Resilient Souls

When Avriel Barnett met a handsome young man as an 18-year-old trainee nurse in 1968, his life had already been changed forever. As a teenager, Glenn had suffered a high-level spinal injury that left him with permanent paralysis. What began as an unexpected love story became a long but rich journey of marriage, ministry, caregiving, disappointment, faith, quiet sacrifice and resilience. But this i...

This episode is a little different from the usual Resilient Souls format. Over the years, I've discovered that journalling has been one of the most helpful practices in my own life, especially during seasons when my mind felt crowded with questions, worries, grief, uncertainty, or simply the pressure of everyday life. What I've found is that getting those thoughts out of my head and onto p...

In Part 1, Erik Ellefsen shared the deeply personal reality of living with long-term illness. In this second part, we turn outward. What does it actually look like to support someone incrisis? Not in theory - but in real life. Drawing from his 17-year journey with serious illness, Erik reflects on the people who showed up , the ones who didn’t, and the lessons that have stayed with him over time....

When Erik Ellefsen was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer at just 33, he was told he may only have a couple of years to live. Seventeen years later, he’s still here. But this isn’t a story about everything working out neatly. It’s a story about learning to live in the tension between hope and uncertainty… between deep pain and unexpected purpose. In this first part of our two-part conversation,...

This episode is a little different from our usual conversations. It marks the beginning of a parallel series within the Resilient Souls podcast . In this series, we step back from individual stories to reflect on the shared wisdom that has been emerging through them. Through the podcast, I’ve had the opportunity to sit with many people who have walked through grief, trauma, illness, loss, and othe...

In Part 1 of this important conversation, Mike Potter shared the deeply personal story behind his book Life Is Messy: Hope in Dark Places . In this second conversation, we widen the lens. How does personal suffering reshape the way we build communities? What does it look like to create environments where people don’t have to pretend to be ok okay? How do we move from good intentions to wise, pract...

In this deeply honest conversation, Stewart sits down with Mike Potter to explore the personal journey behind his book Life Is Messy: Hope in Dark Places . Mike shares how a ‘perfect storm’ of loss, leadership pressure, illness, and unresolved questions brought him to a breaking point in 2015–16. As a long-time educator and school leader, he opens up about the cost of always being strong for other...

A Note to Listeners: This episode contains personal reflections on illness, loss, and grief. Can I encourage you to listen in a way that feels gentle and supportive for you. This episode is a little different. At the start of 2026, I’m walking through a season of grief as my mum reaches the final stages of her life. Rather than launching straight into plans and announcements for the year ahead, I...

In this second part of the Season 3 closer, Stewart moves from heart to hope — lifting out just a few of the nuggets of gold shared by guests this season. Through their stories and his own reflections, this episode explores how real-life wisdom can become real-life help for parents, teachers, and friends walking alongside kids and families in pain. This isn’t about quick fixes — it’s about noticin...

In this first part of the Season 3 closer, I’m speaking from the heart — no guest — about how this season’s conversations have impacted me personally. Some moments have stirred memories from my own journey, while others have sparked fresh insight into what these stories could mean for your own life. From unseen grief in children to the myth that “kids are just resilient,” I share clips from a few...

When Michael Chisholm reflects on his childhood, he sees how growing up in a home marked by conflict and pain shaped the man he became. Those unspoken wounds followed him into adult life, affecting his relationships and decisions—until he reached a turning point: realising that what you don’t work through, you pass on. In this heartfelt conversation, Michael shares how doing the hard inner work he...

When Elizabeth Moncrieff-Philp lost her husband in a devastating car accident, she suddenly found herself raising four children alone — while trying to hold space for their grief as well as her own. In this powerful conversation, Elizabeth reflects on what it meant to keep showing up when everything changed. From navigating school routines to managing the different responses to trauma in her kids,...

When Felicity Baird’s husband, Matt, died after a long battle with cancer, she was left to navigate her own heartbreak — while helping three young children face theirs. What followed was a journey of loss, faith, and slow rebuilding. In this moving episode, Felicity shares what helped her hold on when life fell apart — and how she continues to find strength and beauty in unexpected places. From pr...

Jacqui Page’s story is one of fierce love, deep faith, and resilience forged in the fire of the unexpected. After years of waiting and praying, Jacqui and her husband welcomed a daughter into their lives—though not in the way they had imagined. From the very beginning, her daughter’s needs were significant, and Jacqui found herself in the thick of hospital corridors, tough conversations, and decis...

Jane Oundjian has spent more than 30 years helping people navigate grief. But long before she developed The Bereavement Journey — an award-winning UK-based grief support programme — Jane was just a teenage girl grieving her mother — quietly, and without much support. In this episode, Jane shares her personal story of grief and healing: from losing her mother as a teen, to later losing her young ch...

In Part 2 of this powerful two-part conversation, registered psychologist and grief coach, Ashley Mielke, shares what she’s learned after years of sitting with people in their darkest moments. Building on her personal story in Episode 28, Ashley offers compassionate and clear insights into how we can better understand, support, and walk with those who are grieving. We explore toxic positivity, the...

Ashley Mielke is a psychologist, grief coach, and woman of deep faith. But long before any of that, she was a young girl navigating the quiet ache of having a father who was facing his own struggles—and learning to stay strong in ways no child should have to. In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Ashley shares her personal story of growing up with a parent who struggled with addiction, the comp...

Bec Riley always dreamed of becoming a mum. But when infertility shattered those dreams, she and her husband began a long and lonely IVF journey filled with heartbreak, disappointment, and unexpected complications. In this honest and deeply personal conversation, Bec reflects on the emotional and physical toll of IVF, the loneliness that often comes with it, and how her faith evolved along the way...

In Part 2 of this powerful conversation, Sam Hearn returns to share how the pain and trauma of his early life became the foundation for a life of empathy, purpose, and service. Picking up where we left off in Part 1, Sam reflects on key turning points—his decision to choose healing over bitterness, the slow and redemptive restoration of his relationship with his father, and how his lived experienc...

In this powerful first part of a two-part conversation, Stewart sits down with Sam Hearn—a community leader and pastor whose deep compassion for others is rooted in his own lived experience. In Part 1, Sam shares openly about his upbringing, including poverty, generational trauma, family violence, and mental health struggles. Despite these hardships, Sam’s story is filled with moments of beauty, h...

In this powerful follow-up to our conversation with their mother, Belinda Peters, Stewart sits down with Matt, Josh, and Ben Peters—three brothers who grew up as their father battled early onset dementia, leaving their mother to take on far more responsibility as a parent, carer, and wife than she had ever expected. After hearing Belinda’s story of faith and strength as a parent, this episode offe...

In this heartfelt episode, Belinda Peters shares her deeply personal journey of navigating her husband’s early onset dementia diagnosis while raising their three young sons. As she faced uncertainty, loss, and overwhelming responsibility, Belinda leaned on faith, community, and practical wisdom to sustain herself and her family. She opens up about the challenges of parenting through grief, the imp...

In this insightful episode, Stewart sits down with Natasha Rae, a psychologist with her own lived experience of trauma. Natasha opens up about growing up in a dysfunctional family and the profound impact it had on her mental health. She discusses the importance of having a strong support system and finding meaning and purpose in life, even in the face of adversity. Natasha introduces the concept o...

In this heartfelt and deeply personal episode, Doug Miller shares his journey as a husband, father, and caregiver in the wake of his wife, Barb’s, life-changing accident in Malawi. With raw honesty, Doug recounts the fear and uncertainty of the day everything changed and reflects on his role in supporting his wife and children through the aftermath. Doug opens up about the challenges of balancing...

In this inspiring episode, Barb Miller, a retired missionary, shares her extraordinary story of resilience and faith after a devastating accident in Malawi. During a bike ride with her daughter, Barb fell from a bridge into a ravine, resulting in paralysis from the chest down. Despite this life-changing event, Barb and her family chose to stay in Malawi, embracing their new reality with faith, cre...