Today's guest is Kathryn Lowe, a 59-year-old former school teacher living in Brisbane, Australia.  Kathryn talks about how just a few years ago... she was struggling with declining health, a bitter divorce, and feeling depressed.  After agreeing to going on a trekking trip in Nepal, she admitted that if during that trip she just happened to fall down the mountain and perish, that she'd be okay with it.  So okay, in fact, that she actually wrote out her will before she left home.  However, while in Nepal, she learned of an 8-year-old boy who had recently committed suicide. The boy apparently was in so much in despair because his family couldn't afford to pay for him to go to school.  She was so taken by the heartbreak of that little boy, she changed focus and learned what she calls "her purpose."  That purpose was to help the children in that community obtain a free education, and to never have another child suffer like that again.  Kathryn talks about setting up a foundation, raising funds, and getting a new school going.... and also how surprised she is by what one little person could accomplish.  This is Kathryn's story.

Today's guest is Samira Maddox, a 39-year-old mother of three, who founded what she says is the first Professional Muslim sorority in Texas and the second in the country.  Originally from East Africa, and grew up in Canada, Samira says that when she first started attending the University of Texas in Dallas, she was looking for a "college" experience, but was not finding a group or organization that quite felt like where she belonged. She then got inspired to start her own sorority, but it wasn't without hitches and setbacks. First, there was the challenge of finding a faculty advisor willing and able to take on the task, and another was when they had their first rush where they got about a dozen women signed up, but then only three actually pledged. She also talks about the community service Mu Delta Alpha works on, the level of commitment by its growing members--who are not required to be Muslim--and trying to breakdown common misconceptions of a Muslim woman.  This is Samira's story....

Today's interview is with Johnathon E Stone, a 31-year-old Navy Chief Petty Officer and father of four.  Johnny shares his story of losing his wife to cancer, but before passing away, Sarah made Johnny promise to continue their pledge to each other to Find the Good in every day and not only instill that motto in their kids, but to share that message with others.  Since Sarah's passing, Johnny has been on a mission to spread the word of Finding the Good Every Day and also has begun a daily video series called, "0530 Morning Minute of Motivation."  He also started a nonprofit, Simply Finding the Good, to offer support donated items to foster kids.  Johnny is also now coming out with a book about the #TeamStone family, and their message of Finding the Good.  This is Johnny's story....

Today we welcome artist Jessica Delagardelle. Jessica recounts her experience of when soon after receiving the devastating news that she had suffered a miscarriage, doctors then discovered a 16-inch rare tumor wrapped around her pelvic bone.  After an intensive surgery, Jessica lost mobility in her left leg and had to re-learn how to walk.  She describes how diving into an art project stemming from a poem she wrote five years earlier helped her mentally and emotionally during that time....  And while recovering, she actually published her first children's book, where she also created and photographed the 3-D View-Master-like scenes that illustrate it too. That's how "Astri The Brave L'il Oyster" was born, a story about a young sea creature learning how to face her fears.  This is Jessica's story....

Deanna Won, a former Air Force Colonel and physicist, was at the height of her career when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She was admitted into hospice, and told by doctors she had just 4 weeks to live.  Against all odds, she miraculously survived through an integrative medical and holistic approach—all without chemotherapy or radiation.  Deanna has been cancer-free since.  Being given a second chance at life is what fuels her passion to inspire and empower others, so she became a Certified Holistic Health Coach and graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.  Today, she helps people from around the world to recover their health, using a mind, body, spirit approach.  This is Deanna's story....

Iomikoe Johnson is a 37-year-old mother of 4 and grandmother of 2 .  When she was 25, Iomikoe was diagnosed with Vitiligo, a skin pigmentation disorder where the skin color turns into very pale patches.  She said, “I’m a black woman and my skin is slowly turning white.” 

Iomikoe struggled with the stares and rude comments made to her face, along with depression and suicidal thoughts, and would either stay at home or spend up to over an hour applying make-up so she’d feel comfortable enough to leave the house.

Since then, Iomikoe has embraced her skin condition, became a fashion model, is now promoting awareness about Vitiligo, and even has started her own clothing line called “My Confidence is Contagious.” 

This is Iomikoe’s story….

Today's guest is Xavier Horan, a former sound mixer & editor who's worked on over 39 movies.  His career also included working with the sound editing team that won an Academy Award for the major motion picture, The Bourne Ultimatum.  However, before that happened, Xavier talks about a major tragedy he and his family endured, including him getting in a horrific car accident where he became a paraplegic at the age of 16.  And then several years later, another tragedy struck when his sister was killed in a shark attack while working with the Peace Corps in Tonga. The challenges didn't end there--Xavier suffered another life-threatening setback with his health, which sidelined his sound editing career.  But regardless of the situation, Xavier has and continues to move forward.  He talks about how since being paralyzed, he learned how to ski and surf, has become involved in various nonprofits and groups which help serve the adaptive community.  He describes what it was like to stand up and walk for the first time in years using an Exoskeleton robot.  That was when he got to hug his parents--as he calls it-- "heart to Heart" in a very long time....

And he talks about what motivates him, and keeps him inspired to keep going and reach for higher goals....

This is Xavier's story....

Jacob Leyba, a 23-year-old college graduate, describes the story of when he was a 16-year-old driving home from a football practice and got in a terrible car accident.  He suffered multiple injuries, including the need to have his right arm amputated.  We talk about Jacob's quick recovery, what went through his mind during the time, and what helped him get back on his feet so fast.  What's astonishing to learn about Jacob is he said he never dwelled in the past and asked himself ---or anyone else for that matter--"why?" or “why me?”  His goal was to always move forward and deal with his present situation. Speaking of overcoming adversity, Jacob says Everybody faces uphill climbs, and if you can climb that first hill, it's going to set the tempo for your next...  This is Jacob's story....

Today's guest is Karen Williams, an ER nurse and former military intelligence analyst.  I met Karen at her home where she recounts the story of  how in June 2016, she survived a bear attack while running a marathon in northern New Mexico.  Here, Karen walks us through what lead up to the attack, what she did to survive, her recovery, and what her efforts have been to educate the public on personal safety while in nature.  She also talks about her goal to help change mandated automatic animal-kill laws and why.  This is Karen's story....

Today's guest is Lorenzo Hernandez, a 37-year-old head coach at Undisputed Fitness gym in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 

Here Lorenzo chronicles how he started out as a high school drop-out, got into selling drugs, and how he got inspired to become a CrossFit coach while incarcerated serving a 60-month prison term.

He also talks about how that also inspired him to later become an adaptive coach (i.e., training and coaching people with spinal injuries and in wheelchairs), and also start a nonprofit to help those who need financial assistance to get physical training.

Lorenzo’s come a long way since he was in high school…

This is his story....