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In this episode, Kara is stepping in with her client who recently reclaimed life through her second triumphant round with cancer. They explore strength, mental health and Maren’s transition from operating as a tightly wound twine to relaxing, letting go and allowing life to happen. It became obvious in her journey that she needed space to heal all aspects of her being. Once she created the space, she could see that parts of her life were no longer serving her and she knew she had to make changes that aligned to her highest self.
Listen in for multiple extremely relatable conversations that took Maren from living in autopilot to conscious choosing in her life.
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“I’m not happy every day. I’m grateful every day. Release the idea that happy every day is the goal.”
“Cancer was here to show me some of these things that I had to work through in order to be my best self.”
“Don’t get me wrong, cancer is a physical thing… but it is a mind game as well.”
Connect with Maren:
Maren Wasner is on a new path since having recently journeyed through cancer (for the second time), as well as a major career shift. She’s not out of the medical weeds yet, but is working through how to remain present and work through tough emotions throughout the process. She remains open to all that life brings and wants to trust the unfolding, while learning that it takes time, effort, and constant reminders. Enter Kara… <3
Connect with Kara:
In this episode, Kara steps in with Backlight Productions* choreographer and CYT Nashville Program Director, Elise Horecka. Elise shares with Kara her experience growing up as the younger sister to her oldest sibling, Kari who has Cri du chat, a rare chromosomal syndrome.
The two share laughs as Elise recollects fun and funny, unique childhood stories and encourages us all to approach people who are different than us with curiosity and acceptance, even when it is unfamiliar or uncomfortable. Her stories are delightful and her insights are so valuable. Prepare for laughter and a level of heartwarming that is rare.
*Backlight Productions is a Nashville, TN based theater company for adults with special needs.
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Connect with Elise:
Website: https://backlightproductions.org
Elise Horecka grew up in Nashville and found a passion for creating and teaching theater and dance. She graduated from Belmont University in 2013 with a degree in Entertainment Industry Studies and Theater. She is the current Dance Program Director at Backlight Productions and Program Director of CYT Nashville. Both communities give her the opportunity to share her love of the performing arts with adults with special needs and kids, and provide that to people who don't often get to be a part of it.
Connect with Kara:
In this episode, Kara steps in with Amy Wiebe Ewoldt, a beautiful momma who has suffered unfathomable loss. Amy shares how in 2013, she lost her youngest son, Kyle while on an adventure from Australia to New Zealand aboard a famous 1920’s sailboat. Kyle bought a one-way ticket to New Zealand, met the captain of the Nina’ and begged him to join the voyage. He was eager to learn and easy to like… so without any sailing experience, the captain still agreed to let him join the crew. Amy holds onto the fact that “Kyle would’ve gone if there was a hole in the boat.” In this gentle sharing of both her and Kyle’s story, Amy offers us wisdom from a very vulnerable and deep place. Listen in to hear funny and inspiring stories of adventure and a zest for life that will live on in Kyle’s family and friends forever, while holding the unfathomable loss of a child and the life that continues on without him physically here.
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Connect with Kara:
In this episode, Kara steps in with Rosa Cao Liu. Rosa is a remarkable young woman, who as an Asian Latin American immigrant from Venezuela moved to Canada by herself when she was only 17 years old. Kara and Rosa talk about what a frightening experience it was to know no one and speak a different language in a new culture.
Rosa encourages us to seek opportunities to bring growth into our lives by facing challenges with a winning mindset while brilliantly guiding us to our bodies when making any decision. She offers valuable insights to new language learners and tips for encouragement if you find yourself bridging the gap of communication with someone who speaks a different language than you. She is such an inspiration and her story of valor and bravery will motivate you and just plain make you feel good!
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Connect with Rosa:
Rosa Cao Liu is an Asian Latin American immigrant born in Venezuela, of Chinese descent. She is a TEDx speaker, growth mentor, and co-author of “The Gifts of Pain”, who weaves her Immigrant identity and resilient journey to ignite personal and professional growth.
Through her R.O.S.E Method, she aims to empower people to unlock their true capabilities and lead more fulfilling lives. A career advisor and coach for almost a decade, Rosa obtained her BBA in Management and Human Resources from the esteemed University of Toronto Scarborough in 2017.
Her purpose is to be able to inspire others to become the best version of themselves. She is very passionate about drawing out people's truest potential so that they are able to live much more fulfilling lives. She is currently an HR Systems Analyst at a global mining company, Kinross Gold Corporation, and aspires to be a motivational speaker.
Connect with Kara:
In this episode, Kara is stepping in with Clarity Coach and Pause Box founder and CEO, Meredith Vaish. They are talking about the journey she went through after years of making it all happen as a powerhouse female hustling in Silicon Valley during the tech boom of the early 2000s, followed by a 16-year career as Marketing Communication Strategist at Stanford University all while operating as an amazing family woman, married to the love of her life and raising their 2 daughters. Kara and Meredith talk about her forced stop when her body suddenly hit a wall and said with symptoms, “Hey, I can’t do all the hustle anymore.” Meredith shares how she had to really pay attention and change some of the ways she was doing all things.
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Connect with Meredith:
Meredith Vaish (pronounced: Vesh) is a Clarity Coach, Pause Box CEO, and Host of The Full Living After 50 Podcast. She’s passionate about helping women CREATE WHAT’s NEXT through intuition and soul-guided action so they can step into their biggest dreams without draining themselves. Meredith is a certified Sourced (™) Coach & Retreat Leader and lives in the SF Bay Area.
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In this episode, Kara steps in with author, speaker and brother, Keeper Catran-Whitney. Keeper is the author of an amazing book, Helplessness: The Mental Health Challenges Brothers Experience After Learning our Sisters Have Been Sexually Abused by our Parents. Kara and Keeper dive deeply into the moment that changed everything in his family. One minute they were set to escape extreme poverty, signing on with Motown records to be the “new” Jackson 5 and the next, everything broke as the brothers learned their step father had been molesting their sisters for years and their mother knew about it the whole time. Keeper shares candidly about the way he experienced this trauma in his family and the way silence ate at him for 45 years until he finally found the way forward through conversations with his siblings. Join Kara and Keeper as they unpack a very dark and heavy topic while bringing light and the redemption of healing to the forefront. This is a beautiful and important conversation that offers healing and insight into unthinkable trauma.
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Connect with Keeper:
Keeper Catran-Whitney is the author of the book HELPLESSNESS, which is book one of the three-book series From Helplessness To Hopefulness To Happiness. His podcast, "This is For The Brothers," found on his website as a series of conversations exploring the impact on brothers of their sisters' sexual abuse.
Connect with Kara:
In this episode, Kara steps in with Jennifer Sullivan, a beautiful woman who (with her husband) made the exciting and courageous decision to move their family to live in Costa Rica. Jen shares that they had 3 dreams for their kids: to become confident world travelers, speak another language and know that life isn’t only suburban US. Their story took an unexpected turn when she was diagnosed with breast cancer days before selling their home and making the move. Kara and Jennifer explore the decision to move anyway, the journey through breast cancer with her family living in 2 countries and the deep depression she experienced beyond her healing. They talk about the humility of occupying the position of needing and receiving when the needs go beyond a round of casseroles. Jen shares beautiful stories of living and being in a completely different culture and the lens of perspective she discovered by being the minority.
Highlights:
-It’s easy to get stopped in fear with so many unknowns. Faith has to be greater than fear.
-The beauty and generosity of community (beyond the casseroles)
-Learning the balance of giving and receiving
-Be inspired as Jen allows us to step into the world of Costa Rica and PURA VIDA “pure life”
-Coming back caused her family to unpack the extreme programming of all the things you are “supposed to be doing”.
-Bringing the slow-down of Costa Rica back into this culture
-Say no. Be intentional about what’s really important to you (not what it will look like on social media or in the Christmas card, on a college app).
-Know what makes you happy and what doesn’t.
-In the aftermath after treatment Jen experienced deep depression, a loss of self-worth and negative scripts looping in her mind.
-Who you are vs. What you do
- Jen vulnerably shares how she hid the feelings of depression from most people and a few ideas on ways she coped during this time.
Quotes:
-“Asking for help is a gift.”
-“There are so many different ways to do the right thing. What’s right for you and your kid?”
-“I didn’t want stupid cancer taking away our dreams.”
-“If you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
Episode Resources:
Pura Vida: Pura Vida is the national motto of Costa Rica and it sums up everything I am going to miss about it. We’ve lived in Costa Rica for two years and Pura Vida has permeated my soul.
Literally translated, Pura Vida means “simple life” or “pure life,” but in Costa Rica, it is more than just a saying—it is a way of life. It means being thankful and not dwelling on the negative. It means no worries, no fuss, no stress. It’s an emotion. It’s an attitude. It’s happiness. It means let your worries go, everything will get done in due time. It means let go of the things you can’t control. Enjoy the world around you. Live in the moment that is right now. It’s an inherent part of the Costa Rican culture and I want to figure out how to recreate it so I can take it with me, wherever I go. -written by Jennifer Sullivan and Bev Gray
Connect with Jennifer:
J. Sullivan Advisors
Encore Retreats
Thriving Through Transitions Retreat
Rock The Empty Nest virtual conference
Jen is a travel junkie and now, an entrepreneur. She developed her expertise and her unique ability to create extraordinary experiences by working for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company for 20 years. Now she is the owner of a boutique travel consultancy, J. Sullivan Advisors, and the co-founder of a luxury experiential retreat company, Encore Retreats.
Jennifer and her husband have welcomed friends and family into seven different homes in two different countries while raising their kids to be confident and conscientious world travelers. They reside in Richmond, Virginia but who knows where they will end up next!
Connect with Kara:
Website: https://www.steppinginwithkara.com
Newsletter: https://www.karastoltenberg.com/subscribe
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steppinginwithkara
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karastoltenberg
In this episode, Kara steps in with inspirational pop artist, songwriter and founder of “The Friends Forever Club”, Nedy Valdivia. The two unpack how her parent’s divorce affected her as a child and has
If you went through the divorce of your own parents or are a
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Connect to Nedy:
There have always been those whose hearts dance to the beat of a different drum, those who see the world in a different way, and those who find our differences far more beautiful than our similarities. NEDY is one of those people. Armed with an enchanting spirit and a musical talent that is nothing short of stunning, NEDY is an inspirational pop artist poised to lead her loyal fandom into a brighter future. Her new single “Made to Be” now serves as the cornerstone to a new chapter in her career, in which her artistic soul never again tries to mold into someone else’s expectations. THIS is the music that NEDY has waited a lifetime to create.
Connect to Kara:
Kara is joined by one of her lifelong friends. They explore the journey from shame and self-hatred to deep self-love through Brittany’s journey with breast implants, breast implant illness, and eventual removal of the implants to create health and vitality.
Her journey through extreme body symptoms of chronic fatigue, dysfunctional brain fog, heart arrhythmia, motor issues led her to the discovery that her breast implants were causing these problems. She developed a plan to explant and get a fat transfer which further backfired and caused more problems. Join us for cleansing tears, vulnerability and ultimately a story of triumph over shame and imperfection.
This is a woman who has found purpose in her pain… turning what felt like the awful in her life into a beautiful, valuable offering to other women.
Highlights:
“In our imperfection, we are just what we are meant to be”
“I finally feel whole… and love me for me.”
Brittany DeVall Heyden is a nurse practitioner, owner and CEO of Renovaré Functional Medicine located in north central Nebraska. She is also a virtual health coach helping women FIXX fatigue and live with vitality by addressing the underlying imbalances within the body. Brittany developed a love for functional medicine after battling her own health issues. Once she began to address the underlying source of her health problems, she realized the potential of a root-cause approach. She now dedicates her life to helping other women find health and well-being they once thought impossible.
Connect with Kara:
Join me as I step in to beautiful conversations with men and women from many walks of life who are willing to share their stories. These chats will change your perspectives, challenge your judgements, cultivate more compassion and straight up offer you a toolbox of real time offerings if you find yourself in the thick of life. If you are intrigued to find true peace in your present moment, live from love no matter where you are and cultivate deep acceptance for yourself and the life you are living, you have landed in a gold mine. I am so glad you're here.
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