Uncomfy: Sticking with Moments That Challenge Us

What if your neighbors weren’t just people next door, but co-owners you had to work with every week? Cheryl Keil thought she had found the intentional community she wanted—until the meetings, maintenance, and uneven workloads made her wonder if it was time to leave.

Cheryl lives in Wasatch Commons, a co-housing community in Salt Lake City where residents own private homes but share responsibility for the property, common spaces, gardens, and decisions that shape daily life. She talks with Julie Rose about communal living, neighbor conflict, shared housing, social isolation, and why building a real community can be both deeply rewarding and incredibly frustrating.

Subscribe to Uncomfy for more honest conversations about connection, conflict, and the moments that challenge how we see one another.

More about Wasatch Commons - https://www.wasatchcommons.com/

More about co-housing - https://cohousingalliance.org/

CHAPTERS

(0:00) Intro

(0:38) Meet Cheryl Keil

(2:17) When Community Gets Messy

(4:26) Burnout and Almost Moving

(5:20) Turning Point and Gratitude

(6:58) Fixing the Participation Gap

(8:37) Check Out “A Braver Way”

(10:05) A Tour of Wasatch Commons

(12:19) Highs, Lows, and Lessons

(13:47) Wrap Up and Credits

(14:57) New Show “Dispatches from the Divide”

#Cohousing #IntentionalCommunity #CommunityLiving #SharedHousing #CommunalLiving #Loneliness #SocialIsolation #HousingAlternatives #NeighborConflict #UncomfyPodcast

What do you do when the voice in your head tells you that you don’t belong? And how can you tell the difference between a real warning and fear holding you back?

Joshua Green joins host Julie Rose to talk about why our inner critic often gets loudest when we’re stretching beyond our comfort zones and how past criticism can shape the way we see ourselves. They also explore people pleasing, fear of failure, authenticity, building a support network, and the value of naming our fears instead of letting them make decisions for us.

Subscribe to Uncomfy for more honest conversations about the uncomfortable moments that can really teach us something.

ABOUT GUEST

Joshua Green is a keynote speaker, entertainer, and entrepreneur who helps people overcome imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and negative self-talk (https://joshuaowengreen.com).

CHAPTERS

(0:00) Own Your Uniqueness

(0:10) Welcome to Uncomfy

(0:47) Meet Joshua Green

(1:14) The Juggling Audition Panic

(4:21) Imposter Voice in the Room

(5:37) The Results

(6:38) Three Takeaways on Authenticity

(9:12) Using Self Doubt as a Barometer

(11:03) Free Diving and Real Risk

(12:46) Voice the Fear, Build Support

(15:19) Start Small

(16:34) Wrap Up and Credits

(17:35) New Show - Dispatches from the Divide

#ImposterSyndrome #SelfDoubt #NegativeSelfTalk #Confidence #Anxiety #PersonalGrowth #PeoplePleasing #SelfWorth #MentalHealth #UncomfyPodcast

As the country reflects on 25 years since 9/11, we’re revisiting this conversation about the lasting trauma first responders can carry long after an emergency is over.

Chris Fields spent 31 years with the Oklahoma City Fire Department. In 1995, he responded to the Oklahoma City bombing and became part of one of the tragedy’s most iconic images, carrying three-month-old Baylee Almon from the wreckage. Years later, after cumulative trauma and PTSD began to take a toll, Fields had to confront what it meant to ask for help.

Chris joins host Julie Rose to talk about the pressure first responders feel to stay strong, the cost of burying painful experiences, and how vulnerability and treatment helped him begin to heal.

Resources mentioned:

Trauma Behind the Badge - https://www.traumabehindthebadge.us/

Survive First - https://www.survivefirst.us/

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US) - Call or text 988

Original airdate: July 9, 2025

CHAPTERS

(0:00) Introduction

(0:47) Meet Chris Fields: A Firefighter's Journey

(4:59) The 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing

(6:34) The Iconic Photo

(8:52) The Long Road to Healing

(12:19) Helping Others Through Trauma

(17:16) Oklahoma First Responders Wellness Division

(19:06) Resources and Final Thoughts

What happens when the thing you’ve spent years hiding is suddenly impossible to hide?

Aneela Idnani spent decades concealing trichotillomania (compulsive hair-pulling disorder). She joins host Julie Rose to talk about shame, self-compassion, and the unexpected moment that helped her see her struggle differently.

ABOUT GUEST

Aneela Idnani is the co-founder of HabitAware, maker of the Keen bracelet—a wearable designed to help people notice and interrupt body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs)—and author of the memoir “Aneela, Where Are Your Eyebrows?”

More about HabitAware and the Keen bracelet – https://habitaware.com/

Check out the book – https://a.co/d/06VfcVFj

CHAPTERS

(0:00) Intro

(1:09) Aneela’s Secret Revealed

(3:47) Hiding and Shame

(5:01) How Pulling Started

(7:35) Life Choices and Anxiety

(8:58) Finding the Diagnosis

(11:11) Therapy and Turning Point

(12:50) A Helpful Invention

(15:42) Community and Self Compassion

(17:01) Wrap Up

Months after the 9/11 attacks, New Yorkers were deeply divided over what should become of Ground Zero.

Carolyn Lukensmeyer brought nearly 5,000 of them into one room to find a way forward. She joins host Julie Rose to share what happened when people with grief, money, and competing visions at stake tried to truly listen to each other.

ABOUT GUEST

Carolyn Lukensmeyer is the founder of AmericaSpeaks. Her work is featured in the new documentary “9/11: Reclaiming Ground Zero,” streaming now.

Amazon Prime - https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0H967BL44

Apple - https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/911-reclaiming-ground-zero/umc.cmc.4qgdl58od8p41hs5kl42er4g2

Be sure to also check out “The Untold Story of How America Remembers 9/11,” a special two-part series over on the Top of Mind podcast feed. - https://lnkfi.re/TopofMind

CHAPTERS

(0:00) Introduction

(0:49) Meet Carolyn Lukensmeyer

(3:32) Stakes and Stakeholders

(5:43) Listening to the City

(7:45) Officials Start Over

(9:34) How the Setup Worked

(13:11) What Changed at Ground Zero

(15:52) Future of Democracy Tools

(18:05) Conclusion

What happens when pushing through is no longer enough?

Scott Martin survived a life-threatening illness that cost him both hands and parts of his feet, then fought to return to the soccer field. But the emotional recovery took much longer. He joins host Julie Rose to talk about disability, identity, and what it means to stop pretending you’re fine.

ABOUT GUEST

Scott Martin is an award-winning soccer coach and author of “Play From Your Heart: A Journey Through Loss, Resilience, and the Beautiful Game” (https://a.co/d/07XYwtuZ).

CHAPTERS

(0:00) Introduction

(0:42) Meet Scott Martin

(1:05) The Horrifying Encounter

(1:55) Sudden Illness Strikes

(2:55) Waking Up to Amputation

(4:49) Rehab Like an Athlete

(6:56) Learning Prosthetic Control

(8:40) Faking It and Fear

(9:50) Confidence Cracks

(11:24) Rock Bottom

(12:27) Rebuilding from Scratch

(14:37) Return to Coaching and Belonging

(16:13) Owning Identity and Purpose

(18:03) Conclusion

For years, Mollie Kaye dressed in full 1950s style every Tuesday: hats, gloves, heels, and all. She initially worried that people would find her strange or annoying.

Instead, her vintage outfits became an invitation to connect.

Mollie shares how small compliments and pleasant conversations with strangers helped her fight loneliness, build community, and discover the unexpected power of being seen.

ABOUT GUEST

Mollie Kaye is a writer, performer, and vintage-fashion enthusiast who became known as the “Tuesday Lady” after dressing in 1950s style every Tuesday to create meaningful connections with strangers (https://www.instagram.com/turned_out_tuesdays/).

Check out her TEDx talk - https://youtu.be/mcYPiQGyZbM?si=mvczBkoh-olpMQTb

CHAPTERS

(0:00) Intro

(0:37) Meet Mollie Kaye

(1:20) Why Tuesdays

(3:13) Dread to Delight

(5:01) Wear Comment Bait

(6:49) Receive Compliments

(8:05) From Compliments to Connection

(9:33) Loneliness and Looking Up

(10:46) Wrap Up

What do you do when something happens that you can’t control and you’re terrified of what comes next?

For Laura Lummer, that moment came with a devastating cancer diagnosis. She couldn’t control what was happening or how the people she loved reacted to it, but she could decide where to put her energy.

Laura joins host Julie Rose to talk about fear, the surprising weight of other people’s feelings, and learning to look toward the life ahead instead of the one you thought you’d have.

ABOUT GUEST

Laura Lummer is a certified life, health, and nutrition coach, host of The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach podcast, and founder of Better Than Before Breast Cancer (https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/).

CHAPTERS

(0:00) Intro

(0:51) Meet Laura Lummer

(1:24) Stage Four Shock

(4:15) Choosing to Heal

(5:14) Future Self Mindset

(6:36) Handling Others’ Reactions

(8:31) Better Than Before

(11:16) When Fear Returns

(13:18) Advice to Past Self

(14:24) Wrap Up

After 20+ years covering the news, journalist Niala Boodhoo has seen how easy it is to become cynical.

But she’s choosing a different approach—bringing together two things journalists have traditionally kept separate: faith and the news.

In this episode, Niala joins host Julie Rose to talk about why she’s done keeping faith on the sidelines and what it might add to the way we understand the news and each other.

ABOUT GUEST

Niala Boodhoo is an award-winning journalist and podcast host who has worked with NPR, Axios, Reuters, and the Miami Herald. She is the creator and host of the new podcast “Oh God Now What,” which explores current issues through religious, spiritual, and moral wisdom (https://nialaboodhoo.substack.com/).

CHAPTERS

(0:00) Introduction

(0:47) Meet Niala Boodhoo

(1:13) The Layoff

(1:49) Walking the Camino

(4:33) News Trauma and Faith

(6:30) Reimagining a News Show

(8:50) Oh God Now What

(11:32) Big Questions Sacred Lens

(12:12) Hope Frameworks and Values

(13:13) Wrap Up

An autism diagnosis changed everything for Harry and Gus Psaros—but not in the way they expected.

Together, this father and son share an honest conversation about fear, hope, parenting, and what happens when you stop focusing on limitations and start looking for possibility.

ABOUT GUESTS

Harry Psaros is the author of “From Struggle to Strength”, a memoir about raising his son Gus after he was diagnosed with autism at age 3 (https://www.harrypsaros.com/).

Gus Psaros is a recent Kent State University graduate pursuing a career in physical therapy.

CHAPTERS

(0:00) Introduction

(0:41) Diagnosis Drive Home

(3:21) Early Signs and Denial

(5:06) Gus on Being Different

(6:49) Kindness as Superpower

(7:55) Setbacks

(9:24) Brain Balance Breakthrough

(11:07) Finding Balance and Burnout

(11:58) Senior Year and College Leap

(14:38) Gus’ Vision Board and Big Goals

(15:24) Calling on Dads to Step Up

(18:27) Conclusion