In this episode of The Well-Tended Life Podcast, I sit down with author, speaker, singer-songwriter, and voice coach Barbara McAfee for a conversation that will change the way you think about one of the most overlooked parts of yourself—your voice.

What begins as a conversation about communication quickly unfolds into something much deeper. Barbara shares her own journey of discovering the full power of her voice, not just as a singer, but as a pathway to healing, confidence, authenticity, and wholehearted living.

Together, we explore why so many women learn to make themselves smaller, how life experiences shape the way we speak, and what our voices reveal long before we ever say a word. Barbara introduces her Five Elements Framework and explains how our voices can help us set healthier boundaries, communicate with greater confidence, process grief, and reconnect with parts of ourselves we've unintentionally silenced.

We also talk about the surprising connection between voice and healing, the role singing plays in emotional well-being, why our bodies are designed to heal, and simple practices anyone can begin using today to become a more grounded and authentic communicator.

This conversation is thoughtful, inspiring, and full of practical wisdom for anyone who has ever struggled to speak up, be heard, or simply trust their own voice.

💛 Here are a few heart taps from this episode:

1️⃣ Your voice tells a story long before your words ever do.

2️⃣ Many of us have learned to make ourselves smaller—but our voices were never meant to stay small.

3️⃣ Healing often begins when we allow ourselves to fully express what we've been holding inside.

4️⃣ Singing, sound, and even a simple yawn can help regulate your nervous system and reconnect you with your body.

5️⃣ The way you communicate affects not only you, but everyone around you.

6️⃣ Setting healthy boundaries isn't only about what you say—it's about how you say it.

7️⃣ Your authentic voice has been within you all along, waiting to be rediscovered.

If you've ever felt overlooked, struggled to communicate confidently, or wondered how to show up more fully as yourself, this episode will encourage you to stop shrinking and start trusting the voice that has always been yours.

Connect with Barbara McAfee:

Website: www.barbaramcafee.com

Book: Vocal Intelligence: The 9 Principles of Growing Your Vocal Impact

Barbara McAfee is an author, keynote speaker, master voice coach, and singer-songwriter who has spent more than two decades helping people discover the power of their authentic voice. Through her teaching, music, and the Vocal Intelligence framework, Barbara empowers people to communicate with greater presence, confidence, and connection while embracing the fullness of who they are.

Life-Tending Made Simple is On Sale
LTMS is my foundational course built around my simple 5-step practice that’s designed to help you slow down, clear mental clutter, notice what’s really going on in your life, and intentionally tend to what matters most.

It’s not about becoming perfect.

It’s about becoming more aware, more rooted, and more intentional—one small step at a time.

And for a limited time this summer, the course is on sale HERE.

So if today’s conversation stirred something in you… this is a beautiful place to begin.

CULTIVATE U: A Life Changing  6-Week Virtual Masterclass
THIS IS YOUR SEASON. It’s time to CULTIVATE U: to water YOUR dreams, to unearth YOUR gifts, and finally tend to YOUR relationships, weeds, and needs.

Are you exhausted from watering everyone and everything else but you? Could your life, dreams, or relationships use some tending? Would you like to start living a life with less anxiety and more intention? Then click here for info on the next masterclass! 

Speaking Of
Are you looking for a unique speaker? I would love to be a part of your next event! Let’s chat: [email protected]

Let’s Get Connected
I want to cheer you on as you begin to clear away the clutter and debris that is keeping your from growing that thing that ...

In this week's episode of The Well-Tended Life, I'm joined by bestselling author, positive psychology expert, and professor Dr. Diane Dreher for a thoughtful conversation about finding calm in a world that constantly asks us to hurry.

Diane has spent decades studying what helps people thrive, and in this conversation she shares the simple, research-backed practices that can help us feel more grounded, more hopeful, and more connected—even during life's hardest seasons.

We talk about why hope is something we build rather than simply wish for, how nature has the power to restore us, and why embracing uncertainty might actually be the key to experiencing more peace. Along the way, we explore everything from meditation and gratitude to community, joy, and the beautiful lessons we can learn from tending a garden.

If you've been feeling overwhelmed, stretched thin, or longing to slow down, this conversation will remind you that peace isn't something you have to chase. It's something you can cultivate, one small choice at a time.

In this episode, we discuss:

🌿 The difference between reacting to life and intentionally creating it

🌿 Why hope is built through action—not wishful thinking

🌿 How spending time in nature can improve your emotional well-being

🌿 The importance of honoring the season you're in instead of rushing ahead

🌿 Simple practices that help reduce stress and increase resilience

🌿 Why joy deserves a place in your everyday life

A few takeaways you'll want to remember:

💛 Small daily habits have the power to create lasting change.

💛 You don't have to control everything to experience peace.

💛 Every season—even the difficult ones—is growing something within you.

💛 Your inner life deserves just as much care as everything else you tend.

Whether you're navigating change, craving more balance, or simply looking for practical ways to feel more grounded, I think you'll leave this conversation feeling encouraged and reminded that a well-tended life grows one intentional moment at a time.

Connect with Dr. Diane Dreher

Website: dianedreher.com

Books:
Pathways to Inner Peace
Inner Gardening

Life-Tending Made Simple is On Sale
LTMS is my foundational course built around my simple 5-step practice that’s designed to help you slow down, clear mental clutter, notice what’s really going on in your life, and intentionally tend to what matters most.

It’s not about becoming perfect.

It’s about becoming more aware, more rooted, and more intentional—one small step at a time.

And for a limited time this summer, the course is on sale HERE.

So if today’s conversation stirred something in you… this is a beautiful place to begin.

CULTIVATE U: A Life Changing  6-Week Virtual Masterclass
THIS IS YOUR SEASON. It’s time to CULTIVATE U: to water YOUR dreams, to unearth YOUR gifts, and finally tend to YOUR relationships, weeds, and needs.

Are you exhausted from watering everyone and everything else but you? Could your life, dreams, or relationships use some tending? Would you like to start living a life with less anxiety and more intention? Then click here for info on the next masterclass! 

Speaking Of
Are you looking for a unique speaker? I would love to be a part of your next event! Let’s chat: [email protected]

Let’s Get Connected
I want to cheer you on as you begin to clear away the clutter and debris that is keeping your from growing that thing that ...

In this episode of The Well-Tended Life podcast, I sit down with author, nervous system educator, and former corporate attorney Lori Montry to talk about the patterns so many women carry—and why they may not be flaws at all, but adaptations created to help us survive.

Lori shares her deeply personal story of childhood trauma, disordered eating, perfectionism, and years spent trying to “fix” herself through achievement and control. From graduating at the top of her class and attending Harvard Law School to eventually walking away from corporate law, Lori explains how nervous system healing changed the way she understood herself—and ultimately changed her life.

Together, we talk about survival mode, emotional eating, people pleasing, overwhelm, and the ways women disconnect from their bodies without even realizing it. Lori gently unpacks the difference between the adapted self and the expansive self, and why healing begins not with shame, but with safety and self-understanding.

We also explore practical ways to reconnect with yourself through nervous system check-ins, embodiment practices, and learning to ask the simple but powerful question: What do I need right now?

This conversation is honest, compassionate, and full of hope for anyone who has ever felt exhausted from trying harder and still not feeling okay.

💛 Here are a few heart taps from this episode:

1️⃣ You are not the problem—you adapted to survive.

2️⃣ Many coping behaviors are actually intelligent nervous system responses.

3️⃣ Healing doesn’t begin with fixing yourself. It begins with feeling safe.

4️⃣ Your body has been trying to protect you all along.

5️⃣ Awareness changes everything—especially when it’s rooted in compassion instead of shame.

6️⃣ Nervous systems thrive on gentle, consistent check-ins and care.

7️⃣ The goal isn’t perfection. It’s learning how to support yourself differently.

If you’ve been stuck in survival mode, overwhelmed by your own patterns, or wondering why “trying harder” never seems to work, this episode will remind you that healing is possible—and that you are already worthy.

Connect with Lori Montry:

Website: http://www.lorimontry.com/

Book: You’re Not the Problem

Instagram: @lorimontry

Lori Montry is a nervous system educator, speaker, and the creator of the Nervous System Freedom Formula. After leaving a successful career in corporate law, Lori devoted her life to helping women understand the survival patterns driving their behaviors so they can heal from the inside out. Through her work, she combines neuroscience, trauma-informed practices, embodiment, and compassionate self-awareness to help women move from survival mode into a more expansive, regulated life.

Life-Tending Made Simple is On Sale
LTMS is my foundational course built around my simple 5-step practice that’s designed to help you slow down, clear mental clutter, notice what’s really going on in your life, and intentionally tend to what matters most.

It’s not about becoming perfect.

It’s about becoming more aware, more rooted, and more intentional—one small step at a time.

And for a limited time this summer, the course is on sale HERE.

So if today’s conversation stirred something in you… this is a beautiful place to begin.

CULTIVATE U: A Life Changing  6-Week Virtual Masterclass
THIS IS YOUR SEASON. It’s time to CULTIVATE U: to water YOUR dreams, to unearth YOUR gifts, and finally tend to YOUR relationships, weeds, and needs.

Are you exhausted from watering everyone and everything else but you? Could your life, dreams, or relationships use some tending? Would you like to start living a life with less anxiety and more intention? Then click here for info on the next masterclass! 

Speaking Of
Are you looking for a unique speaker? I would love to be a part of your next event! Let’s chat: [email protected]

Let’s Get Connected
I want to cheer you on as you begin to clear away the clutter and debris that is keeping your from growing that thing that ...

In this episode of The Well-Tended Life Podcast, I sit down with memoirist, novelist, and speaker Carolyn Flynn for a conversation that feels like a deep exhale — honest, expansive, and full of the kind of wisdom that only comes from living through life’s many seasons.

What begins as a conversation about midlife quickly unfolds into something much richer: a heartfelt exploration of reinvention, grief, identity, and the quiet (and sometimes not-so-quiet) ways life calls us to become someone new.

Carolyn shares her powerful journey through empty nesting, career shifts, and accumulated loss — what she describes as a “colossal failure of the imagination” about what life could be next. But through that unraveling, she discovered something unexpected: freedom, creativity, and a boundless new chapter waiting to be designed.

Together, we explore what it means to tend to your inner world during seasons of change, to sit with discomfort instead of rushing past it, and to trust that even when life feels like it’s falling apart… something new is taking root.

We talk about:

🌿 Why midlife isn’t a crisis, but an emergence
🌿 How accumulated grief shapes us (and how to move through it)
🌿 The power of asking: “Why does this unstitch me?”
🌿 Emotional agility and learning to sit with discomfort
🌿 Letting go of rigid plans and designing life one day at a time
🌿 The shift from self-sufficiency to allowing support
🌿 Rediscovering your voice, creativity, and true self

Carolyn reminds us that even when life strips things away, there is a core part of you that remains untouched — and from that place, you can begin again.

💛 Here are a few heart taps from this episode:

1️⃣ Midlife isn’t the end of your story — it’s a new beginning.
2️⃣ Not all grief comes from death — some comes from becoming.
3️⃣ Asking “why does this unstitch me?” opens the door to healing.
4️⃣ Discomfort isn’t something to avoid — it’s where growth begins.
5️⃣ You don’t have to plan your whole life — just tend to today.
6️⃣ Freedom can feel like confusion… until you learn how to use it.
7️⃣ There is a part of you that cannot be broken — no matter what you lose.

If you’re navigating change, feeling untethered, or wondering what comes next, this episode is your reminder that there is still so much possibility ahead.

This isn’t the end.
 It’s your becoming.

🌼 Connect with Carolyn Flynn:

Website: carolynflynn.com
Substack: carolynflynn.substack.com
Book: Boundless

Life-Tending Made Simple is On Sale
LTMS is my foundational course built around my simple 5-step practice that’s designed to help you slow down, clear mental clutter, notice what’s really going on in your life, and intentionally tend to what matters most.

It’s not about becoming perfect.

It’s about becoming more aware, more rooted, and more intentional—one small step at a time.

And for a limited time this summer, the course is on sale HERE.

So if today’s conversation stirred something in you… this is a beautiful place to begin.

CULTIVATE U: A Life Changing  6-Week Virtual Masterclass
THIS IS YOUR SEASON. It’s time to CULTIVATE U: to water YOUR dreams, to unearth YOUR gifts, and finally tend to YOUR relationships, weeds, and needs.

Are you exhausted from watering everyone and everything else but you? Could your life, dreams, or relationships use some tending? Would you like to start living a life with less anxiety and more intention? Then click here for info on the next masterclass! 

Speaking Of
Are you looking for a unique speaker? I would love to be a part of your next event! Let’s chat: [email protected]

Let’s Get Connected
I want to cheer you on as you begin to clear away the clutter and debris that is keeping your from growing that thing that ...

In this episode of The Well-Tended Life Podcast, I sit down with author, teacher, and wellness coach Lindsey Van Wagner for a conversation that feels like pure synchronicity — one of those unexpected, delightful connections that reminds us how beautifully our stories can intertwine.

What began as a curiosity about a possible shared connection to The Secret Garden quickly turned into something much deeper: a front porch-style conversation about growth, healing, storytelling, and the courage it takes to truly listen to ourselves.

Lindsey shares her powerful journey — from navigating addiction and feeling lost in her 20s, to getting sober and rebuilding her life with intention, creativity, and deep spiritual connection. Through her work and her book Spirit Vigilante, she now helps others reclaim their voice, rewrite their stories, and step into who they’re meant to be.

Together, we explore what it means to tend to your inner world, to notice the patterns shaping your life, and to gently (but bravely) choose a new way forward.

We talk about:

🌿 The magic of synchronicity and unexpected connections
 🌿 How storytelling can become a path to healing
 🌿 Moving from survival mode into intentional living
 🌿 The courage it takes to be seen and heard
 🌿 Why noticing your thoughts and patterns changes everything
 🌿 Journaling, creativity, and finding your authentic voice
 🌿 Treating life like an experiment instead of a performance

Lindsey reminds us that we are always writing our story — and that we have more power than we think to choose what comes next.

💛 Here are a few heart taps from this episode:

1️⃣ You are the author of your life — whether you realize it or not.
 2️⃣ Noticing is the first step to changing anything.
 3️⃣ Your past doesn’t define you — it informs you.
 4️⃣ You don’t need more tools — you need the courage to begin.
 5️⃣ Life becomes more magical when you slow down enough to see it.
 6️⃣ Your “weeds” aren’t failures — they’re information.
 7️⃣ What if your life is just one big, beautiful experiment?

If you’ve been feeling a pull to slow down, reflect, or reconnect with your voice and your truth, this episode is your invitation to begin.

Connect with Lindsey Van Wagner:

Instagram: @spiritvigilante
 Book: Spirit Vigilante: Telling My Truth to Help You Live Yours

Website: https://www.thespiritvigilante.com/

Life-Tending Made Simple is On Sale
LTMS is my foundational course built around my simple 5-step practice that’s designed to help you slow down, clear mental clutter, notice what’s really going on in your life, and intentionally tend to what matters most.

It’s not about becoming perfect.

It’s about becoming more aware, more rooted, and more intentional—one small step at a time.

And for a limited time this summer, the course is on sale HERE.

So if today’s conversation stirred something in you… this is a beautiful place to begin.

CULTIVATE U: A Life Changing  6-Week Virtual Masterclass
THIS IS YOUR SEASON. It’s time to CULTIVATE U: to water YOUR dreams, to unearth YOUR gifts, and finally tend to YOUR relationships, weeds, and needs.

Are you exhausted from watering everyone and everything else but you? Could your life, dreams, or relationships use some tending? Would you like to start living a life with less anxiety and more intention? Then click here for info on the next masterclass! 

Speaking Of
Are you looking for a unique speaker? I would love to be a part of your next event! Let’s chat: [email protected]

Let’s Get Connected
I want to cheer you on as you begin to clear away the clutter and debris that is keeping your from growing that thing that ...

In this episode of The Well-Tended Life podcast, I sit down with coach, speaker, and founder of the PAUSE Method, Karen Bartholomew, for a powerful conversation about slowing down in a world that constantly pushes us to perform.

Karen shares her deeply personal journey — from feeling invisible as a child, to becoming a high-achieving single mom running on empty, to finally reaching a breaking point that forced her to ask: Who am I beneath all of this doing?

What followed was a courageous season of stepping back, unraveling old stories, and redesigning her life from the inside out. Out of that transformation came her 5-step PAUSE Method — a framework that helps women recognize patterns, untangle past conditioning, shift limiting narratives, and embody a new way of being.

We talk about:

🌿 The courage it takes to slow down

🌿 Why we teach people how to treat us

🌿 The difference between masculine striving and feminine receiving

🌿 Letting go of relationships that no longer fit your season

🌿 How to ask, “What do I need right now?” — and actually listen

🌿 Why peace isn’t something you chase, but something you choose

Karen reminds us that slowing down isn’t falling behind — it’s catching up to who you were always meant to be.

💛 Here are a few heart taps from this episode:

1️⃣ You don’t need a crisis to deserve a pause.

2️⃣ Slowing down is courageous — it means choosing truth over performance.

3️⃣ We often live inside stories that are no longer true.

4️⃣ Awareness is the first step to freedom.

5️⃣ You can redesign your next chapter at any time.

6️⃣ Peace isn’t something you earn — it’s something you choose.

7️⃣ Ask yourself daily: Is this aligned with the life I’m creating?

If you’ve been running on empty, managing everyone else’s needs, or craving space to simply breathe and be — this episode is your invitation to pause.

Connect with Karen Bartholomew:

Website: https://karenbartholomew.com

Instagram & Facebook: @karenbartholomew

Life-Tending Made Simple is On Sale
LTMS is my foundational course built around my simple 5-step practice that’s designed to help you slow down, clear mental clutter, notice what’s really going on in your life, and intentionally tend to what matters most.

It’s not about becoming perfect.

It’s about becoming more aware, more rooted, and more intentional—one small step at a time.

And for a limited time this summer, the course is on sale HERE.

So if today’s conversation stirred something in you… this is a beautiful place to begin.

CULTIVATE U: A Life Changing  6-Week Virtual Masterclass
THIS IS YOUR SEASON. It’s time to CULTIVATE U: to water YOUR dreams, to unearth YOUR gifts, and finally tend to YOUR relationships, weeds, and needs.

Are you exhausted from watering everyone and everything else but you? Could your life, dreams, or relationships use some tending? Would you like to start living a life with less anxiety and more intention? Then click here for info on the next masterclass! 

Speaking Of
Are you looking for a unique speaker? I would love to be a part of your next event! Let’s chat: [email protected]

Let’s Get Connected
I want to cheer you on as you begin to clear away the clutter and debris that is keeping your from growing that thing that ...

In this episode of The Well-Tended Life podcast, I sit down with author and grief advocate Theo Boyd to talk about the kind of loss that changes everything—and the kind of hope that meets you there anyway.

Theo shares the story behind her books My Grief Is Not Like Yours and her follow-up USA Today best seller, Hope All the Way—including the tragic loss of her mother, the complicated layers that followed, and how she began journaling her way through the unthinkable. We talk about why grief shouldn’t be compared, why so many people feel pressure to “move on,” and what it looks like to hold sorrow and strength in the same hands.

We also explore the “signs” Theo began noticing in the darkest moments (including one unforgettable detail she calls Peanut Shells)—and how those sacred little reminders became anchors of comfort, faith, and healing. If you’ve ever wondered, Am I crazy for noticing this?, you are going to feel so seen.

This conversation is tender, honest, and deeply practical—full of permission to be sad, tools for walking alongside others, and encouragement to tend to your own heart first.

💛 Here are a few heart taps from this episode:

1️⃣ Grief is not a competition—the hardest loss is the one you’re living.

2️⃣ Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is simply show up and sit—no fixing required.

3️⃣ Don’t ask, “How can I help?” Offer something specific: groceries, laundry, a walk, a nap.

4️⃣ If you don’t deal with grief, it will deal with you—often later, and often louder.

5️⃣ Hope is still here… but we have to open our eyes to see it.

6️⃣ “My hobby is my health” might be the most life-giving reframe you’ll hear all week.

7️⃣ Healing often starts with one simple practice: breathe.

If you’re walking through loss—or loving someone who is—press play. This episode is a reminder that even in barren seasons, something beautiful can still grow.

Connect with Theo Boyd:

Website: thinktheo.com

Email: [email protected]

Social: @thinktheo (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads)

Thelizabeth “Theo” Boyd was born and raised on a farm in Whitney, Texas, named after her grandmothers Thelma and Elizabeth. Known as “Theo” since middle school, she began writing poems with her father and learning resilience from her mother. She pursued higher education later in life, becoming a high school English and Creative Writing teacher—earning “Rookie Teacher of the Year” her first year—and contributing as a newspaper column.

Her upcoming book, Hope All The Way: Discovering Divine Signs in Life After Loss (Forefront Books, December 2, 2025), is a heartfelt guide to help readers move through their grief and transition loss into purpose and hope.

When not writing or speaking, Theo enjoys farm life with her dog, Manly, as they build their new home. She is passionate about helping others navigate grief, using both personal stories and national research to offer hope and healing, and has recently become a Certified Grief Educator.

Connect with Theo Boyd:

https://thinktheo.com/hope-all-the-way/

Life-Tending Made Simple is On Sale
LTMS is my foundational course built around my simple 5-step practice that’s designed to help you slow down, clear mental clutter, notice what’s really going on in your life, and intentionally tend to what matters most.

It’s not about becoming perfect.

It’s about becoming more aware, more rooted, and more intentional—one small step at a time.

And for a limited time this summer, the course is on sale HERE.

So if today’s conversation stirred something in you… this is a beautiful place to begin.

CULTIVATE U: A Life Changing  6-Week Virtual Masterclass
THIS IS YOUR SEASON. It’s time to CULTIVATE U: to water YOUR dreams, to unearth YOUR gifts, and finally tend to YOUR relationships, weeds, and needs.

Are you exhausted from watering everyone and everything else but you? Could your life, dreams, or relationships use some tending? Would you like to start living a life with less anxiety and more intention? Then click here for info on the next masterclass! 

Speaking Of
Are you looking for a unique speaker? I would love to be a part of your next event! Let’s chat: [email protected]

Let’s Get Connected
I want to cheer you on as you begin to clear away the clutter and debris that is keeping your from growing that thing that ...

In this episode of The Well-Tended Life podcast, I sit down with trauma-informed therapist and founder of The Collective Therapy & Wellness, Alyssa Scarano. Together, we explore one of the most transformative truths of tending your life: when you heal yourself, you expand your capacity to heal the world around you.

Alyssa shares how her own story—through art, writing, therapy, motherhood, and advocacy—shaped the way she views emotions not as problems to fix, but as signals to listen to. She offers powerful analogies (think Spidey senses and dashboard warning lights) that help us see our feelings as guides toward boundaries, needs, and deeper self-connection.

We also talk about emotional regulation (for us and our kids), the difference between thoughts and feelings, how social media keeps us distracted and disconnected, and why it’s time to retire the “good girl” and start using our true voice. Alyssa also opens up about parenting a neurodivergent child, broken systems, and the courage it takes to keep advocating while still choosing ease and joy where she can.

💛 Here are a few heart taps from this episode:

1️⃣ Your emotions aren’t inconveniences—they’re information.

2️⃣ Big feelings need calm, not correction.

3️⃣ You always have a choice in how you respond.

4️⃣ Boundaries are an act of self-love and self-preservation.

5️⃣ Healing your inner child changes how you show up for others.

If your heart needs permission to feel, breathe, and come back home to yourself, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

About Alyssa Scarano:

The Collective Therapy & Wellness—Online Therapy & Coaching

Life-Tending Made Simple is On Sale
LTMS is my foundational course built around my simple 5-step practice that’s designed to help you slow down, clear mental clutter, notice what’s really going on in your life, and intentionally tend to what matters most.

It’s not about becoming perfect.

It’s about becoming more aware, more rooted, and more intentional—one small step at a time.

And for a limited time this summer, the course is on sale HERE.

So if today’s conversation stirred something in you… this is a beautiful place to begin.

CULTIVATE U: A Life Changing  6-Week Virtual Masterclass
THIS IS YOUR SEASON. It’s time to CULTIVATE U: to water YOUR dreams, to unearth YOUR gifts, and finally tend to YOUR relationships, weeds, and needs.

Are you exhausted from watering everyone and everything else but you? Could your life, dreams, or relationships use some tending? Would you like to start living a life with less anxiety and more intention? Then click here for info on the next masterclass! 

Speaking Of
Are you looking for a unique speaker? I would love to be a part of your next event! Let’s chat: [email protected]

Let’s Get Connected
I want to cheer you on as you begin to clear away the clutter and debris that is keeping your from growing that thing that ...

In this episode of The Well-Tended Life podcast, I sit down with storyteller and kindness champion Mary Latham, founder of the nonprofit More Good Today. After losing her incredibly optimistic mother, Mary set out on a cross-country journey to gather stories of goodness—and what she discovered changed her life.

Over the course of three years and 43 states, Mary stayed with strangers and collected hundreds of real-life stories of human kindness. Her mission? To bring hope into hospital waiting rooms and remind us all that light still exists—even in our darkest moments.

Our conversation dives into grief, goodness, and what it really means to be present for one another. Mary shares how listening without judgment, giving your time freely, and choosing to see the good can quite literally transform a life—starting with your own.

This episode is a gentle, powerful nudge to slow down, look up, and love people better.

💛 Here are a few heart taps from this episode:

1️⃣ Sometimes, grief becomes the unexpected push that leads us into our most extraordinary purpose.

2️⃣ Despite what the headlines say—there are more kind and decent people in the world than we often realize.

3️⃣ Everyone you meet is carrying something. Let’s never assume otherwise.

4️⃣ A single act of kindness can echo through someone’s life for years—sometimes even decades.

5️⃣ Are we truly listening? In a noisy world, real connection starts with being fully present.

6️⃣ It’s okay if someone isn’t as present as we wish. Let’s meet them with grace—and lovingly invite them back to the moment.

So if your heart needs a reminder that goodness still grows, this episode is for you. Hit play and soak in this beautiful, hope-filled conversation.

Connect with Mary Latham:

In 2016, Mary Latham set out in her late mother’s Subaru, "Old Blue," on a cross-country journey to collect stories of human kindness from all 50 U.S. states. Over three years and 43,000 miles, she stayed in 154 strangers’ homes and shared her mission -More Good- at schools, churches, and community groups. Her journey gained national attention on platforms like MSNBC, The Today Show, and The Washington Post. Now the founder of More Good Today Inc., Mary is writing a book of these stories to donate to hospital waiting rooms and continues speaking to inspire hope and unity across the country.

Website: https://www.moregood.today/

Life-Tending Made Simple is On Sale
LTMS is my foundational course built around my simple 5-step practice that’s designed to help you slow down, clear mental clutter, notice what’s really going on in your life, and intentionally tend to what matters most.

It’s not about becoming perfect.

It’s about becoming more aware, more rooted, and more intentional—one small step at a time.

And for a limited time this summer, the course is on sale HERE.

So if today’s conversation stirred something in you… this is a beautiful place to begin.

CULTIVATE U: A Life Changing  6-Week Virtual Masterclass
THIS IS YOUR SEASON. It’s time to CULTIVATE U: to water YOUR dreams, to unearth YOUR gifts, and finally tend to YOUR relationships, weeds, and needs.

Are you exhausted from watering everyone and everything else but you? Could your life, dreams, or relationships use some tending? Would you like to start living a life with less anxiety and more intention? Then click here for info on the next masterclass! 

Speaking Of
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Let’s Get Connected
I want to cheer you on as you begin to clear away the clutter and debris that is keeping your from growing that thing that ...

In this episode of The Well-Tended Life podcast, I sit down with writer and bucket-list finisher Laura Carney for a heartfelt and inspiring conversation about saying yes to life—even in the wake of loss.

When Laura found her late father’s handwritten bucket list—left unfinished after his sudden death at age 54—she made a bold decision: she would complete it for him. What started as a tribute to his life turned into a powerful journey of healing, self-discovery, and joy.

Together, we explore the ways that tending to our own dreams can also help us tend to our grief, how rest and fun can be sacred acts of growth, and how surrendering to life’s callings can lead us exactly where we’re meant to be.

This episode is full of soul-stretching wisdom and reminders that living with intention doesn’t always mean doing big things—it’s about listening to your heart, choosing joy, and believing that you are worthy of both healing and happiness.

💫 Here are a few heart taps from this episode:

1️⃣ Laura shared vulnerably about fearing she was like her dad in the ways she didn’t want to be—until she realized she’d been seeing him only through the eyes of her childhood.

2️⃣ If you’ve forgotten that life is meant to be fun—pause and ask yourself: what are you even doing?

3️⃣ Your bucket list doesn’t have to be epic. Sometimes the smallest longings are the ones your soul most needs you to honor.

4️⃣ Don’t work for rest. Work from rest.

💛 So grab your journal and open your heart—this episode is an invitation to live more fully, tend more gently, and say yes to the life that’s calling you. Hit play now—you don’t want to miss this one.

Learn more about Laura here: https://myfatherslist.com/

Life-Tending Made Simple is On Sale
LTMS is my foundational course built around my simple 5-step practice that’s designed to help you slow down, clear mental clutter, notice what’s really going on in your life, and intentionally tend to what matters most.

It’s not about becoming perfect.

It’s about becoming more aware, more rooted, and more intentional—one small step at a time.

And for a limited time this summer, the course is on sale HERE.

So if today’s conversation stirred something in you… this is a beautiful place to begin.

CULTIVATE U: A Life Changing  6-Week Virtual Masterclass
THIS IS YOUR SEASON. It’s time to CULTIVATE U: to water YOUR dreams, to unearth YOUR gifts, and finally tend to YOUR relationships, weeds, and needs.

Are you exhausted from watering everyone and everything else but you? Could your life, dreams, or relationships use some tending? Would you like to start living a life with less anxiety and more intention? Then click here for info on the next masterclass! 

Speaking Of
Are you looking for a unique speaker? I would love to be a part of your next event! Let’s chat: [email protected]

Let’s Get Connected
I want to cheer you on as you begin to clear away the clutter and debris that is keeping your from growing that thing that ...