Never Ever Give Up Hope

Fran Caffey Sandin, a retired nurse, has authored two books, contributed to several anthologies and magazines. Fran lost two sons. She shares her story of how she found the strength to get through severe trauma. Through all this heart-wrenching loss, including her father's suicide, she has learned much including what the three stages of grief are and how to survive them.   She teaches us that we can overcome the effects of tragedy and how to help others survive their circumstances. We need to know what to say and what not to say when our friends are suffering.  During her interview, she details the three stages of grief: Crisis Crucible Construction  

Terry Tucker is an author, a motivational speaker, and an encourager. His blog, Motivational Check, gives daily posts of inspiration. Especially at a time we need it the most. Terry is a perfect example of someone who will meet a challenge head-on and maintain a positive and inspiring attitude.  In his words: "Suffering can be one of life's greatest teachers."  "My 8 year battle against a rare form of melanoma that presented on the bottom of my left foot reappeared in 2017 causing the amputation of most of my left foot in 2018. Cancer reemerged in 2019 causing two additional surgeries and recently my surgeon told me I most likely would not be here in 36 months." He has fought and won the battle over cancer more than once. After the amputation of his left foot, he remained hopeful and positive. He REFUSES to see himself as a victim. As a result, he has been successful in every area of his life. Winners think about what they want to happen...... Losers think about what they don't want to happen!

Jay Hix Jones is the host and executive producer of the UplifTV documentary series, The Experience, producer of “Hoarders” and as a media professional also worked on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and “Ice Road Truckers.”  Jay and his wife Kara co-authored the book The Experience: 40 Days to Reconnecting Your Soul. Together they operate the film production company Hungry Fish Media with Dr. Charles Hix.   Two years ago, Jay requested to be on Never Ever Give Up Hope but before we could do the interview, Jay's life was turned upside down when his four-year-old daughter, Hunter Rose, was diagnosed with stage four cancer.  Our relationship soon turned to friendship as I was privileged to follow this family's incredible journey dealing with pediatric cancer. You do NOT want to miss this interview of never ever giving up hope. This father's story will grip your heart and challenge you to never give up hope -- no matter how devastating your child's diagnosis is. Jay also discussed how he overcame extreme fear and how he learned to deal with it.

Hope Mueller is an author, inspirational speaker, executive, and active not-for-profit volunteer. A results-driven leader and change agent, Hope is passionate about career development and community service, among others.  Her early years were marked by the experiences of a hippie commune. Hope's unique childhood shaped her approach and interaction with the world, with a gift of creating order out of chaos and turning vision into reality. To realize success: FOCUS on the solution instead of the problem Be comfortable with change Persistence, persistence, persistence, and laser-focused on goals Honest and raw with  no request for empathy or complaint Hopey chronicles the story of a courageous girl in a 70s southern Indiana commune, complete with flowers for dinner, a ball of acid in the freezer and orgies on the living room floor. The chaos of her formative years, which are littered with violent episodes, periods of hunger and assaults, leads Hope to set off on her own at the age of 15. Hope's interview is intense with a splash of laughter and lots of reality checks.  When asked how she survived a hopeless situation she responded: "During brief moments of hopelessness or being overwhelmed I took it, felt it, then got to work to move forward. I don't wallow in sadness but learn from it."

Cherie Doyen is an author and a lifelong researcher of suffering. She has helped hundreds of people around the world to completely heal from PTSD. The focus of her work is to help those who have struggled through trauma. On the heels of years of violent childhood trauma including sexual violation, came doctor after doctor, years of therapists and medications....Cherie was dying and no one knew why. Stress kills people every day. The words of her final psychiatrist were that he could not help her. Cherie became vigilant to find out why in a tangible and fixable way.  And she did.PTSD is NOT a life sentence. PTSD can be cured. There is freedom. Cherie shares her journey of recovery in her interview. She gives you steps on how you can help yourself or others to understand and deal with trauma.

Finally diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder after a lifetime of mystery about who she was and why she was suffering, Irene McKain's memoir follows her path from the frightening abuse of her childhood to the exhilarating light of healing and transformation. Irene had 15 different personalities. Each one distinct and separate from another. This is not a subject we hear much about, but those who have lived through the pain of not knowing who they are.....it is very real! Through the publication of I Was More Than One, Irene shares the fact that mental illness is indeed an illness, not some crazy condition. It is treatable, and people who suffer from such an illness can lead normal lives. Her book is raw, honest, and a beautiful account of hurt turned into healing. Irene's interview will answer your questions surrounding multiple personalities.   There is hope.....there is always hope -- no matter how dire the situation  

Carrie Kohan is a national child advocate, federal government witness, and public spokesperson who changed the face of a country. In addition to changing Canadian law, Carrie founded Project Guardian and Mad Mothers Against Pedophiles (MMAP) in 1998.  What MADD did for drinking and driving, Carrie wanted to do for pedophilia and the protection of children, by educating the public and change the laws.     Be that advocate Your cause needs a voice   When Carrie Cohan began her journey as a child advocate, pedophilia was a taboo subject. No one wanted to acknowledge or talk about it. As a lobbyist and advocate, she was instrumental in changing fourteen laws in Canada that now protect children from harm. Her legacies include Amber Alert, the Provincial and National Sex Offender Registries, the Child Protection Act (online sexual exploitation), amendments to the divorce act and immigration laws. She is the namesake of the "Carrie's Guardian Angel Law" which asks for a 20-year minimum sentence for serial predators and pedophiles. The Five Lessons of Life is a true story of how two near-death experiences changed Carrie Kohan's life forever. Listening to Carrie's interview will give you goosebumps. She is not a lawyer and, in fact, has a learning disability but she has lobbied against some of the top lawyers in Canada - and won. 

Small town drama makes Hollywood look like a walk in the park. For those going through a divorce in a small town and are ready to feel confident, capable, and competent, now is the time to take action. Denise Anderson is a certified life coach, mentor, speaker, and author of Small Town Divorce, A Road Map Through Devastation, Despair, and Drama. The lessons Denise learned while going through a dramatic divorce helped her create a simple path to personal power and growth. She discovered a commonality amongst people that holds them back and keeps them imprisoned in their own minds. Her first book describing the nuances of divorcing in a small town lays the foundation for the experience she evokes during her workshops and public talks. Denise Anderson has helped hundreds of clients go beyond their current life situation and painful past to a more fulfilling, purposeful and passionate place. Do other people's opinions and judgments have a positive or negative effect on you? What other people think is one of the biggest concerns people face when trying to move forward and live life. Even though these concerns can be in our subconscious, they affect us and our decisions. Denise is accepting applications from people who are experiencing intense fear and drama or having great difficulty moving forward. She is offering personal and professional one-on-one coaching. She is also available for corporate or public speaking events connecting to large audiences and speaking directly to their current concerns and apprehension. Enjoy Denise's interview full of passion, energy, and spunk along with compassion with empathy for what you may be going through:

Have you ever put on your "I'm OK" mask to get through your day?  There is a better way that helps rather than drains your energy. Liana Allison is the Australian-based founder of The Institute of Empathic Leadership and an international award-winning Empathic Leadership Coach.    The Institute of Empathic Leadership is a powerful new kind of experience-based emotional intelligence coaching. Liana had a wake-up call in the form of an emotional and physical breakdown. She had to find a way to live the life that supported me and discovered the power behind Emotional Mastery. This has given her fulfillment and the joy of living a life by her design. Liana now shares this with other people around the world, helping them learn to understand their own emotional language, use their emotional software and feel confident going after anything they want in life. Listen to her compelling interview to learn how to relate to your emotions whether they are 'negative' or positive ones:  

Stress is everywhere and in everything we do. Dr. Pete Alexander gives us some fast, effective tools to help deal with stress in all phases of our lives. Professor Pete Alexander is a results-based coach helping hard-driving leaders overcome their self-imposed barriers to success in business and life. A recovering, hard-driving leader with over 30 years of sales, marketing, and entrepreneurial experience, Pete successfully battled the negative effects of stress head-on and developed the LIGHTEN™ stress relief model that motivates his peers to take action in only a few minutes per day.  Livelihood Imagination Genius (unconscious mind) Health Time - take action Environment Network of relationships Dr. Pete is no stranger to stress: Growing up in an alcoholic and dysfunctional home he learned coping skills no child should need to know. At 13 he was seduced by a 46-year-old friend of his mother. At 14 he tried committing suicide with the encouragement of his mom and stepfather. At 23 he found his stepfather’s body after he committed suicide. In 2008 he had a perfect storm of stressful activities that resulted in the diagnosis of stress-induced diabetes. In 2018 he was admitted to ER with a severe case of diabetic ketoacidosis. This was the turning point in his life. He learned the KEY to stress management: Get a handle on stress before it does permanent damage