Pursuing Uncomfortable with Melissa Ebken

   Kelly Skinner is the founder of Soul Care, a day retreat center in Urbana, Illinois that provides resources to nurture the soul, space for stillness, and a community to support spiritual growth for people of all faiths and no particular faith. She is passionate about working with others to cultivate love, co-creating a more just and whole world, and accompanying one another into deeper communio...

   Chris Janke has a fitness trainer and founder of the Health In The Real World Podcast. He's the author of five books. He's the father of four kids under age 10, and lives in San Jose, California. Follow Chris on YouTube Check out his website And his Amazon Author's Page Support the show More From Melissa and Pursuing Uncomfortable: Resources fiLLLed Life Newsletter YouTube Leave...

   A social worker turned lawyer, Debbie Ausburn has spent decades raising other people’s children as a foster parent and stepparent. Her children have taught her that, even though she was their Plan B parent, she could forge strong and rich relationships with them. Download her Ebook Raising Other Peoples' Children Follow Debbie on Instagram @debbieausburn Follow Debbie on Twitter @debbieaus...

Kaj Smit is a 19 year-old guy from the Netherlands. This is the story of how he went from a fit young man to a vegetable in mere hours. He shares his incredible story and the lessons he learned along the way. Connect with Kaj: On his website On LinkedIn On Instagram Support the show More From Melissa and Pursuing Uncomfortable: Resources fiLLLed Life Newsletter YouTube Leave a review Pursuing Unco...

   Gwendolyn Dolske PhD is a professor in the Philosophy Department at Cal Poly Pomona.  She is the author of academic essays and the book Tips From The Professor A Guide to College Success.  She teaches Philosophy of Sex and Love and Moral Theory.  She produces and co-hosts the educational podcast Good Is In The Details. Listen to Good Is In The Details on Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show...

   Sharon L. Brecher is a mom-blogger, writer, illustrator, wife, and Miserable Mom. Her first book, Miserable Mom: The Do’s and Don’ts of Sending Your Kid to College, calls out the absurdities of this stage of motherhood with a wry sense of humor and a self-deprecating wink to her own place in the emotional merry-go-round.    Sharon is a born and bred New Yorker, living in Southern California. Sh...

     Amor Traceski is a two-time cancer survivor, motivational speaker, life coach, and author of The Cancer Patient's Reference Manual: Been There, Done That:  Practical Tips and Wisdom From Cancer Survivors For Cancer Patients.      When Amor was first diagnosed with breast cancer, she thought that her life was over and fear of death led her decisions. Fortunately, she experienced some &apo...

    Terry Tucker is an international podcast guest on the topics of motivation, self-development, and mental health. He has been a college basketball player, a marketing executive, a hospital administrator, a SWAT Team Hostage Negotiator, a high school basketball coach, a business owner, a motivational speaker, and most recently, a cancer warrior. He is the author of Sustainable Excellence, Ten Pr...

     Joyfully Cricket began her journey of transformation at the age of 20 when she experienced a personal tragedy. She made the choice to allow this tragedy to propel her into a life of spiritual and personal growth, to make meaning of the loss. Through her grieving, Cricket used songwriting as a way to process her pain.      After 15 years of self-healing, using her songwriting and spiritual too...

   This is the episode that contains Jonny's story. It accompanies episode 24. This story documents abuse suffered over the first decades of his life from those who should have been protecting him.  Support the show More From Melissa and Pursuing Uncomfortable: Resources fiLLLed Life Newsletter YouTube Leave a review Pursuing Uncomfortable Book

     In October 2009, I witnessed a suicide while being unlawfully detained in a jail cell in Columbia, S.C. Although my case garnered national attention and I won the lawsuit against my wrongdoers, my mental health plummeted. As a practicing attorney, I constantly feared that my peers and the State Bar Association would discover that I had become heavily dependent on Xanax, which was prescribed f...

Jenna has been a therapist specializing in OCD and anxiety + related conditions since 2008. She's always been an anxious child and adult but knew from an early age that challenging herself was better than giving in to fear. She works specifically on teaching people Exposure and Response Prevention, the gold standard treatment for OCD and anxiety, and she's passionate about helping everyo...

Murielle Fellous' coaching career started very early because even though she originally got a degree in accounting, She found herself coaching women since she was in High School as they were came to her when they were in pain. The feedback was amazing. She was already an avid student of self-empowerment and spiritual growth so she decided to get certified as a Quantum Coach, a CLinical EFT Pr...

   Perry Power is a storyteller, author, coach, and charity co-founder. Ranking up 2.3M likes and 125k followers on TikTok, Perry's message of helping sexually abused survivors break their silence speaks to the hearts of many all over the world. His activism work, coaching, and storytelling have been featured in The Sun, MTV, Sky, and TEDx. Follow Perry on Instagram: @iamperrypower If you are...

   Jason Harwood has worked with hundreds of small businesses around the world. His input on happier habits has helped many achieve not only a higher level of productivity but a greater sense of happiness in their lives. With his wife, Brooke, Jason lives in Idaho with their 7 children. It is the habits of happiness that he will share today that keep him sane and as cheerful as possible through it...

   “Curator of a Bigger Vision Within,” Mark Smith specializes in speaking from his personal experience of trials and tribulations in life. His desire to chronicle CHOICES and share the “journey” of his life, resonates with everyone at our core personally and professionally.    With his podcast “The Process,” he outlines and breaks down SITUATIONS we all go through, and offers insight on methods t...

   David Hernandez is passionate, inspiring, and motivated. He believes that each of us was designed to live a life of purpose. He truly cares about people and wants them to get results, so that they can live the life they want to live.    David’s mission is to help people learn HOW to live a healthy, fun, engaging life, without resorting to diets, emotional eating, restrictive meal plans, or depr...

   Brad Baldridge is a College Funding Specialist who has helped thousands of families plan and save for college with smart and proven strategies to save time, money, and stress.    As a financial expert, blogger, and host of the Taming the High Cost of College podcast, Brad has been sharing his college planning insights with clients, subscribers, and listeners for nearly 20 years.    He teaches p...

   Kevin Lowe believes everything in this life happens for a reason and a good reason at that. And this is true, even after losing his ability to see. Fueled by a strong desire to ignite a sense of hope and optimism into the world, Kevin sets out to inspire others to not give up on life, even when it seems like life has given up on them.    Ever since waking to find a world gone dark, Kevin has be...

Brian coaches lots of leaders. With clarity and confidence, Brian’s clients lean into their strengths and become even more fruitful. Serving as the Executive Director for Coach Approach, Brian now leads the charge in helping bring CAM’s vision to reality through day-to-day execution and strategic direction. Looking to Jesus as his guide, Brian loves to train coaches who change individual lives and...

Do you ever feel like you have to "hide" an aspect of yourself when you are around others? Do you feel like if they knew "this" about you that they may not accept or welcome you? You are not alone! So many of us feel the same way - but we don't have to! This episode is about how we can remove our masks and be our authentic selves in a world that wants us to be perfect. Dow...

   Joy Huber, a stage 4 cancer survivor,  was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at age 33. Joy endured three years of chemotherapy suffering the complete loss of her shoulder-length hair. During her cancer journey Joy discovered, “While no one’s happy they have cancer, you can have cancer and still be happy.”    Joy launched the “Dose of JOY” Podcast to serve as your personal guide to cancer. The podc...

Building a life of faith is challenging! As we grow through different stages of life, our understanding of God changes and evolves as well. Sometimes, we get to a place where we cannot reconcile what we know about God with our current context. This is hard. It can leave us bereft.  I've been there. In this episode, I share a time in my life when I was lost, and how I found my way back. Suppor...

Fulfillment coach & business trainer, Mandi Dana, helps to transform the quality of lives of leaders and entrepreneurs. With over 9000 sessions of coaching and mentoring with the world’s number one personal development brand, she has gained a treasure chest of knowledge and insights, both personally and professionally.   Prior to coaching, she was a determined entrepreneur and built several bu...

How many times have you had troubles because of miscommunication? This happens A LOT. In fact, it is so common, that the plot of most television sitcoms stems from people having a miscommunication or misunderstanding. In this episode, I give 5 strategies to communicate with no misunderstandings.  1. Know your purpose 2. Communicate emotions in person 3. Communicate facts in writing 4. Listen more...