Podcasts about finding your way back

What happens when the thing you love most is suddenly taken away? In this episode of GenX Journeys, Paul sits down with singer-songwriter Greg Amici to explore a story of resilience, reinvention, and returning to a passion that never truly left. After building momentum with his band Big Honey in New York City's music scene, Greg's journey took an unexpected turn when a vocal cord injury forced him away from music. What followed was a 16-year detour through screenwriting, acting, graduate school, and caring for aging parents before he finally found his way back to songwriting and recording. Greg shares: • Growing up in New Jersey and discovering music through classic rock • The rise and sudden end of his band Big Honey • How a vocal injury changed the course of his life • His years pursuing screenwriting and acting in Los Angeles • The moment that reignited his passion for music • Creating his acclaimed album Tragicomic • The challenges and opportunities of making music in the streaming era • Why it's never too late to reconnect with something you love Along the way, Greg opens up about criticism, creativity, family, aging, perseverance, and what he's learned at 64 that his 24-year-old self could never have understood. Whether you're a musician, writer, runner, entrepreneur, or anyone who has ever put a dream on hold, this conversation is a reminder that some passions don't disappear. They simply wait for us to return.   Connect with Greg Amici: Website: https://gregamici.com YouTube: @gregamicimusic  

The Practice of Finding Your Way Back to Center

  There is a kind of loneliness after child loss that no one warned you about. It is not the absence of people. It is the presence of everyone — and still feeling completely alone. Because the one person you want in the room is not there. And that absence has a weight to it that settles into your body, follows you everywhere, and whispers something in the dark that is hard to unhear. This episode is for the mom who has been white-knuckling her way through her days feeling like nobody really sees what this is costing her. In this episode, you'll discover: Why grief loneliness is different from any other kind of loneliness — and why it makes complete sense that you feel it even in a room full of people who love you What the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19 reveals about what God actually does when we hit our breaking point — and why it matters for where you are right now The honest question behind Matthew 7:9-11 that many grieving moms have asked in the quiet of their hearts — and what Jesus' answer really means What begins to shift when you learn to lean into the still small voice — and why His presence is not a feeling but a lifeline You do not have to figure out the forever. You do not have to understand the why. He is not asking that of you today. He is only asking you to lean in — just enough for this next moment, this next hour, this next day. With love and care,  Teresa-Your Grief Mentor JOIN US — Free Grief Mentor Support Group If you need a safe place to be seen and heard in your grief, join us for our next free support group meeting on May 21st. This is a space for moms who get it — because they're living it too.  

Once Upon a Time, I Survived Myself: Healing, Identity & Finding Your Way Back with Rylin Rossano What happens when healing doesn't come with clear answers? In this heartfelt episode of The Hurricane H Show, we sit down with author, wellness storyteller, and podcast host Rylin Rossano to explore the emotional realities of chronic illness, identity, healing, and self-discovery. From navigating invisible illness to writing Once Upon a Time, I Survived Myself, Rylin shares an honest perspective on what it means to process pain, understand yourself, and create space for conversations people often avoid. Her message isn't about having life perfectly figured out—it's about showing up honestly, embracing the process, and helping others feel less alone. This is a conversation for anyone learning how to come back to themselves. Introduction to RYLIN. ROSSANO - Rylin Rossano | Author| Podcaster THE EMBC NETWORK - YouTube #MentalWellness #HealingJourney #ChronicIllness #SelfDiscovery #PersonalGrowth

Once Upon a Time, I Survived Myself: Healing, Identity & Finding Your Way Back with Rylin Rossano What happens when healing doesn't come with clear answers? In this heartfelt episode of The Hurricane H Show, we sit down with author, wellness storyteller, and podcast host Rylin Rossano to explore the emotional realities of chronic illness, identity, healing, and self-discovery. From navigating invisible illness to writing Once Upon a Time, I Survived Myself, Rylin shares an honest perspective on what it means to process pain, understand yourself, and create space for conversations people often avoid. Her message isn't about having life perfectly figured out—it's about showing up honestly, embracing the process, and helping others feel less alone. This is a conversation for anyone learning how to come back to themselves. Introduction to RYLIN. ROSSANO - Rylin Rossano | Author| Podcaster THE EMBC NETWORK - YouTube #MentalWellness #HealingJourney #ChronicIllness #SelfDiscovery #PersonalGrowth

What if the most powerful thing you could do for yourself right now is simply stop? Like so many women who have built their lives around movement, productivity, and pushing through, Hailey discovered that slowing down was one of the hardest things she's ever tried to do. Quieting her mind felt almost impossible at first. But learning how to do it changed everything. Not just her health, but the way she sees herself and the life she's living. Because here's what she's come to believe: giving yourself permission to pause, to go inward, to do the quieter, slower, less visible work is every bit as powerful as the workouts, the nutrition, the fitness goals you've been chasing. In this episode, Hailey sits down with fitness icon, model, actress, author, and wellness retreat host Brooke Burke for an honest conversation about what it means to give yourself permission to pause. They dig into why midlife can feel like you've lost yourself in the chaos, how a wellness retreat can crack you open in the best possible way, and why more women are choosing to invest in the experience of coming back to themselves. Brooke has built her life around this kind of intentional renewal and she brings the same unfiltered honesty and warmth to this conversation that has made her a trusted voices in women's wellness. This isn't about escaping your life. It's about finally returning to yourself within it. Whether you've dreamed of going on a retreat or don't even know where to start, this one will move you.

Have you been feeling like you don't quite recognise yourself lately? Like somewhere between building your business, showing up for your family and trying to hold it all together, you've quietly lost touch with who you actually are?In this episode, I get really honest about the identity crisis I have been moving through and what I've learnt about finding my way back to myself.I open up about the business hits that shook my confidence, including clients copying my work, dropping numbers and slowly losing my voice through over relying on AI. I also share the deeply personal experience of navigating a shift in myb motherhood identity as my kids grow up and need me differently.This episode is for you if you've been feeling lost, disconnected from your magic or like you're going through the motions without really feeling like yourself. You are not alone in this, and this is not the end. It's a threshold.Click Subscribe to get notified when a new episode is released

We all know the many challenges facing the Nursing profession today. Nursing takes so much from us… but it also has so much to offer.Recorded live at NurseCon at Sea, Sarah sits down with two nurses who hit their breaking point and found a way to keep showing up. This episode goes deep into the messy reality of nursing burnout, from the struggle to put yourself first to the boundaries, mindset shifts, and support systems that keep nurses in the game.You don't have to manage burnout alone, so don't miss this one.Topics discussed in this episode:Self-care and resilience as a disciplineThe nursing choice: fracture or adaptBuilding a life that isn't fully defined by the institutionImportant things we don't say to each otherWhat patients actually need from their nursesTherapy, medication, and sleep as nursing toolsAn exercise to audit your cup-fillers vs. cup-drainersWhy it's so important to share your experienceHow leaders should respond when a nurse is nearing burnoutLearn more about NurseCon at Sea:https://nurseconatsea.com/Mentioned in this episode:CONNECT

What if the exhaustion so many parents carry isn't a personal failure, but a signal that something deeper needs tending?In this episode, I'm joined by Gemma Dean, life coach and founder of Reset with Gemma, and Sima Rahman, creative facilitator and founder of The Artist's Apothecary. Together, they co-created the Mindful Parent Hub, a space where coaching meets creativity to support parents navigating burnout, identity shifts, and disconnection.“I was just surviving… there was no joy, no happiness. I couldn't connect with my kids.”, reflects Gemma.We explore the realities of parental burnout (what it can feel and look like), the myths that keep it hidden, and the small ways we can begin to find our way back to ourselves and to each other.This is a conversation about slowing down, asking for help, and redefining what support and belonging can look like in this season of life.

What happens when the house gets quiet and you're left asking, “Who am I now?” In this heartfelt and honest conversation, Wendy sits down with award-winning journalist and author Rita Lussier to explore the emotional journey of the empty nest and the many midlife transitions that often come with it. From identity shifts and relationship changes to grief, growth, and rediscovery, Rita shares how she navigated this tender season with humor, grace, and self-compassion—and how you can too. This episode is a beautiful reminder that even in life's in-between moments, there is meaning, healing, and a powerful opportunity to come back home to yourself.   What You'll Learn: Why the empty nest can feel more emotional (and complex) than expected How to rediscover your identity after years of caregiving Simple ways to create new routines that support your mental and emotional well-being The importance of self-care, community, and trying new experiences in midlife How to embrace life's transitions with grace, trust, and a sense of possibility ✨  

You didn't plan for this. The midnight trips to the kitchen. The plate of food you don't remember finishing. Or the smell of dinner that sends you straight to another room because you can't bear it. After loss, something shifts in your relationship with food — and most grieving moms have no idea it's even happening. This episode brings language to something you've been living but couldn't quite explain. Registered dietitian and faith-centered food freedom coach Brittany Braswell joins us to talk about what grief actually does to your body — and why the way you're eating (or not eating) right now makes complete sense. In this episode, you'll discover... ✨ Why grief disconnects you from your body's natural hunger and fullness cues — and what that disconnect actually feels like from the inside ✨ The difference between physical cravings and emotional cravings, and why knowing which one you're feeling changes everything ✨ How restriction and overeating can both be grief responses — and why neither one means you're out of control ✨ A simple 15-second body scan practice you can do today to start finding your way back to yourself You are not broken. You are a mom carrying the heaviest thing a human heart can hold — and your body is doing the best it can to survive it. God has not left you in this. He is present even here, even in this, even now. RESOURCES MENTIONED: Brittany Braswell's Free Needs Assessment -Discover the root of unwanted food behaviors with this needs-based assessment:Free Needs Assessment Listen to Brittany's Podcast: Brittany's Podcast — Faith Filled Food Freedom  JOIN US — Free Grief Mentor Support Group If you need a safe place to be seen and heard in your grief, join us for our next free support group meeting on May 21st. This is a space for moms who get it — because they're living it too.  

Multi-platinum country star Jake Owen sits down with The Brothers Hunt for one of the most real conversations we've had yet. From growing up on the water in Florida to chasing a golf career before music took over, Jake dives into the moments that shaped him — and the ones that nearly broke him. He opens up about moving to Nashville with no plan, building a career from the ground up, and what happens after you “make it” and realize life doesn't get easier. The guys get into everything from old-school country music and Alabama deep cuts to raising kids, hunting stories, and the importance of doing dangerous things carefully. Jake also talks about stepping away from the Nashville machine to create his latest project “Dreams to Dream” on his own terms — no pressure, no rules, just real music. It's funny, honest, a little chaotic — and at times, hits way deeper than you'd expect. This is Jake Owen like you've never seen him before. Subscribe for new episodes every week! BROUGHT TO YOU BY TACTACAM. 20% OFF all hardware with code: GODSCOUNTRY20 at https://www.tactacam.com/ TBH INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thebrothershunt/ TBH FACEBOOK: TBHhttps://www.facebook.com/thebrothershunt/ GCP FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/godscountrypodcast GCP INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thegodscountrypodcast/ TBH/ GCP TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@brothershunt?lang=en TBH MERCH: https://the-brothers-hunt.myshopify.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AVM Burst in the Brain: A Recovery Story of Patience, Aphasia, and Finding Your Way Back Jennifer Tomscha was 39, driving her three-and-a-half-year-old daughter home from preschool, when an AVM burst in her brain. She felt a wash of dizziness first. Then her vision started collapsing on the right side. She pulled onto a narrow verge on the highway between Greytown and Carterton in New Zealand, tried to reach her husband, got no answer, and dialled 111 instead. When the dispatcher asked what was wrong, she said something she still can’t fully explain: “I think I’m having a stroke.” She didn’t know yet that she had two arteriovenous malformations in her left frontal lobe — one discrete, one diffuse. She didn’t know that within hours she’d be helicoptered to Wellington Hospital for an emergency craniotomy, or that the following Monday a neurosurgeon named Dr. Woon would spend thirty hours trying to remove both malformations from her brain. She just knew something was wrong, and that her daughter was in the back seat, and that she couldn’t keep driving. That moment — pulling over, self-diagnosing, refusing the urge to simply lie down and rest — may be the reason she’s alive. What happens when an AVM bursts in the brain An arteriovenous malformation is a tangle of abnormal blood vessels that connects arteries directly to veins, bypassing the capillary network that normally regulates blood flow. Most people with an AVM never know they have one. But when an AVM bursts in the brain, blood floods into surrounding tissue at high pressure, and the consequences are almost always severe: haemorrhagic stroke, seizures, sudden neurological deficits, and in many cases, death. Jennifer’s first surgery controlled the bleeding. The second, five days later, was supposed to remove both malformations. It didn’t go as planned. The surgical team discovered that blood flow to the first AVM was feeding the second one, causing the brain around it to swell. Dr. Woon had to make an impossible decision in the middle of the operation: let her die, or remove a portion of healthy brain tissue along with the malformation. He chose to keep her alive. The surgery took thirty hours. When it was finally over, he called her husband and said, “Well, you’ll be lucky if she talks.” The six weeks she can’t remember Jennifer has no memories of the first six weeks after her AVM burst. She was in a medically induced coma for the surgery, then in intensive care, then transferred to rehabilitation. Everything she knows about that period has been told to her by other people. When her memory started returning, she found herself in a rehabilitation ward in Masterton, using adult nappies, unable to sit up in bed. The front of her skull had been removed and wouldn’t be replaced for months. She wore a protective helmet whenever she walked. And yet — she insists — she felt fine. [Quote block — mid-article] “I kept saying, ‘I’m okay, I’m fine. You guys should just take it easy around me.’ But of course, I wasn’t really fine.” — Jennifer Tomscha The honest recognition of what had happened to her didn’t come for almost two years. It took that long for her brain to have enough capacity to think about her brain. The myth of the one-year recovery window Most stroke survivors are told, either directly or by implication, that the first year matters most. That after twelve months, improvements slow. That after two years, you’ve plateaued. Jennifer’s experience — and the experience of nearly every long-term survivor interviewed on this podcast — contradicts that narrative. Four years after her AVM burst, she is still discovering what recovery means. Her academic writing, once her profession as the Director of the Writing Program at NYU Shanghai, doesn’t flow the way it used to. She can’t recall songs from memory anymore, or sing the ones she used to sing. Her aphasia shows up most at night, when she’s tired. She still takes an afternoon nap most days. But she’s also finishing a PhD. She can read as well as she ever could. She’s speaking, articulately, in a podcast interview eighty minutes long. And the parts of recovery she thought had stopped improving are, quietly, still improving. What Jennifer wants other survivors to know Her advice, offered near the end of the conversation, is short and unsparing: “You can rest, and that’s okay. You can be as slow as you want to be, and that’s also okay. But don’t give up. Just keep going — at whatever pace feels right.” It’s a rejection of both the productivity culture that tells survivors to push harder and the clinical culture that tells them to accept their limits. Recovery, for Jennifer, isn’t a race against a deadline. It’s a long, patient process of finding out what comes back and learning to live fully with whatever doesn’t. Bill’s book and community If Jennifer’s story resonates with you, Bill Gasiamis’s book — The Unexpected Way That A Stroke Became The Best Thing That Happened To — explores the same territory: the slow, unexpected, sometimes beautiful work of rebuilding a life after a brain event. Get the book here Readers who want to support the podcast and connect with the community of survivors it serves can do so at Patreon. Support on Patreon This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your health or recovery plan. Jennifer Tomscha: An AVM Burst in Her Brain at 39, and the Four-Year Climb Back to Herself She self-diagnosed her own stroke while driving with her daughter. Four years on, she’s still discovering what recovery really means. Highlights: 00:00 Introduction and Background 10:00 Reflections on the Experience 18:00 Long-term Effects and Adaptations 26:45 Identity and Self-Perception Post-Stroke 38:48 The Long Game of Recovery 51:07 The Journey of Recovery 01:03:42 The Evolution of the Podcast Transcript: Introduction and Background: AVM Burst in the Brain Jennifer Tomscha (00:00) Dr. Woon was my neurosurgeon. And he just said, I’ll never do another surgery like that ever again. it was really long. And I think he definitely had made me worse. Like they had taken out. too much of my normal brain. when he called my husband after the surgery was over, Dr. Woon said like, well, you’ll be lucky if she talks. he was just so discouraged from how the AVM surgery went. when I finally talked to him on Zoom. was so you And I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah, of course I can. He was like, will you show me? and I walked up and down the room and he was like laughing so hard at my being able to walk. He was like so enthusiastic about it. Bill Gasiamis (00:44) Welcome back everybody. I am Bill Gassiomas and my guest today is Jennifer Tomche. In March, 2022, Jennifer was 39 years old living in New Zealand, finishing the first year of a PhD program when something happened to her brain that changed everything. What followed was a medical emergency unlike anything I’ve heard described on this podcast and a recovery story that quietly dismantles one of the most damaging myths in stroke survivor community. That after a certain point, the window for improvement closes. Jennifer is four years out from what happened to her. She still takes an afternoon nap every day. She still notices the edges of what her brain can and can’t do. And she is also finishing a PhD, raising two children and speaking with a clarity and warmth that will stop you in your tracks. This is a conversation about what it actually means to play the long game and why might be the most important thing any survivor can do. Before we get into it, if this podcast has been part of your recovery journey, I’d love for you to check out my book, The Unexpected Way That a Stroke Became the Best Thing That Happened, at recoveryafterstroke.com/book. And a genuine thank you to everyone supporting this work on Patreon. If you wanted to support the show, you can go to patreon.com/recoveryafterstroke. really helps me keep the conversation going. Let’s get into it. Bill Gasiamis (02:12) Jennifer Tomscha welcome to the podcast. Jennifer Tomscha (02:14) Thank you. I’m glad to be here. Bill Gasiamis (02:17) It’s lovely to have a local with me. Usually all my guests are from the United States or Canada or the United Kingdom. You’re just a hop, skip and a jump away in New Zealand. Jennifer Tomscha (02:20) Yeah. Mm hmm. Yep. Yep. I’m American originally, but we moved here in 2020. So ⁓ we I’m grew up in Iowa. And then and then I after but we were living in Shanghai for us for almost seven years, my husband and I were living in Shanghai and I was teaching at New York University, Shanghai and then when COVID happened in China. Bill Gasiamis (02:35) Where are we from in America? Jennifer Tomscha (02:54) they told us to leave the country because it was where it started. So, and we had two kids, so my husband didn’t want to go back to the United States. And so my sister lives in New Zealand. So we moved here and then we just stayed here. mm-hmm. So, yeah. Bill Gasiamis (03:11) So in China, was it just a request? Was it a directive? What was the situation? Jennifer Tomscha (03:18) From New York University, they said if you weren’t a Chinese national citizen, they strongly urged us to leave because they just didn’t know how they were gonna manage it. everyone, mean, in China, they had had SARS in the early 2000s, so they had already had it. And so right away, everyone had their masks on. They were ready to… go and I was like, I want to get out of here. So we went to New Zealand and they also had a lockdown, but it was just for a month and then everyone could wander around because the virus was not here. we just stayed and I got into this PhD program. So that’s why we’re still in New Zealand. Bill Gasiamis (04:00) Wow. That kind of brings us to the first question I ask most people these days is what was life like before stroke? So there was a little bit of stuff going on. was, work in China. There was a bit of, ⁓ travel from the United States to China. was children, but daily life. What, what was that like before the stroke? Jennifer Tomscha (04:21) When I saw my stroke happened in March of 2022 and at that time I had been in my PhD program for about a year. And I was just finishing up my research proposal. And so I was doing that during the day and my kids were both at, I have an older son who was in second grade year two. And then I have a daughter who was in preschool. And so my days were I dropped them off at their schools and then I would work for a little while. And then I would. go and get them. So, and then they would come home and we would do all the other stuff in parenting. And my husband at that time was working at the library. So he had, he was at the libraries from nine to five every day. So he was at work. And that’s what, that’s what we were doing. Yeah. When I had my stroke. I was busy trying to finish up this research proposal. And then, yeah. Bill Gasiamis (05:14) 39 years old at the time as well. Jennifer Tomscha (05:16) Yes, was 39. Bill Gasiamis (05:18) any signs, any kind of inkling that something was not right. Jennifer Tomscha (05:23) I didn’t, weirdly, so I’m trying to think about, my whole life I’ve had this thing where if, especially at just certain points if I hit my, this is maybe nothing to do with anything, but if I hit my elbow or my wrist, then I would pass out. And sometimes I would have like a little seizure while I was passing out. So wasn’t just like a regular fainting, it was like a seizure. And I had some of those in high school and I actually went to the, hospital for those at one point and I think they didn’t know what that was and they just did an EEG. I don’t even think we had an MRI where I lived. So I didn’t really know and then that sort of passed. But I was feeling when I have a daily journal that I was writing and when I go back and read that daily journal, the whole, for a couple months ahead of time, I was like, I just feel kind of weird. I don’t feel great. I feel like a little bit sick and I don’t know what’s wrong with me. And at that time they were allowing COVID to enter New Zealand. They were putting it in. So I was like, I think I might have COVID, but I took a bunch of tests. They were all negative. And then my stroke happened on Tuesday, but the Friday before I was so sick. And then that weekend I was really sick too. And then I got, like, I kind of felt like I woke up, I felt really nauseous. And then I felt better on Monday and Tuesday. And Tuesday was when my stroke happened. So I think that was all, it was all, think, my body reacting to, I was probably bleeding in my head at that time or something. mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (06:57) I got it. And we’re to have to go back and talk about how it was that when you got hit on your, on your wrist and your elbow, how hard was the hit? Jennifer Tomscha (07:05) I don’t know. Not super hard, I just, I don’t know what, I actually don’t know, and maybe it’s nothing to do with it. You know, maybe it’s something else in my body that I am prone to fainting. But I don’t know, I don’t really know why that, and maybe it wasn’t anything like that. But I had one day when I was 16 and I passed out three times and that did seem kind of funny. And I went to the doctor and I passed out while I was at the doctor’s office. So they were like, there’s nothing wrong with you. So they put me to the hospital. They did the EG. stayed the night. And then they were like, there’s nothing wrong with you. So that was it. But I think if nowadays they probably would have done an MRI, maybe, and they would have seen that I had my AVM and my whole life would have been different because I wouldn’t have done all the stuff that I’ve done now. Like my mom was like, if we had known you had had an AVM, you would have gone to school. in Sioux City, you know, or we would have done something to keep you nearby because we would be worried about you. Instead, I was just like, doing whatever I wanted to, which is good. Bill Gasiamis (08:14) Laze, but that’s kind of good. But also I get the preventative thing. One of the, my former guests had a daughter who had an AVM and I think she was five when she passed away from a bleed in the brain because of an AVM. That’s horrific. And one of the, it’s actually worth listening to that episode and it’s worth me interrupting this right now to jump on and find that episode so that I can share it with people. And this particular lady has made it her life’s mission to raise money, get an MRI machine and do preventative scans for people in case they have an AVM or some other undiagnosed neurological condition. I think it’s Gina. Gina Keely. OK, it’s. And her ⁓ foundation is now called the Paige Keeley Foundation, it’s the most heartbreaking story. It’s episode 141 and I’ll have the link in the show notes and I’ll have it in the YouTube description. So for anyone listening, jump back and have a look at that. And also maybe even consider supporting the foundation because the story is heartbreaking and the efforts that this lady is going to ensure that this doesn’t happen to other people is just amazing. So. I wanted to, I raised that because I had a, in 2011, no, no, in 2010, about 18 months before my actual AVM bled, I had a really terrible negative episode, nauseous, room spinning, like all the signs of stroke, but completely missed the, completely missed Jennifer Tomscha (09:47) Mm. Bill Gasiamis (09:55) the AVM when I went and actually had an MRI. So yeah, I went to the hospital, gave them my, rundown of what was happening to me and they were so switched on and they got me in and they did all the tests, but they didn’t find anything because they didn’t know what they were looking for. And there was no obvious sign of bleeding. So they didn’t dig deeper. And I have a friend of mine who is a radiographer who actually did my MRIs Jennifer Tomscha (09:58) ⁓ really? Mm. Reflections on the Experience Bill Gasiamis (10:22) when I was in hospital being treated after my AVM burst in 2012. And he said to me, the preventative stuff is very difficult because if you don’t specifically know what you’re testing for, you don’t know how to set up the machine and how many slices that it needs to take and at what resolution. So that when you deliver that to the radiologist and they’re looking at it, can they see an AVM and then pass that on? Jennifer Tomscha (10:37) Mmm Bill Gasiamis (10:49) that information onto the neurologist. They might even miss it, even though they’re doing MRI. But what Jena is doing, it sounds like they’re specifically going after aneurysms, AVMs, other malformations, and therefore they have kind of this better opportunity to find it. So if somebody is considering getting a preventative scan of their brain, you have to be very specific. Jennifer Tomscha (10:53) Bye. Bill Gasiamis (11:14) with the team of doctors, radiographers, neurologists, as to what you want them to look for and make sure that they adjust the scan so that it’s fit for purpose. Jennifer Tomscha (11:25) That’s interesting. That’s really interesting. Bill Gasiamis (11:26) Yeah. So what was the day of the stroke like? Was it, you said you’re feeling better on that Tuesday. Jennifer Tomscha (11:34) Mm-hmm. I had a good day. I have like lots of notes from my research proposal and I went to pick up. I don’t know why I did it this way actually. I went, my daughter’s preschool is in our town, Greytown, and I went and picked up her first and then I went to get my son. His school is a Montessori school. It’s in one town north. And so I went and got her and we were driving in the car and when I turned onto the highway that connects Greytown and Carterton, I just felt like a wash of dizziness and I started losing sight, I think, in my right eye. And it’s seven kilometers from Graytown to Carterton. And right before we got into Carterton, I pulled over onto the side of the highway. I tried, so by that time I think I had lost most of the sight in my one, my right eye. And so it wasn’t very long actually. And so I tried to call my husband, he didn’t answer. And then I just called 111 and I was like, I don’t know why I was like, I think I’m having a stroke, but I don’t know why I even thought that actually. Do know what I mean? I just, was like, something is wrong with me. And so my daughter was fussing in the back and, I don’t really remember anything after that. I don’t remember the paramedics coming. I don’t remember talking to anyone. but so when they, I think the police came first and then Then the paramedics came and they said I was nauseous, but talking a little bit. But then they moved me into the ambulance and, I started, choking and, or something, and they had to intubate me in the ambulance. And then they took me in. I was helicoptered off to Wellington hospital. So. Bill Gasiamis (13:12) How did you feel about it? I know you did the right things. You nailed it. But how did you feel? What were you thinking? I was completely oblivious to the risk I was at or in. Jennifer Tomscha (13:14) Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I don’t know. just, let’s see, I think… I think when I was losing my vision, that was hard. I mean, I’m really lucky. There was a little ⁓ path on the side of the road right before you enter Carterton. So I pulled over there so I could still control the car. You know what I mean? I wasn’t so bad. And I could dial 111 on my phone. I could still think about those things. But it wasn’t very long after I dialed 111 and talked to those people that I’d that my memory is gone. So I think, I mean, I have spent a lot of time trying to like go back and figure out like, what was it? What could I have done early? know, like I was really lucky I was in the car, because honestly, because if I was at home, I might’ve like laid down and taken a nap and not called anybody actually, or called Dan and half have not answered. So then I could just see myself. Bill Gasiamis (14:14) you Jennifer Tomscha (14:22) It was actually really lucky that I was in the car with my daughter because it made me, I mean, I couldn’t keep driving very well. And so it made me pull over and it made me, I’d have to do something because I wasn’t in town. So I had to like figure out how I was going to manage the situation. And so I was really lucky actually that I was in the car and that I was in a public space where I was easy to find and like I could, so I felt like really lucky that all that happened. in that time period, but also that soul that my daughter was with me because it made me, I had this like parental responsibility that I had to, I couldn’t keep driving with her in the car. Like I just, I knew I had to do something and quickly. I feel like, I feel really lucky that that was the situation that I was in because I could see a different day where I didn’t go get the kids at that time. And I maybe would have tried to take a nap and it would have been totally different. So you know what I mean. Bill Gasiamis (15:19) It’s such a common thing for people to go, oh, I’m not feeling well. I think I’ll just go lay down and have a rest and see if I can just get over it, sleep through it or whatever. yeah. And then it just leads to even more and more trouble or problems. The fact that you said, I think I’m having a stroke, right? That is so cool and bizarre and amazing. Jennifer Tomscha (15:29) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. The guy was like, why? And I was like, well, I’m losing my sight. I was like, I mean, I don’t know how it was. I was like, why do you think you’re having a stroke? I was like, I don’t know. But there was something wrong. You know what I mean. Bill Gasiamis (15:52) Yeah, that’s such a good question for me. Why do you think I’m going to strike? I don’t know, but I just came up with it. What? That was enough though. Like that was such a response from you to say, I think I’m having a stroke. It’s very, very rare that people get there, but the fact that you got there kind of gave, gave them also like an understanding of how to attend the site and what to do. Jennifer Tomscha (16:01) Mm. Bill Gasiamis (16:18) And that saves time as well. That saves a ton of time. Jennifer Tomscha (16:21) Right. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (16:23) and gets them, even though you may have been wrong, right? Gets them looking in the direction because they’re already got that in their mind. And then, well, let’s look at that first and then let’s suss it out. She might be completely wrong. But I walked into the hospital after my, while I was having the third blade and said, I’m having a brain hemorrhage or something like that. And I was in the hospital upright, standing, looking normal and Jennifer Tomscha (16:27) Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that’s true. That’s ⁓ Mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (16:51) They were looking at me like, okay, what are you on? This guy, this guy must be on something because it doesn’t look like he’s having a stroke. And then I had to try and convince them, but I wasn’t giving them my contact details. So they weren’t able to bring up my record. And all they were saying was just give us your name, give us your name. We’ll put it in the system. We’ll have a look. And eventually they got it out of me and, ⁓ and I was right. But yeah, such a good thing. Jennifer Tomscha (16:54) Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, uh-huh. no. Hmm. you Bill Gasiamis (17:21) I love those little bits and pieces that go well together because you often hear I often hear the bits and pieces that didn’t go well and and it turned out differently and how old was your daughter at the time? Yeah, wow. Jennifer Tomscha (17:30) Mm-hmm. She was three and a half. And so she was still in the backseat, know, backwards in her car seat. And then we stopped and she was like, why are we stopping or whatever in her three and a half year old voice? And I was like, I just had to make a couple of phone, you know, I don’t know what I said to her. And then I think when the police came, she was asleep. Like she fell asleep back in the car. then, and then. It’s just, I, I’ll, so then for the next six weeks I don’t have any memories of anything. So all, all of the information has been given to me by other people. But, so, yeah. Long-term Effects and Adaptations Bill Gasiamis (18:04) So was quite a large blade after all of that. Jennifer Tomscha (18:06) Yeah, it was large. They took me, so I flew in the helicopter from Masterton to Wellington and I think they, by then my sister had gotten to the hospital and they, yeah, I think they said, yeah, they did an emergency, is it craniac? Or what’s the? Bill Gasiamis (18:25) Craniotomy, Jennifer Tomscha (18:26) Yeah, they did an emergency cradionomy and they saw that I was bleeding. And then they saw that I had this large left frontal or frontal lobe AVM. So, and then they said that at that moment they couldn’t tackle that AVM. So they, controlled the bleeding and then they, and they left my skull out and then, yeah. And then, then they, they talked to the neurosurgeon and He, that was a Tuesday and he said, why don’t you, I was in a coma, just keep her in a medical coma. And then Monday they would do the, the, the surgery to get rid of the AVM. Bill Gasiamis (19:05) And then that surgery happened. Jennifer Tomscha (19:07) That happened and it was, had my, actually had two AVMs. One was really discreet and they could see all the endings of it. And the other one was diffuse. I don’t really understand it, but, the neurosurgeon said there was like parts of regular brain in and around the AVM. I don’t really understand how that happens, but, ⁓ so they started in the morning and they did, they got rid of the one AVM. They were taking it out. And then something about the blood vessels that had some of they had been putting blood into that AVM. They then started feeding into the other AVM. So then that AVM made my brain sort of swell where that AVM was. And so the neurosurgeons had to decide if, mean, basically it was like, let me die. because they couldn’t do anything about it, or they would get rid of that AVM and they would just take out the brain that was, the normal brain that was in the regular AVM. So they took, they decided not to let me die, thank goodness, and they decided to do that. so, but it was really long surgery, it was 30 hours, I think they just didn’t, yeah, it was really long. And… And I think Dr. Woon was my neurosurgeon. And he just said, when he went and sewed my head back together, he didn’t think I was listening, but I was in the other room and I could hear him after I had my skull put back in. And he was like, I’ll never do another surgery like that ever again. it was too, it was really long. And I think he definitely thought that he had made me worse. Like they had taken out. too much of my normal brain. when he called my husband after the surgery was over, like they didn’t call him. Dan, my husband was waiting for the whole 30 hours and they only called him one time at like 11 o’clock that night. And they were like, we’re finishing up. But then they had all this other stuff happen. So they didn’t actually call him again until noon the next day. And Dr. Woon said like, well, you’ll be lucky if she talks. Because we had to take out. he was just so discouraged from how the AVM surgery went. And so, yeah. Bill Gasiamis (21:24) Dr. Woon needs to give himself way more credit. Jennifer Tomscha (21:27) I know, I know, I also think that. I also think that, I mean, it’s, I mean, neurosurgeons, they’re, it’s amazing that you could, I’ve just, it’d be so weird if your job was to cut people up and go into their brains and try and fix something in that organ, which is so mysterious, do you know? Like, yeah, so. Bill Gasiamis (21:48) Wow. 30 hours. So he also is thinking in his career, he’s probably never going to come across another 30 hour surgery. Yeah. Well, only if it’s necessary to make somebody better, but yeah, we definitely want to avoid that if we can for every human on the planet and for Dr. Woon, but I just, I’m just completely in awe of these people. I bumped into my surgeon last year. Jennifer Tomscha (21:57) I hope not. mean, I hope, you know, yeah, I don’t think, yeah. Right. Mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (22:15) because I had another MRI, because I had another bout of headaches and all that kind of stuff. still, you know, it hasn’t ended. I still go through all these things. And I mean, I mean kind of, I get emotional when I’m around her and when I’m in the room with her. If she told me to jump off a cliff because there is something positive down there and I would do it. If she said, if she said punch a hole through that wall, I would do it. Like I would do whatever she said because Jennifer Tomscha (22:20) no. Yes. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (22:44) I just cannot get over the, know, when, you know, when you make a decision, some people, my phone is weird. I’ve never done this before, but you have a piece of fabric and it’s got some lines on it. And you know, if you cut it wrong, that you can’t use that piece of fabric for that pair of trousers anymore. You’ve got to use it for something else. Like that’s a pretty mild problem to happen. Like you cut wrong, you go in the wrong place. You pop that aside and. You’re useful. If you do that to a human, there’s no going back. And you’ve got to make that decision every single time you walk into the operating theater. And imagine his family. Like, I feel like we need to reach out to his family and say, is there anything we need to make up for? I know we had your husband for 30 hours, but like, how can we support your family now that he’s done that for my family? Jennifer Tomscha (23:40) Yeah, yeah, yeah. Bill Gasiamis (23:40) Do you know, like it’s so interesting that these people have been able to get to that level of capability. Jennifer Tomscha (23:49) Yes. Bill Gasiamis (23:50) with humans and helping people stay alive and be here with their family, be a mom, be a wife, be a daughter, be a member of the community. Jennifer Tomscha (23:51) Mm-hmm. Yep. Yep, exactly. It’s just, it’s amazing. It’s just so, and I’m so grateful to him and he had another neurosurgeon working with him and yeah, it did, I mean, yeah, it’s amazing. I always think though, I’m trying to think about like, did, why, if he cut out those parts of my brain, why weren’t they, why? I mean, I have some things I can’t do that I could do before. Like I can’t, this is so weird. I can’t recall songs very well and I can’t sing songs from memory, like at all. Like that part of my brain is done, which is fine, but I used to sing a lot. but I think because if the AVM is there when you’re in your, if it’s there when you’re in your mom’s womb, like if you’re, when you’re developing. It’s probable that my brain was like, there’s a little issue here in this brain. We’ll move some of the stuff away from, don’t you think that would be, yeah, because I just think like, I think where my AVMs were, my brain was like, we’re gonna move, we’re not gonna put stuff by those AVMs because yeah, because your brain is really adaptable. Like that’s one of the things that I’ve been reading since I had my stroke. Bill Gasiamis (24:59) Wow. Yeah, I’ve never thought about that. Why not? That makes sense, Jennifer. Because it’s… Yeah. Jennifer Tomscha (25:18) My mom’s like, your brain is so adaptable and flexible and it can do different things. You just have to try doing things, you know, and failing. Bill Gasiamis (25:26) And the blood flow is not right. So you imagine with blood flow not being right, then the brain’s not developing correctly in that spot anyway. And it’s just developing where there is blood flow. Jennifer Tomscha (25:37) Yes, exactly. Exactly. I just I feel like that makes sense to me. And that’s why if you’re the neurosurgeon, I mean, you really don’t know. Like Dr. Woon didn’t know what was there. But I just feel like maybe my brain when it was developing was like, well, this isn’t a good spot and this other spot isn’t a good spot. So we’ll just do everything in a different place. And the brain is really you can really do that. I think your brains are really plastic in the way that they can order themselves. And so I So it’s still all Dr. Woon. I’m just so grateful to him and everything that he did. Because honestly, I feel like I come from the States. I don’t know that a neurosurgeon, I just don’t know how long a neurosurgeon would have, they might be like, I’m done, I can’t do this anymore. I just don’t really know. It just all depends on the doctor and who sees you and everything. So I just felt so lucky to have been here. Bill Gasiamis (26:30) Imagine doing a 30 hour shift on any day for anything. Jennifer Tomscha (26:34) No. And the thing about neurosurgery is like you’re in, I mean you’re doing like, you’re in a microscope or whatever doing that little and you’re tying off a little blood vein and I don’t know, it’s nuts, it’s so nuts. mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (26:39) them. Identity and Self-Perception Post-Stroke Yeah. And they talk about, you know, how dangerous it is to drive when you’re off a take when you haven’t slept, when all those things. And these guys are going for 30 hours and they’re doing the most intricate, life altering surgery and it all goes perfectly well. So how wrapped was he when he realized how well it went. Jennifer Tomscha (27:09) I didn’t talk to him until June, so that was at the end of March. And then I was in the ICU for a while. then they moved me to Masterton and I did rehab. And then I went to this last clinic, this ABI, this brain clinic for people who had brain injuries. And that’s when I finally talked to him on Zoom. And he was like, so can you walk? And I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah, of course I can. He was like, will you show me? and I walked up and down the room and he was like laughing so hard at my being able to walk. He was like so enthusiastic about it. I was, you know, I mean, we can talk about this too. was, everyone was like, when I finally have my memory back, I was in Masterton and I was using a diaper. I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t step in bed, but I remember being, actually, ⁓ I remember being like, I’m fine. I’m fine. Everyone is just fussing over me. But of course, they were right too. Do you know what I mean? But I was like, I’m okay. Everyone needs to just like, let me just relax around me. And everyone was like, everything I did, they would be like, you know, I couldn’t feed myself. And then, you know, there’s all this stuff. And I was like, I’m really okay. You guys should just. take, like, I’m fine. I kept saying that, like, I’m okay, I’m fine. You guys are all. But of course, I wasn’t really fine, but I felt like, Bill Gasiamis (28:36) It sounds like you weren’t physically there yet, but you were emotionally and mentally fine. Like it sounds like you were on the, you kind of knew that things were going to turn out or. Jennifer Tomscha (28:48) I think so. I think, or maybe, I always think like maybe you can only manage so much. like at that time I had my front part of my skull was gone because it had been taken out when they did both my surgeries. And so I had to wear like a rugby helmet or whatever when I walked. But otherwise I would sit in my room and it looked terrible. It’s just so terrible. but I just didn’t really recognize that. Like I didn’t, wasn’t, I couldn’t do all the things at once. So I think I was just thinking about like, and finally at the middle of May, my mom and sister, I still had my like long hair in the back and short in the front. So my sister was gonna cut the long hair in the back. And I saw myself in a mirror and I was like, that doesn’t look very good. You know, like I wasn’t, I don’t feel like I was totally aware. I wasn’t, my brain wasn’t. totally back in it. It’s a long time to recover and I feel like my brain only gave me, I don’t know, I felt like I couldn’t think about my own brain, maybe for like a year or something, really think about it in a second order way. Bill Gasiamis (29:59) allow yourself to kind of observe your state, your brain condition. Jennifer Tomscha (30:02) Yes. Yes, I think I was like, it was like that my it was like maybe in October of the next year, October of 2023, where I was like, Oh, I can think about my brain and what it is in a way that I couldn’t. Because I don’t know, you have to go through, you just have to relearn a lot of stuff. But I didn’t like I’m lucky, like, it didn’t affect my reading, so I could read right away. I’m not a very good writer, like, I don’t have good handwriting anyway, and my handwriting still maybe isn’t as good as it was before I had my stroke, but, yeah. I feel like, felt like, the actual healing was a longer process than I thought it was going to be, especially right when I first woke up, because I was like, I’m fine, but I wasn’t really fine, actually. Do you know what I mean? Bill Gasiamis (30:55) 100%, they can make doctors and neurosurgeons do a 30 hour surgery, find that part, fix it, ta-da-da-da-da, do all those things, but they can’t make a helmet for God’s sake look half decent after they’ve taken your skull out. Like as if it’s bad enough, have skull missing and then they put this terrible looking thing over your head. Jennifer Tomscha (31:11) No. It’s true. It’s true. It’s true. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. Bill Gasiamis (31:22) And I know for women like hair is a big deal and become. Jennifer Tomscha (31:27) It was really, I have always liked my hair and it was, I had short hair for about a year and a half maybe, you know, and I started growing out more and that was a little bit hard. I felt like that’s really vain, but I was like, man, I just did not like that short hair. Cause it’s not very, I don’t know. I just, wanted my old hair back. So I was lucky that it came back though. You know, everything, it’s not cancer. It’s a different thing. So you have a different, you know. Bill Gasiamis (31:51) I never would have told you that your hair didn’t look good, but my favorite hair is brunette curly hair. Yeah. My wife is a brunette naturally and she has curls in her hair and she straightens it all the time. I haven’t seen her brunette curly hair for 30 years. Jennifer Tomscha (31:57) Thank you. ⁓ yeah. no. Bill Gasiamis (32:13) I’m like, woman, that’s what I like. Like that’s my thing. you stop straightening your hair, but I can’t get it to stop. ⁓ Jennifer Tomscha (32:20) Yeah, that’s fine. Everyone has to do what they want with their hair and everything. you know, that’s something that one thing I think about my stroke is you just got to go live your life. Like you can’t and you’ve done that beautifully. You know what I mean? Like this podcast is amazing. it’s just like, you just got to go do what feels good for you at the time and what you want to do and just do it. and stop saying no, or you know what I mean. Bill Gasiamis (32:49) I’m trying. am. know exactly what you mean. One of the biggest things is identity is a big, big thing. And I don’t talk about me so much. I’ll talk about what happened to me, my stroke journey, but I don’t really give people a look behind the curtain. You know, sort of really understand what’s going on. This is just all a facade. And one of the challenges that I have is this painting company that I started 20 years ago was the main source of income. And it stopped abruptly seven years in when I became. Jennifer Tomscha (33:02) Hmm. Mm-hmm. Great. Bill Gasiamis (33:17) and it sort of still kept bubbling along. And then I got back to it in 2019 because my clients were still calling me and I was well enough after seven years of going through stroke and all the stuff of surgery, learning to walk again and all that. I was good enough to sort of get back into it. And of course in 2019, I only had six months and then we were in lockdown. And then in lockdown, we had two years of lockdown in Melbourne, and then I’m trying to keep that thing going again. And then there was this massive influx of work after lockdown because everyone’s going, I’ve been looking at these walls for two years. They look terrible. Let’s get them painted. They had spare money because they hadn’t spent anything for two years. And that was like, let’s do this and let’s do that. And there was this massive amount of work for about 18 months. And then that was done. It was gone. And it’s been a steady decline since as soon as Trump opened his mouth and did something in Iran and said what he said, and he plummeted like we’ve got no work. And I’m okay to have no work because I’ve been there before and we’ve managed our affairs so that we’re okay. But I can’t employ people right now at all. That’s gone. And getting people back and starting that again is going to be extremely difficult because the curve Jennifer Tomscha (34:27) Yeah. Mmm. Hmm. Bill Gasiamis (34:36) is not it’s not going to be a sharp dip and then it’s going to be a big spike of work and demand and all that kind of stuff. this podcast has been my saving grace every time I’ve needed to occupy myself with a project and make it so that I’m not thinking about me. The podcast was there. I did. I did an interview. It got me over the line. But now the biggest void that’s going to occur is not that I’m going to Jennifer Tomscha (34:47) Mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (35:05) potentially not have work in this field and after shut it down, which is gonna be fine if I do that, I’m okay with that. I’ll kind of pass it on to my younger son who’s looking to do some work in a similar space. I’ll give him the phone number and he’ll be able to take those types of inquiries and then he’ll do it on his own, like very small, the way I started at the beginning. And is that I’m gonna have all the time in the world. Jennifer Tomscha (35:23) Mm. Bill Gasiamis (35:29) on my hands to do the thing that I’ve been avoiding doing because I had this business that relied on me and the thing was to do public speaking. Right. And to actually do it the way that I’ve wanted to do it for more than a decade, which was to talk about the topics that I want to talk about, which no one’s talking about post-traumatic growth, overcoming trauma, how that’s applicable in organizations. Jennifer Tomscha (35:38) yeah, yeah, Mmm. Bill Gasiamis (35:56) how to treat people better in an organization so they have less mental health issues, so they have less physical issues, so they’re sick less, so they enjoy their work, so they’re not hating their life. And now I’m going to have all the time in the world to do it. And I’m shitting myself. That’s the biggest issue, right? So that’s a little bit of a look behind the curtain. I am loving this. This is an amazing thing. And I do remember when I first started it, I was concerned about what people would say about me. You’re going to sound dumb, Bill. You you’re not going to, you know, what authority do you have? All those kinds of things, they were coming up in my head. And then when I wrote the book, the same thing, I wrote my first book, The Unexpected Way That a Strike Became the Best Thing That Happened to Me. Everyone has said, don’t write that book. Don’t write that. Jennifer Tomscha (36:27) Mm. Bill Gasiamis (36:39) Don’t let that be your title. It’s bizarre, it’s weird, like it’s strange, it’s too long and all these things. So I did it. And of course, the first time I spoke about it on YouTube, one of the first comments was a negative comment on my YouTube channel. It’s like, ⁓ okay. My God, that’s a kick in the guts. Jennifer Tomscha (36:44) really? ⁓ yeah. Bill Gasiamis (37:03) So those little kicks in the guts that I’ve had along the way have been few and far between, but they’re the ones that seem to persist the most. And they stay in that part of your head, which says, you know, that public speaking gig, you’re probably going to do the first one and they’re going to say you were terrible. And then you’re to feel all sad at 52 about, you know, yourself and all these things. Jennifer Tomscha (37:15) Yeah. you Bill Gasiamis (37:29) how you’re going to overcome that emotionally and mentally and all this kind of stuff. It’s like, Bill, relax. You’re gonna have time to build your new career at 52. You’re gonna have time to do it. So that’s like, all right. I find myself getting pushed into a corner and only then responding with, all right, all right, I better step up again. I better do this again. Jennifer Tomscha (37:33) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (37:58) Very strange, re-imagining yourself and recreating yourself after stroke is a huge thing because you’re also doing it with a stroke brain. Whereas before I had no excuses, I was doing it still. Like the pattern is the same. The stroke brain part of it is an obstacle that I wish I didn’t have, but somehow this stroke brain part has made me do things I’ve never done before. Jennifer Tomscha (38:14) You The Long Game of Recovery Bill Gasiamis (38:27) a podcast, a book. You know, I was a tradie. I was like, I didn’t study. didn’t read. In my, by the time I got to the age of 37, honestly, Jennifer, I reckon I’d read maybe seven books. And they were about this criminal underworld figure in Melbourne who had this, who had this career and of being like really terrible and somehow. He was the thing that I was interested in reading about. Like that’s the only thing that captured my imagination. Everything else, everything else I picked up from listening to podcasts or watching shows on TV and that kind of stuff. So I wanna just, I wanna make people understand that the battles that you’re fighting, I’m fighting, it’s real. Like you’re not doing it alone. Everyone’s fighting this. How do I reimagine myself? Jennifer Tomscha (38:56) Bye! Bill Gasiamis (39:20) after stroke, you know, I don’t tell people I’m an author. Still, this book has been out for three years. I’ve had amazing reviews. I’ve had a couple of, you know, negative reviews and that’s okay. I’m not, I’m not an intellectual. I haven’t, I’ve never studied how to write literature, any of that stuff. And it’s sold about seven or 800 copies just through the podcast. Jennifer Tomscha (39:21) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. That’s pretty good. That’s actually quite a bit, I feel like. It’s quite a bit, actually. Mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (39:47) I feel like to like I don’t promote it. I don’t tell anyone about it just in the podcast. And it’s like, I still don’t say I’ve authored a book. Nobody knows. Jennifer Tomscha (39:56) You should say it. mean, I do think the what are you going to do after you have a stroke? How are you going to do it? It’s all very strange and scary, I think. And like, yeah, I, I totally get your feeling about it. And it’s just really tricky to know what is the You know, for me, I feel like I was in middle of my PhD, so I took 22 months or 20 months off of doing the PhD just to rest. And then I went back in and it was, it is still, it was really hard. I like, wasn’t very good at figuring out how to write in the academic way. Which was my position. I was director of the writing program at NYU Shanghai. So I was like, that was my thing. And it was very hard to figure out how to return to do the critical work of my thesis. was just, it’s just, I don’t know, my brain just couldn’t figure out how to do it right. It was really interesting. was like, the sentences I was writing weren’t as good. They probably still aren’t as good. You know, like when I look at what I was writing before I had my stroke, which is part of my thesis, and then the stuff I wrote after my stroke, I feel like I can tell a little bit of a difference in the fluency of my writing, for sure. So, yeah. And I just, so… Yeah, I don’t know. It’s tricky. It’s tricky to figure out. But I was really lucky, actually. I think the PhD was helpful because… I could just go at it on my own time and I could just take however much time I needed. And I, I had a deadline. but it was good to just, it was actually like a really good place to start to work my brain again, to be like, okay, I have to, I’m going to write on this author and what she thinks about character. And I’m just going to, and I have these other texts that I’m interested in and I have to figure out how I’m going to. Represent them in my own work. And so it was really good to do all that. It was a good stepping stone for me I think actually to get back into it and to see What I could and couldn’t do very well, like I feel like I’m a really good reader. I’m a really good Critic and I’m not so good at ⁓ writing down what I think anymore as well So I’m just I really have to work on and I don’t know how you get it back like Bill Gasiamis (42:26) articulating Jennifer Tomscha (42:28) Yeah, articulating what I mean and yeah, I feel like I can’t, I can’t say things as artfully or as proficiently as I used to. So I don’t know, this woman who is getting her PhD at Vic too, she’s like, she studies how people learn to read. And she was like, if you’re having problems with academic writing, you should get a, and I still haven’t done this, you should get an academic book and you should listen to it because a lot of learning to read is listening to how sentences sound. She was like, so you should listen to an academic book and that will help you think about how those sentences work and how they’re maybe different from like, I write fiction. So fiction is one thing and then this is a different way of writing. So she said that was one thing that she thought I should do to help. develop my proficiency in academic writing, which was really interesting. So. Bill Gasiamis (43:25) Yeah, it’s a different approach. You know, it’s coming from the auditory, you know, system and therefore the auditory digital system. Therefore you go in and you you, you pick up nuances that you wouldn’t have known were there if you’ve never heard an academic speak or if you’ve never read an academic document in that way. So you might read it. Jennifer Tomscha (43:28) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (43:51) to get something out of it. Like, okay, what is this academic saying about this topic? But that’s not paying attention to the structure of how it’s written. That’s a different filter. Jennifer Tomscha (43:55) Mm-hmm. No, exactly. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Exactly. So I thought that was an interesting way to think about, like, how I could get better at that thing. That was, like, a really important thing for me. That, for some reason, it did just get a little bit, I don’t know, stunted? Or I don’t know what happened, you know? Or I just haven’t been in academia as much. So you know what I mean? So, yeah. Bill Gasiamis (44:17) Yeah. Yeah, 100%. The skill is not as refined or, or practiced as your other skills. So it’s not the thing that you’re the best at. and you’re getting better at it. The thing about it is also, may I add you’re only four years out from all the drama that you had with your brain. So there’s a lot of healing to happen that is going to improve. That’s going to get better and better. And in four or five years from now, you will have Jennifer Tomscha (44:29) Mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (44:49) turn the corner again, you’ll see that there’s more and more improvement. It’s really important for people to hear this, who are three, two, one, five, six years in, there’s still heaps of healing and recovery to come. So it’ll happen. Jennifer Tomscha (45:07) Yeah, that was something that my husband and I, in my first year after my stroke, he would be like, go to the gym. And he did. He, I went to the gym and I, had me lift weights and he wanted me to like exercise. And he was like, what are you doing to improve your mind and your body over this first year? And I was like, I’m, I’m again, I was like, I’m fine. I’m really fine. And, and, ⁓ he thought I wasn’t doing enough. Like he wanted me to just go at it with this intensity. I don’t know. was an, cause I was like, I am going at it with my own sort of intensity, but he wanted me to be more aggressive than I wanted to or something. You know what I mean? He wanted me to be like, he wanted to see me really working at it and like sweating or doing, you know what I mean? And I was like, I don’t wanna, I don’t know. Bill Gasiamis (45:59) He wanted it to be more masculine. Jennifer Tomscha (46:01) Yeah, I guess. And he’s not very masculine guy. I mean, he’s a masculine guy, but he’s like, he was just he just wanted to see me sweating it out or doing the really see my focus. And I just yeah. And that has been an issue because he’s like, yeah, he’s just like, are you going to work again? I was like, yes, I’ll work. I just don’t know what I’ll do. And I don’t know if I could do a full eight hour day right now. I still take a nap every day in the afternoon. So But yeah, it’s just, don’t, yeah, so. Bill Gasiamis (46:34) It’s easy for a caregiver to say that because they haven’t had a stroke. Thank God. Thank God. ⁓ Jennifer Tomscha (46:40) No, I know. Thank goodness. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Actually, I mean, I feel really bad for Dan and my mom and my sister. Like, it’s actually worse to be the caregiver in some ways because you just, you don’t go through it. So you, you don’t really know what it’s like. Bill Gasiamis (46:55) I and you, and if you’ve got an imagination, a wild imagination, you could turn it into something completely way worse than what it is. And if you’re ignorant, which most family members and caregivers are, let’s face it. And that’s okay. Then you do the other thing. You play it down and you assume she should be going harder than that or Jennifer Tomscha (47:11) Yeah. Mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (47:19) If I was, if it was me, I’d be doing that. But your brain has actually been injured and in that space, perhaps where motivation is for some people. And there is no way that you can make that person more motivated by willing them on or telling them to go to the gym or whatever. That could actually be missing the motivation part. So there’s a whole bunch of things that caregivers and family members miss. And it’s for me, it’s when I’m surrounded, when, when the people that are around me are Jennifer Tomscha (47:33) Mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (47:46) ⁓ people who don’t want to engage deeply in those types of troubles, life and all that kind of stuff. they’re great people. They’re just like, emotionally they don’t go deep, right? They love it that there’s ambiguity around like what’s wrong with me. Cause they look at me, I look right. And then they just go, everything’s fine. He looks amazing. I feel better now. And when I’m around him, I can just talk about dumb stuff. Jennifer Tomscha (48:07) Mmm, yeah, yeah. Bill Gasiamis (48:14) And we can talk about things that are not important and everything’s fine. And it’s kind of like head in the sand. It’s a, you know, one step, one emotional step removed from the actual goings on. And it kind of also helps me strangely enough, because then I don’t have to deal with their inability to handle actual life and the real things that are going on. Jennifer Tomscha (48:39) Mm. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (48:43) that can just be living in La La Land and I don’t have to deal with that level of complexity. So it’s kind of, they’re both situations are helping me in a way. Whereas at the beginning I was taking that negatively. The thing I do, the thing I would like to do is challenge caregivers to listen to the podcast, especially of the spouse who I’ve interviewed. Jennifer Tomscha (48:50) Yeah. Yeah, that’s true. Bill Gasiamis (49:09) You know, and then a couple more after that to get an insight so that they’re not guessing or second guessing or think they know better, et cetera. No doubt about it. they, know, they know some things about us that they can see that we’re not doing a pattern in behavior that we’re avoiding. Perhaps they know that part and all that type of thing. But we’ll say, we’re also dealing with a messed up brain. So have a bit of a kind of a Q Jennifer Tomscha (49:13) Hmm. Right, right. Bill Gasiamis (49:36) be curious about where that person’s coming from, not how you’re feeling about where they’re coming from. And that’s what family members and caregivers do. They make it about them. And I had to say a few times to people in my circles, like, it’s not about you. Jennifer Tomscha (49:43) Right. Ha Tomscha Tomscha! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Bill Gasiamis (49:56) It’s actually really about me. cannot walk and I can’t use my left hand. It’s not about you. Like I know you woke up with a numb leg one day because you slept on it wrong, but it’s not the same. Jennifer Tomscha (50:05) Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s funny. Yeah. Bill Gasiamis (50:14) My wife was dragging my foot in the wheelchair. It had fallen off the, you know, the rest where your leg, your feet sit. It had fallen off and I hadn’t noticed. This is like day three or day four after brain surgery. And it was dragging underneath the footrest. And she noticed that the wheelchair wasn’t moving and she was shoving it until we realized. Jennifer Tomscha (50:22) higher. Bill Gasiamis (50:40) My foot was stuck underneath the rest and we had a laugh. that kind of like, that’s one of those, if those people were there and they saw that, they would realize like, it’s not about your numb leg when you slept on it weird one night. take your stuff and just, you know, park it for now. So it’s interesting. That’s kind of why I think I do this podcast. I think it’s for those Jennifer Tomscha (50:44) Yeah, yeah, Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. The Journey of Recovery Bill Gasiamis (51:08) people if they, I’ve never told them that they should jump on, but if they, for example, get curious one day and they want to know what it’s like to be in Bill’s head, pick one of the 400 episodes. Just have a listen. Jennifer Tomscha (51:09) Mmm. I have a question for you. you, this is something that, so you think you could just, you can keep improving from your stroke. There’s not like a deadline. There’s not like a couple of years or any. Bill Gasiamis (51:36) One of the things I learned from my wife and my brother, my brother is my biggest nemesis. You he’s older and he’s the most loving guy. He’s the most supportive guy, but he has a weird way of doing it. Just, you know, we’re different characters, right? So he just is a bit different in the way. one, one of the things my brother said was that I picked up, I reckon it was five, six years ago is he’s in it for the long game. Jennifer Tomscha (52:03) Hmm. Bill Gasiamis (52:04) When I was young, I had 20 jobs in 10 years. He said two jobs in 40 years or 30 in 30 years. So he just chips away, works away, works away, works away. This is an analogy, right? But also a true story. My wife started her, her, her master’s in psychology. She only started that a few years ago, but the whole. Jennifer Tomscha (52:08) Hmm. Hmm. Bill Gasiamis (52:28) journey to get to the Masters of Psych started in I think late 2011 or early 2011, about a year before I ended up in hospital. She is just now finishing the last part of her Masters degree and she found a job literally a week ago in her field two days a week. Jennifer Tomscha (52:35) Mm. Mmm. ⁓ Bill Gasiamis (52:56) to work as a provisional psychologist so that she can get the 1500 hours of work in the field before she actually gets her actual full psychology license. And I’m like, dude, I get it. So what you’re telling me is that if you just start and never stop, you’re gonna see some kind of progress. And I apply that to… Jennifer Tomscha (53:08) Right. That’s amazing. Mmm. Mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (53:27) stroke recovery. I know that people are dealing with far more deficits that perhaps you and I show visibly and that their hand may not specifically work the way that it always that they wanted it to work or that the way that it worked before. But that doesn’t mean the brain’s not continuously continuously healing that part of the brain might be gone. But as far as healing the parts around the brain that are still there, that’s continuing. Jennifer Tomscha (53:28) Uh-huh. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (53:58) And if, and, and one of the questions that I have for people is like, is what I’m doing supporting my recovery or is it hindering my recovery? Because I’ve met stroke survivors who have gone back to the smokes, who have gone back to alcohol. And if you’re doing things that are getting in the way of recovery, then you’re not allowing the brain to continuously do what it does best, which is overcome challenges, rewire. Jennifer Tomscha (54:05) Mmm. Bill Gasiamis (54:25) find new ways around, know, develop new neural pathways and adapt. And that’s kind of where I think it’s at adaption, right? And the great thing about understanding these days about neurodiversity and understanding what somebody with ADHD goes through is the one skill they’re really, really good at is adaption. Jennifer Tomscha (54:31) Mm-hmm. Mm, that’s interesting. Yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (54:49) because and people with dyslexia. my God, like some of the biggest, most wealthy billionaires on the planet had dyslexia. Richard Branson is a classic example of that. Yeah. And they adapt. They find a way to somehow overcome the normal world and be weird in the way that they see letters and what letters do and how they move on a page and all that kind of stuff because their brain adapts and they can just continuously improve their adaption strategy. Jennifer Tomscha (54:57) really? didn’t know that. Mm-hmm. Bill Gasiamis (55:17) to get to a point where no one knows that they have this condition. So that’s what I’m really passionate about. That’s why the podcast exists. I’ve interviewed in my 400 episodes, I’ve certainly interviewed stroke survivors who I’ve had improvement 10, 11, 12, 13 years post stroke, got a finger movement back. Yeah, got sensation back, something rewired. So yeah. Jennifer Tomscha (55:19) Right. Mm-hmm. really? That’s amazing. Yeah, becau

What does returning to your work actually look like after becoming a mother?Wedding and family photographer Mari Trancoso gets into the messy, honest reality of building a photography business alongside motherhood — shifting capacity, rethinking pricing, outsourcing, and what "balance" genuinely looks like when you're in it.We also get into everything that sits outside the invoice: the mental load, the invisible labour, the constant recalibration that shapes the creative work you can make.If you're a photographer navigating motherhood, burnout, or a season of change — this one's for you.  

Addiction. We're not talking about the typical roles like mom, dad, or sibling. We're talking about the roles we adapt in order to survive the chaos, pain, and uncertainty that addiction brings into a family.These roles may help us cope in the moment—but over time, they become unhealthy for both us and our loved one.The good news?Once we can identify these roles, we can begin to break free from them and step back into who God truly created us to be.FindingHope.TodayHopeAfterLoss.TodayFHRetreat.comHALRetreat.com

Have you ever been so consumed by someone just out of reach that you checked your phone obsessively, fantasized endlessly, and somehow wanted them even more because they weren't fully available? There's actually a name for it — and in this episode of Pleasure in the Pause, Gabriella sits down with journalist, author, and limerence expert Amanda McCracken to talk about why so many of us get stuck chasing love instead of receiving it.At the heart of this conversation is a truth so many midlife women are quietly sitting with: we are all longing to be truly seen. But real love only becomes possible when we believe we are worthy of receiving it.Amanda McCracken is an award-winning journalist passionate about experiences that highlight the intersection of wellness, travel, and relationships. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, Vogue, National Geographic, Elle, NPR, Outside, ESPN, SELF, Runner's World, and many others. She published her first article about longing in 2013, which led to additional articles featuring personal anecdotes and deep research and interviews with the BBC and Katie Couric. She is now considered a “limerence expert” and intimacy advocate. Her 2023 TED Talk, “How Longing Keeps Us From Healthy Relationships,” and her podcast, The Longing Lab, highlight how longing can become self sabotaging and shares how to change our patterns of longing. McCracken is also a part-time university instructor, massage therapist, triathlon coach, and competitive athlete. Highlights from our discussion include:What limerence actually is, how it differs from a crush, and why today's dating culture — apps, social media, hookup culture — makes it more common than ever.Why the brain gets hooked on the chase: the trigger, the behavior, and the dopamine reward loop that keeps so many of us stuck.The moment Amanda realized she was more comfortable longing for love than actually having it — and what that revealed about her deeper fear of intimacy.The practical tools that helped her break the pattern, including cognitive reappraisal, nervous system work, EMDR, and a nightly mantra her therapist gave her.What healthy, realistic love actually feels like in midlife — and why Amanda says she trusted her husband before she loved him.CONNECT WITH AMANDA MCCRACKEN:WebsiteMy book: When Longing Becomes Your LoverMy podcast: The Longing LabWatch my TEDx talkRead my NYT story on limerenceInstagram: @amandajmccrackenTikTok: @thelonginglabCONNECT WITH GABRIELLA ESPINOSA:InstagramLinkedInWork with Gabriella! Full episodes on YouTube.The information shared on Pleasure in the Pause is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any decisions about your health or treatment. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or Pleasure in the Pause.

For anyone who knows they need to put the phone down, pick something up, and finally find out what they're made of. What if the life you're searching for is the one you keep scrolling past? In this solo episode, Meghan Telpner gets honest about one of the most quietly damaging habits of modern life: consuming more than we create. From the curated highlight reels that quietly erode our sense of self, to the synthetic hit of fast fashion and endless feeds that leave us full but starving, this episode names what so many of us feel but rarely say out loud. Drawing on three years of her own unraveling and rebuilding, Meghan shares what she found on the other side of the noise. A creative calling. Joy as a compass. And the terrifying, beautiful reality that responding to your own inner whisper is both the hardest and most important thing you will ever do. If you've been feeling restless, disconnected, or like you're watching your life from the outside, this one is for you. Links + Resources Full show notes Shop: 30% off Rise + Shine: Guided Path to Heart-Led Living and Leadership

What happens when the pressure to perform pulls you out of connection with yourself?In this solo episode, Anna explores the subtle but powerful difference between performance and connection — and how getting stuck in performance mode can cut us off from our creativity, intuition, and leadership.Drawing from her former career as a reality television editor, Anna shares a vivid behind-the-scenes story of what it was like to work creatively under intense pressure while being watched and judged in real time. Over the course of ten years in that environment, she discovered how easily the nervous system can spiral into self-conscious performance anxiety — and how that state disconnects us from the very flow we need in order to do our best work.But she also discovered a surprisingly simple pathway back.In this episode, Anna shares the strategy that repeatedly helped her return from performance mode into presence and creative flow: empathy.Through storytelling and a short guided reflection, you'll explore:• The difference between performance mode and connection• How self-consciousness disrupts creativity and intuition• What performance anxiety feels like in the body• Why empathy can regulate the nervous system and restore creative flow• A simple exercise to reconnect with yourself when you feel stuck in self-judgment or being observedWhether you're a leader, creative, entrepreneur, or someone who often feels “on display” in your work or life, this episode offers a compassionate way to come back to yourself.Because your best work doesn't come from performing.It comes from being present and connected. Try This ReflectionDuring the episode, Anna invites you to reflect on a moment when you felt pulled into performance mode — when you became overly aware of how you were being perceived.Notice what happens when you bring empathy toward that version of yourself.What changes in your breath, your muscles, and your energy when you shift from self-criticism to care? Free Workshop: Let Yourself Be SeenIf this episode resonated with you and you want to explore what it means to move out of performance and into authentic expression, Anna's free workshop Let Yourself Be Seen is a great next step.In this workshop, you'll explore the internal blocks that keep you hiding, performing, or second-guessing yourself — and begin practicing ways to show up with more clarity, creativity, and self-trust.You can sign up or download the workshop here:www.annaholtzman.com/beseen Stay ConnectedAnna loves hearing how these reflections land for listeners.If you try the exercise from this episode or have thoughts you'd like to share, you can email:anna@annaholtzman.com

What do you do when God feels absent in your deepest suffering? In this raw and hope-filled conversation with host Toriano Mayo (lead pastor of The Well in Austin), Tiffany Stein - author of Mourning God - shares how losing her infant son led her to a secondary loss she never expected: the felt absence of God's presence. Tiffany reveals what Job's friends got right (silence) and wrong (talking), how to lament which includes complaining and ultimately trusting, and what it means to build enduring hope on the only thing that can't be taken away.Key Insights and Time Stamps:01:51 - What God Is Doing in Austin07:26 - Mourning the God You Thought You Knew 08:51 - Four-Part Lament: Turn, Complain, Ask, Trust 10:29 - It's Holy to Grieve What Is Not Good 17:56 - Pastoring the Suffering Individual 21:08 - Hope = Expecting Good Things Based on God's Person and Promises 22:37 - Sorrow AND Joy (Not Sorrow OR Joy) 25:10 - Living in the Mystery: God Is Good AND My Son Died Resources Mentioned:* Mourning God: Grieving Loss, Wrestling with God, and Finding Your Way Back to Life by Tiffany Stein* Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering by Tim Keller* https://www.tiffanystein.com/ (bonus content, spiritual practices, lament exercises)Follow Innovative Church Leaders:Website: https://innovativechurchleaders.org/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InnovativeChurchLeaders Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InnovativeChurchLeaders/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/innovativechurchleaders LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovative-church-leaders/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@innovativechurchleadersToriano Mayo: The Well Austin: https://thewellaustin.com/Tiffany Stein: Website: https://tiffanystein.com/ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-post-christian-podcast/id1509588357Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ZeQIrzr2tCMyq1VdwxGNnOne-third of the Psalms are laments. Learn to practice this missing spiritual discipline at https://www.innovativechurchleaders.org/join-us.#ChurchLeadership #Lament #Grief #Suffering #PastoralCare #Psalms #ChristianGrief #SecondaryLoss #Hope #ChildLoss #InnovativeChurchLeaders #TiffanyStein

Shopify: Start your $1/month trial at Shopify.com/trent There comes a moment in life where everything looks right on the outside, but inside, something feels off. Not broken, just disconnected. In this episode, I'm sitting down with one of my closest friends, Corey, and we're having a real conversation about what people call a midlife crisis, but what we believe is really midlife drift. This isn't about buying a sports car or making reckless decisions. It's about waking up one day and realizing you've been living on autopilot, pouring into everyone else, chasing responsibilities, and somehow drifting away from you. We talk about how it happens, why it happens, and most importantly, how to take your life back with intention. Because here's the truth. It's not too late. You're not stuck. And just because you drifted doesn't mean you can't redirect. If you've been feeling lost, disconnected, or just not like yourself lately, this conversation is for you. It's time to stop drifting, and start living on purpose again.

In this episode of Love Your Love Muscle, we explore the deeper journey of finding your way back to yourself with special guest Christina from Health for Life and Way to Yourself. Inspired by the work behind the organization Way to Yourself, we discuss how mindfulness, emotional awareness, and conscious breathing can help reconnect you with your inner clarity and purpose. Get to know more and support Christina's amazing organization Way to Yourself here: www.way-to-yourself.org Many people search for answers outside themselves, yet the most powerful transformation often begins within. Through practical reflections and simple awareness techniques, this conversation explores how self-connection can lead to greater resilience, authenticity, and emotional balance. This episode offers insights for anyone who wants to reconnect with their inner guidance, cultivate calm, and rediscover their natural sense of direction in life.   Join our community on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TMGmeditations Follow Seb on Vero True Social: https://vero.co/seb_tmg Follow Seb on Mastodon: https://mastodon.cosmicnation.co/@seb_tmg Join the conversation on Telegram: https://t.me/TMGCommunity

If you've ever felt your body work against you in a performance, if tension, fear, or a loss of control has crept into your playing and you don't know why, and if you've wondered whether it can actually get better, this episode is for you. Gabriel Radford, Third Horn of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, was diagnosed with focal dystonia at the height of his career. He came back playing better than before, and co-founded the Embouchure Project to help other musicians do the same. This conversation is honest, practical, and full of things musicians rarely hear spoken out loud. What you'll take away: ·         Why fear can show up long before a playing problem becomes visible, and what that early signal means ·         What neuroscience tells us about why the body stops cooperating, and how to reverse it ·         Why rigid practice routines may be working against you ·         The one daily habit that can rewire your relationship with your instrument ·         What the Embouchure Project is ·         And much more! If you're ready to step on stage with confidence, perform at your best, and finally feel secure in your playing, let's talk! Book a free discovery call and let's create a plan to get you there. Are you ready to take your playing and career to the next level and create a life that feels purposeful and joyful? Let's connect and explore how personalized coaching can support your journey. Click here to schedule your free consultation, and let's start turning your goals into reality.   Book your FREE Music Mastery Experience Discovery call with Renée HERE Book your free consultation with Renée HERE Download the transcript from this episode HERE   GABRIEL RADFORD AND THE EMBOUCHURE PROJECT Bio: https://www.tso.ca/about/orchestra/members-of-the-orchestra/gabriel-radford Website: https://www.theembouchureproject.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theembouchureproject/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881319796540674/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEmbouchureProject Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jOd5wjakuvJmZuiaGoKqP     Mind Over Finger Click www.mindoverfinger.com/coaching to book your free consultation with me. Visit MindOverFinger.com for my online courses as well as free resources on peak performance. Grab my free workshops and PDF downloads by going to www.mindoverfinger.com/resources. Connect: https://www.youtube.com/@MindOverFinger https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfinger https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/     THANK YOU: Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show's musical theme:  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson.

What happens when the things we chase stop feeling like the things that matter most?Today, Bob's friend Shay Mooney joins the podcast to share stories from his journey in music, the pressures that come with success, and the moment that helped him refocus on faith, family, and what truly matters. Bob and Shay talk about the power of music to unite people, the importance of safe places and safe friendships, and why sometimes the bravest thing we can do is simply run home.This conversation is a gentle reminder to slow down, refill your reservoir, and return to the people and purpose that matter most.Connect with Shay: @shaymooneyConnect with Bob: @bobgoff--Join Bob at an upcoming workshop or event: bobgoff.com/events

Hey friends, welcome back to Anchored by the Sword Podcast. Today's conversation is tender, honest, and so needed.I'm joined by Tiffany Stein, who just released a brand-new book: Mourning God: Grieving Loss, Wrestling with God, and Finding Your Way Back to Life. And let me tell you — this episode is for anyone who has ever walked through grief, felt disoriented in their faith, or wondered, “God… where are You in this?”In this episode, Tiffany shares: • Life in Austin, Texas, and how she now gets to disciple nine-year-olds as a 4th grade teacher at a Christian private school • Her background in church ministry (including serving as a women's pastor) and what it looked like to walk with people toward Christ • Her personal “freedom journey” — from fearing a “righteous and angry God,” to slowly discovering God as loving, present, and safe • How seasons of depression, questioning, and searching shaped her faith (and why asking hard questions doesn't mean you're walking away from God)Tiffany's story of lossTiffany opens up about the devastating loss of her son, David, who was born in 2018 with a congenital heart abnormality and spent 53 days in the NICU before he went to be with the Lord. She shares what it was like to grieve publicly while also serving as pastors — and how the hardest part wasn't only the loss… but the feeling that God's presence “lifted” afterward.That “double grief” became part of what birthed this book: • grieving her child • and grieving the God she thought she knewA word for the Church: please stop saying thiscatWe also talk about how well-meaning Christians sometimes use “quick words” that actually cause more harm — especially phrases like:“Everything happens for a reason.”Tiffany gives such a needed invitation for believers to learn the ministry of presence, and to normalize lament the way Scripture does (because yes… a huge portion of the Psalms are lament).Sometimes the holiest thing you can do is: • show up • sit in silence • bring a meal • remember the anniversary • send the Mother's Day card • and let people grieve without being correctedBecause grief doesn't need to be fixed — it needs to be witnessed.Friend, if you're grieving… if you're wrestling… if you're angry… if you feel distant… please hear me: you are not disqualified. God can handle your questions, your tears, and your lament.Bio:Tiffany Stein is an ordained minister and trusted shepherd with more than a decade of ministry experience. She currently serves as a fourth grade teacher at Austin Classical School and previously served as women's pastor and marriage and care director at Irving Bible Church in Dallas, Texas. Tiffany is a native Texan and a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and Oklahoma Baptist University. She has a deep desire to see individuals grow in the fullness and joy of Christ and comes alive when writing and teaching. She delights in one-on-one conversations with a cup of hot tea in hand and takes every opportunity to hike the Texas Hill Country. Tiffany is married to Jason, the executive pastor at The Well Austin. They have two beloved children: David, who is with the Lord, and Emma Ruth. The Steins live in the suburbs of Austin.Anchor Verses:2 Corinthians 1:3–4 Romans 12:15Psalm 27:13–14 Connect with Tiffany:Website: https://www.tiffanystein.comIG: https://www.instagram.com/tiffanyrstein***We love hearing from you! Your reviews help our podcast community and keep these important conversations going. If this episode inspired you, challenged you, or gave you a fresh perspective, we'd be so grateful if you'd take a moment to leave a review. Just head to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen and share your thoughts—it's a simple way to make a big impact!*** 

In this episode of The Upwards Podcast, host Tressa Spingler sits down with author and pastor Tiffany Stein for a conversation that goes where the church often doesn't — into the deep, disorienting territory of grief, lament, and the silence of God.Tiffany's new book, Mourning God, was born out of the loss of her infant son David, who lived only 53 days, and the years of secondary infertility and spiritual wrestling that followed. With pastoral tenderness and unflinching honesty, she guides us through what it means to mourn not only our losses — but the God we thought we knew.Together, Tressa and Tiffany explore:What grief really is — including the losses we rarely name (identity, health, dreams, relationships)The concept of secondary grief — mourning the God you thought you knewWhy lament is an act of faith, not a detour from itThe four-part framework of lament: turn, complain, ask, trustThe difference between the wall and the dark night of the soulHow the Psalms give language to grief when our own words failWhat it means to hold joy and sorrow together — and why the church struggles to make space for bothPractical ways to walk with a grieving friend — and how to ask for what you needA vision of resurrection hope as the foundation for enduring lossWe close with the Beatitudes — a moving benediction over every soul in a season of grief. This is a conversation full of compassion, biblical depth, and the kind of hope that is honest enough to hold sorrow alongside it.Resources Mentioned:Mourning God: Grieving Loss, Wrestling with God, and Finding Your Way Back to Life by Tiffany Stein - https://www.navpress.com/p/mourning-god/9781641589833Spotify Playlist inspired by the themes of Mourning God - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0tzsO1vVNYZAwHX01H3WaA?si=08d1ca13138d44cdThe Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith by Janet Hagberg & Robert GuelichEmotionally Healthy Spirituality by Pete ScazzeroWalking with God through Pain and Suffering by Tim KellerScripture references: Psalm 27:13, Psalm 42–43, Psalm 88, Isaiah 53, John 11, Luke 23"You Bring the Morning" — song by Andy SquyresSubscribe to The Upwards Podcast wherever you get your podcasts, and visit slbf.org/studio for more conversations and resources.

Is alcohol confidence, connection, and a doorway back to yourself, or is it a liquid barrier that keeps you further away?In this episode, Vic is joined by Australian broadcaster and former Triple J presenter Mel Bampton. Now 15 years sober, Mel has come full circle back to radio after spending years rebuilding her life around yoga, surfing and sobriety. Together, they explore one powerful question: how do we make our way back after losing ourselves to alcohol?Mel explains how alcohol can feel like a shortcut back to playfulness, imagination, and that light, giggly version of us we lost somewhere between school rules, expectations, and being told to “behave”. They talk about how drinking can seem like it's giving you freedom, when it's quietly taking pieces of you away, and why it can be so hard to notice that loss of self when you start young.They also dig into timing, the moment you know it's time to stop, the shift from chaos to clarity, and the surprising truth that sobriety can be less about becoming someone new, and more about returning to who you were before life made you small.There's tequila, hangovers, bins full of glass bottles, silent discos in the jungle, and a full-circle comeback story that proves this, even if you've taken the scenic route, you can always find your way back to you.Enjoy!@melbampton_https://www.thepranaproject.com/blog/whats-in-a-name

In this episode of the Church Planter Podcast, Peyton and Andrea Jones sit down with Tiffany Stein—pastor, church planter's wife, and author of Mourning God: Grieving Loss, Wrestling with God, and Finding Your Way Back to Life.Tiffany shares her powerful story of faith, loss, and leadership after the death of her infant son, David, who lived for 53 days. As a pastor in a highly visible church context, her grief unfolded publicly, forcing her to wrestle not only with devastating loss, but with the haunting silence of God that followed.This conversation goes beyond theology and into the raw, emotional terrain church planters and ministry leaders often face but rarely discuss. Tiffany unpacks:What it means to “mourn the God you thought you knew”Why emotional doubt can be more destabilizing than intellectual doubtThe danger of quick-fix theology and Christian clichésWhy the Church desperately needs a robust theology of lamentHow leaders can grieve authentically while still shepherding othersThe humbling discipline of receiving care instead of always giving itFor church planters leading through infertility, loss, burnout, unanswered prayer, or spiritual silence, this episode offers permission to be human and a pathway back to hope.Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:Mourning GodReliant Mission: reliant.org/cppNewBreed TrainingThanks for listening to the church planter podcast. We're here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people, no one else is reaching.Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

In this episode of SharpHR Second Chapter, I'm joined by Michael Olinger, often referred to as MO, who spent 24 years in funeral services as a licensed funeral director and manager before beginning a new chapter as a financial advisor. Michael shares what it was like to step away from a profession deeply tied to identity, service, and responsibility — and how he found his way back to himself in the process. This conversation explores the emotional weight of long careers, the quiet signals that something has shifted, and the courage it takes to choose a different path after decades in one role. This is an honest, reflective story about listening inward, redefining purpose, and trusting yourself enough to begin again.  

In this episode, Hannah discusses the themes of grit and motivation, emphasizing the importance of consistency in pursuing goals. She shares personal experiences and practical strategies for overcoming challenges and regaining motivation after setbacks. Key techniques include acknowledging feelings, practicing gratitude, engaging in movement, and utilizing breath for emotional regulation. Hannah encourages listeners to implement these simple yet effective strategies to foster resilience and maintain motivation in their lives.takeawaysConsistency is key to achieving goals and dreams.Acknowledging feelings is essential before moving forward.Gratitude can transform your perspective and motivation.Movement, even in small ways, can boost your mood.Breathwork helps in regulating emotions and responses.Simple strategies can lead to significant changes in motivation.Building healthy habits is crucial for resilience.Recognizing the privilege of being alive fosters gratitude.Feeling down is normal; it's how you respond that matters.Implementing these techniques can lead to a more motivated state.

Has this year left you feeling defeated? If you're ready to give up after giving it all you had, this episode will give you the push needed to get up and fight another day. In this teaching, I share my practical advice for starting over, even when it feels like things never work out. The truth is, you have no idea how close you are to winning the fight while you're in it. Sometimes you just need a reminder that you have what it takes to try again. Highlights from Today's Episode Looking for the silver lining Learning how to fail forward Leaning into the beauty of this season Related Resources Need more encouragement for starting again? Watch this podcast episode to learn How to Regain Motivation. Tired of drifting away from your goals? Check out this podcast episode on Finding Your Way Back. Reset for the year ahead with the Write It Down guide and the free Dream Builders Workshop. CLICK HERE FOR FULL SHOW NOTES The post #561 – When the Year Didn't Go As Planned first appeared on Chrystal Evans Hurst.

Hey ya'll.This episode felt like sitting down with a friend who tells the truth and somehow says exactly what you needed to hear. Lynn Mull shares her path from Wall Street executive to holistic midlife coach.We talk about burnout, intuition, internal family systems, and redefining abundance in a way that actually feels good. It is honest, funny, a little cosmic, and perfect if you are in a who am I now season.Highlights: (03:18) When the pace of Wall Street stopped feeling sustainable (09:02) The moment she realized staying would eventually make her sick (16:10) Masculine energy, burnout, and learning how to soften (25:05) Using internal family systems to hear yourself think again (35:12) Redefining abundance beyond money and stuff (45:30) Living in the and, ambition and rest side by sideFind out more about Lynn:WebsiteLinkedInInstagram: @_lynnmullSubstackThe 24 Oracle DeckQualia Mind - click hereCoupon Code: SHOCKANDYALL (15% off any purchase)Visit Nicole's on demand fitness platform for live weekly classes and a recorded library of yoga, strength training, guided audio meditations and mobility (Kinstretch) classes, as well: https://www.sweatandstillness.comGrab Nicole's bestselling children's book and enter your email for A FREE GIFT: https://www.yolkedbook.comFind Nicole on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/nicolesciacca/Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thenicolesciaccaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicolesciaccayoga/Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1X8PPWCQa2werd4unex1eAPractice yoga with Nicole in person in Santa Monica, CA at Aviator Nation Ride. Get the App to book in: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/aviator-nation-ride/id1610561929Book a discovery call or virtual assessment with Nicole here: https://www.calendly.com/nicolesciaccaThis Podcast is proudly produced by Wavemakers Audio

How do you embrace the ways you and your spouse are so different? Greg Smalley gives a helpful perspective for appreciating your mate's uniqueness. Also, Jim Daly talks to Tara Lalonde and Dr. Bob Paul on how to love your spouse for who they are, not who you wish they'd be. Find us online at focusonthefamily.com/marriagepodcast or call 1-800-A-FAMILY. Receive the book Loving the Spouse God Gave You for your donation of any amount! Hope Restored Empowered to Love: Discovering Your God-Given Power to Create a Marriage You Both Love Contact our Counseling Team Take the Reactive Cycle Assessment Support This Show! If you enjoyed listening to the Focus on Marriage Podcast, please give us your feedback.

If the holidays bring up a lot for you, old roles, old emotions, or the pressure to keep everyone happy, you're not alone. Christmas has a way of activating the patterns and survival strategies that once helped you feel safe, pleasing, perfecting, over-functioning, or shutting down. In this episode, Dr. Alison Cook shares how these patterns show up in her own life, why they resurface, and how you can gently find your way back to peace. You'll learn: the 3 types of needs that get tangled inside why holiday dynamics awaken old wounds and responses a simple way to return to the place of peace at your center how to redefine “success” this holiday season

How do you embrace the ways you and your spouse are so different? Greg Smalley gives a helpful perspective for appreciating your mate's uniqueness. Also, Jim Daly talks to Tara Lalonde and Dr. Bob Paul on how to love your spouse for who they are, not who you wish they'd be. Find us online at focusonthefamily.com/marriagepodcast or call 1-800-A-FAMILY. Receive the book Loving the Spouse God Gave You for your donation of any amount! Hope Restored Empowered to Love: Discovering Your God-Given Power to Create a Marriage You Both Love Contact our Counseling Team Take the Reactive Cycle Assessment Support This Show! If you enjoyed listening to the Focus on Marriage Podcast, please give us your feedback. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1196/29?v=20251111

Guest Neil Markey joins host Martin for a grounded conversation about mental wellbeing, resilience, and the realities of finding calm after high-pressure lives. A former Army Ranger who later entered the corporate world as a McKinsey executive, Neil speaks openly about post-combat PTSD, burnout, and the long path toward rebuilding a workable inner life. He describes how these experiences led him to Beckley Retreats, a legal psilocybin program that integrates modern research with meditation, mindful movement, and intentional time outdoors.The episode explores the challenges of high-functioning burnout, the limits of performance culture, and the struggle veterans and leaders face when trying to reenter ordinary life with their nervous systems still wired for crisis. Martin guides a candid discussion about what actually supports post-traumatic growth and what often fails to help. Neil offers practical insights from his work with both veterans and civilians, emphasizing embodied practices, transparency, and the discipline required to heal without shortcuts.Listeners looking for an honest, science-informed approach to resilience will find this conversation steady, thoughtful, and deeply human.To learn more about Neil's work:beckleyretreats.com | @beckleyretreatsBook a call with meConnect with me on LinkedIn   Avalon Publicity & Business Services Increasing the Digital Footprint of Content Creators via Modern Publicity and Social Media ServicesSupport the showGet outside, have fun and be safe!Martin Armitage, Host of the Papa Bear Hikes Podcasthttps://www.papabearhikes.com/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/papa-bear-hikes/id1541491746https://www.instagram.com/papabearhikes01/

“Mediocrity disgusts me. Being normal never made sense.” — Michael “The Monster” Todd The post Michael “The Monster” Todd: Faith, Grit & Finding Your Way Back first appeared on The Next Level Guy Show.

Send us a textBob Martin shares his remarkable journey from flunking out of college to becoming a mob lawyer and eventually a meditation teacher, illustrating how unexpected doors can open when we remain open to transformation.• Born to immigrant parents who survived persecution in Eastern Europe• Received a football scholarship but flunked out of college• Worked as a prosecutor under Janet Reno during Miami's "cocaine cowboys" era• Transitioned to defending the same mob figures he once prosecuted• Discovered spirituality through a 72nd generation Taoist grandmaster• Moved to North Carolina to start fresh and deepened his meditation practice• Now teaches at Elon University and helps others find inner peaceOur nervous systems evolved for a much simpler environment with clear dangers, not today's chronic, ambiguous stressors• Meditation helps create space between ourselves and our thoughts• With just 10 minutes of practice daily for 2-3 weeks, we can begin breaking conditioning• True happiness comes through service to others, not self-focus• Both Eastern and Western spiritual traditions share core wisdom when we look beyond surface differencesVisit awiseandhappylife.com for free meditation resources, downloadable guides, and contact information. Email Bob directly at bob@awiseandhappylife.com.Support the show

Did you know that a leading cause of drowning is exhaustion? This happens when a swimmer gets too far from shore and they are unable to make it safely back. Walking away from God is like drifting away from the safety of the shoreline. When a person drifts too far for too long, they soon find themselves so far away that they give up trying to turn back. Soon, they are drowning in a sea of rebellion, believing lies, and rejecting the truth. How can a person find their way back to God? This episode offers four suggestions, and then you can spend some time in prayer after this episode, asking God for even greater direction. This is just a starter list. By the way, if you know someone who has drifted away from God, do not assume that they will want to listen to this episode. Ask their permission first before sharing.  HELPFUL STUDY TOOLS AT KEEP THE HEART SMALL GROUP FAVORITE: Apply: Living What We Learn--31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor Ponder the Path: A 31-Day Devotional by Francie Taylor FOR COUPLES: Rough Patches: Temporary Marital Tensions by Francie Taylor BIBLE STUDY GROUPS: ICU: In Christ Unconditionally-Heart Conditions What Do I Have to Lose: A 50-Day Devotional (Book Two) by Janice Wolfe From Overwhelmed to Overcomer by Natalie Raynes Blanton Herbs for the Heart: A Study of James by Kathy Ashley Follow Keep the Heart on Instagram Like Keep the Heart on Facebook

One of the most painful questions I get asked: "Todd, how do I forgive my partner after they cheated on me?" It feels like a monumental task when you've been so hurt, so tossed around, so dishonored by your partner's secrets.Here's what I want you to know right up front - you don't have to forgive. That's totally up to you. But if you can, it makes you feel better because forgiveness is really about the person forgiving, not the person being forgiven.In this episode, I walk you through the two different paths of forgiveness after infidelity: when you stay with your partner and when you don't. Each path looks different, but both require you to feel the pain before you can let it go.In this episode, you'll hear:• Why you don't have to forgive (but why it might help you) • The two situations where forgiveness makes sense • How to forgive when you're not staying together • What it looks like when a partner is actually safe to forgive • Why infidelity is a symptom, not the core issue • How to talk to the protective part of you that doesn't want to forgive • Living in the world of probability instead of demanding certainty • Why forgiveness is a process, not a one-time eventYou can't let go of pain that you don't feel. You got to feel first. It's like a tight fist and then you just let it go. Maybe you do that a thousand times, but you start to enjoy the feeling of being open again.Whether you stay or go, I want you to give yourself permission to soften the wall, loosen the ties, and be open to have the love you deserve. If this episode resonates with you, please share it with someone who could benefit and leave a review. Your support helps us reach more couples who are ready to transform their lives.Check out my complete program "From Bickering & Escalating to Connecting & Loving" for more in-depth guidance: https://www.toddcreagertraining.com/loving-connecting-masterclassTodd Creager, LCSW, LMFTTodd is a sex expert and therapist in Huntington Beach. He provides relationship coaching to couples throughout the world and in Orange County including Irvine, Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, Laguna Beach, Seal Beach and Long Beach. (714) 848-2288.You can find more tips and resources from Todd Creager at: https://toddcreager.com HELPFUL LINKS: Get your FREE copy of Healing Infidelity From The Inside Out https://www.toddcreagertraining.com/heal-infidelity Secrets to a Sexy Marriage: https://toddcreager.kartra.com/page/sexy-marriage-secrets 7 Ways to Divorce Proof Your Marriage: https://toddcreager.kartra.com/page/optin-DPYM ...

Send us a textHave you ever experienced the painful distance of an estranged relationship? That space between you and someone you once felt close to—whether a parent, child, or sibling—can feel impossible to bridge. Yet reconciliation might be more possible than you think.In this raw, unscripted conversation, we pull back the curtain on our personal experiences with family estrangement. Gen courageously shares her journey of reconciliation with her mother for the first time publicly, revealing the emotional complexity of moving from disconnection to healing. We explore what happens in that space between the anger, disappointment, frustration, and eventual clarity that can emerge from separation.The heart of our discussion centers on what real healing requires. Self-reflection must precede reconciliation; you can't depend on others to heal your emotional wounds. Communication, both with yourself and eventually with the estranged person, forms the foundation for rebuilding trust. We examine how redefining "normal" within relationships creates space for healthier dynamics to emerge.Perhaps most poignantly, we confront the reality of time—how quickly it passes and how much is lost during periods of estrangement. As the holiday season approaches, this conversation feels especially timely for anyone considering whether reconciliation with an estranged family member might be possible.Whether you're currently experiencing estrangement or supporting someone who is, this episode offers guidance for navigating the journey from disconnection to reconciliation. The work isn't easy, but as we've discovered firsthand, the reward of rebuilding meaningful relationships makes every difficult conversation worth it.Look up, and let's elevate. Support the showhttps://linktr.ee/genthebuilder

This week, we’ll hear from Bethany Joy Lenz, an actor, singer, director, and now author, who shares a deeply personal story of her time in a spiritually abusive community and the journey of healing and rediscovering faith that followed. Later in the episode, we’ll hear from speaker and non-profit founder JT Mestdagh. Born with a rare and complex condition that led to over a dozen major surgeries before the age of sixteen, JT’s life has been anything but ordinary. From long hospital stays to reaching the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, he’s faced life’s toughest challenges with an optimism and heart for helping others. Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Amy Downs Upcoming interview: Chrissy Metz Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith on UPTV Bethany Joy Lenz Dinner for Vampires Richard Barrett Brooklyn College of Opera Guiding Light One Tree Hill Hebrews 11:1-2 NIV www.bethanyjoylenz.org JT Mestdagh Mount Kilimanjaro JT Mestdagh Foundation VACTERL syndrome Dyslexia Children’s Hospital Colorado ww.JTMestdagh.com No Bad Days Interview Quotes: “I fundamentally believed—not in my head, but in my body and my heart—that if I did all the right things, if I checked off everything on the Christian girl list, then God would be pleased with me, and I would have a good life.’ - Bethany Joy Lenz “You need your brain in order to have faith. God is so big. He’s not afraid of us thinking. The more you think, the more you understand, the more Christianity makes sense out of everything else in the world.” - Bethany Joy Lenz “When you understand what you believe—when you think about it and you research it and you journal about it, the further you dissect it, the more intricate and fascinating it becomes.” - Bethany Joy Lenz “God is big enough to not be intimidated or afraid of your questions, your mess, that spaghetti bowl of confusion. God is big enough to untangle it and to guide you.” – Bethany Joy Lenz “I always talk about finding your tribe—the people around you that are going to support you and help you throughout challenges.” - JT Mestdagh “I look back at moments where the Good Lord has worked in my life—where the doors were closed and new doors were opened along the way—and it is totally Him working with me and through me.” - JT Mestdagh “When I look back at my conversations with the Lord, my time with Him and speaking to Him has been some of the most encouraging moments that have gotten me back on track.” - JT Mestdagh “There are no bad days. There’s only hard days, and we get through them with the Good Lord.” - JT Mestdagh ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7 Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u What’s Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Website TikTok Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Ever feel stuck in your faith—like God feels far away no matter what you do? I've been there too. In this episode, I share why the rhythms we keep with God—like church, quiet time, and prayer—are life-changing, and what often gets in the way of consistency (like pain, distraction, or cultural voices). Plus, I'll give you practical steps to rebuild intimacy and trust with Him. If you've been drifting, this will help you take your next step back toward God. love, Brittany    Ready to become a peaceful wife and Mama? Sign Up for the Pain to Peace Academy HERE. Come say hi and join the Morning Mama Facebook Group! I would love to hear your story and know your name.    ALL THE LINKS FOR ALL THE THINGS! Morning Mama Website Pain to Peace Academy Morning Mama Facebook Group Follow Us on Instagram Find a Restoration Therapist Come say hi by emailing hello@morningmamapodcast.com

"Send us a message! (questions, feedback, etc.)"When couples in conflict feel a million miles apart, are they? Are the areas of "stuckness" as insurmountable as it sometimes feels?KELLY BOURQUE, is a therapist who specializes in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), a modality of counseling that focuses on attachment science and how it shows up in romantic relationships. Kelly is the founder of Red Therapy Group in Franklin TN. EFT is a modality based in attachment theory, and is helpful in allowing couples to identify unhealthy patterns in their relationships. Patterns such as the "push/pull" or "pursuer/withdrawer" dynamic, or with anxious/avoidant attachment styles.Kelly talks about how EFT has been invaluable in helping couples see that despite the surface conflict, they usually desire the same things. It can help them get out of old, unhelpful cycles and find their way back to each other more healthily and authentically.#kellybourque #redtherapygroup #emotionallyfocusedtherapy #efttherapy #efct #efit #suejohnson #holdmetight #createdforconnection #addiction #recovery #grace #gospel #transformationFree consultation for 3-day intensives in Franklin, TN. Click hereRed Therapy Group website (traditional therapy for TN residents)Kelly's book I Have Feelings About ThisKelly's video series for betrayal trauma recoveryFind an EFT therapist (https://iceeft.com/) Support the showAwaken websiteRoots Retreat Men's IntensiveRoots Retreat Women's WorkshopAwaken Men & Women's support meeting info (including virtual)

If you're one of the 600,000 women who undergo hysterectomies annually in the US—with 73% having their ovaries removed—you may feel completely unprepared for the sexual and emotional changes that follow surgical menopause. On Pleasure and the Pause, we're breaking the silence around this isolating journey. Host Gabriella Espinosa sits down with Dr. Juliana Hauser, a nationally recognized sex therapist who personally navigated surgical menopause, to explore how women can reclaim their sexuality, rediscover pleasure, and find their way back to themselves after this life-changing procedure.Are you ready to awaken your sensuality and feel more empowered in your body? Access the FREE Pleasure Upgrade Bundle at https://www.pleasureinthepause.com/gift.Dr. Juliana Hauser, a nationally recognized expert in relationships, sex, and holistic sexuality. Dr. Juliana is a Ph.D. in Counseling Education who has built an extraordinary career spanning academia, clinical leadership, and community advocacy. She leads a thriving private practice where she works with individuals and couples navigating complex life experiences, and in September, she's releasing her highly anticipated book, "A New Position on Sex: A Guide to Greater Sexual Confidence, Pleasure, and Authenticity."Highlights from our discussion include:Understand surgical options and their impact on hormonal health and sexual function before a hysterectomy.Prioritize sexual health in medical conversations, asking specific questions about post-surgery effects.Proactively build a support team including a menopause doula, pelvic floor therapist, and mental health professional.Embrace self-discovery regarding sexual agency after surgical menopause, approaching changes with curiosity.Advocate for proper hormone management, insisting on regular tests and speaking up if something feels off.Surgical menopause doesn't have to mean the end of your sexual story—it can be the beginning of a new chapter written entirely on your terms. Remember: your sexuality isn't a luxury, it's a necessity. Whether you're considering this surgery or supporting someone who is, know that pleasure, confidence, and sexual fulfillment are absolutely possible on the other side.If you're seeking to reclaim your pleasure and vitality, join Gabriella at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.pleasureinthepause.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for this enlightening journey into the heart of female pleasure and empowerment.CONNECT WITH DR. JULIANA HAUSER:WebsiteInstagramBookTED Talk: AgencyCONNECT WITH GABRIELLA ESPINOSA:InstagramLinkedInWork with Gabriella! Use code GABRIELLAESPINOSA at foriawellness.com for 20% off your order.Full episodes on YouTube.

How do we move forward when the future is uncertain and the path to healing feels like a rollercoaster? In this episode, host Dr. Adam Rinde sits down with renowned sports and performance psychologist Dr. Haley Perlus to explore the emotional and mental dynamics of healing, resilience, and intentional recovery.Drawing from her decades of experience working with Olympic athletes, business leaders, and wellness warriors, Dr. Perlus offers a compelling framework for managing fear, reframing perfection, and cultivating momentum—even in the face of chronic illness and burnout. Together, they dive into the emotional quadrants of resilience, the role of low-positive emotional states (like calm and reflection), and the importance of pre-performance rituals in healing journeys..Whether you're navigating stress, autoimmune challenges, or simply seeking to live with more presence and purpose, this conversation will help you tap into the energy of intention and rediscover your own power to heal.

In this candid panel conversation, Pastor Ricky Ortiz talks with Meta Church members Gus, Sky, Cynthia, and Lilly about their respective faith journeys and what it's looked like for each of them as they've tried to find their way back to God. As you listen, you'll find yourself refreshed by their honesty and relieved to know that no matter where you are on your own journey, God desires to meet you there and walk forward with you!

Welcome to Season 4 of Healing the Broken Marriage with Brian and Elisha.

Why is it still so hard to just be in your own skin when you're a gay Latinx man? From religious guilt to macho pressure, the layers of shame and silence can run deep. In this episode, therapist and NYU instructor Lucas Saiter joins us to unpack the mental health challenges gay Latinx men face—and how we can finally stop carrying everyone else's expectations. Lucas brings powerful insight as a clinician, Latinx gay man, and community builder. From healing identity wounds to rebuilding intimate connections, he's helping men take off the mask and find real belonging—in themselves and in their communities. If you've ever felt like you're too much or not enough, this one's for you. In this episode we: Learn how to close the gap between shame and self-lov Break the patterns of it being rude or disrespectful to discuss mental health in the Latinx world Discover how vulnerability is a superpower About Lucas Lucas Saiter is the founder and director of Manhattan Therapy NYC and Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Applied Psychology at NYU. In addition to working in a group practice in New York City, he also maintains his own private practice, supervising recent graduates obtaining hours for licensure. Clinically he has interests in many areas, including LGBTQIA+ individuals working on strengthening identity, Latinx individuals and couples, immigrants adjusting to living in NYC, adults and young adults dealing with anxiety, depression, identity concerns, trauma, and relationship and intimacy concerns. Connect With Lucas Website Hey Guys, Check This Out! Are you a guy who keeps struggling to do that thing? You know the thing you keep telling yourself and others you're going to do, but never do? Then it's time to get real and figure out why. Join the 40 Plus: Gay Men Gay Talk, monthly chats. They happen the third Monday of each month at 5:00 pm Pacific - Learn More! Also, join our Facebook Community - 40 Plus: Gay Men, Gay Talk Community Break free of fears. Make bold moves. Live life without apologies

Do you feel like you've drifted away from your goals? Maybe you feel like time has come and gone, and you're still in the same place you were years ago. If you've found yourself veering off track and losing focus, you're not alone. At one point or another, drift happens to most people. [...]