Sometimes the worst thing you can imagine leads you to your calling. For Nancee Sobonya, that was the death of her father at 17. How did that early loss lead to a lifetime of healing work as a grief counselor, filmmaker and workshop leader? How does the loss of her father continue to impact her beliefs about grief and about life? Join us as we explore how this experience continues to impact her and what unfolded from that early loss.

For sixty years, Rachel Naomi Remen has lived with a diagnosis, Crohn's disease, that was considered universally terminal when she was first diagnosed. How did that affect her life? She became a physician who worked with terminal illness, a New York Times bestselling author and a fierce advocate for compassionate medicine. She founded the Institute for the Study of Health and Illness (ISHI) at Commonweal and is also co-founder of the Commonweal Cancer Help Program. She worked with thousands of patients and trained many doctors in healing care. Join us as we talk about her own story and the stories of those she has worked with over many decades. We are all sure to be inspired.

What does rock climbing have to do with helping underserved, traumatized kids find their motivation and healing? Dr. Clifton Hicks learned early, through his own experiences, that the physical challenges of the outdoors, especially rock climbing, offered opportunities to learn how to face other challenges and find your way up whatever adversity hill might befall you. He developed a therapeutic program based on rock climbing, taking therapy out of the office and into the environment. While doing something new and exciting, the kids learn valuable life lessons and face the traumas in their lives. Join us as we talk about Dr. Hicks' method and what he thinks about recovering from traumatic experience.

What helps us to find our way back to optimism and gratitude after a terrible experience? For Anne Kubitsky, it was inviting strangers to share what they were grateful for. First, she sent out some postcards addressed to herself with "What are you grateful for?" printed on the back. Evolving into a project which installs art projects encouraging gratitude, she'll share with us what finding gratitude has created in her life.

If you were diagnosed with breast cancer, could you keep your sense of amusement? For Joules Evans, it was a must. As a writer and an acitvist, she couples a fierce fighting spirit with a wry sense of humor. Thinking globally and acting locally, Joules will inspire and amuse you as she talks about her own cancer experience and the writing and work it led to. As she puts it, "I've had a lot of opportunities to be an advocate for breast health awareness and for others fighting the bitch that is breast cancer. God willing, cancer is done with me; but I'm not done with it. Not until we find a cure. And not just for breast cancer."

When Kelly Carlisle left the military, life became more difficult. She was suddenly unsure where she belonged and what would give her new life meaning. She was not always appreciated for the service she had given. Starting out with a corporate job, she found herself drawn to grow food, delighted by the flourishing tomatos and a little lemon tree. How did this passion, which helped her connect with her new life and heal from what she'd been exposed to both in the military and after, turn into a non profit offering urban kids the chance to learn about growing food? Join us to find out

Join me as we talk about how the worst time in Amikaeyla's life led to Music As Medicine, programming she developed which successfully helps people in the United States and around the world (including recently in Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Sierra Leone) unlock their deepest inner voice. What links her work on national and international t.v., on recordings with many award winning artists, singing for His Holiness the Dalai Lama in India and working with divergent groups, from corporations to the Broadway stage? Amikaeyla says that although seemingly disparate, all the people she has worked with can find their creative voice, using the system that she will share with us, to transform their emotional and expressive subjugation into celebration!

Recovering from a divorce and dealing with his father's terminal diagnosis, Robert Pruitt faced the lowest point in his life. But hearing his father was ill, he knew he would regret missing any of it. In the next three months until his dad's death, Robert wrote in his journal and embarked on a crash course in living and dying. How did these losses and the work he did to respond to them lead to a life of purpose and meaning, teaching others to share the gifts they are with the world? Robert will inspire and uplift you with his tale of difficulty and redemption

When breast cancer interrupted her successful life, Terri Wingham found herself depressed and isolated, with no bridge back from illness to purpose. Taking a chance by going on a volunteer trip to Africa, she found a passion that she now shares with other survivors at volunteer locations across the globe. Listen in to find out how A Fresh Chapter, the non-profit she founded, facilitates trips around the world. Be moved by the stories of people who, by giving, have received a new outlook.

Lorrain Taylor's worst nightmare began on a typical February day in 2000. Her sons, twins, were murdered together in a parking lot while trying to start a car, victims of a random shooting. How did Lorrain heal and begin her work to support families after the loss of their children to violence? Lorrain's story of redemption and activism will break your heart and lift you up