SecondWind with Joyce

Michelle Gladieux (Glad-ee-oh) is author of Communicate with Courage: Taking Risks to Overcome the Four Hidden Challenges. She is also President of Gladieux Consulting, a Midwest-based team known for top-notch design and presentation of seminars in communication and leadership topics around the U.S.

Michelle provides executive coaching and facilitates strategic planning for clients in diverse industries, in governments, at nonprofits, and in academia. She has 18 years of collegiate teaching experience at three universities in her home state of Indiana, accepting her first adjunct faculty position at age 23. Her students (whether in introductory public speaking or graduate-level organizational psychology courses) benefitted from her deep commitment to helping others grow as communicators. She has worked as a Corporate Human Resources and Training Director in the cold storage, robotics, and construction industries and enjoys visiting conferences as a keynote speaker and workshop presenter.

She's served on several boards of directors including the National Public Radio affiliate in her hometown for more than a dozen years. Michelle has mentored thousands of people and her positive effect on those she advises is evident even after just one interaction. Her clients and friends are delighted that she's finally documented some of her best tips (AKA "Pro Moves") in Communicate with Courage. Please visit her company website, Gladieux Consulting, to learn more about Michelle.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Michelle's new book, Communicate with Courage, and the intent behind it
• Michelle's passion for communication and how it developed at a young age
• How to approach fear of communication with courage
• The four hidden challenges of communication
• Michelle's joyful moments

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Linked In

Trauma impacts everyone, so it is important to be able to have honest conversations about it in order to heal.

Randall Bell, PhD, is a sociologist and economist who specializes in disaster recovery projects. Dr. Bell has consulted in more tragedies around the world than anyone. He was retained for the World Trade Center, Flight 93, Sandy Hook, BP Oil Spill, Hurricane Katrina, the Bikini Atoll Nuclear Test sites, the Northridge earthquake, OJ Simpson, Jon Benet Ramsey, Heaven's Gate, and hundreds of other cases.

Dr. Bell's investigations have taken him to 50 states and seven continents. In every case, Dr. Bell observed the emotional consequences and how some fared better than others. He was inspired to put his unique research skills to work and study the cycle of trauma.

Dr. Bell is the author of MeWeDoBe and the founder of Core IQ, a nonprofit educational foundation that provides free online training on life skills. He is certified through the Insight Prison Project to facilitate group discussions with victims and offenders at San Quentin Prison.

In his new book Post-Traumatic Thriving, Dr. Bell lays out the academic research and speaks freely about his trauma of being born with a congenital heart defect.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Dr. Bell's definition of trauma and his defining moment
• The importance of having difficult conversations
• His new book, Post-Traumatic Thriving, and the need for better discussions on trauma
• How some people are more resilient to trauma than others
• How to get through trauma without bitterness and anger addiction
• Dr. Bell's work with trauma victims
• Three tips to create more joy in your life, in spite of trauma

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Linked In

Toby Dorr joins SecondWind for the second time to share more inspiration from her life lessons after aiding in a prison escape and landing in prison herself.

Having never had so much as a traffic ticket, Toby Dorr shattered her mold of perfection by helping a convicted murderer, a trainer in her prison dog program, escape in a dog crate from Lansing Correctional Facility. Her story is a lesson in perspective. Instead of focusing on everything she lost, Dorr made a conscious choice to use her twenty-seven months in prison as a period to reflect on her life, heal emotional wounds, plot a course for the future, and embrace the sisterhood of women she encountered behind bars.

Far from easy, her prison sentence was gut-wrenching and devastating. But a pivoting revelation during a stay in suicide watch gave her purpose and direction. Through her memoir, Living with Conviction: Unexpected Sisterhood, Healing, and Redemption in the Wake of Life-Altering Choices, Dorr takes readers through all of the heart-pounding, tear-jerking, heartbreaking, eye-opening experiences that touch the most primal human need, the need to be significant.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Background on Toby and her work as a trainer in the prison dog program
• How Toby got involved with a prison inmate and helped him escape
• Toby's turning point and what she learned from her time in prison
• The launch of Toby's new podcast and her seminars on shame
• How dark places are blessings in disguise
• Steps to creating more joy

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

Website | Book | Facebook | Instagram

Bill C. Potts is a five-time cancer survivor currently living with incurable cancer. He has written a book similar to What to Expect When You're Expecting - but for cancer. His book, Up for the Fight, How to Advocate for Yourself as You Battle Cancer, was inspired by a suggestion from the Mayo Clinic to turn his pain into purpose and to help others who are in the cancer club. Bill is the father of twin girls and a son. Married 32 years to his amazing wife Kim, Bill is a family man, entrepreneur and marketing executive.

Bill works hard to live a healthy, active lifestyle, including a healthy diet, exercise, prayer, and connecting with nature. He is an IRONMAN athlete, has run the Boston Marathon, and even Run Up the Empire State building. Bill has been limited in his activities for over two years due to his fight with cancer and his severely damaged immune system, caused by the chemotherapy. He has adapted by meeting friends outside whenever possible, recently taking up outdoor pickleball for socialization. The cancer journey has changed Bill's perspective on life and how he lives life in many positive ways. He is grateful to be alive and hopeful treatments will improve enough to someday cure his cancer.

Bill wrote the book while undergoing chemotherapy with the help of Page Two Publishing. The book gives him a purpose in his life as he tries to live a life of significance. It is available in audiobook form worldwide and wherever books are sold. The book and its mission are supported by the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, Mayo Clinic, MD Anderson, and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. The book is already making a positive difference in the lives of cancer patients - with amazing testimonials being received often.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Bill's journey with experiencing cancer five times
• The importance of advocating for yourself and getting a second opinion
• Bill's defining moment in his cancer journey
• Why Bill decided to write a book for those enduring cancer treatments
• How he protects his immune health and adapts to life with a weakened system
• A moment that brough Bill joy
• Three tips to creating more joy in your life, even during a cancer diagnosis

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tiktok | LinkedIn | YouTube

Christina E. Foxwell survived domestic violence, unfaithful behavior, intense rejection, and judgment. She is now the founder of Ignite Purpose where, over the past decade, she has supported leaders in their navigation of their teams and helped people find their purpose and flow. This has led to her supporting them in their own life-changing journeys to follow their passions, transform their lives, and grow into the people they were always meant to be.

Foxwell is the author of four books. Her first two works are children's books on emotional intelligence, The Adventures of Oscar the Pufferfish: Owning My 'Pop' and The Story of Astra the Unicorn Finding Her Belonging. Her third book Grow Me is a guide to growth. Her latest book, The Glass Angel, is a powerful look into transformation change and perseverance.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Christina's personal journey and transformational moments
• The importance of learning to accept where you are in spite of your past
• Post-traumatic stress disorder and the effect on Christina's life
• How Christina escaped a violent marriage

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

Website | Facebook | Linked In

Entering midlife as a woman can come with difficult transitions. In this episode, you will learn from one woman's journey into midlife and her passion to help support other women as they undergo major life transitions.

Jean Macdonald, aka "The Midlife Midwife," is an author, educator, blogger, as well as love, sex, and gender expert. Jean believes that Midlife Women can change society and the world when they believe in themselves. She has created the New Midlife Woman Community to help them build a better lifestyle and lovestyle, which will fulfill them for the second half of their lives. She is the author of Love, Sex, and the Midlife Woman, and founder of the Midlife Butterfly Club. She has created an online course called How to Find Love in Middle Life with some help from the Game of Chess.

Jean worked in business and marketing for many years and then founded a multimillion business in the North West of England. Since then she has written many self-development books and run several education enterprises.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• How Jean became passionate about supporting midlife women
• The support groups and courses Jean offers midlife women
• How the midlife transition can be a transformation that you want it to be
• The loss of confidence midlife often brings and how to use it as an opportunity instead of a hardship
• Leaning into your feminine power
• Skills women have that are underrated

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Sally K. Norton should have been the picture of health. She exercised regularly; did yoga; and ate a well-researched diet chock full of wholesome, nutritious foods. She even had an Ivy League degree in Nutrition.

But her health was far from fabulous. She suffered from several physical and cognitive impairments including chronic fatigue, severe joint pain, and kidney problems. Doctors couldn't figure out why someone so young and "healthy" could be so unwell. Sally never imagined that her health problems could be related to her beloved health foods. After her career in health research and medical education ended due to her worsening condition, Sally finally connected the dots and recovered her health by lowering her oxalate intake.

Sally K. Norton, MPH holds a Nutrition degree from Cornell University and a Master's degree in Public Health from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her path to becoming a leading expert on dietary oxalate includes a prior career working at major medical schools in medical education and public health research. Her personal healing experience inspired years of research that led to her forthcoming book, Toxic Superfoods, which is available HERE and everywhere books are sold.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The health crisis happening in our country and how Sally is on a mission to help people heal with nutrition
• How Sally was eating all the foods she thought were healthy, yet she still struggled with her health
• What oxalates are and why you should avoid them
• How to know you're dealing with oxalate overload

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Gene Bennett is a twice-deployed Iraqi Freedom veteran who shares the gut-wrenching story of his time as a prison guard at a transitional internment facility, in his book, We Did Not Deserve the Crapper: The prison we entered but never fully left. This was the only prison in all of Iraq to house juvenile detainees. In this episode and in his book, he tells the story, of his journey in the Marines, his two deployments, and his PTSD diagnosis and recovery journey. With a diagnosis of PTSD from the VA, Gene Bennett explores and chronicles the kind of dysfunction that only war and family can inflict upon you.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• How Gene got involved in the Marines
• His two deployments and how things took a turn for the worse
• Gene's time in Baghdad in a juvenile detention center
• What he learned during times of imminent danger
• Gene's experience post-military life dealing with the VA and PTSD

You can download and read his incredible story here.

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

Book | Facebook | Instagram

How can we make this new year better than the ones before, not only for ourselves but for our families and those around us? What are some practical steps to make changes that stick? This episode featuring Sandra Beck will give you new tools to embrace a new year with a positive mindset.

As an Author, Coach, Speaker, Radio Host, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist, Sandra Beck is as successful as she is busy. The single mother of two young boys has created a virtual empire of successful companies entirely staffed, managed and implemented using a host of virtual assistants and on-line resources. An active contributor and participant in many charities, Beck strives to make the world a better place for today's and our future's children.

What You'll Learn from this Episode:

• How to end the year and begin a new one without stressing yourself out
• The importance of finding time to rest, even when you're busy
• How to set intentional goals that work for your lifestyle
• Prioritizing taking care of yourself like you do for the others in your life
• How to evaluate what is working, and what needs to change
• Creating a task manager that fits your needs
• How to recalibrate after an emergency situation throws off your plans

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

You can learn more from Sandra on any of her popular podcasts, including Motherhood Talk Radio, Military Mom Talk Radio, Coach Talk Radio, or Powered Up Talk Radio.

In this solo episode, Joyce Buford reflects on the meaning of the holiday season, sharing encouragement from one of the classic Christmas carols by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day:

"I heard the bells on Christmas day

Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace of earth, good will to men."

Happy holidays to all the listeners!