In this episode of Walk With Me, Stephanie sits down with David Auger—environmental engineer, author, husband, father, and deep thinker—to explore sustainability as more than a scientific metric. David invites us to consider sustainability as a normative, values-based question: What do we want to hold onto, protect, and pass forward?

David shares his personal journey growing up in Denver, attending West Point, serving in the military, and transitioning into a long career in environmental engineering focused on water, air quality, wildlife habitat, and industrial responsibility. Alongside his professional experience, David opens up about one of the most defining chapters of his life—walking with his family through his young son's four-year battle with childhood leukemia, an experience that reshaped his understanding of resilience, family, and purpose.

The conversation weaves together science, philosophy, history, and deeply human stories. David discusses the ideas behind his book Man's Search for Sustainability, inspired by Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, and shares unexpected lessons from nature—comparing honeybees and desert locusts to illustrate how stress, community, and adaptation shape survival. He also reflects on Colorado mining towns, baseball as a form of community resilience, and why sustainability is never a fixed destination, but an evolving journey shaped by expectations and participation.

This episode is an invitation to pause and ask a powerful question: Why do we want to sustain anything at all?

Topics Covered

• Sustainability as a values-based, human question
• Growing up in Denver and family legacy
• Military service and a career in environmental engineering
• Water, air quality, and wildlife habitat stewardship
• Parenting through childhood leukemia and family resilience
• Lessons from honeybees and desert locusts
• Viktor Frankl, meaning, and the power of "why"
• Community, culture, and sustainability through history

About the Guest

David Auger is an environmental engineer with decades of experience in water and air modeling, industrial compliance, and wildlife habitat management. He is the author of Man's Search for Sustainability, a philosophical exploration of sustainability inspired by Viktor Frankl's work on meaning, and is currently working on a second book rooted in Colorado history, community, and resilience.

📘 Book: Man's Search for Sustainability

If this conversation resonated with you, explore more episodes, stories, and reflections at 👉 https://WalkWithMeConversations.com

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In this deeply honest and unconventional conversation, we sit down with Dale Walsh—poet, mentor, and mental health advocate—who shares his lived experience with schizophrenia spanning nearly five decades.

Dale's journey began in the summer of 1975, when a psychotic break during his freshman year at Dartmouth College led to involuntary hospitalization and a diagnosis that would shape much of his adult life. What followed were years inside psychiatric institutions, long-term stigma, and a mental health system that, at the time, offered little hope for recovery.

In this episode, Dale speaks candidly about:

• The culture of psychiatry in the 1970s and how it framed schizophrenia as incurable

• The lasting impact of being told he had "broken his brain"

• Anosognosia—why many people with mental illness don't believe they're ill

• The language gap between those with mental illness and those without

• Cannabis, personal agency, and controversial paths to self-regulation

• Creativity, poetry, and meaning-making as survival tools

• What it means to finally release a lifelong delusion and reclaim identity

Today, Dale is living independently, writing poetry, and mentoring family caregivers of people with schizophrenia, helping them move out of burnout and codependency and into resilience, self-worth, and compassionate understanding.

This episode challenges conventional narratives around mental illness and recovery—and offers a powerful reminder that healing is not linear, fast, or one-size-fits-all.

Dale Walsh is a poet, mental health advocate, and mentor for family caregivers of individuals living with schizophrenia. Drawing from decades of lived experience, Dale focuses on educating caregivers while helping them rebuild self-esteem, emotional resilience, and healthy boundaries.

• Website: https://www.dewlivelove.net

• Schedule a Session (Calendly): https://www.calendly.com/dalecoach55

If this conversation resonated with you, we invite you to explore more stories like this at 👉 https://www.WalkWithMeConversations.com

You'll find podcast episodes, reflections, and resources centered on healing, resilience, and the shared human experience.

🎧 Subscribe, share, and leave a review to help these stories reach the people who need them most.

In this deeply moving episode of Walk With Me Conversations, we sit down with Damian Bloss, author, recovery advocate, and mental health group leader, to explore a story of grief, addiction, redemption, and hope.

Damian shares how a seemingly "normal" childhood—filled with baseball dreams and close family ties—was forever altered by the suicide of a father figure during his late teens. Carrying unspoken guilt and unresolved trauma, Damian turned to alcohol as a way to numb the pain, a coping mechanism that slowly grew into a 20-year battle with addiction.

What followed were years of fractured relationships, legal trouble, emotional isolation, and a growing sense of despair—until Damian reached a breaking point in his late 30s. In a moment of crisis, an accidental phone call became a lifeline, leading him to rehab, recovery, and a completely new way of living.

In this conversation, Damian opens up about:

• Losing a loved one to suicide and the weight of survivor's guilt
• Using alcohol to cope with trauma, anxiety, and depression
• Hitting rock bottom and confronting suicidal thoughts
• Entering rehab and learning how to truly heal—not just stay sober
• Trauma therapy, accountability, and emotional honesty
• Rebuilding trust with his wife and children
• Repairing a broken relationship with his daughter
• Becoming a leader, mentor, and advocate for mental health and addiction recovery
• Turning pain into purpose through service, speaking, and writing

Today, Damian facilitates mental health and addiction support groups, mentors incarcerated individuals through partnerships with local law enforcement, and continues to share his story so others don't have to suffer in silence.

This episode is for anyone navigating addiction, grief, mental health struggles—or loving someone who is. It's a reminder that healing is possible, help can come from unexpected places, and one honest conversation can change a life.

📚 About the Guest

Damian Bloss Author of Breaking the Silence Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Advocate Group Facilitator & Mentor

🔗 Connect with Damian:

• Book: Breaking the Silence Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all major online retailers
• Facebook: Breaking the Silence
• Instagram: Breaking the Silence
• Linktree: Available via Damian's social profiles for book and contact links

If this episode resonated with you, or if you're looking for more honest conversations around healing, resilience, and the human experience, visit:

👉 https://www.WalkWithMeConversations.com

There you'll find more episodes, resources, and ways to stay connected. If this story helped you, consider sharing it with someone who may need it—and remember, you don't have to walk alone.

✨ What We Talk About

• What it's like growing up undiagnosed autistic and ADHD in the 90s
• Masking, people-pleasing, and the cost of being "the good kid"
• Panic attacks, anxiety, and sensory overload that went unseen
• Why autism in women and girls has been historically missed
• Parenting neurodivergent kids while discovering your own diagnosis
• Sensory sensitivities (sound, food, textures, touch, water, heat)
• Learning to work with your brain instead of against it
• Redefining self-care, routines, food, hygiene, and daily expectations
• Letting go of shame and embracing a neuro-affirming life
• Why there is no "right way" to be human

💡 Memorable Takeaways

"I wasn't lazy. I didn't lack discipline. I just didn't have the words."

"Good food is food you can eat."

"It's not your job to dim yourself to make other people comfortable."

"Different is not wrong."

📚 About the Guest: Dr. Kristen Williamson

Dr. Kristen Williamson is a licensed professional counselor specializing in autism, ADHD, anxiety, and trauma. She works exclusively with neurodivergent clients and is passionate about normalizing late diagnosis — especially for women.

Kristen is also the creator of:

• Neuro-Spicy Workbooks designed to help adults understand their brains with compassion
• A forthcoming book on late-diagnosed autism in women, from puberty through menopause

You can find her educational content on TikTok and Instagram by searching Dr. Kristen Williamson.

🎧 Why This Episode Matters

So many adults — especially women — grew up without language, support, or validation for their neurodivergence. This conversation offers relief, understanding, and permission to stop forcing yourself into boxes that were never made for you.

You are not broken. You are not behind. You are not too much.

🌱 Call to Action

If this episode resonated with you, there are more conversations just like this waiting for you.

👉 Visit WalkWithMeConversations.com to explore episodes, resources, and stories that remind you that healing doesn't happen alone — it happens when we walk together.

And if you loved this episode, please subscribe, rate, and share it with someone who needs to hear they're not alone.

Guest: Matt Von Becklin – Founder of QuitKit

Episode Summary

In this deeply honest and powerful conversation, Matt Von Becklin shares his journey through addiction, identity loss, abandonment wounds, and ultimately recovery. From growing up with an absent father and feeling perpetually on the outside socially, to navigating substance use through alcohol, cigarettes, tramadol, and kratom, Matt opens up about how addiction became both a coping mechanism and a cage.

Matt explains how his lowest moment—facing suicidal thoughts—became the catalyst for radical self-responsibility and innovation. Drawing on his background in chemical engineering, he developed QuitKit, a non-prescription, research-backed supplement regimen designed to ease opioid and kratom withdrawal symptoms. What started as a personal survival tool quickly became a lifeline for others.

This episode explores the emotional roots of addiction, the dangers of socially accepted substances, the mind-body-spirit trifecta of healing, and how one person's willingness to stop abandoning themselves can ripple outward to help others reclaim their lives.

🧠 Topics We Cover

• Growing up with abandonment, loneliness, and feeling "different"
• The social pressure to fit in and how it fueled substance use
• Alcohol as a culturally normalized escape
• The transition from recreational use to dependency
• Tramadol and kratom addiction—and why kratom is dangerously misunderstood
• The moment suicidal ideation forced a life-or-death choice
• How Matt used science, research, and self-trust to heal himself
• Creating QuitKit as an alternative to traditional detox pathways
• The power of being just "one or two steps ahead" and reaching back
• Redefining self-worth through service, recovery, and integrity

✨ Key Takeaways

• Addiction often stems from unresolved emotional pain and self-abandonment
• Healing requires addressing the physical, mental, and emotional layers together
• Quick fixes train the brain to abandon long-term solutions
• You don't need to have everything figured out to help someone else—just be a step ahead
• True freedom comes from reclaiming agency and honoring who you really are

🔗 Connect & Learn More

To explore more conversations like this—focused on healing, resilience, and real human stories—visit:

👉 https://WalkWithMeConversations.com

You'll find podcast episodes, reflections, and resources designed to support meaningful growth and connection.

💬 Final Reflection

Matt's story is a powerful reminder that sometimes our darkest moments hold the blueprint for our purpose. When we stop abandoning ourselves, we create space not only for our own healing—but for the healing of others.

Episode Summary

In this episode of Walk With Me Conversations, I sit down with author Tony Stewart to explore a love story shaped by creativity, devotion, and the hardest kind of grace. Tony shares his background growing up as a free-range kid in Manhattan, driven by theater, filmmaking, and a lifelong impulse to create. But the heart of his story centers on his late wife, Lynn, and the seven-year journey they walked through her stage-four non-smoker's lung cancer.

With honesty and tenderness, Tony opens up about caregiving—the fear at diagnosis, becoming the "project manager" of treatments, pushing himself past his limits, and learning to accept help. He also reflects on the surprising beauty inside the hardest moments, especially during Lynn's home hospice, which he describes as sacred and deeply meaningful. Through it all, Tony shows what grief can teach us about love, presence, and the possibility of joy alongside sorrow.

What You'll Hear in This Episode

• Tony's early life in Manhattan and how creativity shaped his identity
• His path from lighting design and filmmaking to software and global consulting
• The unexpected way he met Lynn at a college swimming pool
• Lynn's humor, spirit, and the ease she brought into Tony's life
• The shock of her cancer diagnosis and the terrifying early days of uncertainty
• How caregiving reshaped their world—and Tony's sense of himself
• The role of CaringBridge in building community, documenting the journey, and staying connected
• Tony's breakdown after the first year, and the healing that came through openness and support
• The narrowing of life through illness, and the deepening of love within it
• Home hospice, Lynn's death, and the grief that followed
• Why Tony wrote Carrying the Tiger and what he hopes it offers others walking similar paths
• A powerful reminder: don't run away from the sacred parts of dying and grieving

Memorable Moments / Key Quotes (paraphrased)

• Lynn's wicked deadpan humor was part of what made Tony feel truly at home with her.
• Caregiving was both brutal and beautiful—filled with exhaustion, fear, intimacy, and love.
• Sharing the journey publicly helped them survive it privately.
• Grief and joy can coexist; joy doesn't betray love.
• Being present for a loved one's death can be one of life's most meaningful experiences.

About the Guest

Tony Stewart is the author of the memoir Carrying the Tiger: Living with Cancer, Dying with Grace, Finding Joy While Grieving. His book chronicles the caregiving and grief journey he shared with his wife Lynn, offering a compassionate, unfiltered look at illness, death, and the long road after loss.

Resources & Links

• Tony's memoir: Carrying the Tiger: Living with Cancer, Dying with Grace, Finding Joy While Grieving
• CaringBridge: A private community platform for sharing health journeys and receiving support

Call to Action

If today's conversation resonated with you, there are more stories like this waiting for you. Visit WalkWithMeConversations.Com to explore episodes, guest resources, and ways to stay connected to the community. And if this episode helped you, consider sharing it with someone who might need it too.

📄 Episode Summary:

In this uplifting and unexpected conversation, host Stephanie Bloom sits down with Zander Phelps — also known as Z Play Coach — a creative soul on a mission to help the world reconnect with joy through play, laughter, and presence.

From his idyllic childhood in Orange County to the stark reality of military life underground in Japan, from corporate burnout at NBC to selling everything he owned to travel the world with just a backpack and a foot bag — Zander's story is a testament to resilience, transformation, and the magic of human connection.

You'll hear how a single sack (or "foot bag") opened the door to global friendships, spontaneous laughter, and a lifelong purpose. Zander also shares the benefits of juggling, laughter yoga, and cultivating play as a daily practice for better health, happiness, and human connection.

🗣️ Topics We Explore:

• Why play is not a luxury — it's a fundamental human need
• How juggling helps you focus, balance, and relax your brain
• The healing power of laughter (and why adults need it more than ever)
• How one foot bag turned into a passport to connection around the world
• Zander's mission to inspire a new generation of "ambassadors of play"
• The science behind why play makes us more productive, creative, and joyful

🛠️ Tools, Takeaways & Resources:

• Learn more about Zander's work:
• Try juggling or foot bag play to engage your brain and body
• Start your day with a 10-minute laughter exercise to reset your mood
• Embrace play as a form of resistance against stress, burnout, and isolation

🔗 Connect & Explore More:

👉 For more inspiring conversations like this one, visit: WalkWithMeConversations.com Your journey to healing, purpose, and deeper connection starts here.

💬 Episode Summary:

In this powerful episode of Walk With Me, Stephanie sits down with Lori Maher — a trauma survivor, holistic healer, and the heart behind Compassionate Empowerment — to explore her remarkable path from childhood abuse and chronic illness to healing, self-discovery, and purpose.

Lori shares how early emotional neglect and trauma led to decades of anxiety and physical exhaustion, culminating in a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome at the age of 30. With mainstream medical options failing her, Laurie turned inward and began a transformational journey through somatic healing, yoga, energy work, and trauma education. Today, she's a wellness center owner, coach, and retreat host helping others reconnect with themselves and reclaim their inner power.

This episode is a heartfelt invitation to rethink how we view trauma, healing, and the importance of feeling safe in our own bodies. Lori's story is both deeply personal and universally relevant to anyone on a path of recovery and self-love.

🧠 Key Topics Covered:

• Childhood trauma and its lifelong effects on the body and mind
• The limitations of traditional talk therapy for trauma healing
• Discovering somatic and energetic healing modalities (yoga, acupressure, Reiki)
• The role of the nervous system and adrenal fatigue in chronic illness
• How to rewire your inner critic and reclaim self-worth
• Finding safety, alignment, and empowerment after trauma
• The ripple effect of healing and conscious connection

❤️ Memorable Quotes:

"You're not going to heal unless you feel safe." "We are not our thoughts. We are our heart and our gut." "Healing is not linear — it's a practice, a daily return to self-love."

🔗 Resources & Links:

• Learn more about Lori's work and connect with her directly.
• Recommended reading: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

📣 Call to Action:

If Lori's story resonated with you, or if you're ready to explore your own healing journey, we invite you to dive deeper at WalkWithMeConversations.com. Explore past episode and find tools to support your own path toward wholeness.

In this episode of Walk With Me, Stephanie sits down with Clinton Bartok—former Colorado adventurer and licensed acupuncturist—whose life reshaped overnight after a devastating bike accident in 2017 left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. Clinton shares the surreal calm of the moment he crashed, the terrifying reality of not being able to breathe or call for help, and the inner voice that told him he would recover.

What follows is a powerful story of neuroplasticity, relentless rehab, and a mindset anchored in possibility. Clinton walks us through his long road back: from ICU and rehab at Craig Hospital, to relearning movement inch by inch, to picking up his guitar again and even climbing a rock wall seven and a half years later.

He also speaks candidly about chronic nerve pain, the emotional cost of losing independence, and how moments of despair pushed him to search for anything that could help him stay alive and moving forward.

Ultimately, Clinton's story is a reminder to focus on what's still here—what you can do—and to keep building your life around that truth.

What We Talk About

• Clinton's upbringing in Cleveland, Ohio, and the emotional independence he learned early in life
• A restless, adventurous adulthood that took him traveling, into music, and finally to Colorado outdoor life
• The 2017 bike crash: helmeted impact, instant paralysis, and the eerie peace of the scene
• Why his injury allowed recovery: contusions, stenosis, and neuroplastic re-routing
• Intensive rehab, visualization, and self-designed exercises to regain hand and body function
• Returning to guitar through adaptive techniques and persistence
• Chronic neuropathic pain and the mental toll of being abruptly cut off from prescribed pain meds
• How kratom became a bridge for pain survival when other options disappeared
• Adaptive sports and reclaiming joy: three-wheeled mountain biking, support organizations, and getting back outside
• Clinton's guiding philosophy: "What can I do?" and learning gratitude for the small things

Memorable Moments

· The split-second shift from terror to certainty that he would be okay after the crash

• "Belief and vision" as a core part of recovery, alongside medical reality
• Rebuilding a life through tiny wins: a thumb, a hand, standing, walking, and playing music again
• Gratitude as a daily practice rooted in regained independence

Resources Mentioned

Clinton shares places to learn about spinal cord injuries, support research, or find adaptive-sport help:

• Spinopedia
• Christopher Reeve Foundation
• Unite 2 Fight Paralysis (U2FP)
• High Fives Foundation
• Kelly Brush Foundation

About the Guest

Clinton Bartok is a former extreme-outdoor athlete, licensed acupuncturist, musician, and spinal cord injury survivor. After being diagnosed as a quadriplegic with central cord syndrome, he rebuilt his life through rehab, adaptive sports, and a deep commitment to accessibility advocacy.

If this conversation moved you, please take a moment to share the episode with someone who might need it. And for more stories of resilience, healing, and the human spirit—plus past episodes and resources—visit WalkWithMeConversations.com.

🎙️ Episode Summary:

In this deeply personal and inspiring episode of Walk With Me, we sit down with Susie St. Angelo, a former banking executive turned health coach, podcast host, and advocate for mental wellness. Susie shares her incredible journey through personal trauma, chronic stress, toxic relationships, and major life transitions—all of which ultimately led her to a life of purpose, passion, and authenticity.

From surviving the emotional fallout of a fiancé's family suicide just weeks before her wedding, to enduring two marriages plagued by alcoholism and emotional disconnect, Susie's story is a powerful testament to the strength it takes to walk away, heal, and start over. She opens up about adrenal fatigue, the toll of perfectionism, the healing power of dogs, breath work, and the surprising pivot that led her to launch her own health-focused podcast—built around the simple but profound idea of sharing an "SOS tip" to help others take small steps toward wellness.

Her transformation from "Susan the professional" to "Susie the authentic" is both inspiring and relatable—especially for midlife women facing their own crossroads.

🧠 Topics We Cover:

• Panic attacks and early signs of emotional misalignment
• How functional medicine helped Susie identify stress as a root cause
• The impact of suicide and unspoken grief
• Leaving a successful career and two marriages to reclaim her life
• Why holistic health coaching goes beyond food and fitness
• Finding meaning through breath work, gratitude, and storytelling
• The importance of community, connection, and asking for help
• Redefining health, happiness, and identity at midlife

💡 Favorite Quote:

"You can't heal in the environment that made you sick."

🎯 Call to Action:

If this conversation moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it. And for more inspiring episodes like this, visit WalkWithMeConversations.com — where stories of healing, resilience, and transformation are always just a click away.