Welcome back to The Never Alone Podcast with Iris Fisher Smith!

In Episode 10, Iris and her lifelong friend and co-host Karen Hearth Witty take a warm, honest walk down memory lane as they talk about the teen years, identity, and growing up in the 1970s.

Drawing from Chapter 12 of Iris’s book, “The Wonder Years,” Iris shares what it was like to be a young girl recovering from serious health issues, comparing herself to her beautiful older sister and silently wondering:

“Who am I, and am I really worthy of all this love?”

In this episode, they explore:

•  Teen identity & self-image
   
  • Feeling “less than” next to siblings or friends 
  • Hiding physical struggles behind humor and strength 
  • Learning (slowly!) to accept yourself as God made you
•  Family, mentors & being deeply loved
   
  • How parents, friends, and “second moms” helped Iris through 
  • Why encouragement and affirmation can shape a lifetime 
  • Seeing how God uses people as “cheerleaders” along the way
•  Nostalgia from the 1970s
   
  • Bell bottoms, hip-hugger jeans, hula hoops & pogo sticks 
  • TV shows like The Brady Bunch, The Waltons, Mary Tyler Moore & more 
  • Roller skating, youth group nights, and innocent first crushes 
•  History woven into family life 
  • Disney World soon after it opened in the early ’70s 
  • Vietnam-era POW/MIA bracelets 
  • Iris’s father’s powerful story as a Korean War POW and the family support that helped him heal

Through laughter, stories, and honest reflection, Iris and Karen remind us that every generation wrestles with the same question: “Who am I?” — and that the answer is found in being loved, known, and never truly alone.

 Watch more episodes & show notes:
https://irisfsmith.com/podcast

Order Iris’s book Never Alone:
https://irisfsmith.com

If this episode encouraged you, please:
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You are loved. You are seen. And you are never alone.