The Brave Files

Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith is a medical physician who’s also an expert on “Sacred Rest.” After experience extreme, personal, burnout, she wrote Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity. Which dives into the seven types of rest needed to optimize your productivity, increase overall happiness, and live the best life possible. Now she’s teaching the next generation of doct...

Shawn Anderson is a lifetime entrepreneur with a history of inspiring others. This seven-time author is the creator of the Extra Mile Day, a day recognizing the power we each have to create positive change when we “go the extra mile.” Believing his greatest adventure is still to be lived, Shawn biked 4,000 miles across the US twice and also tracked 100% by foot across six countries. Tune in to lea...

Anoushé Husain is an extraordinary human who lives boldly with a brave outlook on life. Born missing her right arm below the elbow, Anoushé is constantly breaking the mold and challenging her own potential – both physically and mentally. She’s is a competitive climber who shows up determined to make each day better than the last. She’s a cancer survivor battling multiple life-long chronic illnesse...

As a positivity expert and life coach, Emily Klein helps women move through and release shame, fear, and unworthiness preventing them from living fully. After experiencing her own brave journey to find happiness, Emily encourages others to take ownership of their lives. Tune in to learn more about finding joy in the small moments and the impact we can have if we choose to live a joyful life.   DET...

Harry Sherwood is a Holistic Health and Conscious Lifestyle Coach. He dedicates his life to helping others create conscious lives. After traveling the world, living with Yogis, monks, and martial arts masters, Harry teaches people how to create lasting health and powerful change in their lives. Tune in this week as Harry shows us the power in getting to know ourselves and the impact in putting tha...

Max Tang decided to get curious and it changed her life. Growing up in a tight-knit, Chinese American Christian community, she eventually discovered the power in questioning the world around her. Max’s blog, Max Gets Curious, dives deep into self-growth after religious fundamentalism, mental health recovery, and healing. If you’re curious, tune in to learn about Max’s journey of self-discovery and...

You are never too old to accomplish your dreams. This week’s guest, Jason Eric Ross, share’s his story of living without regret, accomplishing his goals and always looking for new adventures. Jason lives his life with determination and an outlook of flexibility and has vowed to live with intention – never sacrificing the things he desires to accomplish. Tune in to this episode of The Brave Files t...

Lee Lee McKnight lives a life of intention. This wasn’t always the case, but nearing her forties she made the necessary changes to live in alignment with her inner values. Lee Lee’s entire business, The Perpetual You, focuses on reminding women they are in control of their lives. Showcasing the voices of women who are experts in their fields, The Perpetual You teaches us we can live with intention...

Supna Shah is a woman of true grit and determination. After a decade of infertility struggles, she gave birth to triplets and birthed a business of her own. Her focus on the importance of emotional intelligence weaves its way through her work and personal life. Supna’s company, WeGo kids, teaches parents how to raise world changers! Tune in to hear Supna’s journey of following the universe’s lead...

Ilana Landsberg-Lewis spent her entire adult life engaged in the struggle for human rights and social justice. She was a leading force being UN Globe, the United Nations’ LGBTQ+ rights organization, and today she continues the fight for equality. Today, Ilana channels her passion through the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign providing solidarity for grandmothers in Africa. Ilana is a force to...

Nick North is a husband, dad to five kids, and a branding strategist, but this wasn’t always the case. He began his adult life as a woman, a mom, and a photographer. Once he bravely came out as transgender, all the pieces fell into place. Join us this week as we talk with Nick about transitioning as a family and how he embraces his wonderfully ordinary life as a father. Nick also shares his unique...

Kristy Rice joins us this week to share her beautiful and inspiring story of adoption. As Kristy shares, adoption can be a long and emotional process. After a decade of riding the ups and downs of the process, Kristy and her husband are now the proud parents of a beautiful son. Tune in to this week’s episode to hear some of the joys and sorrows that adoptive parents face when working to bravely bu...

The Brave Files kicks off PRIDE month with an inspiring and engaging conversation with Michael Kajubi. Michael, a man born and raised in Uganda, has a travel company that specializes in LGBTQ+ tours in Africa. Michael works to ensure LGBTQ+ travelers are sage when visiting his home country. Tune in to hear Michael’s personal experience growing up in a place where homosexuality is not accepted and...

Freedom is found in taking a leap of faith and maintained through consistently pushing yourself to be brave in the face of new experiences. Matt Javit and his wife left their lives to travel the world. Armed with one backpack each, they left behind their high achieving jobs to realize their dreams of traveling full time. Matt intentionally built his creative skillset through the weekly production...

Did you know that one in five American adults experience mental health struggles? Additionally, nearly one in 25 live with a serious mental illness. Over the course of the last decade, there have been significant changes in how we talk about and understand mental health. However, there's still a stigma that's dangerous. Tune in to learn about Shayna Norwood’s lifelong battle with anxiety and depre...

Executive producer and host, Heather Vickery, thanks listeners and unveils some exciting new things coming to The Brave Files. Check out past episodes here. Support the show on Patreon here.

You are meant to make a difference in the world. But you may be wondering how. Jayne Sanders guides people to an understanding of their purpose, how they’re meant to make an impact, and helps them discover personal obstacles that keep them from joy and fulfillment. Through a lens of the Law of Attraction and as a Master Scientific Hand Analyst, Jayne helps people get into alignment with their inna...

Have you ever had an experience that changed every element of your life? This weeks guest on The Brave Files, Courtney Elmer experienced a total life transformation after a shocking cancer diagnosis at the young age of 25. Once a completely career driven young woman, Courtney was now forced to slow down and live with more intention. Through the discomfort of this new lifestyle, Courtney learned th...

Ash Brown has learned to step into grief and allow it to motivate her. Just days after joining the military as a young woman, her mother suddenly passed away. Rather than allowing herself to get lost in grief, she chose to let it inform and guide her. Now Ash has an entire platform dedicated to living a rich and authentic life despite what hurdles you may face. Tune into this episode of The Brave...

Courtney Harris bravely shapes our future generation. As an emotional coach for children, specifically teenagers, she guides adolescents through the process of discovering the benefits of emotional awareness. Her background in education provides a distinct advantage in understanding what really makes a difference in the lives of young people. Tune in to this episode of The Brave Files to learn abo...

Alaina Bos is determined to normalize discussion about infertility. A Chicago-based photographer, Alaina’s work with the Face of Infertility Project brings the struggle of infertility to light through support and unity. Originally a personal means to work through her own fertility struggles, Alaina’s project now connects women of all backgrounds, cultures, and races by providing a space for their...

Jennifer S. Royal understands the magic of a focused mind and high-frequency mindset. As a German-born female magician, she built her career around harnessing the abilities of the mind. Tune in to this episode of The Brave Files where Heather talks with Jennifer about her journey through the world of magic, how she reaches her audience through the power of podcasting, and the overall magical force...

After growing up in the strict, patriarchal atmosphere of the Mormon religion, Shelly Johnson decided to abandon everything she knew to live life on her own terms and embrace love. Tune in to this episode of The Brave Files to learn about Shelly’s experience as an ex-Mormon making her way in the world.   Detailed Show Notes   VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE EPISODE OF THE BRAVE FILES AND RAISE MONEY FOR CH...

Fighting racism starts with personal awareness. This week educator and activist, Zach Wright, joins us on the Brave Files Podcast. We discuss the book, White Fragility and some of the ways we can work towards change through conversation, discomfort, and honesty.   Detailed Shownotes Here

Imagine hiding the person you truly are for five decades. This weeks guest, Denise Bowker’s, did just that. From an extremely young age, Denise experienced gender dysphoria. After decades of marriage and raising children, Denise decided to step bravely into the world as the woman she was always meant to be. Tune in to this episode of The Brave Files to learn about Denise’s transition and the commu...