The Lafaya Way Podcast

I’ll be honest… this episode didn’t go as planned—and that’s exactly why you need to listen. We hit record, and life showed up in real time. Kiko was there, her beautiful daughter Ocean popped in, bedtime didn’t quite happen… and suddenly, we were living the very message we were about to talk about: you don’t control life—you learn how to move with it. And then Kiko started sharing. About survivin...

This episode wasn’t planned the way most are. Yes, Matt and I talked about poker. Yes, we talked about staying calm under pressure. But underneath it all… something else was happening. This became about a moment in real life where someone we know—someone who has quietly shown up for others for years—is now facing a hand he cannot play alone. And this time… it’s our turn to show up. Key takeaways:...

Some stories sound too unbelievable to be real. Imagine this: you’re a respected immigration lawyer… living the life you worked incredibly hard to build. Then one day, at LAX airport, a dozen armed federal agents arrest you for a crime you didn’t commit. That’s exactly what happened to Kelly Giles. What followed wasn’t just a legal battle—it was a journey through prison, trauma, identity, and ulti...

There are some conversations that stay with you long after the microphones are turned off. This was one of them. When Andrea L. Wehlann sat down with me, she didn’t just share her résumé as a bestselling author, award-winning poet, Reiki Master, and yogi. She shared the parts of her story that most people would never dare to say out loud. Sexual assault. Multiple miscarriages. The loss of a child....

There are conversations that gently rearrange how you see the world. This was one of them. I sat down with Rev Ben Boland—chaplain, pastor, and author—and within minutes, we were naming something many of us feel but rarely say out loud: older people don’t stop being priceless just because the world starts treating them as invisible. Ben has spent over 15 years walking alongside older people and th...

There are conversations that  inform … and then there are conversations that  slow you down, soften you, and quietly change how you move through your day . This episode was one of  those . Jenny came into the studio carrying decades of creative wisdom, lived experience, and deep compassion — not just as an artist and coach, but as a caregiver, a boundary-setter-in-progress, and a woman who has lea...

Some conversations stay with you long after the recording stops. This was one of those. When I sat down with  Dr. Ava Eagle Brown , I knew we’d talk about resilience. What I didn’t expect was how deeply her story would mirror something so many of us quietly carry: the tension between worry and trust… fear and faith… pressure and praise. Dr. Ava doesn’t share a polished, picture-perfect success sto...

Every now and then, someone walks into the room with a story so unexpected, so wildly improbable, that it stops you mid-breath. That’s what happened when I sat down with Dori Staehle. Imagine this: you survive a freak accident that nearly ends your life… doctors can't figure out what’s wrong… pain becomes your constant companion… and everything you’ve built suddenly slips out from under you. M...

Some conversations stay with you long after the mic turns off. This was one of them. When Cindy sat down with me, she didn’t come with a polished, tied-up-with-a-bow story. She came with the kind that life hands you when you’re least prepared: A sudden loss, a house full of grief, two daughters quietly unraveling, and a mother doing everything she could to keep her family from slipping through her...

When Audrey Gerber got her first period, it was chaos—painful, unpredictable, and isolating. Like so many young girls, she was handed a prescription for the pill and told it would “fix” things. It didn’t. Years later, struggling with depression, weight gain, and confusion about what was happening in her body, Audrey began to ask the question most of us are never encouraged to ask: What if my body...

Sometimes the most confusing parts of life start to make sense when you finally get the right lens. That’s what happened for  Meredith Carder , ADHD coach, writer, and author of  It All Makes Sense Now . When her daughter was diagnosed with ADHD, Meredith began to realize that the very challenges she’d struggled with her entire life — the “why can’t I just…” moments, the guilt, the overwhelm — wer...

When Katelyn Mabry was ten years old, she sat in the car trying to make sense of three little letters that would shape her life: ADHD . She didn’t understand what it meant—and neither did her parents. For years, she wrestled with feelings of confusion, rejection, and the sense that something must be “wrong” with her. Fast forward to today, and Katelyn has turned that pain into purpose. As a mom of...

Sometimes life hands you a storm so fierce you don’t know how you’ll stand—but Diane Woodford shows us that when you anchor yourself in love, peace can carry you through. In this conversation, Diane shares the incredible story of her husband’s near-death battle during COVID, the 80 long days in ICU, and how she drew on faith, peace, and community support to hold the line for love when everything a...

Sometimes life deals you the most unexpected hand. For Sasha, that hand showed up at 55 years old, in the middle of a networking event in New York City. A deck of cards, a casual introduction to poker—and suddenly, her entire world shifted. She went from writing for Wall Street to sneaking into underground cash games, eventually packing up her life and moving to Las Vegas at 63 to pursue poker pro...

When life keeps handing you closed doors, do you give up—or do you find a way to make a plan? In this episode, I sit down with the radiant  Chiyedza Nyahuye , lovingly known as  African AI Auntie . Her story will pull you in: after earning prestigious degrees in the U.S., she returned to Zimbabwe only to be told she was “too educated” and applied for 700 jobs without a single interview. What looke...

When Alecia Tolver hung up her Army uniform after decades of service, she expected to simply swap it for a business suit and keep moving forward. But life had other plans. At the same time she was navigating the uncertainty of civilian life, she was growing her family—welcoming two babies, healing from loss, and redefining her purpose. In this conversation, Alecia shares how she turned what could...

When the Silence Breaks: Turning Trauma into Purpose with Lisa Zarcone She was just a little girl when the world around her started to unravel. Abuse. Neglect. A mother lost in mental illness. For years, Lisa Zarcone carried the weight of unspoken truths - until she decided to speak. In this incredible conversation, Lisa opens up about the darkest parts of her childhood and how she not only surviv...

What if the very things you feared would break you… ended up healing you? That’s the story of Daniel Hall—software genius, foster care survivor, adoptive dad of six, and someone who plays a hand many would’ve folded. When Daniel said yes to fostering children with trauma similar to his own, he didn’t just become a parent—he began rewriting his own story. In this powerful and heartfelt episode, Dan...

When Christine Dziedzic was just 8 years old, quietly sitting in a cemetery office as her family fought over funeral arrangements, something life-changing happened: a stranger noticed her pain. He gave her crayons. He gave her dignity. He gave her a vision for her future. That moment shaped her into the powerhouse she is today. In this episode, Christine shares her unbelievable story: from a child...

It started with being held back in first grade. No one said she was stupid. No one had to. Sabrina told herself that - and carried that belief into adulthood. And yet today, she’s a professional speaker, a co-author of an international bestseller, and the proud creator of a powerful networking group for introverts. How? Through faith, fierce self-awareness, and a relentless commitment to practicin...

When Alzheimer's Hits the Table: Betsy Wurzel on Love, Loss & Learning to Fight Back There’s a moment in life when everything flips—when the hand you’ve been dealt feels impossibly hard. For Betsy Wurzel, that moment came when her husband, Matt, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at just 55. But instead of folding, Betsy chose to fight. In this deeply moving conversation, we talk a...

What do you do when life knocks you flat .. and then kicks you again for good measure? In this episode, I’m joined by the incredible Jill Brown, who shares the story of how she went from burnout and heartbreak to full-on transformation. After 22 years running her own driving school, Jill hit what she thought was rock bottom: loss after loss, a diabetes diagnosis, and the shocking news that she’d n...

This one’s personal and oh so real. In this episode, I sit down with my favorite human on the planet: my husband, James. We open up about what it really looks like to “play the hand you’re dealt” when life throws you into full-on parenting mode with three little ones (who aren’t biologically his), a professional poker career, and two very different morning personalities. Spoiler alert: one of us i...

Hey there and welcome to the very first episode of The Lafaya Way Podcast ! I’m Lafaya Mitchell, and in a fun twist, I’m not hosting this one... I’m in the hot seat! My good friend Anke Herrmann flips the script and interviews me to give you the full scoop on what The Lafaya Way Podcast is all about. Here’s what we chat about: 👉 The wild (but oh-so-true) parallels between poker and life 👉 How “p...

Is it really possible to “have it all” as a working mom? Yes - and today’s guest Rebecca Olson is here to show you how. In this episode, we talk about 'motherhood penalty,' overcoming overwhelm, navigating high-pressure “tilt” moments, and Rebecca’s powerful Pivot Protocol for taking back control of your time and energy. In this empowering conversation, I sit down with Rebecca Olson - internationa...