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What happens when the life you asked for arrives — and it’s not what you wanted, but exactly what your soul needed?

In this episode, I sit down with Holly Plont — a devoted mother of two, wife to her best friend, and a woman who found herself standing in the middle of the dream life she had worked so hard to build… only to realize it didn’t feel like home.

We talk about the courage it takes to pivot, to listen when life nudges (or shoves) you in a new direction, and the quiet wisdom that comes from trusting the process. Holly shares how faith, surrender, deep inner work, and grace guided her back to herself — how she now finds hope in the everyday moments, and how every detour is ultimately leading her back to herself.

This is an episode about waking up. About letting go of the shoulds. About trusting that sometimes the breakdown is what leads to the breakthrough — and becoming who you were always meant to be.

Connect with Holly on Instagram and learn more about the collection of women who have been so fundamental in her growth journey - Sisterhood Story. You can also learn more about the Sisterhood here.

Thank you for listening to Hope Comes to Visit. If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show — it helps others find their way to these conversations.

New episodes drop every Monday and Friday, so you can begin and end your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv.

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What happens when the dream doesn't look the way you thought it would — but turns out even better?

In this episode of Hope Comes to Visit, Danielle Elliott Smith sits down with former award-winning journalist and communications executive Marla Cichowski, who shares her powerful journey to becoming a single mother by choice (SMBC).

After nearly two decades reporting from the frontlines of history — from natural disasters to diplomatic breakthroughs — Marla turned the camera inward. At a time when most people expected her to settle down the “traditional” way, she took a bold leap, choosing to create a family on her own terms.

With vulnerability, humor, and heart, Marla opens up about letting go of timelines, navigating fertility decisions solo, and why chasing a dream — no matter how long it takes — is always worth it. Today, she’s the proud mom of a vibrant five-year-old daughter and living proof that motherhood doesn’t have to follow the rules.

This is a conversation about rewriting the story, listening to your inner knowing, and trusting that love finds us — in unexpected, beautiful ways.

You can connect with Marla on LinkedIn and learn a bit more about about her SMBC journey on her Northwestern profile.

Thank you for listening to Hope Comes to Visit. If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show — it helps others find their way to these conversations.

New episodes drop every Monday and Friday, so you can begin and end your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv.

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(Because You Don’t Have to Hit Bottom to Choose a Better Life)

Six years ago, I made one of the most powerful decisions of my life:

I stopped drinking.

Not because I hit bottom.
Not because I lost it all.

But because I was slowly losing myself.

I was high-functioning.
I was successful.
I was spiraling — and smiling through it.

Wine had become the way I coped.
Until it wasn’t.

This week, I’m sharing a truth I lived for years — and telling it more fully, more publicly, than I ever have before.

Because I haven’t been silent these past six years.
I’ve been honest.
I’ve coached women.

I’ve written and spoken and supported others walking this path.

But this?
This is the story behind the story.
This is the whole truth — shared from a place of deep knowing, healing, and clarity.

Why I stopped drinking — and started truly living.

Sobriety didn’t make everything perfect.
But it made everything possible.

I got my Freedom back.

My senses.
My laughter.
My presence.
My integrity.
My voice.
My faith.
My joy.

My relationships with my KIDS.

You don’t need to hit rock bottom to question your relationship with alcohol.
You don’t need to wait for a crisis.
You don’t need anyone’s permission.

You just get to want more for your life.
More clarity. More connection. More truth.
More nights you remember and mornings you’re proud of.

This episode is for anyone who’s quietly wondering…
“Could life be better without this?”

The answer is yes.
And you don’t have to walk that road alone.

Learn more about Redefining Sober and working with me to change your relationship with alcohol here. I'm happy to set up a call or answer any of your questions. Just know - I'm here.

Thank you for listening to Hope Comes to Visit. If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show — it helps others find their way to these conversations.

New episodes drop every Monday and Friday, so you can begin and end your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv.

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There are conversations… and then there are the ones that stay with you.
This is one of those.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Dan Peters—psychologist, executive coach, author, and host of Make It a Great One—for a deeply honest and hope-filled conversation about the power of purpose, presence, and embracing your own evolution.

We talk about:

• Letting go of expectations and choosing alignment over achievement
• Why slowing down might be the most productive thing you do
•  Parenting with awareness and heart
•  What it means to live from your values in a world that often tells us to hustle harder

Dan shares the story behind his own podcast, his path to creating impact through quiet leadership, and how “making it a great one” can be a way of living, not just a catchy phrase.

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering, Am I doing this right? Am I becoming who I’m meant to be? — this conversation will remind you that you’re not alone.

And that’s the heartbeat of Hope Comes to Visit: real stories, tender truths, and reminders that even in the in-between, you’re not alone—and transformation is possible.

Thank you for listening to Hope Comes to Visit. If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show — it helps others find their way to these conversations.

New episodes drop every Monday and Friday, so you can begin and end your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv.

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Hope in Action: A Story of Light and Consistency
with the radiant @CarlaBirnberg

There are people who show up with such unwavering integrity that you feel braver just being near them. That’s how I feel about Carla Birnberg.

In this episode of Hope Comes to Visit, we explore what it means to lead a mission-driven life — one grounded in heart work, radical consistency, and a commitment to showing up even when no one’s watching.

Together, we dive into what it  means to live a life rooted in mission — from the soul work she’s doing in Kenya through @NextStepFDN to the powerful practice of showing up consistently for yourself and your community.

We talk about:
Why consistency might be the most underrated superpower
Letting go of external expectations and stepping fully into your truth
What happens when we stop performing and start becoming
And how the Swahili name, Upili, serendipitously ties to my own word of the year: Light

Carla is wise, hilarious, deeply thoughtful, and real. You’ll love her.

This episode? It’s what hope looks like in motion.

Connect with Carla here:
Instagram -@CarlaBirnberg
https://carlabirnberg.substack.com/
The foundation -@NextStep_FDN
https://nextstepfdn.org/
Her project at NSF:
https://nextstepfdn.org/upili/
The WHY (animated, short & created in Kenya by an old Team member)
https://youtu.be/e0nHKIS0eAE?si=BtB55agBX7s2os2y
The book that started it all (the one Venus Williams blurbed)
https://a.co/d/9G97H9G

Thank you for listening to Hope Comes to Visit. If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show — it helps others find their way to these conversations.

New episodes drop every Monday and Friday, so you can begin and end your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv.

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Finding Art, Hope, and Voice with Little Junior

In this deeply personal episode, I’m joined by my friend Oliver — a gifted creative, devoted father, loving husband, social worker, and the heart behind the artistic identity Little Junior. By day, he serves his community with compassion and care. But within, lives a storyteller, a poet, a music producer, and a man who has fought to find — and use — his voice in a world that often felt too loud.

Born with a hearing disability and living with noise anxiety, Oliver could have stayed silent. Instead, he found a way to create — not in spite of the noise, but through it. His story is one of profound creativity, resilience, and the courage to embrace both stillness and sound in his healing journey.

We talk about identity, legacy, the quiet spaces where creativity is born, and how hope sometimes arrives wrapped in melody and memory. This episode is a celebration of art, of choosing softness in a world that demands hardness, and of letting the truth of who you are guide what you give.

Little Junior is  a writer of poetry, a music producer, social worker, an aspiring author, astrologer is his free time, part time introvert. He is also a stellar father, husband, friend, and wise soul - improving the world one conversation at a time.

Connect with him: 

• SoundCloud: Little Junior
• Music: YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify under Little Junior.
• Social Media:
  • Website Farsideradio.net (coming soon!)

Thank you for listening to Hope Comes to Visit. If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show — it helps others find their way to these conversations.

New episodes drop every Monday and Friday, so you can begin and end your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv and @HopeComesToVisit

Thank you for listening to Hope Comes to Visit. If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show — it helps others find their way to these conversations.

New episodes drop every Monday and Friday, so you can begin and end your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv.

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A Conversation with Wendy Faith on Surrender, Truth, and Soul Recognition

What happens when everything you’ve built no longer feels like you?

In this deeply honest episode, creative business coach, author, and late-in-life lesbian Wendy Faith opens up about what it means to walk away from a life that looks successful on the outside but feels misaligned within. After years as a prolific writer, entrepreneur, and public figure, Wendy faced a series of personal and professional betrayals that brought her to her knees — and ultimately became the catalyst for a total reinvention.

Together, we talk about the messiness of starting over, the cost of people-pleasing, and the healing power of nervous system safety, creativity, and truth. Through it all, Wendy’s story is one of fierce authenticity, quiet courage, and hope that rises even from the rubble.

If you’ve ever felt the pull to begin again — this conversation will remind you it’s never too late to choose yourself.

Wendy Faith is a creative business coach, artist, author, and late-in-life lesbian who has built and sold two companies, published over 30 books, and even served as a city councilwoman. After walking through personal and professional betrayals, burnout, and burnout, Wendy shed the version of herself that no longer fit — unmasking, “unfreezing,” and rediscovering her true, soul-aligned identity. Today, she helps LGBTQ+ and women entrepreneurs build businesses rooted in nervous system safety, radical authenticity, and deep alignment — not people-pleasing.

Connect with her: 

• Website & Coaching: wendyfaith.com
• Books & Resources: Available on her site and Amazon
• Social Media:
  • Instagram: @wendyfaith
  • LinkedIn: Wendy Faith

Thank you for listening to Hope Comes to Visit. If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show — it helps others find their way to these conversations.

New episodes drop every Monday and Friday, so you can begin and end your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv.

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What does it mean to be still here when the odds said you wouldn’t be?

In this powerful episode, Tim McDonald shares his remarkable journey of being diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer — a diagnosis that carries only a 15% five-year survival rate. Now, just shy of those 5 years, Tim is not only surviving… he’s thriving. With no sign of cancer, he opens up about the physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges of his diagnosis, how he faced fear with radical vulnerability, and how hope became a lifeline through every stage of treatment.

This is a story of resilience, of choosing to show up when it hurts, and of finding purpose and community in the face of uncertainty. Whether you’re navigating illness, loss, or simply trying to hold on to hope, Tim’s story will remind you that healing isn’t always linear — but it is always possible.

Tim McDonald is a good friend and a stage 4 colorectal cancer survivor diagnosed in late 2020, and today he’s celebrating *almost* years cancer-free — well beyond the typical 15% five-year survival rate. A passionate patient advocate, Tim emphasizes self-advocacy in healthcare, helped influence earlier colonoscopy guidelines, and co-founded Share My Liver, a nonprofit supporting those in need of a living liver donor. He also serves as a Patient & Family Advisory Council member with PAN Foundation, and as an ambassador for Fight Colorectal Cancer - lending his voice to improve access to care. Based in Tampa, Florida, Tim is a husband, grandfather, and motivational speaker — committed to sharing hope, resilience, and healing. Connect with him on Instagram and LinkedIn - @timamcdonald.

Thank you for listening to Hope Comes to Visit. If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show — it helps others find their way to these conversations.

New episodes drop every Monday and Friday, so you can begin and end your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv.

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What happens when your entire sense of safety is rooted in certainty — and that certainty disappears?

In this thought-provoking conversation, author, speaker, and business consultant Allison Carmen shares how her deep attachment to knowing what’s next became its own form of addiction — and how everything began to shift when she discovered the quiet, liberating power of maybe.

Together, we explore the illusion of control, the anxiety of the unknown, and how embracing uncertainty can actually open the door to possibility, peace, and hope.

This is an episode for anyone who has ever gripped too tightly, feared letting go, or longed for a softer way forward. Allison’s message is simple but profound: when we make space for maybe, we make space for hope.

Allison Carmen is a business consultant, life strategist, and TEDx speaker — and the author of The Gift of Maybe: Finding Hope and Possibility in Uncertain Times. What began as a personal journey away from her own addiction to certainty led her to reframe uncertainty as a space for hope — a message she shares globally through coaching, public speaking, and her top-rated podcast, 10 Minutes to Less Suffering.

Find her here: allisoncarmen.com, on her Podcast: 10 Minutes to Less Suffering (available on all major platforms)
Books: The Gift of Maybe and A Year Without Men (2021) and Maybe Everything is OK: A Paren't Guide to Less Stress and Worry (currently audio only, hardcover available Fall 2025) 

@allisoncarmen on Instagram and  @giftofmaybe on Twitter (X)

Thank you for listening to Hope Comes to Visit. If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show — it helps others find their way to these conversations.

New episodes drop every Monday and Friday, so you can begin and end your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv.

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In this powerful premiere interview of Hope Comes to Visit, Dr. Ashley Wellman shares her extraordinary story of heartbreak and healing after the sudden loss of her husband. With her four-year-old daughter by her side, Ashley began a journey through grief, rediscovery, and reinvention — one that led her to write a children’s book, fall in love again, and welcome a new baby into her life.

This is a tender conversation about resilience, motherhood, identity, and the quiet strength it takes to begin again. A reminder that grief and joy can coexist — and that even after deep loss, hope still finds a way in.

Ashley Wellman  -  is the owner of aMUSEd Fine Art & Extraordinary Books, - amusedfineart.com - a distinctive gallery and bookstore located at 44 Spring Street, Eureka Springs, Arkansas. This enchanting space blends whimsical art with imaginative children's literature, reflecting Ashley's journey from criminologist to creative entrepreneur. Instagram - @aMusedFineArt

Thank you for listening to Hope Comes to Visit. If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show — it helps others find their way to these conversations.

New episodes drop every Monday and Friday, so you can begin and end your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv.