might put you. It takes courage sometimes just to be yourself, when others try to pigeonhole you into something. We'll be talking about these stereotypes and the courage it takes to stand up to them.  We'll also talk about... get this ...one of my favorite topics around courage... the courage to stay the creative track when everyone around you think you're just wasting your time writing especially when you are not making a buck from it. Garinè Isassi calls it 'under-the-radar courage.' Come and hang out with us creative and courageous people!

This week I'll be interviewing Destiny Allison about the theme of courage in her latest book The Romance Diet: Body Image and the Wars We Wage on Ourselves: Brave, raw, and unflinchingly honest, this book is a weight loss journey, a love story, a heart beating loudly on the page. Every day we battle against something--injustice, our spouses, our weight. Seldom do we acknowledge the real wars we wage. Repressing feelings and silencing our voices, we suffer under the surface, attributing emotional distress and unwanted pounds to the inescapable effects of hormones or age.   But weight gain, anxiety, and marital difficulties aren't always so easy to explain. In her poignant and touching memoir, Allison doesn't offer recipes, exercise tips, or advice. Instead, she shows us how to stand up, express what we want, and develop empathy for ourselves and the people we love. In doing so, she provides invaluable insight for those seeking to lose weight, save a marriage, or make a significant life change. About the Author: Destiny Allison was a professional and award-winning sculptor. Her work is collected by individuals, civic entities, and corporations worldwide. When an injury required her to re-envision her life, Allison did what she always does. She applied her explosive creativity and dog-with-a-bone tenacity to new endeavors. In 2011 she was named Santa Fe Business Woman of the Year. Her community building efforts and innovative business model transformed a bankrupt shopping center into a thriving community and commercial center. In 2012 she published her first book, Shaping Destiny: A quest for meaning in art and life. The book won best independent non-fiction/memoir in the 2013 Global Book Awards.

Sorry for the abrupt cut-off last week. I inadvertently set the podcast for 15 minutes (don't know why...) but Melissa agreed to do a part two on March 3 2016 from 10:00-10:30 am EST. Isn't that great! Wow... talk about an amazing journey of courage! I'm so honored to interview Melissa Burch, the author of the upcoming memoir, My Journey Through War and Peace: Explorations of a Young Filmmaker, Feminist and Spiritual Seeker which will be published on March 1, 2016. Her memoir focuses on ten years during her twenties when she was compelled to act in courageous ways while propelled by an intense anxiety that led to insight, transformation and new challenges. My Journey Through War and Peace is a spiritual memoir about a woman in her twenties who seeks self-discovery and connection to something greater in the midst of danger and adventure in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion and in the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Today, I'll be interviewing Dr. Virginia A. Simpson, a bereavement care specialist about the courage it took to write her memoir, The Space Between and tell her complling story about the relationship with her aging mother.    An empowering memoir, The Space Between is filled with insights and wisdom about this most human of experiences.” —Lynne Morgan Spreen, author of the award-winning book Dakota Blue