Send us a text We follow a wrong turn that became a mission and explore how dignity-based service transforms both givers and receivers. Gil shows how housing, education, and reciprocity can turn charity into equity, and why true joy is found when we serve. • enlightened self-interest and why service elevates the giver • rent-to-own housing tied to education and community service • girls’ scholarships and mentorship reducing dropout and pregnancy • reciprocity models that replace pity with di...
Send us a text We bring the border into focus as a lived place, not a line, and confront how wealth disparity, US demand, and policy choices shape human lives. Gil Gillenwater shows why enlightened self interest, housing with dignity, and education beat walls and fear. • wealth disparity between $18 an hour and $14 a day • the border as community, not an abstract boundary • enlightened self interest as a guiding principle • youth loneliness, consumerism, and loss of purpose • how US drugs, g...
Send us a text A single weekend can reroute a life. When Deborah Meyerson, a tenured Stanford professor, suffered a stroke that stole her speech and altered her body, she and her husband, Steve Zuckerman, had to reimagine everything—career, communication, purpose, and the very shape of partnership. What began as an “it’ll pass” blip became a blueprint for growing forward, not going back. We dig into what aphasia actually is—beyond speech—and how it reshapes identity, relationships, and daily...
Send us a text The Tuesday before Thanksgiving can feel ordinary—until it isn’t. Fifty years ago, a dad kissed his child goodbye and didn’t come home, and that single day rewrote every holiday that followed. We open the door to that memory and walk through its rooms: the neighbor who showed up at swim practice, the crowded living room where silence said more than words, the TV playing Happy Days, the rain that made it seem like the sky understood. This is a story of grief stitched into a seas...
Send us a text A glossy holiday is easy to post, but the real story of Thanksgiving often lives in the places that ache. This year, our table looks different—empty chairs, fading memories, and traditions that no longer fit who we are now. Still, gratitude finds a seat beside grief. We talk about the tenderness of a rare moment of clarity with a loved one whose memory is slipping, and the sting of anniversaries that return each November. Love doesn’t disappear; it changes shape. It becomes pre...
Send us a text We dig into life with FASD beyond labels: how shame warps identity, how routines protect mornings, and why late-blooming brains change everything. RJ shares the red shoes origin, practical language for kids, and a hopeful path from rage to self‑acceptance. • removing shame and naming “it’s not your fault” • morning reboot, windows, slow processing • routines for sensory load and homeschooling • caretaking as kids and delayed meltdowns • diagnosis as a doorway to forgiveness • ...
Send us a text We share real, lived experiences from someone navigating life with FASD: the diagnosis, the data, and the dignity that often get lost in the conversation. Together, we unpack the daily struggles and the deep relief that comes from hearing the words, “It’s not your fault.” What follows is a powerful journey from shame to self-forgiveness, as we explore person-first support, resilience, and practical tools that empower families, educators, and communities to truly understan...
Send us a text We share Sophia Lorenzi’s path from losing her father to suicide to investigating death row cases, tracing how grief, stigma, trauma, and systems shape lives. The heart of the talk: seeing people fully, not as problems to fix, and building care long before crisis. • how invisible crisis can exist alongside visible treatment • rising suicide rates despite reduced stigma and why access still lags • 988 as vital crisis care and why prevention must start earlier • community-based ...
Send us a text Midlife isn’t a slow fade; it’s a volume knob. We sit down with Angela, the force behind Real Girls Guide and RGG55, to rewrite the script on aging and claim midlife as a comeback. From the lost folder that sparked her book to the candid truths she shares about hormones, identity, and self-trust, this conversation is a bright, unflinching look at how women can live on purpose and take up space. We dig into radical self-possession, the everyday practice of saying “no” wit...
Send us a text An Interview with Author of Property of the Revolution! This is part 2! A Cuban family escapes with 48 hours’ notice and rebuilds a life defined by work, honor and love, seen through the eyes of a six-year-old who learns to turn pain into power. We trace culture, politics, and identity across borders, and why telling the truth preserves dignity. • culture clash between performance and belonging • abuela’s wisdom and loud, loving households • tía’s hidden dipl...
Send us a text A motorcycle in the barrio. Forty‑eight hours to leave. A nearly six‑year‑old whose world narrows to the sound of an engine and the shape of fear—then widens again across an ocean. We welcome author Ana Hebra Flaster to explore her memoir, Property of the Revolution, and the intimate mechanics of exile: how a family becomes “gusano,” how permission to leave turns into a three‑year wait, and how love and duty hold when language and home are stripped away. We follow Ana from pos...
Send us a text What if the love you learned was never love at all—but performance, peacekeeping, and fear dressed up as care? Ann sits down with Denise Bard to tell the truth about growing up inside conditional love, the survival roles that helped them get through, and the slow, stubborn work of building a love that heals instead of hurts. This is a tender, unsparing, and ultimately hopeful conversation about worthiness, boundaries, and the courage to stop disappearing. We trace the childhoo...
Send us a text Randi Crawford, certified life coach and TEDx speaker, joins us to share her “Pickleball Parenting” philosophy. It is a fresh, practical approach to raising resilient kids who can face challenges with confidence and independence. In this episode, Randi talks about the ways modern parenting often misses the mark and how small changes can make a big difference: Stop smoothing the path. Over-involvement robs children of the chance to build grit and quietly tells them, “I don’t bel...
Send us a text What happens when everything you believe about your family turns out to be a lie? In this gripping conversation with novelist Leslie Rasmussen, we dive deep into her latest work, "When People Leave, Love Lies and Finding the Truth" – a story that will resonate with anyone who's ever questioned their family narrative. Leslie, whose impressive career spans from writing for comedy legends like Roseanne Barr and Drew Carey to publishing award-winning novels, crafts a tale that's b...
Send us a text Tina and Ann explore the complex relationship between joy and grief, examining how these seemingly opposite emotions often coexist and even strengthen each other. They share personal stories of experiencing both simultaneously and discuss strategies for allowing both emotions to breathe. • Joy and grief create an emotional tug of war that varies in response – sometimes numbing, sometimes pushing, sometimes inspiring • Past trauma can make it difficult to trust joy, creating a ...
Send us a text Ron Souers joins us to explore how ADHD minds can transform perceived weaknesses into remarkable strengths through self-discovery, mindfulness, and acceptance. We examine the experience of navigating a neurotypical world with a neurodivergent brain and uncover practical strategies for harnessing ADHD's unique capabilities. • ADHD is not a disorder to fix but a different way of processing that offers unique strengths • Traditional workplace systems often fail neurodivergent ind...
Send us a text Tamar Blue, founder and CEO of Mental Happy, shares how she transformed her personal struggles with anxiety into a groundbreaking digital platform for accessible mental health support. Her HIPAA-compliant service provides expert-led support groups where people of all backgrounds can find community healing without financial barriers or stigma. • Turning personal pain into purpose by creating the mental health community she needed • Breaking cultural barriers where mental health...
Send us a text What happens when love continues beyond goodbye? Tony Stewart's journey with his wife Lynn reveals a profound truth many of us fear facing: grief's deepest waters can hold unexpected beauty. Tony's memoir "Carrying the Tiger" chronicles their 30-year love story that evolved through creative pursuits, global adventures across India and Southeast Asia, and ultimately, Lynn's battle with cancer. The title—inspired by a Tai Chi movement where one lifts a tiger onto a distant hillt...
Send us a text Miss Betty Smith shares her incredible journey from childhood poverty to creating a state-of-the-art arts education center that transforms young lives in Canton, Ohio. At 84, she dances in parades, leads drumlines, and builds programs that give children alternatives to gang recruitment, serving as a living example that age is no barrier to making a meaningful impact. • Grew up "dirt poor" but rich in love, with a mother who taught her that "living is giving" • Organized neighb...
Send us a text Sculptor Jon Hair’s life is a masterclass in perseverance and purpose. Abandoned by his mother and raised in poverty and an orphanage called The Home for the Friendless, Jon’s journey from hardship to hope is nothing short of extraordinary. In this episode, he shares how he transformed pain into passion, starting a music career as a child and eventually pursuing his dream of becoming a sculptor at age 49. With over 170 public art pieces—including the prestigious Olympic Monumen...