19. Gratitude and Grit: Fuel for Hard Times

24. My Greatest Lifequake: From Grief to Grace

A couple of weeks ago, I learned a new word that immediately stopped me in my tracks: Lifequake, a term coined by Dr. Bruce Feiler to describe a season that shakes the very foundation of our lives. I instantly knew what mine was. In 2002, within just four and a half months, I lost both of my parents while trying to build a new business. I thought I had lost my anchors. Looking back twenty-four years later, I realize that while my Lifequake took so much from me, it also revealed something that had been there all along: a resilient faith, an enduring hope, and a God who never left my side. This isn't a story about everything I lost. It's a story about what I slowly rebuilt, like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. If you've ever experienced a hard season that changed the course of your life, my hope is that this episode reminds you that even in the deepest grief and challenges, purpose can emerge, healing is possible, and you are never walking through your Lifequake alone. NOTE: Here's the book I mentioned by Dr. Bruce Feiler https://www.brucefeiler.com/books-articles/life-is-in-the-transitions/

23. Caregiving: The gifts and hardships

Caregiving for a loved one is one of the most loving, and most difficult, roles many of us will ever experience. I know this personally from when my six siblings and I cared for our sick mother for six years until she went off to heaven. Whether you're caring for an aging parent, supporting a spouse or grandchildren, or walking alongside someone you love through illness, caregiving asks more of us than we ever imagined. In this episode, I'm joined by my friend Paula Harris, a TEDx speaker, author, financial planner, widow advocate, and someone who is currently living the reality of caring for aging parents. In this episode, you'll discover: • The emotional realities of caring for aging parents. • Practical ways to care for your own heart. • The surprising ways faith can sustain you during difficult seasons. • Simple, meaningful ways to support someone who is caregiving. Whether you're a caregiver today, expect to become one someday, or simply want to better support someone who is, I think you'll find wisdom, hope, and encouragement in Paula's story. Resources and links mentioned in this episode: Paula's TEDx Talk (this is a must watch): https://whcornerstone.com/tedx-greenhouseroad-low-tech-love-handwritten-note Paula's Wisdom Wednesday: https://www.youtube.com/@paulaharris1 Here's a great book I mentioned, The Four Agreements: https://www.miguelruiz.com/the-four-agreements/

22. "Vault Three" Communication: Where Authentic Relationships Flourish

In this episode, I take you behind the scenes of an extraordinary week I spent at MEA Retreat Center outside of Santa Fe, studying with Arthur Brooks and his team around the ideas in his newest book, The Meaning of Your Life. All 14 of us class members showed up as strangers, bonded like super glue and departed as deeply connected souls. While the week was filled with powerful lessons about purpose, identity, love, and meaning, one idea completely changed the way I think about relationships. It's called Vault Three. Most of us spend our lives in Vault One--safe, surface conversations--or Vault Two, where we share our stories but still keep part of ourselves protected. But Vault Three is different. It's where we let down our guard. It's where we stop performing. During the week, I also experienced one of the most meaningful moments of my life: writing and reading my own personal manifesto aloud. It isn't a résumé of accomplishments, it is a declaration of the person I want to become. I left Santa Fe convinced that resilience isn't just about enduring hard things. It's about having the courage to be seen. In this episode, you'll discover: • Why success and meaning are not the same thing • The three Vaults of communication—and why most of us rarely reach Vault 3 • Why your identity must become bigger than your career or accomplishments • The surprising power of writing your own personal manifesto If this episode resonates with you, I'd love for you to share it with someone who longs for deeper conversations and more authentic connection. ___________________________________________________ Here are some resource links: 1) MEA Retreat Center (I highly recommend) - https://www.meawisdom.com/ 2) "The Meaning of your Life" book: https://www.arthurbrooks.com/books 3) Some prompts to help you write your own Manifesto (a declaration of your intentions for your life): I believe that... I will no longer... I am committed to... My life matters because... I declare that...

21. Flourish: Stop Playing Small and Start Living Fully

In this episode of The Resilience and Grit Podcast, I share the simple practice that has helped guide my life with greater clarity and intention: choosing one word for the year. My word for 2026? Flourish. You'll hear reflections on what it means to stop merely surviving and instead grow emotionally, spiritually, relationally and professionally. Drawing inspiration from Harvard professor Arthur Brooks and a powerful Marianne Williamson quote about not “playing small,” I also encourage listeners to choose their own guiding word for the rest of the year. Growth doesn’t require perfection, sometimes we simply need direction. Here's the quote by Marianne Williamson: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

20. A Guest Episode with Bernadette Pohl: Pregnancy Loss, Motherhood and Meaning

In this heartfelt episode of The Resilience and Grit Podcast, I welcome fellow podcaster and my niece, Bernadette Pohl, to share her deeply personal story about motherhood, miscarriage, suffering, resilience and faith. This episode unfolds a little differently than many of my others. Bernadette courageously and thoughtfully shares her journey in her own words--and what a powerful story it is. She speaks openly about pregnancy loss, difficult pregnancies, severe food allergies affecting her children, exhaustion, and the emotional toll of navigating challenge after challenge while still trying to remain hopeful. In this episode, Bernadette reflects on: • The grief and loneliness that can accompany pregnancy loss • How suffering changes us, strengthens us and forms our character • The role of faith, prayer and community support during difficult seasons • Finding gratitude and meaning even amid hardship This episode is for anyone carrying invisible burdens, hidden grief, walking through uncertainty, or needing a reminder that they are not alone in the hard things. Resilience is not about avoiding suffering. It is about learning how to walk through it with courage, grace and hope. Here's the link to the Moving Mountains Podcast that Bernadette and her two friends host: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moving-mountains-podcast/id1661002470 Books Mentioned: The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter He Leadeth Me by Walter Ciszek