The Latitude Adjustment Positive Psychology Podcast is a Positive Change Podcast Awards Hall of Fame inductee and the American Writing Awards Podcast of the Year.

After a major life crisis, the storm isn’t the hardest part—it’s what lingers after everyone expects you to be “fine.” In this episode of The Latitude Adjustment, Erica and Rusty use one unforgettable metaphor—Charleston fish stew spilling in the trunk on a mountain road—to unpack what “aftermath” really feels like: the way your nervous system stays on alert, your identity gets shaken, and your life starts smelling like what happened even when the event is technically over. You’ll hear the difference between “Febreze coping” (busy, numbing, pretending, over-explaining, toxic positivity, going it alone) and “vinegar work”—the sharp, honest practices that actually neutralize what’s stuck: acceptance, grief without deadlines, boundaries, consistency, and rewriting your story without erasing the hard parts. Plus, an Aging Heroes Challenge you can do in 24 hours—because you don’t need a full reinvention… you need one real next step.