Overcoming Adversity
Fighting the Stigma of Addiction with Ashley Surma
Sometimes, the challenges we face are not ones we choose, like starting a business or ending a relationship, but instead challenges of circumstance. Of life situations that we can’t control. That was the case for Ashley Surma. Ashley grew up with a father who struggled with substance abuse. And as a result, at a young…
Keep readingFinding Your Self Worth with Jo Worthy
I have a two-year-old son. And what’s amazing to me about watching him play is that he is very confident. For instance, he will run through our house and say “I’m very good at running!” Even though he flails about and sometimes falls down, he doesn’t think that makes him a bad runner. He just…
Keep readingWhy This Teacher and Mom is Running for Office with Elizabeth Madeira
Elizabeth Madeira never had aspirations to run for office. Her deepest desire had always been to become a mother. But as you’ll hear in our conversation, that was not an easy journey for her. And now as a teacher and mom of three, Elizabeth is running for Tennessee state representative. She is running as…
Keep readingWhat Death Teaches You about Life with Katie Radel
Working in the family business is a pretty standard practice if you’re the child of an entrepreneur. I grew up working on my parents’ farm, for example. But, what if your family business is running a funeral home? In that case, they still put you to work in the family business. That was exactly what…
Keep readingFrom Panic Attacks to Unconventional PhD with Kirsten Lee Hill
Imagine you are making one of the most important presentations of your life and you suddenly feel like you can’t breathe. In fact, you feel like you’re going to die. Sounds really scary, right? That very scenario is exactly how Kirsten Lee Hill felt while presenting her dissertation proposal. But this wasn’t the first time.…
Keep readingResilience in Work, Relationships and Finances with Serina Bird
Serina Bird is no stranger to making brave, but extremely difficult decisions. She stood up to bullying at her job. She left her abusive husband and took her two young children with her. And most recently, she left her stable public service job to focus on writing and podcasting––and this happened just a few months…
Keep readingThe Bravery to Keep Going (Even When It’s Hard)
Welcome to the the 50th episode of Make It Brave! A big reason I’ve made it this far is because of you. Because you’ve been showing up and listening. Because I know there is someone out there, maybe you, who needs to hear my words. So, thank you. Thank you for listening and for…
Keep readingThe Bravery of Being a Black Man in America with Stan Smith
Stan Smith is a talented marketer who has started multiple businesses. He’s a writer and author of the book, Born to Blog. And he’s also a black man living in America. And in today’s episode, Stan shares what that is what makes him bravest of all. Stan recently started the Next Step Coalition, where he’s…
Keep readingEmbracing Your Inner Misfit with Maria Tan
Maria Tan has never fit in or conformed to what her family and society expected of her. And as a result, she’s faced a lot of harassment and discrimination throughout her life. As a child, her own family made fun of her for being fat, which was something that was not acceptable for female children…
Keep readingOvercoming Everyday Fears with Sandra Booker
One of the things I love about doing this show is that I get to highlight the many ways a person can be brave. And today’s guest proves that you don’t have to do massively heroic things––such as running into a burning building or performing a life-saving procedure in an emergency room––to be brave. …
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