Wani Iris Manly: From Miami Law Firm to Paris, Walking by Faith When Nothing Makes Sense

Wani Iris Manly: From Miami Law Firm to Paris, Walking by Faith When Nothing Makes Sense

What does it take to walk away from a thriving legal career, sell almost everything you own, and move to Paris with $500 in your bank account In this episode of The Resilience Playbook, Cole Rodgers sits down with Wani Iris Manly — attorney, TEDx speaker, and bestselling author — to talk about faith, identity, transformation, and what happens when the life that looks successful on the outside no longer fits who you are becoming. Wani shares how she went from a high-powered international law firm in Miami, a waterfront condo, a Porsche, and 14-hour workdays to waking up on New Year's Eve 2010 and realizing she was done living by performance, pressure, and other people's expectations. She opens up about the prayer, journaling, signs, and spiritual awakening that eventually led her to Paris — even though she did not speak French, did not have a perfect plan, and lost major clients almost immediately after arriving. What looked irrational from the outside became the beginning of a completely different life. This conversation covers the hidden cost of high achievement, the courage to trust God when nothing makes sense, and why transformation often feels like purification before it feels like freedom. IN THIS EPISODE • Leaving a high-performing legal career in Miami • The New Year's Eve ritual that changed Wani's life • Selling her condo, Porsche, and belongings before moving to Paris • Walking by faith without a perfect plan • Health scares, burnout, and performance-based identity • The signs that kept pointing her toward Paris • What Paris taught her about rest, purpose, and identity • Why resilience often requires surrender • The TEDx talk that grew out of her transformation story • How disruption can become a doorway to reinvention ABOUT WANI IRIS MANLY Wani Iris Manly is an attorney, TEDx speaker, and bestselling author based in Paris, France. Her work explores faith, reinvention, disruption, and the courage to follow the path you are being called toward — even when it does not make sense on paper. Connect with Wani: Instagram: @thelovelyWani LinkedIn: Wani Iris Manly, Esquire ABOUT THE RESILIENCE PLAYBOOK The Resilience Playbook is a long-form conversation series hosted by Cole Rodgers, featuring leaders, athletes, entrepreneurs, and high performers who have faced adversity and come out with something meaningful to share. These conversations explore resilience, faith, leadership, family, mental health, and the defining moments that shape who we become. CONNECT WITH THE SHOW Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theresilienceplaybook/ [https://www.instagram.com/theresilienceplaybook/] X: https://x.com/TheResiliencePB [https://x.com/TheResiliencePB] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-resilience-playbook/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-resilience-playbook/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theresilienceplaybook [https://www.tiktok.com/@theresilienceplaybook] Website: https://theresilienceplaybook.com/ [https://theresilienceplaybook.com/] Listen on audio: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ShZgzjhsPCKzCLzfoWApI [https://open.spotify.com/show/0ShZgzjhsPCKzCLzfoWApI] Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-resilience-playbook/id1861046313 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-resilience-playbook/id1861046313]?

Dr. Amy Beard: Breaking Free from Big Pharma & Reclaiming Your Health

What does it take to step away from a system that manages symptoms and build a practice focused on helping people get to the root of what is going on? In this episode of The Resilience Playbook, Cole Rodgers sits down with Dr. Amy Beard, a physician and functional medicine practitioner whose own health crisis changed the way she thinks about medicine, resilience, and personal responsibility. Dr. Beard shares her journey from chronic childhood infections to IBS, neuropathy, muscle spasms, an MS diagnosis, and eventually losing most of her colon. After years of specialists and conventional answers that did not lead to healing, she discovered functional medicine and began asking different questions about gut health, toxins, inflammation, food, sleep, movement, and root causes. Cole and Dr. Beard also discuss what she learned inside the traditional medical system, why she left the insurance model, what functional medicine actually looks like in practice, and why she believes patients need to take ownership of their health instead of outsourcing every decision. IN THIS EPISODE • Dr. Beard's personal health story and what changed her perspective • Why symptom management often misses the root cause • Gut health, inflammation, autoimmune issues, and chronic disease • The difference between conventional medicine and functional medicine • Why she moved toward a concierge and virtual care model • Standing up during COVID and the professional cost of speaking out • How food, sleep, sunlight, movement, and stress shape long-term health • What people can do when they feel stuck, dismissed, or out of options ABOUT DR. AMY BEARD Dr. Amy Beard is a physician and functional medicine practitioner. Through her virtual practice, she helps patients and families look beyond symptoms and explore root causes, with a focus on gut health, autoimmune disease, lifestyle, and whole-person care. ABOUT THE RESILIENCE PLAYBOOK The Resilience Playbook is a long-form conversation series hosted by Cole Rodgers, featuring leaders, athletes, entrepreneurs, physicians, and high performers who have faced adversity and come out with something meaningful to share. Medical note: This conversation is for educational purposes only and is not personal medical advice. Talk with a qualified healthcare professional before making medical decisions. Subscribe for more conversations on resilience, faith, leadership, family, health, and the moments that shape who we become.

Simon Smith: Healthcare in England, Building a 30-Year Practice, and the Power of Doing Hard Things

What does it take to build a 30-year practice in a system that once called you a quack? And what happens when you choose the harder path, every single day, for three decades? In this episode of The Resilience Playbook, Cole Rodgers sits down with Simon Smith, a doctor of chiropractic from England who has spent 31 years caring for patients, challenging conventional medicine, and proving that alternative care isn't alternative at all when it works. Simon shares his journey from losing both parents by age 23, stumbling into chiropractic through a note slipped under his door, and building a thriving private practice in a country dominated by the National Health Service. He opens up about what it means to operate outside the government system, why he chose to take full ownership of his health and his business, and how he has spent three decades learning, evolving, and refusing to practice the same way twice. This conversation goes deep into the differences between socialized medicine in England and the industrialized healthcare system in America. Simon walks through how the NHS works, what it costs, why it is both brilliant and broken, and how private care fits into the equation. He talks about taxation, access to specialists, waiting lists, and why some general practitioners still refuse to take him seriously after 31 years of clinical success. But this episode is about more than healthcare. It is about doing hard things. Simon talks about why he road tests every exercise on his own body before giving it to a patient, why he believes you cannot trust a doctor who does not take care of themselves, and why discipline, accountability, and showing up every single day have kept him in peak condition at 58 years old. Cole and Simon also unpack the comfort crisis creeping into both England and America, the entitlement that comes with easy access to calories, and why people would rather take a pill than do the work. They talk about functional medicine, the role of movement as medicine, and why resilience requires more than grit. It requires grace, proximity, and the willingness to keep getting back up. If you have ever questioned the system, wondered what healthcare looks like in another country, or needed a reminder that your health is your responsibility and no one else's, this conversation will meet you where you are. IN THIS EPISODE • Growing up in England and losing both parents by age 23 • How a note under the door led to a 31-year chiropractic career • What the National Health Service is and how it actually works • Private care versus NHS care in England • Taxation, access to specialists, and waiting lists • Why general practitioners still dismiss chiropractors • Building a private practice outside the government system • The comfort crisis in England and America • Why free access to calories is destroying health • Why Simon road tests every exercise on his own body • The power of doing hard things every single day • What it means to take full ownership of your health • Why mortality is the greatest motivation • The bond forged through adversity and why proximity matters ABOUT SIMON SMITH Simon Smith is a doctor of chiropractic with over 31 years of clinical experience in England. He has built a thriving private practice outside the National Health Service, specializing in functional rehabilitation, movement medicine, and helping patients take full ownership of their health. Known for his commitment to lifelong learning and his refusal to practice the same way twice, Simon has spent his career challenging conventional medicine, educating patients, and proving that alternative care works when it is done with integrity and expertise. At 58, he continues to model the principles he teaches, training hard, moving well, and preparing for the next chapter of his life, which includes coaching, mentoring, and traveling the world with his wife. ABOUT THE RESILIENCE PLAYBOOK The Resilience Playbook is a long-form conversation series hosted by Cole Rodgers, featuring leaders, athletes, entrepreneurs, and high performers who have faced adversity and come out with something meaningful to share. These conversations explore resilience, faith, leadership, family, mental health, and the defining moments that shape who we become. New episodes drop regularly. Subscribe and turn on notifications so you do not miss one. CONNECT WITH THE SHOW Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theresilienceplaybook/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/TheResiliencePB LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-resilience-playbook/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theresilienceplaybook Website: https://theresilienceplaybook.com/ Listen on audio: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ShZgzjhsPCKzCLzfoWApI Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-resilience-playbook/id1861046313

Sharon Rodgers: A Mother's Love, and Enduring Legacy

What does it mean to live a life rooted in faith, family, and perseverance? In this deeply personal episode of The Resilience Playbook, Cole and Sonni Rodgers sit down with their mother, Sharon, for an intimate conversation about her life, her legacy, and the journey that has shaped generations. Born in 1956 in Morrilton, Arkansas, Sharon was the seventh of seven children in a close-knit Italian farming family. Her childhood was built on hard work, deep Catholic faith, and the values passed down from immigrant grandparents who homesteaded in Center Ridge, AR. She grew up milking cows, working the land, attending mass faithfully, and learning what it meant to be part of something bigger than yourself. This conversation walks through her early years, her decision to pursue nursing despite financial barriers, and the grit it took to put herself through college while working full time. Sharon shares the moments that tested her, the faith that carried her, and the family that held her together through every season. She opens up about meeting her husband, raising three children, navigating loss, and the five pilgrimages to Medjugorje that became spiritual stepping stones for what was to come. She talks about becoming a mother, a grandmother, and a great-grandmother, and what it has meant to carry forward the traditions and love her own parents modeled. And then she speaks to her cancer journey. Not with fear, but with courage, clarity, and an unshakable trust in God's plan. She talks about the hard news, the fight, the sadness, and the peace that comes from her faith. She speaks directly to her husband, her children, her grandchildren, her siblings, and her extended family with words that will echo for generations. This is not a goodbye. This is a celebration of a life well lived, a legacy deeply rooted, and a love that will never fade. IN THIS EPISODE CHAPTERS * 00:00:00 Welcome to Mom's Story * 00:02:00 Italian Roots — Disalvo, Paladino, and Centerridge * 00:11:00 Growing Up the Seventh Child * 00:16:00 Life on the Family Farm * 00:30:00 Faith First — Cleaning Sacred Heart for Tuition * 00:42:00 The People Who Shaped Her * 00:51:00 College, Nursing, and Uncle Ray's Loan * 01:04:00 Meeting her husband — The Halloween Party * 01:13:00 Cole's Brush with Death * 01:20:00 Sonni Arrives — Building the Family * 01:28:00 Devotion to Mary * 01:32:00 The Pilgrimage to Medjugorje * 01:44:00 John 14:27 and a Life of Prayer * 01:54:00 Walking Through the Cancer Fight * 02:14:00 Messages to Her Siblings * 02:23:00 Messages to Her Children and Grandchildren * 02:33:00 A Message to her husband * 02:41:00 Cole and Sonni's Tribute ABOUT SHARON Sharon is a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend whose life has been defined by faith, family, and service. A registered nurse, a devoted Catholic, and a woman of deep conviction, she has spent her life showing up for others with grace, strength, and unconditional love. Her legacy is not measured in mere accolades, but in the hearts she has touched and the family she has built. ABOUT THE RESILIENCE PLAYBOOK The Resilience Playbook is a long-form conversation series hosted by Cole Rodgers, featuring leaders, athletes, entrepreneurs, and high performers who have faced adversity and come out with something meaningful to share. These conversations explore resilience, faith, leadership, family, mental health, and the defining moments that shape who we become. New episodes drop regularly. Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don't miss one. CONNECT WITH THE SHOW Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theresilienceplaybook/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/TheResiliencePB LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-resilience-playbook/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theresilienceplaybook Website: https://theresilienceplaybook.com/ Listen on audio: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ShZgzjhsPCKzCLzfoWApI Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-resilience-playbook/id1861046313

Cody & Brandy Yeoman: Fighting Cancer at 41, Faith, and the Power of Choosing Perspective

Just days before this conversation, Cody Yeoman received a cancer-free PET scan. In this episode of The Resilience Playbook, Cody and Brandy Yeoman sit down with Cole Rodgers for a powerful conversation about faith, marriage, suffering, and what it looks like to keep choosing perspective when life hits hard. At 41, Cody was in peak physical condition and living full throttle when a two-year trail of symptoms finally got a name: Hodgkin lymphoma, with tumors so large they described them as nearly volleyball-sized. In a Home Depot parking lot, he got the call that changed everything. What followed was chemotherapy, radiation, fear, exhaustion, and a battle that tested his body, mind, and identity in ways he never saw coming. But this episode is not just about cancer. It is about what happens to a marriage when life puts both people under pressure. Brandy shares what it looked like to hold the family together, lead with faith, and keep joy alive for their kids while Cody fought through treatment. Together, they talk about prayer, mentors, community, past brokenness, rebuilding trust, and learning to rest in God’s rhythm instead of living in constant grind mode. CHAPTERS * 00:00:00 Opening Prayer and Introduction to Cody and Brandy Yeoman * 00:10:34 The Two-Year Journey: Symptoms and Misdiagnosis * 00:18:08 The Diagnosis: A Massive Tumor and Finding the Right Doctor * 00:20:10 The Home Depot Phone Call: An Unexpected Response * 00:21:57 Faith as the Foundation: Where Peace Comes From * 00:45:07 The Battle Begins: Chemotherapy and Dark Thoughts * 00:49:21 Brandy's Perspective: Carrying the Weight and Choosing Joy * 00:52:20 Marriage Through Fire: Honoring Past Struggles * 01:08:34 The Power of Prayer and Godly Mentors * 01:19:21 Cancer-Free and Life's Transitions: Slowing Down to Hear God About Cody and Brandy Yeoman Cody and Brandy Yeoman are a husband and wife from Arkansas whose story is marked by grit, faith, honesty, and resilience. Through cancer, hardship, and hard-won growth in marriage, they have learned what it means to keep showing up for God, for each other, and for their family. About The Resilience Playbook The Resilience Playbook is a long-form conversation series hosted by Cole Rodgers, featuring leaders, athletes, entrepreneurs, and high performers who have faced adversity and come out with something meaningful to share. These conversations explore resilience, faith, leadership, family, mental health, and the defining moments that shape who we become. Connect with the show Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theresilienceplaybook/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-resilience-playbook/ Website: https://theresilienceplaybook.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ShZgzjhsPCKzCLzfoWApI Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-resilience-playbook/id1861046313