Experience Over Expectation

Mary McCorvey
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Experience Over Expectation is a storytelling podcast for people who’ve lived long enough to know that life rarely goes to plan—and beautiful things still unfold anyway. Hosted by Mary McCorvey, a Gulf War veteran, playwright, and serial reinventionist, this show explores what happens when we stop chasing the checklist and start honoring our lived experience. From long-lost love letters to second chances, invisible illnesses to unexpected careers, each episode offers honest, heart-centered reflections on identity, healing, aging, purpose, and the art of choosing again. This is a space for nonlinear lives, soulful pivots, and the beautifully messy middle. You won’t find perfect answers here—just real stories, tender truth, and permission to live on your own terms.

  1. Don’t Say Crazy to Me: Marion Hoffman Koenig on Empathy, Mental Health Advocacy, and Turning Loss into Kindness

    Jan 30

    Don’t Say Crazy to Me: Marion Hoffman Koenig on Empathy, Mental Health Advocacy, and Turning Loss into Kindness

    In this episode of Experience Over Expectation, Mary McCorvey sits down with memoirist and mental health advocate Marion Hoffman Koenig, author of Don’t Say Crazy to Me. Marion’s story moves through grief, creativity, 1980s New York energy, and the strange, tender places where humor and death sit at the same table. We talk about what it means to be an empath, how empathy can help and how it can misfire, and why “crazy” is often just a lazy label for what someone does not understand. You will also hear practical grounding tools Marion uses in real life, including square breathing, plus a powerful reminder: you can show up for someone in pain without losing yourself. Get the books Don’t Say Crazy to Me (Marion Hoffman Koenig) Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Say-Crazy-Me-Sinatra-ebook/dp/B0FVGF7Z75 Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dont-say-crazy-to-me-marion-hoffman-koenig/1148689899 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242577401-don-t-say-crazy-to-meExperience Over Expectation (Mary McCorvey) Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FPJ9NK4H?ref_=pe_93986420_775043100 Connect with Marion LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marion-koenig/

    30 min
  2. Eternity in Mind: Rev. Dr. Frank Selden on Chronic Illness, Faith, and Choosing to Stay

    12/29/2025

    Eternity in Mind: Rev. Dr. Frank Selden on Chronic Illness, Faith, and Choosing to Stay

    Frank Selden came to a cemetery ready to end his life and walked away with one question: “What if my actions in this life affect what comes next?” In this episode of Experience Over Expectation, I sit down with Rev. Dr. Frank Selden, a former Army National Guard officer and JAG detachment veteran, and a respected tax and estate attorney who helped thousands of entrepreneurs build with calm, clarity, and care. Then chronic, late stage Epstein Barr and related complications changed everything. Frank went from high performance and a full life to being in bed most of the day with no clear medical cure, and he reached a breaking point at Tahoma National Cemetery in Washington State. What happened next, and what he did with that moment, became the beginning of a rebuilt life, reshaped faith, and a slow, deliberate return to meaning. Frank now serves others through trauma informed men’s work, functional medicine exploration, spiritual training, and writing for those living with chronic illness, pain, and mental health struggles. His upcoming autobiography tells the story, and the long work of learning to live again with eternity in mind. Guest Resource SoulBuilding: https://soulbuilding.life/ About the guest Frank Selden is a former Army National Guard officer and JAG detachment veteran, attorney, and trauma informed guide. After chronic illness changed the trajectory of his life, he rebuilt through spiritual training, functional medicine exploration, and men’s work. In his soon to be released autobiography, he shares his candid account of a suicide attempt, a faith questioned and reshaped, and the slow, intentional work of learning to live again with eternity in mind. About the host Mary McCorvey is the author of Experience Over Expectation: Let Go of the Plan, Live on Your Terms, and host of the Experience Over Expectation podcast.

    32 min
  3. Harmony, Suffering, and Sovereignty: Robin H. Clare on The Frequency of True Success

    11/28/2025

    Harmony, Suffering, and Sovereignty: Robin H. Clare on The Frequency of True Success

    What if success is not another achievement, it is a frequency you learn to live in In this conversation, I sit down with Robin H. Clare, best selling author, creator of The Harmony Method, and a spiritual recovery guide whose work is grounded in her own forty year journey through obsessive compulsive food disorder and bulimia. Her new book, Harmony, The Frequency of True Success, offers a path for aligning your inner life with your outer purpose so that success stops being a scoreboard and becomes something quieter and more powerful, ease, authenticity, and sovereignty. We talk about messages from the divine, addiction to suffering, recovery as an integrated mind body spirit emotional journey, and what it means to live in harmony in a world that seems designed for discord. In this episode The origin story of The Harmony Method, awareness, commitment, mastery, service, leadership, and freedomHow alignment between inner truth and outer purpose helps us manage expectationsRobin’s journey as a “sacred messenger” and what it feels like to receive spiritual guidanceThe role of Sophia and the divine feminine in healing addiction and sufferingWhy Sophia says there is only one true addiction, suffering, and everything else is a secondary expressionPain is inevitable, suffering is optional, how surrender and grace open the door to recoveryWriting from addiction versus writing from recovery, and why Robin left both voices in her bookPractical tools, the pause, cutting energetic ties, and letting others be themselves without losing your center About Robin H. Clare Robin H. Clare is the creator of The Harmony Method, a transformational framework for restoring balance, clarity, and alignment. She is a best selling author, speaker, podcaster, writing coach, retreat leader, energy healer, and recovery coach whose work is grounded in her sustained recovery from a forty year battle with obsessive compulsive food disorder and bulimia. She has been named among the “10 Best Life and Business Coaches” and “10 Best Energy Healers” by Natural Nutmeg readers for seven consecutive years. Connect with Robin Website: https://www.robinhclare.com/ Books: https://www.robinhclare.com/books Work with Robin: https://www.robinhclare.com/engage YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RobinHClare Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robinhclareauthor Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robin_h_clare/ Connect with Mary Website: https://www.marymccorvey.com Substack, Experience Over Expectation: https://marymccorvey.substack.com 📘 Mary’s book Experience Over Expectation, Let Go of the Plan, Live on Your Terms is available on Amazon and wherever you get your books.

    32 min
  4. Detours, Money, and Meaning: Gal Ezra on Ethical Millionaires and Real Prosperity

    11/21/2025

    Detours, Money, and Meaning: Gal Ezra on Ethical Millionaires and Real Prosperity

    What if the biggest no of your life became the turning point for everything that followed In this conversation, Gal Ezra, a South African-born entrepreneur, investor, and founder of Guaranteed Prosperity, shares how being stranded in Cape Town at 19 after a visa rejection with no money and no plan forced him to rebuild from the inside out. By 25, Gal had built his first million-dollar business. By 30, he had sold four more. Yet his mission is not just about wealth. It is about creating 10,000 ethical millionaires who understand money as a tool for service, not status. We talk about detours, havingness, fake realities around money, and what it really means to become the source of your own knowledge and your own life. In this episode: Stranded at 19, how one no became Gal’s defining detourFrom events to finance to training, the through line behind multiple successful exitsWhy your current bank balance reflects what you believe you can have“Fake realities” about money and success that quietly keep people stuckThe concept of havingness, why many people would subconsciously destroy a sudden windfallPrinciples of money, why tools do not work without the right foundationHow Gal’s father refused rescue and gave him something harder and better, true ownership of knowledgeWhat it means to become source over what you learnWhy Gal’s mission is 10,000 ethical millionaires, not just millionaires Connect with Gal Ezra: Website, programs and resources: https://gprosperity.com Social: search Gal A Ezra on your preferred platform Connect with Mary: Website: https://www.marymccorvey.com Experience Over Expectation on Substack: https://marymccorvey.substack.com 📘 Mary’s book: Experience Over Expectation, Let Go of the Plan, Live on Your Terms is available on Amazon and wherever you get your books.

    32 min
  5. From Rock Bottom’s Basement to the Castle: Kevin Palmieri on Self-Belief, Self-Worth, and Consistency

    11/07/2025

    From Rock Bottom’s Basement to the Castle: Kevin Palmieri on Self-Belief, Self-Worth, and Consistency

    Achievement isn’t the same as fulfillment. Host Mary McCorvey talks with Kevin Palmieri, founder/host of Next Level University (top-100 podcast, 1M+ listeners across 170 countries). Kevin shares the moment he says “rock bottom has a basement,” why he reached out for help, and how he rebuilt with small promises, habit tracking, identity work, and better relationships. You’ll learn Why purpose starts with self-belief—and why self-worth keeps what you buildHabit tracking and “commitment devices” that make consistency inevitableIdentity upgrades: from who you were to who you’re becomingEvaluating your circle (best from your past vs. best for your future)Love + ambition: weekly check-ins, date nights, and honest boundaries Guest: Kevin Palmieri, Founder & Host, Next Level University Host: Mary McCorvey, Experience Over Expectation Subscribe/follow for new episodes Share this with someone rebuilding after a hard season

    28 min
  6. The First Daughter Disruptor: Adaku Mbagwu on Breaking the Eldest-Daughter Burden

    11/05/2025

    The First Daughter Disruptor: Adaku Mbagwu on Breaking the Eldest-Daughter Burden

    In this episode, Mary talks with Adaku Mbagwu—a Nigerian-born, Tulum-based transformational guide and the self-proclaimed “first daughter disruptor.” Through her global community, Healed Hero, Adaku helps high-achieving firstborn daughters release generational pressure, perfectionism, and the invisible labor that keeps them exhausted—and build success that actually feels good. What we cover Eldest-daughter dynamics across cultures (Nigeria, UK, Mexico)Invisible labor, hyper-independence, and why “strong” isn’t a life planThe Strategic Vulnerability Framework: awareness → sharing → receiving → magnetic authenticitySibling dynamics, resentment loops, and how to repair without losing yourselfCoaching case study: from stuck at $160K to $1M+ by unlearning “I must be needed”Practical scripts for asking for help (without feeling weak) Guest: Adaku Mbagwu — Transformational Guide, Founder of Healed Hero Host: Mary McCorvey — Experience Over Expectation (author & podcast host) Subscribe/follow for new episodes. Share this with an eldest daughter who does everything for everyone.

    31 min
  7. Read • Reflect • Respond: How Stories Unlock Trauma (with Dr. Gloria Vanderhorst)

    10/16/2025

    Read • Reflect • Respond: How Stories Unlock Trauma (with Dr. Gloria Vanderhorst)

    What if the stories you love could unlock the stories you’ve hidden? In this conversation, psychologist and author Dr. Gloria Vanderhorst shares how reading short, evocative narratives—and then pausing to reflect and respond—can surface long-stored experiences, deepen emotional access, and begin healing. We explore boys’ and men’s emotional development, why reassurance can accidentally shut down intimacy, and two simple tools anyone can use to reconnect with buried memories. Guest: Dr. Gloria Vanderhorst — Psychologist, author, wife, grandmother; 50+ years helping people across the lifespan translate life experience into growth. Author of Read, Reflect, Respond: The 3 R’s of Growth and Change. Host: Mary McCorvey, Experience Over Expectation—let go of the plan, live on your terms.

    35 min
  8. From Fear to Stretch: How Vertical Development Transforms Leaders (w/ Luann Horobin)

    10/09/2025

    From Fear to Stretch: How Vertical Development Transforms Leaders (w/ Luann Horobin)

    What if leadership isn’t about adding more “apps”… but upgrading your operating system? In this episode of Experience Over Expectation, host Mary McCorvey sits down with executive & leadership coach Luann Horobin (MCC) to unpack vertical development—the shift from piling on skills to changing how you see and respond to the world. We explore: Why fear, certainty, and “I’m right” thinking lock us in old patterns The Stretch: choosing the uncomfortable opposite to unlock new results Moving from cortisol (defense) to curiosity (creativity & connection) Building a map for change: awareness → stretch → new habits → new presence Pivoting a business when the data says “stay” but reality says “change” About Luann: Executive & Leadership Coach, transformationalist, and long-time guide to high performers navigating the “Is this all there is?” inflection point. Mantra: Changing minds, changing lives. 👉 Order Mary’s book Experience Over Expectation — out now. 👉 Connect with Luann https://luannhorobin.com 👉 Subscribe for more conversations on mindset, presence, and nonlinear living. Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:30 What is vertical development? 05:40 Protective strategies & fear loops 10:50 The Stretch: doing the uncomfortable opposite 17:20 Pivot story: advertising → education 23:30 Building the map & new habits 26:30 How to reach Luann + closing Hashtags: #Leadership #Mindset #VerticalDevelopment #ExecutiveCoaching #ChangeManagement #PersonalGrowth #PresenceOverPerfection #ExperienceOverExpectation

    28 min
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About

Experience Over Expectation is a storytelling podcast for people who’ve lived long enough to know that life rarely goes to plan—and beautiful things still unfold anyway. Hosted by Mary McCorvey, a Gulf War veteran, playwright, and serial reinventionist, this show explores what happens when we stop chasing the checklist and start honoring our lived experience. From long-lost love letters to second chances, invisible illnesses to unexpected careers, each episode offers honest, heart-centered reflections on identity, healing, aging, purpose, and the art of choosing again. This is a space for nonlinear lives, soulful pivots, and the beautifully messy middle. You won’t find perfect answers here—just real stories, tender truth, and permission to live on your own terms.

Information

  • Creator
    Mary McCorvey
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Mary McCorvey
  • Show Website
    Experience Over Expectation