LIGHTING THE SHADOWS Kristen Laursen

JoAnna is an author, poet, mind-body coach, and a dear friend of mine. JoAnna shares her story with what she terms as “living someone else’s dream,” leading to an unfulfilled life, but she shares how she finds her way to self-acceptance and fulfillment through connecting to and understanding God’s love. JoAnna and I discuss a shared core belief in this episode: that complete healing comes from the connection to love. It was wonderful to learn more about JoAnna's life and several incredible lessons she has learned along the way.  

Sam Becker is a Confidence and Mindset Coach for entrepreneurs in need of positive guidance and perspective in their business and their personal lives. Sam talks openly about his story with crippling anxiety, how he utilized alcohol to try and cope with the anxiety, and how his battle with anxiety seemed to worsen over time until his breaking-point when he decided to truly bring things into the light and determine what he needed to do to heal from the anxiety he was experiencing. Sam shares various tools that have helped him manage his anxiety and live the life he’s desired to live. I loved hearing Sam’s perspective and really appreciated his openness and willingness to share his story with us on the show.

This episode is all about delving into what it means to be "highly sensitive," a quality that an estimated 20% of the population possess. Linda Binns, an accomplished energy coach, describes her life as a highly sensitive person and certain challenges that highly sensitive people commonly share. She describes what she has learned through her journey of self-awareness and self-acceptance and how being a highly sensitive person can truly become a gift.  

This episode is an excellent one to listen to for anyone who relates to being a highly sensitive person, or for someone who has a relationship with a highly sensitive person and hopes to better understand them. 

Jocelyn Bellows, a life coach, author, and podcast and TV show host, talks about her journey towards self-discovery following her divorce. Jocelyn talks about how she found herself unhappy and lost in life, knowing that she needed to make a change. She talks about how she filed for divorce, then delved into inner work and changing her thoughts and perspectives about herself and her life. Jocelyn describes how she finds purpose in life; she shares tools and direction that are applicable to all people wanting to discover and love themselves more deeply. We also discuss several helpful relationship and communication tips.

Is it possible to decide your own destiny? Guest Kyle Spyrides talks about how he learned to do so after experiencing child and adolescent abuse and trauma, intense grief, and other unique challenges. Kyle talks about how he literally learned how to heal his heart when he nearly lost his life to a virus on his heart. Kyle is now working on writing a self-help memoir titled “Decide Your Destiny”. He’s passionate about helping others find hope and perseverance through challenges and to take back control of their lives after suffering through any kind of challenge, mental or physical. Kyle’s kindness, compassion, wisdom, and determination to make a positive difference in the world really come across in this episode. I’m so grateful to him for taking the time to share his incredible and inspiring story with us!

In this episode, guest Hannah Bennett speaks openly about her personal experience with debilitating ADHD. Hannah and I both talk about our experiences around battling suicidal thoughts and our thoughts on suicide after struggling with suicidal ideation. This episode is very heavy and it contains many personal thoughts and opinions that should not be taken as professional advice. However, Hannah hopes that by sharing her story with honesty and openness, she can help destigmatize mental illness and encourage others to seek resources and help as early as possible. I’m so grateful for Hannah and her courage and willingness to share such a vulnerable part of her life story with listeners. She is a true warrior and I’m grateful to know her and share her words with you!