Finding Stillness in Grief: Fire Chaplain Lee Atherton on End-of-Life Support, Resilience, and Healing

Creating Purpose From Pain: Jody Hudson on Alex’s Lyme Journey, Faith, Grief, and Legacy

Angela interviews Jody Hudson, author of My Promise to Alex, motivational speaker, and founder of the Alex Hudson Lyme Foundation about her daughter Alex’s years-long medical mystery that began with joint pain in fifth grade, escalated in high school, and was finally diagnosed as Lyme disease after 40 doctors in 2017. Jody describes the emotional toll of dismissal by the medical community, the complexity of Lyme treatment and co-infections, and balancing cross-country care while working full time as a single mother. She shares how faith sustained them, the moment of Alex’s death and the “parting gift” Jody received, and how donations helped launch the foundation in 2018 to support treatment costs. Jody explains how writing her book aided her grief and offers guidance on support, faith, and honoring a child’s legacy. https://www.alexhudsonlymefoundation.org/ https://www.facebook.com/jody.hudson.16/ https://www.instagram.com/jkutahudson/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jody-hudson-20a7963a

Kristan Swan on Storytelling, Journaling, and Finding Hope Through Self-Discovery

Angela interviews Kristen Swan, a former business coach now devoted to life and spiritual guidance, about the power of story, curiosity, and self-discovery. Kristan describes three “buckets” of story—stories we tell ourselves, inherited stories, and stories we share—and compares storytelling to visual art as a way to reveal universal human truths and reduce isolation. They discuss vulnerability, using journaling prompts to begin, and how consistent pen-to-paper reflection helps identify patterns, joy, and the nuances of connection, especially for introverts. Kristen explains how reflecting on past outcomes can restore hope amid a heavy world, and she explores anger, grief, acceptance, and letting go through personal examples involving family relationships and divorce. https://kristanswan.com/ [https://kristanswan.com/] https://www.instagram.com/kristan.swan/ [https://www.instagram.com/kristan.swan/] https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristanbrowne/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristanbrowne/]

Healing Beyond Symptoms: Dana Wilder on the Five Koshas, Chronic Illness, and Inner Wisdom.

Angela welcomes energy healing practitioner and author Dana Wylder, who shares how trauma, chronic stress, and nervous system dysregulation preceded her multiple sclerosis diagnosis and sparked a deep exploration of mind-body healing. Dana explains the yogic model of the five koshas, arguing that chronic illness often arises “upstream” and can’t be addressed through physical treatment alone. They discuss reducing external noise and toxic inputs, listening to symptoms as messages, creating space through “being” before “doing,” and becoming your own health advocate amid overwhelming and conflicting advice. Dana describes sound healing with tuning forks, patterns she’s observed in autoimmune personalities, and how symptoms can mirror inner states. https://www.energyovermatter.com/ [https://www.energyovermatter.com/] https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558718325925 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558718325925] https://www.youtube.com/@energyovermatter [https://www.youtube.com/@energyovermatter] https://www.instagram.com/energy.over.matter/ [https://www.instagram.com/energy.over.matter/]

Healing Grief Through Gratitude: Dr. Lise Janelle on the Heart Freedom Method

Angela interviews Dr. Lise Janelle, founder of the Heart Freedom Method and co-authoring a new book with Jack Canfield, about turning grief and hardship into healing and purpose. Dr. Lise shares how a series of losses in 1988—her father’s terminal cancer diagnosis, her 21-year-old brother’s death, and the end of a long relationship—sparked a lifelong mission to help others release emotional blocks. Drawing on Neuro Emotional Technique and the power of gratitude, she developed a method that identifies stuck emotional responses without needing physical contact. They discuss how challenges can build “wings,” how gratitude and opening the heart can reduce pain, and tools like her Best Friend Journal, online program, and in-person intensives to help people reconnect with love, meaning, and resilience. http://drliseelite.com/ [http://drliseelite.com/] https://www.facebook.com/drlise [https://www.facebook.com/drlise] https://www.youtube.com/@drlisejanelle [https://www.youtube.com/@drlisejanelle] http://www.instagram.com/drlisejanelle.com [http://www.instagram.com/drlisejanelle.com] https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlise [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlise]

Reawakening After Brain Injury: Jessica Taylor on Grief, Consciousness, and Spiritual Truth

Podcast host Angela interviews Jessica Taylor, who describes a severe brain injury that erased much of her memory and education, brought profound grief to her and her family, and left her without adequate medical support in Toronto. Jessica says she rebuilt her life through determination, extensive reading, and 20 years of research that led to her book A Spiritual Awakening and her memoir From Tragedy to Triumph: Reawakening My Broken Brain, aiming to help families understand brain injury and offer a new perspective on life. She recounts experiences of altered consciousness, spontaneous poem writing, and a lasting disappearance of jealousy, anger, and envy, and discusses ideas about the synaptic cleft, vibration/frequency, universal consciousness, oneness with nature, and reincarnation, including theological discussions with a retired Roman Catholic canon and research claims about church history and Jesus. http://jessicaetaylor.org/ [http://jessicaetaylor.org/] https://www.facebook.com/Yiska9/ [https://www.facebook.com/Yiska9/]