Turning Tragedy into Lessons on Personal Safety with Barb Jordan

Thirty years ago, Barb Jordan and her family experienced the unimaginable when she discovered that her sister Beverly had been brutally murdered by her fiancé.  She has spent years learning to cope with the grief of this reality. But two years ago, when her sister’s killer was released from prison, Barb realized that she needed…

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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…

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Finding 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…

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Building a Strong Business and Community with Pamela Slim

Ten years ago, I wanted to start a business. I had previously partnered with a woman to launch a marketing company, but we parted ways when things didn’t work out between us. A couple of years later, in 2010, I decided I was ready to strike out on my own. But, I was scared.  I…

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Hi friends! I’m doing something a little different on the podcast today.  I am sharing with you the very first episode of Antiracism in Action, a new podcast by my good friend, Stan Smith. If you’ve been listening to Make it Brave for awhile, you might remember my interview with Stan back on episode 41,…

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Why This Teacher & Mom of Three 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…

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What 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…

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Creating Brave Spaces at Work with Brittany Cole

Everyone wants to have a good experience at their job and to work for an organization where you feel valued and can thrive. But for many people, that’s not the case. Toxic company culture can create a challenging work environment, especially for people of color. That’s something that Brittany Cole found when speaking to groups…

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From 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.…

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