Surviving a house fire can be tough for anyone, but losing an infant - a grief known by too many and discussed by too few - is even more so. Heather Smith experienced both tragedies. On today’s show, she joins Jennifer Whitacre to share her story and to give some resources, tips, and ideas on how one can get through tough times in life. You don’t want to miss this episode if you want to learn how to transform adverse traumatic experiences into a healthy, adaptive, happy lifestyle.

We live in a world where people have become more distant from nature. We take it for granted, especially as the world continues to advance. But with global warming becoming more real than ever, it is time that we snap out of our bubble and look into how we are taking care of nature, of the very place we call home. Jennifer Whitacre is joined by none other than the founder and CEO of Human Nature Projects, Elliot Connor, to talk about reconnecting with nature, past the delusion that somehow we're separate from it. Leading an international environmental charity supporting volunteers across 104 countries, Elliot shares with us his mission to reframe our human relationship with the natural world. He also talks about the lessons nature offers us, how it helps us see who we are and how we treat others and discusses the systemic bias that keeps us from closing that gap between us and nature. Join Elliot and Jennifer in this conversation to learn more about how we can reconnect this relationship before it's too late.

How important is enthusiasm in our lives? We have been so steeped in Western culture’s overemphasis on what other people think that most of us grew up suppressing our enthusiasm and being intolerant of other people’s enthusiasm. Physical therapist, author and Taekwondo black belter Laura Di Franco brings some wonderful insights around the topic of enthusiasm in this conversation with Jennifer Whitacre. She believes that we all need to unleash our enthusiasm and do our best to encourage others to do the same, especially during this time of crisis. Plus, she talks about some upcoming projects that she is enthusiastic about.

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Whatever business you’re in, you need to develop enhanced communication skills and get a good grasp of human behavior and get the truth out of people. Former Navy Intelligence Officer, DoD certified interrogator, published author, and TEDx speaker Lena Sisco is an expert in this field. Since 2003, she has been training clients from both the government and private sectors in interviewing, interrogation, body language, detecting deception, elicitation, leadership, and enhanced communication skills. More than just acquiring these incredible skills, what people get from her courses is a journey of self-discovery that turns them into better communicators, leaders, and humans. Join in as she gives some very juicy nuggets on this topic as she talks with Jennifer Whitacre.

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There is still so much to change with the education system here in America, most especially the public school system. Promoting a school-to-workforce pipeline instead of the school-to-prison pipeline, Dr. Aaron Smith, an active and leading STEM school director and professional speaker, joins host, Jennifer Whitacre, to share with us how he is uniquely bringing the word out about reimagining America's public school system through his newly released book, Blank Check: What If You Were Asked to Reinvent Public Education?. This is a young adult novel designed to inspire young people and the new generations of us parents to become involved with fixing the public school system in America. He takes us into his realizations and insights about the problems he sees that led him to this vision of a new type of school system—from the decision-makers and the existing inequality in funding to domestic violence—and how he is boosting emotional and mental support within that. Listen in on this great conversation that moves us past the traditional solutions to the problems with America's public schools and into a fresh and exhilarating approach that recreates the wheel.

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This day and age have opened up so much for many members of the LGBTQ community to express themselves and their identity freely. Though not without their own struggles, many people have now found the courage to really embrace who they are. With this are the many identity labels that continue to come up—which tend to leave some, especially those within the gender binary, grappling to keep up and understand. Whether you are a member or an ally who wants to learn more, then this episode is for you. Host, Jennifer Whitacre, sits with host of the podcast show, Queersplaining, Callie Wright. Callie is a non-binary transgender person who identifies with the pronouns they/them. In this episode, Callie takes us to how their show sheds light on the narratives about the lives of queer and transgender people. They lead us to become more familiarize with the complexities of gender that stretch far beyond the terms and into the community’s personal struggles and continuous fight towards equality.

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Victims of abuse tend to keep their dark past to themselves out of fear and shame. Courage would not even suffice to describe the kind of bravery they show when they finally decide to go out of the shadows and into a life of healing. A living proof of hope and a fully productive life even after trauma is Nancy Legere. Having been abused as a little girl and kept it to herself for decades, Nancy decided to go through therapy, self-reflection, and healing. In this inspiring episode, Nancy shares with us her journey of overcoming not only childhood sexual abuse but PTSD and addiction as well. She lets us in on the courageous path she took to develop a healthy lifestyle and find lasting love that helped her triumph over the stigma she felt for many years. Follow along in this great story of perseverance, love, strength, and courage that shows us that there is hope in life beyond the shadows.

Mindset can either make or break you. What you believe you want to achieve can be attained if you work your way through it and not self-sabotage every opportunity you have. For Jonathan Walters, he has tested his attitude towards grasping opportunities and has grown from being a high school drop out to a PhD student of Educational Psychology, an educator, and the Founder of The Mindset Matrix Podcast. Today, Jennifer Whitacre interviews Jonathon about how he awakened to the beauty of not being afraid of chances and positive options. Jonathan shares how he lived as a homeless person and how his Daily Ten strategies have turned his life for the better. Learn from this inspiring episode how being called stupid growing up and hitting rock bottom became Jonathan’s greatest teachers.

PTSD can happen anywhere to anyone. Just like any mental disease, it strongly affects everything that comes in your way especially when symptoms are left untreated. Combat Veteran, motivational speaker, and author of Battlefield 2 Boardroom,  Jay Allen, believes being conscious about the condition’s existence in your system allows you to suffer less from combat PTSD. The process of overcoming such traumas and helping others overcome it requires strong dedication. Listen to Jennifer Whitacre and Jay as they chat about Jay’s life journey from joining the army, getting into a parachute accident, going into rehab, doing charity work, and so much more.

The effects of childhood abuse are extremely serious and long-lasting, both on the psychological aspect and the brain development of the child. Author, ultra-adventure athlete, and motivational speaker Damien Rider is a victim of such. In his documentary called Heart of the Sea, he tells his story of childhood abuse and the horrific circumstances he endured in his childhood, including rape and physical abuse. In this episode, he joins Jennifer Whitacre to talk about life after child abuse - how he got through the horrible circumstances in his childhood, found peace, and created the humanitarian effort and all of the impressive feats that he’s doing today.