What happens when chronic illness changes your marriage? Andrew and Kristen Van Noy share how 15 years of chronic illness, caregiver burnout, anxiety, depression, severe sleep deprivation, and unanswered prayers tested their marriage—and how they’re finding hope while they’re still in the middle of it.

In this deeply personal episode of the Like a Diamond Podcast, Kristen opens up about debilitating panic attacks, medication withdrawal, years of sleep problems and restless leg syndrome, depression, and the moments when she questioned whether she could keep going.

Andrew shares the side of chronic illness that often goes unseen: the toll on the caregiver. After years of trying to protect Kristen, care for their children, and hold their family together, he experienced exhaustion, resentment, guilt, and his own physical effects from stress. He also shares one of the hardest things he’s ever admitted to his wife—there were times he imagined what life would be like if he were married to someone who wasn’t sick.

Their struggles affected their marriage, their faith, and the way they saw each other.

Through therapy, difficult conversations, and learning that love doesn’t always mean fixing the person who’s hurting, they began rebuilding their connection.

But this isn’t a story told from the other side.

They’re still in the fire.

There are still unanswered questions and difficult nights. But they’re learning that hope doesn’t have to begin when healing begins.

If you’re living with chronic illness, caring for a sick spouse, struggling with depression or anxiety, questioning your faith, or fighting for your marriage through circumstances you can’t change, this conversation is for you.

💎 Subscribe to Like a Diamond for real stories about faith, marriage, grief, trauma, resilience, mental health, and finding hope through life’s hardest experiences.

#ChronicIllness #CaregiverBurnout #Marriage #MentalHealth #LikeADiamondPodcast

At 21 years old, Jamie Hadfield was run off the road in Mexico, surrounded by armed men, kidnapped, and taken deep into the desert. With guns pointed at her, she was convinced she was going to die.

She survived.

But some of the most painful chapters of Jamie’s life were still ahead.

Years later, Jamie became a wife and stepmother and finally became pregnant with a baby of her own. Her son, Jack, was born extremely premature and lived for only minutes. What followed was years of infertility treatments, 27 artificial inseminations, IVF, and the devastating loss of twins after finally seeing a successful pregnancy.

At one point, Jamie found herself asking God a question many people have asked in their darkest moments: “Why would You do that to me?”

In this deeply vulnerable conversation, Jamie shares what it was like to survive a cartel kidnapping, live with the lasting effects of trauma, lose a child, struggle through infertility and IVF, wrestle with God, and somehow keep moving forward.

She also shares how those experiences ultimately shaped the woman she became—a pageant coach, Mrs. Utah titleholder, Mrs. Mexico titleholder, advocate, mother, and mentor to women around the world.

This episode is about more than surviving tragedy. It’s about what can be created inside us when we walk through experiences we never would have chosen.

Jamie’s message to anyone who feels like they are standing in their own desert is simple:

“Just hold on. The light will come.”

In this episode:
• Surviving a kidnapping at gunpoint in Mexico
• Living with trauma, anxiety, and hypervigilance
• Losing her premature son, Jack
• Infertility, artificial insemination, and IVF
• The heartbreaking loss of twins
• Being angry with God after unanswered prayers
• How to support someone grieving the loss of a child
• Why acknowledging someone’s pain matters
• Finding purpose after suffering
• How hardship creates resilience and real confidence
• Jamie’s journey into pageantry and coaching
• Finding faith and meaning when life doesn’t make sense

If Jamie’s story speaks to you, share this episode with someone who may need to hear it.

Subscribe to Like a Diamond for more honest conversations about loss, adversity, faith, resilience, and the experiences that shape us into who we are meant to become.

How do you survive when the unthinkable happens? Marc and Holly Cram join the Like a Diamond podcast to share their journey through the sudden loss of their 13-year-old son, Beckham. They open up about raw anger at God, navigating grief in marriage, and choosing to turn into the storm.

In this episode, we discuss:

• (00:00) The Be Like Beck Story
  
• (05:12) Who Was Beckham Cram?
  
• (11:12) The Sudden Accident
  
• (15:39) Leaving the Hospital & The Shock of Grief
  
• (20:46) Choosing Celebration Over Tradition
  
• (27:26) Raw Anger at God & Hitting the Bottom
  
• (33:49) Moving Energy: Breathwork & Grief
  
• (39:45) Asymmetrical Grief: Surviving Marriage Strain
  
• (47:30) Eliminating "Shoulds" & Living in Alignment
  
• (52:36) Signs, Thinning the Veil & Staying Connected
  
• (01:02:15) What Grieving Parents Actually Need
  
• (01:07:38) Turning Into the Storm Like the Buffalo
  

Follow the podcast and share this episode with anyone walking through grief or difficult life trials.

Kim Schoepke thought she had reached her breaking point. Then life gave her even more to carry.

In this deeply personal conversation, Kim shares her journey through severe depression, her husband’s bipolar disorder and manic episodes, a brain tumor and multiple brain surgeries, financial devastation, divorce, and the painful decision to protect her children while still loving the man she had been with since she was young. 

But their story did not end with divorce.

Kim explains how her husband eventually hit rock bottom, took responsibility for rebuilding his life, went through therapy and recovery, repaired relationships with their children, and slowly earned back trust. Years after believing their marriage was permanently over, Kim made the unexpected decision to marry him again. 

Along the way, Kim shares powerful lessons about mental health, forgiveness, boundaries, faith, parenting through crisis, and what happens when you reach the point where you have nothing left to give.

This is a story about losing almost everything, learning when to let go, finding the courage to forgive, and discovering that broken things can sometimes be rebuilt into something stronger than before.

Topics include: bipolar disorder, depression, mental health, marriage, divorce, remarriage, brain tumors, brain surgery, forgiveness, faith, trauma, parenting, resilience, and healing.

“Feeling is healing.”

After losing her two-year-old daughter, Joy, Tami Weaver faced the unimaginable task of grieving while parenting four other children and holding her family together.

Tami joins Andrew and Kristen to remember the spirited little girl Joy was and to share what followed her unexpected death: shock, empty arms, different grieving styles within a marriage, and the challenge of helping children mourn their sister.

Eighteen years later, Tami still misses Joy and continues to speak of her as part of the family. Her faith has not erased the sorrow, but it has helped her carry it with hope, compassion, and the belief that today’s pain will not always feel this overwhelming.

This tender conversation is for anyone living with loss—or trying to support someone who is. Tami offers no shortcut through grief, only an honest reminder: allow yourself to feel, take the next small step, and trust that you will breathe again.

Content note: This episode discusses the death of a young child and family grief.

She said "I'll do it" before she even asked her husband — and delivered someone else's baby on Mother's Day.

When their neighbors Mark and Jamie Johnson mentioned they were looking for a surrogate, Sam Scott didn't hesitate. Right there on the street, she offered to carry their child — full-heartedly, before talking it over with her husband Brandon. Four months later she started the transfer process. Nine months after that, she gave birth to baby Brady, with both families in the delivery room together.

In this episode, Sam and Jamie tell the whole story: the prayer Sam prayed alone on her knees the night before the embryo transfer ("I'm holding their happiness"), the neighborhood "Bun in the Oven" costume reveal, the tender-mercy timing of finding out they were expecting on September 11th, and the letter Sam wrote to baby Brady that she reads out loud for the first time on camera.

This is Part 2 of the Johnson family's surrogacy journey — a story about infertility, IVF, surrogacy, friendship, and what it means to carry someone else's happiness as your own. Suffering doesn't destroy you. It refines you.

THIS IS A TWO PART EPISODE! MAKE SURE NOT TO MISS OUT ON NEXT WEEK'S EPISODE TO SEE HOW IT ENDS!

For years, Mark and Jamie Johnson wanted one thing more than anything else: to become parents.

What followed was a journey through unexplained infertility, fertility treatments, two miscarriages, unsuccessful IUIs, IVF, anger, grief, marital strain, and questions about faith that neither of them expected to face.

In this deeply vulnerable episode, Mark and Jamie talk about what infertility actually did to them—not only physically, but emotionally, spiritually, and as a couple.

Mark shares the devastating moment he called his mother after their first miscarriage and couldn’t even speak before she knew what had happened. He also opens up about becoming angry with God, pulling away from his faith, and feeling like men often have nowhere to put the grief they experience after pregnancy loss.

Jamie shares the physical and emotional toll of fertility treatments, what it was like to keep hoping month after month, and why she and Mark sometimes needed to stop trying altogether just so their relationship could breathe again.

They discuss how infertility changed intimacy, the well-intentioned comments that hurt more than helped, watching other families have what they desperately wanted, and how prolonged suffering slowly created distance in their marriage.

Then came IVF—and five healthy embryos.

But after seeing what treatment had done to Jamie’s body, they began considering another possibility: surrogacy.

What happened next IS A MIRACLE.

Mark and Jamie’s story is ultimately about more than infertility. It is about learning to suffer together, making room for different ways of grieving, rediscovering faith after anger, and becoming more compassionate toward struggles we may never see.

A powerful conversation for anyone who has experienced infertility, miscarriage, IVF, pregnancy loss—or loved someone who has.

What would you do if you lost your child in an instant?

In this deeply moving episode of the Like a Diamond Podcast, Becky Boudrero shares the heartbreaking story of losing her 10-year-old son, Dominic, after a tragic bicycle accident. She takes us through the unimaginable moments in the emergency room, the overwhelming grief that followed, and the unexpected ways she found hope in the darkest season of her life.

Rather than asking God to take away her pain, Becky prayed for something different:

“I don’t want You to heal me. I just want You to hold me.”

That simple prayer became the turning point in her healing journey.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• What it’s like to lose a child unexpectedly
• Processing trauma and PTSD after tragedy
• Finding hope when miracles don’t look the way we expect
• Signs, tender mercies, and moments that brought peace
• Forgiving the driver involved in the accident
• Helping children and spouses navigate grief together
• How faith can sustain us when life no longer makes sense

Whether you are grieving the loss of a loved one, walking through unimaginable hardship, or searching for hope, Becky’s story is a powerful reminder that we are never truly alone.

If this episode touched your heart, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who may need hope today.

#LikeADiamondPodcast #Grief #ChildLoss #Hope #Faith #Healing #PTSD #Miracles #MentalHealth #ChristianPodcast #Inspiration #Resilience

At 15 years old, Scott Schwab went from playing football to being unable to walk within days.Guillain-Barré syndrome left him in a wheelchair, unable to use his body normally, and dependent on his parents for basic care. Scott eventually returned to football—but learning to walk again was only the beginning of his recovery.In this honest conversation with Andrew and Kristen Van Noy, Scott explains how anger and a victim mentality shaped the years following his illness. He shares the night that forced him to change direction, how service helped restore his faith, and why he eventually had to stop allowing adversity to define his identity.Scott also opens up about:- Living with lasting neuropathy and physical limitations- Taking in two teenage nephews during a painful family crisis- What that experience taught his family about love and communication- Losing influence in a company he helped build- The personal habits that business failure exposed- Giving children room to struggle, learn, and repair- Preparing yourself to be present before walking through the doorOne of Scott’s most powerful reminders is simple:“How you show up is what people remember.”This episode is about more than surviving paralysis. It is about rebuilding identity, accepting responsibility, giving yourself grace, and choosing who you want to become when life refuses to follow your plan.What helps you reset and show up for the people who matter most? Share your answer in the comments.CHAPTERS00:00 Welcome and introduction 02:17 Growing up in Rexburg 03:05 Sudden weakness at 15 05:09 Guillain-Barré diagnosis and paralysis 10:48 Wheelchair, leg braces, and returning to football 12:37 Anger, faith, and the people Scott couldn’t see 14:15 “Stop being the victim” 14:50 The night everything had to change 17:55 Living with lasting neuropathy 21:25 Scott’s family 22:36 Taking in two teenage nephews 29:15 What the experience taught their family 31:27 Identity and business failure 37:33 Neuropathy and the origins of Met 43:15 Why failure teaches more 46:40 Parenting, repair, and grace 49:19 Preparing to show up WATCH OR LISTENApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/like-a-diamond-podcast/id6788169619Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033zvTT2vry2ZauChiuHIZ?si=wDBtpafuTA-0kpjGQwMxOwAmazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d66a3146-fde2-4590-be61-6caaa8f3bfc7/like-a-diamond-podcastiHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-like-a-diamond-podcast-338295324CONNECT WITH SCOTT SCHWABInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/schwabscottLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-schwab-8306713/FOLLOW LIKE A DIAMONDWebsite: https://likeadiamond.com Instagram: @likeadiamondpodcast YouTube: Subscribe for more real stories of struggle, resilience, and transformation.If Scott’s story encouraged you, please like the video, subscribe, and share this episode with someone navigating an unexpected change.Medical note: This episode presents Scott’s personal experience and is not medical advice. Experiences with Guillain-Barré syndrome and recovery vary. Consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding medical symptoms, diagnoses, or treatment.#GuillainBarre #Resilience #LikeADiamondPodcast

"I'm about to jump off this big cliff in my life... but my safety net is my Savior."In Episode 5 of the Like a Diamond Podcast, hosts Andrew and Kristen Van Noy sit down with close family friend and healthcare leader, Dani Kurtz.When Dani went for a routine mammogram in early 2025, she never expected to walk away with a complex breast cancer diagnosis—especially after receiving a clear mammogram result due to dense tissue. In this deeply moving episode, Dani shares the emotional roller coaster of her journey: from an unexpected premonition years earlier, to navigating chemo (“Red Devil”), surgeries, and unexpected complications like her infamous "Tale of Two Titties" story.Through every dark turn, Dani’s unwavering faith, family support, and infectious optimism transformed a terrifying trial into a story of resilience, refined purpose, and incredible light.📌 What You’ll Hear in This Episode:• 00:00 – Intro & Reuniting with Family Friend Dani Kurtz• 04:15 – Life as "Nurse Dani": Labor & Delivery to Caregiver Experience• 09:30 – The Premonition: Catching Breast Cancer with Dense Tissue & Ultrasound• 16:20 – The Moab Jeep Tour: Learning to Trust the Driver in Life's Steep Drops• 21:40 – The Hiawatha Tunnel Metaphor: Finding Collective Light in Deep Darkness• 27:10 – Navigating Chemo, Hawaii Trips, and "Dear Dani" Moments of Peace• 33:00 – How Hardship Shapes Marriages and Helps Kids Build Faith• 38:45 – "The Tale of Two Titties": Reconstruction Complications & Keeping Humor Alive• 42:15 – Danny’s Advice: Gratitude as the Ultimate Antidote to FearQuotes to Remember:"When you're going through a really dark time, gratitude is one of the greatest antidotes for depression, loneliness, and fear." — Dani Kurtz"Look forward five years, imagine the headline you want written about you, and then go write the story." — Dani Kurtz🔔 Subscribe to the Like a Diamond Podcast for more stories about how life's greatest pressures can refine us into something indestructible.#LikeADiamondPodcast #BreastCancerSurvivor #CancerJourney #FaithAndHealing #HopeAndResilience #IntermountainHealth