In this episode, Kara is stepping in with author and coach, Dr. Gemma Sampson. Australian by birth, Gemma grew up in a very rural town in Zambia, Africa in a missionary family. Returning to Australia her senior year, she quickly stopped telling the stories that were normal for her in order to assimilate into the teen experience of her peers, thus beginning the lifelong quest to find belonging. Throughout her life, Gemma has moved over 50 times living about 18 months in each place. Listen in to hear how Gemma found home within by learning to listen to the still small voice of her own intuition and not respond to other’s desires for her life.

In this episode, Kara is stepping in with True Joy Expert, Linda Shively. After healing from an abusive marriage and navigating the diagnosis and eventual death of her severely handicapped 3 year old daughter, Linda found her way to bounce back and reclaim joy in her life. Linda shares gripping moments from her daughter’s diagnosis to her last breath as well as recounting the years of despair and numbness to her new found purpose, triumph and joy in life. Her daughter’s joy and the joy that was between them keeps her going even to this day. Linda’s story of loss is tragic but the peace and presence she has cultivated are healing and inspiring.

In this episode, Kara is stepping in with Maggie Kang, a board certified radiologist whose nine year old daughter had a very sudden diagnosis of an incurable and rare autoimmune disease. That moment in time and the weeks following completely changed Maggie's life, her daughter's life, and their whole family's way of being in the world. The two talk about the importance of processing pain and grieving in order to truly find acceptance and live in the reality of now after life-altering events. Maggie shares her journey with exploring new ways of thinking about the changes in order to let go of resistance, move through her pain, and find a way to move forward. This episode will leave you full of hope.

In this episode, I am sharing a conversation with my myofascial release (MFR) therapist and dearest friend, Laurie Wheeler. I have often said, if there is no other silver lining to this event in my life, Laurie is it and that is enough. Next to my son, Laurie has been the most physically present in my journey of the last 6 years of healing and learning to live a very different life. She is a force of love like no other. Her presence has changed me, healed me. She is a gifted healer and has become one of the dearest friends I have ever known. In our conversation, we talk about everything recovery and healing, with much emphasis on the physical journey of my body through the hands on bodywork that she does (John Barnes MFR). Because she has also been such a presence in my life, we also talk about many other aspects of my life and healing in the past 6 years.

In this episode, I am sharing a conversation with my big sister and best friend, Jen Bussinger. Despite many states between us, she was at my side in the ICU within 12 hours of my accident. Her support physically, emotionally, financially and spiritually has been the greatest gift of my life. I could never put into words what she means to me nor the depth of healing this conversation stirred in me. She helped me remember things from the beginning and the unfolding of time but we also talked about things each of us has experienced as a result of this event that we had never shared with each other previously. She is stepping in with me, I am with her. You see the layers of my story and the way her story of my experience is part of our conversation. We have worked very intentionally to live in the depth of love and relationship that we share and I am honored to share with you a small window into her love. She is so very special to me.

In this episode, I am sharing a conversation with Dr. Tyler Hurst. I met Tyler, who is a functional neurologist, about 8 weeks into my recovery and healing. Functional neurology was an unfamiliar modality to me and I quickly learned it was one of the greatest pathways to help my brain heal. Not only that, but Tyler is a phenomenal human and became like family as he walked with me, guiding me to higher ground in my brain healing. We talk a lot about the brain and how my brain was affected by my accident both physiologically and functionally. By listening, you get a glimpse into what it looks like to live with brain injury. You also get an insight into the emotional journey it is to lose function of the organ that allows you to be who you are in the human experience. This one is filled with such deep insight into the invisible road to healing a person with brain injury walks. It is also such a testament to how important it is for patients to feel safe expressing what is happening for them on the journey BEYOND the physical. Being witnessed and validated in the wholeness of the experience is an important element for physical healing to occur. Tyler is a pro and I know that you are going to love him as much as I do!

In this episode, I am sharing a conversation with my son, Coleman. He is the only person who has been part of the day to day in the last 6 years. His adolescence into young adulthood has been marked by this journey and he is the reason I have been able to keep going through some of the darkest and most confusing stretches. He is my MVP, my little buddy and my lifelong friend. His perspective is so valuable to me and I know you will be amazed at his endurance as the only child of a single woman who faced death and has had to rebuild from the ground up. That is a lot to carry when you are 12. Though it pains me to know some of the things he took on under our circumstances (don’t we all want the easy road for our kids!?) I am also beyond proud of the way he has risen to be the brilliant and beautiful young man that he is in these times of turbulence and uncertainty. I hope you enjoy this candid conversation between a boy and his momma… reflecting on our journey as it relates to my accident, subsequent brain injury and how it affected him and our family as a unit.

In this episode, Kara steps in with Lynette Molina, a woman whose gratitude and joy for life have literally saved her life. The two are talking about the very unexpected, recent loss of Lynette’s little sister. She shares her journey of grief and her gratitude for having loved another so deeply. Because of her childhood trauma which has wiped away many memories, losing her sister was like losing part of her memory. She was the one person who knew Lynette’s entire life journey, as they walked it together. From homeless in LA to PTA member in her daughter’s private school in Scottsdale, AZ Lynette has a great appreciation for every blessing in her life. To this day, every time Lynette leaves the grocery store, she sits in her car and cries because she is so grateful that she can buy anything she wants. Listen in for jewels of wisdom from a woman who has cultivated healing through gratitude in her defining moments, especially when life is hard.

In this episode, Kara steps in with Courage Coach and riveting story teller, Britt Ivy to talk about her very tender experience of having an abortion. Their conversation is not about whether it is right or wrong. It is not a political conversation. It is the story of an 18-year-old Britt who made the choice to have an abortion and later in life unpacked the many ways in which it showed up as self-sabotaging behavior, eating disorder, patterns of choosing abusing partners, numbing her feelings, and addiction until she found help, hope and healing years later. It is her life’s work to help other women heal.

In this episode, Kara steps in with sought after motivational speaker and international teacher, Nyke Latrice. Kara and Nyke talk about her single mom life, providing for her 3 kids (2 of her own and an added nephew who was also under her parental care) through numerous hustles while volunteering her heart to serve and volunteer in various ways in the community. Giving back, Nyke emphasizes empowerment by creating programs that give single moms a “hand up” instead of a “hand out”. The two also talk about the devastating murder of the nephew she raised and what it has been for her family to find healing. Listen in to this episode to be encouraged as a mom and inspired by Nyke’s advocacy for women and children trying to figure life out.

In this episode, Kara steps in with genius mentor and beautiful soul, Tania Blanco. Tania shares the painful journey of losing her true self through her involvement in a religious organization and through her marriage. Kara and Tania talk about how she was not allowed to have a voice, but rather as a woman had to comply. You will hear how this emotional suffering showed up as physical problems in her body. Tania shares what it took to reclaim her power, create boundaries and dance her way back into loving her life.

In this episode, Kara is stepping in with her client who recently reclaimed life through her second triumphant round with cancer. They explore strength, mental health and Maren’s transition from operating as a tightly wound twine to relaxing, letting go and allowing life to happen. It became obvious in her journey that she needed space to heal all aspects of her being. Once she created the space, she could see that parts of her life were no longer serving her and she knew she had to make changes that aligned to her highest self.

Listen in for multiple extremely relatable conversations that took Maren from living in autopilot to conscious choosing in her life.