A podcast of inspirational stories of overcoming adversity and emerging transformed with a positive outcome.
Twenty-three-year-old Aaron Martinez grew up going to school in Espanola, New Mexico, a city with a population of about 10,000. You’ll pass through it if you’re driving between Santa Fe and Taos, two tourist towns known for its art scene, winter skiing and opera. Unfortunately, it also sits in a Northern New Mexico region where …
Continue reading “094: Aaron Martinez: Breaking the Cycle of Drug Addiction in his Family”
Founder and CEO of the inspirational fashion brand ShineThe Light On, 25-year-old Eli Brown knows first-hand what it’s like to struggle with mental illness. An avid tennis player since the age of four he was so good that he later received a tennis scholarship to attend a prestigious university and compete with Team Canada. But …
Jess Key is a remarkable woman who says she’s a major underdog story. She’s a 41-year-old mother of three and she’s a dragon boat racer on the U.S. National Dragon Boat Team. You’d never know it today, but Jess has overcome multiple adversities. Both of her parents were drug addicts, she grew up with physical …
It’s been 29 years to this day that Director, Producer, Editor and Filmmaker Eric Christiansen survived the 1990 Painted Cave Fire in Santa Barbara, California. The fire destroyed over 400 homes, including Eric’s, and burned over 5,000 acres, devastating many lives. Eric talks about how he turned to alcohol and drugs to cope with the …
Feeling abandoned and hopeless, 17-year-old Barry Martin prayed for help. Within a couple of minutes, he found a sign literally on a basketball court. Barry had a tough childhood–an abusive father and an addicted, neglectful mom. At age 10 he had to find odd jobs in order to buy food and clothes for him and …
Transformational coach Abby Hanneman tells herself that she can do more to help others who are suffering from suicidal thoughts. She should know; Abby’s attempted suicide at least four times and has the scars on her arms to prove it. But since she’s learned to change her daily affirmations from hating life to loving it, …
[UPDATE: Since the release of this episode, a suspect has been arreted in Jamie’s murder in March 2019. Further updates to be provided later.] On August 28, 2016, Valerie Silveira had a parent’s worst nightmare come true—a knock on the door with the news that her 30-year-old daughter, Jamie, was murdered. She evidently was shot …
In June 2017, at the age of 46, Bill Monroe suffered a stroke and lost the use of the limbs on his left side. He talks about what was going through his mind when he got his diagnosis, and how he managed to begin his recovery. He says there are a lot of outdated beliefs …
Continue reading “069: Bill Monroe: Life After a Stroke and Why He Feels Lucky”
Phillip Andrew is an Emmy-nominated TV Producer, Writer, Media and Life Coach. He’s also a Speaker, who talks at rehabs, jails, colleges and high schools. In this interview, Phillip shares his story of how he began abusing alcohol at an early age. Actually, he started drinking when he was 11. Things got worse when his …
Founder and CEO of Steviva Brands and Icon Foods, Thom King shares when he said he felt like a fraud. He headed companies that promoted healthy foods, yet he was a self-professed sugar addict. One day in 2016, the pain of it all exceeded the pleasure of maintaining his food addiction and poor health, and …
