No Regrets Podcast With Kate

Denise's father passed away in 2013 of prostate cancer. Comedy and laughter has helped her process the loss of her father. Denise speaks freely about her journey, having her first child at the age of 15 and how she has hustled to provide for her family. 

Today, Denise has been named 805's Favorite Female Comedian three years in a row! You can see her perform live at Levity Live in Oxnard on December 18, 2019. You can learn more about her story on her website and find her on all social media channels @comediandenisecarter. 

"Grand Master Rockin' G" as Gigi is known to her grandchildren, shares the heartbreaking story of losing her husband to glioblastoma multiforme stage 4 (brain cancer). 

Gigi volunteers at the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center in Westwood where her husband passed away to assist other families who are going through what her and her family went through. 

Richard Vernon Meese: September 6, 1954 - July 21, 2018 (age 63).

Susan and I share the same congenital heart disease: tetralogy of Fallot. We compare our experiences and talk about life from the perspective of having a life-long illness, an "invisible" illness, how Susan appropriately describes it.

To read the article Susan wrote for the Mayo Clinic, download it here. 

If you or someone in your family has a congenital heart disease, know, they will need life-long care. Visit the Adult Congenital Heart Association website to learn more and locate resources near you. 

This is proof, the Universe works in mysterious ways to align us with our desires. 

I have been a fan of Mark Wahlberg since the 1990's. I knew I wanted to share the story, after all these years of being a fan, of how I finally met him. I either wanted to share it in a blog post or on this podcast. I figured verbally sharing this story would be better because I am not sure I would be able to articulate just how it all came together. When I told my friends and family how I found myself driving to LA from Orange County in evening rush hour to meet Mark Wahlberg, it was almost unbelievable. 

Here is the link to the Alchemy In You video I mention in this episode. Listen at the 3:40 mark for at least 20 seconds. (4:17, "tingles, tingles, tingles"....so appropriate!)

And a HUGE thank you to my best friend who convinced me to go and took one for the team to make a long time dream of mine come true. 

In this episode, I talk about romantic love and the regret of not telling someone you love them. The full story of Denny is actually in my book, I Didn't Know I was Dying and How I Live(d).

Visit my Instagram feed @noregretspodcastwithkate to see a photo of Denny and I the day he returned home from supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Please leave your comments or your story of telling someone you love them.

To learn more about me, visit my website at thekatehutchinson.com. 

In this heartfelt episode, Melinda shares her story of a long, high-pressured career in sales, a turbulent first marriage, adopting a son, and raising her grandson but the one thing that has shaped her the most is the loss of her older son Clayton, who succumbed to opiate addiction.

Melinda talks about spending many years in the fast lane and how she has dealt with the death of her son. Now, at the age of 66, she has slowed down to enjoy life more and is following her passion of acting and storytelling. She has landed lead roles in plays, appeared in commercials and student films. Her next goal is to write her families stories.

You can see Melinda’s work on her YouTube Channel.

If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, Melinda wants you to know, the addicted loved one needs a support system to guide them to seek help. Most addicts don’t want to seek help on their own, but if a trusted family member offers to stick by & help them, they are more likely to give in. Also, relapse during rehabilitation is natural. Don’t give up! 

Narcotics Anonymous offers free meetings. Visit their website at na.org for a meeting near you.

RIP Clayton Matthew Jenkins - April 13, 1979 - October 19, 2006

The notion of “we’re all just children inside trying to find our way in the dark” is a truth we sometimes forget.

In today's episode, I talk about the inner child, or the child within. I believe the inner child is one of the primary keys to healing. Every one of us is stumbling not only to find each other, but to also find our way back to ourselves. 

You can read my blog post from November 2017, The Child Inside, on my website at thekatehutchinson.com.

Reverend Penni Honey of Unity of Flagstaff is on the podcast today. As Penni says, she has lived a lot of life. She has also done all the "shoulds": marriage, raised children, a corporate career....

Through her work in hospice, ministry, spiritual coaching and counseling, she has seen first-hand how people deal with regret at the end of life but also agrees, many die with regret. 

Penni shares her meditation practice, wisdom and insight gained through nearly 60 years of life experience and her spiritual teachings. You won't want to miss her bubbly personality, infectious laugh and the joy that innately emanates from her.  

Fun fact about Rev. Penni, she loves acronyms. She shares three: 

CHANGE = Consistently Having A New Growth Experience

NO = New Opportunity

TRUST = To Rely Upon Spirit/Self Totally

Join Rev. Penni live on YouTube every Sunday at youtube.unityofflagstaff.org. Should you wish to send her a message, please email her at [email protected]. 

If you are interested in learning more about my Denali, Alaska experience, my book, I Didn't Know I Was Dying and How I Live(d), is available on Amazon (Kindle and print) and wherever ebooks are sold. 

At only 35 years old, Jacob in recent years has completed his military service, lived in Manhattan to study acting, went to dive school and worked as a diver before ultimately fulfilling his dream in Los Angeles attending film school and starting the award-winning Dapper Penguin Productions. 

Jacob grew up in Northern California wine country and has traveled the world and not just through the military. Listen to his journey to learn the challenges he faces starting a film production company in the heart of Hollywood, his motivation to keep going and what has made him so successful. Lastly, and most importantly, Jacob is passionate about Batman. Learn who Jacob's favorite Batman is and how the franchise came to be. 

Thank you for tuning in. You can follow the No Regrets Podcast with Kate and Dapper Penguin Productions on Instagram. To read more about Dapper Penguin Productions, visit their website at https://dapperpenguininc.com/.

I'm returning to the No Regrets Podcast with Kate after nearly a four month hiatus. While I did need a break, the truth is, I was sick. And not in the cold/flu sort of way. In the middle of May I started to feel terrible. I was tired all the time, I had no appetite then I started to become short of breath.

I had just moved so I thought it was all stress from the move. By Memorial Day weekend, I was really feeling it. Then it hit me. If you know my story, then you know I have a congenital heart disease. I was sitting in my car feeling just awful when it hit me that something was seriously wrong. After the holiday weekend, I went straight to my cardiologist at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center. This is when I learned I had a 102 fever and a bacterial infection. I was admitted to the hospital immediately. I ended up spending an entire month in the hospital.

In this episode, I talk about the lessons learned through this emotional experience such as my triggers, how life can change in an instant and more. Remember, all you owe anyone is your own happiness. 

I'm excited to return to the podcast and share with you the amazing guests and content I have this season. Be sure to listen to Season 1 and be ready for Season 2.

Follow me on Instagram at @noregretspodcastwithkate. My wish for you is to live your very best life, to never wonder what if and live with #noregrets. 

p.s. I'm much better now. I look and feel healthy again.