Episodes
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Explicit Language in this episode-
Simon Yeats was born in Australia, sent to boarding school, graduated university and ended up in the United States. Not a typical upbringing, but it was an upbringing that helped Simon discover the world of travel.As Simon relates his life experience, he talks about helping folks with spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries. These are often patientâs whose doctors have said would not recover yet Simon has been instrumental in several amazing recoveries.
One sad experience is Simonâs relationship with his son and the difficulties heâs had in attempting to have a relationship with him.
Once again, Simon has traveled extensively, and he recalls an experience in Hawaii that was not typical at all.
If youâd like to check out Simonâs humorous travel books, hereâs the link:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Simon-Yeats/author/B0CBNQLSPW?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
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The youngest of nine children, Rulon Gardner was raised on a dairy farm in Wyoming, where the family grew crops and milked cows twice a day. Rulon learned about hard work and determination which became core values in Rulonâs life.
As Rulon shares his story, he talks about how his upbringing has helped him deal with the adversity that has come his way. He also talks about his wrestling career which most knew little about until the 2000 Olympics and his match against one of the greatest athletes to have ever wrestled.
Though it doesnât get as much attention as the âMiracle on Iceâ at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Upstate New York, Rulonâs Olympic match against Aleksandr Karelin of Russia in Sydney Australia is an equally impressive underdog story. Aleksandr, âThe Russian Bearâ was 12 lbs. at birth and a terrifyingly toned 287 pounds in his wrestling prime. He had allowed just a single point to be scored against him in the previous 10 years of competition; he hadnât lost a match in 13.
Yeah, we talked all about what has now become known as the Miracle on the Mat during our talk story session. But Rulon also talks about other events (which include several brushes with death) that have made him who he is today.
2000 Sydney Olympic match: https://youtu.be/oVT3-wbL8HU?si=5i14CojKHNBG7k1g
Website: Rulongardner.com
Book: Never Stop Pushing
https://a.co/d/03f7dod -
Episodes manquant?
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Sam Mitchell hosts his own podcast, Autism Rocks and Rolls. Sam was diagnosed with autism at age 4 but as he would say, the spectrum is vast and he's been able to accomplish much. Sam started Autism Rocks and Rolls Corporation in October of 2019 at age 20. It began with a simple interest in media when he was a junior in high school and has led to him becoming an entrepreneur by creating his own Nonprofit and podcast. His nonprofit and advocacy offers public speaking, podcast coaching, podcast editing, sponsorships, ad space, merchandise, public speaking, educational supplements, guest appearances, and guest space on his podcast.
Although Sam has had obstacles in the past and still has daily struggles, he is using this platform to take away the stigma off of autism and other conditions that many think are disabilities. He often brings guests into the conversation, whether it be family members, friends, celebrities or others involved in the world of autism. He wants to prove that he is not broken and does not need to be fixed. Sam has a lot of fun along the way and really loves to entertain his audience.
Sam is a high-functioning human being on the autism spectrum, but he has a mission: to show people that he is not broken, does not need to be fixed, there is no normal in this world, and he is successful, WITH autism. Sam wants to celebrate the successes of all. He embraces who he is and feels as though everyone should do the same. His mission has caught on and this powerful and extraordinary idea is catching on and gotten the world's attention. People are differently abled, not disabled.
Sam's website:
https://autismrocksandroll.com
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Mark Collins grew up in a military family which we all know means he moved a lot. For some, this would mean making new friends every few years but Mark was the quiet, loner type.
So how did he go from this quiet, loner personality to teaching life mastery? That's an interesting story. You just may see a bit of yourself in Mark's story. I know I did.
Mark's book: "LIFE MASTERY: Living life by design, not by default."
Mark's website: freedom-for-life.net -
Lance Hillsinger worked in social services for 34 years. As he shares his story he talks about what he saw as a cycle for families that was difficult to break free from.
Growing up in Southern California, he was fortunate to have parents who were a good example of what a marriage should be. He talks about these early years and how this positive upbringing was so different from the majority of cases he handled as a social worker.
He wrote a book, In Place of the Parent: Inside Child Protective Services, which examines the child welfare/juvenile court system. He then wrote a second book, Build a Better Bridge: Social Policy for the 21st Century, where he goes beyond child welfare and examines social welfare programs (cash aid, food stamps, etc.) in general.
Though he thought he might become an engineer, he obtained a bachelor's degree in psychology and political science from UCLA and a master's degree in psychology from Vanderbilt University. -
Dave Nordel grew up on a dairy farm in Northern California learning important life lessons. As Dave recalls his life we discuss some of these lessons which include what it means when cows lie down. (Yes, this is a tease.)
We talk quite a bit about what Dave learned on his varied assignments around the world. He took much of what he learned and founded Max Fab Consulting where he offers keynote leadership, organizational growth and strategic guidance. Max Fab was born from the challenges and adversity Dave faced during his time serving in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Drawing from his battle with PTSD, he remains deeply committed to assisting transitioning veterans and other trauma victims, guiding them toward healthier coping mechanisms.
Dave has also authored the following books:
Giving Back: Life and Leadership from the Farm to the Combat Zone and Beyondhttps://www.amazon.com/Giving-Back-Leadership-Combat-Beyond-ebook/dp/B0C51SSW2B?ref_=ast_author_mpb
When the Cows Lie Down: The Reason People Quit YOU- Their "Leader"
https://www.amazon.com/When-Cows-Lie-Down-YOU-Their-ebook/dp/B0CFD7C6LQ?ref_=ast_author_dp -
Living the Aloha Life is a podcast I have listened to since 2018. This is where I was introduced to Wayde Fishman.
Wayde loves Hawaii the way I love Hawaii so naturally as Wayde shares his story, we talk at length about Hawaii. We discuss what we love about Hawaii, what first attracted Wayde to Hawaii, and the reality of living in Hawaii today. We also talk about Waydeâs life prior to his move to Hawaii in 1998.
Something about Wayde that makes him different from many who profess a love of Hawaii is that Wayde has done his best to give back to Hawaii. He started 808 Cleanups back in 2012 with the intention of cleaning up Oahu. To date, they have removed over one million pounds of trash, and they have intentions of opening chapters on the other major Hawaiian Islands.
Because Hawaii is so expensive, Wayde has been working on a tiny home project that one day he hopes to take to Hawaii island, aka the Big Island. We talked about this a bit during our talk story session. We also talk about the other things Wayde has going on like his jeep tour business and brewery tour bus.
http://livingthealohalife.com/
http://808cleanups.org/
http://hawaiijeepandspecialtytours.com/
http://livingoffgridinhawaii.com/ -
Laura Lynch grew up in Virginia with a tight knit Christian upbringing. When her parents decided to build a home, Laura got ahold of the blueprints and found them fascinating. As she tells her story, she talks about being interested in blueprints and drawing homes in her youth.
There was time in the U.S. Air Force, college, a home purchase that went poorly but which set her on a path to pursue the interests of her youth.
Laura is the founder of The Tiny House Adviser. She is a financial planner, podcast host, and tiny house enthusiast. With her personal experience and passion for tiny living, she is dedicated to helping others find financial autonomy and make an impact through tiny living.
Laura's podcast: Less House More Moola -
Richard Deming discovered music at an early age. He played drums. Like many, he thought it would be great to be in a band and play music for a living. Today Richard teaches at Yale where he also directs the creative writing program. Sometimes in life, you must take the other fork.
The fact that Richards dream of playing drums for a living didnât pan out doesnât mean that he didnât excel in music, and he did play in a band, a really good band. As Richard tells his story, his interest in music is discussed, and he also talks about why he switched from music to writing. (We do discuss various music interests which is always fun.)
Richard discusses loneliness and talks about being lonely at times himself. We discuss his latest book, This Exquisite Loneliness and look at loneliness a bit differently than one might expect.
At an unprecedented rate, loneliness is moving around the globeâfrom self-isolating technology and political division to community decay and social fragmentationâand yet it is not a feeling to which we readily admit. It is stigmatized, freighted with shame and fear, and easy to dismiss as mere emotional neediness. But what if instead of shying away from loneliness, we embraced it as something we can learn from and as something that will draw us closer to one another? We talk about this as well.
Book: This Exquisite Loneliness https://a.co/d/bUO3tLM
Website: https://www.richarddemingbooks.com/
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Often as I sit and talk story with my guest, I have such a fun, therapeutic experience that before I know it twenty, or thirty minutes have flown by. This is how it was as I visited with Utkarsh Narang.
Today, Utkarsh is a happiness coach but as he tells his story, he recalls just how his life path took him from New Delhi, India to Melbourne, Australia with a detour or two along the way.
When I say Utkarsh is a happiness coach I should say that he feels everyone needs a little happiness in life and he's just around to provide the necessary nudge to get folks on their journey.
He's a fan of the following quote from Mahatma Gandhi which I too fully embrace, "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.â
https://www.facebook.com/ignitedneurons -
Zoey Rana grew up in Southeast England in the community of Crawley. As a Muslim, she was raised with strict parents, especially a strict father. Her parents had her life all mapped out but from an early age, Zoey wasnât interested in the life they had planned.
It took moving to another country to free herself of the religious oppression she felt in Crawley.
Zoey also has been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder which she openly discusses as she tells her story. She feels she has benefitted greatly from the podcast, From Borderline to Beautiful: Hope and Help for BPD with Rose Skeeters.
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Patricia Malanga was born in Africa more specifically, in Zaire which is now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was not a safe place and her family wanted to leave. They spent six years in a refugee camp hoping to relocate to a country that would provide a better opportunity for her parents and siblings.
As I visited with Patricia, she talked about those difficult first thirteen years of life in Africa. She talked about the culture shock it was when her family arrived in the United States and how she adjusted to her families settling in Utah with its one percent black population and Mormon majority.
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Edward Di Gangi was adopted at birth in New York City. An only child, he made no effort to explore his heredity until, at age 69, a visit to a cemetery where members of his adoptive mother's family were buried stirred his interest.
The above paragraph from Edwardâs website speaks to what Edward has been up to these past five or six years. We talk quite a bit about his search, and about his discoveries along the way.
Website: digangiauthor.com
Book: The Gift Best Given: A Memoir -
Jacia Kornwise has a life story unlike any told here on NKYS. Before listening, I want to issue a trigger warning for those who may be affected by sexual assault.
Jacia is a Master Embodied Soul Coach, Transformational Experience Facilitator, and TEDxSpeaker, with an impressive 31-year career dedicated to helping individuals, couples, and groups transform their stuck points into resilience and embodied resourcefulness. She has also taught at festivals as well as led retreats and corporate events with her skillsets. As a multiple trauma and grief survivor, Jacia has inspired her students, clients, friends, and loved ones for decades.
As we talked a bit prior to our interview and even more after, Jacia explained that she has had sensitivity and practice working with anxiety, grief, loss, trauma, health, body image, creativity, self-esteem, and motherhood, as well as being an explorer of consciousness. She specializes in somatic, trauma-informed embodied mindfulness coaching, conscious dance, 5 Rhythms and movement facilitation, breathwork, and shadow work to create life-altering experiences.
This past November, Jacia became an author and her book, The Love Ball Game: Embracing Yourself and Embodying Your Soul has already won a number of awards.
https://linktr.ee/jaciakornwise?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3F1EqrjRpUJfkCMW3-gKbkeH6sPlB4yn9dWc-dnQO0piV2vFo-5MZ0WEQ_aem_AX9jEfhIQDRGUfiWqMGfZBWGLVMglzaFxBvcA08vohKjEgQ604IOSyTbIyfP1RX9y0SIgYz0Wh6azZ1hjPzCrUw9 -
James Phelps was the first guest to appear on Nobody Knows Your Story. In this episode we find out what has changed in James life over the past four years. (It's a lot!) We also asked James wife Jolene to sit in and share her story.
In the April 28, 2020 episode with James he talked about leaving Mormonism. Lots of folks are doing that these days but unlike most; James and Jolene have found religion to still be an important part of their lives. So important in fact that they are making a big move to the St George, UT area to...
You'll need to listen to their episode to hear; the rest of the story. (Yeah, I always liked listening to Paul Harvey.)
Jolene has a book on Amazon you may wish to check out; especially after hearing her tell her story.
Into God's Arms
https://a.co/d/366bi0F
James website: https://www.askldsquestions.com/
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Josh Coffin grew up as a pleaser. He loved the praise he received for doing what others wanted him to do. He also grew up in super conservative southeastern Idaho and as he states, "In high school 75 to 80% of the students attended Mormon seminary. I assumed the rest were just inactive Mormons." As Josh relates his life story, he recalls a happy childhood which included working a variety of jobs and checking all of the Mormon boxes including going on a two year mission to Mexico at age nineteen.
Josh is a funny dude and that's a big reason he and I enjoy conversing. We play poker together and share several interests from our take on sports to our fondness of tattoos and living authentic lives.The last twenty minutes or so are powerful as Josh talks about how he has benefited from therapy. The therapy has helped him to better understand himself, but also helped him to be a better husband and father.
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Let me start off by saying that Joe Elder tells his story in a way that I believe anyone who has battelled alcohol or drugs would find not only relatable, but inspiring.
Like many, Joe Elder has had challenges in his life. In his youth, Joe's family moved often which made it hard to make and then leave friends. But he also experienced differing ideas and views he might not have seen had he grown up in one place.
Family has always been important to Joe. As he tells his story he talks about "family life" and how choices at times were affected by family decisions. Joe also talks about how during a tough period he succumbed to alcohol and ended up an alcoholic; but how this experience helped him decide what he wanted to do with his life.
He wanted to help others.
Favorite book-
Living Fearless: Exchanging the Lies of the World for the Liberating Truth of God
Podcast Joe hosts with Chris Wilkins-
Do Your Dailies -
Confidence is Contagious is a podcast hosted by Sharon McLaughlin. It's similar to Nobody Knows Your Story as the episodes contain insightful conversations and thought-provoking discussions from women who have confidence and inspire others. Guests share personal stories of resilience, mental fitness, and leadership, providing practical advice and motivational lessons. Each episode is meant to inspire, empower, and celebrate women.
As you listen to Sharon's story and she recalls her life, there was a drive to work hard to become a doctor. Then, after achieving a respected position, she experienced burnout. Now she peaks to others about not just burnout, but how to move on.
Recovering from burnout is a gradual process that unfolds over time.
The journey toward recovery involves recognizing and acknowledging the signs and symptoms of burnout, understanding the underlying causes, and implementing sustainable changes to mitigate stressors.
Author: Thriving After Burnout
Website: sharonmclaughlinmd.com -
I've had the pleasure of getting to know Maile Jewkes and her husband Jerry over the past couple of years. But in a reversal of the norm, I actually met and became friends with Maile's parents almost thirty years ago. Maile will talk about this a bit as she shares her story.
TRIGGER WARNING: Maile's story also includes a marriage where she was physically abused. If this could be triggering, you may want to skip this episode or at the very least skip this particular section which begins at the 36:00 minute mark. -
As with a number of guests I've interviewed, I know Wayne Cavicchioni on a personal level. We played softball against each other for a couple of years but I noticed that Wayne was a people person. He was also an above average player. People person, softball skill level high; it's easy to see why I reached out to Wayne to play on OUR softball team. He did and we played many years together.
So back to the people person aspect. Wayne is a good hard working, blue collar dude. For the most part, he's worked for himself and when you work for yourself, you have no safety net. You are responsible for what you obtain.
Life was moving along fairly smoothly for Wayne, until it wasn't. Listen as Wayne describes how he ended up with cirrhosis of the liver as a non-drinker. - Montre plus
