Born without a choice

What happens when life doesn’t follow the path you expected?

In this episode of Born Without a Choice, I’m joined by Michigan author, storyteller, meditation teacher, and host of The Honest Outdoors, Mike Martin. We explore his journey retracing Daniel Boone’s historic path and how that experience became a deeper reflection on identity, resilience, healing, and beginning again.

Mike shares how wilderness and history can teach us to adapt when life changes direction—and why sometimes getting lost can be part of finding yourself.

📞 Mike Martin’s Contact Details

Website: Project Mindfully Outdoors⁠
Book: The Honest Wilderness: Finding Daniel Boone and the Frontier Within
Podcast: The Honest Outdoors

What happens when a health scare, depression, and spiritual dryness force you to stop and rethink everything?

In this episode of Born Without a Choice, I’m joined by Mark Osborne, host of The Valiant Forge—a podcast created for Christian men who want to grow in faith through honest, grounded conversations.

Mark opens up about his own late-life wake-up call and how a difficult season reshaped his understanding of faith, manhood, leadership, fatherhood, emotional health, forgiveness, and purpose.

We talk about the quiet battles many men face but rarely discuss, the difference between biblical masculinity and simply trying to appear strong, and what it means to lead with humility, responsibility, courage, and sacrificial love.

Mark doesn’t approach these conversations as someone who has everything figured out. He speaks as a fellow traveler—someone still being shaped by faith and willing to talk honestly about failure, weakness, and growth.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, spiritually dry, or unsure what your next step should be, this conversation is an invitation to slow down, look honestly at your life, and consider what it means to live with greater purpose.

📞 Mark Osborne — Contact Details

The Valiant Forge: thevaliantforge.com⁠

Email: [email protected]

Focus: Christian men, biblical masculinity, spiritual formation, fatherhood, leadership, emotional health, forgiveness, and living out faith with honesty and courage.

What if creativity is more than a talent—and what if many of us were taught to be afraid of it?

In this episode of Born Without a Choice, I’m joined by Rick Sorenson, artist, teacher, author, and creator who has spent decades exploring the relationship between creativity, faith, identity, and the arts.

Rick shares how his lifelong journey in drawing, painting, teaching, and studying the arts eventually led him to write Art: The Church’s Response. We talk about why people sometimes suppress their creativity, the hidden fears that can surface when adults begin creating again, and how the church can better understand and encourage artists.

We also explore creativity beyond visual art—including music, drama, dance, and writing—and discuss what it means to discover and express the creative gifts we may have been given.

A thoughtful conversation about identity, courage, faith, creativity, and learning to create without fear.

📞 Rick Sorenson — Contact Details

Book: Art: The Church’s Response — available through Amazon.

Author / publisher page: Rick’s author information is available through The Lanyap Life.

LinkedIn: Rick Sorenson — Boise, Idaho.

Main topic: Creativity, Christian faith and the arts, overcoming creative fear, teaching art, identity, and the church’s relationship with creativity.

What if the experiences that once made you feel powerless could become the very experiences that help you discover your strength?

In this episode of Born Without a Choice, I’m joined by Jessie Torres, a Peak Performance Coach and Life Strategist who has spent 18 years helping high-performing people transform pain, fear, and limiting beliefs into purpose, passion, and possibility.

Jessie shares her powerful journey of overcoming deeply difficult seasons and learning to face fear with courage and grace. Her approach, which she calls “Fierce Grace,” combines mindset, emotional intelligence, energy, strategy, and spirituality to help people recognize the beliefs and patterns that may be keeping them from living fully.

We talk about resilience, trauma, purpose, self-belief, personal transformation, and what it means to stop seeing yourself through the lens of what happened to you—and start recognizing the strength you developed along the way.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, afraid, or limited by your past, this conversation offers a powerful reminder: your story does not have to determine the limits of your future.

📬 Jessie Torres — Contact & Resources

• Website: Unshakeable Life⁠
• Free 10-Step Guide to Freedom: 10 Steps to Freedom⁠
• Fierce Grace: I Am Fierce Grace⁠
• Our Army of Angels: Our Army of Angels⁠

Call to action: Visit Jessie’s website to access her free masterclass, The 5 Key Secrets to Living Your Superhero Life, and learn more about working with her.

What do you do when life seems to tell you “no” from the very beginning?

In this episode of Born Without a Choice, I’m joined by David Ebel, a faith-driven author, disaster responder, instructor, photographer, and international advocate for hope.

David shares an extraordinary life story—from being born with serious medical challenges and living with chronic pain from childhood, to discovering faith and finding a new sense of purpose.

His journey eventually led him around the world, helping people navigate grief, trauma, loss, and critical moments while sharing a message of hope and resilience.

We talk about overcoming difficult beginnings, finding purpose through faith, serving others, and learning to thrive rather than simply exist.

David’s memoir, When the Doctors Say NO! God Says YES!!!, shares his story and the lessons he believes can help others discover hope even when their circumstances seem impossible.

If you’ve ever felt that your circumstances have already decided your future, this conversation offers a powerful reminder: your beginning does not have to determine your ending.

📞 David Ebel — Contact Details

Book: When the Doctors Say NO! God Says YES!!!

Book availability: Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Message: David’s call is for people to remain open to better days ahead and discover ways to thrive, not simply exist.

Note: The information you provided doesn’t include David’s website, email, or social-media links, so I’d leave those out rather than risk giving you incorrect contact details.

What happens when a comedian decides to stop waiting for opportunities—and builds the platform she wishes existed?

In this episode of Born Without a Choice, I’m joined by Leanne Linsky, comedian turned entrepreneur and founder and CEO of Plauzzable, a live comedy platform connecting comedians and audiences online and in person.

Leanne takes us through her journey from performing and producing comedy in New York and Los Angeles to turning an idea for better online comedy experiences into a real business. We talk about creativity, entrepreneurship, taking risks, finding your voice, and why live comedy can create connection in a way that simply watching content can’t.

It’s a conversation about following an unconventional path, turning frustration into innovation, and taking comedy seriously enough to build something around it.

📞 Leanne Linsky — Contact Details

Plauzzable: https://plauzzable.com/⁠

Leanne’s website: Leanne Linsky⁠

Instagram: @Plauzzable⁠

LinkedIn: Leanne Linsky on LinkedIn⁠

Press/media: [email protected]

CTA: Create a free Plauzzable account and discover live comedy online and in person.

What happens when you drive nearly 8,000 miles across Africa with a one-year-old child, without GPS or modern technology, while witnessing history unfold around you?

In this episode of Born Without a Choice, I’m joined by Barry Maughan, an international broadcast journalist and author of Beneath the African Sun.

Barry takes us through his extraordinary years in Africa—from living and working in Ethiopia during the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie and reporting on the devastating famine, to an overland journey through 15 countries from Egypt to South Africa.

We talk about adventure, journalism, family, courage, cultural connection, and the people who shaped Barry’s view of Africa.

📞 Barry Maughan — Contact Details

Website: Barry Maughan⁠

Email: [email protected]

Book: Beneath the African Sun

The memoir is available in print and eBook formats, including through Amazon and other book platforms.

What happens when someone who seemed to be everything you needed slowly becomes someone you no longer recognize?

In this episode of Born Without a Choice, I’m joined by Tara Zaluski, a licensed Pennsylvania realtor, real estate investor, author, business owner, and survivor.

Tara shares the story behind her upcoming memoir, I Built the House He Broke Me In—a deeply personal account of recognizing unhealthy relationship patterns, rebuilding after narcissistic abuse, and finding peace on the other side.

We talk about red flags, love bombing, rescuer syndrome, rebuilding financially and personally, and why accomplished, capable people can still find themselves caught in unhealthy relationships.

This is a conversation about awareness, resilience, accountability, and learning to recognize the patterns that can change the course of your life.

📞 Tara Zaluski — Contact Details

Website: Tara Zaluski's website — tarazaluski.com⁠

Book: I Built the House He Broke Me In

Real Estate / RTZ: RTZ Properties⁠

Phone: (412) 897-7252

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: Tara Zaluski on LinkedIn⁠

What happens when you love God, pray, read Scripture, and still feel emotionally stuck?

In this episode of Born Without a Choice, I’m joined by Heather O’Brien, Spirit-led healing coach, Bible teacher, author, and host of the Heal with God Podcast.

Heather shares her personal journey from struggling with anxiety, fear, emotional pain, and spiritual confusion to discovering a deeper way of hearing God and healing with Him. We talk about emotional healing, trauma, discernment, faith, and what it can look like to move forward when you feel stuck.

Heather’s message is simple but powerful: healing isn’t just about knowing the right answers—it’s about learning to walk through the difficult places with God.

📞 Heather O’Brien — Contact Details

Website / Free Workshop: Heal With God Workshop⁠

The monthly free workshop offers Spirit-led teaching, practical healing tools, and opportunities for live coaching.

What if you could travel more without spending more?

In this episode of Born Without a Choice, I’m joined by Linda King, author, travel writer, blogger, travel coach, and founder of The Smart Travelista.

With a background in travel and banking, Linda shares practical and often overlooked ways to save money before and during your travels. We talk about smarter travel planning, avoiding unnecessary expenses, and making your money go further so you can experience more of the world.

Linda’s philosophy is simple: travel the world for less.

📞 Linda King — Contact Details

Website: The Smart Travelista⁠

Latest Book: Antics from Abroad: Hot Mess

Amazon: Antics from Abroad: Hot Mess⁠