Persistence U with Lizbeth

Carmen Micsa takes nothing for granted. The podcast host of Seeds of Sunshine and successful realtor left Romania in her youth for the United States. Since then, this wife and mother of two, has found her footing as a successful realtor, a poet, a marathonrunner, and more recently, a rapper. Her pivotal moment came in her teens when she and her father peacefully protested for freedom from Communis...

Welcome to an insightful episode where we delve into the vital work of the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC) with Renee Williams, their esteemed Executive Director. Get ready to be inspired and enlightened by the transformative efforts of this remarkable organization. You will learn:·      The NCVC was founded by the children of Sunny Von Bulow after their own mistreatment by the justice...

Today, I'm joined by D Arlando Fortune, or "Fortune" as he prefers, a self-publishing coach and PhD candidate, who shares his incredible journey from facing legal troubles and addiction to transforming his life through writing and personal development. Fortune discusses the significant role writing has played in his healing process and his passion for helping others harness the ther...

In this episode, host Lizbeth welcomes Tiffany Bartell, a therapist and host of the podcast "How Would You Rate Your Pain?", who shares her fascinating life story and journey into the field of therapy. She opens up about her tumultuous childhood marked by frequent moves, parental separations, and periods of estrangement from her mother. Tiffany vulnerably discusses her struggles with an...

It's March, Women's History Month and spring is nearly here. In episode 155, a quick update of what's next on Persistence U over the next month or more, a personal update, and reminder that Women's History Month might just be the perfect time to reach out to a woman in your life to give thanks for her influence and/or sacrifices made on your behalf. Reminder: I'll be teach...

Podcaster Ron Rappaport (It's a Wrap with Rap) was stopped in his tracks when he received the diagnosis. Breast cancer?!! But he was a guy. How could that be? After Googling the matter, he found Male Breast Cancer Happens, founded by mom Peggy Miller with her son Bret Miller, who first found his lump at 17 and today is the youngest known male breast cancer survivor in the US.You will learn:*...

Stephanie Cotsirilos was drawn to the arts from an early age, but once a crisis across the globe required a different kind of skill set, she decided to go to law school. But sometimes opportunity knocks again, and today, Stephanie is an author first published after 70 with no end in sight toYou will learn:Sometimes, life has a way of calling you back to your original plans, goals, and/or dreams. A...

It's hard to say what's helped more, getting formal support after trauma, or working with scores of brilliant and brave people who've survived the unthinkable. From domestic advocacy in the early 90's to true crime survivors today, their lessons resonate today. Things I've learned:Sharing our story, especially during dark times, takes courage and a commitment to connect an...

(There are two spots where connection was lost. Just fast forward!)Larry Davis wouldn't wish divorce on anyone. When his marriage to his childhood sweetheart ended after more than a decade together, he fell into a funk for a time, and didn't know how to move forward. He was determined to learn and grow from the process. Today, Larry is a speaker, coach, and podcast host of Growth State o...

Whether you're sober-curious, participating in Sober January, or have realized you're ready to make a change with respect to alcohol (or any other habit weighing you back), you're in the right place. Dr. Stephan Neff knows a few things about making big changes. A decade ago, he checked himself into rehab and kicked alcohol to the curb, one baby step at a time. Today, he's the a...

Hello to episode 148 and Goodbye to 2023.Here's my brief recap of the podcast, this year's Patrons, and the role of persistence that brought unexpected and much-appreciated surprises. You will learn: Five of this year's favorite podcast episodes are linked below. David RichmanEleanor Andrews Maria HensonChad Peevy Debbie RussellThank you to my Patrons for supporting the podcast and...

Sandra Younger knew two decades ago that the Cedar fire that raged and destroyed her California home didn't just affect her. Neighbors died. Thousands of homes were lost. Firefighters suffered. And in the end, a whole new world for Sandra was revealed that's informed her work today as a resilience coach. Connect with Sandra Younger and learn about her book The Fire Outside My Window at h...

Lois Letchford didn't set out to be the author of Reversed: A Memoir. An educator, married to a university professor, she was uniquely qualified when a teacher told Lois that Lois's first grade son was the worst she'd had in decades of work. When she decided to home school her son, Lois tried usual methods of tutoring and got the same old (bad)results. So she listened when her mothe...

Laura Mangum-Broome recalls her journey just a few years back as woman who faced a series of life-altering challenges: battling cancer, enduring health problems related to cancer treatment which led to a heart transplant, losing health insurance, navigating through a painful divorce, and coping with the tragic loss of her child. Today, she emerged stronger, transforming her pain into power and bec...

At age six, Valeria Elliott learned to wield the power of silence rather than engage in conflicts. But what started as a coping mechanism to avoid her father’s anger became a pattern of behavior that made her an easy target for bullies in school, and later, in the workplace. Valeria had lost her voice. Connect with Valeria at https://msvthestoryteller.co/You will learn:Old coping mechanisms may ne...

Growing up Mormon left little freedom for Larissa Kindred to take up space. The mandate was clear on how to be a good woman: marry, procreate, and be sure that the needs of the family always came first. Desires for education and a career seemed both selfish and out of reach. Connect with Larissa and her research at lds_women_and_garments on Instagram. A diagnosis of breast cancer while still in he...

When high school officials told  Jason Pike he wasn't college material, he decided to try a back door approach to success. Learning disabilities had colored their view of Jason, who decided to enroll in the armed forces. Sent to a brig as a punishment for being a slow learner, Jason refused to break, inching his way from the bottom up to serving 31 years in the armed forces as a combat vetera...

Being kidnapped as a child by her father and taken to Iraq from America was just the beginning for Delicia Niami. Trauma followed her into early adulthood, through bullying, molestation, and assaults, yet she never considered herself to be an abuse victim. The memories  sometimes flooded her, uninvited and with perfect recall, until Delicia knew it that it had to stop. After much and varied healin...

Clint Callahan was born prematurely, back in the day when medical practices supported isolating babies and kept them from parental touch. Some of his early experiences, combined with his smaller size compared to his peer group, led to him later being bullied in school. Access to mental health counseling changed everything. Today, Clint is a mental health counselor and coach who created the Small C...

When young Erin Copelan married a man 26 years her senior, she did the math and assumed she would one day become his care provider. His liver cancer diagnosis came when Erin was only 34,  and she was lost. Today, Erin is the author of Welcome to Caregiving: The Things Caregivers NEVER Talk About, the proud wife of a now-healthy husband, and creates resources for caregivers she wishes she'd ha...

During his childhood, Joey Drolshagen saw both of his parents work constantly and still struggle financially. Like many of us do, he committed to doing better. He found himself in a pattern of casting a vision for a great future, but employing common actions that didn't achieve the results he desired. Today, after much retraining, Joey's quit his secure job and spends his days helping ot...

By the time her mother was shot to death during a petty crime in India, Farah had already been through huge transitions. Moving from London to India without warning as a child, later attending school in an Irish convent, Farah's mother had believed we choose our lives for the lessons we will learn. And now this. Her mother's shocking death left Farah wrestling with issues that would requ...

When Dana Diaz was a young woman, she was certain she'd grabbed the hand of the right person who would lift her out of a love-starved, dysfunctional childhood. Her beau seemed to love her instantly, wanted to be with her constantly, and was ready for a lifelong commitment. Fast forward more than two decades, and the journal Dana secretly kept helped create the bones for transformation, and th...

The  word narcissist abused has become both overused and misused today. Acclaimed family therapist Karyl McBride recalls the time when it was used by clinicians only. She's spent much of her career digging in to the definition and impact of narcissists on their families, and continues that work today with Will the Drama Ever End, her newest book. Connect with Karyl at https://karylmcbridephd....

#memoir   #alaska Just as he was readying for retirement, a flood seemed to wash away all of Don "Buzz" Proffit's history when decades of photos from his life and those of his ancestors were destroyed. Connect with him at DonaldProffit.comAn educator and former conscientious objector who served his country by teaching in Alaska in the 70's, the photos captured snippets of time...