Live, Love, Survive,THRIVE! Podcast

"We have to remember our loved one is gone, and that's horrible. But we're still here, and we still have work to do. We still have purpose, we still have value, and that's to love our lives and help others love their lives as well." —Dianne Brazell Creativity became Dianne Brazell's lifeline after losing her husband, Paul, just five months after their wedding. In this episode of Live, Love, Surviv...

(Special Episode)  Category: Coping From Grief and Loss "Life was full of choices. You pick a road, you try not to look back, and you keep going down that road, and that's how life goes." —William Quan, DDS Eighteen years after losing his wife, Dr. William Quan found love again — and he says there were only three roads anyone walking through grief can take. In this special episode, Dr. Kimberly Hu...

"In my memoir, I talk about planning my suicide, and I had it all planned out, and then things came up, and I did not do that. And so now people tell me, I'm very tenacious, and I try to do it in a joyful manner." —Nancy J. Martin There are moments in life that test everything—your body, your spirit, your will to keep going. And in those moments, what carries you forward isn't perfection or certai...

"What you do in the moment is what matters. It's not what we achieve, or what we accomplish, or the money we make, but it's really who we are at that moment." —Michelle Skaff Loss narrows daily capacity and leaves routine fractured. Grief erodes attention, energy, and social reach, so small habits matter more than big plans. We outline three repeatable actions that rebuild focus, body resilience,...

"We have to know where the child is, and in order to do that, we have to first know where we are. We need to make sure that we're taken care of so that we can be there for our child. We need to validate ourselves, we need to give ourselves grace, we need to give ourselves slack." —Devora Segall Grief sits in the same room as parenting, yet most conversations stay silent about how loss reshapes hom...

"It's a choice too. You have to choose to be positive. You have to choose to allow yourself to move forward and understand that this is the only life that we get, and we need to help others." —Dr. Monica Parham Some days it feels like life shatters overnight, and the world expects us back at work by Monday. In this raw conversation, we go inside life after loss when the person who felt like home i...

Grief can rearrange a life in minutes. Bills pile up, systems fail us, and some of us end up choosing between a roof and our pets. In that chaos, it is easy to believe we will never feel truly alive again. In this conversation, ordained minister, spiritual healer, and author Megan Radke Madrid shares how she went from homelessness with three dogs and the loss of her husband to building a new life,...

"Love never dies, it only changes form." —John Masiulionis (from Walking Each Other Home— Zachary's Mission: A Hospice for Children) Grief can turn an ordinary life into survival mode, where every small task feels like a mountain. This conversation stays with the reality of loss while showing how faith, service, and everyday kindness can slowly rebuild a sense of meaning. It is about learning to k...

Life moves fast, and it rarely waits for us to feel ready. Many of us spend years reacting instead of choosing, putting off joy while handling responsibilities, loss, and constant pressure. This conversation centers on reclaiming control and deciding how we truly want to live. Business strategist and connector, Heather Nelson, shares how unexpected loss reshaped her perspective on time, relationsh...

"Let's change the conversation. Let's talk about grief like we talk about the weather." —Victoria Volk Life can look fine on the outside while something underneath stays unresolved. Anger, numbness, anxiety, and self-sabotaging habits often point to grief we were never taught how to process. This conversation meets that reality without fixing, shaming, or spiritual bypassing. The Unleashed Heart a...

"Dogs are intuitive. They listen, they hear, and they actually respond back if you just allow them to. Dakota is my best friend." —Kimberly Hubenette Grief can shrink daily life, leaving long hours that feel heavy and quiet. In this space, companionship becomes more than comfort. It becomes a reason to keep showing up. After losing her husband, Dr. Kimberly shares how her rescue dog Dakota, became...

"You can handle things in life if you're taking care of yourself, physically and mentally." —Ann Tirrell Some days it feels like no matter how much we try, the weight of loss, stress, or just everyday demands won't let us catch our breath. But strength isn't built in big leaps; it's in the small daily choices— the way we move, eat, rest, and show up for ourselves. When life knocks us off course, t...

"Life is not a smooth, even journey. Life is a bumpy up-and-down journey. You have your highs and your lows. You have to just hold on to that bumpy road, and you just keep going." —William Quan Life can break routines, identities, and relationships without warning. Grief changes how days are lived, decisions are made, and meaning is defined. This conversation holds space for the quiet realities th...

"You can never care and love too much, so I've allowed myself to care and love even more in this new season of my life." —Daniel Gomez Loss reshapes identity, and nobody comes out unchanged. In this episode, we name the hard parts of grief and show a path from raw pain to purposeful living that holds space for anger, tears, and faith. Daniel Gomez shares how losing parents and siblings led to a cr...

"We're all different. We're all unique in our own ways. And it's the same thing with dogs." —Troy McDaniel  A heavy season can pull energy down fast, especially when loss changes the rhythm of a home. Many of us try holding everything together while the world keeps moving, and it can feel impossible to rebuild any sense of calm. This conversation opens a path toward structure, healing, and small w...

"You don't have to be strong all of the time. You just have to be real every time you show up for yourself. Even when it's hard, you're choosing to live more and live fully." —Dr. Kimberly Hubenette   Some mornings, the heaviest thing isn't what's on your calendar—it's the thought of facing the day at all. When loss or pressure piles up, even simple tasks can feel like climbing a mountain. The tru...

"Nothing feels good about [death], and nothing can make you feel better about it. It's just something you live with every day of your life. You improve your life around it, but it's still there." —Rosie Matus Carillo   Loss hits in waves that don't follow rules, and some days the weight shows up without warning. There's a strange mix of heartbreak and grit that comes with carrying memories while t...

"Showing up for yourself is the first step toward thriving." —Dr. Kimberly Hubenette   Welcome to the very first episode of Live, Love, Survive, Thrive! This podcast is about real life— the hard parts, the healing, and the hope we find when we choose to keep moving forward.   When loss turns your world upside down, it can feel like you'll never breathe the same way again. But, healing isn't about...