Getting Through Today

Getting Through Today

By Brita Bigler PetersonHealth & FitnessMental Health
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Getting Through Today episodes

  • Keeping My Eyes Above the Waves: Loving and Losing Amber

    It’s been a while since I’ve been able to sit down and record a podcast episode. This past year has been one of the hardest and most heartbreaking seasons of my life, and for a while, I simply didn’t have anything left to give.

    In this deeply personal episode, I share the story of Amber, the young woman who came into our home more than 14 years ago and became family. She was my friend, my little sister, someone I loved like a daughter, and the birth mother of our youngest daughter, Avery.

    I share pieces of our unexpected adoption story, Amber’s battle with glioblastoma, the realities of caregiving, the beautiful memories we were able to make along the way, and what life has felt like since losing her.

    I also talk about the strange ways grief shows up. Sometimes it’s tears. Sometimes it’s exhaustion. Sometimes it’s staying so busy you don’t realize how much you’re hurting until a song comes on and suddenly everything you’ve been holding inside comes pouring out.

    This episode isn’t about having grief figured out. I definitely don’t. It’s about loving someone deeply, losing them, allowing yourself to feel whatever comes next, and learning how to keep your eyes above the waves when life doesn’t turn out the way you desperately wanted it to.

    If you’re grieving, caregiving, exhausted, angry, questioning, or simply trying to breathe your way through a hard season, this episode is for you.

    You don’t have to turn your pain into purpose today. Sometimes you just have to take the next breath, love the people in front of you, and keep getting through today.

    54 min
  • From Olympic Glory to Brain Injury Recovery - A Conversation with Former Team USA Bobsledder William Person

    Episode 31: This episode has been a long time coming, and I’m so grateful to finally share it with you.

    A few months ago, I had the opportunity to sit down with former Team USA Olympic bobsled athlete William Person for a conversation that was raw, heartbreaking, eye-opening, and deeply hopeful.

    After years competing in one of the most physically demanding sports in the world, William began experiencing severe depression, vertigo, confusion, debilitating headaches, memory loss, and symptoms connected to repeated brain trauma and CTE-like damage. 

    In this episode, we talk about:

    • The hidden cost of elite athletics
    • Mental health struggles and invisible injuries
    • Losing teammates and friends to CTE-related suffering
    • The impact brain injuries can have on identity and daily life
    • Finding hope through Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)
    • His mission to help athletes and veterans access healing and support

    William’s story is powerful, honest, and incredibly important. Whether you’re an athlete, caregiver, someone navigating chronic illness, or simply trying to understand the deeper layers of mental and physical healing, I believe this conversation will stay with you.


    This episode includes conversations about depression, suicidal thoughts, traumatic brain injury, and mental health struggles. Please listen with care and take care of yourself while listening.

    53 min
  • Coals, Legos, and Grass: Why Every Struggle Deserves Compassion

    Welcome to Season 2… starting a little later than planned, and honestly, that’s okay. In this episode, I’m giving myself permission to begin again, even when life doesn’t go according to schedule.

    Today I’m diving into how we compare our struggles to others. Whether you feel like you’re walking on pavement, grass, Legos, or burning coals, the truth is, we’re all walking through something hard. This episode is a gentle reminder to stop minimizing your pain just because someone else’s looks different.

    We talk about seasons of life, the pressure to keep creating when it feels impossible, and how to give ourselves credit for showing up in the ways we can — even if it's messy or slow.

    This one is for anyone who’s in the middle of a tough season, trying to keep going while holding a lot.

    23 min
  • Back to School, Back to Chaos — But Still Here

    Episode 29: So… I was planning to drop a fun back-to-school episode weeks ago. I recorded it. I edited it. I was proud of it.

    And then… my hard drive died.

    Gone. Just like my last ounce of chill.

    But that ended up being the least chaotic part of this season.

    In today’s episode, I’m catching you up on all the behind-the-scenes life stuff — the messy, raw, unfiltered version. I’m talking caregiving, motherhood, health curveballs (hello, diverticulitis), navigating midlife hormones, grief over how fast our kids grow up, and trying to stay soft and present when everything feels like a lot.

    This is me easing back into the podcast after a long, unplanned pause — not with answers or a tidy comeback plan, but with honesty, heart, and a whole lot of compassion for anyone else who's just been trying to get through today.

    If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been — or if life has handed you your own bingo card of chaos lately — this one’s for you.

    20 min
  • What If Depression Is an Injury, Not a Failure?

    Episode 28: In this episode of Getting Through Today, we explore a powerful shift in how we see depression — not as a failure, but as an injury that requires care, time, and the right support to heal.

    I share a personal story about a recent season that reactivated old pain and reminded me of the darkest chapters of my life. Through a moment of prayer and reflection, I realized how differently I treat physical injuries compared to emotional ones — and how much compassion I withhold from myself.

    We’ll talk about:

    • How shame and self-judgment compound depression’s weight.

    • Why emotional injuries deserve the same patience and tools as physical injuries.

    • Practical, science-backed healing tools you can start using today.

    • The importance of giving yourself “emotional crutches” like rest, safe people, and nervous system resets.

    If you’ve ever felt like you should “just be stronger” or “snap out of it,” I hope this conversation gives you permission to soften — and to see your healing for what it is: courageous, important, and worthy of support.

    29 min
  • Your Healing Doesn’t Need to Fix Me

    Episode 27: Sometimes when we share what we’re going through, people rush to respond with solutions, advice, or “positive” reframes. But in the process, they can unintentionally skip over the most important thing — acknowledging the pain.

    In this episode, I’m exploring the difference between compassion and correction, and why trying to fix someone can sometimes create more disconnection than comfort. I’ll share personal stories about times I’ve needed presence more than answers, and what I’ve learned about truly holding space for others in their hardest moments.

    Whether you’re navigating your own healing or walking alongside someone else in theirs, this conversation is a reminder that empathy is often the most powerful thing we can offer.

    💛 Listen now to Getting Through Today wherever you get your podcasts.

    27 min
  • The Connection Between Emotional Freedom and Healing

    You’ve done the protocols. You’ve taken the supplements. You’ve followed the routines.
    But still… something feels stuck.
    This episode might be the missing piece.

    In today’s conversation, I’m opening up about the emotional layers of healing we don’t talk about enough — the ones that live beneath the surface, buried in the body, silently shaping how we feel, function, and show up in the world.

    We’ll explore:
    💛 What emotional suppression really looks like
    💛 How unfelt emotions can stall your healing — physically, mentally, and spiritually
    💛 What it means to experience emotional freedom — not perfection
    💛 Simple tools and practices to help you start feeling again… safely
    💛 A healing breathwork vision that changed the way I see emotions

    If you’ve ever wondered why your healing still feels incomplete, this episode is for you.
    Your feelings aren’t too much. They’re too important to ignore.

    Let this be your permission slip to feel it all — not just the polished parts.

    🎧 Listen now on Getting Through Today and begin your journey toward emotional freedom.

    #GettingThroughToday #EmotionalHealing #ChronicIllnessSupport #FeelToHeal #SoftStrength #OnyxWellnessCenter

    24 min
  • Caregiving — Taking Care of Both of You

    Episode 25: What happens when you’re the strong one — the caregiver — but your own needs quietly disappear in the process?

    In this episode, I’m joined by my very first guest… my husband, Jeff.
    Together, we open up about what caregiving really looks like behind the scenes — the emotional toll, the hidden grief, and the quiet strength it takes to support someone you love through chronic illness, depression, and uncertainty.

    Whether you’re a caregiver, the one being cared for, or somewhere in between — this conversation is for you.

    You are not invisible. You are not alone. And both of you deserve care.

    #GettingThroughToday #Caregiver #Caregiving #ChronicIllness #ChronicallyHealed #CaregiverSupport #GettingThroughTodayPodcast #EmotionalResilience #OnyxWellnessCenter #ChronicIllness #SoftStrength #ChronicallyHealed #CaregivingAndHealing

    32 min
  • Reclaiming Your Power — Why I Created the SHIFT Program

    Episode 24: There was a time I felt broken beyond repair — like healing was out of reach and I had nothing left to give.

    But little by little, I found my way back to myself… not by forcing a miracle, but by making small, intentional shifts.


    This episode is the full, raw, heart-led story behind my SHIFT program — why I created it, what it stands for, and how it’s helping people stop surviving and start healing from the inside out.


    Whether you’re stuck in burnout, carrying pain that won’t go away, or just quietly craving something more…

    SHIFT is the program I wish I had during my darkest days.


    🧡 In this episode, we’ll explore:


    The 5 pillars of SHIFT and how they create real, lasting transformation

    Why I believe healing doesn’t have to be perfect to be powerful

    What it means to reclaim your voice, your worth, and your identity — even in the mess

    A message for the version of you that’s tired, unseen, or barely holding on

    You don’t have to do it all today. You just have to take one small step.

    Let this be it. 💛


    #GettingThroughTodayPodcast | #SHIFTInPerspective | #OnyxWellnessCenter

    21 min
  • Where Is the Ease? Finding Peace When Life Gets Louder

    Episode 23

    This one’s for the beautiful warriors who chose hope… and still got heartbreak.

    What happens when you pick a word like “Abundance” or “Ease” for the year —

    and life gives you the opposite?


    In this raw, reflective episode, I share what happened when I asked the universe for a softer year — and instead found myself holding more pain than ever. But somewhere in the middle of the mess, I started seeing abundance in a new light. Not flashy. Not perfect. But real.


    ✨ We’ll talk about:

    – What to do when your intentions feel like they backfire

    – How ease can show up in the smallest, quietest ways

    – Redefining abundance in a season of survival

    – A simple breathwork moment to reconnect with yourself

    – Why you’re not doing it wrong if life still feels hard


    This is not a “toxic positivity” episode — it’s an invitation to breathe, to feel, and to start noticing the beauty that whispers… even here.


    You’re not behind. You’re right where you need to be.


    💛 Let’s get through today, together.

    #GettingThroughTodayPodcast #HealingInProgress #SoftStrength #ChronicallyHealed #AbundanceAndEase #EmotionalResilience #OnyxWellnessCenter

    19 min

About Getting Through Today

From the publisher's feed

Welcome to the Getting Through Today podcast. I'm Brita, come along with me as I share my story of the ups and downs through chronic illness and depression all while being a mother of five. I know…