On October 1st, 1995, Pep Torres’ heart stopped after a devastating car accident on an early morning drive through Watsonville, California.

What followed was not darkness, but a near-death experience that would alter the course of his life forever.

In this moving conversation, Pep takes Marilyn inside the moments before the crash, the surreal calm that followed, and the strange space between life and what comes next - a place he would later come to call the Boulevard of the Dead.

At the time, Pep was a school teacher and basketball coach, focused on his students, his growing family, and the responsibilities of everyday life. But in a single moment, everything changed.

As Pep recounts his journey, from survival and raw acceptance to the long road of rehabilitation, he reflects on the experiences that stayed with him long after his physical wounds began to heal, shaping the way he understands life, loss, and the time we’re given.

Pep’s book, On the Outskirts of Heaven: A Near-Death Experience Tale of Soul Retrieval, is available now on Amazon.
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Find out more about Marilyn at marilyngetasbyrne.com.
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I Choose Happy is made possible by The Comfy, a Shark Tank sensation whose wearable blankets make life happier. Find out for yourself with 20% off your first order with the code ichoosehappy at TheComfy.com.

Journalist, mother, and advocate Erika Mahoney shares her story of life after her father was killed in a mass shooting in her hometown of Boulder, Colorado.

Erika reflects on the shock and disorientation that followed his death, the love and human connection that helped carry her through those early days, and the complexity of grieving while preparing to welcome new life as a first-time mother.

She also speaks to what came next: how loss began to take the shape of purpose, and how she committed to staying open, choosing love, and stepping into advocacy in the aftermath of violence.

This is a conversation about resilience, and the strength it takes to keep your heart open.

Connect with Erika:
Instagram: @eri_mahoney
Substack: erikamahoney.substack.com
TikTok: @erika.mahoney

Listen to Senseless with Erika Mahoney.

As part of her advocacy, Erika supports March Fourth, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to reducing gun violence.
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Connect with Marilyn and be a part of the conversation in the I Choose Happy private Facebook group. This is your safe space to share and be inspired. Please join today by clicking here.
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Find out more about Marilyn at marilyngetasbyrne.com.
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I Choose Happy is made possible by The Comfy, a Shark Tank sensation whose wearable blankets make life happier. Find out for yourself with 20% off your first order with the code ichoosehappy at TheComfy.com.

In this episode of I Choose Happy, Marilyn sits down with Jamie Estelle Roth, best-selling author of Should’ve Seen That Coming: Navigating the In-Between Moments of Acceptance, Surrender, & Resilience, to talk about what happens when life changes without warning - and how we learn to meet what comes next.

After suddenly losing her eyesight in 2021, Jamie was forced to slow down in ways she never had before. What began as fear and uncertainty became a journey into presence, healing, and a deeper way of seeing herself and the world around her.

With honesty, humor, and heart, Jamie shares how losing her sight led her to confront old patterns, release the need to stay busy and brave, and step into a new relationship with her body, her emotions, and most importantly, her spirit. From the quiet in-between moments to the power of surrender without despair, this conversation is a reminder that even when we lose something we thought defined us, so much meaning can still be found.

This is a story about resilience, clarity, and choosing to live fully... even when the path looks nothing like what we expected.

Connect with Jamie on instagram @jamieestelleroth, or on her website at jamieestelleroth.com
Purchase Should've Seen That Coming: Navigating the In-Between Moments of Acceptance, Surrender, & Resilience.
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Connect with Marilyn and be a part of the conversation in the I Choose Happy private Facebook group. This is your safe space to share and be inspired. Please join today by clicking here.
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Find out more about Marilyn at marilyngetasbyrne.com.
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I Choose Happy is made possible by The Comfy, a Shark Tank sensation whose wearable blankets make life happier. Find out for yourself with 20% off your first order with the code ichoosehappy at TheComfy.com.

What happens when cancer enters your life... and then returns years later?

Scott Miller was diagnosed with throat cancer for the first time in his forties. With no family history and no warning, his life changed in an instant. What followed was not only treatment and recovery, but a profound internal shift. One that led him to slow down, listen to his body, and approach healing with compassion instead of fear.

Fifteen years later, after building a life rooted in presence, peace, and purpose, Scott faced a second cancer diagnosis. In this episode, he shares both chapters of his journey: what he learned the first time, how those lessons shaped the years in between, and how they guided him when the words came back again.

This is a conversation about meeting life gently, trusting the body’s wisdom, and choosing love. Through illness, healing, and everything that follows.

Connect with Scott on instagram @scottmiller.htf
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Connect with Marilyn and be a part of the conversation in the I Choose Happy private Facebook group. This is your safe space to share and be inspired. Please join today by clicking here.
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Find out more about Marilyn at marilyngetasbyrne.com.
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I Choose Happy is made possible by The Comfy, a Shark Tank sensation whose wearable blankets make life happier. Find out for yourself with 20% off your first order with the code ichoosehappy at TheComfy.com.

On New Year’s Eve 2025 in New Orleans, best friends Ryan Quigley and Tiger Bech were walking back to their hotel after a night of celebration. In the middle of the noise, crowds, and chaos of Bourbon Street, a terror attack unfolded, taking Tiger’s life and leaving Ryan fighting for his own.

What follows is a story of unimaginable grief, physical recovery, and the unthinkable task of learning to live in a world without your very best friend. Ryan and Tiger met as Princeton football teammates - two young men who built a deeply loyal and brother-like bond through playing, living, and growing up side by side.

In this conversation, Ryan shares the night everything changed and the remarkable ways Tiger continues to show up long after the attack: through signs, messages, and the quiet echoes of love that remind him he isn’t walking this path alone.

This is a story of friendship that refuses to break, of loss that reshapes a life, and of the signs that helped Ryan choose happiness again - even in the aftermath of terror.
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Find out more about Marilyn at marilyngetasbyrne.com
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I Choose Happy is made possible by The Comfy, a Shark Tank sensation whose wearable blankets make life happier. Find out for yourself with 20% off your first order using the code ICHOOSEHAPPY at TheComfy.com

When a series of unlikely events saved Joan Hill’s son, she realized she was witnessing something more than coincidence. That moment became the foundation for her books The Miracle Chase and The Miracle Collectors, and a lifelong exploration of how miracles truly unfold.

In this conversation, Joan shares why miracles often arrive quietly, how to recognize them in your own life, and why these moments matter — especially during this season. A thoughtful, comforting episode about wonder, timing, and the gentle ways we’re guided.

If you’d like to explore more of Joan’s work, her books The Miracle Chase and The Miracle Collectors are available wherever books are sold.
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Connect with Marilyn and be a part of the conversation in the I Choose Happy private Facebook group. This is your safe space to share and be inspired — join today by clicking here.
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Find out more about Marilyn at marilyngetasbyrne.com
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I Choose Happy is made possible by The Comfy, a Shark Tank sensation whose wearable blankets make life happier. Find out for yourself with 20% off your first order using the code ICHOOSEHAPPY at TheComfy.com

This week on I Choose Happy, we sit with Stuart Preston as he shares the deeply personal story of losing his son, Ian, ten years ago — and the unexpected path that helped him begin to heal.

Stuart opens up about the moment that changed his life, the shock and the silence that followed, and the long stretch of grief where happiness felt impossible. He then shares how psychedelic medicine became a doorway — not to escape pain, but to understand it, soften it, and eventually make space for peace, presence, and connection.

We talk about ego, community, love that outlives the body, and the tender work of letting go without ever losing the bond that remains.

This episode is dedicated to the life and memory of Ian Preston — a brilliant, hard working, funny, kind young man, deeply loved by his family. May his story remind us of the importance of speaking openly about mental health, grief, suicide, and the healing paths available to us.

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Connect with Marilyn and be a part of the conversation in the I Choose Happy private Facebook group. This is your safe space to share and be inspired — join today by clicking here.
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Find out more about Marilyn at marilyngetasbyrne.com
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I Choose Happy is made possible by The Comfy, a Shark Tank sensation whose wearable blankets make life happier. Find out for yourself with 20% off your first order using the code ICHOOSEHAPPY at TheComfy.com

When the Palisades Fire swept through her neighborhood, Paige Killian had only minutes to react. What followed was a day she’ll never forget — a frantic escape, a series of miracles - big and small, and the beginning of a long emotional journey she never imagined she’d be on.

In this conversation, Paige opens up about the fear, the shock, and the quiet moments that hit the hardest in the aftermath. 
She shares the triggers she didn’t expect, the grief that surfaced in everyday places, and the tools that slowly helped her breathe again. From therapy and faith to the support of her community, Paige walks us through what it looked like to rebuild her life — both inside and out.

And true to who she is, Paige also talks about what it means to pivot with intention. As the founder of Everything With Style, and as a bestselling author and mompreneur strategist, she’s spent years teaching women how to simplify, organize, and step confidently into change. That same framework found its way back to her in the months after the fire, helping her reclaim her footing one small step at a time.

If you’d like to follow Paige’s work or connect with her, you can find her on Instagram at @everythingwithstylemom or visit her website at everythingwithstyle.com.

This is a story about survival, resilience, and choosing hope when everything feels uncertain.
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Find out more about Marilyn at marilyngetasbyrne.com
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I Choose Happy is made possible by The Comfy, a Shark Tank sensation whose wearable blankets make life happier. Find out for yourself with 20% off your first order using the code ICHOOSEHAPPY at TheComfy.com

When Bobby realized he was gay, fear and misunderstanding led to a devastating choice: at 15, he was sent across the country to a Christian conversion program designed to “correct” him.

What he endured there — the isolation, the emotional and physical abuse, and the relentless pressure to erase who he was — became one of the darkest chapters of his life.

In this episode, Bobby reveals what really happens inside programs built to change a young person’s identity, the moment everything finally broke open, and the long journey that followed as he rebuilt his sense of self, his faith, and his relationship with the people he loves.

Bobby’s story shows that after everything he survived, his identity is not something anyone else can define or destroy.
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Find out more about Marilyn at marilyngetasbyrne.com
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I Choose Happy is made possible by The Comfy, a Shark Tank sensation whose wearable blankets make life happier. Find out for yourself with 20% off your first order using the code ICHOSEHAPPY at TheComfy.com
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Born three months premature during a family vacation, Adam Bremen entered the world fighting — and he’s been choosing life ever since. Living with cerebral palsy, he grew up in a home overflowing with love, creativity, and a belief that limitations don’t define us. With parents who modeled possibility at every turn, Adam learned early that joy begins with focusing on what you can do.

In this powerful conversation, Adam opens up about the moments that shaped him: the strength he found in his family, the independence he built through curiosity and grit, the career that fueled his purpose, and the love story that forever changed his heart. He also shares the profound losses of his father and his wife Rachel — and how he continues to honor them by living forward with gratitude, humor, and hope.

Adam’s journey is a testament to resilience, connection, and the quiet courage it takes to keep choosing happy. His story will move you, inspire you, and remind you that a can-do heart can carry us through anything life brings.

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Connect with Marilyn and be a part of the conversation in the I Choose Happy private Facebook group. This is your safe space to share and be inspired — join today by clicking here.
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Find out more about Marilyn at marilyngetasbyrne.com
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I Choose Happy is made possible by The Comfy, a Shark Tank sensation whose wearable blankets make life happier. Find out for yourself with 20% off your first order using the code ICHOOSEHAPPY at TheComfy.com