Stories and Stanza

In this inspiring episode of Stories in Stanza, we dive deep into the life story of Jessica Renfelt, founder of Resilience Coaching by Jessica Ann. Jessica shares her remarkable journey of overcoming numerous health challenges, including battling cardiac AL amyloidosis, cancer, a stroke, and a heart transplant. She talks about the role of gratitude and joy in building resilience and how these expe...

Welcome to Stories and Stanza! Join Abhra and Neha (from Creative Space 😊) as they discuss the journey of creating meaningful content on YouTube amidst challenges. Neha shares insights on launching her channel 'Creative Space,' which aims to connect industry experts with the public. She explores the balance of motherhood, content creation, and learning from failure. This episode delves into the i...

Join us on the Stories in Stanza podcast as we delve into the creative journey of Leilena Durrette, an independent author of the Kira Raymond trilogy. Lelina Durrette was born in New York City and raised in Guinea, West Africa, by globe-trotting parents. After pinballing around Europe as an accidental tourist in her teens via boarding school, she landed briefly in Virginia, where she earned a degr...

Love, Loss and Lessons - Healing Relationships through Compassion and Forgiveness: A Conversation with Relationship Coach Jeanell Greene Welcome, Jeanell Greene! In this inspiring episode of the 'Stories and Stanza' podcast, host Abhra converses with Janelle, a relationship coach from Vancouver, Canada. They explore themes of personal growth, healing from past traumas, and the true meaning of happ...

In this episode of Stories and Stanza, host Abhra converses with a special guest about embracing vulnerability and redefining failure. They discuss personal experiences with isolation, trauma, and the journey to inner success through neuroscience and ancestral spirituality. The guest shares their insights on building supportive communities, healing practices, and the role of spirituality in overco...

In this episode of Stories and Stanza, host Abhra, a poet and writer, introduces the podcast, which features real-life stories as beautiful as poetry. The guest, Sue Toth, shares her journey as a book coach and editor, describing how she supports writers at different stages of their creative process. Sue discusses common challenges writers face, the various editing stages, and offers valuable advi...

In this episode of 'Stories and Stanza,' Abhra sits down with Jennifer, author of the debut novel 'Getting to Know You.' Jennifer shares an excerpt from her book, which revolves around love, healing, and personal growth in the LGBTQ+ community. She delves into her inspiration for writing, her professional background as a licensed mental health counsellor, and her publication journey. Topics discus...

Exploring the world of 'Whispers of the Unveiled' with Author Arietta Knežević In this episode of Stories and Stanza, host Abhro welcomes guest author Arietta, who discusses her debut fiction book 'Whispers of the Unveiled.' Arietta shares her journey from childhood passion for writing to the challenges of self-publishing and marketing. They delve into the book's theme, which blends ancient mythol...

Join host Abhra on 'Stories and Stanza' as he delves into the captivating journey of Diane Clarke and her debut novel, 'The Photograph.' Listen as Diane shares the inspiration and extensive research behind her compelling historical fiction, which spans from World War II to the COVID-19 pandemic. Uncover the intricacies of her characters, family secrets, and the emotional search for a lost brother....

Join us for a deeply moving conversation with David, a man who has battled depression for over 50 years. In this episode. Davis is a 2-time TEDx speaker and credentialed international mental health presenter.  He shares his raw and honest journey, including a harrowing attempt to end his life and the transformative power of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). He opens up about the misconceptions surr...

Hello everyone, welcome to Stories and Stanza. Please join me in welcoming today's guest speaker, Michael Preston. In this episode, Mike shares a deeply personal story about his experience with a heart attack and the journey to recovery. Mike talks about his background in athletics, his health leading up to the heart attack, and the warning signs he experienced before the life-changing event. Tune...

Hello everyone, welcome to Stories and Stanza. Please join me in welcoming today's guest speaker, Melissa Entzminger. She is an acclaimed public speaker and dedicated the last 15 years to guiding professionals in crafting and delivering powerful, unforgettable presentations. With a Master's in Communication and 5 years as a college professor, she infuses her workshops and coaching sessions with a...

Please join me in welcoming Patti Miller for today's episode. She is joining us today to discuss her book "Writing True Stories". She is the author of ten books, including the award-winning The Mind of a Thief, the critically acclaimed Ransacking Paris, The Joy of High Places, and True Friends. The Mind of a Thief was longlisted for the Stella Prize and the Nita Kibble Prize, shortlisted for the W...

Stories and Stanza is a montage of inspiring real-life stories. I started this series, 'Fail With Me,' on my podcast to talk about failure in life and building resilience. So far in this series, I have spoken with therapists, behaviourists, writers, and educators and have felt enriched by their lives, knowledge, and attitudes. However, I must say that speaking with today's guest had such a strong...

Today, we have Alice Rizzi, a psychologist and mindfulness coach from New York, as our guest.  She creates courses and programs that help people experience more joy, peace, and freedom in their everyday lives. Alice believes mindfulness is a superpower and is on a mission to educate as many people as possible about the benefits they can experience when they make it a daily practice. She believes t...

Please join me in welcoming Brooke Bownes for today's episode. She is an accredited trauma coach, therapist and global No.1 bestselling author. She works with ambitious women who struggle with feeling stuck and want to get unstuck and heal those inner child wounds, find their power and confidence and release their trauma so they can go for their goals. She is passionate about this as she once felt...

Welcome to a new episode of Stories and Stanza. Please join me in welcoming Lisa Darcy, 'In Author's Chair', for today's episode.  Born in Melbourne, Lisa spent her youth moving around due to her father’s role in the Royal Australian Air Force, including four years living in Malaysia. The family moved back to Brisbane, Australia, where Lisa finished high school and studied journalism at university...

Please join me in welcoming Zeenat Ahmed-Peto as the guest for today's episode.  Zeenat Ahmed-Peto is a cognitive hypnotherapist who supports sensitive mid-life professionals to heal from burnout and helps them improve their boundaries. Her clients are often overwhelmed with responsibilities and have habits of people-pleasing, leaving their needs last on the list. They work together on building se...

Today, we have the privilege of welcoming Jaime Stanford as our guest speaker.  She was raised in the picturesque Warwickshire county in the UK, where she enjoyed a simple rural life of homegrown produce and collecting fresh eggs every morning. She pursued education in Media Studies and Film Studies and transitioned into a career in Social Media. In 2019, she relocated from the countryside to the...

Today, we have the privilege of welcoming Abbie Westgate as our guest speaker. Abbie is a former UK police sergeant who served for six years.  She was incredibly passionate about her work and was promoted within three years, but fell seriously ill a year later from stress, burnout and trauma caused by events in her personal and professional life. On her road to recovery, she discovered a completel...

Hello everyone, please welcome Kimberly Christian as guest speak for today's episode.  Kimberly Christian is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and Faith-Based Clinical Counselor committed to helping Christians learn how to practically have a Biblical Worldview using the principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Her work focuses on the relationship between thoughts and feelings and aligning them...

I am a poet, and I created this podcast to bring you inspiring stories that make life as beautiful poetry. Some stories are my own, and some are from wonderful people who have chosen to be my guest.  For the 'In Author's Chair' series, please join me in welcoming Jule Dammer to today's episode. She is here to discuss her book, 'Sink Full of Dishes'. She hosts the Selective Hearing Podcast and a he...

Welcome to Stories and Stanza! I am happy to have you here. Today, in another enlightening episode of the 'Fail With Me' series, we are privileged to welcome Amy Herzog as our guest speaker. Our world is messy and imperfect—let us take a moment to understand our failures and explore their subtle messages. Amy, an educator turned private tutor, shares her unique insights on rethinking failure since...

Today, in another episode of the 'Fail With Me' series, please welcome Christina Rodrigues as the guest speaker. Our world is messy and imperfect—let us take a moment to understand our failures and explore their subtle messages. Cristina Rodrigues is a Certified Positive Discipline Educator focused on Early Childhood. She helps parents of preschoolers (aged 3 to 6) who want to be gentle parents bu...

Hello! Welcome to Stories and Stanza.  Today is another episode of the 'Fail With Me' segment, where we explore what failure truly is and link it with emotional intelligence in a supportive space. In a messy, imperfect world where we celebrate success and look down upon failure, "Fail with Me" flips the script.  Please join me in welcoming Michelle Steiner as a guest speaker.  She is a disability...