Life Stories Podcast

In this episode, I sit down with Diane Sorensen, a transformational coach who helps women, especially moms, move from chaos to connection in their everyday lives. Diane shares her deeply personal story of what looked like a “perfect life” on the outside but felt overwhelming and unsustainable on the inside. A life-changing moment involving her daughter and a sudden divorce became the wake-up call...

In this episode, I sit down with John David, a debut novelist whose first book The Bystander is already making waves in the thriller world. John shares what his career looked like long before fiction: spending decades in public relations, crisis communications, and ghostwriting and how writing has always been a thread running through his life. We talk about what it really takes to write a novel (s...

In this heartfelt episode, I sit down with Angel St. Clair, co-founder of 7 Roses, a nonprofit born out of unimaginable loss and deep love. After losing her 21-year-old son, Payton, in a tragic motorcycle accident, Angel and her family chose to honor his life in a way that brings hope and purpose to others. 7 Roses was created to keep Payton’s memory alive while serving the community he loved so m...

In this episode of Life Stories, I talk with Stacey about a topic that so many women quietly struggle with: what to wear and why it feels so hard. Stacey shares how her journey into style and wardrobe simplicity began during a challenging season of motherhood and health struggles, when getting dressed became overwhelming and uncomfortable. Out of that experience, she developed what she now calls t...

In this episode, I sit down with Doreen Virtue to hear her story. One that is both surprising and deeply personal. For years, Doreen was at the top of her field, traveling the world, writing bestselling books, and speaking to large audiences. From the outside, it looked like she had everything. But as she shares, what she experienced internally was very different. Doreen opens up about the moment...

In this episode, I sit down with Steve Caton, someone who has spent years helping business owners figure out one of the hardest parts of running a business: sales. But this isn’t a heavy business conversation. It’s real, honest, and full of practical insight for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed trying to do everything on their own. Steve shares his journey from starting his own business at a y...

In this episode, I talk with Travis Cournoyer about his book Courageous Curiosity and the journey that led him to write it. He shares openly about carrying a secret for years and how finally telling the truth became the foundation for everything he’s building now. We talk about what it really means to ask a “stupid question” and why those are often the very questions that lead to growth, clarity,...

In this episode, I’m sitting down with Nika Maples, someone who played a really meaningful role in my own journey. What started as a desire to improve my writing turned into something much bigger, and in this conversation, we talk about how that happens more often than we realize. Nika shares how she went from being an English teacher who couldn’t quite figure out how to write a book, to someone w...

In this episode, I sit down with Van Ton-Quinlivan, CEO and founder of Futuro Health. From arriving in the United States as a refugee at just six years old to becoming one of the top 50 women leaders in healthcare, Van’s journey is one of resilience, courage, and a deep desire to give back. She shares how her early experiences shaped her passion for education and opportunity, and how that passion...

In this episode of Life Stories: For the Love of Books , I sit down with author and former television producer Claire St. Amant to talk about the fascinating and often intense world of true crime storytelling. Claire spent years behind the scenes working on major investigative television programs like 48 Hours and 60 Minutes, where she helped bring complicated criminal cases to national audiences....

In this powerful and heartfelt conversation, Stephen and Julie Wagstaff share the story behind SwagAbility, a mission born from hardship, faith, and a desire to help others navigate life’s most difficult moments. After a diving accident at 19 left Stephen a quadriplegic, and decades later a mysterious illness resulted in a seven-month hospital stay, the couple began asking an important question: H...

At 24 years old, Asha Mevlana’s life changed forever when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. What could have been a story defined by fear instead became a turning point that gave her permission to live differently. Instead of playing it safe, Asha created a list of everything she had always been too afraid to try—and started saying yes. That decision led her on an extraordinary journey: moving...

Parenting coach and early childhood specialist DJ Stutz joins us to talk about the reality of raising children and why she calls parents “imperfect heroes.” As the oldest of seven siblings, a mother of five, and grandmother of thirteen, DJ has spent a lifetime caring for children and helping families navigate the challenges of parenting. In this conversation, DJ shares how her journey from raising...

Becoming a mother is one of the most life-changing experiences a woman can have, but it can also feel overwhelming and lonely without the right support. In this episode, Shara sits down with East Texas doula Lauren Kinnett to talk about what doulas actually do and how they help women feel supported through both labor and the postpartum season. Lauren shares how her own postpartum struggles opened...

In this episode of Life Stories, Shara sits down with Patti Shales Lefkos, an adventurous writer, humanitarian, and former educator who proves it’s never too late to follow your calling. After retiring from a 37-year career in education, Patti returned to school at 60 to study journalism and eventually began writing books about her travels and humanitarian work. Her love for Nepal led her to trek...

What happens when the roots of your faith feel shaken? In this heartfelt episode of Life Stories, Shara sits down with her friend Michelle to talk about her new devotional, Rooted to Become: A 52-Week Devotional. Michelle shares the deeply personal journey behind writing this year-long devotional, including the season of grief after losing her father that left her feeling spiritually uprooted and...

In this beautiful and deeply practical conversation, Kimberly Deshields-Spencer joins Life Stories to talk about her newest book, It Matters: a guide for entrepreneurs, creatives, educators, and leaders who want to build something meaningful and lasting. Kimberly shares the personal journey behind the book, including the early career success that left her feeling misaligned and overwhelmed. From w...

In this powerful and honest conversation, communication coach and author Arnie Buss shares how his own marriage nearly ended in divorce before one life-changing class transformed everything. After decades of repeating the same unresolved arguments, Arnie discovered that the problem wasn’t a lack of love. It was a lack of effective communication skills. Arnie explains how learning to truly listen b...

In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, Shara sits down with author April to talk about her book The Room to Be Brave and the healing journey behind it. April shares how she once believed she had “overcome” her trauma, only to realize she had merely survived it. After making the life-changing decision to stop drinking in 2024, she finally found herself able to revisit the “rooms” of her p...

In this episode of Life Stories , Shara sits down with filmmaker, author, teacher, and global traveler Craig D. Forrest , whose career has taken him across the world to tell stories through television, film, and now books. Craig shares how he discovered his calling at just 22 years old while living in Brussels , a moment that set the course for a lifetime of directing, traveling, and storytelling....

In this heartfelt and honest episode, Shara sits down with Rick and Clancy, the hosts of The Loud Quiet, a podcast created to help couples navigate the often emotional transition into the empty nest. What began as a single vulnerable conversation, “What if we don’t like each other when the kids leave?” turned into a life-changing realization that this season requires intention, not just endurance....

In this episode of Life Stories, Shara sits down with Candi Rose, author, TEDx speaker, real estate investor, and single mom, to talk about healing, shame, faith, and the courage it takes to tell the truth about your past. Candi shares: *Why she wrote her memoir, Naked *How toxic shame nearly cost her her life *What growing up bullied and hurting led her to seek escape through drugs and risky beha...

::CONTENT WARNING:: In this episode, the subjects of mental health and suicide are discussed. In this deeply moving episode of Life Stories, Shara sits down with Jessica Domingos, co-founder of The Evie Effect, a nonprofit born from the unimaginable loss of her 12-year-old daughter, Evie. Jessica shares Evie’s story with honesty, compassion, and courage and talks about childhood anxiety, the press...

In this moving episode of Life Stories, host Shara Goswick sits down with Mick Wienholt, the founder and host of the powerful video podcast When You Look. Mick shares how two life-altering events (a miraculous survival after triggering his own avalanche and the devastating loss of his son Luke at 39 weeks) became the foundation for his deep relationship with God and his calling to share testimonie...

In this episode of Life Stories, Shara sits down with Australian author, philosopher, and happiness researcher Adam Brownlie, whose book Happypedia challenges everything we think we know about happiness. Adam explains why happiness is not something we can simply choose, but something we must cause, much like how light causes our eyes to adjust. Drawing from neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy...