Relentlessly Resilient Podcast

In this week's episode, Michelle Scharf and Jennie Taylor are joined by Julie Burraston to remember her husband, Gary. She talks about meeting Gary, the moment she realized that she was going to marry Gary, and their decision to adopt three beautiful children.

Then Julie talks about how they had to fight radiation-induced cancer with more radiation after Gary had battling sickness for years, the moment they found out that he was experiencing heart and lung failure, and accepting the challenge of being a widowed mother as she stood next to Gary's grave after he passed away.

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In this week's episode, Jennie Taylor interviews our very own Michelle Scharf about her husband John's resilience over the course of the years, his ability to push through pain, and the moment Michelle found out that her husband had cancer.

Then she recalls the severity of John's diagnosis, why it was so important to create as many memories as possible in 22 months, and John's last days on this earth.

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In this week's episode, Michelle Scharf is joined by Vickie Walker to talk about losing her husband, Jeff, in the Trolley Square shooting in 2007, learning that her son, A.J. had been injured in the shooting and the chaotic events that followed.

Then Vickie opens up about her response once she found out that A.J. was going to require potentially life-ending surgery, navigating through the trauma that came with such a horrific event, and her decision to create, Circles of Comfort, an organization that focuses on helping crime victims all throughout Utah.

Lastly, we talk about the importance of writing in a gratitude journal and positive ways to stay resilient while experiencing grief and life's struggles.

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In this week's episode, Jennie Taylor and Michelle Scharf are joined by Courtney Checketts to talk about meeting her husband Rocky, getting the news that the child she had been carrying for 20 weeks had passed away, and how such tragic news brought her and Rocky even closer together.

Then Courtney opens up about the moment she was told that Rocky was killed in a hiking accident down in Moab, the beautiful funeral they had for Rocky, how Courtney took over his business following his passing, and what resilience means to her.

15:20 - Edit break

38:00 - BREAK

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In this week's episode, Michelle Scharf and Jennie Taylor are joined by Jennifer Funk to remember meeting her husband, Brad, their amazing first date, and getting proposed to Florida while on vacation.

Then Jennifer talks about living the "airforce dream life", the moment she got the news that Brad had been killed in the line of duty, and how she was able to overcome the initial shock of such tragic news.

Jennifer also opens up about why she would meet other widows sooner following her loss, how her "Create Hope Foundation" can help widows with so many aspects of their own loss, and what resilience looks like to her. 

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In this week's episode, Jennie Taylor and Michelle Scharf are joined by former Rep. Sue Duckworth (House District 22) on adapting to a new world of dating as a widow, the dangers of online dating, and how she was taken advantage of for over $90,000 in credit card debt.

Sue also dives into her feelings of doubt to represent her district after being taken advantage of, the moment she contemplated taking her own life, and how she was able to overcome the mental health challenges that came with her situation.

We also discuss a couple of ways to protect yourself against online scams.

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In this week's episode, Jennie Taylor and Michelle Scharf are joined by Jeff Smith to talk about the challenges he's experienced after losing his eyesight decades ago, how his memories have been ingrained in his mind, and how he overcame the negative mindset that initially came with losing his eyesight.

Then we also talk about the source of his optimism, openly talking about our complaints as a form of grieving, and how his faith has helped shape who he is today.

Jeff then talks about the pain that he experienced after losing a son to the disease of addiction and how he shows resilience every day.

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We continue our discussion with John and Monica English. In the first episode, we spoke with them about the loss of their daughter, Taleah and in this episode, they open up about being able to help contribute towards Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) research following Taleah's passing, why it helped when their daughter Tabitha was born and ultimately diagnosed with SMA, and how it prepared the family to tackle such an experience head-on.

John and Monica also recall how SMA policies and protocols changed to help many of others who suffered from experiences as they had for so long with Taleah and what resiliency means to them after losing two of their daughters.

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In this week's episode, Jennie Taylor and Michelle Scharf are joined by John and Monica English to remember their daughter, Taleah.

They recall the moment that Taleah was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), how they were able to provide the best care for Taleah, and the impact that Taleah's diagnosis had on their family.

Then John and Monica talk about losing Taleah a couple of days before her 4th birthday, where they got the inspiration for her funeral, and how they learned to be so resilient after Taleah's passing.

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In this week's episode, Jennie Taylor and Michelle Scharf are joined by Kitty Dunn to remember her son David. She talks about when he became hospitalized with pneumonia but was later confirmed to have a tumor in his kidney and the moment he was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin's Disease. 

Then Kitty talks about how David overcame such a challenge, his decision to join the airforce, and the day David called her to let them know that he had terminal cancer.

Kitty also talks about losing David 8 months following his diagnosis, the birth of his daughter, how her grief has evolved in the years since David's passing, and what resiliency means to her.

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