Don't Let the Hard Stop the CallingLife has a way of convincing us that difficult means stop.When the road gets steep, the obstacles pile up, and the weight feels heavier than we expected, it is easy to assume we have somehow wande…
There is something vulnerable about being seen.Not just physically seen, but emotionally seen. Truly seen for who you are underneath the strength, the roles, the people-pleasing, the masks, and the survival skills.In this episode of Real Talk wi…
Finishing my memoir has been one of the most emotional experiences of my life.Not because writing 70,000 words is easy. Trust me, it is not. But because every chapter forced me to sit face-to-face with versions of myself I spent years trying to ou…
The courage that doesn’t make headlinesWe talk a lot about success in this world, but we rarely talk about what it costs to get there.Michael took me back to where his story really begins. Not in a boardroom, not in a startup pitch, but in…
Your child melts down.They shut down.They explode over something that seems small.And your first thought might be,Why are they acting like this?That’s where this conversation with Dr. Kristen Cook changed something for me.Because what if…
Going Back to Find What Was Never Really LostBy Ann KagariseThere’s something we don’t talk about enough.The quiet pull to go back.Back to the places we came from.Back to the versions of ourselves we had to leave behind just to s…
I Thought I Needed to Fix My Child…But I Really Needed to Learn How to Hold ThemThere’s something no one really prepares you for when you become a parent.It’s not just the sleepless nights or the endless responsibilities.I…
Wildflowers in the Desert: Finding Life Inside Alzheimer’sSometimes this journey with my mom feels like standing in a place that’s been stripped bare. Alzheimer’s has a way of doing that, taking pieces of the puzzle day by day un…
What’s Really Going On Beneath the SurfaceThere is a moment every parent, teacher, or caregiver has experienced.You’re watching a child melt down over what seems small.You’re watching a teen forget something again.You’re …
🌿 Caregiver Truth Session: Diagnosis DayWhen Answers Bring Both Relief and OverwhelmThere are moments in parenting that quietly divide your life into “before” and “after.”Diagnosis Day is one of them.Recently, my son …
Every once in a while, a conversation surprises you.Not because you didn’t prepare, but because it asks something different of you. It asks you to stay. To answer honestly. To stop performing the role you know how to play and speak f…
This week on the podcast, Tina and I talked about gratitude—but not the kind that gets posted in neat squares or wrapped in a bow.We talked about the kind of gratitude you reach for when life is hard.When cancer enters the room.When …
There’s this moment in life that doesn’t get talked about enough.It’s when the story you thought you were living quietly falls apart.Not dramatically.Not with fireworks.Just… suddenly, something changes.And your bo…
I Love the Me I See in YouInspired by our latest podcast with Gil GillenwaterThere is something sacred that happens when we show up for another human being. Not with perfection. Not with answers. Not with the right words tied in a neat little bo…
When Life Changes the PlansThere are seasons when life gives us a choice. And then there are seasons when it does not ask for our permission at all. One day you are walking in a direction that feels familiar, and the next day life taps you on the …
It Is Not Your Fault: Understanding FASD, Neurodivergence, and the Power of CompassionNot every wound is visible. Not every struggle is understood at first glance. For those living with FASD and other forms of neurodivergence: you are not broken, …
Some stories are written in ink. Others are written in tears. And then there are the stories like ours, the ones forged in loss, heartbreak, and the quiet resilience it takes to keep showing up when the world has gone silent.In this week’s e…
Watch Out, World, We’re Aging Out LoudThere’s something electric about being a woman in midlife.We’ve lived, loved, lost, rebuilt, and risen, and now, finally, we’re stepping into a chapter where we don’…
💫 Becoming Brave: Finding Strength in the Face of FearFeaturing Ana Hebra Flaster, Author of Property of the RevolutionA motorcycle in the barrio.Forty-eight hours to leave.A six-year-old girl whose world shrinks to the sound of an engine and th…
What if the love you learned was never love at all but performance, peacekeeping, and fear dressed up as care?In this week’s episode of Real Talk with Tina and Ann, I sit down with my friend Denise Bard for one of the most honest and h…
I remember watching one of my kids face a problem that I could have easily stepped in and solved. Every part of me wanted to jump in and fix it. I wanted t take away the frustration I saw on their face. But something in me said, “Step back. Le…
You know, listening to my conversation with Leslie, I couldn’t help but think about how many times in life we all hit that moment when the story we thought we were living suddenly changes. Maybe it’s a marriage that doesn’t last. M…
Hi, I’m Ann — podcast host, writer, photographer, and proud mom of five amazing kids (three of whom are also neurodivergent). And here’s something I want to say loud and clear: I have autism. I have ADHD. I am also dyslexic…
🧠 Mental Health Is Health: You’re Not Alone and You’re Not BrokenReal Talk with Tina and AnnLet’s get something straight right out of the gate:Mental health is health. Period.It’s not a luxury. It’s not a weakness. …
