What happens when your child's life depends on you parenting perfectly? How do you reconcile what it's like to live on the precipice all the time, with wanting to be a present and joyful person for your children, your partner, and your friends?

On this episode, we sit down with Jessica Patay, author of the powerful new book "Becoming Brave Together." Jessica opens up about the constant vigilance required in caring for her son Ryan, who has Prader-Willi syndrome and shares why and how she formed a community for other moms with intense caregiving needs.

Jessica's new book is an anthology amplifying 21 other caregiving mothers' stories as well. By elevating these diverse voices, she provides an invaluable perspective into the unseen battles and exceptional bravery of parents raising children with disabilities and chronic illnesses. Whether this is your world or not, Jessica's wisdom and the community she's cultivated offers insights and understanding that can change the world we live in.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to find or form community
• What you deserve as your birthright
• Why self-care isn't a curse word
• How to stay connected with the people who matter to you
• And so much more...

Learn more about Jessica:
Website
Instagram
Facebook
The Book
Brave Together Podcas

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"This is my go-to podcast for inspiration and to discover new approaches to embrace the challenges in my life." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me reach more people -- just like you -- find strategies and insights to do the things that feel undoable. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

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Order Jessica's memoir, Breath Taking: A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes

Music credit: Limitless by Bells

Have you ever wished you had a guidebook to be by your side as you navigate the complexities of life? One that was written by a best friend, told you what to expect, and gave practical advice to help you through?

That's exactly what Kelley Coleman has written in her book, "Everything No One Tells You About Parenting a Disabled Child." 

In this episode, Kelly shares her personal journey of raising a son with multiple disabilities and offers invaluable advice not only for parents navigating similar paths, but for every human who wants to understand how to interact with empathy and show up in meaningful ways for others.

You'll learn:

•  Why we should all be following people whose life experience is different from our own. 
•  Who to turn to when you want to learn something about another community.
• What's a better strategy than  filling the air with words when you don't know what to say.  
• How and why to encourage self-advocacy in children.
• Why it's important to acknowledge the hard.
• And so much more...

Learn more about Kelley:
Website
Instagram
Facebook

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"This is my go-to podcast for inspiration and to discover new approaches to embrace the challenges in my life." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me reach more people -- just like you -- find strategies and insights to do the things that feel undoable. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

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Sign up for my newsletter and learn more about these remarkable stories at www.jessicafeinstories.com

Order Jessica's memoir, Breath Taking: A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes

Music credit: Limitless by Bells

Any great movement requires not only the ability to generate creative ideas but also the skill of mobilizing people around those ideas and bringing them to life. How do you do that?

Introducing Nell Merlino, a creative catalyst and trailblazer who has dedicated her life to advocating for women's empowerment and raising visibility and recognition of women and girls' contributions. With an impressive track record of mobilizing people and ideas, Nell brought Take Our Daughters to Work Day to life, reaching an astonishing 25 million people worldwide. As the founder of Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence, she also facilitated women's access to billion-dollar financing, grants, contracts, and markets. Nell's current project, Crown Quest, further amplifies women's achievements by creating beautiful visual tributes to their influence and impact.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The first step in taking an idea from theory to reality
• How inspiration can be found in unexpected places
• Why we have to recognize our own value
• What it means to be a lioness
• The power of being able to read a room

Learn more about Nell here.

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"This is my go-to podcast for inspiration and to discover new approaches to embrace the challenges in my life." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me reach more people -- just like you -- find strategies and insights to do the things that feel undoable. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

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Sign up for my newsletter and learn more about these remarkable stories at www.jessicafeinstories.com

Order Jessica's memoir, Breath Taking: A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes

Music credit: Limitless by Bells

What happens when your family's ideology prevents you from helping the person you love most?

That's what happened to today's guest, Kathleen Blackburn.

Kathleen Blackburn was the oldest of five children, a 12-year-old from Lubbock, Texas, whose evangelical family eschewed publ­ic education for homeschooling and wove improbable scientific theories into literal interpretations of the bible. Then her father, a former air force pilot, was diagnosed with stage IV cancer at the age of thirty-eight, and, as Kathleen writes in this searing memoir, “it was like pouring gasoline on the Holy Spirit.”

Stirred by her mother, the family committed to an extreme diet and sought deliverance from equally extreme sources: a traveling tent preacher, a Malaysian holy man, a local faith-healer who led services called “Miracles on 34th Street.”

What they didn’t know at the time was that their lives were entangled with a larger, less visible environmental catastrophe. Fire-fighting foams containing carcinogenic compounds had contaminated the drinking water of every military site where her father worked.

Twenty-five years later, Kathleen's memoir, Loose of Earth,  reckons with her past, her upbringing, the loss of her father, and the environmental story that shaped the landscape that for years she called home. Kathleen now lives in Chicago and teaches creative writing at the University of Chicago. 

You'll Learn:

• The difference between shame and regret, and which one is useful
• How literature can be an antidote to violence and silence
• What we do when we're told there's nothing we can do to help someone we love
• And so much more...

Learn more about Kathleen:
Website 
Instagram 

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"This is my go-to podcast for inspiration and to discover new approaches to embrace the challenges in my life." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me reach more people -- just like you -- find strategies and insights to do the things that feel undoable. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. Follow now!

Sign up for my newsletter and learn more about these remarkable stories at www.jessicafeinstories.com

Order Jessica's memoir, Breath Taking: A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes

Music credit: Limitless by Bells

When we encounter death, we're forced to confront life's biggest questions. Why do we suffer? Where is God in our darkest moments? Can we find beauty and meaning in the midst of grief?

Our guest is writer and former pastor Jonathan Foster who joins us for a profound and incredibly moving conversation about his book "Indigo: The Color of Grief," which he wrote after the tragic loss of his daughter.

In this raw, poetic dialogue, Jonathan invites us into the "liminal space" between hope and despair that he's inhabited since his daughter's death. He shares how this experience shattered his traditional beliefs about an omnipotent, omniscient God and led him to be "disinvited" from his religious denomination.

Jonathan reframes beauty as an act of defiant resistance against tragedy. And ultimately, he reveals the surprising power in simply being present with those who are suffering - not trying to solve or fix, but sitting alongside them in their "hell."

Whether or not you've experienced profound loss, Jonathan's perspective contains valuable wisdom for anyone confronting life's toughest challenges. By the end, you'll have a new appreciation for the profound presence of absence and be inspired to live with deeper intention.

You'll learn:

• Why you don't have to choose between hope and despair
• Why your pain doesn't get smaller, and why you might not want it to
• Why beauty is an act of resistance
• What we call the person who sits with us in hell
• Why "no thing" is a very big something
• And so much more...

Learn more about Jonathan:
website
Indigo
Instagram

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"This is my go-to podcast for inspiration and to discover new approaches to embrace the challenges in my life." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me reach more people -- just like you -- find strategies and insights to do the things that feel undoable. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. Follow now!

Sign up for my newsletter and learn more about these remarkable stories at www.jessicafeinstories.com

Order Jessica's memoir, Breath Taking: A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes

Music credit: Limitless by Bells

Have you ever felt a pang of regret for not saying yes to an opportunity that scared you? Or wondered what hidden potential lies within you that others see, but you can't quite yet?

This week's episode will light a fire under those very questions. Physician and writer doctor Mimi Zieman joins us with a truly extraordinary story - the time she said a resounding "yes" to an invitation that most of us would never have the audacity to accept.

At just 25 years old and one year into medical school, Mimi agreed to become the sole medical professional and only woman on a climbing team attempting a new, never-before-done route up the treacherous east face of Mount Everest. Oh, and they'd be doing it without supplemental oxygen.

In our riveting conversation, Mimi doesn't hold back on all the behind-the-scenes details you'd never imagine - from tap dancing in psychedelic tights on a boulder to leading a Passover Seder at 20,000 feet. You'll hear firsthand how she grappled with imposter syndrome while responsible for the lives of her teammates.

But ultimately, Mimi's journey becomes one of vulnerability, feminism, and an examination of what it truly means to feel vibrantly alive in the face of risk and uncertainty. Her hard-won wisdom and candidly beautiful writing will make you question how you too can start living more authentically and courageously.

Whether you're an adrenaline junkie or can't fathom leaving your living room couch, Mimi's inspirational story and perspective is one you won't want to miss. She'll have you pondering what you're willing to risk in order to discover your deepest self and make your own life itself a work of art.

You'll learn:

• Why you should trust the people who see potential in you that you don't yet see in yourself
• A simple tool to help combat imposter syndrome
• Why "coming of age" is an ongoing process
• Why you should get out of your safe zone
• How curiosity can be the most interesting life guide
• And so much more...

Learn more about Mimi:
website.
Instagram
Threads
Facebook
X 

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"This is my go-to podcast for inspiration and to discover new approaches to embrace the challenges in my life." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me reach more people -- just like you -- find strategies and insights to do the things that feel undoable. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. Follow now!

Sign up for my newsletter and learn more about these remarkable stories at www.jessicafeinstories.com

Order Jessica's memoir, Breath Taking: A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes

Music credit: Limitless by Bells

It's no secret that many of us feel lonelier and most isolated than we did in the past, so much so that there's a consensus that we're experiencing a "loneliness epidemic."

In this revealing episode, Jessica sits down with Jinhyun Shin, a mental wellness entrepreneur and founder of the "social being" app Penciv. Jinhyun shares his powerful personal experiences that sparked his drive to prevent suicide and how that led him to working to combat the modern "loneliness epidemic." 

Jinhyun reframes grief as the ultimate form of loneliness and shares his insights for honoring legacy. His innovative perspective will shift how you stay connected to yourself and build authentic community. You'll walk away with practical tools like the "feelings wheel" to identify nuanced emotions, as well as Jinhyun's three-step process for sharing your "wounds" to overcome loneliness.

Don't miss this candid conversation where Jinhyun gets raw about the difficulties of discussing mental health in the workplace, and hear his advice for receiving others' vulnerability as a precious gift. Whether you're grieving, disconnected, or simply crave deeper human bonds, this episode will leave you inspired to start meaningful conversations that combat isolation.

You'll learn:

• The 3 steps to honoring your lost loved ones
• What you need to do before you can share your emotions with others
• Why we need to expand our emotional language beyond mad/sad/glad 
• How to treat your emotions as important data
• How to share vulnerably and what to do when someone gets weird in response
• And so much more...

Learn more about Jinhyun:
Youtube
Blog
Medium Article: A House of Rooms
Medium Article: Life is Not About Happiness

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"This is my go-to podcast for inspiration and to discover new approaches to embrace the challenges in my life." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me reach more people -- just like you -- find strategies and insights to do the things that feel undoable. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. Follow now!

Sign up for my newsletter and learn more about these remarkable stories at www.jessicafeinstories.com

Order Jessica's memoir, Breath Taking: A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes

Music credit: Limitless by Bells

If you've ever encountered mom guilt; or felt trapped in a maze of protocols, paperwork, and policies; or found it impossible to juggle a corporate job with the intense caregiving for your child, you'll want to meet Jaclyn Greenberg.

Jaclyn is a mother, writer, and advocate whose experiences have ignited a passion for accessibility and inclusion in our communities. Jaclyn shares the emotional rollercoaster she experienced when her second son was unexpectedly born with severe disabilities caused by a virus she contracted during pregnancy. Jaclyn takes us through the shocking diagnosis, the lack of guidance and resources after leaving the hospital, and the constant struggle to get her son the support and accommodations he needs. Despite her background in business and tax accounting, Jaclyn found navigating the systems for disabled children to be exhausting, time-consuming and confusing.

Jaclyn reveals how this life-altering experience ultimately led her to become a writer and advocate, determined to share her family's story in hopes of promoting greater understanding, inclusion, and accessibility in the community. She discusses the importance of self-care, finding balance, and not being too hard on yourself when life's plans go in an entirely different direction than what you'd expected.

You'll learn about:

• What could be done differently when sharing impossible news
• A strategy that could make a huge difference to parent who are facing daunting diagnoses
• Where the real answers and support can be found
• The importance of spending time doing things that make you feel like you
• The power of sharing your story to raise awareness, increase inclusion, and connect with others going through similar experiences
• And so much more...

Learn more about Jaclyn at her website.

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"This is my go-to podcast for inspiration and to discover new approaches to embrace the challenges in my life." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me reach more people -- just like you -- find strategies and insights to do the things that feel undoable. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. Follow now!

Sign up for my newsletter and learn more about these remarkable stories at www.jessicafeinstories.com

Order Jessica's memoir, Breath Taking: A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes

Music credit: Limitless by Bells

When a trauma therapist with over 20 years of experience is blindsided by her own debilitating grief after losing both parents, where does she turn? In this deeply moving conversation, Meghan Riordan Jarvis takes us on her journey from professional expert to admitted patient at the same treatment facility where she once sent her toughest cases.

With raw honesty, Meghan shares how grief affected her physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  From finding spirituality in a documentary about mushrooms to spontaneously road-tripping across America during COVID with her kids, Meghan's personal transformation insights will reframe how you think about loss, healing, and what's really needed to support grievers.

Meghan's hard-won wisdom disrupts our cultural awkwardness around grief as she calls on employers  to stop avoiding this universal human experience. 

Get ready to question everything you think you know about the "rules" of mourning as you hear:

• Why talking about the five stages of grief is like saying the world is flat
• Why you should ignore some of the most common advice grievers hear
• Who needs to step up to change things in Western culture
• The surprising places you might find new sources of spirituality
• What we can learn from children about processing difficult emotions
• And so much more...

Learn more about Meghan:

Instagram
Facebook
Website

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"This is my go-to podcast for inspiration and to discover new approaches to embrace the challenges in my life." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me reach more people -- just like you -- find strategies and insights to do the things that feel undoable. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. Follow now!

Sign up for my newsletter and learn more about these remarkable stories at www.jessicafeinstories.com

Order Jessica's memoir, Breath Taking: A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes

Music credit: Limitless by Bells

Zibby Owens is the ultimate authorpreneur, seamlessly juggling writing, publishing, podcasting, and running an independent bookstore and community. How does she do it al?

In this inspiring conversation, we dive into how Zibby built a universe of readers and writers—dubbed the "Zibbyverse"—while also raising four kids.

We talk about how Zibby published her first essay -- as a teenager,  what it's like to produce a podcast every single day, the stories behind Zibby's debut novel Blank, and why it's time for authors to be treated like rockstars. We also cover Zibby's boundless energy, how she lifts up other authors, and her advice for writing authentically. 

Hear Zibby's advice for marketing creative work and how she's building engaged communities around books.

You'll learn:

• Why it makes sense to do the next right thing  even if you don’t have the whole path mapped out yet
• The kind of sharing that resonates with readers
• How to reframe failures
• The magic in saying, "Yes"
• The origins of the funniest character around: "deodorant guy!"
• And so much more...

Learn more about Zibby:
Website
Instagram

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"This is my go-to podcast for inspiration and to discover new approaches to embrace the challenges in my life." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me reach more people -- just like you -- find strategies and insights to do the things that feel undoable. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. Follow now!

Sign up for my newsletter and learn more about these remarkable stories at www.jessicafeinstories.com

Order Jessica's memoir, Breath Taking: A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes

Music credit: Limitless by Bells