Qualified - Lessons in Loss

Send us Fan Mail After the loss of two children through miscarriage and stillbirth, Bridgett’s hopes were shattered.  When a divorce, the death of a family member and other losses followed, she became depressed and began to experience health issues because of her deep grief. Join me as I talk with Bridgett Dunbar, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and author of the book, Grief, Loss and the G...

Send us Fan Mail Have you experienced the painful loss of a friendship breakup? Maybe it was due to a disagreement over a position you hold firmly to.  Perhaps it was related to the way you parent your children, your political views, your lifestyle choices, or your religious beliefs.  Whatever the cause, friendship breakups are hard. Join me as I chat with the author of “When Best Friends Aren’t F...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when your deepest faith is tested by unimaginable suffering? In this episode, I talk with David Libby, who explains how he and his family contracted Lyme disease.  He shares the emotional and physical toll of watching his wife and daughters endure excruciating pain, while he himself became their primary caregiver despite his own illness.  A self-taught student of theo...

Send us Fan Mail Laura endured the adversity trifecta- cancer, infidelity, and divorce.  Listen in as she opens up about her bi-lateral breast cancer diagnosis, ravaging chemotherapy, congestive heart failure, a heart transplant, and coping with infidelity and divorce after 27 years of marriage.   Through it all, she not only regained her strength and recovered physically but she emerged stronger...

Send us Fan Mail How are you going to feel when your child leaves for college?  Have you given it any thought in advance and how prepared are you to face an empty nest? In this episode I talk with Stacy Kaye, an award-winning journalist and source of encouragement for those facing the silence of an empty nest.  Listen in and be inspired  as we explore the depth of parental love, the pain that come...

Send us Fan Mail The loss of a dog, a cat, a horse, a bird, any pet can cause us to experience grief.  The animals we share our homes and lives with are part of our families and  when they are no longer there it can create a significant and painful void. Listen in as I interview Rachel Shirley,   a compelling author and certified coach committed to guiding individuals through life's profound...

Send us Fan Mail When Katherine and her husband learned of their baby’s fatal fetal diagnosis, they knew they had some hard decisions to make.  Since their child had no kidneys he would most likely die in utero or shortly after birth, so doctors recommended termination of the pregnancy. Listen in as Katherine shares her story about carrying a baby she knew she could not keep and making a choice to...

Send us Fan Mail When doctors diagnosed her father with mild cognitive disorder, a form of dementia that would likely progress to Alzheimer’s, Joycelyn was in denial.  It was difficult to watch the decline of her superhero dad and she began to grieve the loss of the man he once was.  Her personal story will resonate with anyone who has walked alongside a loved one with cognitive decline and has ex...

Send us Fan Mail Born with a severe cleft palate, Sue faced ridicule and harassment on daily basis due to the way she looked.  In addition to having to endure multiple surgeries and physical pain, she would also be traumatized by her parent's divorce and an abusive encounter in college that resulted in rape. Today, Sue Corl is an international women’s conference speaker, author, mentor, Bible...

Send us Fan Mail At the age of 13, Katherine made the choice to exclude her father from her life.  By going no contact with him, she hoped to rid herself of his toxic behavior and safeguard her own mental health. Listen in to our conversation as Katherine shares about her emotional journey of stepping away from her father for 13 years and the impact it had on her adult life.  She also discusses th...

Send us Fan Mail While away from home on a business trip, Anne-Marie was informed that her husband suffered a brain aneurysm and died in their bedroom.  Nothing could have prepared her for the pain and grief she was about to experience and no one seemed equipped to come alongside her emotionally. Listen in to this inspirational story of how one widow was determined to use her experience to help ot...

Send us Fan Mail Raising twin daughters with severe intellectual disabilities and autism, working full time and becoming an advocate for people with disabilities would keep Clay busy and challenged over the years.  But when his wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, he began to wonder why his family had been singled out for so much adversity in this life. Listen in and hear how Clay Boatright eve...

Send us Fan Mail When a social media post informed her about a fatal shark attack at the very time and place her husband was surfing that day, Katie instinctively knew her worst fear had been realized.  Now widowed at the age of 27, her life had been shattered into a million pieces launching her into the unknown, unwanted journey of grief. Listen in as I talk with Katie Kelly- an incredibly strong...

Send us Fan Mail Ten years after losing  her mom to cancer, Ceci was still healing but feeling stronger, restored and more grounded.  Then the news came that her father was ill and ultimately died in the hospital during the pandemic.    By age 30, she had lost both parents and was struggling with PTSD, suicidal ideation and a variety of somatic issues stemming from her intense grief.  Listen in to...

Send us Fan Mail Growing up in an alcoholic and abusive home made every day difficult for Suzy.  She endured painful emotional and physical abuse and failed to receive the nurturing and parental guidance that is so critical to a child’s healthy development.  But even after being raped at a very young age, and living in a home devoid of love, Suzy’s greatest loss would be the death of her younger b...

Send us Fan Mail Following two miscarriages, Darrell and his wife were thrilled to learn that they would finally become parents.   As they arrived at the hospital prepared to experience their greatest joy, they also received devasting news that would trigger a mix of emotions they were completely unprepared for. Listen in on my conversation with Darrell Williams, former white  house communications...

Send us Fan Mail During a family vacation in Colorado, Tara's 13-year-old daughter Taylor died suddenly when she struck a tree while skiing.  Still in shock, Tara and her husband were asked a question no parents ever think they will hear:  "Would you be willing to donate Taylor's organs?" In our conversation, Tara opens up about the difficult journey of grief and how Taylor&apo...

Send us Fan Mail When her husband passed away suddenly, Debbie was widowed without warning at the age of 35 with 4 young boys.  In our discussion, she  weaves through the terror of losing Aaron,  the heartbreak of explaining the tragedy to her four young boys, and the struggle to keep her faith amidst the darkest storm she'd ever faced. Debbie's story isn't just about loss and grief...

Send us Fan Mail Just before Thanksgiving in 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic, a loving wife and mother of three would discover that her 17-year-old daughter had taken her own life. In an incredibly touching conversation with author K. L .Gilchrist, we walk through her journey of sudden bereavement. Gilchrist paints a poignant picture of the initial shock and grief that accompanied her daug...

Send us Fan Mail What if I told you that you could transform your mental health through the power of daily text messages? Join me for a powerful conversation with my guest, Johnny Crowder, a suicide and abuse survivor who has turned his pain into purpose by creating Cope Notes, a text-based mental health platform that's now supporting users in nearly 100 countries across the globe. Johnny sha...

Send us Fan Mail While in the hospital giving birth to her son, Veronica received the news that her sister had just passed away.    Listen in to hear the story of how this woman of faith chose to react to her circumstances and how she turned her misery into a ministry that is helping others overcome adversity and loss. #miscarriage #multiplelosses #faith #loss #grief https://speakerhub.com/speaker...

Send us Fan Mail Following the death of her dear friend, Marnie was surprised at the impact her grief would have on her physical health.   Later, her father's sudden death also hit her hard emotionally and physically, but it didn't take her long to realize the spiritual 9-1-1 call she needed to make that she still relies on to this day. Listen in as Marnie shares an uplifting and positiv...

Send us Fan Mail When Darryl first learned that his son Chase had a drug habit, he panicked.  He didn't know how to respond to his son's behavioral changes, so he turned to an intervention team.  Chase was admitted to a treatment facility, seemed to be doing better, but eventually relapsed. Listen in as Darryl openly shares the parenting mistakes he made and the lessons he learned about...

Send us Fan Mail On the 10 year anniversary of my son Sean's passing, I share the lessons I learned from the most devastating experience of my life. #lossofmyson #lessonsinloss #gratitude 

Send us Fan Mail At the age of 18, Beth's son Mitchell passed away from an undiagnosed illness.  For the last five years of his life, she did everything in her power to help him return to health, only to realize it was out of her control.    Listen in as Beth shares the incredible lessons she learned about coming to a point of complete surrender and discovering an even deeper relationship wit...