In this meaningful conversation with Shannon Tompkins, the Journey Through Life Podcast ranges throughout her life from early lessons from her grandfather to more recent lessons from her aunt. We talk of addiction and living with a loved one who took her on paths that she did not sign up for, and yet doing all she can to make it work. She talks of her own journey of healing (that continues today) by working the 12 steps of recovery, even though she was not the addict.

She is a great example of the phrase that her father has often said, "Nothing stays the same for long". So, even when the depths of hell surround us, we can keep pressing forward, believing that it will change eventually. And when things are great, we can be humble recognizing that things could change there too.

This is a fantastic, meaningful, emotional, and deep conversation with one of the strongest (because she strives to rely on God) people I have met. Enjoy this and other Journeys of ordinary people with extraordinary stories on the Journey Through Life Podcast (www.jtlpod.com).

A Life Untold: www.alifeuntold.com Promo code JUSTIN to save 10%

Sheppard Brackets: www.sheppardbrackets.com Promo code JTLPOD5 to save 5%

What an amazing conversation this week with Brooke Ellefsen. If you do not already know her, you will feel like you do at the end of this conversation and you will be jealous of me that I have been able to meet her and hang out with her for a couple of hours. What an amazing woman! Oh... and she gives the most amazing and ... present... hugs I think I have ever received.

In this conversation we talk about how life doesn't always go as planned and how she, in a very healthy time in her life, was suddenly and unexpectedly diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer. It has been a little over 3 years since that diagnosis, and Brooke has defied the odds and has survived. And no matter what the future holds, she has held out hope and has inspired hope and BElief in so many others, including me. I am a BEliever.

This conversation is heavy, and rightfully so. But we also dig into what make Brooke - well - Brooke, as she is not cancer and cancer is not her. We learn of miracles that have happened in her life as well as times when she has been an angel and worker of miracles in the lives of others in her circle of influence.

Links to sponsors and to things discussed in the podcast.

A Life Untold: www.alifeuntold.com Promo code JUSTIN to save 10%

Sheppard Brackets: www.sheppardbrackets.com Promo code JTLPOD5 to save 5%

Brave Like Brooke Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Brave-Like-Brooke-202274863566449/

Feeding the Mouth that Bites You: https://www.amazon.com/Feeding-Mouth-That-Bites-You/dp/1514762374/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=CjwKCAjwxOvsBRAjEiwAuY7L8sb7tKFdwRGR4lY7MZJMr-VoWiw_0R5kAesEgnARzgVGGUIuIyFeGBoCasMQAvD_BwE&hvadid=174264779753&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1027760&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=4275079712920490040&hvtargid=kwd-169496646530&hydadcr=24601_9648840&keywords=feeding+the+mouth+that+bites+you&qid=1570457510&sr=8-1

Wow. This conversation with James Layman really is a "wow" episode. It is packed with meaning and importance from the beginning to the end. Many times when we hear the phrase "Kids these days..." it is packed with negative connotations. James makes his life about turning that around and lifting and serving and empowering "kids these days" to be the leaders of the future. He shares several powerful stories that bring goose bumps.

A couple of very meaningful phrases that come up in this conversation, and phrases that I have used multiple times in the last few weeks since our initial conversation are as follows: "Silence is where we create the stories in our own heads." To learn how powerful this phrase is, listen in. The other is paraphrased as such: A conversation starts in the armpit and goes all the way to the tips of the fingers. Make sure you listen past the bicep.

The "In Their Own Words" segment at the end is also very poignant. James reads a poem that his mother wrote for him when he was quite young, but that he didn't find until many, many years later, after his mother had passed.

Just enjoy! You will not be disappointed.

Links to sponsors and to things discussed in the podcast.

Sleep In Heavenly Peace: www.shpbeds.org

A Life Untold: www.alifeuntold.com Promo code JUSTIN to save 10%

Sheppard Brackets: www.sheppardbrackets.com Promo code JTLPOD5 to save 5%

A fun and far-ranging conversation with the chair person of Sleep In Heavenly Peace - Spokane Chapter. Jan Spackman talks of her childhood and youth and the great influence that her grandmother had on her.

We then visit her life as a parent of 5, one of which is a special needs child. We talk of the challenges and joys of raising children. We visit addiction and rescue and redemption.

The In Their Own Words Segment is a brief life sketch about Jan's grandmother that was such a huge influence in her life.

Links to sponsors and to things discussed in the podcast.

Sleep In Heavenly Peace: www.shpbeds.org

A Life Untold: www.alifeuntold.com Promo code JUSTIN to save 10%

Sheppard Brackets: www.sheppardbrackets.com Promo code JTLPOD5 to save 5%

In this conversation with Christer Rasmusson, we journey through his life growing up in Sweden and learning lessons from family and friends. We follow him through some time he spent in England and then back to Sweden to raise a family of 8 children in Sweden. We learn of a grand awakening and change of heart moment after his first marriage ended in divorce. A place in which he realized that he needed to get rid of his blame list. It is quite the powerful lesson that in hind sight, I wish I would have entitled this episode, "Get Rid of Your Blame List". Oh well...

Christer is an author, speaker, and coach. If you are interested in learning more about his work, you can find it all at www.mccarthy.se .

To purchase his book, "Turn Your Vision Into Reality" you can go here: https://www.amazon.com/Turn-Your-Vision-Into-Reality/dp/9175698439/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Christer%20Rasmusson%2C%20Turn%20Your%20Vision%20Into%20Reality&qid=1568643253&s=gateway&sr=8-1&fbclid=IwAR1aqKTmZN7N4kVVanJasbb-K1W8kc0AkcrhLJLAQL7eIIZwhIqeq3aCKhQ

The In Their Own Words segment of this one was a fun one. It is a poem written by an ancestor of my wife. Elva Beaty wrote many poems and this one is called "Nothing to do but Go" and is a very image-provoking poem. I hope you enjoy it.

Remember to check out our partners at www.alifeuntold.com and at www.sheppardbrackets.com . Please use promo code JUSTIN at checkout to save some money and to let them know where you heard about their services and products.

In this journey with Dean Miyasaki we follow his life and the life of his grandparents and parents as they emigrated to the United States from Japan. They worked hard to build a life in Southeastern Idaho as farmers and to make a better life for the generations that came after them. We learn of their experience during World War II as Japanese Americans and their roles in that era of history. We learn of Dean's early years and life on the farm, in school, and a bit about his mission to Japan. We learn of his professional and married life with family and their journeys and adventures.

Dean share in his light hearted and easy going manner the things that are most important to him and the epiphanies he has had in his life.

Sit back (or mow the lawn or drive the car, etc) and enjoy this conversation with an ordinary person with an extraordinary story.

Check out our partners at our website, www.jtlpod.com.

www.alifeuntold.com - save 10% with promo code JUSTIN

www.sheppardbrackets.com - use promo code JUSTIN at check out.

This is a second release of the extraordinary story of Joe Harding from a few months ago. An ordinary, hard-working concrete professional whose life was drastically and immediately changed in a motorcycle accident. In this conversation we explore his childhood, his hero father, his struggles in his childhood and youth, his discovered love of working with concrete and his family, and the tragedy of his accident that left him a quadriplegic.

We then explore what that road has been like over the last 18 months and what the road looks like ahead.

I loved this conversation and witnessed some lights turning on as to how he can continue to "work hard" even in his physical condition and make a difference in the lives of others who have similar paths to him.

This conversation inspired me and I hope it inspires you.

Don't forget to check out our partner, https://alifeuntold.com and use promo code JUSTIN at check out to save 10% on your own legacy, or that of one of your relatives who NEEDS to tell their story.

Or our other partner, Sheppard Brackets. Use JUSTIN at checkout at www.sheppardbrackets.com.

In this journey with Dave Bush, we learn some amazing and helpful lessons from his life and his experiences that he shares with us. This conversation is very heavily influenced by his membership in and life with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but the lessons and experiences are things that transcend the Church or any other religious philosophy or practice.

He talks of the wisdom and strengths of his good wife. We walk through his ups and downs, health and cancer, victories and defeats.

At the end of this episode, Dave also shares a few experiences written by and about his great grandfathers from Wales who helped him understand his own passion and gift for music.

Please be sure to check out our partners:

https://alifeuntold.com Please use promo code JUSTIN to save 10%

www.sheppardbrackets.com Please use promo code JUSTIN at checkout.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SheppardBrackets Please use promo code JUSTIN at checkout.

In this Journey with Mary Cook, the host and blogger of This Indulgent Life (https://www.thisindulgentlife.com/, on Facebook and Instagram @thisindulgentlife), we follow her through her life being raised as a Navy brat (her words not mine). We follow her desire to journey and travel the world and where the amazing and difficult places that has taken her. We discuss the struggles of a failed marriage wherein abuse and unfaithfulness was happening and the lessons learned from a new group of friends and acquaintances who taught her to have fun and enjoy life again.

In the end, she shares the importance of trusting your intuition and creating great and amazing adventures as a family so that legacies and memories can be built.

I believe that you will enjoy this episode and will gain something valuable from it.

After the conversation, we have included another "In Their Own Words" segment with a short story, written by my grandfather, Clyde Taylor Higginson, about a mean sow pig. I think you will get a chuckle out of it.

Remember to check out our partner, A Life Untold (alifeuntold.com) so you can get your life story or the life story of someone important in your life down in a book. Use promo code JUSTIN at checkout to save 10%.

In this conversation with Kelly Irion Smith, we journey through an apparently ideal childhood and family life into some pretty dark places. We explore abuse and the rays of hope that are breaking through as the abuse is brought into the light. We then explore family tragedy and the questions of life and death. We discuss end of life planning and the importance of saying what is prompted to be said right now.

Kelly is an ordinary young woman with an extraordinary story that all can and will benefit from. I know I did and continue to benefit as I strive to apply the lessons and invitations from this conversation into my own life.

If you have a loved one that you feel needs to get their life story into a book, please go check out our partner, https://alifeuntold.com and look through the options to have that life story done. Use promo code JUSTIN at checkout to save 10%.

Check out old episodes of the Journey Through Life Podcast at www.jtlpod.com.