The Life We're Given: Stories of Resilience Through Life's Challenges

In this inspiring episode of The Life We’re Given podcast, host Brandi Lewis sits down with Shayla Webb, an attorney turned entrepreneur, to share her powerful story of resilience after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. Shayla opens up about the moment her life changed, the emotional toll of her diagnosis, and how she found strength, hope, and purpose through faith. She shares her journey from w...

In this inspiring episode of The Life We’re Given, Brandi sits down with Christine Valdes to share her powerful journey from hardship to purpose. From immigrating to the United States as a child to becoming a young mother, Christine opens up about the challenges she faced and the moment she chose to rebuild her life. After leaving with nothing, she found herself relying on sleeping on a friend’s c...

In this deeply moving episode of The Life We’re Given , Brandi Lewis sits down with Dr. Delicia Munfus-McCray to share her powerful story of loss, healing, and purpose. After the devastating loss of her stillborn daughter, Priscilla, Dr. Delicia transformed her grief into a mission to help other families. As a pediatric perinatal pathologist, she now advocates for access to autopsies and has devel...

In this powerful solo episode of The Life We’re Given , Brandi Lewis shares a deeply personal reflection on the moment she had to choose herself — and how that decision changed everything. Through storytelling and lessons from past podcast guests, Brandi explores a common thread: the pivotal moment where growth begins. Whether it’s walking away from something that no longer serves you, setting bou...

Grief is something we all experience—but when it comes to children, it’s often misunderstood. In this powerful episode of The Life We’re Given Podcast, Brandi Lewis sits down with child therapist and author Stacy Schaffer to explore how children process grief, trauma, and loss—and how adults can better support them through it. Drawing from both professional expertise and personal experience, Stacy...

In this powerful episode of The Life We’re Given , Brandi Lewis sits down with pre-licensed therapist Letisha Harris for an honest and practical conversation about mental health, emotional wellness, and personal growth. Together, they dive into real-life topics including anxiety, stress management, self-esteem, setting healthy boundaries, forgiveness, and the importance of self-care. Letisha share...

What does it take to face cancer not once—but four times? In this powerful episode of The Life We’re Given, Brandi Lewis sits down with Dr. Michele Kehrer, a four-time breast cancer survivor, to talk about resilience, mindset, and healing through adversity. Dr. Michele shares her journey through repeated cancer diagnoses, opening up about the emotional, mental, and physical challenges she faced al...

What happens when life changes in an instant? In this powerful episode of The Life We’re Given, Brandi sits down with brain injury survivor Dan MacQueen to discuss his incredible journey of overcoming two traumatic brain injuries and rebuilding his life through resilience, mindset, and determination. Dan shares how he navigated the physical, mental, and emotional challenges that followed his injur...

How do you break generational patterns when they’re all you’ve ever known? In this powerful episode of The Life We’re Given, Lin Green opens up about her healing journey from childhood trauma and the story behind her memoir, Enough with the Secrets. She shares how secrecy, silence, and generational pain shaped her early life — and what it took to finally choose boundaries, vulnerability, and truth...

In this insightful episode, David DeWitt shares his journey with depression , from the early signs he experienced as a teenager to the challenges of high-functioning depression and the impact on his career. He opens up about a personal crisis that led to hospitalization and his subsequent recovery , highlighting the importance of self-care, therapy, and mental health awareness . David also discuss...

What happens when a mother loses her daughter after a long battle with Lyme disease — and chooses faith over bitterness? In this emotional and inspiring episode of The Life We’re Given, Jody Hudson shares her journey through grief after the passing of her daughter, Alex, who battled Lyme disease. Jody opens up about parenting through medical uncertainty, navigating unimaginable loss, and how her f...

What happens when a COVID-19 diagnosis turns life-threatening? In this powerful episode of The Life We’re Given, Holly Porter shares her near-death COVID experience and the profound transformation that followed. A mother of eight and successful entrepreneur, Holly went from managing a busy life and multiple businesses to fighting for her life in the ICU. In this honest and faith-filled conversatio...

In this powerful and heartfelt episode of The Life We’re Given Podcast, Brandi Lewis sits down with Teresa Baglietto, a four-time cancer survivor, author of The Ripple Effect, and podcast host, to explore what it truly means to embrace resilience through life’s hardest moments. Teresa opens up about navigating multiple cancer diagnoses—including breast and lip cancer—while also facing grief, divor...

In this episode of The Life We’re Given podcast, Brandi Lewis sits down with her brother-in-law Alex for an honest conversation about building a meaningful life rooted in purpose, family, and intention. Alex shares his journey — from growing up with big dreams to navigating adulthood, marriage, and fatherhood — and how his passion for football shaped his mindset without defining his entire identit...

In this heartfelt episode of The Life We’re Given Podcast, host Brandi Lewis sits down with her father, Connie Lewis, for an honest and eye-opening conversation about fatherhood, faith, and breaking stereotypes around Black fathers. Connie shares his experience raising three daughters as a Black man in America, what it truly means to be a “Girl Dad,” and the values he worked hard to instill in his...

In this inspiring conversation, Tera Wages—mother, entrepreneur, and CEO of Connection Codes—shares her journey of balancing family life and entrepreneurship while building a business centered on emotional regulation and connection. She opens up about her personal experiences with identity, motherhood, healing, and self-awareness, and highlights why strong communication in relationships is key to...

In this inspiring episode of The Life We’re Given , Tera Wages —mother, entrepreneur, and CEO of Connection Codes —shares her journey of balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship while building a purpose-driven business centered on emotional regulation, communication, and connection . Tera opens up about identity, healing, self-awareness, and the realities of maintaining work-life balance as a wor...

 In this reflective episode of The Life We’re Given, Brandi Lewis explores the power of starting the new year with intention rather than pressure. Instead of creating long lists of resolutions, Brandi shares why choosing one meaningful word can create clarity, growth, and alignment throughout the year. Drawing from her own experience with the word consistency, Brandi walks listeners through how re...

In this powerful episode of The Life We’re Given Podcast, Brandi Lewis sits down with Mariana Elchert to share her deeply personal journey of living with pseudochondroplasia, a rare genetic bone growth disorder. Mariana opens up about her childhood diagnosis, growing up with medical challenges, undergoing multiple surgeries, and how her condition impacted not only her body—but her faith, mental he...

In this heartfelt episode of The Life We’re Given , Brandi Lewis sits down with her sister, Courtney Page , to talk openly about her journey into motherhood. Courtney shares the real, unfiltered truth about the first year — the joy, the exhaustion, the identity shifts, and the moments that stretched her faith and resilience. Together, they explore topics like balancing self-care with parenting gui...

In this powerful episode of The Life We’re Given, Brandi Lewis sits down with her sister, Courtney Page, to share a side of the story that often goes unheard — the sibling’s experience during a family health crisis. Courtney opens up about what it was like watching her sister battle illness, the pressure she felt to stay strong, and how bottling her emotions eventually led her to therapy and self-...

In this powerful episode of The Life We’re Given , Brandi Lewis sits down with pre-licensed therapist Letisha Harris for an honest and practical conversation about mental health, emotional wellness, and personal growth. Together, they dive into real-life topics including anxiety, stress management, self-esteem, setting healthy boundaries, forgiveness, and the importance of self-care. Letisha share...

In this powerful conversation, host Brandi Lewis sits down with pre-licensed therapist Letisha Harris Miller to explore the realities of mental health in the Black community. Together, they address the stigma surrounding therapy, the impact of trauma and emotional triggers, and why seeking professional help is an essential step in the healing journey. Letisha shares insights on the role of therapi...

In this inspiring episode of The Life We’re Given, Brandi Lewis sits down with Darryl and Cynthia to share their powerful story of parenting a child with special needs. Their son, Darryl, lives with epilepsy, and through their journey, the couple opens up about the emotional challenges, faith-driven perseverance, and deep love that have shaped their family. Darryl and Cynthia discuss how they comm...

In this inspiring episode of The Life We’re Given podcast, host Brandi Lewis sits down with her sister, Ashley Lewis, a talented fashion designer at Spanx, to discuss the power of dreaming big and never giving up. Ashley opens up about discovering her passion for art and design at a young age, her journey through SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design), and how faith and persistence helped her l...