The Teaching Journeys Podcast

What does it take to go from hitchhiking through a revolution at 19, scaling the deadly North Wall of Denali at 20, and surviving violent conflict in Vietnam — to becoming one of the world's leading voices for peace, purpose, and citizen action? In this episode of the Teaching Journeys Podcast, host Dave Roberts sits down with John Graham — Foreign Service officer, global peacebuilder, and 42-year...

What can 30 years living in Japan and Indonesia teach us about mental health, respect, and what it means to live a meaningful life? In this episode of the Teaching Journeys Podcast, host Dave Roberts welcomes back writer, producer, and entrepreneur Rob Schwartz — son of Morrie Schwartz of Tuesdays with Morrie fame — for a wide-ranging conversation that connects Eastern philosophy, cultural identit...

What does British theater have to do with business leadership? More than you'd think. In this episode of the Teaching Journeys Podcast, host Dave Roberts welcomes back award-winning actor, director, and business coach Carl Walsh for a deep dive into creativity, innovation, and the leadership principles that separate great managers from truly inspiring leaders. Carl draws on 20 years in the British...

In this powerful episode of the Teaching Journeys Podcast, host Dave Roberts sits down with Julianna Burmesch — former school principal, speech pathologist, early brain development trainer, and author of the memoir Life With Less of Me (releasing June 23rd). Julianna shares her deeply personal story of growing up in a home marked by alcoholism, physical abuse, and chronic unpredictability — and ho...

What does it truly mean to see someone? In this heartfelt episode of The Teaching Journeys Podcast, host Dave Roberts sits down with award-winning author, humanitarian, and founder of the Desire to Inspire Foundation, Dawn Airhart Witte, for a deeply moving conversation about purpose, belonging, and the transformative power of human connection. Dawn shares how a childhood experience of not feeling...

What happens when your worst chapter becomes the foundation for your greatest purpose? In this powerful episode of the Teaching Journeys podcast, host Dave Roberts sits down with RJ Johnson — speaker, author, and founder of Not My Will Ministries — to explore one of the most remarkable stories of redemption, faith, and transformation you'll ever hear. After making a devastating choice that led to...

What does it take to lead with heart, communicate with impact, and live with true purpose? In this episode of the Teaching Journeys Podcast, host Dave Roberts sits down with Amrita Mukherjee — TEDx speaker, ICF ACC executive coach, author, and founder of the Thriving Women's Tribe — for a deeply inspiring conversation on emotional intelligence, leadership communication, and the power of intentiona...

Can pain really become a portal to beauty? What happens when you stop numbing and start feeling everything? In this episode of The Teaching Journeys Podcast, host Dave Roberts sits down with writer and self-healing advocate Alexis Leigh, author of Pain Is a Portal to Beauty — a transformative memoir about grief, authenticity, and the unconventional path to wholeness. Alexis opens up about losing h...

What if kindness could literally save a life? In this powerful episode of the Teaching Journeys podcast, host Dave Roberts sits down with Randy McNeely — also known as Captain Kind Man — a survivor of childhood abuse turned passionate advocate for courageous kindness. Randy shares the deeply personal journey that shaped his mission: from surviving multiple forms of abuse and near-suicidal darkness...

What happens when a child's life ends too soon — and what can it teach us about love, consciousness, and what lies beyond death? In this deeply moving episode of the Teaching Journeys Podcast, host Dave Roberts welcomes Katy Gilbertson, founder of Hauora Wellness, for a raw and spiritually rich conversation about child loss, grief, and the survival of consciousness after death. Both Dave and Katy...

What if you could save your marriage — even if your partner has already given up? In this episode of the Teaching Journeys Podcast, host Dave Roberts sits down with Dr. Lee Baucom, PhD, creator of the globally used Save the Marriage system and host of the Save the Marriage podcast (600+ episodes strong). Lee breaks down why most marriages fail — not from conflict, but from disconnection — and intr...

What does it take to break free from a lifetime of addiction, childhood abuse, and generational trauma? In this powerful episode of the Teaching Journeys podcast, host Dave Roberts sits down with internationally award-winning author, public speaker, and transformational mentor Shannan Kym to share her extraordinary journey from rock bottom to radical freedom. Growing up as the youngest of eight ch...

What would you do if you lost four babies in one day — and then built a multi-million dollar nonprofit, wrote a book, and adopted nine children from trauma backgrounds? In this powerful episode of the Teaching Journeys Podcast, host Dave Roberts sits down with Debbie Simmons — Legacy Architect, keynote speaker, author, and CEO/founder of Anchor Point, a nonprofit serving families in crisis. Debbie...

What would you do if you had to choose the day your husband died? In this deeply moving episode of the Teaching Journeys Podcast, host Dave Roberts sits down with Erica Baccus — author, former marketing executive, and end-of-life advocate — to explore one of the most profound and rarely discussed decisions a family can face. After her husband John was diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's in 2020...

What does it look like to find joy after losing a child? In this deeply moving episode of the Teaching Journeys Podcast, host Dave Roberts sits down with author Carrie Eaton, who lost her 3-year-old daughter Chelsea in 1995 — and lived to tell a story of miraculous healing and unshakable faith. Carrie shares how she navigated decades of grief, survived two near-death experiences, caught a glimpse...

What happens when grief, toxic relationships, and rock bottom become the foundation for your greatest transformation? In this powerful episode of the Teaching Journeys Podcast, host Dave Roberts sits down with Claudia Wyatt — internationally recognized keynote speaker, certified confidence coach, and founder of the Walkabout Method — for a deeply honest conversation about turning tragedy into purp...

Vanessa's Bio and Contact Information Vanessa Cardenas is a Relationship Reset Expert and Betrayal Recovery Specialist who has helped individuals and couples rebuild trust, restore emotional connection, and regain clarity from the inside out since 2017. She is the founder of Understanding Ear and the creator of the HOPE Roadmap , a structured approach designed to help people stabilize after betray...

Host Dave Roberts welcomes Kat Polsinelli to the Teaching Journeys podcast to discuss how a decade-long abusive relationship shaped her life and mission. Kat, a domestic violence and PTSD survivor, shares her journey of leaving at 28 with two children, rebuilding identity, and helping others through speaking, her podcast Real Chat with Kat, and The Lotus Effect. She emphasizes that survivors are n...

Host Dave Roberts welcomes Emma Leach to the Teaching Journeys podcast to discuss how art and movement shape healing and meaning. Leach describes a childhood rooted in theater and visual art amid family instability and bullying, and how creative expression helped her cope. She shares the loss of her first love, Ray, who died of a heroin overdose at 27, and how discovering Gabrielle Roth’s Five Rhy...

Host Dave Roberts welcomes Deanna Scaldaferri to the Teaching Journeys podcast to discuss her work as a licensed massage and bodywork therapist, Reiki master, intuitive life coach, speaker, and facilitator of a narcissistic abuse recovery support group in Charlotte, North Carolina. Deanna shares how her Italian-American, Catholic upbringing, living overseas (especially in Germany), and major traum...

Host Dave Roberts welcomes Michelle Kuei, a business and visibility marketing coach for coaches and founder of Elevate Life Coaching, who helps certified coaches get clients through her signature client enrollment method. Kuei shares her journey overcoming deep negative self-talk rooted in an 11-year-old car accident that left her physically disabled, immigrant identity, feeling she didn’t belong,...

Host Dave Roberts welcomes Anca Uni, an award-winning trauma expert, healing innovator, former IT and cybersecurity leader, and author of “Soulful Alignment: Daily Reflections for Enlightened Connections.” Anca shares how moving from Romania to Canada, corporate leadership, and personal experiences (immigration, divorce, single parenting, quitting smoking) shaped her mission to bring “soul back in...

Host Dave Roberts welcomes Nino Fincher, a rapid therapy expert on anxiety and purpose clarity coach, to discuss experiences shaping her path, including her grandfather’s death at 15 and her shift from an atheist upbringing to following Christ after studying philosophy, comparative religion, and evidence for Jesus’ claims. They explore faith, non-ordinary phenomena, and the idea of transcendent re...

What if your biggest career crisis was actually your greatest creative breakthrough? In this episode of the Teaching Journeys Podcast, host Dave Roberts sits down with Dr. Tasha Golden — touring singer-songwriter turned behavioral scientist — for a fascinating conversation about creativity, mental health, and the power of the arts to heal. Dr. Golden was the first Director of Research for the Inte...

Is the news actually informing you — or just manipulating you? In this eye-opening episode, host Dave Roberts sits down with Kira Shishkin, CEO of the Informed Now Project, to unpack how modern media has traded truth for clicks, attention, and emotional triggers. Kira shares his remarkable journey — born in Ukraine, coming of age in Israel, and building a media reform movement in the United States...