Relentlessly Resilient Podcast

Mandy Anderson is a mother, a wife, and a photographer with great talent and great anxiety. So when she was asked to participate in  The Woman of the Universe pageant as Mrs. USA, she did not jump at the invitation. Soon after, however, she realized how the platform could help her spread awareness about causes she cares about, including welcoming refugees. Now, as  Mrs. USA 2023-2024 , not only do...

In a world where marketers and politicians rush to extremes to sway you to their point of view, there is actually a lot of positivity to see out there! This is the message the host of  The Optimistic American podcast , Paul Johnson , shares today with our Relentlessly Resilient hosts. As a successful businessman, author , and even former Phoenix mayor, he has experienced for himself the power of “...

Father’s Day, Mother’s Day,or a random Thursday in June? Any of these days can be difficult when related to a lost loved one. In this cohost conversation of  Relentlessly Resilient, our hosts discuss handling Father’s Day after the death of their husbands, from ignoring that “dumb calendar” to letting the kids pick how to celebrate and, importantly, celebrating their lives when the conversation co...

Tanner Poulson lived his life serving others as he worked with individuals with intellectual disabilities, and one of his favorite ways to serve and connect was with LEGO bricks. But when he unexpectedly passed away at the young age of 31 due to a heart condition, his family continued his legacy by creating the “I Love Us Project,"  a nonprofit organization. His mother, Karen Poulson , joins this...

In this special cohost conversation, our hosts ambush producer 

Life is complicated, and when Annette's husband passed away in a very tragic and public way, life for Annette seemed more complex than ever. This real estate and business professional, who had always lived a very structured and planned life, decided to become more comfortable with discomfort. She completely changed her lifestyle, learning to trust the ‘Spirit’ and literally moving to Hawaii for a...

Heather Higgins took a setback and made it an opportunity that worked for her! Now, she empowers others to take on similar transformations with her personal and business consulting programs and retreats. Using her decades of successful business experience in sales and manufacturing, she started Novel Expressions with a mission to empower business leaders to unlock their full potential through core...

Teenage pregnancy and adopting out is an emotional and heart-wrenching experience for all involved. But when Kiara Williamson found herself as a pregnant teenager in 2017, her experience was much different than what  her mother, Heather Andrews, had experienced two decades before . In this second part of a two-part series, Kiara shares her own pregnancy and adoption story. And unlike her mother, K...

Teenage pregnancy and adopting out is an emotional and heart-wrenching experience for all involved. When, in 1996, Heather Andrews found herself pregnant at 18 years old without her family and the baby’s father's support, she faced a systematic culture of shame, guilt, and abandonment. In this first of a two-part series, Heather shares the story of her first traumatic pregnancy, which ended with h...

Jennie Taylor continues to honor her husband’s legacy through programs, scholarships, celebrations, and events with the Major Brent Taylor Foundation . This includes traveling the country to teach business leaders and students Brent’s five tips for success, which he originally gave at his high school's graduation ceremony in 1997 as the school’s student body president . On this special cohost conv...

Baby and mother seemed to be perfectly healthy when 30-year-old Mandi Schill gave birth to her firstborn son, but three weeks later, she was back in the hospital having survived a stroke. Since that time a few years ago, this Director of Resource Development at United Way of Northern Utah, used her story to help expand Medicaid care for women in Utah from 60 days to a full year post birth. Mandi j...

Author and trauma and disaster management specialist Jeffrey J. Denning returns to Relentlessly Resilient to discuss the importance of self-awareness and self-wellness. Over his long career as a US Army officer, Federal Air Marshal, police captain, turned counselor and therapist , Jeff has been interested in trauma-informed mental and spiritual health. Today, he discusses five steps to help indivi...

Rowena Montoya didn’t let a harsh childhood hold her back; instead, she chose to seek the better. And even when her life seemed to fall apart decades later, she chose to create something delicious in that darkness. She created “ JulieAnn Caramels ,” using a recipe and the namesakes her aunts had given her. Now, her award-winning sweets can be found across the Intermountain West and online at Julie...

One of the most uncomfortable things in life is facing the faults, and strengths, we have within our individual selves. But this self-awareness can truly be a key to understanding your body, brain, heart, and soul. In this cohost conversation episode of Relentlessly Resilient, Host Michelle Scharf applies her life coaching skills to teach us “Six steps to better self-awareness.” Simplifying self-a...

When  Holly Hall’s husband passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack in early 2023 , she turned to others for comfort and care. In her pain, she remembered the story of Jennie Taylor’s loss and found our Relentlessly Resilient podcast. Hearing other’s stories of widowhood, perseverance, and their tools of resilience helped her face her first year of loss. Now, she joins host Michelle Scharf to...

Gary R. Harter is a retired Army Colonel who spent 25 years on active duty and retired from the military in 2005. He has continued to serve his fellow veterans in various governmental roles and is now the director of the Department of Veteran and Military Affairs for Utah . He joins this episode of Relentlessly Resilient to show how forward-thinking and cascading planning can help unlock better hu...

On December 7, 2023, our host Michelle’s grandson was rushed to the hospital in an emergency situation; unbeknownst to his family, the ten-year-old had a circulatory malformation in his brain. This arteriovenous malformation (AVM) had burst, bringing him dangerously close to death as blood flooded his brain; after multiple surgeries and a 40-day hospital stay, he is now home recovering. Michelle t...

Retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major Garrad Johnston served in Iraq with Brent Taylor in the early 2000s and continued to serve in the military for some three decades total. Now, as he has retired from the army, he puts on a different uniform to serve his community. This time as a police officer in the Lindon Utah Police Department. Johnston joins this episode of Relentlessly Resilient to discuss his...

On this episode of Relentlessly Resilient, our hosts, Jennie Taylor and Michelle Scharf, tackle many ways to celebrate Feb. 14th and beyond. Whether you celebrate Valentine’s, Galentine’s, Singletine’s, or any other sentimental holiday, you can find a way to celebrate whatever your relationship status or mood may say. Our hosts offer their experiences and tips to celebrate, or not to celebrate, in...

Wendy Paul has a busy life as a mother, business owner, and plentiful cookbook author . But when she and her husband Brian caught Covid in January 2022, she never could have known how the virus would change her life. While Wendy recovered well, her husband struggled with Long-Covid complications, including insomnia, psychosis , arthritis, and symptoms that mimicked immunodeficiency disorders. For...

Host Jennie Taylor met Karen Mojecki as they both participated in the Army’s, “ Survivor Advisory Working Group .” Jennie as a Gold Star Widow and Karen as a Gold Star Mother, having lost a husband and son, respectively. As the group strives to address issues of surviving military family members, Karen has focused on military mental health and suicide prevention. Her son, Major Wesley J. Hinkley ,...

As we continue our conversation on Alzheimer's disease and dementia, Jeremy Cunningham , Public Policy Director of the  Alzheimer's Association Utah Chapter, discusses what families and caretakers of patients need to know. Issues from the causes and contributions to cognitive decline and medications, to the legal/scam protections and policy, as well as  Adult Protective Services . Even if you do n...

Wendy Farr with the Utah Alzheimer's Association is fighting for a world without Alzheimer’s and dementia, and for now, she is on a mission to teach people about the brain disorder. She joins this episode of Relentlessly Resilient to educate listeners on the many facets of understanding Alzheimer's and dementia , supporting patients and caregivers,   warning signs of Alzheimer's , risks, preventiv...

In the second of a two-part series,  attorney Erin Preston continues to share the hard-earned lessons and tools of resilience she has learned from the unexpected passing of her husband Bryan Robert Thatcher . The grief over his death in 2018 was compounded by other tragic losses among her family and friends, including our Relentlessly Resilient hosts’ husbands. Together, they discuss their journey...

Attorney Erin Preston reluctantly learned to deal with death as she advocated for better mental care for youth in schools when a rash of suicides broke out in her school district . Amid the battle to help students feel loved and seen, her husband was a rock in life. Sadly, amid that fight, the Draper fire marshal passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack . In this part one of a two-part series,...