Your Daily Chocolate

Many of us have had struggles, and followed a much more winding path than we first imagined, and that is true of today’s guest Kimberly Spencer, best-selling author, podcaster, and high performance coach. Her winding path came from her ability to follow her intuition. She credits her parents being entrepreneurs as helping her to have a “go for it” attitude, to go with her gut, and be open to takin...

Today’s guest Terry Tucker has played many roles in his life, marketing executive, police officer, SWAT Team negotiator, and basketball coach to name a few. But he never expected to have the role of cancer patient. Terry talks about all rollercoaster of emotions that occurred after his diagnosis, and then finally choosing to come to terms with it and fight for his life, and then work to inspire ot...

Patty continues to bring impressive, high-profile guests on the show. Today she welcomes, author Joe LeValley to the show to discuss his amazing journey of becoming a successful crime fiction author late in life. He began as a daily newspaper reporter, covering lots of crime cases including murders, which planted seeds in his mind about trying to write a crime novel. He then switched to working in...

You may think you had some hard times growing up. You may think you just don’t have enough time during the day to get it all done. Today’s guest will help to bring all those things into perspective. Patty welcomes Dr. Katrina Nguyen to the show to share her incredible story. As a toddler and the youngest child of eight, Katrina came with her family to America from Vietnam on her father’s fishing b...

Art evokes passion and feeling and transporting you to another place. But artists aren't always born - they are often made. Along they way, they may have find themselves in very unartistic circumstances. Today's guest is artist, Linda Riesenberg Fisler. While working at Proctor and Gamble she had some very... Interesting roles, but after reaching management, she set off on a new direction that cha...

Remember the days of your youth, when everything was new, exciting, and bright? What if you could recapture even a part of that again in your life now? Patty brings you a duo today that may just make it possible. Thomas and Landa Penisten, creators of the hit book, A Time For Colors: A Book About Joy, join the show. The beauty of this book is that it crosses all generations. Children, adult parent...

When treating veterans with PTSD, your first thought is probably not farms or cows. But today’s guest is changing lives using just those things. Patty welcomes Marvin Frink, wounded veteran and owner/operator of Briarwood Cattle Farm in North Carolina. Marvin begins the episode by explaining the physical setup of the farm that is uniquely designed to be comfortable for veterans with PTSD. He then...

Get ready to have some fun today with today’s guest. Comedian, author, and motivational speaker Marklyn Johnson joins the show. This high energy episode will keep you thinking and laughing the whole way through. Marklyn begins by talking about his childhood upbringing and the role of his no-nonsense father that helped him to grow and learn through a bit of tough love and building resilience. He ge...

So many times in life we can get in a rut, get down, feel angry or upset about our situation. The fact is that everyone feels this way from time to time, but what if there was a way to set your life on a new path simply through gratitude. It's a bit more complex than that, so Patty has brought on a wonderful guest to really dive into the subject and how you can benefit from it.  Deborah Hawki...

What better way to start the week than with a story of a strong determined woman that helped her husband save tens of millions of lives? Patty delivers with her amazing guest Bee Bloeser. Bee is a speaker and the author of the incredible book, ‘ VACCINES & BAYONETS: Fighting Smallpox in Africa amid Tribalism, Terror and the Cold War' . She recounts her memories and experiences of her family, i...

Our electronic devices help us in many ways every day. They also distract and consume too much of our time many days. When it comes to kids and devices, it’s a much more difficult circumstance. Kids with appropriately set guidelines and rules can go about their day productively, but some children find themselves easily sucked into a device addiction which can wreak havoc on their sleep, diet, beha...

You've come to listen for good news and inspiring stories. Well today, Patty's guest has both of those in spades. Andrew Malcolm is an author, father, and veteran foreign and national correspondent with long experience at the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and currently writing a weekly national politics column at RedState.com among other topics.  Today Andrew utilizes his exemplary story...

For those of us that live in cities or the suburbs, it’s always so gratifying to see and be able to visit large, picturesque preserved natural areas. Patty’s guest today is someone that works every day to ensure those spaces are kept safe for communities in California’s East Bay area. Linus Eukel is the Executive Director of the John Muir Land Trust. He oversees a budget of 50 million dollars, and...

There is one universal truth we all can agree on. We all grow older. Today Patty welcomes author, humorist, and memoirist, Ruth Yunker to talk about living vivaciously no matter your age. Ruth discusses the importance of staying curious and trying new things. She is taking on new sports and even going back to sports she did as a kid, while also trying her hand at modeling, She continues explaining...

Patty continues to bring A-list guests to the podcast. Today, senior advisor and a Chief of Staff in the Reagan administration, James Rosebush joins the show. He had unprecedented access to all of the behind the scenes, inner workings of the White House at the time. James and Patty discuss how Reagan changed the way that the president was viewed because of his communication and leadership. Reagan...

New parents know that those first couple of months are full of sleepless nights, getting up and down with feeding and changing. But after six months, getting up every hour, today's guest knew she needed something to help her baby sleep through the night. Not finding anything that worked, she created her own solution - a weighted sleep sack. Like a miniature, wearable version of a weighted blanket...

Patty has brought you a lot of amazing guests over the last year, and today is no different. Legendary drummer Harold Jones joins the show to talk about his life, the beginning of his career, the current state of music and big band, and playing with some of the greatest music stars of all time, like Count Basie, Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, B.B. King, Duke Ellington, Bing Cosby, Ella Fitzgerald......

"As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler" - Henry David Thoreau   This is where the origins of National Simplicity Day came from. And what better time to listen to this important advice. During COVID these last few years, homes have gotten more cluttered, our schedules have become more complicated, and our reliance on our devices has grown greater. Today Patty remi...

You will LOVE today's guest. Featured in People Magazine, and CBS with Leslie Stahl, Laurie Zaleski joins the show. Leslie founded The Funny Farm Rescue and Sanctuary, and is the best-selling author and 5 star-reviewed 'Funny Farm, My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals.'   She brings her infectious energy and charm to the show and will inspire and amaze you with her incredible story. She...

It's the Fourth of July and as we celebrate our country's freedom, we also think of the many men and women who have fought to protect it. Large numbers of those return from duty severely injured and sadly many of them don't get the help they need to get back to civilian life and thrive. Patty's guest today is Mike Conklin, and his mission is to change that. He is Chairman and CEO of Sentinels of F...

Do you often get stuck inside all day? Work, cleaning, helping with the kids homework, the list goes on. Patty's guest today knows that taking even a short time outside every day, has huge benefits. Amy Bushatz believed this so much that she and her family moved to Alaska, sight-unseen to give them a chance to connect with the outdoors like they never had before. First - NO you do NOT need to move...

Patty welcomes a very special guest to the show. Dan Ashley is a journalist who has been an on-camera anchor and investigative reporter for ABC 7 News San Francisco, and is also an accomplished singer/songwriter. On this episode he talks about his background, why good news is so important in people's lives, some his most difficult, memorable, and favorite interviews, why journalism is so vital, an...

Father's Day is coming up quickly, and Patty is here with special solo episode to show appreciation for dads everywhere. And also some funny stories and jokes. Patty shares some fun memories of her dad, one of which includes a pajamas and a shotgun! Then Patty tells some classic eye-rolling dad jokes to brighten your day.  Be sure to subscribe to the newsletter at www.yourdailychocolate.com f...

Homophobia. Sexism. Racism. These are subjects that we hear a lot about in society, politics, schools, and the workplace. But how often do we hear about ageism? Today Patty welcomes another Patti to the show. Patti Temple Rocks, author and speaker, is here to talk about the subject… that no one talks about. Age has always been a bit taboo in most cultures. When it is spoken about, it’s often to ma...

Today Patty welcomes Helen Ryan, author, entrepreneur, and podcaster to the show. Helen had a very difficult and traumatic childhood. But you would never know it today. Through the volatile upbringing and personal and professional struggles in adulthood, she weathered the storms and walked out the other side, stronger, wiser, and more resilient. Helen attributes this to her stubbornness and her ge...