Stepping In with Kara

In this deeply moving episode, Kara welcomes Annie Sklaver Orenstein, author of Always a Sibling: A Guide for Grieving and Honoring Your Sibling, to discuss her experience of sibling loss and grief. Fifteen years after the tragic death of her brother Ben, who was killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan, Annie shares her personal journey of navigating the complex emotions and challenges that accompany this unique type of loss. Dra...

In this insightful episode, Kara connects with life coach and business consultant Ryan Spence to explore the journey of finding true fulfillment in all areas of life. Ryan shares his personal quest for deeper meaning and satisfaction, from navigating a challenging childhood to achieving external success, and ultimately discovering the importance of honoring his inner self. This conversation delves into the complexities of self-love...

In this raw and honest episode, Kara sits down with ordained minister, Kate Riffel, to explore her deeply personal journey from a seemingly perfect life to the depths of alcohol addiction, and ultimately, to a place of deep self-discovery. Kate opens up about the years of people-pleasing and overachieving that led her to seek solace in alcohol, and the difficult road she traveled to break free from its grip. This conversation delve...

In this episode, Kara sits down with Jason and Rhonda Halbert, the husband-and-wife team behind the novel Caretaker and a new hybrid publishing company. After reading Caretaker, Kara knew she had to talk with them about their deeply personal journey. This isn't just a story about writing a book; it's a story about navigating immense loss, trauma, and ongoing challenges, including the loss of loved ones and their forever hom...

In this deeply personal episode, Kara explores the transformative power of vulnerability and how sharing our most difficult life experiences can lead to profound healing. Expressing her journey of healing from childhood trauma and a near-death experience in the first four episodes of this season, Kara reflects on how being vulnerable in sharing her story not only helped her process pain but strengthened her connection with others. ...

In this episode, Kara is stepping in with ICU nurse, Shelby Colette as she takes us with her to reflect on her adventures aboard the “Mercy Ship.” She has served as a volunteer twice on the ship, giving surgical care to people who would not otherwise receive it. Shelby shares that her journey with Mercy ships started even as a child. Her parents' travel taught her that the world was much bigger than her backyard. The dream took for...

In this episode, Kara is joined by Colby Coash, a childhood friend and author of the newly released book, Running Naked: Surviving the legacy of family in rural Nebraska. After reading his book, set primarily in their childhood hometown of Bassett, in three sittings, Kara was thrilled to get the opportunity to go a little deeper into Colby's story. The two talk about their reflections on growing up in a small rural Nebraska town, w...

In this episode, Kara is stepping into the important topic of postpartum depression with Holly Fisher. The two have an honest conversation about how moms aren't really given the space to acknowledge or grieve that a part of them is changing after the birth of their child. Holly shares feelings of guilt and repressed emotions around the thoughts she was having. It felt shameful to share them, so she suffered in silence to uphold...

In the episode, Kara is Stepping In with a woman who basically raised herself as well as often functioning as the caretaker to her alcoholic mom. Jennifer Royal grew up as an only child with a single mom who struggled with alcoholism and ultimately took her own life. Jen shares stories of resilience and survival as a young girl who had to figure out how to get what she needed to survive. Her mom did get sober for a time and Jennife...

In this episode Kara steps in with Sue Peters who found herself on a profound journey creating a new life and identity after the heartbreaking loss of her husband and best friend, John.  Sue shares inspiring perspectives and stories of certainty that convinced her she was never alone in this journey. The two explore how she moved from survival to wanting to be alive again. They share thoughts on difficult anniversary days, duality ...

In this episode, Kara is stepping in with Renee Browning who recounts a long journey of grief and loss as she navigated 4 miscarriages amidst the births of her 2 sons and eventual adoption of their 3rd daughter. Renee shares that after pushing through, stuffing the pain and distracting herself, she eventually hit a wall and realized she needed help processing the deep grief she was feeling. The two talk about how miscarriage is a v...

In this episode, Kara is stepping in with author and coach, Dr. Gemma Sampson. Australian by birth, Gemma grew up in a very rural town in Zambia, Africa in a missionary family. Returning to Australia her senior year, she quickly stopped telling the stories that were normal for her in order to assimilate into the teen experience of her peers, thus beginning the lifelong quest to find belonging. Throughout her life, Gemma has moved o...

In this episode, Kara is stepping in with True Joy Expert, Linda Shively. After healing from an abusive marriage and navigating the diagnosis and eventual death of her severely handicapped 3 year old daughter, Linda found her way to bounce back and reclaim joy in her life. Linda shares gripping moments from her daughter’s diagnosis to her last breath as well as recounting the years of despair and numbness to her new found purpose, ...

In this episode, Kara is stepping in with Maggie Kang, a board certified radiologist whose nine year old daughter had a very sudden diagnosis of an incurable and rare autoimmune disease. That moment in time and the weeks following completely changed Maggie's life, her daughter's life, and their whole family's way of being in the world. The two talk about the importance of processing pain and grieving in order to truly f...

Series Description (4 Parts): 

Mine may be the most challenging story for me to hold space for… and yet in this 4 part episode series, I invite you into conversations with a few of the people who have been most present with me on my journey following a near death bicycle accident in May of 2018 that left me with a very broken body and a brain injury. For 6 years, the primary focus of my life has been healing, restoring and figuring...

Series Description (4 Parts): 

Mine may be the most challenging story for me to hold space for… and yet in this 4 part episode series, I invite you into conversations with a few of the people who have been most present with me on my journey following a near death bicycle accident in May of 2018 that left me with a very broken body and a brain injury. For 6 years, the primary focus of my life has been healing, restoring and figuring...

Series Description (4 Parts): 

Mine may be the most challenging story for me to hold space for… and yet in this 4 part episode series, I invite you into conversations with a few of the people who have been most present with me on my journey following a near death bicycle accident in May of 2018 that left me with a very broken body and a brain injury. For 6 years, the primary focus of my life has been healing, restoring and figuring...

Series Description (4 Parts): 

Mine may be the most challenging story for me to hold space for… and yet in this 4 part episode series, I invite you into conversations with a few of the people who have been most present with me on my journey following a near death bicycle accident in May of 2018 that left me with a very broken body and a brain injury. For 6 years, the primary focus of my life has been healing, restoring and figuring...

In this episode, Kara steps in with Lynette Molina, a woman whose gratitude and joy for life have literally saved her life. The two are talking about the very unexpected, recent loss of Lynette’s little sister. She shares her journey of grief and her gratitude for having loved another so deeply. Because of her childhood trauma which has wiped away many memories, losing her sister was like losing part of her memory. She was the one ...