I Choose Happy With Marilyn

Ep43: The Unexpected Path: Brian Speciale of The Comfy on Shark Tank, Risk & Choosing Action

Marilyn sits down with Brian Speciale, co-founder of The Comfy, former television news producer, father, entrepreneur, and one of the most recognizable success stories to come out of Shark Tank. Long before the deal with Barbara Corcoran in 2017, Brian was navigating unexpected turns, career pivots, fatherhood, and learning how to keep moving when life looked nothing like he imagined. In this conversation, Brian shares the winding path from television news to entrepreneurship, the ordinary moment that inspired The Comfy, what really happened behind the scenes on Shark Tank, and the mindset that helped him take risks before there was any proof they would pay off. Marilyn and Brian also talk ambition, happiness, the pressure that can come with success, and why some of life’s biggest changes begin when we stop waiting for certainty and choose to take action. This episode is a reminder that the paths we never planned… sometimes become the ones that shape us most. Thank you to Brian and The Comfy, founding sponsors of I Choose Happy, for helping create this space for inspiring conversations about resilience, healing, and overcoming. ------ Connect with Marilyn and be a part of the conversation in the I Choose Happy private Facebook group. This is your safe space to share and be inspired. Please join today by clicking here [https://www.facebook.com/groups/730079836499519/]. ------ Find out more about Marilyn at marilyngetasbyrne.com. ------ I Choose Happy is made possible by The Comfy, a Shark Tank sensation whose wearable blankets make life happier. Find out for yourself with 20% off your first order with the code ichoosehappy at TheComfy.com.

Ep42: Trust Yourself Anyway: Sally Miller on Confidence, Curiosity & Becoming Limitless

This week on I Choose Happy, Marilyn sits down with fashion designer, entrepreneur, mentor, and author Sally Miller for a conversation about confidence, curiosity, self-trust, and what it really means to design a life that fits. After decades spent building a successful fashion brand and mentoring generations of young women, Sally shares the experiences that shaped her understanding of confidence — not as certainty or perfection, but as the willingness to trust yourself through uncertainty, change, and fear. Together, Marilyn and Sally explore identity, comparison culture, creativity, intuition, motherhood, reinvention, and the ways women are often conditioned to doubt themselves. They discuss hardship, healing, purpose, and the freedom that can come from letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be, and learning to stay present through all of life’s seasons. At the center of this episode is a powerful reminder: you’re not broken, you’re not lost — you may have simply stopped trusting yourself. Connect with Sally at her official website [https://www.sallymiller.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com] or follow her on Instagram @sallymillerfash Her new book, Trust Yourself Anyway: Designing a Life That Fits, is available now wherever books are sold and as an audiobook on Audible. ------ Connect with Marilyn and be a part of the conversation in the I Choose Happy private Facebook group. This is your safe space to share and be inspired. Please join today by clicking here. ------ Find out more about Marilyn at marilyngetasbyrne.com. ------ I Choose Happy is made possible by The Comfy, a Shark Tank sensation whose wearable blankets make life happier. Find out for yourself with 20% off your first order with the code ichoosehappy at TheComfy.com.

Ep41: The Mountain With No Top: Hall of Fame Coach Cathy Compton on Winning, Belonging & Learning to Love the Climb

What happens when you finally reach the top… and realize it still isn’t enough? This week on I Choose Happy, Marilyn sits down with Cathy Compton — one of the winningest coaches in college softball history with 2 Halls of Fame — for a profound conversation about success, identity, pressure, purpose, and the climb we all face in life. From building championship teams from the ground up to coaching at the highest levels of the sport, Cathy shares what it really felt like to “make it” — and why the fulfillment she expected at the top of the mountain never came. Together, she and Marilyn explore the hidden emotional cost of achievement, the pressure young athletes face today, the lasting impact of parents and coaches, and the universal feeling so many people carry of “not enough.” But this conversation goes far beyond sports. Cathy opens up about the moment she realized her true purpose wasn’t winning championships — it was helping people see their own worth and potential. Marilyn also shares an emotional reflection on her recent hospitalization and the profound clarity, gratitude, love, and presence that emerged during one of the hardest moments of her life. This is an episode about learning to love the climb instead of chasing the summit. About belonging to yourself. About redefining success. And about understanding that the greatest victories in life often happen far away from the scoreboard. Cathy started a movement called “Creating the One” where people can release what’s “not them” and remove the trapped emotions, disempowering beliefs, patterns and identity traits that keep them stuck and keep them from having what they really want whether it be love, optimal health, success, a purpose in life, or whatever is important to them. Online programs, 1 on 1 or group coaching, retreats and more are available.   Connect with Cathy on Facebook messenger, or email at TeamCathyC@gmail.com ------ Connect with Marilyn and be a part of the conversation in the I Choose Happy private Facebook group. This is your safe space to share and be inspired. Please join today by clicking here [https://www.facebook.com/groups/730079836499519/]. ------ Find out more about Marilyn at marilyngetasbyrne.com. ------ I Choose Happy is made possible by The Comfy, a Shark Tank sensation whose wearable blankets make life happier. Find out for yourself with 20% off your first order with the code ichoosehappy at TheComfy.com.

Ep40: An I Choose Happy Encore with Joseph Pangilinan: Fighting For Life & Laughter—With Stage 4 Cancer

This week’s I Choose Happy Encore is shared in loving memory of Joseph “Joey” Pangilinan — honoring his extraordinary spirit, courage, and the light he so generously shared with others. When 54-year-old Joseph Pangilinan went to urgent care for a nagging cough, he expected antibiotics and rest. Instead, he walked out with a diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer — tumors in his lungs, lesions in his bones, even his brain. Told he might only have months to live, Joseph made a choice: to live fully, with humor, grit, and gratitude. Four and a half years later, Joseph shares how he’s defied the odds, what it means to float from “lily pad to lily pad” with shifting treatments, and why his mantra “motion is medicine” keeps him moving forward. A raw and inspiring conversation about acceptance, family, advocacy, and finding light in the darkest of diagnoses. ------ Connect with Marilyn and be a part of the conversation in the I Choose Happy private Facebook group. This is your safe space to share and be inspired. Please join today by clicking here [https://www.facebook.com/groups/730079836499519/]. ------ Find out more about Marilyn at marilyngetasbyrne.com. ------ I Choose Happy is made possible by The Comfy, a Shark Tank sensation whose wearable blankets make life happier. Find out for yourself with 20% off your first order with the code ichoosehappy at TheComfy.com.

Ep39: The Rise Back: Tiffaney Childers on Grief, Survival & Learning to Heal After Loss

In this episode of I Choose Happy, bestselling author of The Rise Back, Tiffaney Childers, shares her story of surviving the unimaginable: losing both of her parents to suicide just a year apart. What followed wasn’t a clear path to healing… it was years of survival. Silence. Pushing forward the only way she knew how while raising her children, building a life, and carrying grief that had no place to go. It wasn’t until nearly two decades later - when her body could no longer hold what had gone unspoken - that everything began to shift. Tiffaney opens up about the moment that changed everything, the anger she carried, the full-circle realization that brought her closer to her mother’s experience, and the intentional work it took to move from surviving… to truly healing. This is a difficult, but meaningful, discussion on grief, mental health, and what it means to rebuild a life after profound loss. If you’ve ever experienced loss, or are navigating something heavy in your own life, we hope this episode reminds you: you are not alone. A gentle note: This episode includes discussion of suicide and may feel heavy at times. Please take care while listening. This conversation is shared for connection and understanding, and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice. If you are struggling, we encourage you to reach out to a qualified professional or someone you trust. If you or someone you know is in crisis or having suicidal thoughts, you can call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 in the United States, or visit 988lifeline.org to chat with a trained counselor. Connect with Tiffaney: Tiffaney is the author of the bestselling book The Rise Back, where she shares more of her journey through loss, survival, and intentional healing. You can find The Rise Back on Amazon. [https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Back-Reclaiming-Suicide-Silence/dp/1969372265] Learn more about her work, speaking, and resources at https://risesavage.com/ [https://risesavage.com/] Connect with her on Instagram @tiffaneychilders ------ Connect with Marilyn and be a part of the conversation in the I Choose Happy private Facebook group. This is your safe space to share and be inspired. Please join today by clicking here [https://www.facebook.com/groups/730079836499519/]. ------ Find out more about Marilyn at marilyngetasbyrne.com. ------ I Choose Happy is made possible by The Comfy, a Shark Tank sensation whose wearable blankets make life happier. Find out for yourself with 20% off your first order with the code ichoosehappy at TheComfy.com.