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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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

At fifteen, Shaela Warkentin-Avila’s life changed in an instant. A car crash left her blind — but it also revealed a new kind of vision.
In the dark, she found clarity.
With striking honesty and grace, Shaela opens up about the night that tested her faith, the love that held her together, and the forgiveness that set her free.
It’s a story about loss, resilience, and learning to see beauty where you never thought it could exist.
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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

In 2009, Colonel Timothy Karcher’s vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad. The explosion would take both of his legs and change the course of his life. 

What followed was a journey through pain, perseverance, and perspective. One that revealed the power of humor, leadership, and the will to keep moving forward.

This special Veterans Day episode of I Choose Happy honors Colonel Karcher’s extraordinary story, and the countless men and women who have served our country with strength, resilience, and heart.
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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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When Mary Van Alstyne woke up in a hospital after a devastating car crash, she didn’t know where she was, why she was there, or how she’d survived. Her body was broken, her memory blurred — and her only focus was on getting back to her son.

What began as a grueling recovery became the start of something much deeper. Through physical therapy, Mary learned to breathe through pain, not yet realizing that single act would become her life’s work. In this episode, she shares how trauma led her to healing, how breath helped her rebuild from the inside out, and why she now dedicates her life to teaching others how to do the same.

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Connect with Mary on Instagram @mevamethod or visit meva.love to learn more about her breathwork and embodiment practice.
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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 ICHOSEHAPPY at TheComfy.com
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On the 15th anniversary of her breast cancer diagnosis, host Marilyn Getas Byrne steps to the other side of the microphone to share her own story — a deeply personal journey of fear, faith, and the power of choosing life.

From the moment she found a lump at 40 to a near-death experience that reshaped her understanding of belief, Marilyn recounts the odyssey that tested every part of her — body, mind, and spirit. Through loss, financial hardship, and family crisis, she discovered the strength that comes from faith, humor, and human connection.

This is the story behind I Choose Happy itself: the moment a journalist, mother, and survivor learned that healing is not the absence of pain — but the courage to choose joy anyway.

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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.