Affirm That Sh!t

This week on Affirm That Sh!t, I’m joined by two powerhouse women—Connie Walton and Portia Booker—for a conversation about trauma, truth, and transformation. Together, we go deep into the story behind The Sacred Yutori Collective, the movement we co-founded to help women heal from the weight of corporate conditioning, religious suppression, and the relentless demand to “do it all.”

Connie and I open up about our own journeys—the job losses, the breakdowns, the wake-up calls—that forced us to stop living for other people’s approval and start living for ourselves. Portia brings her fire into the conversation as we talk about rediscovering play, pleasure, and creativity in a world that tries to shut women down.

We break down the vision for our upcoming Rebirth Retreat in March 2026: three days designed for high-achieving women to step out of the grind and back into themselves. Think boudoir sessions, massages, catered meals, sacred ceremonies, sound baths, and breathwork—all in a safe, luxurious space where you don’t have to apologize for needing rest, release, and rebirth.

This isn’t just another retreat. This is about rewriting your story, reclaiming your power, and remembering that self-worth isn’t earned—it’s embodied.

If you’ve been waiting for a sign to stop pouring from an empty cup, this is it.

Learn about The Sacred Yutori Collective: https://www.sacredyutoricollective.com/

Welcome back to Affirm That Sh!t. This week I sit down with Katie Rössler, a powerhouse author, counselor, and grief expert who knows exactly what it means to rebuild when life strips you down. Katie opens up about moving from the U.S. to Germany with her husband and kids—a move that looked like adventure on the outside but came with cultural collisions, marriage strain, and more loss than most could imagine.

Katie gets real about grieving abroad: saying goodbye to her mother, miscarriages, and the heartbreak of handling family estates across oceans and time zones. She also shares what she calls “power couple burnout”—when two high-achieving partners hit the wall and realize the old blueprint no longer works.

Together we dive into reverse culture shock, bicultural marriage struggles, miscarriage grief, and the raw truth of what it means to rewrite love after loss. Katie also gives us the inside scoop on her books, The New Face of Grief and Giving Birth to Motherhood, and why her Boundary Queen program is giving couples and individuals the courage to evolve, not just endure.

This isn’t a fluffy love story—it’s a story of rebuilding, reclaiming, and rising out of the ashes stronger than before.

Connect with Katie: https://katierossler.com/

Some people go on vacation to “find themselves.” Mars Hendrik went all in—moving to Costa Rica at 12, learning a new language on the fly, and stumbling into music at 13 just to connect with people. But his journey wasn’t all sunshine and guitar strings. He grew up deep in evangelical church life—youth leader, worship band, the works—until a scandal blew the whole thing apart. That’s when Mars lost his faith, hit the bottom of depression, and decided truth mattered more than comfort.

That decision led him to a 5-day silent meditation retreat where his mind screamed at him for 48 hours straight… until it finally surrendered. What came next wasn’t just quiet—it was an awakening. The kind that strips you down, kills your old identity, and dares you to rebuild from scratch.

We talk about what it’s really like to let go of the life you thought you had to live, how meditation isn’t about killing your thoughts, and why reclaiming your name (literally) can be the most punk-rock thing you ever do. Mars also shares how his music—like his first album Explore Your Mind—weaves mental health and spirituality into an experience that makes you feel, think, and travel without leaving your seat.

If you’ve ever questioned who you are, battled your own head, or felt the urge to tear your life down and start fresh, this episode will light a fire in you.

Connect with Mars: https://www.instagram.com/mars.hendrik/?hl=en

Here’s the truth—burnout doesn’t just happen because you “work too hard.” It’s death by a thousand tiny betrayals to yourself. Alicia knows that story too well. In her 20s, she was running on pure FOMO, perfectionism, and the constant need to prove she was “enough.” But by 30, she hit a wall so hard it shattered her—career gone, relationship over, social life dust.

Living back at her parents’ house, Alicia could barely function without getting overstimulated. Then, in one yoga class, everything cracked open. For the first time, she heard her body speak: “Why don’t you love me? Why don’t you take care of me?” That was her wake-up call—the moment she decided to stop living for everyone else and start listening to her damn self.

We dive deep into the toxic cycle of people-pleasing, why it’s tied to burnout, and the brutal work it takes to retrain your nervous system so it feels safe to say no. Alicia lays it all out—her non-negotiable boundaries, how she chooses relationships that fuel her instead of drain her, and how she helps clients do the same using intuition, tarot, and nervous system tools.

If you’ve ever ignored your body to meet someone else’s expectations, if you’ve ever pushed yourself past the breaking point just to be “worthy,” this conversation is your permission slip to stop. Burnout isn’t the end—it’s the breakdown that can become your breakthrough.

Connect with Alicia: https://www.aliciainspired.com/

On this episode of Affirm That Sh!t, I sit down with Theresa Mark—a nurse, a Cleveland sports fan, and a mother who’s lived through the unthinkable. Her son Josh was an athlete, an engineer-in-the-making, and a rare autoimmune disease survivor after a lifesaving kidney transplant from his father. But behind the victories was a growing storm no one saw coming.

Theresa opens up about the brutal truth most people don’t talk about—the lack of mental health support for transplant patients, the stigma around suicide, and the silent weight carried by families navigating chronic illness. She shares how Josh’s mental health battles, compounded by isolation during the pandemic and medication side effects, ultimately led to his suicide.

This conversation goes deep into grief, advocacy, and the fight for change. Theresa’s voice is raw and relentless—calling out the system’s failures while holding space for anyone walking through loss. We talk about signs from loved ones, the courage it takes to speak the truth, and how she’s turning pain into purpose through advocacy for transplant patients’ mental health.

If you’ve ever faced loss, fought the system, or wondered how to keep going when everything shatters—this one’s for you.

This week on Affirm That Sh!t, I’m joined by Sam Ritchie, a powerhouse of spiritual energy and the living proof that fear can become fuel. Sam grew up in constant contact with the spirit world, sensing energies and seeing spirits long before she could understand them. What once terrified her became her calling.

We talk about her journey from unemployment to running a thriving spiritual business as an oracle card reader, certified angel guide, and space clearer—helping people release the heavy energy in their homes and in their lives. Sam shares the wild story of remotely clearing an inherited property that had been locked up in legal and emotional chaos, only to have the tenants open the doors within 24 hours.

Sam also takes us into the raw, unfiltered side of spiritual work: the fear, the dark energies, and the physical toll of clearing heavy spaces. She explains her “do no harm” approach to oracle readings and how she delivers guidance that heals without exposing private pain—because spirituality should never feel unsafe.

If you’ve ever wondered about energy, hauntings, or the way old pain clings to places and people, this conversation will crack you wide open. Sam’s story is a reminder that facing the unseen can bring not only freedom, but abundance.

Connect with Sam: https://www.samangelguide.com/

Welcome back to Affirm That Sh!t. I’m your host, Jennifer Rogers—and today, you're about to meet a man whose story could light a fire in the darkest parts of you.

Tony Lynch isn’t just an author, speaker, and founder of Memories of Us and the Global Grief Network—he’s a walking testament to what it means to rise after everything has tried to bury you. From being molested at age six to selling drugs at eleven… from facing a 266-year prison sentence to being homeless in a Colorado blizzard… Tony has lived through hell and still found a way to turn his scars into a battle cry.

In this episode, we get raw. We talk about the trauma no one wants to admit, the prison walls that crush the soul, and the moment a stranger’s jacket in the snow became a lifeline. You’ll hear about relapse, resurrection, and the brutal beauty of starting over again… and again… and again.

Tony opens up about his transformation—from gang member to grief guide, from addiction to advocacy, from isolation to impact. His story isn’t sanitized. It’s not wrapped in a pretty bow. It’s lived, earned, and bleeding with truth. And if you’ve ever thought it was “too late” for you—this episode will crush that lie.

You’ll leave this episode different. Trust me.

Connect with Tony: https://www.facebook.com/tony.lynch.188

What if every time the world told you “no,” it was actually pushing you toward the version of you that’s been dying to rise?

On this episode of Affirm That Sh!t, I sit down with leadership coach and creative firestarter Tanesha Moody, and we rip apart the idea that rejection means failure. Tanesha’s story isn’t polished—it’s powerful. She’s been in the theater world, crushed it in corporate, and after a layoff flipped her entire life upside down to chase purpose instead of paychecks. And let me tell you, that pivot? It was electric.

We dive deep into the idea that rejection doesn’t define your worth—it refines your direction. Tanesha shares how every closed door gave her clarity, how personal loss gave her a louder voice, and how choosing herself became the best damn decision she’s ever made. Her CLEAR method is more than a framework—it’s a way of life. She talks about clarifying your purpose, living your values, embodying your truth, aligning with courage, and creating ripple effects that change everything around you.

We get raw about what it means to live full out. To stop performing and start embodying. To break away from the timeline, the expectations, and the version of yourself that was shaped by other people’s rules. She reminds us that sometimes our younger self—the wild, joyful, untamed one—is the loudest compass we have.

If you’ve ever felt crushed by a “no,” stuck in a life that looks good but feels empty, or scared to show up in your full power—this one’s for you. Because leadership isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being real. And sometimes, the boldest move you can make is choosing you.

Connect with Tanesha: https://taneshalmoody.com/

This week on Affirm That Sh!t, I sit down with Elizabeth Hudson, a truth-teller, spiritual life coach, and Kundalini yoga instructor who’s not afraid to go where most fear to tread. Elizabeth doesn’t just talk healing—she lives it. And in this raw, soul-sparking episode, we dive headfirst into the divine fire of sexuality, shame, and self-reclamation.

Elizabeth shares how starting a podcast on sacred sexuality during one of the darkest moments of her life lit a new path to purpose. We get real about Kundalini energy, the toxic idolization of spiritual leaders, and why it's time to strip away shame from our bodies and pleasure.

This isn’t just about sex. It’s about power, presence, and peeling back the lies we’ve inherited so we can stand in full alignment with who we are. We talk trauma, divine energy, and how to rewrite the story you’ve been forced to live in.

If you’ve ever felt like your sensuality made you “too much”—this one’s for you. Because you weren’t meant to shrink. You were made to rise.

Connect with Elizabeth: https://elizabeth-hudson.com/

Let’s be honest: most people are terrified to leave the cage, even when the door’s wide open.

But not Dani Margeaux.

On this episode of Affirm That Sh!t, I’m joined by the fierce and fearless Dani—a spiritual rebel who walked away from the corporate world to chase something deeper: truth. She’s a Reiki master, an Akashic records reader, and an empowerment coach who now lives by one rule: lead with love, not fear.

We talk about the car accidents that cracked her open, the moment she realized her “weirdness” was actually her gift, and how accessing the Akashic records led her to a whole new level of purpose. Dani gets real about what it means to follow your intuition—even when the world thinks you're nuts. We dive into the power of frequency, the shift to 5D consciousness, and why heart-centered living is your superpower.

This episode is a rebellion wrapped in healing.

It’s your sign to stop shrinking and start rising.

Connect with Dani: https://www.iamdanimargeaux.com/