Hope Comes to Visit
Hope Comes to Visit is a soulful podcast that holds space for real stories, honest conversations, and the kind of moments that remind us we’re never alone.Hosted by author, speaker, and former TV journalist-turned-storyteller Danielle Elliott Smith, the show explores the full spectrum of the human experience — from the tender to the triumphant. Through powerful interviews and reflective storytelling, each episode offers light, connection, and presence for anyone navigating the in-between.Whether you’re grieving, growing, beginning again, or simply craving something real, Hope Comes to Visit will meet you right where you are — with warmth, grace, and the quie...
Limited Series - There's Always a Way - Episode 5 - From Surviving to Thriving: Erin Smith on Recovery, Faith and Finding her Way Home
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Some people find recovery by putting down alcohol.
Others find recovery when they finally discover they don't have to carry life alone.
My friend Erin Smith's story reminds us that while every path is different, healing almost always begins with connection.
Erin's struggle began long before she was old enough to legally drink. After a devastating sports injury left her feeling like she'd lost her identity, she found herself relying on prescription medication and alcohol to numb anxiety, depression, and overwhelming emotional pain.
Although she...
Limited Series - There's Always A Way - Episode 4 - The Quiet Whisper That Changed Everything: Laura Zigman on Curiosity, Wine Culture and Choosing a Different Path
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Not every recovery story begins with rock bottom.
Sometimes it begins with a quiet realization that something no longer feels right.
Bestselling author Laura Zigman never considered herself someone with a drinking problem. But during the pandemic, she noticed something she couldn't ignore: even though she only drank two glasses of wine a day, she didn't like needing it. She didn't like watching the clock. She didn't like how alcohol had quietly become the center of her evenings.
In this thoughtful and deeply relatable conversation...
Limited Series - There's Always A Way - Episode 3 - The Life I Never Want to Lose: Adam Hamby on 10 Years of Sobriety, Family and Fighting For What Matters Most
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One of the greatest gifts recovery has given me is the people I've met along the way—and Adam Hamby is one of those people.
I've known Adam for almost as long as I've been sober, and one of the things I've admired most about him has always been the way his entire face lights up when he talks about his wife, Tina, and their daughters. His family isn't just part of his recovery—they're the life he fought to build.
But it wasn't always that way.
In t...
Limited Series There is Always a Way - Episode 2 - Finding My Way Back: Heather King on Recovery, Relapse, and the Courage to Begin Again
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What happens when someone with nearly sixteen years of sobriety relapses?
More importantly...
What happens next?
In this deeply honest episode of There Is Always a Way, Danielle sits down with writer Heather King for one of the most courageous conversations in the series.
Heather spent nearly sixteen years sober before a perfect storm of grief, caregiving, loss, chronic stress, and emotional exhaustion slowly led her back to alcohol. What followed wasn't just a relapse—it became a profound lesson in grace, healing, and discovering th...
Limited Series - Episode 1- There is Always a Way: Danielle Elliott Smith on Seven Years of Hope, Healing and ReDefining Sober
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Seven years ago, I made one of the hardest—and ultimately most life-changing—decisions of my life.
I asked for help.
At the time, I believed alcohol was my problem. Looking back now, I know
Seven years ago, I made one of the hardest—and ultimately most life-changing—decisions of my life.
I asked for help.
At the time, I believed alcohol was my problem. Looking back now, I know alcohol was only part of the story.
In this pers...
What Happens When You Trust the Next Step: A Conversation with Dr. Calvin Sun
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What if one unexpected "yes" completely changed the course of your life?
This week on Hope Comes to Visit, I'm delighted to sit down with board-certified emergency physician, author, entrepreneur, and world traveler Dr. Calvin Sun, whose journey to every country in the world began with... a lost bet.
What started as a reluctant trip to Egypt eventually became a life dedicated to curiosity, adventure, and saying yes to experiences that most people only dream about. Along the way, Calvin earned his medical degree, practiced emergency medicine...
Life Often Whispers Before It Shouts
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For the past several weeks, I've been exhausted.
Not normal tired. Not "I need a nap" tired. The kind of tired that makes you question yourself, your motivation, your energy, and whether something deeper might be going on.
This week, I wanted to share a personal story about finally listening to my body after weeks of brain fog, joint pain, fatigue, and feeling unlike myself—and the unexpected diagnosis that followed.
But this episode isn't JUST about the diagnosis.
It's about the ways we dismiss ou...
A Mother's Fight for Justice, Legacy, and Love: Sabrina & Glenn Foster Jr.'s Story
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Some conversations leave a mark on your heart.
This week's episode of Hope Comes to Visit is one of them.
My guest is Sabrina Foster—a mother, advocate, community leader, and founder of the Foster Family Foundation.
In 2021, Sabrina's son, Glenn Foster Jr., died while in police custody in Alabama. Since that day, she has devoted herself to seeking accountability, honoring her son's legacy, and supporting others through advocacy and community work.
What moved me most about this conversation wasn't simply the tragedy of what ha...
Grieving Unmasked: Love, Loss, and Finding Beauty in the Heartache with Brittany Wiederin
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What does it look like to grieve openly, honestly, and without hiding the hardest parts?
This week on Hope Comes to Visit, I’m joined by Brittany Wiederin—a wife, mother, advocate, and founder of the Handle Hard Better Foundation.
After losing her husband, Cory, to a rare and aggressive form of kidney cancer, Brittany finds herself navigating the unimaginable: raising two young boys, carrying profound grief, and learning how to move forward while still honoring the love that changed her life.
What struck me most about this...
When Life Gives You Permission to Change - A Conversation with Dr. Durga Larkin
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For decades, Dr. Durga Larkin's identity was deeply connected to her work as a cataract surgeon.
Then one unexpected fall changed everything.
After fracturing her dominant arm and facing the possibility that she might never return to surgery, Dr. Durga found herself confronting a question many of us eventually face:
Who are we when the role we've built our life around begins to change?
In this thoughtful and deeply human conversation, we talk about aging, identity, purpose, perfectionism, burnout, rest, and what it means to...
When Grief Creates Purpose | Michelle Valiukenas on Pregnancy Loss, NICU Life & Hope
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This week on Hope Comes to Visit, I’m joined by Michelle Valiukenas — founder of the The Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation and mother to Sweet Pea, Colette, and Elliott.
Michelle’s story begins with what she believed would be a typical pregnancy. Instead, at just 21 weeks pregnant, she was diagnosed with severe preeclampsia and hospitalized immediately. Three weeks later, her daughter Colette was born at 24 weeks and 5 days and spent nine days in the NICU before Michelle and her husband lost her.
What Michelle created in the aftermath of that l...
S2 Ep17 Hope & Healing: Finding Natural Paths to Wellness with Rachel Urton (Ep 60)
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This week on Hope Comes to Visit, I’m joined by Rachel Urton — founder of Balanced Home Apothecary, mom of four, and someone deeply passionate about helping women and families find natural support that actually fits into real life.
What started as Rachel making roller balls for friends who felt overwhelmed by the world of DIY wellness eventually became a business rooted in simplicity, care, and hope.
In this conversation, we talk about:
• the pressure moms carry every day
• why so many women put themselves last
• chronic pa...
S2 Ep16 ProjectME: Rebuilding Worth, Wealth, and Hope with Tiffany Carter (Ep 59)
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Content note: This episode includes conversation about childhood trauma, sex trafficking, suicidal ideation, abuse, and recovery.
In this powerful episode of Hope Comes to Visit, I'm privileged to sit down with Tiffany Carter — money attachment expert, business mentor, host of the ProjectME with Tiffany Carter podcast, and a multi-millionaire entrepreneur whose story is rooted in survival, healing, and radical self-rescue.
Tiffany shares how childhood trauma, people-pleasing, false identity, and self-abandonment shaped her relationship with herself, success, money, and visibility. Together, we talk about what it means to re...
S2 EP 15 When Love Has Four Legs: Grief, Connection, and Hope - A Conversation with Jean Alfieri (Ep 58)
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There’s something about the love of a dog that feels both simple and profound. It grounds us, meets us where we are, and reminds us—often in the quietest ways—what connection really looks like.
In this episode of Hope Comes to Visit, Danielle sits down with author and speaker Jean Alfieri, whose life and work are rooted in a deep love for dogs—especially those who need it most. From rescue stories to the heartbreak of loss, Jean shares what it means to open your heart again and again, even kno...
S2 EP 14 Choosing Yourself: Deborah Santana on Identity, Freedom, and Loving the Fire (Ep 57)
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There are moments in life when choosing yourself can be one of the most courageous things you can do.
In this deeply moving episode of Hope Comes to Visit, I was privileged to sit down with Deborah Santana—author, activist, and voice for women’s empowerment—to explore what it means to step out of the shadows and fully into your own life.
Through her new memoir Loving the Fire: Choosing Me, Finding Freedom, Deborah shares her journey of transformation after decades of partnership, public life, and self-evolution. Together, they t...
S2 EP13 Laughing Through the Hard: Kelly MacFarland on Grief, Humor, and Being Fully Alive (Ep 56)
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The people who make us laugh the hardest often carry the deepest stories.
In this episode of Hope Comes to Visit, Danielle sits down with comedian and storyteller Kelly MacFarland for a conversation that moves seamlessly between humor and heartbreak.
From navigating profound loss to finding joy again, Kelly shares what it looks like to live fully—even when life feels heavy.
This is a conversation about resilience, perspective, and the quiet ways hope finds its way back in.
What You’ll Hear:
H...S2 EP 12 She Said Spirit Is Real… And Then Proved It - A Conversation with Medium Barbra Banner (Ep 55)
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What if the signs you’ve been noticing… aren’t coincidence?
In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Hope Comes to Visit, I am joined by Barbra Banner—a no-nonsense psychic, evidential medium, and transmedium known for delivering messages with clarity, humor, and heart.
Together, we explore what happens when we open ourselves to the possibility that those we’ve lost are still with us—just in a different way.
Barbra shares her unexpected journey into mediumship, what it means to trust your intuition, and how connection t...
S2 EP 11 What Gives Me Hope About the Next Generation | A Conversation with Sydney Moore (Ep 54)
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One of the most beautiful forms of hope arrives in shape of young people destined to make their mark on the world in a powerful way. This conversation shares just that form of hope.
This week on Hope Comes to Visit, I sat down with someone incredibly special to me — Sydney Moore, a high school senior at St. Joseph’s Academy in St. Louis who has spent her young life rooted in service, justice, learning, and compassion.
I have known Sydney since she was just a little girl...
S2 EP 10 Different, Not Broken: Disability, Dignity, and the Power of Seeing People Fully with Dr. Stuart D. Jones (Ep 53)
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There are stories that don’t just move us — they change the way we see the world.
In this episode of Hope Comes to Visit, I was grateful to sit down with educator, speaker, and author Dr. Stuart D. Jones to explore a deeply personal story about dignity, disability, and the extraordinary value of every human life.
Dr. Jones shares the story of his brother Stephen — a boy born in 1954 with significant intellectual and physical disabilities during a time when resources, services, and understanding were almost nonexistent. Doctor...
S2 EP 9 Kelly Karavousanos on Grief, Support, and What It Means to Sit in the Dark With Someone (Ep 52)
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Sometimes hope doesn’t arrive loudly.
Sometimes it shows up in the quiet presence of someone willing to sit beside us in our hardest moments.
This week on Hope Comes to Visit, I’m joined by Kelly Karavousanos — licensed professional counselor, certified thanatologist, licensed funeral director, and one of the people I credit with helping guide me through some of the darkest grief of my life.
Kelly brings a rare combination of clinical expertise and lived humanity to this conversation. We talk about what grief actually looks...
Kelly Karavousanos on Grief, Support, and What It Means to Sit in the Dark With Someone
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Sometimes hope doesn’t arrive loudly.
Sometimes it shows up in the quiet presence of someone willing to sit beside us in our hardest moments.
This week on Hope Comes to Visit, I’m joined by Kelly Karavousanos — licensed professional counselor, certified thanatologist, licensed funeral director, and one of the people I credit with helping guide me through some of the darkest grief of my life.
Kelly brings a rare combination of clinical expertise and lived humanity to this conversation. We talk about what grief actually looks like...
S2 EP 8 It Only Takes One Yes: Julie Whitney on Reinvention, Resilience and Second Acts (Ep 51)
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Some stories remind you that it’s not too late. Not for the dream you tucked away. Not for the creative spark you thought you missed. Not for the reinvention you quietly crave.
In this episode I’m joined by Julie Whitney — a self-employed PR professional who, in the middle of the pandemic, found herself standing in a hangar beside a plane she’d never even flown in… and feeling something crack wide open.
When Julie’s husband, “Captain Dan,” unexpectedly lost his job as chief corporate pilot in 2020, t...
S2 EP 7 Ann Imig on Rewiring Your Brain for Hope, Burnout Recovery & Mental Fitness (Ep 50)
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What if hope isn’t a feeling… but a skill?
This week on Hope Comes to Visit, I’m joined by my longtime friend Ann Imig — MSW, certified coach, and founder of the storytelling phenomenon Listen to Your Mother. Fifteen years after giving motherhood a microphone on stages across North America, Ann now helps burnt-out women retrain their brains for clarity, calm, and joy.
We talk about:
Why your stress brain dominates your decisionsHow to literally rewire your brain for hopeThe myth of “I’ll be happy when…”Achievement addi...S2 EP 6 Learning to Love What You Don’t Like | Oneika Mays on Mindfulness, Rikers Island & Radical Loving Kindness (Ep 49)
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What if you don’t have to like someone to love them?
In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, I was honored to sit down down with mindfulness coach, yoga teacher, and master storyteller Oneika Mays to explore what it means to practice loving kindness in the hardest places — including Rikers Island and how these experiences inspired her new book: Sit with Me: A No BS Journey to Mindfulness & Meditation.
Oneika spent years teaching meditation and yoga inside one of the most notorious jails in the country. What...
S2 EP5 Pancakes for Roger: Love, Service, and the Lessons Our Parents Leave Us — with Susan L. Combs (Ep 48)
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Season 2, Episode 5
A Missouri girl in a New York world on founding Combs & Company, honoring her father’s legacy, and why hope is the only thing greater than fear.
This week I’m joined by Susan L. Combs—president of Combs & Company, bestselling author, and daughter of Major General Roger E. Combs. We talk about the moment “Pancakes for Roger” was born, the quiet heroism of caregivers, what the military gave her family (and took), and how a single story can ripple into grants, breakfasts, and thousa...
S2 EP4 Laugh, Cry, Cuss, Evolve: Practical Hope for Divorce with Jessica Ashley (Ep 47)
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This week on Hope Comes to Visit, I’m joined by my long-time friend Jessica Ashley—the Divorce Coach for Moms (CDC Certified Divorce Coach®), award-winning writer, and pink-haired powerhouse helping women move through divorce with clarity, community, and yes… a little cussing. We talk about identity, grief that resurfaces in tiny moments, and how to be “amicable” with yourself when co-parenting isn’t collaborative.
I have so many favorite moments from this episode - but Jessica helps women move through divorce with grace, creativity, and community. We talk about what it...
S2 EP3 When Love Stay: Showing Up for your Partner Without Losing Yourself with Tina Hamby (Ep 46)
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Season 2, Episode 3
What does it look like to love someone through addiction—without losing yourself? My dear friend Tina Hamby shares the messy middle of her marriage: the years her husband Adam was drinking, the boundaries that kept her safe, the moment everything changed, and the daily practices that keep their extraordinary family grounded now. We talk faith, community, parenting through guilt, and why “nothing changes if nothing changes.”
Listen for:
• The difference between fixing and loving
• Boundaries that protect you (and your relationship)
• Finding your recovery “thing...
S2 Ep2 From Marriage to Team: Our Co-Parenting Playbook with my ex-Husband Jeff Smith (Ep 45)
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When the marriage ends but the season isn’t over, what does it look like to stay on the same team? In this candid conversation, I sit down with my ex-husband (and friend) Jeff Smith to share the co-parenting playbook that’s worked for us: kids-first decisions, private huddles + public alignment, respect over ego, and informed support through recovery. No trick plays—just fundamentals we run every day.
Today’s game plan
Kids-First Offense: decisions that put the children on the scoreboard, not our...Season 2 Ep 1- Light, Audacity, and Showing Up- My Word (and Work) for 2026 (Ep 44)
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This year, my word of the year is Audacity—not the loud kind, the tender kind that says: I’m still here, and I’m going to live like it.
If you are here right now and/or planning to press play today, thank you. You’ve taken a chance on me—and on this new season.
I’m choosing Audacity for its tiny brave steps, presence over perfection, and hope that shows up.
Season 2 starts officially starts here...
When the Paint Chips: Finding Light After Unthinkable Loss with Theo Boyd - Episode 43
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Content note: This episode includes candid discussion of traumatic loss, suicide, and grief.
In this final Hope Comes to Visit episode of 2025, I sit down with award-winning Texas author, grief educator, and podcaster Theo Boyd.
Every story has a turning point and she joins me to talk about hers...including her new USA TODAY bestselling book Hope All the Way—and the life behind it. Theo shares the day everything changed: her mother’s tragic death in a farm accident, the unraveling of her m...
From Guilt to Guidance: How to Talk About Senior Care with Shona McIntyre - Episode 42
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Content note: This episode includes candid conversation about aging, dementia, and caregiver stress.
What’s the right time to talk about senior care—and how do you even begin? In this episode of Hope Comes to Visit, I sit with Shona McIntyre, a senior care advisor, social worker, and certified dementia practitioner with nearly two decades of experience helping families navigate complex decisions with clarity, compassion, and confidence.
We unpack the messy middle: noticing early signs of change, starting “the talk” without stripping dignity, and why plan...
Kleptomania, Consequences, And Hope: A Conversation with Kelli Bauer - Episode 41
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This episode includes honest discussion of addiction and legal consequences.
What does recovery look like when the compulsion won’t let go? In this conversation, I am privileged to sit with Kelli Bauer, who lives with kleptomania—an often-hidden addiction—and has paid steep personal and legal costs. This conversation is brave and vulnerable. We talk about the difference between “shoplifting” and a clinical compulsion, how shame and secrecy keep us sick, what (actually) helps day-to-day, and why, for Kelli, hope looks like refusing to give up—one hour, one errand...
A Life Bigger Than Grief: Melissa Hull on Grace, Forgiveness and Choosing Joy - Episode 40
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Gentle note: we talk honestly about grief and child loss—please listen with care and kindness for yourself.
What does healing look like when the unthinkable happens? In this episode, I’m sitting with Melissa Hull—author, speaker, coach, fierce advocate, and Drew’s mom. After losing her son in a tragic drowning, Melissa has worked to choose a different ending for herself: love in motion, faith as a daily practice, grief as a path that can still lead to purpose.
In this conversation, we get real...
Start Anyway: K.T. Jay on Grief, Courage, Indie Publishing, and Imagination - Episode 39
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Gentle heads-up: mentions of grief and loss.
If you’re new—welcome, I am so grateful you are here. If you’re back again for hope to visit—welcome home.
In this episode, I'm delighted to be chatting with K.T. Jay—the Amazon bestselling author of Inkbound Inheritance—to talk about imagination, healing through story, and the courage it takes to begin. We explore how grief shapes us, why stories can steady us, and what it’s really like to indie-publish a debut that lands on...
Ep 38 Hustle, Heart, Hot Dogs & Hope: Danni Eickenhorst on Feeding a City
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I love conversations that make you want to show up for people. This is one of them.
Today’s guest is Danni Eickenhorst, the heartbeat behind Hustle Hospitality and some of St. Louis’ most beloved spots: Steve’s Hot Dogs, Steve’s Meltdown, The Fountain on Locust, and The Stardust Room.
Danni and I talk about what it really means to be “a neighborhood place”: paying people with dignity, creating spaces where everyone belongs, and...
EP 37 Hope, Hustle & Tiny Tags: Melissa Clayton on Building a Beloved Brand & Hitting Dream Milestones (Like Making Oprah's Favorite Things!)
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If you’re new—welcome. If you’re back—welcome home. Today I’m sitting down with my friend Melissa Clayton, founder & CEO of Tiny Tags—the personalized jewelry brand born at a kitchen table and now beloved by moms, worn by Meghan Markle, sold in Target stores nationwide, and (pinch-me) featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things 2025.
We talk about the quiet courage behind the milestones: bootstrapping for 15+ years, saying no to shiny objects, building a values-first team, and telling real stories of moth...
EP 36 From Panic to Peace: Everyday Practices for Anxious Hearts with Amanda Willson
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If you’re new here—welcome. If you’re back—welcome home. Today I’m sitting with my dear friend of 12+ years, Amanda Willson, a life coach and anxiety expert who has walked this road and now teaches the rest of us how to find steadier ground. This isn’t theory; it’s real tools for real life.
We talk about simple practices that change the moment you’re in: 4-7-8 breathing to settle your nervous system, the 5-4-3-2-1 senses reset to get you out o...
The Night Laughter Saved My Life: Ron Blake on PTSD, Community, & 522 Boards of Hope - Episode 35
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A gentle heads-up: In this conversation, we name some hard things — including suicide and sexual assault. If that’s tender for you today, please listen with care, skip ahead, or come back when you’re ready. If you need support in the US, call or text 988.
Sometimes hope is a laugh you didn’t expect.
At 10:44 PM on November 2, 2015, Ron “Blake” Blake was ready to end his life. A split-second laugh during The Late Show with Stephen Colbert inter...
When “Try Again” Isn’t Enough: Sam Bonizzi on Missed Miscarriages, IVF & Finding Community - Episode 34
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Hope isn’t the absence of fear—it’s the light that keeps you moving when fear won’t leave.
In this tender, no-fluff conversation, I sit with Sam Bonizzi, co-author of The Losses We Keep, as she shares how two missed miscarriages upended everything: the shock of hard news in an ultrasound room, the moment she fired a clinic that wouldn’t test her partner, and how she built a real support web—REI + acupuncture + therapy + a circle of women who “got it.”
From Silent Suffering to Solid Support: Lucy Rose on Healing Chronic Loneliness - Episode 33
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Some seasons of my life, loneliness wasn’t a passing mood—it was the air I breathed. I didn’t always call it by name, but my body did: tight chest, racing thoughts, that sense of being “with people” and still feeling alone. In this conversation, I sit down with Lucy Rose, founder of The Cost of Loneliness Project, to talk honestly about what chronic loneliness does to us—and how we can gently stitch connection back into our days.
We weave together science and story: cortisol and inflammation, yes—but also...
