The Courage Coalition

There are moments in life when the truth is so raw, it offends the soul. That’s what this conversation with Alani Bankhead felt like,  a jolt of reality we can’t look away from. Alani has spent over 20 years in human intelligence, hunting down traffickers and protecting the vulnerable across the globe. From military operations to international investigations, she has stared into the darkest corners of humanity and come back with a message we all need to hear: trafficking isn’t “out there,” it’s here. It’s in our neighborhoods. It’s in homes where survival trades happen for rent, food, or shelter. It’s in the online games our kids play, the devices in their bedrooms, the friendships we think are safe. And that’s what makes it so devastating: trafficking isn’t always a stranger in the shadows, it’s too often someone we know.

What struck me most about Alani is not just her resume TEDx speaker, bestselling author, leadership coach, but the clarity with which she names the hard truths. She doesn’t sensationalize the issue, she grounds it in reality. And her courage invites us into responsibility. Because if we admit trafficking is local, if we admit it’s happening within families, within schools, within communities, then we also have to admit the responsibility lies with us. With parents willing to enforce boundaries. With neighbors willing to trust their intuition when something feels off. With each of us willing to heal our own brokenness so we stop cycles instead of passing them down.

So my plea to you is this: don’t turn away. Don’t choose the comfort of ignorance over the courage of awareness. Have the hard conversations with your kids. Set the boundaries that make you unpopular. Trust your gut when something feels wrong. And most of all, remember this, your presence, your attention, your willingness to protect it matters more than you know. It may just be the thing that saves a life.

Find out more about Alani here: https://www.mightysparrowcoaching.com/

On LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanibankhead/

Buy her book here: https://a.co/d/iVqmZwv

Contact Corree or find out more about Corree and learn about all the ways she does not choose to stay in one lane go here: https://correeroofener.com/

To Purchase Emotional Money click here: Emotional Money

Are you ready to walk with us for https:/https://fosteringthesummit.org  Join us as we change the statistics for children aging out of foster care.

Also, follow me on https://www.instagram.com/correeroofenercoach/ for more inspiration and practical wisdom for your business and life. 

Until next time, keep shining bright!

- Corree

This week’s solo cast is a raw one, friend. I’m peeling back the layers and sharing what it’s been like to reintroduce myself to feel that soul-stirring nudge that something was waking up inside of me. It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t even clear. But it was present. And sometimes that’s all it takes to know we’re being called into something deeper. A woman named Anniston Riekstins came into my life through a series of divine nudges, and what unfolded after that through her work, her words, her reading felt like coming home. Like finally seeing the truth of who I’ve always been.

This episode isn’t really about numerology or human design (though both rocked my world) it’s about the journey of remembering. It’s about recognizing that you’ve been creating space your whole life and maybe, like me, never stopped long enough to honor that. This isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about reclaiming the version of you that was always there, just waiting to be seen, felt, and loved.

So I’m asking you what's stirring in you right now? Are you investing in the time and space to hear it? It doesn’t always look like money. Sometimes it’s the quiet courage to feel. Sometimes it’s allowing yourself to be seen. And sometimes it’s finally saying yes to the next nudge, even if you don’t know where it will lead. Wherever you are, you’re not too late. And you’re not alone.

To learn more about Anniston Riekstins click here: https://www.annistonriekstins.com/

Contact Corree or find out more about Corree and learn about all the ways she does not choose to stay in one lane go here: https://correeroofener.com/

To Purchase Emotional Money click here: Emotional Money

Are you ready to walk with us for https:/https://fosteringthesummit.org  Join us as we change the statistics for children aging out of foster care.

Also, follow me on https://www.instagram.com/correeroofenercoach/ for more inspiration and practical wisdom for your business and life. 

Until next time, keep shining bright!

- Corree

There are people you meet who feel like a memory like someone you’ve known before in another chapter of your life. That’s how it was with Anniston Blair Riekstins. The first time she looked me in the eye and said, “You’re going to be amazing,” I felt an immediate connection one of those deep soul nudges you can’t ignore. This episode of The Courage Coalition with Anniston is a layered conversation about fear, identity, purpose, and the sacred unraveling that leads us back to ourselves.

Anniston is a transformational mentor and master numerologist, but more than that, she’s a mirror for anyone who's ever questioned if they’re “too much,” or not enough, or simply misplaced in a world full of expectations. Her book, The Universe is Hiring, isn’t just a guide it’s a remembering. In this conversation, she shares how the desires we feel deep in our gut aren’t random. They're breadcrumbs pulling us into alignment with who we’ve always been, not who we've been told we should be. We talk about fear, writing, motherhood, being seen, and why purpose isn’t something to chase, but something to feel.

This episode is one of those soul-stirring reminders that your purpose is not out there somewhere it’s in you, asking to be heard beneath the noise. It's not about getting it right. It's about getting still. And as Anniston said so beautifully, your purpose wants you just as much as you want it. So take the next brave step. Not because you’re ready, but because you’re remembering.

Find more about Anniston here: https://www.annistonriekstins.com/

Contact Corree or find out more about Corree and learn about all the ways she does not choose to stay in one lane go here: https://correeroofener.com/

To Purchase Emotional Money click here: Emotional Money

Are you ready to walk with us for https:/https://fosteringthesummit.org  Join us as we change the statistics for children aging out of foster care.

Also, follow me on https://www.instagram.com/correeroofenercoach/ for more inspiration and practical wisdom for your business and life. 

Until next time, keep shining bright!

- Corree

When I first received the whisper of what would become the AwakeIn retreat, it didn’t arrive as a polished plan. It came in stillness on a quiet walk here in Montana wrapped in curiosity and conviction. I didn’t know exactly what it was yet, but I knew this: it had to be a space where women could reconnect with the truth of who they are. Not in hustle. Not in sacrifice. But in sacred stillness. Because I had lived that story giving to everyone else while quietly losing pieces of myself. And it wasn’t until I invested in my own healing, my own curiosity, and my own growth, that I finally met the version of me I had long forgotten. That’s the gift I want other women to receive.

AwakeIn is more than a retreat. It’s an invitation back to the parts of you that you’ve silenced, set aside, or haven’t yet met. It’s five nights and six days in Costa Rica, held in the wild beauty of the jungle and the expansive calm of the ocean. It’s curated healing, rest, movement, connection, and soulful nourishment not just in food, but in truth. It’s for the woman who feels the nudge. The one who maybe doesn’t even have the words yet, but knows there’s something more… something stirring. This isn’t about fixing you. It’s about awakening what’s always been inside of you.

So I leave you with this: Do you have the courage to give yourself what you so freely give to everyone else? To believe that you’re worthy of being held, seen, nourished, and awakened? AwakeIn isn’t a luxury it’s a remembering. And if your heart is whispering, I hope you’ll listen.

Contact Corree or find out more about Corree and learn about all the ways she does not choose to stay in one lane go here: https://correeroofener.com/

To Purchase Emotional Money click here: Emotional Money

Are you ready to walk with us for https:/https://fosteringthesummit.org  Join us as we change the statistics for children aging out of foster care.

Also, follow me on https://www.instagram.com/correeroofenercoach/ for more inspiration and practical wisdom for your business and life. 

Until next time, keep shining bright!

- Corree

There are moments on this podcast that feel less like a conversation and more like sacred space. This was one of them. Jessica Phillips sat down with me for one of the most raw, redemptive, truth-telling episodes we've had and I'm still letting it settle in my soul. Jessica is a coach, a speaker, and a woman who radiates light—but that light was hard-earned. Her story is one of deep pain, addiction, healing, and above all, courage. And I mean real courage the kind that doesn’t come from having it all together, but from standing up when everything inside you says stay down.

Jessica didn’t just share the highlights she let us in on the hard: childhood trauma, sexual abuse, addiction, shame, the ache of not being seen, the terrifying moment of choosing whether to live. And she brought it back to something I deeply believe: we matter. You matter. Our six-year-old selves still need to be seen. And when we’re brave enough to say “I’m not okay,” brave enough to surrender when we feel powerless that’s where healing begins. Jessica reminded us that unbecoming everything we were taught to be is often the only path back to who we really are.

Her story isn’t one of perfection, it’s one of presence. Of truth. Of remembering that our light was never meant to stay dim. If you’ve ever felt like your story disqualified you from joy, love, or purpose this conversation is your invitation to reconsider. To reclaim. To rise. Because the most courageous thing we can do? Surrender and then shine.

Find out more about Jessica Phillips here: https://jessicaphillips.co/

Contact Corree or find out more about Corree and learn about all the ways she does not choose to stay in one lane go here: https://correeroofener.com/

To Purchase Emotional Money click here: Emotional Money

Are you ready to walk with us for https:/https://fosteringthesummit.org  Join us as we change the statistics for children aging out of foster care.

Also, follow me on https://www.instagram.com/correeroofenercoach/ for more inspiration and practical wisdom for your business and life. 

Until next time, keep shining bright!

- Corree

As I sit with the weight and wonder of this month—finishing the hike, celebrating 30 years of marriage, and standing in the unfolding of a vision that once felt too big to say out loud—I keep circling back to one word: purpose. Not the Instagram version of purpose. Not the perfectly worded mission statement. But the kind that whispers through discomfort, nudges you in quiet moments, and feels like home when you start paying attention. This month has reminded me that purpose isn’t always clear—it’s often something you remember, not discover. And to remember, you have to give yourself space to reflect.

This next chapter in my life, in our foundation, in my work—it’s not about reinvention. It’s about returning. Returning to who I’ve always been: a woman who creates space for others to feel seen, nurtured, and known. A woman who leads with faith and asks hard questions. A woman who believes that purpose shows up when you’re willing to grow, resemble the truest version of yourself, reflect on what’s real, and reveal what’s possible—even if it scares you. And here’s what I know now: purpose is not about scale. It’s not about changing the world in one giant move. It’s about one person. One truth. One act of hope. And if you’d do it for one, then it’s worth doing.

Contact Corree or find out more about Corree and learn about all the ways she does not choose to stay in one lane go here: https://correeroofener.com/

To Purchase Emotional Money click here: Emotional Money

Are you ready to walk with us for https:/https://fosteringthesummit.org  Join us as we change the statistics for children aging out of foster care.

Also, follow me on https://www.instagram.com/correeroofenercoach/ for more inspiration and practical wisdom for your business and life. 

Until next time, keep shining bright!

- Corree

There are some conversations that crack you wide open—and this one did just that. On this episode of The Courage Coalition, I had the absolute honor of sitting down with Tiffaney Childers, an accountant turned coach, speaker, and now author. But titles don’t capture her story. What does? A fierce devotion to show up in the raw grief of suicide loss, in the silent ache of chronic pain, and in the courage it takes to not play small anymore. Tiffaney lost both of her parents to suicide within just over a year, and for nearly two decades, she carried the weight of that trauma quietly, surviving the messy middle through motherhood, marriage, and a career. But when her body broke open literally and figuratively after a surgery led to a devastating diagnosis, she realized it was time to stop running.

Tiffaney’s story is a mirror to so many silent battles. We talked about the expectations we place on ourselves to heal quickly, the cultural shame around suicide and mental health, and how numbing whether through substances or silence never actually heals the wound. Through her work with LOSS (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors), she now steps into the very rooms she once sat in alone, offering presence, not platitudes. And now, she’s writing the book that was born out of breaking that silence because we need more real, less perfect, and way more seen. This episode isn’t just a story of loss it’s a story of choosing to live, choosing to speak, and choosing, over and over, to rise. Let it remind you: you don’t have to heal in a straight line. And you never, ever have to do it alone.

To learn more about Tiffaney Childers go here: https://www.instagram.com/tiffaneychilders/

Contact Corree or find out more about Corree and learn about all the ways she does not choose to stay in one lane go here: https://correeroofener.com/

To Purchase Emotional Money click here: Emotional Money

Are you ready to walk with us for https:/https://fosteringthesummit.org  Join us as we change the statistics for children aging out of foster care.

Also, follow me on https://www.instagram.com/correeroofenercoach/ for more inspiration and practical wisdom for your business and life. 

Until next time, keep shining bright!

- Corree

As we wrap up one of the most physically and emotionally demanding journeys of our lives—hiking the 100-mile Tour du Mont Blanc—I’ve been reflecting on how this all began. Not with certainty, not with a mapped-out plan, but with a quiet whisper that said, "You're not done yet." That whisper turned into Fostering the Summit, a nonprofit born not from ease but from deep listening. It came to me in the stillness of nature, reminding me that even after 13 years of foster care, 22 children, and a heart heavy from rebuilding, there was more. Not more burden—but more purpose. And this time, it would look different.

That’s the power of reflection. When we stop running and ask ourselves: How am I doing? Why am I doing this? we create space to hear the truth of who we are. For me, that truth is this—I’ve always created space. As a mother, a wife, a financial coach, a retreat leader, a friend. From childhood on, I’ve been nurturing, seeing, hugging, holding space for others to feel seen. This foundation is simply the next evolution of that truth. And what I want you to take from this is simple: you are allowed to change, to grow, to reflect, and to act. Your courage doesn’t always look loud—it often starts as a quiet question you’re brave enough to answer.

So today I’ll leave you with this: Are you giving yourself the gift of reflection? Are you asking what’s working and what’s not? And more importantly, do you have the courage to pivot if the answer calls for change? Because reflection alone is powerful—but it’s the action afterward that transforms everything.

Contact Corree or find out more about Corree and learn about all the ways she does not choose to stay in one lane go here: https://correeroofener.com/

To Purchase Emotional Money click here: Emotional Money

Are you ready to walk with us for https:/https://fosteringthesummit.org  Join us as we change the statistics for children aging out of foster care.

Also, follow me on https://www.instagram.com/correeroofenercoach/ for more inspiration and practical wisdom for your business and life. 

Until next time, keep shining bright!

- Corree

This week’s episode of The Courage Coalition was one of those raw, real conversations I’ll be holding onto for a long time. My dear friend Andrea Sullenger joined me to share the winding, holy, and brutally honest journey of adoption—from the seed planted in her 12-year-old heart to saying yes decades later in a season that was anything but perfect. We talked about obedience, timing, and the gritty courage it takes to surrender your picture of how life should look in exchange for what God is actually calling you into.

Andrea didn’t sugarcoat a thing—and that’s what made this episode so powerful. From moving into her in-laws’ RV with a houseful of animals and no permanent home, to facing the reality of special needs parenting and letting go of perfectionism, her story is a masterclass in walking by faith, not sight. We talked about the belief that "if I just love them enough, they'll heal," and the heartbreaking truth that love alone doesn’t erase trauma—but it can be the steady hand that stays when things get hard. As Andrea said so vulnerably, “I thought God would just heal them because we said yes.” And yet—she still says yes every day.

If you’ve ever felt the nudge toward adoption or foster care, I invite you to listen. Not for the rainbow version, but for the real version. The one that reminds us that courage isn’t the absence of doubt or chaos—it’s choosing to keep going in the middle of it. Because sometimes the bravest thing you’ll ever do is choose to stay. Ten minutes at a time.

Contact Corree or find out more about Corree and learn about all the ways she does not choose to stay in one lane go here: https://correeroofener.com/

To Purchase Emotional Money click here: Emotional Money

Are you ready to walk with us for https:/https://fosteringthesummit.org  Join us as we change the statistics for children aging out of foster care.

Also, follow me on https://www.instagram.com/correeroofenercoach/ for more inspiration and practical wisdom for your business and life. 

Until next time, keep shining bright!

- Corree

As you read this, we’re likely somewhere along the Tour du Mont Blanc trail—mud on our boots, breath a little short, hearts wide open. This 100-mile hike isn’t just a physical challenge or a dreamy European adventure. It’s a living metaphor for everything we believe in: the uphill battles, the false summits, the grit it takes to keep going when you're not sure what’s around the next bend. It’s also the origin story of Fostering the Summit—our foundation, our mission, our why. Because life for kids in foster care isn’t a flat trail. It’s a series of mountains without maps, and most of them are climbing alone.

This journey has stretched us physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, and spiritually. But we chose it because it was bold. Because the system we’re trying to shift demands courage. It demands that we not just talk about broken systems and tough statistics, but that we move. That we do something radical in the face of fear. And so we laced up our boots and said yes—not just to a trail, but to the belief that our courage could ripple outward.

So I want to ask you something today, not just as a reader, but as a fellow traveler: When did you lose your courage? Because most stories aren’t about people who always had it. They’re about people who lost it, buried it, forgot it—and chose to find it again. Let this be your reminder: your courage isn’t gone. It’s just waiting to be reclaimed

Contact Corree or find out more about Corree and learn about all the ways she does not choose to stay in one lane go here: https://correeroofener.com/

To Purchase Emotional Money click here: Emotional Money

Are you ready to walk with us for https:/https://fosteringthesummit.org  Join us as we change the statistics for children aging out of foster care.

Also, follow me on https://www.instagram.com/correeroofenercoach/ for more inspiration and practical wisdom for your business and life. 

Until next time, keep shining bright!

- Corree