Podcasts about Hard Stuff

Gene Zannetti talks with World Team member and Virginia Tech assistant coach James Green about preparing for the World Championships after a season of injuries that made wrestling feel like the easy part, why he stopped visualizing domination and started visualizing the hard moments so nothing on the mat catches him off guard, the mindset shift from grinding himself down with weight cuts to managing sleep, recovery, and nutrition as the real competitive edge, and how coaching unlocked a fourth dimension of the sport by forcing him to watch every weight class and accept styles outside his own.Timestamps:1:56 - Being present at Final X after a rough freestyle season3:59 - Battling injuries made the wrestling feel like the easy part5:22 - Stop visualizing domination, visualize the hard moments8:05 - Film study: looking for how opponents score, not what to avoid11:47 - Coaching unlocked a new dimension of the sport15:40 - Sleep and recovery replacing the old weight-cut grind18:50 - Lengthening the match and keeping constant pressure on opponents20:00 - Confident in his ability to adjust whistle to whistle

Sami Clarke and Sam Spalter are back on the mic together, and this one feels like being let into their actual FaceTime. Two best friends, two wildly different seasons: Sam deep in new motherhood, still navigating the rawness of postpartum, and Sami fresh off a yes-summer in Ibiza and London, sitting with the quiet ache of watching everyone around her have babies while wanting that life for herself too.Tune in as they go there, all the way there. Sam opens up about the panic attacks, the emergency C-section shame, the breastfeeding that didn't work, and the moment she finally told Sami how low the lows really were. Sami shares a fertility diagnosis she'd been scared to face, learning she has endometriosis and PCOS, and the emotional shift from "what is wrong with me" to "how can I love you more, body." And somewhere in the middle of all of it, they talk about the grass always being greener, crying to Yellow by Coldplay in the car, and why the most healing thing either of them did was just tell the truth.This episode is also a love letter to the friendships that don't just show up for the highlight reel. The ones who fly out at 11 days postpartum, give you permission to not form a sentence, and text you "I'm so excited to see your new normal" before they even land. If you've ever held back the ugly truth because you thought you should only feel grateful right now, this one will meet you exactly where you are.Transform Instagram - click here!Sami Spalter Instagram - click here!Sami Clarke Instagram - click here!FORM Shop - click here!FORM Website - click here!Code TRANSFORM for 20% off an annual membership.This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.This episode is brought to you by:Armra: Go to armra.com/TRANSFORM or enter TRANSFORM to get 30% off your first subscription orderOSEA: Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code TRANSFORM at OSEAMalibu.com Quince: Go to Quince.com/transform for free shipping on your order and 365-day returnsProduced by Dear MediaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Julie Owen Moylan's debut novel, 'That Green Eyed Girl', was a Waterstones' Welsh Book of the Month and a runner up for the Paul Torday Memorial Prize. She followed that up with '73 Dove Street' and 'Circus of Mirrors'. Her short film, 'Baby Cakes', won the Celtic Media Award and won at the Swansea Film Festival. She's inspired by finding the fiction in history, thoroughly researching a time, so she can dive right in and create her own world. Her new novel is 'Elizabeth and Marilyn', which takes us back to the summer of 1956. It looks at the intertwining lives of Queen Elizabeth II and Marilyn Monroe, two of the 20th Century's biggest icons, and why for a brief moment they were neighbours. We discuss how art inspires her writing, and reminds her she's done the hard stuff before. You can hear why she doesn't believe in writers' block, why the idea came from, and how she has figured out her best writing process.Get a copy at uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutineSupport the show -patreon.com/writersroutineko-fi.com/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you write about the most painful experiences of your life without being overwhelmed by them? How can timed writing and a braided story help you untangle your hardest stories? With Nicole Walker. In the intro, Self-Publishing Pop Up Books [Self-Publishing with ALLi]; New in KU [BookBub]; The solar sail theory of indie publishing [ProductiveIndieFictionWriter]; Bones of the Deep; Selfie Awards Shortlist 2026. This episode is sponsored by Publisher Rocket, which will help you get your book in front of more Amazon readers so you can spend less time marketing and more time writing. I use Publisher Rocket for researching book titles, categories, and keywords — for new books and for updating my backlist. Check it out at www.PublisherRocket.com This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Nicole Walker is a nonfiction author, essayist, poet, and editor, as well as a creative writing teacher. Her latest book is Writing the Hard Stuff: Turning Difficult Subjects into Meaningful Prose. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. Show Notes Why writing helps us understand “the puzzles of the universe” — and when to trust that intuition The braided essay: alternating between trauma and an everyday obsession to unlock the hard stuff How two-minute timed writing lets you go deep and then safely step back Rooting pain in the body, using the senses, scene, and dialogue instead of words like “trauma” Truth in memoir, big T versus little t, and the emerging genre of speculative nonfiction What actually sells books: pairing up on book tour and getting readers back out into the world You can find Nicole and NikWalk.com. Transcript of the interview with Nicole Walker Jo: Nicole Walker is a nonfiction author, essayist, poet, and editor, as well as a creative writing teacher. Her latest book is Writing the Hard Stuff: Turning Difficult Subjects into Meaningful Prose. So welcome to the show, Nicole. Nicole: Hi, Joanna. It's so nice to be here. Jo: I've lots to talk about, but first up— Tell us a bit more about you and your journey into writing and publishing. Nicole: I was always a writer. As all writers say, I've been writing since I was five. I kept little journals and things like that, and I was on the high school literary magazine. I was an English major in college, but that was always tempered with some serious commitment to the sciences, to English literature, to German, to Spanish. I had a wide variety of interests, but there was always something that tugged at me about writing that made me feel like, this is where I feel most at home. This is the way I like to understand the puzzles of the universe. This is how I make sense of the world—through writing. So even though I got my BA in English at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, I stuck around Portland for a few years because I loved it. I worked for various non-profits, and that was great. At some point I said, “I really want to take this seriously.” So I went ahead and applied to graduate school, and ended up in the University of Utah's PhD programme, where I stayed for eight very lovely years. I always recommend to my own students: never graduate. Stay in graduate school forever, because it's such a beautiful place where people support your writing. You have professors who support it, but more importantly, you have your cohort. To this day, I have so many great friends. You make a lot of friends if you stick around for eight years. That sort of community-building is, I think, the other part of why I became a writer. Writing by myself is obviously a lonely business, and there's a lot of internal struggle that happens with that. I have found a literary community, both at the University of Utah and then growing from there, serving as president of the NonfictioNOW Conference, teaching my own graduate students, serving as the series editor for Crux, the imprint at the University of Georgia Press. I feel like my world has expanded because of my writing. So that's been a true gift. Jo: Oh, I love that. I love that you said you understand the puzzles of the universe through writing, and that this tugged at you. Could talk about that a bit more? Because a lot of listeners, I think, sometimes mistrust that feeling. They think, “Oh, maybe I shouldn't necessarily lean into that intuition.” It feels like you leaned very strongly into an intuition that this was the way. Nicole: Yes, and this book in particular, Writing the Hard Stuff, takes that to heart. I think about writing the hard stuff as writing all kinds of tricky things—things that are really hard to communicate. The book begins revolving around personal trauma. Things that happened in my childhood, as well as difficult subjects that happen to us when we're growing up. It also includes things like environmental issues and political issues: things that are really hard to talk about, that are philosophically difficult to express, that can be controversial, and that you can put people off by talking about. One of the goals of the book—one of my own philosophies—is that by looking deeply into the knotted ball of string that is a kind of trauma or a kind of difficulty, and beginning to pull those strings out, that's where you start to not only make meaning out of what happened to you, or what this particular problem is, but those strings themselves become connections. I talk about Donna Haraway's book Staying with the Trouble. It's primarily about how we can overcome our political differences regarding climate change, and one of her examples is to change the way we think about narrative. In Western thought, we often think there's a beginning, a middle, and an end, and she brings up the Navajo game that we all know as cat's cradle. So if you think of that ball of knots—your trauma, your difficult subject—you start pulling out the strings, and then you start playing with it. With cat's cradle, you make one design with your hands, and then a friend pulls it around and turns it into another design. To me, that's how reading and writing work. We share, and we build on each other's ideas, but we're always connected by those strings. So if you have this difficult subject and you're shying away from it, you're losing, I think, some of the opportunity to make connections and to make sense of what that nest of string sitting in your stomach actually is. Jo: I love that metaphor. I think it's brilliant. I've never heard it described that way, and I think it's fantastic. What's interesting is that some people don't have a mind's eye—I know several listeners who don't. So while in my mind I'm picturing the ball of string and then the cat's cradle, some people won't be able to do that, which is also fascinating in terms of how people's brains work. In terms of how you'd recommend people think about it: this ball of string that we want to turn into a design like a cat's cradle is a total mess. So where do we even start? How do we know where to start pulling on the threads? Because it might just feel like it's out of control. Nicole: Oh, I deeply appreciate both the idea that some people don't have that mind's eye, or just think differently. We all have different ways of imagining what we call our trauma, this nest of problems, this ball of string. Of course a metaphor does oversimplify in some ways. I say, “Well, you just take one of the ends of the string and start pulling.” But practically, what does that really mean to do? There are a couple of things I suggest in the book and offer at workshops. One is an exercise I call writing the braided essay. I ask the writer to sit down and think about a scene that was difficult in their life—something that had a lot of tension, that they're really still struggling with, that they don't love thinking about. I'm going to ask them to go there for just a couple of minutes. Then there's the other side of the braided essay: I ask them to think about something completely different, completely off-topic. Perhaps a walk they took in the aspen grove, or what they were making for dinner last night, or perhaps they're deeply invested in the networks of the blood in the human body—anything they're fascinated and obsessed with. I say, “Okay, I want you to write about your difficult subject for two minutes, but then I'm going to give you a break, and you're going to pop over and talk about how you spent all day weeding your garden, and yet there are still weeds.” Then I'm going to ask people to go back and talk about their difficult subject, and then go back and talk about their obsession with weeds. They write about each of these things for two minutes. What happens—which I think is a pretty compelling experiment, from my point of view and from theirs—is that they write back and forth, and they're able to take a break from the hard thing. They're also tempted to go back to it once they've had that break in their research. The other thing that happens—and, you know, every book in nonfiction has to have a colon, so of course it's called Writing the Hard Stuff: Turning Difficult Subjects into Meaningful Prose—is that by going back and forth, you'll see the connections these writers make. They make connections with word choice, with verbs, with colours and different kinds of imagery. They start to make meaning between those two ideas. What happens to the writer then—and to me, when I'm doing it—is that I now have something that is constructed. So it's not just this knot in my stomach. It's not just my interest in research. Now I've put these things together, and then I get to play. We get to the cat's cradle part of the metaphor, where I really start thinking about craft issues. Why did I happen to bring these two ideas together? What might they have in common? What does it mean that I'm telling the story of my parents' divorce and my personal trauma, and in the research part I'm talking about weeds? Well, maybe I felt in the weeds. You come up with some sort of overarching understanding of why you chose that research story, and it lets you go deeper into that personal trauma, now with some of the techniques of craft, which I think help shield you from some of the trauma and pain of that original hard story. Jo: Again, I really love that idea. Do you also think the timed writing actually helps people go deep and then withdraw a bit, which psychologically may help them write about these difficult subjects? People are like, “I need to sit down for two hours and write about this deeply traumatic thing,” which of course feels like it's going to be too hard. So perhaps that two-minute process actually releases people from that. Nicole: Oh, absolutely. What a great way to think about it. It is prohibitive to sit down and think, “Okay, I'm going to go into the worst thing that ever happened to me and sit with it for two hours.” Going back and forth, you create energy and tension. But also, nobody wants to sit with something by themselves for two hours. If you think of research as your companion—”I'm coming in there with you, buddy”—you have something to rely on, this other side of the story, and it gives you that space. The timed writing, the two minutes, two minutes, two minutes, also reminds you that you don't have to write for two hours straight any day. I have a goal where I write 500 words a day, which is mostly true, unless I'm really in the weeds. We'll use two metaphors today: we'll use string, and now we'll be using weeds. But when I'm really in the weeds teaching, or going around the country talking about books, I really do write 500 words a day. I often try not to write too much more, because sometimes it loses freshness, and it can be overwhelming. So I really appreciate you saying that having that timed writing is important, but also that having that balance of deep emotional investigation with this more cerebral, informational crutch can really help you get into the subject and go deeper. Jo: Yes, and perhaps it anchors the writing in something concrete. Because with memoir particularly—having also written one—it can be too easy to lean on big words like “pain” or “trauma,” but that's actually meaningless in a book. So why is it so important to be specific and concrete in our writing in order to convey these bigger topics? Nicole: I think we know our own trauma. We know how it feels in our bodies, and we've been living with it for a long time. So it's pretty hard to communicate it to others. Why does it matter to other people? Of course it matters to you, but how are you going to convey the breadth of that trouble with words that aren't rooted in the physical world? The nice thing about rooting things in the physical world is that every one of us has a body. We have different bodies, but we share that in common. So it's the old trope of using your senses first. What did it feel like? If you can't think of what part of your body it particularly hurts in, you have the availability of metaphor to describe how that might have felt. You have the opportunity to create scene. This is particularly difficult for memoir writers, I think, because we imagine it's the fiction folks who have to use dialogue, who have to have a setting, who have to put their bodies in a place. Thatt's one of my mantras when I teach: we need to be able to see where you are. We need to see what is physically happening, how the interactions work. Dialogue, I think, is one of the best ways to literally get your body on the page—and to get your other characters, or subjects, on the page—because to speak, you have to have a body. Once you start having dialogue, you can picture the way the speaker's face moves, the way they cross their legs. You can even picture the colour of the paint behind them, or the kind of chair they're sitting in. So dialogue is one of the first ways you can say, “All right, I must have a scene here.” I can't go on just telling people, “It was so traumatic. I suffered so much. It was terrible. I felt so much pain.” You can say that sometimes, that's totally fair, but you have to pair it with that physical, concrete imagery, so other people can begin to understand what it felt like for you in your body, so they can feel it in their body. Jo: Interesting that you bring up dialogue because one of the issues with memoir is—I've had people compare it to truth with a small “t” and truth with a big “T.” So you're telling some kind of big truth about your life. If you're writing dialogue about something that actually happened to you, in memory, it's very unlikely that it actually happened in that way, so it's not necessarily small-“t” true. So on a practical note, what are your thoughts and tips on truth. How do we tell our own story even if others don't see it that way? Nicole: This is a subject I'm deeply invested in right now. When I first started teaching creative nonfiction, it was at the height of the John D'Agata and David Shields questions. What is truth? Big T, little t? What am I obligated to do as a creative nonfiction writer? I had a great friend, Angie Truong, who came to teach one of my classes, and she said, “Nonfiction is a pretty big spectrum. You have journalism on one end, and then you have the lyric essay on the other end.” You imagine the lyric essay is full of metaphors and things like that, so you can approach truth. You're saying, “This is what it felt like. This is what it seemed like.” Check out my newest favourite thing. It's called speculative nonfiction, and I use a little bit of this in my book How to Plant a Billion Trees, which Writing the Hard Stuff is somewhat based on. I wrote them in tandem, which was a very strange and interesting and fun thing to do. But in How to Plant a Billion Trees I use this thing called speculative nonfiction, which goes even further along the spectrum, past the lyric essay, to this opportunity to use language like “perhaps,” “maybe,” “I imagined.” So I have sections in my book where I can't remember the dialogue exactly, but I know that the dialogue in some sense matters—that what might have been said will do much more to convey what was happening than my exposition over the matter. By using those turns of phrase, you're alerting your reader: “Dear reader, this definitely is not exactly what happened, but this is how I recall it.” Then you're being not only honest to the story and honest to your reader, but you're also conveying the feeling and the mood of the event—that other kind of truth that memoir is really trying to get at. It was like this for me, which is why I think this way now. It's a fledgling genre. I just read a book by Laraine Herring called A Constellation of Ghosts: A Speculative Memoir with Ravens. It's brilliant. It's an amazing book that pairs her actual colonoscopy and discovery of colon cancer with the story of her dad, who has passed already and comes back as a raven and helps her through it. So you're pulling on some of the tools of fiction, which creative nonfiction already has been doing. But it does so in this bright and, I feel, incredibly ethical way. You're alerting your reader, “My dad is not really a raven.” But you're also saying, “Oh my gosh, I sensed he was with me. I sensed every time a raven approached that I had somebody's hand on my shoulder.” That, to me, has been a lot of fun—a much more imaginative way of creating some of those scenes than doing something like, “Well, I don't remember the dialogue.” Or, even worse—and we know people have been unethical in their approach—recreating the dialogue as if they'd had a tape recorder with them when they were 17 years old. Jo: Mm. Nicole: So I offer that as an option to your listeners, as something to experiment with. Allow yourself to have that imaginative opportunity to show the reader what it might have been like. Jo: I love that. It's interesting, you talk there about the spectrum of nonfiction, which is ridiculously big, as is fiction. Obviously these are very big. But I wonder if we do get hemmed in by genre. I love the idea of a speculative memoir. I'm going to have to go read that book because I can't even imagine what that really means. I feel hemmed in by my expectations of a memoir. But then, from a business and marketing perspective—because we're all trying to sell our books— Do we risk not meeting the expectations of a reader of a genre that way? Nicole: Right. One of the good and bad things about my literary career is that I've spanned a lot of genres. My PhD is actually in poetry. Nobody expects the full truth from poetry. One of my poetry professors once said she wrote this really sad poem about her father's death, and the audience was moved, and then her real father stood up and said, “Good job, daughter.” And someone in the audience was just shocked: “You just read a poem about your dead dad, and here he is!” We have absolute expectations of genre, and expectations of truth, in everything we read. If you label it fiction, you're kind of off the hook—even though, of course, fiction uses so many elements of nonfiction: so much research, so much information, so much personal memory to create those fantastic landscapes. So when I think about how one sells one's memoir, I do think you also have to acknowledge what you expect your audience to be. With Laraine Herring's A Constellation of Ghosts, by putting “colon, a speculative memoir,” you're alerting your reader to that possibility. And because it's a pretty far-out way of thinking right now, it probably does curtail some of the sales. On the other hand, think of memoirs that are written for celebrities, and how many of them are ghostwritten—or written with other people, where the ghostwriter's not even part of the thing—but it comes across as the most legit of all memoirs, because it's a celebrity and we know them. We associate their lives with their story, and their story must therefore be true. So I think, with all levels of creative nonfiction, it's incumbent upon the writer to suggest right off the bat what kind of nonfiction they're reading. Are they reading journalism? Are they reading lyric essays? Are they reading speculative nonfiction? I think a lot, too—as an editor for a literary series for nonfiction books—about what I look for in memoir. It's something that takes the personal story and connects it into the larger conversation. Even if the larger conversation is directly about what the main subject is about, to me it's still about the crux of the matter. Why does your story make an impact on the world in this bigger way? How do you let the world inform your story? How does your past and your trauma, or your difficulties, connect to a larger world? Jo: Mm. Nicole: To me, that's something some memoirs are capable of doing. Some memoirs are truly invested only in that personal story, which I think is totally legitimate too, because I love learning how people think. I love understanding. This is just how my brain works. But in terms of sales? I don't know. Again, as the series editor and as the seller of my own books, I think you can't determine it in advance. So you should probably write what you want to write, what feels right to you, using as many craft techniques as you can hone. But the market, to me, feels very non-negotiable. You never know exactly how things are going to turn out. So I deeply believe: write the best, most well-crafted book you can, and I do think your readers will find you. Jo: We'll come back to marketing in a minute, but just returning to your own writing practice. I've got your book page up in front of me, and you've written all kinds of things: your essays, your memoirs, some fiction, and some poetry, as you mentioned. So I wondered: when you're researching something, or you've got a feeling about wanting to write, how do you choose the type of book you turn it into—or a poem, or an essay? Or do you pitch it as some kind of external work, or turn it into a workshop? How do you turn an idea into what it will eventually be? Nicole: I love that question because it's somewhat of a mystery to me, but I think I'm getting close to understanding. It really is in those first few words, that first sentence, that I think, “Okay, I know which direction this is going.” For example, the other day I woke up in the morning and thought, “All right, I'm writing this poem about how man took over for God, and that's how the planet ended up being such a mess.” So I started writing it, and it was pretty lyrical at the beginning. But then I started making full sentences, and explaining things a little bit more, and I thought, “Okay, this is not a poem. It's going to be an essay.” When I start writing fiction, I pull on something a little further, a little more distant from my experience, and then I pull it back into something more character-driven. For example, in a novel I'm writing, I begin with this whole story about McDonald's and ravens, and then I pull it back into the character. If I were to diagram the sentences between a poem, the nonfiction, and the fiction, I think I'd see fundamental differences between the three. Jo: Do you work on multiple projects at the same time, or once you commit to something, is that what you finish? Personally, I have lots of little things happening, and then a moment comes and I commit to a book, and I won't stop until I've finished that book—the rest will have to wait. It's that decision moment. How does it work for you? Nicole: My process is pretty similar to yours. I have a number of ongoing projects, percolating here and there. Some days I'll think, “All right, today feels like a fiction day.” But for the most part, you're absolutely right. There's a bunch of little things I'm writing, or things I'm dabbling in, but once there's a critical mass—which I'd say is around 20,000 words or something—I'm all in, and I've got to focus on this project. Even though I think I can do whatever multitasking, really it's important to try to maintain some sort of through-line in whatever project I'm working on. If I do that with too many projects, I lose that through-line. I also worry sometimes that the projects start to sound too similar. So say I'm writing a nonfiction collection and a novel—if I go back and forth every other day, those sentence differences I'm talking about might start to collapse, and they become too similar. Then what the heck would I be writing? I don't even know. Jo: It's interesting because you span academic publishing and, I guess, trade publishing—whatever you want to call it—where more non-academics read books. I'm just finishing up a master's myself at the moment, and writing academic stuff is completely different to writing my other books. So when you're deciding on these books, are you aiming for a specific publication market—as in, you want an academic publisher, or you want a trade publisher? How do you think about publishing in the process? Nicole: As much as I once really wanted to find some ground as a scholarly and academic writer—and I really do love to write reviews of other people's books, and Writing the Hard Stuff is a textbook that relies tremendously on so many other people's books. That is really important to me because that goes back to how one both creates and thanks one's community for creating the literary world we live in—I feel like there's a smaller audience for that sort of academic writing. But it's something we should do. As generous as you are here, for example, reaching out to other people about other people's books is probably the kindest thing you can do. So I hope to continue to take time to do that and make it part of my repertoire. It's not as fun, I'd say, as the imaginative elements of writing creative nonfiction, or fiction, or poetry. That's when I really love to groove and get into that mode of, “Oh, the words are coming. Oh, I never thought about it that way.” With academic writing, I feel I sometimes write in a slightly more stilted voice. My friend Ander Monson, who teaches at the University of Arizona, has done a really great job of writing—whether it's his personal essays or his critical essays—where he maintains the same voice. He doesn't move into that super-formal academic speak. He'll literally say things like, “You know,” or, “That's a banger of a sentence,” in the middle of an academic essay, and I really admire him for that. I feel like maybe if academic writing were more receptive to people writing in their unique voices, then maybe more people would read it. Jo: Yes. One of the pieces of feedback on one of my earlier essays in my master's year was around my sentence structure—that it would be far more appropriate in a novel than in an academic essay. I was saying to my husband, “I can't believe this, but I'm just going to have to change my style.” It's very interesting. We're almost out of time, and I also wanted to ask you: you have a recent blog post on how to try to get your forthcoming book attention in 4,231 simple steps, which made me laugh. We all find book marketing a challenge, so what have you found works best for you? I should tell the listeners—there are not 4,000 steps in your blog post. Although I think people would want them. Nicole: Exactly. I stopped at 72, but I can go on. That was sort of the pre-publishing process. There have been so many great things that have happened, but a lot of them have been driven by me. I have a publicist, but he works on a lot of other books, and I have a marketing person at Bloomsbury. They have to juggle a lot. The only person who is really, really, really committed to your book is you. So I've written companion essays. I haven't had any luck publishing them, which hasn't been true in the past, so I wonder what's going on there. I'll write something for the Huffington Post or Newsweek that's tangentially related to my book. I also might just write too much in essay voice instead of popular-magazine voice. As we were just talking about, academic voice versus novelistic voice. So that might be part of the problem too. Reaching out to people who might invite me onto podcasts has been really rewarding, and very, very kind. I think the best thing I did was to put myself on book tour and to pair myself with someone in that community. I've gone on book tour before by myself, and there have been occasions where there were two to three people in the audience, which can be really disheartening. The problem wasn't so much the bookstore's fault or my book's fault—it's just that if you go to a bookstore in a town where nobody knows you, they're not going to put a lot of effort into making the date happen, unless you're super famous. So what I did was find somebody in a community—a friend of mine—who would go with me and be part of the conversation. Even if their book was a couple of years old, we'd still go and have a conversation about each of our books. This has worked tremendously well. People will come to see their friend, and then they'll be introduced to you, and they'll ask you questions and buy your book. You create new connections and new friends thanks to that friend and that place. So that's my number one recommendation for how to get the word out in the world. I also did all the social media stuff. It doesn't work as well as it used to. It's kind of a strange time. But because of my suggestion about going to bookstores with people you know… I think we're coming out of our COVID time, where we got so used to doing everything on our computers and just staying in our electronic universe. People are hungry to get out. So one thing I want to do, and haven't done yet, is throw a big party. Go to weird places where you don't even do readings—you just offer people snacks and a glass of wine and say, “Hey, here's a book if you want to buy it.” To have these more informal gatherings that bring people together because I do think there's a hankering for people to get out into the world again. Jo: And just on that—you've got these two books coming at the same time: How to Plant a Billion Trees, which is the memoir, and Writing the Hard Stuff, the how-to book for writers. When you do these events, are you choosing one or the other depending on the audience? Or are you selling both at the same time? Because they're obviously very different. Nicole: Yes, I'm definitely selling both at the same time. Although I probably push How to Plant a Billion Trees first, because most of the people I'm pairing with are also writers of nonfiction or memoir. The other thing is, I can talk about How to Plant a Billion Trees, and if people have a really deep question about, “Well, how did you write this section?” I can say, “Well, if you refer to this book, Writing the Hard Stuff, you'll see.” So it's an easier segue. I think people aren't used to going to book events for craft books. But in the interview world—where people are reviewing books or interviewing me—Writing the Hard Stuff has definitely been the primary book I've been approached to speak about because people really do want techniques. So it depends on the context as to which book gets the spotlight, but it's been really fun to be able to talk about both in tandem. I don't know if they're competing against each other or supporting each other. That's my hope, that people think, “Oh, I read this one book, I might as well read the other one.” But that's asking a lot of people, to buy two books, so I try not to overstate that hope. Jo: They are very different, and I love the idea of doing that. Absolutely. So where can people find you and your books online? Nicole: You can find me at my Substack, which is substack.nikwalk.com—N-I-K-W-A-L-K. Or my website, which is the same: nikwalk.com. I might just start going as Nik Walk in the world, so people can find me more easily. I also really love to support Bloomsbury. They have really good deals, especially on the audiobook for How to Plant a Billion Trees, and they also have good deals if you buy both books, you get free shipping. So Bloomsbury is probably the number one place to get the books, but of course they're also available on Bookshop.org and Amazon.com, and on Amazon in the UK as well. Jo: Brilliant. Well, thanks so much for your time, Nicole. That was great. Nicole: Oh, it was so fun to talk with you, Joanna. Thank you again so much for this opportunity.The post Writing The Hard Stuff: Turning Difficult Subjects Into Meaningful Prose With Nicole Walker first appeared on The Creative Penn.

In this uplifting episode, Becky sits down with Meredith Cornish, a mom of 15, to talk about faith, family, and finding joy in the midst of life's challenges. Meredith shares her journey of raising children with disabilities, growing her family through adoption, and trusting God's goodness through every season. Together, they discuss intentional parenting, creating peace in a busy home, supporting children with special needs, and the importance of community, prayer, and resilience. Meredith also shares insights from her book, Even in the Hard Stuff, encouraging listeners to find hope, gratitude, and God's grace even in difficult circumstances. This conversation is filled with practical wisdom, heartfelt encouragement, and a powerful reminder that joy can be found even in the hard stuff.

This week on TGIM, Nicole gets real about the unseen price of entrepreneurship, AKA the moments you don't want to show up, the tasks that feel tedious, and the invisible work that builds freedom later. If you've ever struggled to start the work you know matters, procrastinated on big goals, or wondered why the freedom everyone promises feels just out of reach, this episode is for you.Nicole dives into how reframing “hard” work as the price of entry can shift your mindset, your energy, and your results - without burning out or hating the process. She shares the tools and strategies she uses to overcome resistance, make decisions without negotiation, gamify her work, and connect every task to her bigger vision.What you'll take away from this episode:How to reframe tasks you don't want to do as the price you pay for freedom, growth, and resultsWhy resistance is normal, and how to move through it without guilt or frustrationStrategies to "shrink the window" and tackle overwhelming tasks in manageable chunksHow to connect your work to your bigger vision so it feels energizing instead of tediousTips for building reward systems that motivate and sustain your focusHow committing to yourself and your priorities creates long-term time freedomWhether you're tackling admin, batch-recording content, or hustling toward your next launch, this episode will help you see the hard work as the investment it truly is, and finally enjoy the rewards of showing up consistently.Take our FREE quiz: https://www.myalignedpurpose.com/quizGrab your ticket for SHE LEADS: https://www.myalignedpurpose.com/she-leads-2027Pre-order our book: https://www.myalignedpurpose.com/presale

This episode isn't about communication theory. It's not a framework you have to go home and figure out how to apply. This is us, mid-work, showing you the exact words we use when something goes sideways — when creative feedback is vague, when a deadline is at risk, when someone's overwhelmed and needs the team to jump in. It started with a message from someone in our community after the last episode. She said what we do is book-worthy — and asked us to get even more specific with the language. So Amber, Joanna, and Lilly sat down with actual scenarios and real-life examples, including a few moments that happened in the 48 hours before we hit record. You'll hear the Delegation Solution framework in action, why the positive sandwich is still on the table, and the behind-the-scenes story of Joanna saying "our list" in a Slack message — and what Amber made of it. This one is for the business owner who already knows communication is important, but wants to hear what it actually sounds like when a team does it well. The specifics are here. Come take what works.

Top Chef alums and restaurant veterans Joe and Adrienne started a podcast to bring the conversations inside kitchens to the world, and the Chef's Cut has blown up! Check out my conversation with these beloved chefs as we discuss the podcast's origins, what the term "chef" means today, Top Chef memories, and whether Padma Laksmi or Tom Collichio would be a better podcast guest!

What if the reason the hardest conversations with your middle schooler keep going badly isn't the topic — it's that we keep starting them like a lecture? This episode is for any parent who has braced themselves to "have the talk" about porn, dating, nudes, or consent and watched their kid mentally exit the room before the second sentence. I'm joined by Michele Icard, parenting expert and author of Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen: The Essential Conversations You Need to Have with Your Kids Before They Start High School.  What you'll learn: Why most thorny conversations go wrong before they start, and the BRIEF model that fixes it. Why shame is the wrong tool.  What you might be missing about middle school dating, consent, and touch hunger.  The throughline of the whole conversation is practice. These aren't talks you nail on the first try, and the goal isn't a single perfect conversation — it's becoming fluent enough at curiosity that you stop needing an agenda at all.  Great Wolf Lodge: Bring your pack together at a Lodge near you. Learn more at GreatWolf.com Tumble: Machine Washable Rugs, Made Better. For a limited time only, our listeners get 10% off + free shipping at Tumbleliving.com/HUMANS Merit Beauty: It's time for your makeup and skincare to meet the reality of your daily routine with Merit Beauty.comMyPhone by Ooma: Safe calling with parental controls. Go to ooma.com/myphone to shop phones and learn more.

Spicy and mildly offensive (Just the way we like it!)Sometimes we need a shoulder to cry on and sometimes we need someone to give us a good “shellacking!”. In this episode, we discuss the most common themes that we say in the industry that keeps people stuck and burnt out.Hint hint! It's when you avoid doing the hard things….From making it worse by telling yourself you burnt out when you're just stressed, to how to step up when enough is enough and you are ready to make change.Make sure you subscribe so you get notifications and leave us a review if you have loved this episode!Ready to level up your marketing and open the flood gates? Join us for our ‘Marketing Ai Masterclass'  on the 15th of June - https://link.yourgrowthcoaches.com.au/marketing-masterclass-26-org-624607 

I'm recording this from a hospital. I've found a quiet corner - it's Saturday morning and you might hear lifts beeping, trolleys, maybe some voices.I'm here seeing a loved one. It's why there wasn't an episode last week. This isn't my story to tell, so I can't talk about details, but I wanted to share the context I'm in.This episode is about how life throws curveballs at us, and how the work we do in quieter moments supports us when we're facing the bigger stuff.You'll hear:Why this experience has been the most beautiful painful reminder of why compassionate self-enquiry mattersHow our humanness still shows up even when we have the tools - old patterns reassert themselves, we get triggered, we think 'I thought I didn't do that anymore'Why holding all of that with compassion gives us the spaciousness to choose our next responseThe moment my brain went completely offline mid-sentence (a sign of holding a lot right now)How self-awareness with self-compassion can be our greatest toolLastly, I want to share a gentle reminder: if you're facing something hard right now, hold space for yourself, resource yourself, reach out to people who can support you - it is this that enables us to resource and support others.If this activates anything for you, if you'd like to connect, if you'd like to hear more about the supportive spaces for exploring how to navigate change for yourself, you can get in touch here https://www.hennyflynn.co.uk/contact or sign-up to receive my emails where I share more of this beautiful work https://hennyflynn.kit.com/Settle in, and see where the episode takes you.With loveHenny x ★ Support this podcast ★

In “Trust Jesus With the Hard Stuff,” Pastor Greg challenges us with this truth: ignoring pain is not spiritual maturity—it's spiritual denial, because Jesus cannot heal what you will not submit to Him. The moment you take matters into your own hands, you take them out of God's hands.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit abbieattwoodwellness.substack.comAbbie answers a listener question about one of the most complicated intersections: dating (relationships) and diet culture — especially when you're carrying a history of body shame, disordered eating, and the ongoing, nonlinear work of recovery.Elizabeth, a listener in her early 30s, writes in about the men she keeps encountering on the apps — the gym-obsessed ones, the salad-only ones — and asks a question that cuts to the heart of it: is this my gut, or is this fear?What you'll hear:*Why "too sensitive" isn't a useful frame — and what to ask instead*Safety and self-worth as the foundation of dating in recovery*Learning to trust your intuition when diet culture has distorted it*When to share your mental health history (and when you don't have to)*The difference between a trigger and something to work through*Revisiting your dating app parameters — and the biases built into them*Abbie's own experience navigating ED recovery while datingThen Jeb, Abbie's husband, joins for an unplanned conversation about what it was actually like when they met — both carrying things they weren't sure how to share.*What happened when Jeb disclosed his sobriety on a rooftop, early on*Why vulnerability can work as a filter, not just a risk*What Jeb was looking for in a partner when he was newly out of treatment*The moment Abbie knew he was someone she could be with through hard thingsThis episode is ultimately about openness — what it costs, what it protects, and what becomes possible when you find someone willing to meet you there.This is a BONUS episode for paid subscribers on Substack. To hear it, upgrade here: https://abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe

In a fallen world, the question is not whether or not we will face heartbreak and suffering. Though life is also full of joy and beauty, the hard stuff in life is inevitable. Even now in our community many are facing profound heartbreak and suffering. Again, the question is not whether we will face the storm of heartbreak and suffering; the question is how we can navigate it. We've seen so far from Romans 8 that the invitation to life with Jesus in the Holy Spirit is an invitation to a secure, unshakable identity free of condemnation, set on the hope of eternal life, and beloved by God as His children. Join us as we see from our text in Romans 8:18-25 that this identity is not merely a nice piece of sentiment, but a new and profound way of facing the hard stuff of life.

PLUS: Chicago's Hard Stuff? Bye, Bye Shorts. Filming Ducks?

Many of us offload heavy thinking to A.I., and our brains are going soft in the process. Cal Newport, professor of computer science at Georgetown University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how employing computers to do our deepest thinking dulls our ability to concentrate and the things we can do right now to keep us sharp and alert. His recent essay published in The New York Times is “There's a Good Reason You Can't Concentrate.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

By Darris McNeely - Wouldn't it be great if we could go straight to the kingdom at baptism. Skip all the hard stuff! Go straight to the kingdom and skip the overcoming, the resistance to sin, and the stuff with the world. But we don't and we can't. Why?

Some business owners go through a crisis and fall apart. Others come  out sharper, more capable, more certain of what they're building.   Same difficulty. Completely different outcome.   In this episode, Tom Foxley breaks down the science behind why — drawing  on a landmark paper on post-traumatic growth by Richard Tedeschi and  Lawrence Calhoun. The same mechanisms that produce growth after major  life trauma are the same ones that determine whether a business owner  grows through the difficult periods in their business.   The headline finding from the research: it's not the hard event that  creates the growth. It's the struggle with it. The willingness to go  into it, sit with it, and let it update your understanding of the world  and your place in it.   Tom translates the framework into practical terms — what the  preconditions for growth actually are, why emotional avoidance is the  single biggest brake on development, and why most business coaching  misses the thing that actually moves the needle.   Topics covered: - Why some people grow through difficulty and others are broken by it - The preconditions for real growth — and what blocks every one of them - Why willingness to feel outperforms toughness every time - Self-disclosure — the first and most essential step in the growth process - The difference between useful and destructive rumination - Why struggle is the mechanism of growth, not the obstacle to it - Three things to do differently this week

"The question is, what's next?" Hogan Gidley of the America First Policy Institute says Trump is reshaping the Middle East for generations.

Most families think legacy planning starts with spreadsheets and legal docs. But what if the most important part of preserving wealth... has nothing to do with money?In this powerful episode of the Generational Wealth Masterclass, with Eric L. Dunavant, Matthew Sullivan, and Gavin Morel guiding the discussion, you'll explore what often determines whether a legacy endures: conversations. Not just any conversations — the right questions, deep listening, and the kind of silence that changes everything.Whether you're a high-net-worth couple building your empire or an empty-nester reflecting on your legacy, this video will help you uncover what matters beyond the numbers.

In this episode of Healing After the Hard Stuff, Anna is joined by Claire Downham for a deeply honest conversation about burnout, breakdown, identity, and what happens when the version of success you've been chasing turns out not to be enough.Clare shares the story of walking out of her role as a primary school head teacher and never returning, after years of high achievement, external striving, and pushing herself beyond her limits. What followed was a long and difficult recovery, misdiagnosis, deep exhaustion, and eventually, a very different understanding of success, self-worth, and wellbeing.Together, Anna and Clare explore the pressures placed on high achievers, the conditioning many of us carry from childhood, and how burnout can become the beginning of a more truthful and peaceful way of living.In this episode, we discuss:Clare's experience of burnout and leaving her career in educationThe crash that came after years of striving and external validationWhy reaching the “top” didn't bring fulfilmentThe link between childhood conditioning and high achievementThe reality of burnout recovery and why it can't be rushedMisdiagnosis, exhaustion, and the limits of traditional approachesClaire's journey into hypnotherapy and later, the Three PrinciplesWhat it means to live more presently and with less self-judgementHow success changes when your wellbeing is no longer dependent on achievementKey Takeaway:Sometimes the breakdown is not the end. It is the moment life forces you to stop chasing, stop proving, and start listening. Beneath the striving, the pressure, and the exhaustion, there is still something whole within you.About Claire:Clare Downham works with high achievers who are struggling with pressure, overthinking, burnout, and the weight of trying to hold everything together. Her work is grounded in the Three Principles and helps people reconnect with a more peaceful, present, and sustainable way of living.Follow Links:Find out about the Nervous System Regulation Coach Certification here:https://influentialbreathwork.com/nervouscertFollow Anna Parker-Napleson Instagram:⁠  ⁠https://www.instagram.com/healingafterthehardstuff⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/annaparkernaples⁠⁠LinkedIn:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaparkernaples⁠⁠ Follow Clare DownhamWebsite: https://claredownham.comInstagram https://wwwinstagram.com/claredownhamcoachLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/clare-downham-coach/

Ask Mariann Sæther what got her to two world championships, and she won't say talent. Mariann is a two-time world champion in extreme kayaking, a mother of two, and one of the most accomplished women in whitewater history. She retired from competition in 2024 after nearly three decades of paddling rivers around the world. In this conversation, Mariann and Anna dig into what it actually takes to perform at the highest level, navigate real risk, and keep showing up when it's not working. From getting flipped repeatedly down Jakes at 3,000 CFS two days before winning the North Fork Championship, to learning to separate a failed line from a failed identity, Mariann brings a rare mix of honesty, humor, and hard-won insight. In this episode, you'll explore: Why grit and hard work matter more than talent, and how to stop letting the "talent story" hold you back The difference between scared and nervous, and how that distinction shapes good risk decisions Why leading the rapid changes everything for women building confidence on whitewater How to stay useful, engaged, and growth-oriented when you choose to walk a line What pioneering women in whitewater built, and why their stories deserve to be remembered Mariann's approach to breaking big goals into small pieces, from horse training to creek boating If you've ever told yourself you just don't have what it takes, this episode is a direct and generous challenge to that story.

Show Notes:In this solo episode, Anna shares a real-time reflection from a full-on season of life, balancing family commitments, travel, and work, without tipping into burnout. She explores how understanding and supporting your nervous system changes everything during high-pressure periods, and why so many people today are feeling constantly frazzled or depleted.Anna introduces her Nervous System Intelligence Test, designed to help coaches, therapists, and healers assess their knowledge and spot gaps in supporting clients effectively. She also reveals details of her upcoming Nervous System Coach Certification, a practical, breath-led training rooted in her PRESSURE Model™️, created to help you work safely and confidently with stress, activation, and shutdown states.If you've noticed clients struggling to integrate mindset work, or you're feeling stretched yourself, this episode offers a grounded perspective on what's really going on beneath the surface, and what to do about it.Key Topics:Managing intense life seasons without burnoutWhy nervous system regulation is foundational to healing and coachingThe risks of “buzzword” knowledge without depthHow stress and shutdown both signal dysregulationIntroducing the Nervous System Intelligence TestA first look at the new Nervous System Coach CertificationLinks & Resources:Take the Nervous System Intelligence TestJoin the Nervous System Coach Certification (launching March 30)Share the Podcast:If this episode resonated, share Healing After the Hard Stuff with someone who needs support right now.Follow Anna Parker-Napleson Instagram:⁠  ⁠https://www.instagram.com/healingafterthehardstuff⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/annaparkernaples⁠⁠LinkedIn:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaparkernaples⁠⁠

In this episode of Healing After the Hard Stuff, I'm joined by Louise Fernando for an honest conversation about two deeply challenging experiences: burnout and bereavement.Louise shares how burnout showed up for her twice, despite outward success, and how both burnout and grief forced her to slow down and reassess what success truly means.We talk about the hidden cost of overachieving, the pressure to keep going even when you're exhausted, and why healing from both burnout and loss requires space, patience and honesty with ourselves.What burnout can really look like behind the scenesThe physical and emotional impact of overworking and overgivingWhy building a business doesn't automatically change old patternsHow grief affects people differently and why it cannot be rushedThe importance of nervous system regulation and emotional processingRedefining success beyond constant productivityBe patient with yourself.Healing takes time, and trying to bypass pain usually means it shows up somewhere else later. Giving yourself space to feel, rest and process is not weakness, it's part of the healing.Follow Anna Parker-Napleson Instagram:⁠  ⁠https://www.instagram.com/healingafterthehardstuff⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/annaparkernaples⁠⁠LinkedIn:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaparkernaples⁠⁠Follow Louise Fernando on:https://www.louisefernando.com/https://www.instagram.com/louise_fernandowww.linkedin.com/in/louise-fernando-ba0633144https://amzn.eu/d/bMpt5yD - book is co-authored Transforming Pain Into Purpose: Inspiring Tales of EmpowHERmenthttps://open.spotify.com/show/4hpV2MXOME7rovipEnFb3T?si=06af4489b3654842 The House of Expansion

Rev Jon Reynolds preaches on Matthew 25:30 The post “Unpacking The Hard Stuff: Outer Darkness” appeared first on First United Methodist Church-Brighton & Whitmore Lake.

Guerssen Records celebra 30 años de andadura con unos cuantos lanzamientos muy especiales. Reeditan el sublime “Piknik caleidoscópico” (1986), debut de Los Negativos y, por qué no decirlo, uno de los mejores álbumes de nuestra música -así, sin etiquetas-. La disquera catalana lanza también una colección de singles en vinilo rescatando oscuras joyitas del garage y la psicodelia. El 28 de marzo lo celebran en Lleida con charla, exposición, documental y concierto. Felices 30 y enhorabuena por el trabajo bien hecho.Playlist;LOS NEGATIVOS “Stop”LOS NEGATIVOS “¿Quién aplastó la mariposa?”LOS NEGATIVOS “Moscas y arañas”LOS NEGATIVOS “En una habitación realmente pequeña”LOS NEGATIVOS “Viaje al Norte” (demo 1985)LOS NEGATIVOS “Haciendo surf en mi mente”LOS NEGATIVOS “Cigarras panameñas”THE VELVET ILLUSIONS “Velvet illusions”THE CREATION “No silver bird”THE HOOTERVILLE TROLLEY “No silver bird”THE TROPICS “As time’s gone”THE TROPICS “Time”HARD STUFF “The orchestrator”KALEIDOSCOPE “Colours”BEAT IN “You can give me the love”LOS NEGATIVOS “Pasando el tiempo”Escuchar audio

Certified Lay Speaker Bruce A Stark preaches on Matthew 10:5-6 The post “Unpacking The Hard Stuff: Nowhere Among The Gentiles” appeared first on First United Methodist Church-Brighton & Whitmore Lake.

Rev Jon Reynolds preaches on Mark 10:36-44 The post “Unpacking The Hard Stuff: Slave To All” appeared first on First United Methodist Church-Brighton & Whitmore Lake.

In this episode of The Heart of Rural America podcast, Amanda Radke welcomes back esteemed guest Jolene Brown, a nationally recognized speaker known for her expertise in supporting farm and ranch families. The discussion revolves around the unique challenges faced by agricultural families, particularly the balance of personal relationships and farm responsibilities. Jolene shares stories and advice on maintaining mental health, effective communication, financial planning, and the importance of support systems within rural communities. She emphasizes the need for humor, appreciating personal contributions, and having realistic strategies for family farms. The episode provides invaluable insights for ensuring both the success of farm operations and the well-being of those who dedicate their lives to them.00:00 Welcome to The Heart of Rural America00:13 Introducing Jolene Brown: A National Treasure01:14 Challenges Faced by Farm Families02:48 Balancing Marriage and Farm Life07:03 The Importance of Self-Care08:15 Building a Support Network14:31 Financial Advice for Farm Families15:49 Emergency Planning and Liquid Assets16:17 Spending Limits and Transparency17:04 Caution with Debt and Financial Responsibility17:32 Preparing for Unexpected Departures19:15 Communication and Family Meetings21:20 Balancing Short-term and Long-term Goals23:13 The Importance of Knowing Your 'Why'28:00 Tough Conversations and Transition Planning30:54 Final Thoughts and Parting AdviceFollow Amanda Radke on social media and subscribe to The Heart of Rural America for more episodes featuring the voices shaping agriculture, rural values, and constitutional freedoms.Presented by Bid on Beef | CK6 Consulting | CK6 Source | Real Tuff Livestock Equipment | Redmond RealSalt | Dirt Road Radio | All American Angus Beef | Radke Land & CattleUse code RADKE for $10 off your next All American Angus Beef order at www.BidOnBeef.comSave on Redmond Real Salt with code RADKE at https://shop.redmondagriculture.com/Check out Amanda's agricultural children's books here: https://amandaradke.com/collections/amandas-booksLearn more about Bulletproofing Your Direct-To-Consumer Beef Enterprise: https://amandaradke.com/products/bulletproof-your-beef-business

Listen to today's podcast... Everyone has problems that they need to deal with. Because problems can cause anxiety, many people will try to avoid, ignore or procrastinate when dealing with difficult issues in their lives. Ignoring them is useful sometimes. Unfortunately, with most problems, avoiding them just causes them to come back, and a small problem can become a big problem over time. Take One Action Today To Build Your #Resiliency!      Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Do Something Day: The most difficult step in problem solving is getting to the doing part. To help you carry out your solution, make an action plan. If you know how you are going to carry out your solution, you are more likely to follow through. Don't let your own voice derail you. Be aware of and challenge negative self-talk that can stop you from moving forward. List all the obstacles. Great problem solvers take a high-level view of the issues and list of all the potential factors that could get in the way of implementing their solution so that they don't get taken off task. Want to find more strategies to coping with stress? Check out my website at worksmartlivesmart.com #mentalhealth #hr

Rev Lindsey Hall preaches on Luke 14:26-27 The post “Unpacking The Hard Stuff: Are You Serious?” appeared first on First United Methodist Church-Brighton & Whitmore Lake.

This episode covers major regulatory updates, training clarifications, and instructional insights that every CFI and instrument pilot should understand heading into 2026. We begin with Mike's upcoming presentation at Redbird Migration on "Teaching the Hard Stuff for Initial CFI Training," including how to teach the fundamentals of instructing, endorsements and testing requirements, and how to tailor lesson plans for individual learners. We then break down important instrument training updates, including why LPV approaches are now officially classified as precision approaches, what that means for checkrides and IPCs, and the critical differences between approved vertical guidance and advisory LNAV+V glidepaths. You'll also hear a detailed explanation of localizer versus VOR CDI sensing, why OBS behavior differs, and how to properly set up an HSI to avoid reverse sensing. We dive into often-missed teaching points in chandelles, including proper power application and rudder logic during rollout. Finally, we review current ACS appendix requirements for non-precision approaches on checkrides and IPCs, discuss sport pilot privilege updates, and close with practical ProTips on knowledge test timing, flight recording liability, and lesser-known ForeFlight features. This is flight training explained clearly and practically — focused on understanding the standards, avoiding common teaching mistakes, and strengthening instructional precision. In this episode: Redbird Migration presentation preview Teaching fundamentals, endorsements, and lesson delivery in initial CFI training LPV approaches now defined as precision approaches Difference between LNAV+V advisory glidepaths and approved vertical guidance Localizer vs VOR CDI sensing explained OBS and HSI setup best practices Chandelle power application and rudder logic Non-precision approach requirements for checkrides and IPCs Sport pilot privileges using a driver's license Knowledge test timing strategy for ratings Liability considerations when recording flight lessons ForeFlight airport comments and AI summary feature

Let the Holy Spirit urge you to meet your potential and use the gifts we've been given.

Rev Jon Reynolds preaches on Mark 10:17-27 The post “Unpacking The Hard Stuff: Sell What You Own” appeared first on First United Methodist Church-Brighton & Whitmore Lake.

This is the second of two conversations I share with Adam Kronk, the director of Outreach and External Engagement for Notre Dame's Institute for Ethics and the Common Good. If you missed the first episode, it was released immediately prior to this one. Thanks for listening in again, or for the first time, to my conversation with Adam. As you either already know or will soon discover, he is an excellent conversation partner. Follow up resources:Notre Dame's Institute for Ethics and the Common Good“The Next Wave of Artificial Intelligence and Our Humanity, with Stephanie DePrez,” podcast episode via Church Life Today“What is Man that AI is Mindful of Him,” by Jeffrey Bishop, journal article via Church Life JournalChurch Life Today is a partnership between the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame and OSV Podcasts from Our Sunday Visitor. Discover more ways to live, learn, and love your Catholic faith at osvpodcasts.com. Sharing stories, starting conversations.

SummaryIn this episode, Isaac Camargo interviews Bridget, a fitness trainer and nurse, who shares her extraordinary journey from high school athlete to bodybuilding and now as a hybrid athlete. They discuss the importance of support systems, the evolution of body image, and the mental challenges faced in fitness and life. Bridget emphasizes the significance of intrinsic motivation, community, and defining one's own version of strength. The conversation also touches on her recent experience with Hyrox, a challenging fitness competition, and the mental strategies she employs to overcome obstacles.

This week on the KORE Women podcast, Dr. Summer Watson is joined by Felice Upton, who is a transformational systems consultant and organizational strategist who knows how to turn complexity into clarity. With decades of experience leading nonprofits, government agencies, and justice-involved organizations, Felice has seen firsthand how culture, trauma, and leadership shape every system we touch. And she's not afraid to talk about the hard stuff. In this episode, we explore what it takes to lead real change, how to build trauma-informed systems that actually serve people, and why avoidance is the enemy of transformation. If you're ready to lead with vision and create lasting impact, this episode is for you. You can connect with Felice Upton on: LinkedIn and you can check out her TEDx entitled, “The Hard Stuff” on YouTube linkedin.com/in/felicedavisupton TEDx: https://youtu.be/fwm3azuoLr4 Thank you for taking the time to listen to the KORE Women podcast and being a part of the KORE Women experience. You can listen to The KORE Women podcast on your favorite podcast directory - Pandora, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, YouTube, Spotify, Stitcher, Podbean, JioSaavn, Amazon and at: www.KOREWomen.com/podcast.  Please leave your comments and reviews about the podcast and check out KORE Women on Instagram, and Facebook.  You can also learn more about Dr. Summer Watson, MHS, PhD, KORE Women, LLC, the KORE Women podcast, KORE Business Solutions (a Virtual Assistant service) and Cross-Generational Consultation Services by going to: www.korewomen.com. Thank you for listening! Please share this podcast with your family and friends. #KOREWomenPodcast #LeadershipTransformation #TraumaInformedLeadership

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Welcome to Healing After the Hard Stuff.This podcast is for the moments when life and business feel harder than you ever expected. Burnout. Grief. Loss. Identity shifts. The seasons where everything feels heavier, messier, and far from straightforward.Here, I'm creating space for real, meaningful conversations about the parts of life we don't often talk about openly. The moments that crack us open, change us, and ask us to find a different way forward. My hope is that these conversations help you feel less alone, while also giving you access to healing techniques and modalities that can genuinely make a difference.You'll hear honest stories, conversations with experts, and reflections on breathwork and nervous system regulation. I'll also share from my own work as the founder of Influential Breathwork Academy, where I train people to use breath to support physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing.If you're finding your way through a difficult chapter, I hope this podcast offers something steady and supportive.One breath at a time.Follow Links:Get the Influential Breathwork Syllabus here:⁠https://www.influentialbreathwork.com/syllabus⁠Follow Anna Parker-Naples on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/healingafterthehardstuff⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/annaparkernaples⁠LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaparkernaples⁠

In episode fourteen of The Reimagine Edit series of the Passive House Podcast, host Zack Semke shares selected clips of conversations from the Reimagine Collective. Featured speakers in this episode include Beth Campbell, Ryan Abendroth, Mike Fowler, Kevin Brennan, Kara Haggerty Wilson, Nakita Reed, and Michael Ingui. In addition to specific deep dives into ventilation systems in hot and humid climates, designing for passive survivability during extreme weather events, and the challenges of marrying historic preservation and high-performance building methods, one theme courses throughout this episode's collection of snippets: The need for collaboration. Construction is a team sport, and a project's success depends on the ability of stakeholders with different sets of priorities to put aside their differences and cooperate. As our speakers note, learning to speak the language of different stakeholder helps to bridge the perceived divide between these priorities. Unrelated, but still exciting, our episode closes on some exciting news out of Massachusetts, where Passive House is booming. To learn more about what's happening in the state after listening to this episode, make sure to check out Cost-Efficient Passive House Delivery: Learning from the Massachusetts Experience by Passive House Massachusetts' Beth Campbell and Alexander Gard-Murray.The Reimagine Edit is a special series of the Passive House Podcast that shares curated insights from our Experts-In-Residence at the Reimagine Buildings Collective, our membership community of building professionals stepping up to tackle climate change. Learn more about the Reimagine Buildings Collective at https://www.reimaginebuildings.com.

If you've ever said, “I want to change” — I want to stop drinking, I want to leave this job, I want to stop people-pleasing, I want to feel less stuck — but you keep waking up in the exact same life…this episode is for you. Sobriety isn't just about putting down the wine glass. It's about learning how to live like you actually give a damn about your one life — instead of living on autopilot, numbing out with alcohol, over-functioning for everyone else, and calling it “fine”. In this episode, I asked Andrea Owen, author of Live Like You Give a Damn: 25 Bold Moves to Get Honest, Face the Hard Stuff, and Show Up for Yourself, speaker, coach, and woman in long-term recovery, to share how to actually change your life, not just talk about it. Andrea and I dive into how to get unstuck, move through fear and shame, and show up for yourself in sobriety without numbing out with alcohol. For the full show notes, kindly go to this podcast episode link: https://hellosomedaycoaching.com/how-to-actually-change-your-life-not-just-say-you-want-to 4 Ways I Can Support You In Drinking Less + Living More Join The Sobriety Starter Kit, the only sober coaching course designed specifically for busy women. My proven, step-by-step sober coaching program will teach you exactly how to stop drinking  — and how to make it the best decision of your life. Save your seat in my FREE MASTERCLASS, 5 Secrets To Successfully Take a Break From Drinking  Grab the Free 30-Day Guide To Quitting Drinking, 30 Tips For Your First Month Alcohol-Free. Connect with me for free sober coaching tips, updates + videos on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok @hellosomedaysober. Love The Podcast and Want To Say Thanks? ☕ Buy me a coffee! In the true spirit of Seattle, coffee is my love language. So if you want to support the hours that go into creating this show each week, click this link to buy me a coffee and I'll run to the nearest Starbucks + lift a Venti Almond Milk Latte and toast to you! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hellosomeday 

Hey friends, Chase here This week I had back-to-back coaching calls with two different clients. One had the skillset but not the mindset. The other had the mindset but not the skillset. Different people, same roadblock — they were both stuck at the edge of their next level because they were avoiding the hard stuff. Here's the truth most people don't want to hear: You don't level up because you "get discovered." You level up because you build both your skillset and your mindset — and that requires doing the uncomfortable work you've been dodging. Skillset without mindset? You become the talented person who keeps getting passed over. Mindset without skillset? You're inspiring, but not shipping meaningful work. You need both. And the only way to build both is by leaning into hard things. In today's episode: The real difference between mindset and skillset (and why both matter equally) How avoiding difficult work quietly caps your potential The simple practice that makes doing hard things a habit, not a hurdle Enjoy — and remember: the hard thing you're avoiding is the key to your next level.

This episode explores gratitude from an entirely different angle. Not the surface-level gratitude we usually hear about, but the kind that comes from the hardest chapters of life. Kara walks you through the Hawkins Scale of Consciousness and explains how emotions carry vibrational frequencies that shape our experiences. Gratitude sits at the top of the scale, yet it is often born from the moments that break us open.Inside this episode, Kara shares the stories that changed her life. Being shut out by the cool kids in 5th grade. Divorcing in her early twenties and finding her voice. The heartbreak of miscarriage and the spiritual awakening that followed, being let go from a job she overperformed in, and how it pushed her into true alignment. And the freedom that came from coming out of the spiritual closet and releasing the fear of what people think.If you are craving a deeper understanding of why the most difficult seasons often shape the strongest versions of us, this episode will speak to your heart. Kara's stories show how gratitude can transform your vibration, expand your consciousness, and help you rise into the truest version of yourself.Explore more of Kara's resources, workshops, and intuitive tools here:karmicleader.com/resources

Sunday, November 16, 2025Series: Free & AliveMessage: Hope in the Hard StuffBy: Bryant May, Lead PastorLearn more about The Exchange at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theexchange.cc

In today's episode we discuss some of the more difficult reasons you may find yourself in an unmarried rut. I hope it helps!For AD FREE episodes SUBSCRIBE here:https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drmichelle/subscribePLEASE SHARE this episode on your social media platforms! Visit My Fragrance Line Fine Forever: https://www.fineforever.com/Use this exclusive code for 20% off of your purchase: “DRDAF”Follow Me On Instagram: @DrMichelleDaf

We're back together! And we're recording in Kenz's stomping grounds of Vero Beach. We dove into what it really looks like to build deeper, more meaningful friendships. We vulnerably shared our own struggles with loneliness, miscommunication, and seasons where friendships have felt hard. Using our own journey as a model, we outlined 7 simple yet powerful ways to pursue authentic connection. Whether you're in a season of abundance or feeling disconnected, this episode is filled with practical encouragement to go deeper with the people around you. In This Episode [00:00] Mac Visits Vero Beach & Water Bottle Drama [04:30] A Word to Our OG Listeners & Podcast Growth Ask [08:50] Why We're Talking About Friendship [10:45] Tip #1: Pursue Them [13:15] Tip #2: Pray for Them [17:50] Tip #3: Practice Curiosity [22:40] Tip #4: Prioritize Honesty [27:30] Tip #5: Participate in Their World [32:15] Tip #6: Process the Hard Stuff [37:20] Tip #7: Push Each Other Toward Jesus [42:00] Final Encouragement to Take the First Step Thanks to Our Sponsors Brooklyn Bedding: Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠brooklynbedding.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and use our promo code FTG at checkout to get 30% off site wide. This offer is not available anywhere else. NIV Application Study Bible - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Grab your copy today!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Winshape: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Learn more or submit your application today⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! If you'd like to partner with For The Girl as a sponsor, fill out our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Advertise With Us⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ form! Follow us!

You're listening to Voices of Your Village, and today I got to hang out with science journalist and author Melinda Wenner Moyer to talk about something that so many of us wrestle with-- how to talk to our kids about the hard stuff. From climate change to inequality, to violence in the news, it can feel overwhelming to know what to say, when to say it, or even if we should say anything at all. Melissa's book, How to Raise Kids who Aren't Assholes, gave so many parents tools for raising kind, thoughtful humans. And her new book, Hello, Cruel World! continues that work by helping us navigate these tricky conversations with clarity, honesty, and compassion. In this episode, we dive into how to avoid toxic positivity without overwhelming our kids, how to model emotional regulation while still being real, and how to raise resilient humans in a world that doesn't always make it easy. All right folks, let's dive in. Connect with Melinda: Instagram: @melindawmoyer Facebook: facebook.com/melindawennermoyer  X: @lindy2350 Website: melindawennermoyer.com Order the book: Hello, Cruel World! Substack: Now What Connect with us: Instagram and TikTok: @seed.and.sew  Seed and Sew's NEW Regulation Questionnaire: Take the Quiz Pre-order Big Kids, Bigger Feelings now!  Website: seedandsew.org Credits: Host: Alyssa Blask Campbell Co-host: Rachel Lounder Production/Editing: Kristin Mork-McVeigh Graphics: Kayla Kurkland-Davis/ Beki Rohrig Music by: Ruby Adams and  Bensound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this throwback, Alex (@AlexHormozi) explains why real progress comes from solving the problems you don't know how to solve yet—not from repeating the ones you've already mastered. He shares how to frame stress as part of growth, why unknowns are valuable moats against competition, and how action creates more learning than endless preparation.Welcome to The Game w/Alex Hormozi, hosted by entrepreneur, founder, investor, author, public speaker, and content creator Alex Hormozi. On this podcast, you'll hear how to get more customers, make more profit per customer, how to keep them longer, and the many failures and lessons Alex has learned and will learn on his path from $100M to $1B in net worth.Wanna scale your business? Click here.Follow Alex Hormozi's Socials:LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | AcquisitionMentioned in this episode:Get access to the free $100M Scaling Roadmap at www.acquisition.com/roadmap

#862. Katie Thurston is back on the pod with her husband, comedian Jeff Arcuri, and this one's equal parts emotional and hilarious. We get all the real updates—where she's at with stage 4 cancer, what the treatment looks like day-to-day, and how she's become a major voice for advocating earlier mammograms and pushing doctors to listen.Katie opens up about the stat that most men leave after a diagnosis—and how Jeff did the opposite and married her. We also talk about their IVF journey, the grief of not being able to carry a child, and how Katie continues to encourage Jeff to chase his comedy career—even in the middle of everything. You'll hear how they met, how humor plays a role in the darkest moments, and why laughter and love are getting them through it. There are tears, there are laughs, and at the end of the day—it's just a feel-good episode with friends. Enjoy!If you're LOVING this podcast, please follow and leave a rating and review below! PLUS, FOLLOW OUR PODCAST INSTAGRAM HERE!Thank you to our Sponsors! Check out these deals!Better Help: This episode is brought to you by Better Help! Off The Vine listeners get 10% off their first month at BetterHelp.com/VINE.Chewy: Chewy has everything you need to keep your pet happy and healthy. And right now you can save $20 on your first order and get free shipping by going to Chewy.com/vine.Apartments.com: The Place to find a place!Lady World: Come Join me for a fun weekend! Get your tickets now at LadyWorld.COEPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: (11:20) — Katie's stage 4 cancer updates and tumor shrinkage(23:47)— Jeff's comedy world tour update!(40:30) — How Katie and Jeff met!(50:00) — IVF journey: hopes, grief, and what's ahead!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.