

Never Ever Give Up Hope
Carol Graham
Stories of ordinary people who have experienced the extraordinary and gone from hopelessness to success
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 29, 2022 • 40min
Do You Love Budgeting and Giving Up the Things You Love to Save More?
Do you love budgeting and giving up the things you love to save more? Does the lack of funds cause you to stress? If so, you are not alone. When Gordon Stein lost his executive role, he owed $555,000, had three young children, and was looking for a new high-tech executive role in the middle of the "tech wreck" recession in the early 2000s. In his interview, Gordon will share his CASHFLOW COOKBOOK - $2 million of financial freedom in 60 easy recipes. The shocking state of financial wellness The 10-minute first step to building wealth The one number to track to build wealth Why budgeting can limit your wealth How to add $1 Million to your wealth in 10 hours of work The easy way to streamline your banking Gordon Stein is an international keynote speaker, blogger, personal finance expert, and author of Cashflow Cookbook - $2 Million of Financial Freedom in 60 Easy Recipes. He delivers transformational talks that help people crush their number one stress – their finances. His mission is to improve financial wellness and help us regain focus, balance, and joy in our lives. Gordon combines his trademark wit and no-BS style to speak with employee and association groups, financial advisors,, and the media about a breakthrough path to financial wellness with no risk, minimal effort, minimal sacrifice, and no budgeting.

Oct 23, 2022 • 40min
Do You Know How to Unlock Hope When Life Seems Hopeless?
In 2013, Colleen Murphy's daughter, Lauren, was hit by a car and suffered severe brain damage. This is a miracle story you do NOT want to miss. Colleen Murphy is a wife, mother of seven, author, and public speaker. Tragedy struck Colleen's family when her second oldest daughter, Lauren, was hit by a car and suffered severe brain damage. Colleen's main focus became helping piece Lauren back together again. With the help of specialists from all over the country, her family and friends, as well as her strong faith, she was able to do just that. Today, Colleen and Lauren speak together as a team, inspiring thousands of people by sharing the details of Lauren's tragic accident, never-give-up attitude, and miraculous recovery. Colleen shares this raw, incredible story in her interview and how to unlock hope -- when life seems hopeless: "There are several low points in the book but one that stands out was when Lauren was an inpatient at RIC and they sent her to Northwestern Hospital for a CT scan, the nurse at RIC did not stay with her. Lauren was still medically fragile, and I was inept at caring for her. She had C-diff and I had to try and clean her without help. Once I finished, she began vomiting and I had to launch myself across the metal bars of the bed to try and hold her head up, so she didn't choke. I was soaked in vomit and scared. A while later the doctor finally came in to give me the findings of the CT scans and to let me know that Lauren would need a fourth brain surgery. Suddenly the fact that I was soaked with vomit through my bra, was freezing, and had a bag full of diarrhea-covered clothes seemed rather insignificant."

Sep 30, 2022 • 36min
How Do You Rise to the Challenge of Adopting Special Needs Children?
Children should feel unconditionally valued and accepted regardless of birth circumstance, race, or ability— Trisha Campbell and her family rose to this challenge and adopted five hungry orphans. Trisha had three biological children but decided to ignore the stigma of white families adopting multi-racial children. Trisha K. Campbell is a mother, author, and advocate. After questioning her faith and volunteering in a third-world country, Trisha realized her true calling and God's purpose for her life. A blended family with several special needs children came with many challenges. During her interview, Trisha shares the pain, struggle, setbacks, and rewards of adopting and caring for a transracial family.

Sep 25, 2022 • 35min
How Do You Function When You Were Raised in a Dysfunctional Family?
How do you build a healthy relationship with your family when you grew up in a dysfunctional one? Are you ready to create that life and family you dream and desire? Would you like to know how to break off generational dysfunction? Phylis Mantelli is the author of the book Unmothered - Life with a Mom who Couldn't Love Me. She is a coach, mentor, speaker, and passionate advocate for helping women break off generational dysfunction. Through all the mess, even in her own journey of trials and mistakes, Phylis breaks through the pain and replaces it with the heart of a daughter who loves her mom unconditionally until her mom's passing in 2007. After a failed marriage and the death of her baby boy, Phylis believed she did not deserve a happy life and family. She was broken. But she found her WORTH and can help you find yours too. Your determination and life survival skills only last so long - Phylis shares how you can love unconditionally and overcome the pain of the past. Phylis offers a six-week Patience and Grace Coaching course to help you create the family life you deserve and desire Here is her remarkable story of the roller coaster journey of life with an alcoholic mother. She now coaches people on how to love unconditionally and overcome the pain of the past. In her memoir Unmothered, popular blogger and speaker Phylis Mantelli takes the reader on her roller-coaster journey of life with her alcoholic and narcissistic mother.

Sep 20, 2022 • 35min
How You Can Overcome Any Obstacle Life Throws at You
Joan Benson adopted two infants and two twelve-year-olds to complete what she hoped would be a loving permanent family. The older two boys had many complex emotional problems which made Joan and her husband feel it was above 'their pay grade.' Joan is a wife, mother, grandmother, and author/speaker. She has written for 30 years in educational publishing and her work has been published in multiple magazines. Her debut historical fiction novel, His Gift, was published in 2020. Joan's life was shattered when she was in her forties and her childhood sweetheart, best friend, and only lover left the marriage for a woman 14 years younger. This devastated their Christian community beyond her own personal loss and sense of rejection. This is only the beginning of her story! During her jaw-dropping, amazing interview, Joan shares her story and how you can overcome any obstacle life throws at you - even at the most grievous times in your life.

Aug 26, 2022 • 34min
How To Build Your Faith to Take Action on Your Dreams
Like many of us - Kevin Bjorklund had moments in his life where regardless of how many people gave him positive feedback, he felt like he had nothing of value. These moments created a sense of hopelessness. Have you had moments like that? Kevin is going to show us today how to recognize and identify those feelings and overcome them. Kevin's background is in film production. For the past ten years, Kevin studied the great leaders on personal development and success which ultimately lead him to a coaching program with Robert Proctor who is part of a legacy of leaders in this space of personal development, success, and mindset. After being coached by him, Kevin became a consultant of the Proctor Gallagher Institute and has dedicated himself to helping people live a life of purpose, mastering their mindset, and tapping into their full potential. Kevin shares how the power of the mind and what limits are placed on people through their mindset. He shows us how to alter old limiting beliefs to become leverage for a breakthrough. During his interview, Kevin answers many of the questions you may have on how to live a life of confidence and success, the importance of goals, and gaining a new perspective:

Aug 20, 2022 • 38min
You Have the Ability to Go from Nothing to Something Amazing
Fatima Oliver is a wife, mother of four boys, an author, and an extreme lover of chocolate. The loss of her first child was the epitome of heartbreak. She felt like a tremendous failure to her husband and as a woman. When her marriage ended she felt bamboozled as though life was one big joke at her expense. Have you ever felt that way? Both tragedies taught Fatima how unfair life can be but also exposed an opportunity for faith to carry her. Fatima has embraced self-discovery and acceptance by challenging insecurity, anxiety, and depression from childhood trauma, heartbreak, and physical abuse. The result brought tremendous breakthroughs in her life and helped cultivate some baby steps she shares with others. We are not meant to do life alone. Everyone needs a safe place to fall. It is critical to change a victim mentality to a victory mindset - here is how Accepting hard truths is essential Releasing people from great expectations is a path to forgiveness During Fatima's interview, she will give you the key steps for your soul healing journey and give you the strength to continue: Fatima is offering a bonus for anyone listening to this interview - a 20-minute "Safe Place" session, where you are able to share what's on your heart, uninterrupted. There is great power in being heard and what is shared stays in this safe space. The Prescription is in the Dirt is a bold, funny, illuminating, and sometimes hard-to-swallow inspirational memoir, that embraces the journey to self-love and acceptance. It served as an extension of freedom and therapy while writing it and is now used to lift the voices of those considering their own soul journey. Speaking the truth in love is not just powerful when it is towards others. It is even more impactful when it is used for self-reflection. Waiting on loved ones to grow, was wasting time I could be using to mature myself. I needed to start participating in the change that was happening in my life instead of reacting to it all the time. This meant releasing unrealistic expectations for people to live up to, and accepting them right where they are. Then, peacefully detached myself from any future scenarios that did not respect my growth. "For years I believed love meant suffering from someone unconditionally. Love is long-suffering but it is also gentle - not a host of emotional and mental torment. But hurt people hurt people. This truth does not lose its value based on who is dishing out the offense. This is why some people should be loved from across the street. I am thankful for the route I had to take to learn these life lessons. Trudging through discomfort and down-right tragedies helped me to find my identity. My pain exposed God's grace. My fears exposed His protection. And the rejection I encountered by those I loved the most, revealed his undying love for me. Our behavior is a reflection of our freedom, and I was bound for most of my life, waiting for someone to come and do for me what I was unwilling to do for myself."

Aug 16, 2022 • 30min
Your Attitude, Drive, and Enthusiasm Can Take You Further Than Your Talents
Lori Vober suffered a massive intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke at age 29, which left her paralyzed on the left side. After a two-month stay in the hospital where she had two brain surgeries, she returned home and her husband lost his job in the aviation industry due to the effects of 9/11. A cross-country move was necessary while Lori was still in a wheelchair. Lori developed epilepsy from the stroke and lost more independence. Seven years later Lori and her husband were able to adopt three siblings, two of them with mental illnesses. Lori's interview was both inspiring and challenging. You will love hearing her story: Life Rarely Turns Out Exactly as You Pictured it We All Face Challenges Along the Way God always has a plan. But He leaves it up to you whether you follow His plan or not Life is about CHOICES Lori Vober chose to depend on God's faithfulness through all life's challenges Everyone has doubts about their own abilities, but God has a plan Believe in Him - Don't give up Your attitude, drive, and enthusiasm can take you further than your talents Find happiness in who God says you are Do not allow someone else to define your happiness

Aug 15, 2022 • 34min
Does a Great Brand Change the Way Others See You - Or the Way You See Yourself?
Almost 8 years ago, Tonya Eberhart's 20-year marriage ended, and she left behind two businesses. She walked out the door with her first BrandFace book in her hand and a newly founded business of the same name. She had one client. This brought a tremendous amount of stress and pressure but when your dream is strong enough, you push through the pressure. Tonya Eberhart is an international bestselling author, host of the BeBoldBranding Podcast, and founder of BrandFace, a branding firm that helps podcasters, authors, coaches, speakers, and solopreneurs in four countries and 43 US states to stand out and become an authority in their market through the power of personal branding. Tonya's humble career began while selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door to pay her way through college. This led to a job in radio and listening to local advertising, she realized the power that personal branding has on a business. Almost two decades and many successful brands later, she founded BrandFace, a personal branding firm comprising a book series, speaking series, and personal branding program designed to help business owners and entrepreneurs differentiate themselves. Tonya and Michael are partners in BrandFace, the only comprehensive personal brand-building system across the globe. Their mantra is, "People don't do business with a logo. They do business with a person." They help speakers, podcasters, authors, coaches, real estate agents, solopreneurs, and business owners to STAND OUT from their competition and attract their ideal customers so they can become recognized and sought-after authorities. In her interview she will share how you can unveil your inner star for massive recognition and riches using their 3-D Formula: People don't do business with a logo. They do business with a person. Marketing yourself as an entrepreneur and the face of your business has become more complex. New marketing tools and platforms are being introduced almost daily. In order to break through the clutter and noise, you must define your point of differentiation and learn to develop and display your unique personal brand in a powerful, memorable way. In this book, you'll learn many of the principles and tactics we've used to position and market our clients for success, such as: How to Become a Recognized Authority in Your Industry…even if no one knows who you are right now How to Develop an Attractor FactorThat Naturally Appeals to Your Ideal Customers…so you can work smarter, not harder How to Stop the Cycle of Poor Prospectingand Become a Sought After Expert…without the arrogance that can turn prospects away How to Use Today's Marketing ToolsDifferently…and avoid the same vanilla marketing tactics your competitors are using How to Set Yourself Up for Long Term Success…regardless of the ups and downs of your industry.

Aug 7, 2022 • 46min
If You Have Been Broken, Do You Know How To Move Forward?
Kate Wallinga spent her professional life in the fields of mental health and criminal justice, before breaking her back and being put on permanent disability in 2014. She has worked in the fields of correctional psych, forensic psych, and crisis assessment. Kate studied criminal justice and mental health counseling and worked in the New Hampshire State Prison system, locked psychiatric facilities, and several emergency rooms. In 2010, Kate had a near-death experience, which led to her being housebound for a year. In 2014, Kate broke her back and had to leave her career. In 2019, Kate's father died by suicide. She has battled health issues including epilepsy and deafness. But, as she will share today, although broken, Kate moved forward and she will show you how to as well - no matter what you have gone through. After accepting the necessity of leaving her preferred career, Kate spent a few years moping, then started listening to podcasts. She loves true crime genre and soon realized this is what she wanted to do - to connect with and share other people's stories. In her interview, she shares her incredible story and how she became a storyteller, a story-collector, and a.....herder of cats. Podcasting seemed the logical next step after Kate worked in the fields of forensic and correctional psychology, and crisis assessment. Ignorance Was Bliss is a show about how we become who we are and making just about anything sound normal - from PTSD to podcasting to serial murder. It is about people's stories. This podcast is about how we become who we are - about making just about anything sound normal. Over time, the focus of the show has widened to include the normal, the average, the ordinary, that all of us can understand...but we continue to think of ourselves as somehow messed up, weird, wrong. We're not. You're not. Honest.


