Welcome back to The Never Alone Podcast with Iris Fisher Smith! In Episode 8, Iris and lifelong friend/co-host Karen Hearth Whitty flip the script: Karen interviews Iris about how God has used friends, illness, and big cross-country moves to shape her story.

In this heartfelt conversation, Iris shares how growing up with a very social, community-oriented family laid the foundation for friendships that have lasted decades — and how those same roots carried her through mini-strokes, life in a wheelchair, and rebuilding her health in Washington State.

You’ll hear about:

• 🌎 Moving from the East Coast to Colorado, Florida, and finally Washington State
• ♿ Iris’s years in a wheelchair after strokes — and how she learned to walk again
• 💜 Her work with Joni and Friends and the gift of friends like Gunilla who served as caregivers and sisters in Christ
• ⛪ Finding healthy church communities (and what to watch out for in unhealthy ones)
• 👩‍👧 Saying goodbye to her mom — her “best friend” — and learning to keep telling the stories
• 📖 Why Iris believes we must ask our parents, aunts, and grandparents about their lives before those stories are gone

If you love faith, family, history, and real talk about suffering and hope, this episode will feel like sitting at the kitchen table with old friends.

👉 Listen to more episodes and find photos, clips, and resources at:
https://irisfsmith.com/podcast

📕 Never Alone (the book) weaves these true stories together with major historical events and family memories.
👉 Order your copy at irisfsmith.com

If this episode encouraged you, please:
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You’re never alone — and we’re so glad you’re here. 

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