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

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

19. Gratitude and Grit: Fuel for Hard Times

In this episode, I’m reflecting on something that has become absolutely essential in my own life: gratitude. I share three powerful reasons why gratitude matters so much to me: * Gratitude can help carry us through hard times * The best way to receive more of what we want in life is to become deeply grateful for what we already have * Gratitude has the power to interrupt negative thinking and rewire how we see the world This episode is for anyone who: * Feels emotionally drained or discouraged * Wants more peace and grounding * Is walking through a hard season * Finds themselves stuck in negative thinking * Needs a reminder that joy and gratitude can coexist with struggle One thing I know for sure: Gratitude doesn’t erase the hard things. But it absolutely changes how we walk through them. And here's the link to the Gratitude Journal [https://www.amazon.com/Gratitude-Journal-Catherine-Price/dp/081186720X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2VBLHUL82A3LZ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Q7GhLqWI9pE5a54_YJaXNHo3znIngwOaRAnjH50StJBMc1O11eu2AqYjb0PFh84Qhwj9Vc4frVj1djeKCh2QXOlKDZ-X5hRFaWPCdCPmI-rwBH53ntjrPRgH29_jN3kQjb1KlzwWhR14VOOPtI7cr5Tv_TLp1BAqrjvilUB0oA27natk7VhKq3ewYUQ19J13o4Z0Po5uLEx9gy05wZlU7f3_2ii8MmOtm0a5dHrJ4g4.jHvy8Fm5h7N-r61Ssc7rj0iiZVi9Wim2U2HVErK5B80&dib_tag=se&keywords=gratitude+a+journal+by+chronicle+books&qid=1779931962&s=books&sprefix=gratitude+a+journal+by+chronicle+books%2Cstripbooks%2C92&sr=1-1] I mentioned and love it (...I receive no benefit from promoting this, other than sharing things I love with my listeners). Onward and upward!

18. Courage, Grit and the Day I Became Spider Woman

In this episode of The Resilience and Grit Podcast, I share the story of attending a personal development seminar years ago with my friend Laura and several others… and the unforgettable day we tackled a high ropes adventure course. What started as a morning of exhaustion, shaky nerves quickly turned into one of the most memorable moments of my life. Faced with the decision between the smaller “Chicken Little” climb or a towering 30+ foot telephone pole and trapeze jump, I somehow found myself climbing higher and higher until I was standing at the very top of a giant telephone pole, balancing above the ground with my heart pounding. I felt like Spider Woman. Somewhere during that experience, something shifted in me. It was one of the first moments I realized I wanted more adventure, more courage, more aliveness and less of the things (like alcohol) that were draining my energy and spirit. This episode is about: • Courage before confidence • Doing hard things even when conditions are far from perfect • Why growth often begins with discomfort • The surprising clarity that can come from challenge • And how one terrifying leap helped shape the direction of my life Sometimes resilience begins the moment we decide to climb anyway. 🎙️💕