HopeMakers: Disrupting the legacy of trauma.

In this energetic and wide-ranging episode recorded around the International Day of Happiness, host Erica Bowen speaks with Andrea Johnson—also known as "The Intentional Optimist"—about her journey from struggling with eating disorders and depression to becoming an advocate for women's empowerment and faith-based leadership. Andrea shares her unique upbringing as a missionary kid, m...

In this powerful and deeply moving episode, host Erica Bowen speaks with Archie Messersmith-Bunting, a professional motivational speaker known as "the feelings guy," about his journey from crystal meth addiction and suicidal depression to becoming an advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Archie shares his experience growing up gay in the Deep South, navigating reli...

In this inspiring International Women's Day episode, host Erica Bowen speaks with Alexandra Ionitta, a 27-year-old mindset coach who made the bold decision to quit her dream corporate job - travelling the world for a global company—because despite having everything she thought she wanted, she felt miserable and disconnected from herself. Alexandra shares the moment she recognised she was &quo...

In this deeply moving and spiritually rich episode, host Erica Bowen speaks with Helen Morris about the devastating loss of her 18-year-old daughter in a car accident, and the profound journey of healing and transformation that followed. Helen shares the extraordinary gift of having written a series of heartfelt letters to her daughter before her death—expressing everything she wanted her daughter...

In this energetic and inspiring episode, host Erica Bowen speaks with Heather Jean about her journey from hiding behind multiple "perfect" personas to discovering authentic confidence and creating the Confidence Through Cabaret community during lockdown. Heather shares how she spent years being excellent at everything - as a high-achieving interpersonal skills consultant, a devoted mothe...

In this deeply relatable episode, host Erica Bowen speaks with Heather Rider, an anxiety specialist and coach, about her decade-long struggle with high-functioning anxiety—a condition she didn't even realise she had whilst appearing outwardly calm and achieving remarkable success in her career. Heather shares her experience of being an ultra-high achiever who spent hours perfecting even simpl...

In this deeply moving episode, host Erica Bowen speaks with Sam Rose, author of "Gut Feelings," about her extraordinary journey of surviving three cancer diagnoses by the age of 28 due to Lynch syndrome—a genetic condition that increases cancer risk throughout life. Sam shares her story beginning with her bowel cancer diagnosis at just 22 years old, followed by womb and duodenal cancers...

In this moving episode of the Hope-Makers podcast, Meriam Boldewijn shares her powerful 20-year journey as a caregiver for both her husband and brother. Born in Suriname and now living in the Netherlands, Meriam opens up about the challenges, breakthroughs, and hope she discovered through her caregiving experience. Meriam details how her husband underwent dialysis, a kidney-pancreas transplant, an...

In this inspiring fifth episode of the Hope-Makers podcast, host Erica Bowen continues her conversation with personal development experts Tony Burgess and Julie French, focusing on practical techniques for cultivating hope in daily life. Erica begins with reflections on finding moments of hope during the pandemic – her parents receiving COVID vaccinations and the simple joy of watching neighborhoo...

In this inspiring episode of the Hope-Makers podcast, Erica is joined by personal development experts Tony Burgess and Julie French, a dynamic couple who both live and work together as therapists, coaches, and trainers. Tony and Julie share their journey in the personal development field, where they've been partners since 2005, working across various domains including corporate training, one-...

Jimmy Clare was diagnosed with autism in third grade, but he refuses to let labels define him. In this powerful episode, Jimmy shares his journey from being bullied throughout his school years to becoming a confident autism advocate and host of the Crazy Fitness Guy podcast. After years of torment from classmates and even a teacher who called him "lazy," Jimmy reached a turning point whe...

After 17 years of building a successful hospitality business, Michelle Delport realized she had achieved everything she thought she wanted – except happiness. In this revealing episode, Michelle shares her journey from burned-out perfectionist to balanced women's empowerment coach, helping female entrepreneurs overcome the same self-sabotage patterns that nearly destroyed her. Working 80+ hou...

At 35, Zeynep Orf made a life-changing decision that most people only dream about – she moved from Turkey to the UK with her young daughter, completed a master's degree in her second language, and completely reinvented herself. In this illuminating episode, Zeynep reveals how letting go of control became her greatest lesson and how blending Eastern spirituality with Western coaching creates a...