Welcome back to The Gratitude Podcast—the show that reminds us that every sunrise, every season, and every year that slips by is a gift waiting to be celebrated. Today’s episode lives up to our title: we’ll explore why being grateful for each passing year isn’t just a feel‑good habit, but a powerful catalyst for transformation.

Our guest, Julie Riesler, embodies this mindset. She once faced the crushing belief that she was “too big to be a dancer,” battled a deep‑seated food addiction, and carried the weight of a family scarred by PTSD and financial strain. On the brink of ending it all, an inner voice nudged her into a support group—and that decision became the turning point that reshaped every year that followed.

Since that moment, Julie has reinvented herself year after year—emerging as a TV personality, serial author, TEDx speaker, life‑design coach, global ambassador for brands like Lululemon and Canyon Ranch, and the director of the documentary Hungry for More. Her meditations have been downloaded over 100,000 times, and she continues to add “vintage wisdom” to her life, just like a fine wine that improves with age.

In today’s conversation we’ll discover:

How gratitude for each year can turn pain into purpose, using Julie’s “PhD in You” framework that honors past strengths, present gifts, and future dreams.
Practical rituals—daily gratitude journaling, stillness meditations, and celebrating the tiny moments (the donut‑filled nursery‑school memory, the uneasy loan from a distant aunt) that accumulate into a life worth cherishing.
Why the “passing year” matters: each new chapter invites us to become more authentic, to shift from constant “doing” to mindful “being,” and to recognize that every year adds another layer of wisdom, compassion, and resilience.
The people who helped her grow—from Louise Hay and Wayne Dyer to her supportive sponsor, her family, and especially her two children, who remind her daily why she’s grateful for every year lived.

Resources:

Julie's website: https://juliereisler.com

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Timestamps:

00:42 – Intro to guest Julie Riesler and her early hardships (dance rejection, food addiction, family trauma).
01:05 – Julie’s turning point: crisis moment, choosing life, becoming a TV personality, author, speaker, coach.
01:59 – Welcome and gratitude for Julie’s presence.
02:12 – Host’s appreciation for Julie’s authenticity.
02:27 – Julie’s mission: help high‑achieving people love themselves and trust inner wisdom.
03:21 – “PhD in You” metaphor & past people‑pleasing struggle.
04:01 – The pivotal inner voice urging Julie to attend a support meeting.
04:28 – Julie’s obsession with reviving “light” in others through gratitude and self‑love.
05:01 – How gratitude transformed Julie’s life and fuels her purpose.
05:16 – Julie’s daily gratitude practice (structured & spontaneous).
05:51 – Host reflects on staying true to self amid external expectations.
06:26 – Wisdom aging metaphor revisited; need for authentic “you‑est” self.
06:41 – Contrast between society’s “doing” mindset and the need for stillness.
07:15 – Host’s fire‑sign drive vs. importance of quiet, receptive stillness.
07:26 – Emphasis on meditation and listening to inner intuition.
07:55 – The frenzied media environment and importance of becoming “USU.”
08:21 – Introduction of the “PhD in You” method.
08:49 – Overview of the method: gratitude‑based self‑study.
09:02 – Step 1: Review past strengths, gifts, successes.
09:12 – Step 2: Ground in present sensations, hearing, seeing, feeling.
09:25 – Step 3: Design future dreams using past strengths and present clarity.
09:58 – Reframing past failures & future fear into sacred purpose.
10:23 – Recognizing unique gifts in every person.
10:47 – Shift from “doing” to “being” – living by one’s gifts.
11:38 – Importance of honoring past achievements through gratitude.
12:14 – Gratitude as the “elixir” that flavors life like salt in a soup.
12:49 – Using gratitude to reframe painful memories (example of dad’s PTSD).
13:18 – Turning hardship into fuel for personal growth via gratitude.
13:58 – Gratitude as limitless, always available.
14:15 – “When in doubt, go to gratitude.”
14:45 – Gratitude empowers victims to become creators of their story.
14:57 – Host shares a personal college‑funding story.
15:09 – Love for learning; viewing life as an endless school.
15:17 – Financial crisis in junior year; three jobs and limited aid.
15:23 – Seeking options & gratitude for potential helpers.
15:50 – Remembering a generous great‑aunt as a possible loan source.
16:02 – The uncomfortable but decisive call to the aunt.
16:16 – Aunt’s loan and eventual gift; repayment turned into gratitude.
16:34 – Unexpected family connections formed through that loan.
16:50 – Reflection on the uncomfortable request and its positive outcome.
16:58 – Gratitude for the aunt’s generosity and the lesson learned.
17:06 – Host relates to the vulnerability of asking for help.
17:20 – The power of gratitude after receiving assistance.
17:30 – “Don’t take ‘no’ as an answer” – persistence fosters greater connection.
17:41 – Gratitude amplifies opportunities and beautiful outcomes.
17:54 – Gratitude often stems from helping others, not just receiving.
18:04 – Gratitude encourages humility and asking for help.
18:26 – Early gratitude memory: donuts and a stuffed elephant in nursery school.
19:41 – Childhood gratitude seeds from mother’s gratitude journal and Louise Hay.
19:57 – Mirror‑hug practice; initial resistance turned into wisdom.
20:24 – Early gratitude foundation planted despite a rough environment.
21:23 – Discussion on teaching gratitude to children; small moments matter.
22:03 – Host’s insight: noticing tiny, everyday moments boosts joy.
22:33 – Quote from Einstein on viewing life as miracle or not.
22:39 – Choice to see everything as miraculous.
22:58 – Host asks Julie about key people in her life.
23:21 – Julie lists inspirations: Louise Hay, Wayne Dyer, sponsor Paula, Mom.
23:44 – Best friend Meg, husband Heath, admiration for Oprah.
24:02 – Gratitude for self‑decision to attend that life‑changing meeting.
24:20 – Acknowledgment of great‑aunt, children, and many unnamed supporters.
24:44 – Children as the biggest teachers; immeasurable gratitude.
25:54 – Closing thank‑you and call to share the episode with someone who needs it.
26:01 – Reminder to keep seeking and spreading gratitude.

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