Today I sat down with California Cal — host of The Damn Dude Podcast — for a full-circle conversation about discipline, grief, rebuilding identity, and why he’s currently doing 75 Hard.

We originally connected online years ago when I was doing 75 Hard. Now he’s on his own journey, and this conversation explores the deeper “why” behind discipline, not just the physical challenge.

We talk about:

• Losing family members and navigating childhood grief

• Growing up around gangs and violence

• Breaking his skull, neck, and back and hitting emotional rock bottom

• Choosing responsibility instead of staying in survival mode

• Ayahuasca, fasting, and confronting stored pain

• Teaching babies survival swimming and finding purpose through service

• Documenting life for future generations

• Doing things because they align, not to prove something

• Why his values are show love, show respect, live with integrity

• Men, emotion, and learning to cry again

This episode is about self-reflection, healing, discipline, and choosing who you want to become, regardless of where you came from.

If something resonates, share it with someone who’s doing their own “hard” season of life.

California Cal
Instagram: @loveallcal
Podcast: The Damn Dude Podcast
Website: loveallcal.com

Connect with Rosie
Instagram: @the_rosie_rose_
The Rosie Rose Podcast on YouTube

In this episode, relationship coach and educator Frank Ivey shares how emotional intelligence, psychology, and faith come together to transform relationships from the inside out.

Frank opens up about his personal journey — through loss, love, and spiritual awakening — and how he discovered that real transformation begins not by fixing others, but by doing the heart work that brings us back to wholeness.

We talk about forgiveness, grief, marriage, community, and what it truly means to heal in partnership with God.

✨ You’ll learn:

• The deeper meaning of “heart work”

• How to grow emotional intelligence through faith

• Why community and connection are sacred

• Simple daily rituals to align your heart with gratitude

🎧 Listen if you’re ready to:

• Heal the patterns keeping you stuck

• Feel closer to God and yourself

• Build healthier, more compassionate relationships

Follow Frank on Instagram @creatingforevers
Follow Rose on Instagram @the_rosie_rose_

💫 The Rosie Rose Podcast — Conversations that heal, awaken, and inspire.

Prosperity is often mistaken for money alone—but what if true abundance is so much more?

In this episode, Rose sits down with Tessa-Marie Shillingford—financial expert, life coach, and author of The Five Pillars of Prosperity. With over 30 years in the financial world, Tessa-Marie has seen firsthand how money problems are often symptoms, not the root cause. Her framework of the five pillars—spiritual, mental, physical, emotional, and financial—shows us how to create balance, alignment, and fulfillment across every part of life.

We also explore the practice of manifestation: what it really means to align belief, energy, and action so that dreams move from inspiration to reality. From reframing “struggles” into challenges, to using meditation and daily habits as tools for clarity, Tessa-Marie offers wisdom you can apply right away.

✨ What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Why money is often just a symptom of deeper imbalance

• How the 5 pillars support each other (like fingers on a hand)

• Emotional vs. mental prosperity—how to respond, not react

• The seed analogy: manifestation as a daily practice of nurturing

• Why language matters: shifting from “struggle” to “challenge”

• Meditation, body scans, and journaling as prosperity practices

• Tessa-Marie’s personal rituals, affirmations, and inspiration

This conversation is practical, heart-centered, and full of reminders that true prosperity starts from within.

Connect with Tessa-Marie:
IG / TikTok / YouTube: @thetessa_marie @TessaMarieShillingford

What happens when you give up talking, phones, reading, journaling — everything — for 10 days of silence?

In this episode, Rose sits down with her retreat roommate Fantoya Hill, LCSW (@yeuniquity) to share their first-hand experience at a Vipassana meditation retreat in Kelseyville, CA. Together, they explore the challenges and breakthroughs of sitting still for 10+ hours a day and the unexpected lessons that came after leaving the retreat.

✨ In this episode:

• Facing boredom, pain & intrusive thoughts

• Discovering impermanence (anicca) through body scans

• Learning to eat, walk & drive deliberately

• How silence shifted our reactions to daily stress & social media

• Takeaways we’re carrying into everyday life

Whether you’ve been curious about trying Vipassana or just want to understand what it’s like to sit in silence, this conversation offers both honesty and hope.

• Guest: Fantoya Hill, LCSW
  IG: @yeuniquity | @functional.elements

• Follow Rosie: IG @therosierose | YouTube Rose Khun

In this empowering episode of The Rosie Rose Podcast, I sit down with Amma Primicino — a certified life and confidence coach based in the UK, originally from Ghana.

Amma shares her journey of overcoming self-doubt and transforming her life transitions into a mission to help others rise above fear, reconnect with their true selves, and build unshakable confidence.

💬 In this episode, we explore:
• Why courage comes before confidence
• How to move through fear and take action (even when you don’t feel ready)
• The power of self-acceptance and rewriting your inner story
• How to celebrate small wins and stop comparing yourself
• Why growth feels uncomfortable — and why that’s a good sign

If you’ve ever felt “not enough,” this conversation will remind you that confidence is built, not born — and you are further along than you think.

🌹 Follow me on Instagram: @the_rosie_rose_
💖 Connect with Amma: @ammaprimicino

In this conversation, Chhut Pa shares his journey from surviving the Cambodian genocide and Thai refugee camps to navigating Long Beach gang culture, serving in the U.S. Air Force, and ultimately finding peace through surrender to God. We talk baksbat (broken courage), fatherlessness, the cost of silence, and how healing begins—with honesty, community, and faith.

Topics & timestamps

00:00 Intro
01:10 Childhood under the Khmer Rouge
05:05 Thai refugee camp & first hope
10:20 Long Beach gangs, poverty & baksbat
18:40 Losing Dad, silence, and anger
25:30 Military service, faith crisis, divorce
33:10 “Let Go & Let God”: surrender & forgiveness
45:50 Recording our parents’ stories (SORIYA Project)
54:30 Breaking cycles: vulnerability, therapy, church & community
1:02:20 Final message — Healing starts with you

If you’re breaking cycles in your family, this one’s for you.
Comment on IG: @the_rosie_rose_ | Guest: @khmerfatherscollective / @chut_p717

Welcome back to The Rosie Rose Podcast — a space for real stories, raw healing, and the moments that change us.

This week, I’m joined by Allison, a high school teacher, yoga practitioner, and someone who has completed nine 10-day Vipassana silent meditation retreats. That means no talking, no distractions, no phones — just you, your breath, and everything you've been avoiding.

We talk about what draws her back again and again, what it’s like to confront your thoughts in total silence, and how the practice has shifted her relationship to anger, pain, presence, and teaching.

Whether you're meditation-curious, have never sat in silence, or you’re deep into your healing journey, this conversation is filled with humor, honesty, and reflection on what it means to truly sit with yourself.

🧘‍♀️ Connect with Allison: @electricbodyyoga
📥 Subscribe, rate, and share the podcast with a friend who needs it.

Keywords: Vipassana, meditation, healing, mindfulness, anger

In this episode of The Rosie Rose Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Seng Seang—a retired family physician whose care has touched many families in our community, including mine.

But before his decades of medical service in California, Dr. Seang survived the Khmer Rouge’s brutal rule and rebuilt his life from the ground up as a refugee. He shares the heart-wrenching journey from the killing fields, to medical school in Hawaii, to over 30 years of healing hands in Modesto, CA.

We talk about:

• Surviving unspeakable loss during the Khmer Rouge era.

• The journey from refugee to physician.

• His memoir, Starving Season—a powerful story of survival and renewal.

• The importance of storytelling and community healing after trauma.

• His continued mission through YouTube, where he teaches health in Khmer via the Dr. Seng Seang Channel.

This is a deeply emotional and inspiring conversation—proof that even in the darkest chapters, hope and healing can prevail.

👉 Get Starving Season on Amazon: a.co/d/eVrP5mb
👉 Watch his health videos on YouTube: Dr. Seng Seang Channel
👉 Follow the podcast on Instagram: @the_rosie_rose_

This week on The Rosie Rose Podcast, I'm joined by Zara Marielle, founder of Present Company Improv in Arcata, California, and a soon-to-be published author. From shy ESL teacher to global performer, Zara’s story is proof that saying yes to the unknown can change everything.

We talk about how improv helped her find her voice, connect with community, and even become a better listener. She also shares how the principles of improv—like celebrating mistakes and embracing spontaneity—can help anyone become more confident, creative, and grounded.

Whether you’re curious about public speaking, building confidence, or simply looking for a fresh creative spark, this episode is for you.

🧭 Learn more about Zara:
https://presentcompanyimprov.com
📚 Her debut novel The Café of Infinite Doors drops April 2026!

🎧 Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—your support means the world.

Today on The Rosie Rose Podcast, I sit down with Ko Chandetka, also known as The Big Lao — IFBB Pro bodybuilder, podcast host, and mental health advocate.

Ko’s story goes far beyond the stage lights. From his childhood as a Lao refugee in the Midwest, to building a championship physique, to battling addiction after an injury — Ko’s journey is one of survival, resilience, and renewal. His documentary Fallen Star, Rising Sun shines a light on this transformation.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• Growing up Lao and feeling like an outsider.

• The drive that led him to bodybuilding greatness.

• Addiction, recovery, and the fight to rise again.

• Why healing, self-love, and letting go are the real measures of strength.

This episode isn’t just about fitness — it’s about finding your way back to yourself.

👉 Connect with Ko on Instagram: @kochandetka
👉 Follow me on IG: @the_rosie_rose_