Beyond the Pain: Heart and Home Healing After Loss

From a suicidal 16 year old to a thriving 21-year old Bench World Champion, Joy Rindfleisch shares her inspiring story of having to completely start over after a devastating injury and 13 years of hard work and dedication in competitive gymnastics.  Joy started when she was only 3 years old and worked her way up to a level 9 gymnast (almost the highest level you can be), when all the sudden at age...

What good is living longer if you're not living BETTER? Are you ready for the ultimate health cheat codes for the best human experience you can get?  Dr. Mark Sherwood, founder of the Functional Medical Institute in Tulsa, OK, joins the show this week and shares with us exactly what it means to "biohack" our health to become the absolute best and healthiest versions of ourselves that we can be - n...

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY EPISODE! So let's talk about what grief looks like 3 years later (for me) and the biggest/most important life lessons I have learned since losing my daughter to get me where I am today: depression free, medication free, low anxiety and in the best physical and mental health of my life! Biggest take away? Healing (of ANY kind) is completely possible when we are willing to dig d...

Looking for the holidays to be LESS stressful and filled with much more (real) joy and not just temporary hits of high? This week, I am sharing my holistic home holiday guide, which is aimed at reducing stress and increasing joy not only during the holiday season, but beyond the new year as well. There is no shortage of dopamine hits around the holidays, but my goal is to help bring you long lasti...

Interested in a pain free, totally different than what you see on TV and potentially ENJOYABLE birth experience?! On this week's episode, I sit down with the creator of the Pain Free Birth E-course creator, Karen Welton. Over 12 years ago, Karen's journey in the birth education world began as she began prepping for the birth of her first born daughter. In a world where childbirth is often synonymo...

Ready for some more joy in your life?! It may be scary, but it’s also where a lot of joy lies.. Taking RISKS.  In this episode, my goal is to gently nudge you with a reminder that we only get one life. ONE LIFE to live and when it’s over.. Do you want to feel regretful? I know I don’t. Today I discuss:  -The biggest risks I’ve taken in life and how they’ve paid off -Pouring yourself out for other...

Are you a Mom who constantly feels overwhelmed and chaotic? Today's guest, Susan Heid, has built a following on social media of over half a million women and shows them every day how to turn their "chaos to calm." In this episode, we discuss the following: -Parenting struggles are often tied back to a lack of systems and routines in the home -There is no "cookie cutter" home routine that will work...

Feeling anxious during your pregnancy after loss?  In this episode, I come to the mic by myself to give you a real and raw look into my current fears and anxieties around my current pregnancy (after a full term stillbirth 3 years ago). But I don't just leave you hanging in fear. I also am thrilled to show you what I'm currently doing that brings me so much hope and helps me feel more in control. D...

There are few things that are harder for a mother whose first conceived child was stillborn after a perfectly healthy pregnancy, than to put on her brave face during her subsequent pregnancy.  Today on the show, I am joined by Serena Zaicos who decided to start her own podcast, The Still Hopeful Podcast, to document her own pregnancy after loss journey after her first born son Christopher was stil...

In just 11 short months, Bethany went from having a completely normal life with her husband and children, to burying her husband. How does one learn to live after something like this? How does one pick themselves up after a tragedy like this?  In this episode, Bethany and I talk all about her journey from finding out her husband was sick, to 5 years later (current day) - remarried and continuing t...

Does medication have a role in TRUE health and wellness? In the last 4.5 years, my husband and I have gone from 0 to 3 children overnight, lost a healthy child at 39 weeks after trying to get pregnant for 6 years and spent all of 2024 in and out of the hospital, navigating and treating my husband's very serious case of Crohn's & Colitis, including major surgeries and medications. Through these...

If you’re feeling the heaviness of Charlie Kirk’s death and wondering if it’s possible to grieve someone you never even knew, the answer is YES. In this episode, I break down what it truly means to “know” someone and how their influence in their life has a direct effect on the weight of their loss. I also discuss: -The unfair comparison between Charlie Kirk and Melissa Hortman -People’s responses...

After a few month hiatus while I dealt with extreme first trimester fatigue and sickness, I am back to share with you how 20 weeks of pregnancy after loss has been thus far.  Here are all the things I share: -How I stick to my routines through changing seasons -A big life update for my husband and I  -Traveling with grief and how it's changed over the years -What my current priorities are and wher...

As a mother of 5 and dedicated homemaker, Instagram Influencer Stephanie Dulgarian has mastered the art of home organization! Stephanie has over 400,000 followers on social media and her specialty is showing people how to create systems and routines in their home so you don't have to spend every waking moment stressing about it.  In this episode, we talk about.. -How clutter in a pretty bin is sti...

Feeling completely unequipped and wildly uneducated on how to handle the devastation of your profound loss? So did this week's guest after her father passed away, even as a licensed therapist.  In today's episode, licensed therapist & (now) grief coach Rio Richards shares her knowledge and expertise on the affects that grief has on all aspects of our lives and why it is so disorienting when it...

PREGNANCY AFTER LOSS. After losing my daughter full term, I hoped one day I would fall into this category. And the time has finally come.  I am pregnant. This episode is simply my initial thoughts on being pregnant after loss very early on (somewhere between 7 and 8 weeks). How I found out, how my heart is finding peace and what I plan to do differently this time around.  I say all of this with th...

Today I welcome BACK to the show incredible trauma-informed certified coach, Mike-Ayala White. Because of his past experience and coaching training, Mike has brought so much wisdom and knowledge to the Beyond The Pain Podcast.  In this episode, Mike and I dissect and discuss for the first time John Onwuchekwa's famous phrase "Grief is not a journey that we finish, but a language we become fluent i...

Are you sick of dieting, "falling off the wagon" and relying on willpower to be healthy? So was I. Until I came across this best selling author and her book entitled "Healthy AF" that simplified EVERYTHING for me. While everyone was gaining weight during the pandemic, I was losing weight, simply because I was implementing the principles of this book.  On today's episode, I interview author and fit...

I'm so excited to have my personal doctor on the show this week, Dr. Joseph Riccione, D.O.  Dr. Joe left the traditional medical field after several years of caring for patients because one year, while celebrating the 4th of July with his family, his son was bit by a tick. He ended up contracting Lyme disease and no other doctor, methods or medications were bringing his son the reprieve he and his...

This episode is EVERYTHING you need to hear in order to HEAL your body, mind and soul.  I urge you to listen to my interview with Dane Johnson, the Founder & CEO of Crohn's Colitis Lifestyle. He was on the brink of death with Crohn's & Colitis in 2014. He lived in a hospital. Every doctor and drug failed him. Until one day, everything changed for him. Dane became the CEO of his own health...

In this week's episode, I have the honor and privilege of chatting with Instagram Influencer, Leslie Burris, who is a mother of 7, an entrepreneur and YES, she's the woman who gave birth LIVE on Instagram, THREE TIMES.  Leslie is an incredible example of how women can be both a homemaker and an entrepreneur, without sacrificing your sanity and peace. Enjoy this super fun episode as we talk about t...

This episode is a super personal "update" on mine and my husband's journey of trying to conceive while still dealing with the grief of losing our daughter. I wanted to present a super real and raw monologue of what this time is like in our lives, completely unscripted with no notes in front of me. Thank you for always letting me be so vulnerable with you. I hope this episode can bring someone just...

In this episode of Beyond the Pain, host Emily Smaczniak interviews Craig Ballantyne, a renowned author and entrepreneur, discussing his latest book, The Dark Side of Discipline. They explore the importance of discipline, the concept of level 10 problems, and how to effectively implement habits for success. Craig emphasizes the need for reflection, planning, and the significance of subtracting neg...

In this episode, Emily shares her personal journey through grief after the loss of her daughter, Layla. She reflects on the profound changes that grief brings, including a reevaluation of faith, relationships, and personal identity. Emily discusses the struggle of returning to church and the impact of worship music on her healing process. Ultimately, she emphasizes that while grief is painful, it...

In this episode, grief coach Rachel McGonigle returns to discuss various aspects of grief with Emily, including how to handle unexpected emotions, the importance of self-care, and the impact of cognitive distortions on healing. The conversation also explores different types of grief beyond loss of life, navigating relationships during grief, recognizing when to seek professional help, and the sign...