Success is Subjective: Real People. Raw Stories. Embracing a Non-Linear Life!
Interviews of people who took a break from life at one point or another to get help, grow up, or just to reassess their life direction. Some guests struggled with depression, anxiety, substance abuse, a death in the family, or just decided college was not the place for them. These stories are all-to-real, and yet we don't talk enough about how common it is for those who took a gap year to defer college, went to college and took a break, or those who struggled launching into the workforce post-college graduation. This goes out to all the young adults and parents of young adults who are struggling and contemplating what will happen if they walk away right now.
Episodes
In this episode of Success Is Subjective, drama therapist and trauma specialist Maya Kruger invites us into a story shaped by creativity, resilience, and a life-altering turning point. Raised in Israel by academic parents, Maya felt caught between expectations and her love for theater—until an unexpected event in her final year of high school changed everything. What followed was a journey through military service, an Outward Bound...
On this episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna brings you another story from our special former participant series where she invites former participants to recount their personal journey. Today’s former participant is Holly Wilson. Raised in the tight-knit mountain town of Crested Butte, Colorado, the constant visibility of small-town life motivated Holly to stay on top of her game. A self-proclaimed “perfectionist” with a track ...
On this episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna brings you another story from our special former participant series where she extends the opportunity for former participants who feel comfortable sharing their journey with others. Today’s former participant is Phil Nutt. Phil grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, where by most standards, he had a relatively normal upbringing and was a fairly normal boy – minus anger issues that plagued ...
Growing up in the 70s, Elaine was given mixed messaging regarding her expected future role as a woman. As an adult, it didn’t take long before she was in full pursuit of trying to change the world, one person at a time. After becoming a mom, Elaine found herself needing to step aside from political activism to focus more on her children, whom she realized struggled more than she expected. With a fiery passion and deep desire to hel...
Today’s Success is Subjective guest is Dr. Tim Jordan. Dr. Jordan is a Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician with over 30 years of experience helping girls ages 5–25 navigate the challenges of growing up. Inspired by his five younger sisters, he developed a unique ability to connect with girls and went on to train under renowned pediatrician Dr. T. Berry Brazelton at Harvard. He’s the founder of Camp Weloki for Girls and leads ...
Dr. Jack Stoltzfus is today’s Success is Subjective guest. Dr. Stoltzfus is a psychologist, author, and expert in helping young adults make a healthy transition into independence. With a warm and practical approach, he works with both parents and teens to navigate the often tricky process of “leaving the nest.” Drawing from years of experience and research, Dr. Stoltzfus helps families understand the emotional and developmental shi...
On this episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna brings you another story from our special former participant series where she extends the opportunity for former participants to share their journey with others. Today’s former participant is Kelly Wu. Kelly shares how as a raging teen with pent up emotion, her outward circumstances and outcomes began to reflect her inner turmoil. Her first attempt at treatment was unsuccessful due t...
On this episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna brings you another story from our special former participant series where she extends the opportunity for former participants to share their journey with others. Today’s former participant is Ryan McGinty. Ryan holds a masters degree in clinical mental health counseling and has a successful career as a leader in the therapeutic treatment field. He’s most proud of the life he has buil...
Working 5 part-time jobs, while married and in school full-time was the straw that broke the camel's back. That is, the back of today’s Success is Subjective guest, Cam Sherman. While Cam is now a certified mental health counselor and the executive director of NeuroDev, he had to overcome tremendous mental hurdles of self-doubt and acceptance in order to get to this point. He shares with listeners how living a life almost enti...
As you listeners know, Success is Subjective is all about the winding road many people take—going from teen to adult, to an adult who’s unsure about their direction, to someone who tries out different paths… and eventually, kind of figures things out. As is the case for today’s guest, Cindy Palmer. While her family messaging instilled “college or bust”, Cindy’s path through college and beyond was anything but predictable… anything ...
Growing up in a figurative fish bowl in a small town in Texas, Chelsea Reeves had no idea what the world had in store for her beyond a bubble-wrapped life of what she describes as privilege. By the time she got to college, it didn’t take long before Chelsea realized the world she grew up in was much different than what her peers and others around her had experienced. With undiagnosed learning disabilities and a back injury that too...
On this episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna brings you another story from our special former participant series where she extends the opportunity for the former participants who feel comfortable, to share their journey with others. Today’s former participant is Fred Palmer. Fred is a licensed alcohol and drug counselor and certified recovery coach, who also works as a career educator at Colorado State University. While he’s fo...
On this episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna brings you another story from our special former participant series where she extends the opportunity for former participants who feel comfortable sharing their journey with others. Today’s former participant is Bryan Fikes. His start to life was what most would consider an American “ideal” upbringing. Attending a private school and having healthy relationships with family and friend...
Having one’s identity tied to an external source or outcome such as a job or physical skill can prove to be detrimental. Joe Fuller, today’s Success is Subjective guest, knows this plight firsthand. A highly driven child, Joe had his mind made up to become a professional baseball player. Not only did he have the passion for it, he had the discipline and raw talent that may have taken him all the way to the big leagues. That picture...
Today’s episode of Success is Subjective features a conversation between Joanna and Steve Roth. Steve is a licensed clinical social worker, and the Executive Director of The Arise Society – a transition center that supports young adults with digital addictions, mental health challenges, and those who struggle with motivation. While college wasn’t optional in Steve’s family system, he personally was very eager to begin his post-seco...
For many people, it takes trying new things and experiencing different opportunities to discover one’s true passion. Sometimes, it’s the mini-interests that lead us to the ultimate one – the passion we will embrace for many years to come. That was the case for today’s Success is Subjective guest, Daryn Reiner. While Daryn is settled into her role in the mental health field, and as a mom to a child with special needs, it took many p...
Many high school students feel pressured by friends and relatives to attend college upon graduation. Interestingly, today’s guest had the complete opposite experience. For Darla Beam, college was overtly out of the question as it wasn’t something her parents could afford. After exploring one coast to the other, becoming a caretaker for a loved one and everything in between, Darla slowly started identifying her own strengths. She be...
On this episode of Success is Subjective, Joanna brings you another story from our special former participant series where she extends the opportunity for former participants who feel comfortable sharing their journey with others. Viviana is today’s former participant and she comes with a story of transparency. Sharing what it was like as a teen in foster care, to being in an inpatient facility for three years before being thrust i...
It’s not uncommon for someone to set out on a path they really believe in, or pursue the path that grueling years of hard work earned them a degree in. It’s also not out of the ordinary for a certain eye-opening life experience to cause an individual to want to change course in pursuit of a different passion, lifestyle or outcome. That was the case for today’s Success is Subjective guest, John Morris. After undergraduate studies at...
Today’s episode of Success is Subjective comes from the heart, lived experience and professional background of Scot Marken. Scot Marken is the founder and CEO of EdRedefined – a national educational consulting firm with the purpose of helping those with mental health struggles and disabilities to thrive in their education and pursue their dreams. Deeply involved with mental health nonprofits for over 20 years, Scot is an esteemed e...
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