Find Your Voice, Change Your Life

Today, I interview Anthony Kuo whose life journey took him from being tightly wound and trapped in the corporate world to breaking free and following his heart's desire. He joins us today to share his transformative experiences and how he has now dedicated his life to helping others find their own path to fulfillment. Anthony Kuo's early life was shaped by the weight of immigrant family...

Today, I interview Sally Lotz whose early life was marked by the strict rules and limitations imposed by her family's conversion to Jehovah's Witnesses. In this oppressive environment, she endured abuse from her stepfather, forcing her to suppress her true self and become invisible. Sally's journey stands as a testament to the power of finding one's voice and using it to empowe...

Today, I interview Fabienne Slama, a Renaissance woman and an inspirational figure who has overcome tremendous challenges to become a beacon of light for others. Her journey began with a deep intergenerational trauma stemming from her family's North African background. Her great-grandmother's forced marriage at a young age set the stage for a lineage of women who struggled to find their...

Today, I interview Sandy Rosenthal who after Hurricane Katrina, has faced the daunting task of exposing the truth behind the disaster. Despite lacking public speaking experience and facing challenges with her pronunciation skills, she fearlessly led an investigative team that exposed the mistakes of the Army Corps of Engineers and their subsequent attempts to conceal their errors. Sandy's inf...

Today, I interview George McCalman who has always found solace in his art, which has served as a safe haven for him to freely express his thoughts and feelings. Against all odds, he rose. An African American in a white neighborhood, he defied discrimination. With creativity as his weapon, he forged his path to self-discovery. McCalman is an artist and creative director based in San Francisco. He i...

Today, I introduce Harriet Tubman Wright who highlights her moments of struggle and transformation. Growing up she experienced setbacks such as losing a school election and not winning speech contests. These early losses resulted in Harriett holding herself back from stepping into leadership roles. However, she chose not to dwell on these disappointments and instead embraced her creativity, findin...

Today, I interview Trish Tonaj. Trish was the firstborn, and her parents encouraged her to be herself, which meant a childhood full of art. She loved to paint anytime she got the chance. She even took classes in school. However, when she was reaching the end of high school and beginning to forge a path for her life, her father suddenly discouraged the idea of her becoming an artist, despite having...

Today, I interview Grace Mosgeller who speaks about growing up in a family where she was told what to do and what to think. In a situation like that, you can get confused and lose touch with who you really. Grace had an inner voice, but she didn’t listen to it until much later in her life. Her parents valued education, knowledge, and money. They were forces of influence that led Grace down a path...

Today I interview Denise Blanc. Denise grew up in Chicago where she had close relationships with her siblings and looked up to her parents – but in different ways. Her father was very intelligent, a "man's man" who was good with numbers. Her mother ran a tight ship at home, always desiring that the house and children be presentable at all times.  Denise tells us that she felt a bit...

Today, I interview Phil Blagg. In this captivating interview, we delve into a revelation that has remained hidden for the entirety of his life until now. Throughout the years, Phil guarded a family secret with unwavering dedication, keeping it locked away from the world. As we explore how keeping that secret affected him on his extraordinary journey, it becomes apparent that Phil's experience...

Today I interview Claire E. Parsons, a successful lawyer who practices in Ohio. Both of her parents were lawyers, and her sister was born just 15 months before her. Growing up, Claire was quiet, introverted, and a bit of a nerd. Her sister, on the other hand, was very extroverted and enjoyed being the center of attention. Claire felt pressure to be the "good girl" and excel in everything...

Today, I interview Iris Goldfeder, an entrepreneur, professional musician, and co-owner of Gas Stove Creative. Iris shares her journey of pursuing her passion for music and overcoming stage fright. Despite struggling with self-doubt and throwing up before auditions, Iris joined the band Brave and Crazy and felt that her presence made a difference. She talks about how the applause was addicting and...

Today I interview Nicholas Whitaker who shares his journey of finding his place in the world. He felt out of place in his hometown and decided to leave, which led him to Baltimore where he struggled with poverty and lived with a woman that was not a good fit. For years, he lived in unstable housing, including his car and squat buildings, while working in restaurants and coffee shops to make ends m...

Today I interview my husband, Earl Downing, and we'll explore the theme of finding your voice and expressing your Essence. Earl recounts his experiences with sports and how they gave him a safe and therapeutic outlet to be loud and expressive. He also shares his high school leadership journey, where he ran for student body president and delivered a rehearsed, effective speech that propelled h...

Today, I interview Calvin Niles who was raised in Barbados, a small island in the Caribbean. He had a loving environment, but his father was a strict disciplinarian who made sure his children minded their manners. His father's discipline style instilled in him a need for approval and reinforced a carrot-and-stick mentality. The school system was also quite rigid, and physical punishment was c...

Today, I interview Sabrina Victoria who grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, and her parents were Jehovah's Witnesses. They had been converted when Sabrina was five, and from then on, her upbringing was strict, religious, and submissive. In keeping with their new faith, Sabrina followed the rules.  She obeyed the norms of Biblical teaching, learned as a female to submit to men, and learned as a...

Today, I interview Sonja Rayne Lee. Unfortunately, part of Sonja's story includes childhood trauma, so there was a lot for her to overcome from a young age. At 12 she was molested. Luckily, her family immediately put her in therapy so she could begin working through it. But it was hard. Sonja felt exposed and vulnerable, and she was hurting. She put up a wall to shield herself and was afraid...

Today, I interview Jeff Davis. Unfortunately, Jeff's childhood was filled with bullying. He was a late bloomer, so he was the little guy surrounded by other boys who were getting tall and growing up. Because of this, he didn't have a girlfriend and he was teased a lot. He also had a lisp and a self-soothing habit of sucking his thumb, and people often beat him up, called him names, and t...

Today, I interview Suzannah Baum who grew up in a household where the order of things was for women to be quiet and not disrupt the status quo. She looked up to her mother and thought it was completely normal to keep her comments to herself, pushing personal opinions and emotional reactions down and bottling them up. She followed in those footsteps from a very young age.  Because this was the mode...

Today, I interview James Guzzetta. From the very beginning of his life, James had an intimate connection with nature and music. At age 1, James remembers being captivated by the light streaming down on him through tree branches. At age 4, he began playing music, and his experience heightened his awareness that he was having a divine connection to the deepest parts of himself.  James also remembers...

Today, I interview Jami Carlacio whose mother died when Jami was an infant. An older sibling cared for her for a few months, and then her grandmother took over for a while. When Jami was five, the family was gathered in Spokane and her grandmother suddenly died while they were there. An already precarious little life had just gotten infinitely more difficult.  Jami was left behind to stay with fam...

Today, I interview Lorraine Segal. Lorraine grew up in southern California. She tells us about her struggle to feel the same love she saw elsewhere around her. Her own parents never showed unconditional love, so Lorraine lacked the support and affection she craved.  She felt she could never measure up and that everything had to be perfect, and in response to this, she often procrastinated.  She wa...

Today, I interview Hrideep Barot. Growing up in India, Hrideep says he thinks his lack of confidence began at a very young age when he was struggling with night terrors. He couldn't sleep without having nightmares, so he ended up in therapy and began suffering from crippling social anxiety. He finally started to have some relief from the night terrors in middle school, but this is also when h...

Today, I interview Gail Kraft, who fought for her life from the very beginning after her mother made an attempt to abort her. Although Gail lived, she never got to form a strong relationship with her mother, because her mom died when Gail was just three years old. From that point, her father treated her like she was a burden, an inconvenient barrier keeping him from winning women over on dates.  A...

Today, I interview Sheldon R.S. Crocker who grew up in a very, very small town in Newfoundland, Canada. He was born with Arthrogryposis, which causes muscle atrophy and contractions at most joints. From birth he was challenged with not being able to walk. In order to become the inspiring speaker he is today, he has a story of abuse but also one of resilience and strength.  Sheldon was unable to cr...