How I Made It Through

All of my episodes are special to me, but this one is in a very unique way. You see, without my guest, Adam Baruh, this podcast would not exist. Adam is the founder and producer of EIQ Media and without his head for business and heart for making a difference in the world, How I Made It Through never would have been dreamed of, let alone executed with the care and professionalism that he beautifully orchestrates behind the scenes. Adam and I met in March of 2021 when he agreed to be my client. He was a dream client for me because of his commitment to growth, integrity, courage and healing that will forever move me. In our work together, Adam uncovered a painful episode from his childhood that changed how he saw himself and what he consciously and unconsciously believed to be true. With great courage and candor, Adam explores with us what a turning point this was for him and how one simple clarity in the definition of the words ÒguiltÓ versus ÒshameÓ served as a powerful catalyst for profound healing. In todayÕs episode, Adam openly shares his healing journey and how it led to a deep commitment to redefining leadership and what truly goes into creating a healthy workplace culture.

TodayÕs guest is Shayna Renee Hammond. Shayna is the Founder and CEO of Lead for Liberation and IndigoWomen. Shayna and I met a couple of months ago when we were both guests on Dr. LaMarr Darnell Shields podcast, Sound Balming when he hosted the 2nd Annual Empower U International WomenÕs Summit. When she showed up on that panel - when she shared her mind and her heart, her wisdom and her spiritual connection and depth, I just knew that I wanted to learn more about her and learn more from her. Lead For Liberation is a leadership development organization dedicated to guiding organizations, school districts, foundations, and communities to demystify and operationalize liberatory cultures. Inspired by the success of L4L and her calling to raise global consciousness, Shayna founded IndigoWomen, a coaching and consulting practice dedicated to creating spaces, methods, and conditions for Black women in leadership to thrive. In this capacity, Shayna coaches individuals and groups of Black women leaders from around the globe in a spiritually-inspired and research-based coaching methodology created by and for Black women. In todayÕs episode you will hear her story of returning to alignment with her values and her intuition as a business owner and leader when she found herself unexpectedly falling out of love with her work. You will hear what it took for her to find her way again and how that truly transformed everything: her connection to herself, her connection to spirit and her commitment to her mission to lead from a place of love and liberation.

In todayÕs episode, you will meet Jennifer Wallace, Jennifer is a neuro-somatic intelligence coach for brain based wellness, as well as a trauma informed psychedelic integration coach. Her podcast, Trauma Rewired Is an extension of her belief that healing behavior change and then the life you desire are entirely possible through the foundation of a safe nervous system. Jennifer shares how for her, a diagnosis of breast cancer served as the portal to her awakening and healing. She candidly shares how she came to understand the dangerous role that stress and trauma played in her life over the years, and how she not only learned the tools to become more regulated herself, but how she has made it her lifeÕs work to share this vital information and practices with others. Moreover, Jennifer shares her belief that we are spirits in human form. We are spirits who take on a 3D human body for which the nervous system serves as the operating system. She shares how this operating system controls every single one of our life experiences - from respiration and digestion, all the way to our ability to experience joy and connection to others. With this framework, she teaches her clients easy and simple daily practices - drills that can help us to finally feel regulated, balanced and most essentially, safe. It is only when we experience safety in our nervous systems that we can ideally perform from a place of wholeness to all of who we are.

TodayÕs guest is Darren Edwards. Darren is a former mountaineer and Army Reservist who sustained a life-changing injury in 2016 that forever changed his life. The near-fatal climbing accident would leave him permanently paralyzed from the chest down. With determination, grit and positivity, Darren has overcome adversity by becoming a Disabled Adventurer, Expedition Leader and Motivational Speaker. What you are about to hear is a story of exceptional resilience. What you are about to hear will truly blow you away. Darren has refused to let the word disability define him and he has committed his life to challenging the perception of what those with disability can, in fact achieve. In this episode you hear about what he considers to be the 6 Fundamental Pillars of Resilience: Perspective, Gratitude, Purpose, Importance of Writing Your Story, Positive Action Mindset and Controlling What You Can Control.

TodayÕs guest is Samantha J. To begin with, buckle up. You are about to go on quite an adventure: an adventure in listening and learning as Samantha unpacks the depth, insight and wisdom of a remarkable young woman who has traveled many distances - both literally and figuratively as she has inquired into the landscape of her own experience and consciousness and returned with a level of conviction that governs her commitment to show up for herself and others with radical courage and authenticity. Samantha describes herself as a business empress - she is an award-winning entrepreneur, 5 X bestselling author and a soulful speaker. In todayÕs episode, you will hear how Samantha refuses to wait to belong to others, and how she over and over again continues to choose herself, continues to belong to herself and most importantly, to love herself as she practices a connection to her own unwavering worthiness..

Rocio perez, international speaker, best selling author, inclusion and diversity thought leader and trainer, believes that she was built for hard times and that the inconceivable blows that life threw her way, made her tough - made her resilient. We invite you to listen to the remarkable story of hope and endurance as Rocio shares how she made her way from horrific child abuse and neglect to being a 12 year old runaway, to soon after becoming a mother at 15. What she learned along her journey, she shares, was that she, and she alone gets to choose what she believes is possible, not what others tell her: whether that was her education, parenting, career or even her health. She embraced that ultimately, she was responsible for her own healing through taking courageous action and stepping out of her comfort zone, knowing that if she was not scared, she was not learning and growing and leading the way for others to do the same.

TodayÕs guest is Johnnie Davis - an inspirational speaker, entrepreneur, success coach and the author of the empowering memoir and Amazon best seller, ÒIÕm Still Here; From Heart Failure to Heart of a Champion.Ó At the age of 34, a fit, healthy and athletic Johnnie unexpectedly came down with sudden, confusing and progressive medical symptoms that left him debilitated. When he finally arrived at the emergency room, he was told that had he waited just twenty-four hours, he would have expired. With no family history or any lifestyle predictors, Johnnie learned that he had congenital heart failure and would be lucky to make it to 50. In 2012 he became a sudden cardiac arrest survivor - having been clinically dead for 16 minutes. His near death experience or NDE, taught him not only what it means to die, but what it means to live more fully. He now lives without any fear of death - having heard the words of God - and is purposeful in his energy, focus and time, living by the creed; ÒIf it does not evolve me, it will not involve me.Ó I am so excited to elevate his story and in so doing, elevate our gratitude for the precious time we have on this planet - reminding us to live it with a heartfelt and soulful appreciation for what really matters, as well as minimizing any fears we might harbor as we all one day face our own death.

In todayÕs episode, Amanda Sobey shares how she became permanently disfigured by a disease called Lymphedema and how she felt traumatized in learning that there was no cure. She candidly opens up about her journey of living in denial of this chronic and progressive disease - one that caused her leg to become engorged and puffy as the daily pain and discomfort increased, revealing what it felt like to endure feeling deformed, ugly and weak and knowing that her life had suddenly and without warning or consent, been forever drastically changed. Her journey has been a long one, but through learning to channel her indomitable will in the right direction, it has been one of increasing victories. On top of being a single mom of two, she is a full-time fitness trainer and licensed nutritionist and has devoted her life to helping people with LE and other underlying conditions transform their lives by making gradual changes in their lifestyle. Amanda worked tirelessly to learn all that she employs today in her own life to stay healthy and fit and has dedicated her life to sparing others from the years of agony, depression and despair that she had to walk through to arrive at where she is today.

In todayÕs episode, I get the honor of introducing you to Melissa Chureau. Melissa is both a lawyer and a mindfulness coach. What I love about her story is that in so many ways and for so many people, I imagine it will be quite relatable. Unlike the other guests on the show thus far, Melissa is not sharing an epic story of loss or trauma. When conceiving of this show, I very much wanted to include stories of Ômaking it throughÕ that normalize the stories of simply being human, which on most days is hard enough. What I hope for as the host, is for my listeners to recognize themselves in the stories, and in so doing, feel inspired to care for themselves with greater awareness, insight, care and compassion. In todayÕs episode, Melissa provides just that roadmap. She opens up about feeling like a perennial outsider in her formative years, and how the experience of unwarranted self-doubt Ñ otherwise known as imposterism Ñ showed up for her and sometimes still does (as it does for most of us). I invite you to listen as she elegantly articulates how learning about and practicing mindfulness has allowed her to respond, rather than react when imposterism surfaces in her life today.

TodayÕs story is particularly personal and meaningful to me. As someone who has lived with Lymphedema for 25 years, it is a profound honor to introduce you to Cam Ayala. In this episode, we will share what Lymphedema is and Cam will open up about his journey of living with this chronic and progressive disease. He will share his story of discovering how he had primary lymphedema at the age of 11, how he endured as a teenager, college student and navigated the disease into young adulthood Ñ surviving multiple infections and 16 surgeries Ñ and finally, how his Òlymphedema coming out experienceÓ was edited and distorted publicly for the sake of a storyline on the reality TV show, The Bachelorette. However, the real story is far more inspiring and compelling. The real story is of a man who, alongside the Lymphedema Education & Research Network (LE&RN), has committed his life to the Mission to fight all lymphatic diseases, to have better treatment, education and research and ultimately, to one day find a cure.