The journey to finding your true self often requires leaving behind the stories that no longer serve you.

In this episode of Real Things Living, host Brigitte Cutshall sits down with Robin Ferguson—an executive leader, coach, and author of "The Phoenix Effect."

Robin shares how her background as a nurse and minister shaped her understanding of resilience and self-acceptance. They discuss the "Phoenix Effect," a transformative process of breaking down old personas to ignite a more authentic version of yourself, and how "positive disruptors" can help anyone break free from a stagnant routine.

3 Takeaways:

(1) Self-Awareness is a Superpower: Understanding the stories and cultural messages that shaped your history allows you to consciously choose who you want to be today.

(2) Embrace Positive Disruptors: Stepping into uncomfortable territory—whether by taking a new class or simply changing your commute—breaks rote patterns and opens the door to new possibilities.

(3) The Power of Curiosity: Staying endlessly curious keeps the mind young, aids in navigating change, and serves as the heart of creativity.

Pick up a copy of Robin’s book, The Phoenix Effect, available on Amazon https://bit.ly/3Md4lkN

Barnes & Noble https://bit.ly/4rgLuUX

Connect with her at https://robin-ferguson.com

If you think your past defines your future, this story of Ivy League success, 20 years of homelessness, and ultimate redemption will change your mind.

Ken Miller joins Brigitte Cutshall to share his powerful journey from being a National Merit Scholar at Dartmouth to spending two decades battling addiction, homelessness, and incarceration.

Now 21 years sober and a successful business owner, Ken discusses the "internal problem" behind addiction, the courage required to face childhood trauma, and how he transitioned from a life of "negative secrets" to becoming a kind, gentle mentor for the next generation.

3 Key Takeaways

(1) Own Your Truth, Lose the Power: Healing begins by "turning the lights on" in the rooms of your past. By speaking his "big secrets" aloud, Ken stripped them of their power to cause him pain or shame.

(2) The Myth of the "Why": While trauma and environment are factors (antecedents), Ken emphasizes that rationalizing bad behavior through past pain prevents true recovery. Accountability is the first step toward change.

(3) Service as Self-Care: One of the fastest ways to build self-worth is to get "outside of yourself." Helping others—whether through formal mentoring or simply calling a lonely relative—creates the value you might feel you're lacking.

Grab a copy of Ken Miller’s book, Becoming Ken, on Amazon - https://amzn.to/4tDHdwA

"I don't think I had a choice—this is just how my river runs."

In this episode of Real Things Living, host Brigitte Cutshall talks with Yousef Benhamida, the systems-driven entrepreneur behind the national brand Humboldt’s Secret. Yousef shares his journey from childhood "hustles" to bootstrapping a national empire. He explains why he values a "clean house" and organized systems over raw hustle, and how a relentless refusal to lose drives his success.

3 Key Takeaways:

(1) Systems are the Wings: Radical organization is the only way to scale. You must eliminate chaos to make a business light enough to "fly."

(2) The Habit of Winning: Yousef trades the word "discipline" for a strategic focus on avoiding the habits that lead to losing.

(3) The Draft Moment: Success is years of quiet preparation meeting one massive opportunity. You have to be positioned to perform when the big contract appears.

Connect with Yusuf Benhamida - https://yousefbenhamida.com/

Humboldt’s Secret Supplies - https://humboldtssecretsupplies.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/yousefbenhamida/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/yousefbenhamida/

Imagine working your entire life for a retirement you never reach. Engineering leader, Jossie Haines, shares how a family tragedy transformed her perspective on ambition, burnout, and the urgent need for human-centric leadership in the age of AI.

After reaching the heights of Silicon Valley as a VP of Engineering and working on iconic products like Siri, Jossie realized that the traditional "up and to the right" career path often leads to burnout rather than fulfillment.

She discusses the systemic reasons why 50% of women leave tech by age 35, how to leverage AI as a leadership tool rather than a replacement for human judgment, and why true success must be defined on your own terms.

3 Key Takeaways:

(1) The "Next Step" Philosophy: Avoid the paralysis of trying to map out a massive goal from A to Z. Focus exclusively on the immediate next step—whether it's a phone call or a brainstorm—to gain clarity without the overwhelm.

(2) Inclusion is a Product Feature: Diverse teams aren't just a metric; they build better tech. Jossie highlights how a lack of diverse testers can lead to products (like voice assistants) that fail to recognize women's voices or various accents.

(3) AI is a Change Management Challenge: Integrating AI into a team isn't just about the software; it’s a leadership task. Success with AI requires human oversight to determine what "good" looks like and to ensure it solves the right problems.

Connect with Jossie Haines on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jossiemann/

Check out her website - https://JossieHaines.com to learn about her upcoming workshops and coaching programs.

"We need to focus on who we are." The secret to raising resilient children starts with the parent stepping away to find their own calm in the chaos.

In this episode of the Real Things Living Podcast, Brigitte Cutshall explores the essentials of Parental Resilience with psychologist and author Dr. Kate Lund.

Dr. Lund introduces her "Step Away" book, which focuses on the psychology of parenting and why resilient parenting requires us to prioritize our own well-being first.

They dive into the comparison trap of social media, the importance of mindfulness for parents, and practical strategies for overcoming parental stress. By shifting from a "crisis mode" to a "resilient lifestyle," moms and dads can find better work-life balance for families and improve overall mental health for moms and dads.

3 Key Takeaways

(1) Manage the Baseline: Resilience isn't just for emergencies; it’s a daily practice. Using tools like the "relaxation response" helps parents start their day at a lower stress level so they can ride life's challenges like a wave.

(2) The "Step Away" Philosophy: Stepping away isn't about checked-out parenting; it’s about putting on your own oxygen mask first. By prioritizing self-awareness and personal joy, parents can "step back in" more robustly for their families.

(3) Context Over Comparison: High stress often stems from comparing our "messy" reality to curated digital lives. True resilience comes from optimizing within your own unique context and focusing on authentic human connection.

To find more of Dr. Kate Lund’s resources and pick up a copy of her new book, Step Away, visit her website at https://KateLundSpeaks.com

Connect with her on:

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-lund/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dr_kate_lund/

Your chronic physical pain might be more than a medical diagnosis—it could be your body’s only way of screaming for emotional rescue.

Author and Shaman, Kerry Blaser Bouzaglo, joins Brigitte Cutshall to share her journey from a traumatic childhood and debilitating back pain to a life of "psychic gifts" and radical health, revealing how women can stop "popping pills" and start listening to the wisdom of their own biology.

3 Key Takeaways:

(1) The Body as a Mirror: Chronic physical ailments—specifically lower back and "womb" pain—often serve as physical manifestations of repressed emotional trauma, guilt, and shame.

(2) The "Hills and Valleys" of Growth: Using a physics-based metaphor, Keri explains that the "valleys" of life provide the momentum and speed necessary to reach higher levels of wisdom; without the lows, we cannot reach the "Everest" of enlightenment.

(3) Recalibrating the Nervous System: Healing is the process of shifting the body’s resonance from fear-based frequencies to the frequencies of love and compassion (measured at $500\text{ Hz}$ and above).

Are you ready to stop ignoring what your body is trying to tell you? Download Kerry's new book, My Inner Heroine. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F2SJZ1B6

Visit her website to explore your own origin story and begin your healing journey today. https://kerryblaser.com/

Are you living for everyone else but yourself?

Kathleen Conner, the founder of Chasing Purpose, joins Brigitte Cutshall to discuss the "Aha" moment that saved her life and how women can stop being "fine" and start being seen.

Drawing from her experience as a high-level corporate executive and a lifetime of service, Kathleen reveals the "box methodology"—the labels like "The People Pleaser," "The Perfect Mother," and "The Invisible Woman" that keep us trapped.

Key highlights:

(1) The 100-Yard Wake-Up Call: Why a moment of physical exhaustion forced Kathleen to re-evaluate her life’s direction

(2) The Power of the Pause: How taking two seconds to breathe before reacting can keep you in control of your own identity.

(3) The "Fine" Trap: Why saying you’re "fine" often means "Feelings I Never Express" and how to break the habit of repressing your needs.

(4) 1% Better Every Day: Practical advice for shifting your internal "emotional baseline" without the burnout of massive, sudden changes.

Visit https://chasingpurpose.com to take Kathleen’s free Emotional Baseline Assessment or book a discovery session.

Ditch the idea that you need natural-born talent and discover how curiosity, bread-making, and even a "neutralized" paintbrush can become your most powerful tools for emotional healing.

In this episode of Real Things Living, host Brigitte Cutshall sits down with Grace Esther, the heart behind Healing with Grace.

Grace shares her journey into creativity, which began in 2006 and took a significant turn during the isolation of the pandemic. She discusses how her time alone allowed her to break free from people-pleasing tendencies and embrace her own passions, particularly baking and painting.

Grace recounts her experiences with fasting, which led her to discover her love for baking, and how she transitioned into painting through paint-by-numbers kits, ultimately developing her unique style.Takeaways:

- Creativity is a healing tool.

- Embrace your passions without fear of judgment.

- Start with simple projects to build confidence.

- Experimentation is key to finding your style.

- Sustainable changes are what stick.

Learn more about Grace:

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@livingwithgrac3

Substack - https://open.substack.com/pub/simplyspectacular

40 Days to Transformation Through Drawing, Notes and Guided Journal Entries - https://a.co/d/18w6P06