Greater Than with Jen Hoverstad

Mir Garvey is an entrepreneur; she founded Job Market Solutions in 2009. Her career experience has made her a sought-after expert on resume writing and LinkedIn design. But what Mir shares in this episode is what we don't see in her daily life: being the mom to two children with different types of special needs. Hear how she has approached parenting each child, and how her children are thriving today!

Today we're celebrating author and cancer warrior Dara Kurtz's second book release, I Am My Mother's Daughter! It centers around her unexpected discovery of a Ziplock bag of letters, written to Dara by her mom and grandmothers. They caused her to reflect on the priceless love between mothers and daughters and how wisdom and traditions can be passed on from one generation to the next. You'll be inspired to remember family traditions, let go of the pain of loss, and make the most of each day.

Jamil Ayinla was only 5 years old when his mother passed away from breast cancer. However, his mom, a nurse, and his dad, a physician, instilled something in Jamil at a young age that empowered him to discover his passion for helping others at an early age.  When Jamil graduated high school, he started Charge Cancer. Now, only 18 years old, Jamil is pre-med at Temple University and gaining a following online.

Maggie Kane didn't want to stay in Raleigh after college, but after an internship ignited a passion for supporting local men and women experiencing homelessness, Maggie couldn't leave. She recognized the distinct opportunity Raleigh had to ensure its impoverish population felt seen and respected.  In this episode, Maggie and I discuss how A Place at the Table was born, and the impact it's had on North Carolina's capital city.

In this episode, Jen shares a couple of her personal journal entries from December 2019 as she reflects on the first half of 2020.  This is the perfect episode to grab your journal and reflect on your own year!

In July 2019, after receiving some devastating news from her doctor, Allyssa Floyd decided to channel her energy by cooking through more than 185 recipes in Vivian Howard's Deep Run Roots cookbook. In less than a year, she has cooked through every recipe. Listen to hear why she did it and what she's learned both in the kitchen and about herself.

Greear Webb is a rising sophomore and Morehead-Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While in high school, he was filled with what he describes as a "righteous anger" over the school shooting in Parkland, FL. And it was acting on that anger that paved a path of advocacy, activism, and community leadership. In this episode, hear how Greear is facilitating change in his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina. 

Cole Baker-Bagwell had a young son and was working her dream job when the economy tanked in 2008.  She lost her business, got divorced, and had to find a way to restart her life as a single mom in the corporate world.  Where she ends up a decade later may surprise you!

White friends, this one is just for you.  Until we recognize the advantages, the freedoms, the opportunities we have simply because of the color of skin, we won't be able to truly begin to heal our community.  In this episode, I tell you how I realized my own white privilege, and I explain why I'm glad that I did.

In this episode, we go rogue. Instead of encouraging you to do something, I challenge you to do absolutely nothing.

Dennis Gillan describes himself as an ordinary guy with an extraordinary story of loss, perseverance, and healing. After losing two brothers to suicide, Dennis is on a mission to prevent suicide and be a catalyst for a larger conversation around mental health.

In this episode, we explore why it's critical that we check in on the mental health of those around us, especially during COVID19. I give you a three-step tool to help you in that conversation.

Inez Ribustello is a small business owner in Eastern North Carolina. But before she started her entrepreneurial journey in her hometown of Tarboro, she worked as the beverage director for Windows on the World. On September 11, 2001, she lost her job, more than 75 of her co-workers, and the life she loved in Manhattan.  Fast forward to today, and Inez identifies similarities in her own experience of September 11 and how she's addressing the COVID19 pandemic as both a business owner and friend to many.

It's crazy to realize that we're on week 9 (at least in North Carolina) of being at home due to COVID19.  In today's episode, I challenge you to acknowledge the uncertainty that's in your life right now and hold someone else's hand as they acknowledge their fears in the unknowns of life. 

In this episode, I talk with Broadway actor Rob Marnell, currently performing in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. A graduate of Elon University's theater program, we talk about the comment that sparked Rob's determination to succeed in acting and the challenges he has faced in process. Rob's performance portfolio includes Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Gettin' the Band Back Together, and both on-stage (Las Vegas) and on-screen performances in Jersey Boys. Most recently Rob and his wife, Broadway actress Laurel Harris, were diagnosed with and recovered from COVID19.

In this episode, we explore the benefits of having a hobby or creative outlet. Why is it important that we do something that might be completely unrelated to our everyday work? Some of the most successful people have unique creative outlets! If you're feeling stuck in your job, in life, this is the episode that will help you brainstorm ways to spend your time that may help unlock the answers to your frustrations.

In this episode, I talk with my longtime friend Tommy Maher, the incredible dobro player from the Asheville-based band Fireside Collective. Tommy talks about how he didn't pick up a guitar until after high school, where he draws his inspiration, and how Fireside Collective is staying connected with fans during the pandemic. 

What did the arts mean to you as a kid? From visual art to performing arts to museum field trips - what did you enjoy? In this episode, I reflect on how I grew up singing, playing flute and piccolo and performing in productions. But, now? As an adult? I know all the lyrics to the Frozen II soundtrack, but that's about it.  I'll give you ideas for rediscovering your lost art!

When my sister, Sarah Baker, agreed to be on the podcast, my interview questions were specifically about her yoga practice. However, to my surprise, she opens up and shares how, after two miscarriages, her views of yoga shifted. Warning: This episode includes laughter, tears, and a whole lot of sister banter. I promise you'll be inspired by Sarah's story.

In this episode, I tell you about the impact a regular yoga practice has had on my life, and why you should practice, too!  

When people assume that cancer is the worst thing that has ever happened to me, I tell them about Claren, and they quickly realize that a lot of good has come to my life because of my cancer diagnosis.  In today's episode, meet Claren Englebreth. Claren and my paths crossed simply because our oncologist had the foresight (and kindness!) to coordinate our chemotherapy schedules for the same day in hopes that we would meet.  Claren's background is inspiring - an unhealthy marriage, divorce, single parenting, and now a remarried mom of four boys with a successful business that continued to bloom during cancer. I know you're going to love this interview!

In North Carolina, we're headed into week 5 of sheltering in place due to COVID 19, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't find ways to get fresh air and natural sunlight. In today's Monday Motivation, I give you five reasons why you need to get outside.

Although Michelle Clancy majored in music education at Elon University, her career took an unexpected turn when she was offered a position in public health.  Michelle is one of the professionals behind the scenes helping to protect us from COVID 19, but the basic lessons of preventing the spread of a contagious virus Michelle learned first-hand as the mom of a premature baby who lived in the neonatal intensive care unit for two months.

As a globe, we are going through a pandemic that is unlike anything we've ever experienced as a group of people.  While we follow rules of staying home, keeping a safe social distance when we're around other people, are we maintaining a record of it?  Now, more than ever before, is the time for us to practice journaling. It doesn't have to be sophisticated writing or involve a fancy leather-bound notebook.  In this episode, I help you understand the benefits of journaling, and I read an excerpt from my journal right after I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018.

Susie Silver is an incredible artist, public school teacher, and a member of the LGBTQ community. In this episode, we discuss what it's like to be outed by someone else and how Susie made it her mission to educate others on ways to be an active ally for the LGBTQ community.

We're living in an unprecedented time where keeping a safe social distance is both accepted and required due to the global pandemic of COVID 19. Current timelines indicate that we'll be isolated in our homes through April, if not later.  But, humans need connection. We were built for relationships! How do we do that in a time where quarantine is the norm? In this episode, I give you 10 ways to stay connected from a safe social distance.

On March 28, 2018, I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma, an aggressive form of breast cancer.  I was 34 years old with a baby, a three-year-old, and a husband of nearly 10 years. My career was on a role, and I had been deemed "healthy" just months prior. In this episode, I reflect with my husband, Carl, about what it was like for us to receive that diagnosis.

This week, we explore gratitude - the practice of returning kindness. How do we show gratitude? Why should we make it a routine part to our days and weeks? I recorded this episode prior to thoughts of global quarantine, but how fitting that it's scheduled to be released today. Even from home, we can practice gratitude toward others and to ourselves.

On this week's Monday Motivation, I give you my not-so-secret way to move every single day. I've had a lot of excuses over the years - law school, career, pregnancy, babies and toddlers - and even now we could blame the Corona Virus (CoVID-19). But each of us can find our own short route to movement, exercise, or a work out! Listen to the episode to find out how.    

In this episode I interview my former University of Tennessee colleague, Tom Satkowiack. In 2000, Tom was diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), a liver disease that would eventually require a life-saving liver transplant. Today, Tom is the Assistant Director of Communications for University of Tennessee Athletics and his health, both physically and spiritually, is thriving. Hear how it happened on Greater Than!

Is the 8 x 8 water rule legit? In this episode, I'm going to challenge you to take a fresh look on your water intake! Through pregnancy and chemotherapy, I've learned why drinking water is so important for the body. We'll discuss how much water I try to drink on a daily basis and a few tips for reaching that goal every day!

In this episode, I talk with two of my best friends - Patrick and Christy Dux of Nashville, TN. Patrick and Christy were living and working in Las Vegas when their first marriages fell apart - long-term relationships that they both thought would last forever.  Little did these two co-workers realize, the pain they individually felt going through their divorces would be the magnet that brought them together to support each other.  As years went on, that mutual support evolved into the relationship and marriage they assumed they'd never have after divorce.

This week, we're talking about waking up early and how it's changed my personal productivity for the better.  I made the commitment years ago that I would wake up before the rest of my house, and I've seen both mental and physical health benefits from my waking up early! In this short episode, I challenge you to give it a try, too.

In this episode, we talk with my dear friend, cheerleader, and business coach, Em Sexton.  We talk about Em's experience in the corporate world after college and the incident that lead her to follow her passion resulting in The Flourish Market! If you're unsure what you're doing in life right now - listen to this episode! Whether you're interested in being an entrepreneur or looking for the courage to make a career change, Em's words will inspire a new idea.

In this episode of Monday Motivation, I share seven reasons why you need to find your community for whatever phase of life you're in right now.

Before he was the owner of Fullsteam Brewery in Durham, NC, Sean Lilly Wilson needed life-saving help. His kidneys were declining rapidly after a a life insurance physical confirmed he had FSGS - focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. He found a match in his wife, Carolyn Lilly Wilson. In this episode, we discuss what it's like to be a living organ donor and a recipient of an organ.

Feeling like life is out of control? Like you can't achieve your goals? Your lack of sleep might be there reason...here's one change you can make this week to improve your sleep! Thanks to SleepFoundation.org for providing today's podcast content.

Meet my incredible cousin, Justin Lee (also known as GeekyJustin.com).  When Justin came out as a gay man in the 90's, he was a member of the Southern Baptist Church and headed into college. LGBTQ wasn't an acronym back then and people didn't have easy access to resources that could help them (or their families) in coming out. Over the years, he's helped create what he wish he had then. This is the episode where I get to ask my cousin all the questions I didn't ask over the years. Justin and I reflect on the past two+ decades since his coming out, resources that are available today that weren't available in the 90's, and how allies can continue to the LGBTQ community.

February 7 was national "Wear Red for Women" day, a movement started by the American Heart Association to bring attention to women's heart health issues. In this quick episode, I challenge you to learn about your own heart health as we dispel some of the myths about heart disease in women.

Renee Chou is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and morning show anchor for WRAL-TV, the NBC affiliate located in Raleigh, North Carolina. As a journalist, she has covered stories from hurricanes to murder trials, but it wasn't until a few years ago to chose to publicly share her most personal journeys navigating the pain of infertility and the grief of miscarriage. Renee also gives suggestions for how we, as a society, can support women who are navigating infertility and pregnancy loss.

Since 2015, Leah Wong Ashburn has served as president of Asheville's Highland Brewing Company. Started by her dad, Oscar Wong, in 1994, Highland was Asheville's first brewery since Prohibition.  But even as she took the reigns of the company, Oscar continued to play an active role in various aspects of the brewery. Leah's husband also joined the team, serving in sales and operations roles.  In this episode, we break down what life looks like as a female leader in a male-dominated industry while working alongside your immediate family.

In 2013, Nation and his wife, Jamie, were living as most 20-somethings. They were figuring out their careers and finding ways to become more involved in the Raleigh community.  But on April 22, 2013, the Hahns were attacked in their home and Jamie died as a result of her injuries. Nation's life would be forever changed. In this episode, we talk about how Nation has stared down grief and how he hopes to help others navigate their own grief.

Stephanie Glance, CEO of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, talks about the life work of Kay Yow, the late NC State women's basketball coach. Learn about Coach Yow's life and how she left a legacy of funding research to end all cancers affecting women.

An Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, Sharon Delaney McCloud is an author, TEDx speaker, and Olympic Torch Bearer. But, most importantly, she's a mom to three. Her daughter, Macie, passed away in 2005 after a courageous battle with cancer. We reflect on Macie's short, but impactful, life and what it's like for a parent to lose a child.  Years after losing Macie, Sharon would be diagnosed with breast cancer. She tells us about her own journey and what it's like to face cancer while keeping your day job. 

As the 2016 United States Barista Champion, Lem Butler knows the work it takes to perfect a craft. And he's not afraid to tackle a challenge. In 2017, Butler and his business partner, fellow US Barista Champion Kyle Ramage, opened Black & White Coffee Roasters in Wake Forest, North Carolina. But in 2019 Butler would face the his greatest obstacle to date - open heart surgery and the recovery that followed. 

The Greater Than podcast serves as a reminder that we are Greater Than life's toughest circumstances, and that looks different for each of us.  In this episode, host and podcast creator Jen Hoverstad introduces why she created the Greater Than podcast and talks about her journey with breast cancer at only 34 years old.