With social media typically being a networking platform based on filters, half-truths and façade’s, have you ever wondered what it’s like to follow someone who’s willing to be refreshingly honest and vulnerable?

Today’s episode is about living and sharing your story with openness and transparency. As Angi Fletcher shares her story with us, which is a story marked by the hardships of divorce, death, depression, grief and anxiety, we learn that in the midst of such circumstances, the human spirit’s ability to rise above while openly sharing it with others is a powerful and beautiful thing. To own your story and be willing to share it despite it’s faults and flaws IS how you cut through the noise of filters, half-truths and facades.

A note from Cindy: “My sincerest apologies that my kids are so darn loud in the background of this recording. They were playing xbox. And I warned them to be quiet, but apparently this IS their idea of quiet. *Insert eye roll emoji* #OnRaisingBoys

“I mean, stories … that’s the ancient way of communication, that’s where it all began from the beginning, is telling stories. It wasn’t about the science behind this or the new research behind that or what you heard about here — it’s like, no, people just used to gather around and tell stories. And I think that it’s a great time in culture to get back to telling stories of like, what have you been through, instead of, oh what is this new thing about here?” —Angi Fletcher

Episode Quotes:

* Quite often I sit in it if I can, and process through things, and put other things on hold so that I’m not dealing with things for years and years and years. —Angi Fletcher

* You know, it’s kinda like bringing real life into … just opening up the shades a little bit of saying, come on, this doesn’t mean that I’m questioning my faith at all. But it just makes me real in like, no, this sucks, like, this is absolutely hard. —Angi Fletcher

* I don’t want to die with more inside of me that I knew that I could give or I knew that I could share, but I was too scared. —Angi Fletcher

* There’s a lot of things that death brings, but because of my faith, because of our faith, yes there is grief and there is loss and there is obviously the sadness, but there’s also, for me, it brought a lot of power in a way — use the word power as just meaning, it gave me strength knowing that, you know what, I have nothing to lose. —Angi Fletcher

* I want to be living a life that is transparent as much as I can be without compromising the privacy of my family. I want to be living a life that is inspiring; not only because of a beautiful picture, but because of the content behind it and even more so if you meet me in person. I want those three things to match. —Angi Fletcher

* Our culture doesn’t have time for grief. I mean we don’t even have time to cook a home cooked meal and sit down for dinner; we certainly don’t have time to reflect on what’s going on in your life. I mean, everything is so fast paced. There’s the newest this, the newest that. It’s not only Instagram, but now its Instagram stories and then it’s Instagram live! … I’ve just really had to sit back and be like, uh-uh, I can’t do this.” —Angi Fletcher

* Something happens. And I think that’s why I talk a lot about, on my Instagram, about fitness and health and not just the shallow part of it … I do talk a lot about the importance of health and fitness and wellness because I want to be prepared for when a crisis happens. Especially mentally because, I think of a lot of the reason why I’m able to “deal” with my mom’s death, and the loss of that as well as I have, is because of the mental, spiritual and physical work I did years leading up to it. —Angi Fletcher

* It’s extremely difficult to start making a change when you’re in that crisis. But when you’ve trained yourself mentally and physically, emotionally and spiritually,