In this week’s episode, Michelle and Jennie are joined by Charlotte Ekstrom who recalls how a water skiing accident led to her requiring knee surgery that completely halted her normal life of being a mom to multiple children and a wife to a husband.
She talks about the struggles she encountered during her recovery period, how she was able to care for their newborn, and the emotional challenges that come with receiving help.
Then Charlotte talks about some of the defining lessons she learned through her hardships and she also gives a couple of tips on ways to stay resilient. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Charlotte Ekstrom recalls how a water skiing accident taught her how to be resilient

We live in challenging times, and it seems only to be getting tougher. Michelle Scharf and Jennie Taylor are no strangers to overcoming adversity. Michelle lost her husband to metastatic prostate cancer. Jennie's husband, Major Brent Taylor, was killed in the service of our country. On Relentlessly Resilient, hear how these two women crossed paths and join them each week as they visit with people enduring challenges and teach us how they are exercising resiliency, finding value in their grief, and purpose in moving forward.&nbsp;

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Baby and mother seemed to be perfectly healthy when 30-year-old Mandi Schill gave birth to her firstborn son, but three weeks later, she was back in the hospital having survived a stroke. Since that time a few years ago, this Director of Resource Development at United Way of Northern Utah, used her story to help expand Medicaid care for women in Utah from 60 days to a full year post birth. Mandi joins this episode of Relentlessly Resilient to share her story and how health means something different to her now. 
Even though we live in challenging times, we can become 'Relentlessly Resilient' as we lean on and learn from one another’s experiences. Hosts Jennie Taylor and Michelle Scharf are no strangers to overcoming adversity; Michelle lost her husband to cancer, while Jennie’s husband, Major Brent Taylor, was killed in the service of our country. Their stories bond them together, and now listeners can join them weekly as they visit with others enduring challenges and who teach us how they are exercising resiliency, finding value in their grief, and purpose in moving forward. 
Presented by Minky Couture, makers of the most luxurious and soft blankets with a mission to share comfort and love during the special moments of life.
Listen to the Relentlessly Resilient Podcast regularly on your favorite platform, at kslpodcasts.com, kslnewsradio.com, or on the KSL NewsRadio App. Join the Resilience conversation on Facebook at @RelentlesslyResilient and Instagram @RelentlesslyResilientPodcast. Produced by  KellieAnn Halvorsen.

Survivor Mandi Schill on her postnatal stroke and evolving sense of health

Author and trauma and disaster management specialist Jeffrey J. Denning returns to Relentlessly Resilient to discuss the importance of self-awareness and self-wellness. Over his long career as a US Army officer, Federal Air Marshal, police captain, turned counselor and therapist, Jeff has been interested in trauma-informed mental and spiritual health. Today, he discusses five steps to help individuals in crisis find resilience, which is really all of us as we face the stress and disappointments of life. These steps are adequate sleep, healthy nutrition, daily physical activity, positive socialization, and a grateful attitude. The key to active resilience is understanding your identity and purpose and, thus, understanding your worth. 
 
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call 988 to connect with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and/or visit them online at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org   
Even though we live in challenging times, we can become 'Relentlessly Resilient' as we lean on and learn from one another’s experiences. Hosts Jennie Taylor and Michelle Scharf are no strangers to overcoming adversity; Michelle lost her husband to cancer, while Jennie’s husband, Major Brent Taylor, was killed in the service of our country. Their stories bond them together, and now listeners can join them weekly as they visit with others enduring challenges and who teach us how they are exercising resiliency, finding value in their grief, and purpose in moving forward. 
Presented by Minky Couture, makers of the most luxurious and soft blankets with a mission to share comfort and love during the special moments of life.
Listen to the Relentlessly Resilient Podcast regularly on your favorite platform, at kslpodcasts.com, kslnewsradio.com, or on the KSL NewsRadio App. Join the Resilience conversation on Facebook at @RelentlesslyResilient and Instagram @RelentlesslyResilientPodcast. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

Trauma and disaster management specialist Jeffrey J. Denning on mental and spiritual health

Rowena Montoya didn’t let a harsh childhood hold her back; instead, she chose to seek the better. And even when her life seemed to fall apart decades later, she chose to create something delicious in that darkness. She created “JulieAnn Caramels,” using a recipe and the namesakes her aunts had given her. Now, her award-winning sweets can be found across the Intermountain West and online at JulieAnnCaramels.com. Her premium caramels were first introduced to our hosts when our guest, Aimee Snow, brought them into the studio for her recording. They have immediately become a hit worthy of discovering their story today. 
Even though we live in challenging times, we can become Relentlessly Resilient as we lean on and learn from one another’s experiences. Hosts Jennie Taylor and Michelle Scharf are no strangers to overcoming adversity; Michelle lost her husband to cancer, while Jennie’s husband, Major Brent Taylor, was killed in the service of our country. Their stories bond them together, and now listeners can join them weekly as they visit with others enduring challenges and who teach us how they are exercising resiliency, finding value in their grief, and purpose in moving forward. 
Presented by Minky Couture, makers of the most luxurious and soft blankets with a mission to share comfort and love during the special moments of life.
Listen to the Relentlessly Resilient Podcast regularly on your favorite platform, at kslpodcasts.com, kslnewsradio.com, or on the KSL NewsRadio App. Join the Resilience conversation on Facebook at @RelentlesslyResilient and Instagram @RelentlesslyResilientPodcast. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

Rowena Montoya, creator of the award-winning JulieAnn Caramels, on creating sweetness amid life’s hardships

One of the most uncomfortable things in life is facing the faults, and strengths, we have within our individual selves. But this self-awareness can truly be a key to understanding your body, brain, heart, and soul. In this cohost conversation episode of Relentlessly Resilient, Host Michelle Scharf applies her life coaching skills to teach us “Six steps to better self-awareness.” Simplifying self-awareness is as easy as slowing down to breathe correctly, sitting in a quiet place, and reflecting on how you are feeling.
Even though we live in challenging times, we can become Relentlessly Resilient as we lean on and learn from one another’s experiences. Hosts Jennie Taylor and Michelle Scharf are no strangers to overcoming adversity; Michelle lost her husband to cancer, while Jennie’s husband, Major Brent Taylor, was killed in the service of our country. Their stories bond them together, and now listeners can join them weekly as they visit with others enduring challenges and who teach us how they are exercising resiliency, finding value in their grief, and purpose in moving forward. 
Presented by Minky Couture, makers of the most luxurious and soft blankets with a mission to share comfort and love during the special moments of life.
Listen to the Relentlessly Resilient Podcast regularly on your favorite platform: kslpodcasts.com, kslnewsradio.com, or the KSL NewsRadio App. Join the Resilience conversation on Facebook at @RelentlesslyResilient and Instagram @RelentlesslyResilientPodcast. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

Cohost Conversation: Six steps to better self-awareness

When Holly Hall’s husband passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack in early 2023, she turned to others for comfort and care. In her pain, she remembered the story of Jennie Taylor’s loss and found our Relentlessly Resilient podcast. Hearing other’s stories of widowhood, perseverance, and their tools of resilience helped her face her first year of loss. Now, she joins host Michelle Scharf to share her journey, along with a unique perspective from a family trip to the Grand Canyon just before her husband's death. 
Even though we live in challenging times, we can become 'Relentlessly Resilient' as we lean on and learn from one another’s experiences. Hosts Jennie Taylor and Michelle Scharf are no strangers to overcoming adversity; Michelle lost her husband to cancer, while Jennie’s husband, Major Brent Taylor, was killed in the service of our country. Their stories bond them together, and now listeners can join them weekly as they visit with others enduring challenges and who teach us how they are exercising resiliency, finding value in their grief, and purpose in moving forward. 
Presented by Minky Couture, makers of the most luxurious and soft blankets with a mission to share comfort and love during the special moments of life.
Listen to the Relentlessly Resilient Podcast regularly on your favorite platform, at kslpodcasts.com, kslnewsradio.com, or on the KSL NewsRadio App. Join the Resilience conversation on Facebook at @RelentlesslyResilient and Instagram @RelentlesslyResilientPodcast. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

Charlotte Ekstrom recalls how a water skiing accident taught her how to be resilient

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