The GRITT of the Matter

Have you ever wondered if the very thing you struggle with could become part of your purpose? In this episode of The GRITT of the Matter , I sit down with musician Ian to talk about anxiety, faith, purpose, and creating music that encourages people instead of simply following trends. Ian shares how music became more than a creative outlet. During some of his hardest seasons with anxiety, it became...

Have you ever looked around and felt like everyone else was ahead of you? Ahead in life. Ahead in their goals. Ahead in their health. Ahead in their journey. Maybe you've wondered: "Why am I not there yet?" In this episode of The GRITT of the Matter, I'm sharing a reminder that I think we all need sometimes: Maybe you're not behind at all. Sometimes life simply takes a differ...

Have you ever looked back at a part of your life and wondered if you could ever move forward from it? Your past is part of your story, but it does not have to define your future. In this episode of The GRITT of the Matter, Cass Luzzander shares her powerful journey through addiction, recovery, forgiveness, and rebuilding her life. Cass opens up about her experience with meth addiction, alcohol add...

Have you ever felt like you had to start over because life changed in a way you never expected? Starting again does not mean you failed. Sometimes your body changes. Your circumstances change. Your plans change. And you have to learn how to move forward in a different way. In this solo episode of The GRITT of the Matter , I share pieces of my own journey, from a life-changing ankle injury in 2007,...

Have you ever gone through a season of life where you look back and realize you don’t feel like yourself anymore? In this episode, Hero Haji shares her journey through grief, change, and rebuilding after losing pieces of the life she knew. After losing several of her beloved dogs, including the one who helped her through some of her hardest moments, Hero realized she had slowly slipped into a plac...

Bodies change. Routines change. Energy changes. And after a while, it can quietly make people feel like something about them is “broken". In this solo episode, Denice talks honestly about adapting through physical struggles, burnout, identity shifts, aging, changing expectations, and learning how to stop fighting yourself through every season of life. This conversation is about redefining str...

Sometimes the body whispers before it starts screaming. In this episode, Paul Timmis shares his journey through cardiomyopathy, heart failure, emergency hospitalization, and eventually receiving a pacemaker/defibrillator after his heart function dropped to dangerous levels. What began as swelling, exhaustion, and shortness of breath quickly became a life-changing medical emergency. Paul shares how...

Sometimes thriving looks a lot different than we expected it would. In this solo episode, I talk about comparison, slowing down, changing priorities, and learning that thriving does not have to look perfect to be real. This conversation is for anyone who has ever felt behind, overwhelmed, inconsistent, or like their life no longer matches the version they imagined for themselves. We talk about: Co...

Sometimes life changes in a single moment. In this episode, Stephen “Big Tank” Cook shares his journey through military service, multiple heart attacks, a stroke, and surviving a widowmaker heart attack in December 2025. From open-heart surgery and recovery to lifestyle changes, resilience, music, community, and learning to keep moving forward, this conversation is honest, grounded, and deeply hum...

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is admit your tank is running low. In this solo episode, I talk about burnout, capacity, slowing down, and learning to stop expecting ourselves to perform at the same level every single day. This conversation is a reminder that strength is not just about pushing harder — sometimes it’s about learning to respect where you are today so you can keep moving forward to...

Some conversations remind you just how powerful simply showing up can be. In this episode, Tim Lazenby shares his journey through addiction, mental health struggles, and what led him to use his voice to encourage others. From surviving difficult seasons to building real connection online, Tim’s message is simple but powerful… you are not alone. This conversation touches on: Mental health and break...

Showing up doesn’t always look strong. Sometimes it looks like slowing down… adjusting… or simply doing what you can with what you have that day. In this episode, we’re redefining what consistency and strength really mean—especially on the days that feel harder than the rest. Because real progress isn’t built on perfect moments… it’s built on the quiet ones. If you’ve ever felt like what you’re do...

In this episode of The GRITT of the Matter , I sit down with Dana Truitt — colorful content creator, entrepreneur, and storyteller — to talk about resilience, rebuilding confidence, and learning how to move forward after life takes an unexpected turn. Dana shares her journey after a life-altering accident, navigating anxiety, rebuilding her confidence, and finding purpose through creativity, blogg...

There are moments when something just doesn’t feel right — but you can’t quite explain why. In this episode of The GRITT of the Matter , Denice talks about what it really means to trust yourself, especially when life feels confusing and outside voices start to take over. Through real-life reflection and experience, this conversation explores what happens when we stop listening to ourselves — and h...

In this episode of The GRITT of the Matter , I sit down with Elijah for a powerful conversation about military service, personal growth, health challenges, fatherhood, resilience, and songwriting as a form of healing. Elijah shares his story of growing up in Tennessee after being born in Germany, pursuing his dream of joining the Army, navigating the mental and physical impact of service, and lear...

In this solo episode of The GRITT of the Matter , we’re talking about something that many people don’t realize until life forces a shift — what strength really looks like. Strength isn’t always pushing harder, doing more, or never slowing down. Sometimes, it’s adapting. It’s listening. It’s learning how to move differently when your body or life changes. In this episode, we explore: • redefining s...

In this episode of The GRITT of the Matter , I welcome entrepreneur, creative mentor, and coach Ianthe Mauro for a real conversation about resilience, reinvention, creativity, and building through life’s hardest seasons. Together, we talk about navigating personal setbacks, creating purpose from pain, trusting your creative wiring, entrepreneurship behind the scenes, and learning how to keep movin...

In this solo episode of The GRITT of the Matter , Denice shares a real moment from her own week — navigating pain, lack of sleep, and the frustration of feeling behind. Rather than pushing through or pretending everything is fine, she reflects on the importance of giving yourself grace when life slows you down. This episode explores: • why resilience sometimes means slowing down• listening to your...

In Episode 2 of The GRITT of the Matter , Denice explores the quiet reality of feeling alone — even when life appears normal on the outside. Many people navigate struggles that others cannot see: rare disease, invisible illness, emotional exhaustion, grief, and moments of doubt when answers are hard to find. In this episode, Denice shares how dismissal, uncertainty, and isolation can affect our mi...

Welcome to the launch of The GRITT of the Matter . In this first episode, Denice shares the real-life experiences that shaped her philosophy of GRITT — Grace, Resilience, Intentional, Trust, and Thrive. This episode honors Rare Disease Day (February 28) and the 300 million people worldwide living with rare disease, including those still searching for diagnosis. But this conversation goes beyond di...

This podcast is intended for general education and encouragement and may not be suitable for younger listeners without parental guidance. On Rare Disease Day, the first episode of The GRITT of the Matter begins with honesty. Millions of people live in bodies that don’t always cooperate — navigating physical limitations, uncertainty, and the emotional weight that can come with it. This episode intr...