The Truth About Feeling Stuck | Susan Goodson | S2 EP45What if the hardest chapters of your life became the very thing that helped someone else heal?What if letting go of shame was the first step toward finding peace?And what if the life you've been carrying isn't the life you were meant to keep living?In this episode of Soulmates & Suitcases, we sit down with Susan Goodson — author, coach, speaker, radio host, and former Mary Kay Sales Director who spent more than four decades helping women discover their worth.Behind Susan's success was another story.As the mother of three children who struggled with addiction, she experienced heartbreak, fear, guilt, and uncertainty while trying to hold everything together. Those difficult years eventually became the foundation for a new purpose: helping women release shame, rediscover themselves, and step into the next chapter of their lives with courage, grace, and hope.Today, Susan coaches women over 50 who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected from who they truly are.IN THIS EPISODE:• Letting go of shame and guilt• Loving someone through addiction• Finding yourself after years of caring for everyone else• Faith, resilience, and healing• Why your story matters• Creating a meaningful next chapter• Speaking your truth with courage• Living with greater peace, purpose, and joyWHY THIS MATTERS:Many people spend years believing their past defines them.Susan believes it doesn't.Whether you've experienced addiction in your family, overwhelming responsibility, loss, burnout, or simply feel like you've lost yourself along the way, this conversation is a reminder that healing is possible.Your story isn't over.Sometimes the very experiences you wish had never happened become the ones that help someone else find hope.ABOUT OUR GUESTSusan Goodson is an author, intuitive clarity coach, speaker, and radio host dedicated to helping women rediscover themselves and create lives filled with greater purpose, peace, and joy. After 41 years as a Mary Kay Sales Director, Susan transitioned into coaching women through life's next chapter, drawing from her own experiences as a wife, mother of three children in recovery, grandmother, and woman of deep faith.She is the author of Letting Go of Shame: A Mother's Journey Raising Addict Children, When God Whispers, and At the Riverbank, with her fourth book, Fluid: Living with Ease and Grace, soon to be released.Connect with Susan Goodson:Riverbank Coachinghttps://attheriverbank.net/Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/18ylZP0crUfncbAgkC82C0Listen on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/soulmates-suitcases/id1815826960Watch on YouTube:https://youtube.com/@TheBrearleys/podcastsListen on TrueFans:https://truefans.fm/soulmates-and-suitcasesFACEBOOK COMMUNITY:https://facebook.com/groups/soulmatesandsuitcasesConnect with Lisa & Scott:https://forwardwalkingchoices.comIf this conversation encouraged you, subscribe, share it, and send it to someone who needs to be reminded that their past does not determine their future.QUESTION FOR YOU:What chapter of your life taught you the lesson you needed most?

Why Are We Fighting? Understanding the Stories Behind Conflict | Dr. Patricia Timerman | S2 EP27

Have you ever walked away from a conversation thinking…

“That’s not what I meant.”

Or wondered why two people can experience the exact same moment… and walk away with completely different feelings?

What if conflict isn’t actually the problem?

What if understanding is.

In this episode of Soulmates & Suitcases, we sit down with Dr. Patricia Timerman — Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Marriage & Family Therapist, author, and creator of the IAP Model (Intention–Action–Perception).

Together we explore something almost every one of us experiences:

miscommunication.

Not because we don’t care.
Not because someone is wrong.

But because every conversation is filtered through our experiences, emotions, expectations, fears, and history.

This conversation moves through relationships, emotional triggers, communication, conflict, healing, and how we can begin understanding ourselves — and each other — in a different way.

Because sometimes…
the argument isn’t actually about the argument.

✨ IN THIS EPISODE:
• Why good intentions don’t always create good outcomes
• Understanding the gap between intention and perception
• How emotional triggers shape communication
• Why conflict isn’t failure — it can be information
• Building healthier conversations in couples and families
• Learning to respond instead of react

WHY THIS MATTERS:

Most of us were never taught how to communicate.

We were taught to defend.
To explain.
To prove.
To protect.

But relationships change when we become curious instead of certain.

This conversation is for anyone who has ever thought:

“Why do we keep having the same fight?”

And maybe the answer isn’t fixing the other person.

Maybe it starts with understanding ourselves.

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Dr. Patricia Timerman Barbosa da Silva, PhD, LMHC, LMFT, QS, NCC

Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
Executive Director of Advocate2Create
Trainer • Consultant • National Board Certified Counselor

Author of:
Why Are We Fighting? Actionable Strategies for Effective Communication

Audiobook also available.

Learn more:

Website:
https://www.advocate2create.com

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/people/Dr-Timerman/61575513854071/

Advocate2Create Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Advocate2Create/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/dr.patricia_timerman/

Advocate2Create Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/advocate2create/

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/advocate2create-llc

🎧 Listen on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/18ylZP0crUfncbAgkC82C0

🍎 Listen on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/soulmates-suitcases/id1815826960

📺 Watch on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@TheBrearleys/podcasts

🎙️ Listen on TrueFans.FM:
https://truefans.fm/soulmates-and-suitcases

FACEBOOK COMMUNITY:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/soulmatesandsuitcases/

Want to connect with Lisa & Scott, explore our books, or learn more?

https://forwardwalkingchoices.com

If this conversation resonates, subscribe, share, and send it to someone who may need it.

Welcome to Soulmates & Suitcases —
where stories create connection and conversations help us move forward.

Question for you:

What if the conversation you keep repeating isn’t asking to be won… but understood?

It’s Not About Willpower — It’s About Understanding | Barry McElhinney | S2 EP26

What if your struggle with food isn’t a lack of discipline…

What if it’s something deeper — and gentler?

For so many of us, food becomes more than food.

It becomes comfort. Routine. Celebration. Stress relief. Control. Connection.

And somewhere along the way, eating can stop feeling simple.

In this episode of Soulmates & Suitcases, we sit down with Barry McElhinney — Certified Mind-Body Eating Coach, Life Coach, author of The Quiet Hunger, and someone who has spent more than 20 years helping people create a calmer, kinder relationship with food and themselves.

This conversation isn’t about diets.

It isn’t about rules.

It’s about understanding patterns, becoming more aware of what your body is asking for, and learning how to move away from guilt, extremes, and starting over every Monday.

Barry shares a refreshing perspective that reminds us:

You do not need fixing.
You may simply need understanding.

Because sometimes…
the hardest thing isn’t changing what’s on your plate —
it’s changing how you speak to yourself.

✨ IN THIS EPISODE:
• Why willpower often isn’t the answer
• Understanding emotional and behavioural eating patterns
• Creating a calmer relationship with food
• Learning to trust your body again
• Moving away from all-or-nothing thinking
• Building change through awareness instead of restriction

WHY THIS MATTERS:

If you’ve ever thought…

“I’ll start again Monday.”

“If I could just have more discipline…”

“Why can’t I get this under control?”

This conversation may help you see yourself differently.

Not broken.
Not failing.

Just human.

And maybe ready for a gentler way forward.

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Barry McElhinney

Certified Mind-Body Eating Coach
Certified Life Coach
NLP Master Practitioner
EDISC Behavioural Consultant
Emotional Fitness Consultant (in progress)

Author of:
The Quiet Hunger

Barry works with women and men around the world who are exhausted by dieting and ready to feel calmer, steadier, and more at peace with eating and themselves.

His coaching approach is simple:

It’s not about control.
It’s not about restriction.
It’s about understanding and inviting change.

Learn more:
https://thehumanexperiencecoach.com.au

Free Mind-Body Eating Starter Guide:
Download available on Barry’s website

Pre-launch Book:
The Quiet Hunger

🎧 Listen on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/18ylZP0crUfncbAgkC82C0

🍎 Listen on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/soulmates-suitcases/id1815826960

📺 Watch on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@TheBrearleys/podcasts

🎙️ Listen on TrueFans.FM:
https://truefans.fm/soulmates-and-suitcases

FACEBOOK COMMUNITY:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/soulmatesandsuitcases/

Want to connect with Lisa & Scott, explore our books, or learn more?

https://forwardwalkingchoices.com

If this conversation resonates, subscribe, share, and send it to someone who may need it.

Welcome to Soulmates & Suitcases —
where stories create connection and conversations help us move forward.

Question for you:

What would change if you stopped trying to control yourself… and started trying to understand yourself?

Your Story Isn’t Over Just Because It Changed | Kimberly J. Stevens | S2 EP25What do you do when life doesn’t just change… it completely rewrites who you thought you were?Some experiences don’t leave you with answers. They leave you with choices.In this episode of Soulmates & Suitcases, we sit down with Kimberly J. Stevens — speaker, founder, advocate, author, and someone who has walked through profound seasons of loss, rebuilding, uncertainty, long hospital days, and unexpected reinvention.But this conversation isn’t about staying in the hard moments.It’s about what happens after.Kimberly shares how some of life’s deepest pain became the foundation for creating something that now brings encouragement and hope to others through Extend the Rose and the ROAR Gallery.This conversation explores identity, resilience, purpose, healing, and what it means to keep showing up when life looks nothing like what you planned.Because sometimes…the thing that breaks your heart also reveals your voice.✨ IN THIS EPISODE:• Identity shifts after loss and major life transitions• Why healing doesn’t always mean moving on• Lessons from difficult seasons that reshape perspective• The power of encouragement and connection• Turning personal experiences into meaningful action• Creating hope when life feels uncertainWHY THIS MATTERS:Maybe life hasn’t gone the way you imagined.Maybe you’re rebuilding.Maybe you’re carrying something quietly.Maybe you’re trying to figure out who you are now.This episode is a reminder that your story isn’t over just because it changed.ABOUT OUR GUESTKimberly J. StevensFounder | Speaker | Advocate | Faith-Driven EntrepreneurWebsite:[https://extendtherose.org/](https://extendtherose.org/)ROAR Gallery:[https://extendtherose.org/roargallery](https://extendtherose.org/roargallery)Instagram:[https://www.instagram.com/extendtherose/](https://www.instagram.com/extendtherose/)Facebook:[https://www.facebook.com/extendtherose/](https://www.facebook.com/extendtherose/)Kimberly Facebook:[https://www.facebook.com/kimberlyjstevens](https://www.facebook.com/kimberlyjstevens)LinkedIn:[https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-j-stevens-2a9a187/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-j-stevens-2a9a187/)YouTube:[https://www.youtube.com/@Roar-Gallery](https://www.youtube.com/@Roar-Gallery)Book:ALTAR’d: Finding HOPE through GRIT and GRATITUDE to NEVER GIVE UP🎧 Listen on Spotify:[https://open.spotify.com/show/18ylZP0crUfncbAgkC82C0](https://open.spotify.com/show/18ylZP0crUfncbAgkC82C0)🍎 Listen on Apple Podcasts:[https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/soulmates-suitcases/id1815826960](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/soulmates-suitcases/id1815826960)📺 Watch on YouTube:[https://www.youtube.com/@TheBrearleys/podcasts](https://www.youtube.com/@TheBrearleys/podcasts)🎙️ Listen on TrueFans.FM:[https://truefans.fm/soulmates-and-suitcases](https://truefans.fm/soulmates-and-suitcases)FACEBOOK COMMUNITY:[https://www.facebook.com/groups/soulmatesandsuitcases/](https://www.facebook.com/groups/soulmatesandsuitcases/)Want to connect with Lisa & Scott, explore our books, or learn more?[https://forwardwalkingchoices.com](https://forwardwalkingchoices.com)If this conversation resonates, subscribe, share, and send it to someone who may need it.Welcome to Soulmates & Suitcases —where stories create connection and conversations help us move forward.Question for you:What part of your story might be waiting to become something that helps someone else?

Stop Waiting for the Perfect Time to Become Who You’re Meant to Be: Katie Oman | S2 EP24Premieres Wednesday, June 17 at 6:00 AM PacificWhat if the life you want isn’t waiting for more time but more trust in yourself?In this inspiring and honest conversation, Katie Oman shares her journey through motherhood, reinvention, writing, and creating a life that finally felt aligned with who she truly is.Katie opens up about finding herself again, making space for dreams while raising a family, and learning to stop waiting for permission to pursue the life she wanted.This conversation isn’t about having it all figured out. It’s about beginning before you feel ready.Because sometimes the thing you keep putting off is the thing that changes everything.In this episode:Why waiting for the right time can keep us stuckHow to reconnect with parts of yourself you’ve put asideFollowing creativity through life transitionsBuilding confidence one decision at a timeTurning your experiences into something meaningfulTrusting yourself enough to startABOUT KATIE OMANAuthorWomen’s Empowerment CoachBook CoachSpeakerConnect with Katie:Website: katieoman.co.ukFacebook: facebook.com/katieoman1111Write Your Magic: katieoman.co.uk/write-your-magicSubscribe, share, and join our Facebook community:Soulmates & Suitcases — Tell Your Story, Amplify Your VoiceVisit us:forwardwalkingchoices.comQuestion for you:What dream have you been putting off waiting for life to finally slow down?

Autism, Confidence & Building a Life Your Own Way - Sam Mitchell S2 EP23Premieres June 10 • NEW TIME → Wednesday at 6:00 AM PacificWhat if the thing people see as your limitation… became your greatest strength?At just 23 years old, Sam Mitchell has built an international podcast, launched a nonprofit, spoken around the world, and is helping people better understand life with autism—one conversation at a time.In this episode, Sam shares what it’s really like living with autism, navigating a world that doesn’t always understand, and learning to build confidence without changing who you are.This conversation isn’t about overcoming autism.It’s about understanding it.Because sometimes…the things that make us different are the exact things that make us powerful.In this episode:• What life with autism actually feels like• Building confidence and independence• Why special treatment isn’t always helpful• Turning challenges into purpose• Starting a podcast and creating impact at a young age• Finding your own path instead of fitting inABOUT SAM MITCHELLHost of the Autism Rocks and Rolls podcastSpeaker • Advocate • Entrepreneur • Nonprofit FounderSubscribe, share & join our Facebook community:Soulmates & Suitcases — Tell Your Story, Amplify Your VoiceVisit us:ForwardWalkingChoices.comQuestion for you:What part of yourself have you been trying to change… that might actually be your strength?

What Depression Really Feels Like (And What Actually Helps) : Pamela Wells EP22🗓️ Premieres at our NEW TIME (each Wednesday 6AM Pacific) June 3 → Wednesday at 6:00 AM PacificWhat if depression isn’t sadness at all?After surviving severe depression and a suicide attempt, Pamela Wells shares what she wishes people understood sooner—and how the smallest acts of support can sometimes save someone.This conversation isn’t about fixing people.It’s about understanding them.Because sometimes…the most powerful thing you can say is:“I’m here.”✨ In this episode:• What depression actually feels like• What helps (and what hurts) when supporting someone• Why people hide their struggles• The role of community, therapy, and connection• Small actions that make a bigger difference than you thinkABOUT PAMELA J. WELLSAuthor of *In Their Shoes: A Journey to Understanding and Supporting Someone Who’s Battling Depression*Contact Pamela:📧 [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])✨ Subscribe, share & join our Facebook community:Soulmates & Suitcases — Tell Your Story, Amplify Your VoiceVisit us:ForwardWalkingChoices.comQuestion for you:Who in your life might need support… not solutions?

EPISODE 21 — Rick DellaRatta: Can Music Help Heal the World?What happens when one moment changes the direction of your entire life?After experiencing 9/11 firsthand in New York City, jazz pianist and humanitarian Rick DellaRatta created Jazz for Peace — a global movement using music to unite people across cultures, religions, and borders.In this powerful episode of Soulmates & Suitcases, Rick shares stories from 25 years of performing around the world, raising support for over 850 causes, and bringing people together through creativity, humanity, and connection.Together, Lisa, Scott, and Rick explore purpose, consciousness, resilience, the healing power of music, and why small actions can create massive ripple effects.Because sometimes…changing the world starts with one person choosing to live differently.CONNECT WITH RICK:https://jazzforpeace.orgVISIT:ForwardWalkingChoices.com

Michael Foglietta: Rebuilding Life After Everything Changes

What happens when your entire life changes overnight… and the person you once were no longer exists in the same way?

In this deeply honest and emotional episode of Soulmates & Suitcases, Lisa sits down with AVM survivor, author, veteran, and advocate Michael Foglietta to talk about resilience, identity, grief, and learning how to rebuild a life after catastrophic brain trauma.

At just 32 years old, Michael experienced a sudden Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) rupture in his brain — a life-threatening event that led to a flatline, coma, memory loss, physical disability, PTSD, and years of recovery. Overnight, everything changed.

But this conversation isn’t just about survival.

It’s about what happens after the crisis.
After the hospital.
After everyone assumes you should be “better.”

Michael opens up about losing memories of his childhood, relearning how to walk, navigating invisible disabilities, struggling to return to work, rebuilding confidence, and eventually discovering purpose through writing, advocacy, and helping others.

Together, Lisa and Michael explore the emotional reality of living with a brain injury, the grief of losing your “before life,” and the quiet courage it takes to create a new future when there’s no roadmap.

Because sometimes…
healing isn’t about returning to who you were.
It’s about learning who you can become now.

⸻

IN THIS EPISODE:
• Life after a traumatic brain injury
• PTSD and invisible disabilities
• Losing memories and rebuilding identity
• Recovery, resilience, and acceptance
• Caregiver struggles and emotional healing
• Finding purpose after major life change

⸻

ABOUT MICHAEL FOGLIETTA

Michael Foglietta is a U.S. Navy Submarine Veteran, AVM survivor, author, and disability advocate who transformed a life-altering brain injury into a mission to help others navigate recovery and adaptation.

He is the creator of the Dual-Track Recovery Journal Series — guided journals designed for both survivors and caregivers navigating trauma, PTSD, disability, chronic illness, and life after unexpected medical crisis.

CONNECT WITH MICHAEL:
Instagram: @mfoglietta1
Facebook: @mike.foglietta
LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/in/michael-foglietta

Author Site:
https://authors.tertulia.com/michaelfoglietta-draft5a8eat

⸻

SUBSCRIBE & CONNECT

Website:
https://forwardwalkingchoices.com

Join Our Facebook Community:
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Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts
Subscribe on YouTube for more real conversations about healing, relationships, resilience, and growth.

⸻

QUESTION FOR YOU:
What part of your life have you been grieving…
and what new version of yourself might still be waiting to emerge?

KRYSTIAN HORDYJEWICZ – Breaking the Reaction: Finding Real Choice at the RootSoulmates & Suitcases | Season 2 – Episode 19What if the reactions you can’t control…aren’t really *you*?In this powerful and thought-provoking conversation, Lisa and Scott sit down with Krystian Hordyjewicz — creator of the Clarity Strike method — to explore how emotional triggers are formed… and how they can be changed at their source.Instead of years of analysis, Krystian shares a different approach: working directly at the moment a reaction is created—so it no longer takes over.Because sometimes…the issue isn’t what you’re doing—it’s what’s been driving you underneath it all.---In this episode:• Why triggers come from deeper past experiences• The difference between awareness and real change• What “shadow” actually means in everyday life• How reactions can lose their emotional charge• What it feels like to finally have a choice---Why this matters:If you’ve ever felt stuck in the same reactions…or wondered why awareness alone isn’t enough…This conversation will shift how you see change.---About Krystian:Krystian Hordyjewicz works at the root of emotional reactions, helping people move from automatic response to conscious choice—often within a single session through his Clarity Strike method.---Connect with Krystian:PDF: [https://www.naffy.io/krystian-hordyjewicz/shadow-integration-in-60-minutes-change-of-the-control-point-clarity-strike-method-pdf-dfL](https://www.naffy.io/krystian-hordyjewicz/shadow-integration-in-60-minutes-change-of-the-control-point-clarity-strike-method-pdf-dfL)Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/share/17RU8YM2h6/](https://www.facebook.com/share/17RU8YM2h6/)Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/krysswissconsulting](https://www.instagram.com/krysswissconsulting)YouTube: [https://youtube.com/shorts/tgNounqAyOc](https://youtube.com/shorts/tgNounqAyOc)TikTok: [https://www.tiktok.com/@krysswissconsulting](https://www.tiktok.com/@krysswissconsulting)---Watch on YouTube:[https://www.youtube.com/@TheBrearleys/podcasts](https://www.youtube.com/@TheBrearleys/podcasts)Listen on Spotify:[https://open.spotify.com/show/18ylZP0crUfncbAgkC82C0](https://open.spotify.com/show/18ylZP0crUfncbAgkC82C0)Connect with Lisa & Scott:[https://forwardwalkingchoices.com](https://forwardwalkingchoices.com)---A question for you:What if your biggest reactions…aren’t yours to carry anymore?