Beyond the Pain: Heart and Home Healing After Loss

Emily Smaczniak

This podcast offers support and guidance for those grieving profound loss, helping you heal your heart, your home, and make space for hope and joy again. If you're ready to turn your pain into purpose, this show is for you.

  1. 12/09/2025

    Overcoming Depression & Finding New Purpose (through food and fitness) with World Bench Champion & Gym Shark Athlete, Joy Rindfleisch

    From a suicidal 16 year old to a thriving 21-year old Bench World Champion, Joy Rindfleisch shares her inspiring story of having to completely start over after a devastating injury and 13 years of hard work and dedication in competitive gymnastics.  Joy started when she was only 3 years old and worked her way up to a level 9 gymnast (almost the highest level you can be), when all the sudden at age 16, a broken ankle took her completely out of her "way ahead career" of being a competitive gymnast. As a young girl with big dreams for herself, she found herself completely broken, depressed, hopeless and on the verge of suicide admitting, "if I can't do gymnastics, what's the point of living?"  Her determination and mindset shift to becoming the best and strongest version of herself took her from her absolute lowest of lows to a super successful powerlifter and Bench World Champion, just two years later.  In this episode, we discuss: -Joy's struggle with eating disorders after she lost her ability to compete -The lowest moment of her journey and what eventually made her decide to make a change-Joy's rediscovering of hope for her future-The practical daily changes Joy made to restabilize her mental health-How intuitively eating made the biggest impact on her physical health-Eliminating processed foods helped her regain some of her mental stability through perspective shift-Being feminine and strong can coexist in the gym-Sharing her struggles and story of overcoming anxiety and depression online I hope this episode shows you that no matter your age, disabilities or life circumstances, that there is ALWAYS hope for a better future and an opportunity to rebuild yourself and to find purpose again.  Find Joy on social media!Instagram, Tik Tok & Youtube: Joyjoysfitness_ "We look good, we lift good." ;)

    54 min
  2. 12/02/2025

    Biohacking Your Health with Founder of Functional Medical Institute, Dr. Mark Sherwood

    What good is living longer if you're not living BETTER? Are you ready for the ultimate health cheat codes for the best human experience you can get?  Dr. Mark Sherwood, founder of the Functional Medical Institute in Tulsa, OK, joins the show this week and shares with us exactly what it means to "biohack" our health to become the absolute best and healthiest versions of ourselves that we can be - not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. It's not a one size fits all. During this episode, we discuss: -The difference between traditional medical doctor's offices and Dr. Mark's medical institute-Learning on how to not identify as a "sick" person-How our mental/emotional and physical health are completely tied together-The definition of "biohacking" and how we can do accomplish it-Stop blaming genetics-The physical effects that grief & trauma can have on your physical body: depletes our immune systems which make us more susceptible to bigger health issues-The impacts of food on our physical AND mental health-Where to start if you're ready to improve your overall wellness-Become addicted to giving hope As hope dealers, Dr. Mark Sherwood and I prat you leave this episode feeling super encouraged and filled with HOPE.  Connect with and follow Dr. Mark: drmarksherwood.comInstagram: @dr.marksherwoodDon't forget to download his FREE ebook entitled "Health, Hope & Freedom," available on his website!

    49 min
  3. 11/18/2025

    Holistic Home Holiday Guide for Less Stress and More Joy

    Looking for the holidays to be LESS stressful and filled with much more (real) joy and not just temporary hits of high? This week, I am sharing my holistic home holiday guide, which is aimed at reducing stress and increasing joy not only during the holiday season, but beyond the new year as well. There is no shortage of dopamine hits around the holidays, but my goal is to help bring you long lasting peace and joy in your heart with the most practical tips I have, based off of experience and LOTS of research. In this episode, I discuss:  -The importance of decluttering your home leading up to the holidays (and the simplest way to maintain it throughout the year)-How to maintain a healthy diet but also learn to indulge in the holiday treats stress free-What is keeping you stuck in a constant loop of negativity and comparison -The VERY important task of nurturing our nervous system, especially during the holidays (and the very simple ways to do it!)-How practicing gratitude literally rewires our brain to feel more joyful and less stressed, almost mindlessly-My FAVORITE way to make the mundane tasks feel more joyful-Rushing is stealing all of your joy and prioritizing preparation is your missing ingredient These tips are timeless. They will help reduce your stress and increase LONG LASTING joy, no matter what time of year. I hope you feel uplifted and encouraged after listening to this episode. Happy Holidays! Follow me on Instagram for more heart and home healing! @emmysmaz

    54 min
  4. 11/11/2025

    Overcoming Fear of Childbirth with Pain Free Birth E-Course Creator, Karen Welton

    Interested in a pain free, totally different than what you see on TV and potentially ENJOYABLE birth experience?! On this week's episode, I sit down with the creator of the Pain Free Birth E-course creator, Karen Welton. Over 12 years ago, Karen's journey in the birth education world began as she began prepping for the birth of her first born daughter. In a world where childbirth is often synonymous with fear, pain and trauma, she thought to herself, "There HAS to be another way." Her quest for knowledge and understanding about the physiological and spiritual aspects of childbirth led her to have a mostly pain-free and completely transformative experience with her first born daughter. This was the catalyst to becoming a childbirth educator, e-course creator, doula and podcast host, to start telling as many women as she possibly could about her fearless and almost completely pain free birth experience. In this episode, we discuss:-Debunking the pain myth of labor-The power of your mindset during labor -Having a redemptive childbirth experience (specifically after loss)-The fear, tension, pain cycle-Finding gratitude during labor Are you ready to embrace a completely different perspective on childbirth? Then this episode is for you! We hope you walk away feeling transformed, empowered and ready for a FEARLESS birth experience. Find Karen on Social Media!Instagram:  @painfreebirth Click on Karen's link in bio for all the info on her FREE Masterclass and her Pain Free Birth E-course!Youtube:  @painfreebirthwithkarenwelton  painfreebirth.com

    56 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
19 Ratings

About

This podcast offers support and guidance for those grieving profound loss, helping you heal your heart, your home, and make space for hope and joy again. If you're ready to turn your pain into purpose, this show is for you.