The School of Hard Knocks with Darcie

In this special Good Friday feature of The School of Hard Knocks, I had the honor of sitting down with Pastor Yauo to hear a story that will stay with you long after this episode ends. Before becoming a pastor, leader, and pillar in the Wausau community, Pastor Yauo’s life began in unimaginable circumstances. While his mother was pregnant with him, his family fled for their lives—seeking safety in...

Follow The School of Hard Knocks Stories that heal. Tools that stick. 👉 Hit follow and save this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. Time is one of the most valuable things we have… and for many of us, our relationship with it has been shaped by more than just a busy schedule. In this episode, I sit down with C.W. Hawley, founder and CEO of Let’s Talk Time, a time strategy firm based in Atlanta...

Follow  The School of Hard Knocks Stories that heal. Tools that stick. 👉  Hit follow and save this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. Today’s episode is a real and honest conversation about guilt… the kind that shows up when your heart wants to be there, but life—or your body—says otherwise. I’m sharing a personal moment from this past weekend when I had every intention of going to church… but...

  Hit follow and save this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. If you’d like to be a guest on the show, email… darcie@theschoolsofhardknocks.com It’s been five months since my dad passed… and today, I’m reflecting on what life has looked like since that moment that changed everything. In this episode, I’m sharing the real, unfiltered journey of grief and growth—how I’ve navigated the hardest sea...

Follow  The School of Hard Knocks Stories that heal. Tools that stick. 👉  Hit follow and save this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. Have you ever noticed that when you’re feeling your worst—sick, tired, or completely run down—your partner suddenly seems extra affectionate or attracted to you? In this episode of The School of Hard Knocks, I explore the psychology behind why this sometimes hap...

🎧 Follow The School of Hard Knocks ⭐ Leave a review if this episode spoke to you 📲 Share it with someone who needs the reminder today In today’s episode of The School of Hard Knocks, I’m slowing down for a moment to talk about something we all chase… and something we sometimes forget. Yes, money matters. Goals matter. Dreams like traveling the world matter. But when the dust settles, the things...

Hit follow and save this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. If you’d like to be a guest on the show, email… darcie@theschoolsofhardknocks.com Seven months ago, I pressed record and launched The School of Hard Knocks. Since then? Growth. Healing. Stretching. Recalibrating. In today’s episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on what these last seven months have really looked like — what I’ve learned...

👉 Hit follow and save this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. If you’d like to be a guest on the show, email… darcie@theschoolsofhardknocks.com Yesterday at breakfast, a simple conversation turned into something much deeper. We started talking about decisions — the ones we feel guilty about… and the ones we didn’t even realize we were making. Between the ages of 0–7, we absorb beliefs about lo...

Hit follow and save this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. If you’d like to be a guest on the show, email… darcie@theschoolsofhardknocks.com Grief doesn’t just hurt — it exhausts you. In today’s episode, I’m talking about the kind of tired that sleep doesn’t fix. The emotional weight that sneaks up on you months later. The heaviness that makes even simple things feel overwhelming. I’m a little...

  Hit follow and save this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. If you’d like to be a guest on the show, email… darcie@theschoolsofhardknocks.com In this special feature episode, I join multiple authors from Queenie Publishing for a spotlight conversation hosted by the incredible founder herself. During my six-minute interview, she speaks about my journey — the resilience, the rebuilding, and the...

👉 Hit follow and save this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. If you’d like to be a guest on the show, email… darcie@theschoolsofhardknocks.com Today’s episode is raw and real. I almost didn’t record it — not because I’m lazy, and not because I need perfection — but because I have a lot on my plate right now. In this short episode, I talk about the two real reasons I procrastinate: • Wanting w...

  Hit follow and save this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. If you’d like to be a guest on the show, email… darcie@theschoolsofhardknocks.com At 15, she believed she had found love. What followed were years of fear, control, and living in survival mode — protecting herself and her child while navigating abuse no one saw. In this powerful episode, Denise shares: • What kept her stuck • The mom...

Hit follow and save this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. If you’d like to be a guest on the show, email… darcie@theschoolsofhardknocks.com After an experience as a volunteer at our Special Needs Ministry this weekend, I came to realize how my journey of healing is truly healing other people. We are all a work in progress. Don’t give up on yourself!

👉 Hit follow and save this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. If you’d like to be a guest on the show, email… darcie@theschoolsofhardknocks.com Today’s episode is a little different. I was watching Pretty Woman and had a flashback to being 18 years old and saying, “I’m a safety girl.” What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was borrowing confidence from a character to help myself feel saf...

👉  Hit follow and save this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. If you’d like to be a guest on the show, email… darcie@theschoolsofhardknocks.com What do you do when the person you love most begins to change… and you can’t fix it? In this deeply emotional conversation, I sit down with Suzanne, author of Keep Your Healthy Mind When Your Loved One Loses Theirs. Suzanne shares her journey of walki...

👉  Hit follow and save this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. If you’d like to be a guest on the show, email… darcie@theschoolsofhardknocks.com Some stories don’t just inspire you — they stop you in your tracks. In this episode, I sit down with Sammie, a woman who has walked through addiction, incarceration, escorting, losing herself… and nearly losing everything that mattered most. This is n...

👉 Hit follow and save this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. If you’d like to be a guest on the show, email… If you have questions or would like to be on the show, you can reach me at darcie@theschoolsofhardknocks.com Today’s episode guides you through why self love is needed to open the door to a mindset shift. Included is a big tip on how to hold yourself accountable!

👉 Hit follow and save this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. If you have questions or would like to be on the show, you can reach me at darcie@theschoolsofhardknocks.com Aligning yourself with friends, actual friends, that hold you up instead of bring you down will change everything. In this episode I talk about leaving a friendship in 2025 and what my friendship rebuild over the last 6 month...

👉 Hit follow and save this podcast so you don’t miss an episode. Yesterday could have turned into a full downward spiral. Tech issues, pressure, miscommunication — the kind of moment where it’s easy to throw your hands up and walk away. In today’s episode, I talk about what spiraling actually looks like, why panic pulls us deeper like a corkscrew, and how learning to pause — instead of react — ch...

We’ve all been there. We want to reach the goal or objective, but life happens and we give up. A lot of restart. Most of us don’t. Let’s change that. Here’s how and why! you have questions or would like to be on the show, you can reach me at darcie@theschoolsofhardknocks.com

In this uplifting episode of The School of Hard Knocks , Shawn shares the heart and journey behind creating a powerful speech-support app designed to help autistic children, adults with aphasia, and families navigating communication challenges. More than just technology, Shawn has built a platform rooted in compassion—along with a supportive community where parents can connect, feel seen, and know...

In Episode 61 of The School of Hard Knocks , Amanda shares her story of growing up adopted and struggling to feel fully connected and grounded through some of the hardest seasons of her life. After years of navigating pain and rough patches, everything began to shift five years ago when she and her husband found their faith. Now a mental health coach, Amanda reflects on how faith transformed the w...

 In this powerful episode of The School of Hard Knocks, Sarah shares her extraordinary survival story—nearly losing her life and her child’s life at the hands of her first child’s father, surviving six motor vehicle accidents, and walking away from corporate America to build a business rooted in healing. Often joking that she must have a team of guardian angels watching over her, Sarah reflects on...

In this deeply honest episode of The School of Hard Knocks , Maureen Ortega shares her life journey with remarkable openness—from childhood abuse to the loss of a baby, divorce, a devastating house fire, and the quiet, ongoing work of healing. This is not a story about being “fully healed,” but about staying with the process, choosing resilience, and learning how to keep moving forward even when l...

In this episode, I sit down with Becky - a mother of three, entrepreneur, and fellow podcast host - to talk about the reality of motherhood and the identity shifts that come with it. Becky shares what it's been like to balance raising her children, running a business, and choosing an unschooling approach to education, all while learning how to reconnect with herself as a woman beyond the role...