BrighterDaze with Sara

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Is showing up as your authentic self a form of rebellion?

In this episode, I sit down with my dear friend Shambria Williams, founder of The Right Kind of Black Girl, for a conversation about evolution, motherhood, activism, and taking up space unapologetically.

We talk about what it means to be in a season of evolution, the discipline and sacrifice that come with it, and why authenticity in professional spaces can be its own quiet rebellion. Shambria opens up about founding her nonprofit in 2018 to address the professional racism and microaggressions Black women face, her time living in Ghana, staying rooted in her ancestors, and her new initiative, Seeds to Our Sisters, a fund providing microgrants to Black women navigating job loss.

This is a conversation about wholeness, gratitude, community, and choosing joy even when it's hard. I loved every minute of it, and I think you will too.

In this episode:

● What it means to be in a "season of evolution"
● Shambria's activism and founding The Right Kind of Black Girl
● Why authenticity in professional spaces can be a form of rebellion
● Leaning on community and ancestors for grounding
● Gratitude as a daily practice, not just a feeling
● Shambria's last "BrighterDaze" moment

Connect with Shambria:
therightkindofblackgirl.org | Instagram: @therightkindofblackgirl

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This week, I sat down with Shannon “The Sensitive Strength” Latelers for an honest conversation about letting go, starting over, and finding joy during uncertain seasons.

Shannon shares what it has been like to leave a six-year relationship, rethink the career path she once planned for herself, and rediscover who she is outside of those roles. We talk about how constantly accommodating others caused her to become a muted version of herself—and why she now sees her sensitivity, empathy, and deeply caring nature as strengths.

She also opens up about her faith, the ways she encourages herself through difficult days, and the moments when she almost gave up. Her message is clear: take life one day at a time, do not isolate, and never stop fighting for yourself.

In this episode:

• Navigating relationship, career, and identity changes
• Choosing yourself after years of people-pleasing
• Learning to embrace sensitivity as a strength
• Finding gratitude in the freedom to be yourself
• Leaning on faith during uncertain seasons
• Coping with hard days through rest, music, animals, and nature
• Why joy is sometimes something you have to fight for
• Encouragement for anyone struggling to hold on

Content note: This episode includes discussion of depression and suicidal thoughts.

 Follow BrighterDaze with Sara on Facebook, Instagram & TikTok @brighterdazepodcast, or email [email protected] to share your own brighterdaze. 

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In this episode, Sara talks with Sarah Kabengele, a therapist and addictions counselor, for a wide-ranging conversation about curiosity, self-compassion, and what it really means to be human.

Sarah opens up about a lifelong fascination with human behavior that started with reading the encyclopedia as a kid, and how that curiosity eventually pointed her toward psychology. She shares how gratitude and self-compassion work together in her own life, the "name it to tame it" approach she teaches her clients, and the story of immigrating from South Africa to Canada — including the culture shock that followed her into grocery stores, mirrors, and everyday routines. Sarah also gets candid about a period of depersonalization and derealization that forced her to confront her own identity, and closes things out with a genuinely useful, step-by-step guide to finding a good therapist.

This is a conversation about staying curious, giving yourself permission to fail, and remembering that being human was never meant to be perfect.

In this episode:

• Growing up curious — and how it led to a career in psychology
• Gratitude and self-compassion as a package deal
• "Name it to tame it": recognizing symptoms instead of pushing through
• Immigrating from South Africa to Canada, and the culture shock that follows
• Depersonalization and derealization — what they are and how she got through them
• How to actually find a good therapist
• Why liking yourself isn't optional

Sarah Kabengele's IG: @kay_sehrah_sehrah

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In this episode, Sara reconnects with an old college friend, Carmen Carnage, a former social worker, for a heartfelt conversation about gratitude, boundaries, and choosing to see the light — even in life's hardest seasons.

Carmen opens up about caring for a parent through illness, catching her own early signs of caregiver burnout, and the "car window" metaphor she learned in therapy for protecting her energy — because not everyone deserves 100% of you. She shares her daily gratitude practice (including the moment she started thanking God just to be able to pay her bills, and the surprising shifts that followed), her morning ritual of waking up and declaring herself "already a winner," and why building a real support system carried her through.

This is a conversation about breaking negative cycles, leaning on community, and finding brighter days on purpose.

In this episode:

• Caring for a parent through illness — and holding onto gratitude
• The "car window" trick for setting boundaries without guilt
• Recognizing caregiver burnout before it takes over
• A gratitude practice that actually shifts your reality
• Building a support system as an adult
• Why joy — not happiness — is the real goal

Carmen's IG: @thecarmencarnage

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In this episode of BrighterDaze with Sara, I sit down with Dustin Ripkens — fitness and wellness coach, husband, soon-to-be dad of twins, and someone who's been consistently one of the most joyful people I know. We talk about what it means to be seen as human first, how he built real boundaries after being bullied as a teen, and why he believes purpose is what keeps us going at every stage of life.

Dustin opens up about his winding path — from dancing in Germany and London to building a life and business in LA — and how that journey shaped the way he shows up for the queer community he now coaches. We dig into gratitude that doesn't look like a nightly journal but shows up in how he treats the people around him, how travel has reshaped his perspective on what really matters, and what he does on the days the light feels far away.

This one is honest, funny, and full of heart. If you've ever needed a reminder that you're allowed to set boundaries and still be loving, this episode is for you.

IG: @dustinripkens

Website: www.rippedwithripkens.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@rippedwithripkens

Email: [email protected]

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In this episode of BrighterDaze with Sara, host Sara Dorris reconnects with longtime friend Sarah Mary — a dog mom of six (three permanent, three fosters), a manifestation practitioner, and a self-described optimist who says she feels "blessed" and good roughly 90% of the time.

Sarah Mary opens up about how a difficult breakup led her into spirituality and manifestation, and shares the daily practices that keep her grounded: meditation, gratitude journaling, visualization, and vision boards. She walks through real-life moments — like staying calm through a flat tire on the way to work — that show how shifting perspective can turn a "bad day" into just another day. The two also dig into manifestation theory, referencing authors like Neville Goddard and Joe Dispenza, and explore concepts like scripting, dimensional jumping, and living in a state of gratitude.

Sarah Mary closes with a simple but powerful piece of advice for anyone going through a hard season: slow down. In this moment, in this conversation, she reminds us that brighter days really are ahead — you just have to give yourself the space to see them

Neville Goddard – The Complete Reader

The Complete Works of Florence Scovel Shinn

Joe Dispenza — Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself 

@glamfind IG

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Tickets to Glamcation- August 28-30th, 2026

https://officialglamcation.com/

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On this episode of BrighterDaze with Sara, Sara catches up with college mate Shelby Funk for a candid conversation about resilience, friendship, gratitude, and choosing to stay through life’s darkest moments.

⚠️ Content note: This episode includes honest conversation about suicide, self-harm, and mental health struggles. Listener discretion advised.

Shelby opens up about three moments when she wanted to give up — and the tools, people, and perspective shifts that helped pull her through.

In this episode:

• Why Shelby calls her life “preposterous” and rolls with it anyway
• Building a chosen community and learning who’s earned your trust
• Being a “safe person” for the people around her
• Surviving dark moments and what actually helped
• Leaving a toxic career and rebuilding from scratch
• What “getting lost in gratitude” really means

If you’re in the middle of a hard season, this episode is a reminder that things can get better — even when you don’t want to hear it yet.

 Follow BrighterDaze with Sara on Facebook, Instagram & TikTok @brighterdazepodcast, or email [email protected] to share your own brighterdaze. 

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✨ In this episode of BrighterDaze with Sara, Sara sits down with her cousin James Haley for a heartfelt conversation about faith, obedience, identity, and finding yourself again after life changes in ways you never expected.

James opens up about walking through a season of obedience with his wife after leaving their church to help plant a new one — trusting God without having the full plan and watching doors open along the way.

He also shares one of the hardest seasons of his life: going through divorce and a layoff at the same time, and the identity crisis that followed:

“Who am I now?”

Through prayer, therapy, community, and three intentional years of being single, James began rebuilding from the inside out. He shares how he learned that his worth was never tied to a job title, a relationship status, or any role he carried — because before the titles, before the losses, and before the rebuilding, James was still James.

Sara and James also talk about gratitude, fatherhood, marriage, community work in Milwaukee, and what serving others taught him about homelessness, compassion, and seeing people beyond their circumstances.

This episode is a reminder that even when life strips away the roles you thought defined you, you are still here, still loved, and still have purpose.

Content Note: This episode includes conversations about divorce, job loss, identity struggles, homelessness, and difficult life transitions.

 Follow BrighterDaze with Sara on Facebook, Instagram & TikTok @brighterdazepodcast, or email [email protected] to share your own brighterdaze. 

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What does it really look like to build a life — not just a business? In this episode of BrighterDaze with Sara, Sara sits down with Bryant Sells, a business broker, entrepreneur, husband, and father, for a raw and refreshing conversation about ambition, balance, and what it means to succeed on your own terms.

Bryant gets honest about the season he's in — one defined by intentional building across every area of his life. From the loneliness that can come with entrepreneurship to the emotional weight of a struggling business, he doesn't shy away from the hard stuff. Together, Sara and Bryant explore why having an exit strategy isn't giving up, why closing one chapter can be the boldest move a business owner makes, and how gratitude can be a game-changer when the pressure is high.

If you've ever felt stuck, stretched thin, or like you're constantly chasing a version of success that keeps moving — this one's for you. Bryant's perspective is a reminder that resilience isn't about grinding harder. It's about knowing what matters, and refusing to lose yourself in the pursuit of it.

 Follow BrighterDaze with Sara on Facebook, Instagram & TikTok @brighterdazepodcast, or email [email protected] to share your own brighterdaze. 

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In this episode of BrighterDaze with Sara, I sit down with James  “The Dream Builder” Hernandez for a conversation about faith, resilience, gratitude, and what it really looks like to fight for the life you imagined.

James opens up about leaving his accounting career to pursue self-employment, video production, and his dream of becoming a filmmaker. He shares the honest reality of chasing a dream while facing financial pressure, uncertainty, and the question so many dreamers eventually face: Do I keep going, or do I go back to what feels safe?

Through it all, James leans on his faith, his positive mindset, and his belief that every challenge has a solution. We talk about gratitude, the power of encouragement, learning not to be shy about asking for opportunities, and why surrounding yourself with the right people matters when you’re trying to build something meaningful.

This episode is for anyone standing at a crossroads, trying to stay hopeful while life feels heavy. James reminds us that fighting for a dream doesn’t mean ignoring reality; it means staying grounded, staying faithful, and finding another way forward.

Hernandez Video

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