Heart to Heart with Abagaba

What does it really mean to live a good life?

In this episode, I’m joined by Kirana Sidin, an author and strategic life coach from Jakarta, Indonesia, whose work explores one powerful question: What does it really mean to build a good life?

Kirana’s debut book, Cheers for a Good Life, became an Amazon #1 New Release and #1 Best Seller in its categories. Through her writing, coaching, and speaking, she brings together philosophy, psychology, and everyday experiences to offer practical wisdom for modern living.

Our conversation explores the idea that a meaningful life isn’t something we simply discover—it’s something we build through the choices we make each day.

Together, we talk about:

🌻 What it really means to live a good life

🌻 Staying intentional in a world full of distractions

🌻 What timeless wisdom can teach us about modern life

🌻 Making better decisions when life feels uncertain

🌻 Building healthy relationships without losing ourselves

🌻 Raising resilient children in a high-pressure world

🌻 The role of money in a meaningful life

🌻 Discovering purpose in ordinary moments

🌻 The small choices that quietly shape who we become

Kirana shares a positive, practical, and encouraging perspective on living intentionally—and reminds us that we don’t have to transform our entire lives overnight. Sometimes, meaningful change begins with one small choice.

A question to take with you:

What are you building with the choices you’re making today?

Thank you for listening, sharing, and being part of this community. If this conversation encouraged you, please consider sharing the episode with someone who might need the reminder that a good life can be built one ordinary choice at a time. 🌻

About Kirana Sidin:

Kirana Sidin is an author and strategic life coach based in Jakarta, Indonesia. She is the author of Cheers for a Good Life and draws from philosophy, psychology, and everyday life to help people gain clarity, make better decisions, and build lives of greater intention and meaning.

Connect with Kirana: Cheers For A Good Life! – Strong Mind. Calm Heart. Good Life.

What happens when someone you love is struggling with addiction—and love alone isn’t enough to save them?

In this heartfelt conversation, award-winning author and speaker Robert N. Ruesch opens up about his family’s decades-long journey through addiction, uncertainty, faith, heartbreak, and hope.

Robert, whose writing career spans more than five decades, co-authored The Long Road Home: A Family’s Journey Through Addiction with his daughter, Jennifer Lyn Ruesch. The book offers an honest look at the realities families can face when addiction becomes part of their story—and the strength, faith, and perseverance it can take to keep going.

In this episode, Robert shares:

• The moment he realized his daughter’s addiction was beyond what love alone could fix

• What families can misunderstand when trying to help someone struggling with addiction

• How faith carried him through years of uncertainty

• The difficult reality of tough love

• The difference between supporting someone and enabling them

• The role that Teen Challenge and other resources played in their family’s journey

• What he wants parents to hear when they feel exhausted and without hope

• What it was like to write this deeply personal story alongside his daughter

• His beautiful story of reconnecting with and marrying his high-school sweetheart

• The legacy he hopes to leave through his writing and speaking

Robert’s story is ultimately a reminder that even when the road is long, there can still be hope, healing, redemption, and new chapters ahead.

Guest

Robert N. Ruesch

Award-winning Author & Speaker

Co-author of The Long Road Home: A Family’s Journey Through Addiction

Connect with Robert to explore his works, books and more: Robert N Ruesch – Writer – Speaker – Christian – Humorist and seeker of chorolate!

A Question to Reflect On

What does it look like to love someone deeply while also recognizing that you cannot walk their journey for them?

Disclaimer

This conversation is for educational and inspirational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical, mental health, or addiction treatment advice.

In this episode of Heart-to-Heart with Abagaba, I welcome Carolyn Sherrow—a trauma survivor, mental health advocate, author, speaker, and former physician assistant.

Carolyn openly shares about her personal journey through trauma and healing and how her more than two decades in medicine shaped her understanding of trauma and dissociation.

We have an honest conversation about Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), misconceptions surrounding dissociation, and the importance of understanding the ways the mind can respond to overwhelming experiences.

Carolyn also shares about her transition from medicine into writing, speaking, advocacy, and ministry. At the heart of her approach to healing is the idea of “collaborating with God” and recognizing the role faith can play in the healing journey.

Together, we explore:

🌻 Carolyn’s personal journey with trauma and healing

🌻 Trauma, dissociation, and DID

🌻 How medical training influenced her understanding of trauma

🌻 Common misconceptions about Dissociative Identity Disorder

🌻 Carolyn’s transition from medicine to advocacy and ministry

🌻 What “collaborating with God” means in practical life

🌻 Her understanding of soul ties

🌻 What she discovered about the mind and brain through her healing journey

🌻 Finding hope and purpose after trauma

This is a conversation about courage, faith, understanding, and the possibility of healing.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of childhood trauma, abuse, dissociation, and mental health. Please listen with care and honor your own emotional boundaries.

Connect with Carolyn: https://cordsofgrace.com

Thank you for joining us for another Heart-to-Heart with Abagaba. 🌻

Sometimes the journey toward healing begins simply by being willing to understand our story—and believing that hope is still possible.

What happens when life takes us places we never expected to go?

In this heart-to-heart conversation, author and storyteller Jodi Cowles takes us on a deeply personal journey through grief, faith, culture, family, and the unexpected ways joy can find us again.

Jodi spent more than half of her adult life living and working in seven different countries, including eight years in Istanbul, Turkey, where she lived with her husband and daughter. Her experiences abroad gave her a unique perspective on culture, connection, and the beautiful—and sometimes hilarious—ways human beings misunderstand one another.

But Jodi’s story goes much deeper than cross-cultural adventures.

Her memoir, Then Came Joy, explores grief, trauma, faith, and the fierce fight to find joy when there are no easy answers. She shares what it meant to leave “Flannelgraph Jesus” behind and wrestle with a faith that could hold both honest questions and profound pain.

Jodi also brings her expertise as the co-founder of Blue Hat Publishing and WellTold Studio, where she helps independent authors tell their stories with authenticity and intention.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Finding gratitude and joy in the aftermath of grief

• What Jodi means by leaving “Flannelgraph Jesus” behind

• Navigating faith when life doesn’t make sense

• The vulnerability of writing a deeply personal memoir

• Why everyone should consider writing their life story

• What it means to be a Third Culture Kid

• The blessings and challenges of raising children across cultures

• Lessons learned from living in seven different countries

• The funniest realities of cultural misunderstandings

• Common mistakes independent authors make when building their brands

• Why Jodi believes this may be the best time in history to be an author

• Finding hope when there are no easy answers

A Heart-to-Heart Takeaway

Sometimes joy doesn’t arrive because everything has been fixed.

Sometimes joy comes while we are still healing, still questioning, and still learning how to make peace with the story we’ve been given.

And sometimes, telling that story is part of the healing itself.

About Jodi Cowles

Jodi Cowles is an American author, storyteller, and co-founder of Blue Hat Publishing and WellTold Studio. After spending much of her adult life living and working internationally, including eight years in Istanbul, Turkey, Jodi brings a rich cross-cultural perspective to her writing and storytelling.

Her memoir, Then Came Joy, explores grief, faith, trauma, and the courageous pursuit of joy.

Connect with Jodi : Jodi Cowles | Author of Then Came Joy

Listener Invitation

What chapter of your own story deserves to be told?

Share this episode with someone who may need a reminder that grief and joy can coexist—and that even when there are no easy answers, there can still be hope.

How much do we really know about the food and products we bring into our homes?

In this episode of Heart-to-Heart with Abagaba, I’m joined by Jordan Robinson, founder of Anxin, a platform designed to help families stay informed about food recalls, restaurant health inspections, ingredient safety, and other everyday risks.

Jordan shares what inspired him to create Anxin, how the platform connects information from grocery receipts and household products, and why being informed can help families make safer choices without living in fear.

We also talk about food recalls, restaurant safety, and the importance of closing the gap between when a safety issue is identified and when families actually hear about it.

This conversation is a reminder that knowledge is powerful—and sometimes, a little more information can make a big difference.

Listen, learn, and share this episode with a family member or friend who might find it helpful. 🌻

Connect with Jordan & learn more about Anxin: https://pieceofmind.fyi

#HeartToHeartWithAbagaba #FoodSafety #Anxin #FamilySafety #FoodRecalls #HealthyFamilies #StayInformed

What happens when the questions in your heart are bigger than the answers you’ve been given?

In this episode of Heart-to-Heart with Abagaba, I’m joined by Barbie Lavick Van Cott, author of Shalom Barbie: A Jewish Girl’s Journey to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Raised in Hollywood and Jewish by faith and tradition, Barbie describes herself as a tender-hearted, deep-thinking girl who often felt like she didn’t quite fit in. Her desire to understand God and find answers led her on an unexpected journey of questioning, discovery, faith, and ultimately, a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

Barbie shares how following her questions—and eventually a prompting that took her on a Hawaiian adventure—became part of a much bigger journey than she could have imagined.

Now a wife, mother, grandmother, missionary, seminary teacher, temple worker, and speaker, Barbie has felt inspired to share her story with others. Her book won first place in the nonfiction division at the American Night Writers Association conference.

❤️ In this heart-to-heart conversation, we talk about:

• Growing up as a Jewish girl in Hollywood
• Being a sensitive and deep-thinking child who often felt different
• The questions that began her spiritual search
• Learning to follow promptings and trust the journey
• The meaning of shalom and what it means to her today
• How her faith journey shaped the woman she became
• Sharing her testimony and personal story with others
• The importance of allowing ourselves—and our children—to ask questions
• What she would say to the little girl she once was

Barbie’s story reminds us that the questions we carry can sometimes become the doorway to discovering truth, purpose, and faith.

🌻 Join us for this beautiful conversation about searching, believing, and finding peace along the way.

https://a.co/d/0b7SsPSW

💕 Connect & Reflect

What question have you carried with you that eventually led you somewhere unexpected?

Sometimes the journey to faith doesn’t happen all at once. Sometimes it begins with simply being willing to ask, “Why?” and having the courage to keep searching.

🎧 Listen to Heart-to-Heart with Abagaba

Where every story has a heart, every heart has a story, and every conversation has the possibility of making a difference. 🌻❤️

What if education were about more than lessons, grades, and classrooms?

What if we made more room for curiosity, storytelling, culture, wellbeing, and the unique voice of every child?

In this episode of Heart-to-Heart with Abagaba, I sit down with Wahida Mohamed — author, educator, poet, and podcaster with more than 30 years of experience in London classrooms.

Wahida is a qualified MFL, ESL, Montessori, and Early Years teacher and the founder of Wisdom Feast Ltd., where she brings together storytelling, transformational education, cultural connection, and wellbeing to help children and adults learn with greater purpose and heart.

During our conversation, we explore:

🌻 How Wahida found her path into education

🌻 Her own experiences of school and how they shaped her educational philosophy

🌻 How children learn best

🌻 Why storytelling can be such a powerful connecting thread

🌻 The importance of culture, identity, and connection in learning

🌻 Her Mind, Body, Family approach to wellbeing

🌻 How educators and parents can empower children to take greater ownership of their learning

🌻 What child-led projects can look like in real life

🌻 The role stories played in Wahida’s own childhood

🌻 The inspiration behind her book and the message she hopes readers will carry with them

This conversation is a beautiful reminder that education isn’t simply about filling a child’s mind with information. It’s about nurturing the whole person.

And sometimes, one of the most powerful things we can do for a child is simply to listen to their story.

Meet Wahida Mohamed

Wahida Mohamed is an author, educator, poet, and podcaster with more than three decades of classroom experience. Through Wisdom Feast Ltd., she creates storytelling-led, wellbeing-focused learning experiences designed to help educators, parents, and young people learn with purpose and heart.

A Heart-to-Heart Takeaway

After listening, try asking a child in your life:

“What is something you’re curious about right now?”

Then pause.

Listen.

Let them lead.

Because every child has a story — and every story has value. 🌻

Connect & Share : https://www.wahidamohamed.com/

5 Successful Strategies To Education Through The Power Of Storytelling: A Transformational Approach to Wellbeing, Creativity and Learning https://a.co/d/0dZUUARG

If this conversation touched you, please share it with a parent, teacher, educator, caregiver, or anyone who believes children deserve to learn with purpose and heart.

And if you enjoyed this episode of Heart-to-Heart with Abagaba, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who might need to hear this conversation.

Thank you for joining me for another Heart-to-Heart. ❤️

I’m Abagaba — and I’ll see you in our next conversation.

What happens when we begin measuring our worth by how our children are doing?

As mothers, we can love our children so deeply that their successes feel like our successes—and their struggles can feel like our failures. But what if our children’s lives were never meant to be our report card?

In this episode of Heart-to-Heart with Abagaba, I’m joined by Gigi Baxter, author of Your Children Are NOT Your Report Card: How to Love Your Adult Children Without Losing Yourself.

Gigi is a wife, mother of three adult children, and self-described “recovering fixer.” After spending decades quietly measuring her own worth through her children’s successes and struggles, she began a journey of learning how to let go of control without letting go of love.

Her message is honest, funny, compassionate, and deeply relatable for mothers navigating the ever-changing journey of parenting.

In this episode, we explore:

* What it means to view our children as our “report card”

* Why loving mothers can so easily measure their worth through their children’s lives

* The “imaginary versions” of our children that we may need to grieve

* The difference between supporting our children and fixing, rescuing, or controlling

* The emotional “suitcases” we carry for our adult children

* Gigi’s “Mute & Pause” practice for difficult conversations

* The “Parenting Olympics” and why comparison can be so exhausting

* What it means to have a “Board Seat, Not CEO” role in our adult children’s lives

* How to create healthier boundaries without becoming cold or disconnected

* Rediscovering our identity beyond motherhood

* What Gigi would say to the mother lying awake at 2 a.m., wondering, “Did I fail?”

A Heart-to-Heart Takeaway

Our children are going to make their own choices. They will experience successes, disappointments, mistakes, joys, and challenges that we cannot always prevent.

And that’s one of the hardest parts of loving someone.

We can be present without taking over.

We can listen without fixing.

We can support without rescuing.

And we can love our children deeply without making their lives the measure of our own worth.

Our children’s lives are their stories. We are still allowed to live ours.

A Question to Carry With You

If you’ve ever found yourself carrying an adult child’s problem, worrying about a decision you cannot control, or wondering whether your child’s struggles mean you somehow failed as a parent, pause and ask yourself:

“Is this mine to carry?”

Sometimes love means stepping in.

And sometimes love means stepping back—with an open heart.

Connect With Gigi

To learn more about Gigi Baxter and her work, and to explore Your Children Are NOT Your Report Card: How to Love Your Adult Children Without Losing Yourself, be sure to connect with Gigi and follow her journey.

Not Your Report Card | Gigi Baxter

Your Children Are NOT Your Report Card: How to Love Your Adult Children Without Losing Yourself https://a.co/d/0hrHIWxh

Thank you for joining me for another Heart-to-Heart with Abagaba.

Until next time, remember: you can love your children deeply without losing yourself in the process. 🌻

What if the question isn’t “Why?” but “Why not?”

What if the purpose doesn’t have an expiration date? And what if the setbacks, failures, and unexpected changes in our lives aren’t the end of our story—but invitations to find a new way forward?

In this episode of Heart-to-Heart with Abagaba, I’m joined by Jay Setchell, an entrepreneur, former Marine, corporate professional, and lifelong believer in resilience, perseverance, and the power of choosing to keep going.

Now in his mid-70s and living with significant physical challenges, Jay remains actively involved in multiple ventures and has no intention of stopping.

Raised on a working farm, Jay learned early that worthwhile things rarely come without effort. His life has taken him through military service, entrepreneurship, marriage, children, faith, loss, setbacks, and countless opportunities to choose courage over defeat.

At the heart of our conversation is his powerful philosophy:

“Don’t ask why. Ask why not.”

In this episode, we explore:

• ​Where Jay’s “Why not?” mindset came from and how it has shaped his life
• ​How our choices and decisions help shape who we become
• ​Why our purpose can change as we grow and enter new seasons of life
• ​Finding motivation and meaning in our 70s and beyond
• ​The courage to keep pursuing dreams despite physical or unexpected challenges
• ​What failure can teach us is that success sometimes cannot
• ​Building resilience, grit, determination, and perseverance
• ​How faith, family, service, and life experiences shape our understanding of what matters
• ​Redefining success as our circumstances and priorities change
• ​Why helping others can become part of our own journey toward a meaningful life
• ​What Jay would say to someone who feels stuck, discouraged, or believes their best days are behind them

A Heart-to-Heart Takeaway

Sometimes life changes the way we imagined it would.

Our circumstances may change. Our bodies may change. Our responsibilities may change. Our dreams may even change.

But change doesn’t necessarily mean stop.

Jay reminds us that purpose can evolve as we do, and that success isn’t one-size-fits-all. It can be found in the courage to begin again, the resilience to keep moving, the willingness to adapt, and the determination to continue contributing to the lives of others.

And when life gives us a reason to ask “Why?”, Jay challenges us to consider another question:

“Why not?”

A Personal Heart-to-Heart

Sometimes, as a host, you begin a conversation thinking you’re going to learn something from your guest—and then their words unexpectedly speak directly to something you’re carrying in your own heart.

Jay’s perspective on life, purpose, and never giving up reminded me that dreams are worth continuing to pursue, even when the road ahead looks difficult.

I hope this conversation offers you that same encouragement.

Perhaps there is a dream you’ve quietly put aside.

Perhaps you’ve convinced yourself it’s too late.

Perhaps you’re looking at the obstacles instead of the possibilities.

Maybe it’s time to ask yourself:

Why not?

Connect With Jay: https://neverquittrying.com

Book: https://a.co/d/0eCVaKrm

To learn more about Jay Setchell, , his work, ventures, and the wisdom he continues to share, be sure to connect with him and follow his journey.

Thank you for joining me for another Heart-to-Heart with Abagaba.

Until next time, remember: your story isn’t over simply because one chapter has ended. There may still be beautiful pages waiting to be written. 🌻

Marriage brings two people together—but it also brings together two families, two histories, and sometimes two very different cultures.

So what happens when family expectations, in-law relationships, cultural differences, loyalty conflicts, and faith begin putting pressure on the marriage?

In this episode of Heart-to-Heart with Abagaba, I’m joined by Pesa Shayo, author and co-founder of Live Your Best Marriage, to talk about one powerful idea: building a United Front in marriage.

Pesa helps cross-cultural Christian couples navigate outside pressures while learning to stop turning against each other and start facing those challenges as one team.

Our conversation takes us into some of the difficult—but deeply important—questions couples may face when love, family, culture, and loyalty collide.

In this episode, we explore:

• What it really means for a couple to build a United Front
• Why in-laws and family expectations can create tension in marriage
• The difference between honoring family and allowing family to divide a marriage
• Common loyalty conflicts between spouses
• What to do when one spouse feels their partner continually chooses family over the marriage
• How cultural differences can affect communication and conflict
• Setting healthy boundaries with parents and in-laws while still showing love and honor
• Navigating very different cultural, ethnic, and family backgrounds
• How Christian faith can shape the way couples approach conflict, forgiveness, and outside pressure
• One practical step couples can take to stop fighting each other and begin facing challenges as one team

Connect with Pesa ; Pesa Shayo | Christian Marriage Author & Co-founder of Live Your Best Marriage

A Heart-to-Heart Takeaway

Sometimes the problem isn’t husband versus wife or wife versus husband.

The real question may be:

Are we turning toward each other—or turning against each other?

A strong marriage doesn’t mean two people will always agree. It means they can learn to communicate, establish healthy boundaries, honor their families, navigate their differences, and still remember that they are on the same team.

And when outside pressure comes, perhaps the goal isn’t to ask, “Whose side are you on?”

Perhaps it’s to ask:

“How do we face this together?”

Continue the Conversation

Our conversation with Pesa was so rich that we knew there was more to explore—which means this Heart-to-Heart doesn’t end here.

Stay tuned for Part 2 with Pesa Shayo, where we continue the conversation about marriage, family, culture, faith, boundaries, and what it really means to choose each other.

To learn more about Pesa, Live Your Best Marriage, his books, podcast, and marriage resources, be sure to connect with his work.

Thank you for joining me for another Heart-to-Heart with Abagaba.

Until next time, remember: there is always something beautiful waiting to be discovered in a heart-to-heart conversation. 🌻