The Words We've Heard

Travel, Transition, and Creating a Career in an Emerging Field with Cindy

In this episode of The Words We’ve Heard, host Marbree Sullivan sits down with Cindy, whose life bridges academia, ministry, and family with humility and grace. From an idyllic childhood in Connecticut to studying abroad in the Netherlands as a teenager, Cindy’s early years sparked a lifelong love of language, learning, and global awareness.

She shares the expe...

In this wide-ranging episode, Marbree sits down with Bill, whose reflections span snow-filled childhoods in upstate New York, profound personal loss, an unexpected career path, and decades of devoted fatherhood. Bill opens up about losing his father and brother at a young age, the years he spent “sleepwalking” through early adulthood, and how falling in love with his wife and daughter brought him back to life. Along the way, he sha...

In this episode of The Words We’ve Heard, host Marbree Sullivan sits down with Eric Jewett, whose story proves that persistence, curiosity, and a bit of luck can take you places you never imagined.

Raised in a small New England town where he dreamt of glory on the ski slopes, Eric was a teenager when he first stepped into a cinema. By the time he finished college, his snowy dreams were replaced by the magic of film. Through a lifeti...

In a more personal episode of The Words We’ve Heard, host Marbree Sullivan sits down with Kris, who shares her story with remarkable honesty, insight, and heart. From growing up in a small town in upstate New York to becoming a single mother at 19, through finding a career as an adult, fifty years of marriage and unthinkable loss, Kris’s journey is filled with pivotal moments, some painful, some joyful, and all transformative.

Kris ...

In this episode of The Words We've Heard, host Marbree Sullivan sits down with Jane Lindner, a woman whose life has been defined by curiosity, resilience, and the courage to take big leaps. Raised in an idyllic Northern California town, Jane’s story unfolds across continents—teaching special education in the South, launching a business across Australia and Asia, diving into venture capital, and ultimately dedicating herself to...

From High School Fashion to Published Author and Beyond with Fritz

In this episode of The Words We’ve Heard, host Marbree Sullivan sits down with Fritz, a lifelong learner whose journey has involved cross-country moves and a career shift from education to writing with a side of ski instruction while raising a family and holding on to her own interests.

Fritz reflects on growing up in post-war Southern California, parental disapproval...

In this solo episode of The Words We’ve Heard, host Marbree Sullivan steps away from her usual conversations with baby boomers to answer two questions:

Why did she start this podcast?
And why does she thank her grandmother at the end of every episode?

Marbree offers three main reasons and opens up about her own journey—from letter-writing with her grandmother to a life of travel and distance from home. She shares how a journey wi...

Breaking Away From Tradition with Rosemary

In this episode of The Words We've Heard, host Marbree Sullivan speaks with Rosemary, who grew up in Buffalo, New York, under the watchful eye of a tight-knit, traditional Catholic, Italian-American family.

From a childhood shaped by family dinners and cultural expectations, Rosemary carved her own path—earning multiple degrees, working in education, marrying outside her culture, and ul...

Embracing Opportunity, Integrity, and Moving Beyond Small-Town Life with Craig

In this episode of The Words We've Heard, host Marbree Sullivan sits down with Craig, whose life took him from a small town in Pennsylvania to a career that sent him around the US. Helped along the way with advice from mentors and a deeply rooted sense of integrity, he built a career in an industry he never anticipated. Craig’s story reminds us that ...

Breaking Barriers and Building a Life on Her Terms with Kim

In this episode of The Words We've Heard, host Marbree Sullivan speaks with Kim, who has pushed back against gender discrimination from a young age. From a childhood near New York City to earning multiple degrees, building a thriving career, raising children, and travel in 80 countries, Kim’s story of defying expectations, breaking barriers, and building connections of...

Entrepreneurial Roots and Family Legacies with Trip 

In this debut episode of The Words We've Heard, host Marbree Sullivan sits down with self-described “lucky guy” Trip Pearse. Trip shares memories of a childhood in Rochester, NY, working alongside his father and grandfather in the family business, and how that early exposure shaped his entrepreneurial mindset. This episode offers reflections on family, resilience, and what ma...