Real Things Living

If you think your past defines your future, this story of Ivy League success, 20 years of homelessness, and ultimate redemption will change your mind.

Ken Miller joins Brigitte Cutshall to share his powerful journey from being a National Merit Scholar at Dartmouth to spending two decades battling addiction, homelessness, and incarceration.

Now 21 years sober and a successful business owner, Ken discusses the "internal problem" behind addiction, the courage required to face childhood trauma, and how he transitioned from a life of "negative secrets" to becoming a kind, gentle mentor for the next generation.

3 Key Takeaways

(1) Own Your Truth, Lose the Power: Healing begins by "turning the lights on" in the rooms of your past. By speaking his "big secrets" aloud, Ken stripped them of their power to cause him pain or shame.

(2) The Myth of the "Why": While trauma and environment are factors (antecedents), Ken emphasizes that rationalizing bad behavior through past pain prevents true recovery. Accountability is the first step toward change.

(3) Service as Self-Care: One of the fastest ways to build self-worth is to get "outside of yourself." Helping others—whether through formal mentoring or simply calling a lonely relative—creates the value you might feel you're lacking.

Grab a copy of Ken Miller’s book, Becoming Ken, on Amazon - https://amzn.to/4tDHdwA

"I don't think I had a choice—this is just how my river runs."

In this episode of Real Things Living, host Brigitte Cutshall talks with Yousef Benhamida, the systems-driven entrepreneur behind the national brand Humboldt’s Secret. Yousef shares his journey from childhood "hustles" to bootstrapping a national empire. He explains why he values a "clean house" and organized systems over raw hustle, and how a relentless refusal to lose drives his success.

3 Key Takeaways:

(1) Systems are the Wings: Radical organization is the only way to scale. You must eliminate chaos to make a business light enough to "fly."

(2) The Habit of Winning: Yousef trades the word "discipline" for a strategic focus on avoiding the habits that lead to losing.

(3) The Draft Moment: Success is years of quiet preparation meeting one massive opportunity. You have to be positioned to perform when the big contract appears.

Connect with Yusuf Benhamida - https://yousefbenhamida.com/

Humboldt’s Secret Supplies - https://humboldtssecretsupplies.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/yousefbenhamida/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/yousefbenhamida/

Imagine working your entire life for a retirement you never reach. Engineering leader, Jossie Haines, shares how a family tragedy transformed her perspective on ambition, burnout, and the urgent need for human-centric leadership in the age of AI.

After reaching the heights of Silicon Valley as a VP of Engineering and working on iconic products like Siri, Jossie realized that the traditional "up and to the right" career path often leads to burnout rather than fulfillment.

She discusses the systemic reasons why 50% of women leave tech by age 35, how to leverage AI as a leadership tool rather than a replacement for human judgment, and why true success must be defined on your own terms.

3 Key Takeaways:

(1) The "Next Step" Philosophy: Avoid the paralysis of trying to map out a massive goal from A to Z. Focus exclusively on the immediate next step—whether it's a phone call or a brainstorm—to gain clarity without the overwhelm.

(2) Inclusion is a Product Feature: Diverse teams aren't just a metric; they build better tech. Jossie highlights how a lack of diverse testers can lead to products (like voice assistants) that fail to recognize women's voices or various accents.

(3) AI is a Change Management Challenge: Integrating AI into a team isn't just about the software; it’s a leadership task. Success with AI requires human oversight to determine what "good" looks like and to ensure it solves the right problems.

Connect with Jossie Haines on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jossiemann/

Check out her website - https://JossieHaines.com to learn about her upcoming workshops and coaching programs.

"We need to focus on who we are." The secret to raising resilient children starts with the parent stepping away to find their own calm in the chaos.

In this episode of the Real Things Living Podcast, Brigitte Cutshall explores the essentials of Parental Resilience with psychologist and author Dr. Kate Lund.

Dr. Lund introduces her "Step Away" book, which focuses on the psychology of parenting and why resilient parenting requires us to prioritize our own well-being first.

They dive into the comparison trap of social media, the importance of mindfulness for parents, and practical strategies for overcoming parental stress. By shifting from a "crisis mode" to a "resilient lifestyle," moms and dads can find better work-life balance for families and improve overall mental health for moms and dads.

3 Key Takeaways

(1) Manage the Baseline: Resilience isn't just for emergencies; it’s a daily practice. Using tools like the "relaxation response" helps parents start their day at a lower stress level so they can ride life's challenges like a wave.

(2) The "Step Away" Philosophy: Stepping away isn't about checked-out parenting; it’s about putting on your own oxygen mask first. By prioritizing self-awareness and personal joy, parents can "step back in" more robustly for their families.

(3) Context Over Comparison: High stress often stems from comparing our "messy" reality to curated digital lives. True resilience comes from optimizing within your own unique context and focusing on authentic human connection.

To find more of Dr. Kate Lund’s resources and pick up a copy of her new book, Step Away, visit her website at https://KateLundSpeaks.com

Connect with her on:

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-lund/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dr_kate_lund/

Your chronic physical pain might be more than a medical diagnosis—it could be your body’s only way of screaming for emotional rescue.

Author and Shaman, Kerry Blaser Bouzaglo, joins Brigitte Cutshall to share her journey from a traumatic childhood and debilitating back pain to a life of "psychic gifts" and radical health, revealing how women can stop "popping pills" and start listening to the wisdom of their own biology.

3 Key Takeaways:

(1) The Body as a Mirror: Chronic physical ailments—specifically lower back and "womb" pain—often serve as physical manifestations of repressed emotional trauma, guilt, and shame.

(2) The "Hills and Valleys" of Growth: Using a physics-based metaphor, Keri explains that the "valleys" of life provide the momentum and speed necessary to reach higher levels of wisdom; without the lows, we cannot reach the "Everest" of enlightenment.

(3) Recalibrating the Nervous System: Healing is the process of shifting the body’s resonance from fear-based frequencies to the frequencies of love and compassion (measured at $500\text{ Hz}$ and above).

Are you ready to stop ignoring what your body is trying to tell you? Download Kerry's new book, My Inner Heroine. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F2SJZ1B6

Visit her website to explore your own origin story and begin your healing journey today. https://kerryblaser.com/

Are you living for everyone else but yourself?

Kathleen Conner, the founder of Chasing Purpose, joins Brigitte Cutshall to discuss the "Aha" moment that saved her life and how women can stop being "fine" and start being seen.

Drawing from her experience as a high-level corporate executive and a lifetime of service, Kathleen reveals the "box methodology"—the labels like "The People Pleaser," "The Perfect Mother," and "The Invisible Woman" that keep us trapped.

Key highlights:

(1) The 100-Yard Wake-Up Call: Why a moment of physical exhaustion forced Kathleen to re-evaluate her life’s direction

(2) The Power of the Pause: How taking two seconds to breathe before reacting can keep you in control of your own identity.

(3) The "Fine" Trap: Why saying you’re "fine" often means "Feelings I Never Express" and how to break the habit of repressing your needs.

(4) 1% Better Every Day: Practical advice for shifting your internal "emotional baseline" without the burnout of massive, sudden changes.

Visit https://chasingpurpose.com to take Kathleen’s free Emotional Baseline Assessment or book a discovery session.

Ditch the idea that you need natural-born talent and discover how curiosity, bread-making, and even a "neutralized" paintbrush can become your most powerful tools for emotional healing.

In this episode of Real Things Living, host Brigitte Cutshall sits down with Grace Esther, the heart behind Healing with Grace.

Grace shares her journey into creativity, which began in 2006 and took a significant turn during the isolation of the pandemic. She discusses how her time alone allowed her to break free from people-pleasing tendencies and embrace her own passions, particularly baking and painting.

Grace recounts her experiences with fasting, which led her to discover her love for baking, and how she transitioned into painting through paint-by-numbers kits, ultimately developing her unique style.Takeaways:

- Creativity is a healing tool.

- Embrace your passions without fear of judgment.

- Start with simple projects to build confidence.

- Experimentation is key to finding your style.

- Sustainable changes are what stick.

Learn more about Grace:

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@livingwithgrac3

Substack - https://open.substack.com/pub/simplyspectacular

40 Days to Transformation Through Drawing, Notes and Guided Journal Entries - https://a.co/d/18w6P06

A life-altering cancer diagnosis after a 30-year career in healthcare administration led Jane Rubin to find her voice—and her ancestors—through the power of historical fiction.

In this episode of Real Things Living, host Brigitte Cutshall connects with two-time cancer survivor and author Jane Rubin. Jane opens up about her journey with the BRCA gene mutation, explaining how a breast cancer diagnosis actually saved her life by revealing a high genetic risk for other cancers.

This health battle ignited a passion for tracing her family history, leading her to discover "Tilly Mathilda," a relative who died of a "woman's disease" in 1925 and whose name had been forgotten by time.

Jane transformed these discoveries into the Gilded City trilogy, blending meticulous medical history—from the "golden window" of WWI ambulance services to the early days of reproductive rights—with the emotional resilience of the women who lived through it.

Learn more about Jane Rubin and the "Gilded City Trilogy" at https://janeloberubin.com

https://www.instagram.com/janeloebrubin/

Support ovarian cancer research through the Mathilda Fund - https://www.janeloebrubin.com/mathilda-fund

When Western medicine failed and he was told he wouldn't survive, Greg turned to critical thinking and ancient wisdom to discover a natural protocol that reversed his "incurable" conditions.

In this episode, Brigitte Cutshall talks with Greg the Hydrogen Man about his decade-long mission to uncover the truth about molecular hydrogen and water purity.

After working in the medical field for 20 years and finding no answers for his own debilitating autoimmune and heart issues, Greg developed a unique health protocol based on Japanese medical research and nature's own healing properties.

He explains how molecular hydrogen acts as a selective antioxidant to combat oxidative stress and why the quality of hydrogen production—avoiding cheap imitations—is critical for real recovery.

Watch Greg’s free, research-backed videos on his YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@UPRISING144K

Use the code Uprising144K for a discount on high-quality water and hydrogen equipment at https://HolyHydrogen.com or https://MyPureWater.com

Discover why your body's physical signals are the most honest business partners you will ever have.

In this episode, Brigitte Cutshall welcomes Courtney Osselaer to discuss her transition from the high-stress world of pediatric nursing to her current work as a trauma-informed coach.

Courtney shares how her background in healthcare and psychology shaped her understanding of burnout and the critical importance of intuition. The conversation explores how high-achievers can recognize early signs of stress, build trust within themselves, and move from a state of "doing" to a state of authentic "being".

3 Key Takeaways

(1) Recognizing Early Cues: Learning to identify the body's subtle signals before they escalate into full-blown burnout is essential for long-term wellness.

(2) The Power of Intuition: Reclaiming your intuition and being honest about your needs is a powerful tool for building trust in yourself and your professional relationships.

(3) Support and Connection: Healing and growth are most effective when supported by a community that fosters trust and mutual encouragement.

🌿 Website - https://CourtneyCoachesWellness.com

📸 Instagram -   / the_eo_seahorse  

🧠 Trigger Reflection Journal - http://www.distancelearningiwp.org/home

👶 Inner Child Meditation - https://go.courtneycoacheswellness.co...

💛 Complimentary Emotional Reset Session - https://go.courtneycoacheswellness.co...