Know Your Ancestors

Ep 53: In this episode of Know Your Ancestors , I’m sharing a moment that caught me off guard. While reading a recorded interview of my grandmother—her words, her reflections, her regrets—I started noticing parallels to my own life. What she wished she’d done. How much of herself she set aside while caring for others. And how easy it is to slip into patterns without realizing it. This episode is a...

Ep 52: Today’s episode dives into something I hear all the time — from beginners and longtime researchers alike: “I want to feel connected to my ancestors… but I just don’t.” If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, unsure where to start, or like you’re “missing something,” this conversation is going to feel like a deep exhale. I’m sharing why so many people feel disconnected from their lineage, what migh...

Ep 51: Most people think genealogy is just names and dates. But when you slow down and look closely at the records, you can start to see clues about what your ancestors actually lived through — the trauma and the resilience that shaped your family line. In this episode, we talk about: What to look for Signs of trauma: early death, loss of children, divorce, separation, poverty, institutionalizatio...

Ep 50: Welcome to Day 3 of Remember, the final day in this 3-day journey to reconnect with your ancestors in a deeper, more meaningful way. If you haven’t yet, you can get the free workbook and access all three sessions here In Day 3: Know Who You Are, we reflect on why this work matters. I share personal stories of feeling real strength from my ancestors during difficult seasons — and how knowing...

Ep 49 : Welcome back to Day 2 of Remember, a 3-day journey to reconnect with your ancestors in a deeper, more meaningful way. If you haven’t already, you can get the free workbook and full 3-day experience here In Day 2: Know How to Do It, we’re learning how to follow the threads — how to begin uncovering your ancestors’ stories through simple, meaningful steps. In this session, I’ll walk you thro...

Ep 48: Welcome to Day 1 of Remember, a 3-day journey to reconnect with your ancestors in a deeper, more meaningful way. Over these three sessions, you’ll discover how to move beyond names and dates — and begin to truly know the people who came before you. 👉 You can get the free workbook and full 3-day experience ⁠here⁠ In Day 1: Know What's Possible, we begin by opening our hearts to what’s p...

Ep 47: In this episode, I sit down with the incredible Ruthie Lindsey — author of There I Am: The Journey from Hopelessness to Healing. Ruthie’s story is one of deep resilience, beauty, and the power of choosing life and love even in the midst of chronic pain. We talk about healing, lineage, and what it means to reconnect with yourself and the people who came before you. Ruthie’s honesty and warmt...

Ep 46: Join Remember: A 3-Day Journey to Honor Your Ancestors and Connect With Your Roots! We’ll meet October 27-29 for three short, guided sessions (about 30 minutes each) to reflect on your ancestors, uncover their stories, and feel their presence. It’s free to join at knowyourancestors.co/remember . After closing my group membership and taking a step back, I realized I needed to simplify and re...

Last summer, I walked the land where generations of my ancestors lived in northern Wales. In today’s episode, I share what that experience stirred in me—and how it inspired the free class I’m teaching this week: Know Your Ancestral Guides. If you’ve ever felt the pull of your lineage or wondered where to begin connecting with your ancestors, this class is for you. Register here (it’s free!): https...

Ep 44: In this episode, I sit down with the incredible Kate Northrup , author, entrepreneur, and founder of Relaxed Money , to explore her ancestral lineage and how it connects to her work in healing our relationship with time and money. We dive deep into the generational patterns of wealth, scarcity, and abundance that have shaped her family’s story—and how those same patterns may influence our o...

Ep 43: In this episode of Know Your Ancestors , I sit down with Dee Taggart, a breathwork facilitator and intuitive cranial sacral therapist, to explore the deep connections between ancestry, healing, and personal transformation. Dee shares how her spiritual journey led her to uncover the presence of her grandmother, Virginia Lee Gibbs, during a healing session—sparking a newfound curiosity about...

Ep 42: If you have ancestors that lived in England or Wales after 1837, watch (or listen) to learn how to order their civil registration records (birth, marriage, and death). In this episode I share how I searched for civil registration records for the last episode with Zach Mander. These records are very reliable to locate and have useful information, especially if you're having a hard time locat...

Ep 41: Zach Mander is a radio host and comedic content creator, living in Brisbane, Australia. He knew very little about his ancestors and was curious about learning when they first came to Australia. In this episode, I shared about the life of his great grandfather Lance Harold Mander, his unexpected beginnings, and arrival in Australia. Follow Zach on Instagram Thanks to Will from https://www.df...

Ep 40 - Do you have ancestors who served in WW1 from Canada? If you do, you definitely want to watch to learn how to locate their personnel file. If not, watch to understand the importance of military records and how they can help you connect and better understand your military ancestors. Library and Archives Canada Want help discovering your own ancestors? Email me [hello at knowyourancestors.co]...

Ep 39 - Kelsey's great grandmother died when she was young, but she remembers visiting her and requested to learn more about her for this interview. I loved researching Kelsey's great grandmother Luella. She was born in North Dakota, emigrating to Saskatchewan at just 2 years old. Her life was a struggle, but she had a good sense of humor and was generous through it all. Watch the full interview t...

Free Mini-class: ⁠3 Steps to Start Knowing Your Ancestors⁠ Ep 38 - In this "behind the scenes," look at last week's episode with Christopher Ward from   ⁠@modelstrangers⁠ , I share 2 essential sites to use to research your ancestors who lived in Ireland after 1864. See links below to access the sites I talk about. Let's go! Use this site to look for birth, marriage, and death records: ⁠https://civ...

Ep 37 - Christopher Ward is a videographer and man behind the viral Instagram account   @modelstrangers  . Born in South Africa to Irish parents, Christopher now lives in Northern Ireland. He knew some about his family tree, including that he is related to the famous Bronte sisters. In this episode, I was able to share more with him about his Bronte relation and looked into the roots of his own ar...

Ep 36 - Census records are a great resource for building a timeline of your ancestors' lives. You can discover where they lived, what their occupation was, and who was living with them. Every 10 years you can capture this information, map it, and have an overview of their life. This is what I did when I researched Georgette Todd's ancestors in episode 35. Take a look and try this with your own anc...

Ep 35: Georgette Todd works for Connect Our Kids, a nonprofit that helps foster kids connect to their biological relatives. As a former foster kid herself, Georgette grew up knowing very little about her family, let alone her ancestors. In this episode, I was able to share with Georgette about her 2x great grandparents who immigrated to Hawaii from Germany in the late 1800s and follow down the lin...

Ep 34: Most of the United States and Canada use the Rectangular Survey System to organize plots of land. If you have ancestors who were farmers or lived rurally, understanding how this system works, can help you locate where your ancestors' land was. In this episode, I share how I located Angie's ancestors' land in Southern Alberta for episode 33 of the podcast using a tool for Alberta...

#33: Angie Reeder is a boutique clothing store owner, style coach, and personal shopper. About six years ago, her life took an unexpected turn and she was left to figure out her future with her 4 kids. As I shared what I had put together about her great grandmother for this episode, we soon realized that her life had a lot of similarities to Angie's. Watch and hear about Angie's discovery...

32: In this behind-the-scenes episode, I share insights into the research process for the previous episode featuring Monica Packer. This episode delves into uncovering family histories, using census records efficiently, and navigating challenges in obtaining vital records. I illustrate these tips through a case study involving Monica's second great grandmother and a mysterious Fred Barnes, she...

#31: In this episode, I chat with Monica Packer, a podcaster known for her show 'About Progress,' centered on personal development and overcoming perfectionism. Monica discusses her background, her family, and the evolution of her pragmatic approach to self-growth inspired by her own struggles with perfectionism. I then shared about Monica’s great-grandmother Lucy's life and her daught...

My NEW course: Know Your Family Tree, starts on September 5th - register HERE Watch on YouTube #30: This summer I went on an absolutely incredible trip to Wales to visit where my grandma was born and other ancestral homes, cemeteries, and churches. It was perfect. I've gotten lots of questions about the trip, so I wanted to share how we organized it and found places to visit and how YOU can do...

BIRTHDAY SALE - Get my online course for $100 Off until June 12th at midnight MDT #29: I loved chatting with Ashlynn about her work and then sharing about her grandfather with her. Ashlynn's grandfather passed away when her father was 13, so she didn't know much about him. Watch to hear about Ashlynn and the amazing work she is doing with her community, and about the story of her grandfath...