The Brk Rm Pod

Genevieve Mendoza Wilson
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Weekly

The Break Room is your permission slip to pause. Hosted by Gen Wilson, this podcast brings you honest, heartfelt conversations with real people sharing real stories, the kind you'd have with your best friend over coffee. We talk about what matters: overcoming obstacles, finding purpose after hardship, resilience, mental health, and those pivotal moments that change everything. No filters, no fake inspiration, just authentic conversations that'll make you feel less alone. Pull up a chair and take a breath.

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    You Can't Pour From an Empty Cup | Kim Nash on Chronic Illness and Putting Yourself First

    Kim Nash built companies in male-dominated industries, raised her kids at the workplace, and thought her fatigue was just burnout until her mother's hepatitis C diagnosis forced her family to get tested. Kim had it too. What followed was stage 4 liver disease, a clinical trial cure, the founding of the Bonnie Morgan Foundation, and an MS diagnosis that eventually led her to leave a job she loved. Kim talks with Gen Wilson about the pity party that ended when she heard her kids laughing, the first gratitude journal entry that changed her mindset, and why you cannot fill anyone else's cup if your own is empty. Find the Bonnie Morgan Foundation and The Chronic Truth Podcast on all platforms. Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00 Welcoming Kim Nash: Patient Advocate and Serial Entrepreneur 01:45 Breaking Into a Male-Dominated Field: Kim's Machine Shop and Screen Printing Businesses 07:19 The Hepatitis C Diagnosis and Finding Gratitude Through Journaling 11:14 Taking a Break and Living with MS: Focusing on the Moment 14:34 Learning to Put Herself First: Redefining Success 16:22 The Bonnie Morgan Foundation: Honoring Her Mother's Legacy 19:32 Shared Grief: Caregiving, Cirrhosis, and Losing a Parent Young 23:14 Where to Find Kim and The Chronic Truth Connect with Kim: 📱 Social Media & Podcast: ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠YouTube⁠ Want to connect with, support, and find out how to be a guest on The Brk Rm? Visit: 📱 Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebrkrmpod⁠

    You Can't Pour From an Empty Cup | Kim Nash on Chronic Illness and Putting Yourself First

  2. Sep 29

    Burnout, Boundaries, and Faith in Hard Rooms | Ebone Cruz

    Ebone Cruz Clifton has been doing hard work in hard rooms for a long time — bridging local municipalities to federal agencies, leading teams through policy changes and organizational uncertainty, and showing up with her faith intact the whole way through. In Season 2, Episode 1 of The Brk Rm, Gen finally gets to sit down with the woman who was part of the show's origin story before the show even existed. They talk burnout, boundaries, data-driven leadership with a human heart, and what it took for Ebone to start saying no without an explanation. Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00 Embracing Confidence in Decision-Making 03:09 Navigating Work with Faith and Purpose 06:02 Finding Balance: Breaks and Self-Care 09:02 Recognizing and Addressing Burnout 12:05 The Power of Saying No and Self-Trust Connect with Ebone: 📱 Social Media & Podcast: ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ Want to connect with, support, and find out how to be a guest on The Brk Rm? Visit: 📱 Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebrkrmpod⁠

    Burnout, Boundaries, and Faith in Hard Rooms | Ebone Cruz

  3. Aug 14

    Nursing, Family, and Finding Your Reset

    Naibel Fernandez has been a registered nurse and unit manager in memory care for over three years and for just as long, she's been working alongside host Gen Wilson. In this episode, they finally sit down to talk about how Naibel ended up in nursing (her dad's been a CNA for over twenty years and counting), why memory care chose her as much as she chose it, and how she unwinds from the weight of it all, mostly on the water, usually on a cruise ship. A warm, easy conversation about doing meaningful work and living a full life. Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00 Wrapping Season 1 and Welcoming Naibel Hernandez 02:22 From CNA to Nursing: Naibel's Path into Healthcare 03:44 Why She Chose Memory Care 04:35 Cruises, Boats, and Finding Peace on the Water 09:16 Kindness, Professionalism, and Building a Reputation in Nursing 10:48 Faith and Treating Patients with Dignity 11:36 No Regrets: Reflecting on Career, Family, and Purpose 12:51 Where to Find Naibel and Closing Thoughts Connect with Naibel: 📱 Social Media & Podcast: ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠YouTube⁠ Want to connect with, support, and find out how to be a guest on The Brk Rm? Visit: 📱 Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebrkrmpod⁠

    Nursing, Family, and Finding Your Reset

  4. Jul 31

    "I Shall Live and Not Die" | Multiple Strokes, Faith & Waking Up With a Mission

    Tonya Harrell didn't want to stop the movie the night she had a stroke. By the time she reached the hospital, she could barely hold her own body weight. She survived multiple strokes, spent 10 days in the ICU, and woke up with a mission. Since then, she's launched A-Y-Not Events, co-chaired a women's ministry gathering called Jesus and Jammies, and volunteers in children's ministry every Sunday. She joins Gen for a warm, honest conversation about survival, faith, creativity, and why she's busier now than she's ever been. Chapters/Timestamps: 00:16 Introducing Tonya Harrell: Wife, Mom, and Stroke Survivor 00:52 A Friendship Years in the Making 02:37 The Day Everything Changed: Tonya's Stroke Story 04:16 ICU, Recovery, and Waking Up with a Mission 06:46 Faith in the Middle of Crisis 07:40 What Taking a Break Really Looks Like 11:00 Building AY Not Events: Creativity Born from Love 13:01 Church, Community, and Where to Find Tonya Connect with Tonya and A-Y-NOT Events: 📱 Social Media & Podcast: ⁠Facebook⁠ | ⁠Instagram⁠ | YouTube Want to connect with, support, and find out how to be a guest on The Brk Rm? Visit: 📱 Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebrkrmpod⁠

    "I Shall Live and Not Die" | Multiple Strokes, Faith & Waking Up With a Mission

  5. Jul 17

    From CEO to Starting Over: Melissa Moritz on Losing Everything and Finding Herself

    Melissa Moritz ran a $75 million healthcare company. Then she lost the job, the marriage, the house, and most of what she'd built her identity around, and spent two years in a darkness she describes as slow motion. What she built on the other side is Messie Missy: a brand, a coaching platform, and a podcast for midlife women who are in the mess and need someone who's been there. She joins Gen Wilson in The Brk Rm for a conversation about grief, identity, rebuilding, and why the magic isn't in the mess, it's in the movement. Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00 From Corporate Life to Personal Transformation 09:48 Navigating Identity and Loss 20:04 Empowering Midlife Women 23:13 The Messy Journey of Rebuilding Connect with Melissa: 🌐 Website: messiemissy.com 📱 Social Media & Podcast: Facebook | Instagram Want to connect with, support, and find out how to be a guest on The Brk Rm? Visit: 📱 Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@thebrkrmpod⁠

    From CEO to Starting Over: Melissa Moritz on Losing Everything and Finding Herself

  6. Jul 3

    Hug Your Inner Seven-Year-Old: Advice for Anyone Scared in Their Second Act

    Judy Swafford skydived alone at 50, leads a marketing team of 12, hosts her own podcast, plays pickleball daily, and has made it her personal mission to talk openly about menopause because nobody told her it was coming and she spent a year thinking she was going crazy. She joins Gen Wilson in The Brk Rm for a conversation about the back nine of life, what the second act really looks like, what grief taught her after her father's death, why she stopped letting the wrong people sit at her table, and what it means to finally pay attention to yourself after decades of doing everything for everyone else. Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction and Background 03:13 The Skydiving Leap 07:11 Entering the Second Act 07:27 Understanding Menopause 16:34 Rest and Morning Rituals 19:09 Losing Her Father 24:21 Boundaries, Legacy, and Advice Connect with Judy: 🌐 Website: ⁠⁠thefoundershustle.com⁠⁠ 💼 LinkedIn: ⁠Judy Swafford⁠ Want to connect with, support, and find out how to be a guest on The Brk Rm? Visit: 📱 Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@thebrkrmpod⁠

    Hug Your Inner Seven-Year-Old: Advice for Anyone Scared in Their Second Act

  7. Jun 19

    "I Never Stopped" | Belly Dance Instructor Hollie Wolf on Teaching Through Cancer and Living Fully

    Hollie Wolf has faced breast cancer twice, taught belly dance through chemotherapy, and danced in Egypt after winning a competition she entered to get better at something she loved. Gen Wilson, her best friend and co-worker, sits down with her in The Brk Rm for a conversation about growing up off the land in rural Illinois, what 25 years of dance actually teach you about people, and what it looks like to keep going when everyone else would stop. This one is warm, honest, and full of the kind of quiet strength that doesn't announce itself. Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction and Background 02:54 The Journey of Dance 05:47 Teaching and Empowering Others 08:58 Facing Breast Cancer 17:54 Resilience and Strength 22:59 Legacy and Impact Connect with Hollie: 🌐 Website: madrinhadances.com 📱 Social Media: Instagram, Facebook & TikTok (search Hollie Wolf / Madrinha Dances) 📍 Location: Tampa, Florida area Want to connect with, support, and find out how to be a guest on The Brk Rm? Visit: 📱 Instagram: ⁠@thebrkrmpod⁠

    "I Never Stopped" | Belly Dance Instructor Hollie Wolf on Teaching Through Cancer and Living Fully

  8. Trailer

    Welcome to The Brk Rm!

    Welcome to The Break Room, hosted by Gen Wilson. In everything we do, work, life, parenting, and relationships, we all need a break. A moment to pause, breathe, laugh, reflect, and reset. That's exactly what The Break Room offers. Born from inspiration at Podfest 2026, this podcast creates space for real stories, everyday experiences, lessons learned, and conversations that truly matter. Gen sits down with guests from all walks of life to talk about life and beyond, the unfiltered, authentic moments that shape who we are. So pull up a chair, take a breather, and join us in The Break Room. There are plenty of stories to share, and your seat at the table is waiting. New episodes weekly coming this Summer. Follow @thebrkrmpod on Instagram to connect.

    Welcome to The Brk Rm!
  • 1 Trailer
    7 Episodes

Trailer

About

The Break Room is your permission slip to pause. Hosted by Gen Wilson, this podcast brings you honest, heartfelt conversations with real people sharing real stories, the kind you'd have with your best friend over coffee. We talk about what matters: overcoming obstacles, finding purpose after hardship, resilience, mental health, and those pivotal moments that change everything. No filters, no fake inspiration, just authentic conversations that'll make you feel less alone. Pull up a chair and take a breath.

Information

  • Creator
    Genevieve Mendoza Wilson
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Genevieve Mendoza Wilson
  • Show Website
    The Brk Rm Pod