Fierce Conversations with Toby

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

Charles Dickens' famous words from A Tale of Two Cities resonate through the ages. This Fierce Bit uncovers how duality shapes our lives and how growth often springs from the tension between opposites. Tune in for a spark of insight!

In this powerful episode of Fierce Conversations, we revisit heartfelt moments that explore the unbreakable bond between love and resilience. Through personal stories and deep reflections, we uncover how love—whether for others or oneself—can become a wellspring of strength during life’s most challenging seasons.

From enduring heartbreak to discovering the courage to rebuild, this episode celebrates the beauty of human connection and the resilience it inspires. Tune in for a journey of vulnerability, empowerment, and the transformative power of love.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged…”

Today’s Fierce Bit dives into Jane Austen’s iconic opening from Pride and Prejudice. Discover how this single line challenges societal norms and invites us to question the 'truths' we often take for granted. A moment of irony, wit, and timeless wisdom—all in under a minute!

My guest, Rosalyn Rourke, MSW, has worked as a psychotherapist for over 30 years, specializing in trauma resilience, body dysmorphia, and imagined unworthiness (shame). After the unexpected death of her daughter, Melissa, Rosalyn experienced what many would call a Spiritual Awakening. This led her to write the bestselling memoir and non-dual fable When Wisdom Arrives: From Imagined Unworthiness to Freedom. The book delves into her journey of releasing profound grief, body dysmorphia, mother-daughter struggles, and imagined unworthiness.

Rosalyn’s chapter 'Quantum Belonging: Embracing Life Beyond Limitations' in the book Become Empowered became an Amazon Bestseller.   Currently, Rosalyn works as a Master Enneagram teacher and Oneness Coach, helping people discover the deeper meaning in their lives so that they experience, passion, purpose, and possibility through personality flexibility.

Candace Newman is an author, artist, teacher, and aromatherapy licensed massage therapist.  Her book, Your Inner River of Peace: Ten Messages of Love, is a Guide for building a deep, loving relationship with Your own Inner River of Peace. Her life experiences with the Messages, along with the Four Themes pave the way. Her Touch With Oils® work is based on Ten Principles and Ten Motions of Stillness. They support this devotion.

www.TouchWithOilsInstitute.com  

Erica Richmond is the author of three books including: Pixie and the Bees, a whimsical tale about learning to trust yourself while living with an invisible illness; Pixie and the Fox, a story about remembering that you get to decide you are; and The Mail Art Stories Project: Mail Art in the Time of Covid-19, a collection of mail art from around the world that chronicles the Covid-19 pandemic.

Through her business Open Sky Stories, Erica leads a variety of workshops and speaking engagements which focus on creative unblocking, the importance of sharing our stories, and overcoming our inner critic.

Erica lives in Peterborough, Ontario finding joy and beauty in her messy and imperfect life. Follow her on social media @OpenSkyStories and visit her website: openskystories.ca

Website: https://openskystories.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openskystories/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/openskystories

Originally from the VA/DC/MD area, Audrey is a devoted mother of two adult children, a proud
grandmother of three, and the widow of former Army Lieutenant James Harrell. Audrey's
personal interests include traveling, spending time with family, and rehabbing houses. In 2012,
she founded Built by Her, a real estate investment company that established an apprenticeship
program to help incarcerated women acquire skilled trades in the construction industry.
In 2021, Audrey relocated with her husband to St. Paul, Minnesota and currently serves as the
Executive Director of Hope House - St. Croix Valley, an adult foster care home.

Audrey's career spans over 20 years, during which she has held senior-level positions in management, fundraising, strategic planning, and program development across various nonprofits and governmental agencies in the U.S.

Audrey has worked with women bringing forth life as a birth doula and families experiencing a
loss of life as a Grief Coach and Family Mediator. Audrey believes that her journey is part of a
larger plan. Her commitment to improving the lives of others, especially those in need, is a
testament to her dedication and compassionate nature. Audrey Harrell continues to inspire
through her leadership, community involvement, and unwavering faith in her mission to serve
and uplift those around her.

Priscilla Coleman Jenkins’ mission is accomplished through her non-profit organization, Overcomers Journey Through Scriptural Prayers Ministries. The purpose is to foster hope and healing through her YouTube Channel, virtual and in-person-songs, scriptural prayers, and book readings at community events, nursing homes, hospice hospitals and local churches. Priscilla’s books are the resource used for this purpose.

Priscilla Coleman Jenkins is a retired music educator, singer, composer, YouTuber, and author of six books about her experiences of faith and God’s love. Priscilla’s first book, “An Overcomers’ Journey from the Effects of Abuse Through Scriptural Prayers” is her autobiography that describes abuses and social isolation from an early age through young adulthood to a turbulent marriage for twenty-five years.

The effects of her life manifested into suicidal thoughts, severe depression, PTSD, and an eating disorder. After divorce at age fifty she began the process of breakthrough from the past with application and diligent meditation of the word of God. Her autobiography includes a self-help section for the reader. The book has provided hope and healing in nursing homes, detention centers, prisons in Maryland, West Virginia and California. It also has been a resource for Women's Conferences, Bible Studies and personal use in Japan, Germany and throughout the United States.

Find her on social media:
@overcomersjourneythroughscript
Or on her website:
https://www.overcomerthroughprayer.org

Susan Mathews is a mother, author, speaker, and co-founder of Love Without Reason. Love Without Reason is a nonprofit that works to fight human trafficking, prevent it and end it before it starts. The organization was birthed through the journey of her first child, Philip.

After obtaining her undergraduate degrees in chemistry and nursing, she went on to get her Master of Science in Nursing and served for over twenty years in the healthcare industry from CNA to Nurse to Family Nurse Practitioner.

She is the wife of Santhosh Mathews, and mother to Philip, Sara and Caleb. Her experiences with her children inspired her first book, "A Mother's Heart," sharing the daily struggles of parents of "normal" children and those with special needs. She and Philip wrote "If Philip Can, You Can Too" and she published it posthumously for Philip. It became an Amazon best seller in its category.

Raising a child with multiple craniofacial differences to excel against all the medical odds and graduate from high school is a story she shares around the globe. Grieving the loss of a child, picking up the mantle of his dream, and driving her surviving children forward is a challenge she inspires in her audience. She has traveled to countries from Sweden to South Africa, sharing her story, motivating her audience in faith, and relaying the joy that can come after grief. In 2014, she laid down her stethoscope and picked up the spear to fight human trafficking and set captives free, physically and spiritually, through the work of Love Without Reason.

[email protected] l

ovewithoutreason.org

Serene Singh is a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford pursuing a Doctoral degree in Criminology. Singh completed her postgraduate studies in Public Policy as the youngest student in Oxford’s global cohort of 100+ individuals. A Truman Scholar, Fulbright recipient, and an alumnus of the University of Colorado, Singh graduated with summa cum laude honors in Political Science and Journalism degrees and attained a minor in Leadership Studies.

Her work towards women’s empowerment also led her to create The Serenity Project 501c3 nonprofit to give confidence and self-love tools to women survivors, write a best-selling children’s book named The Queen Machine for young girls to develop confidence, win Victoria Secret’s GRL PWR campaign (women’s empowerment award), become a Diana Award recipient (UK’s highest humanitarian award) perform a keynote at university’s like Yale and California State Channel Islands, and serve as a Dalai Lama Fellow, US Selected Swiss Embassy Global Changemaker, and most recently, become a 2024-2025 John Lewis Fellow.

Her other hobbies include teaching students public speaking professionally with 3P Speech, painting, snowboarding, and videography. Singh plans to advance her passion for public service to one day serve on the United States Supreme Court.