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You won't be surprised to hear that I had another moment of inspiration on a recent hike… This time it was about seeing meaningful, pivotal moments not as the experience itself, but in how we talk a…

You won't be surpris…

You won't be surprised to hear that I had another moment of inspiration on a recent hike… This time it was about seeing meaningful, pivotal moments not as the experience itself, but in how we talk about it later. In late August of 2018 my husband and I had an amazing opportunity to Travel to southern France to perform with a jazz quartet at two venues. The first was in Arudy on the edge of the Pyrenees Mountains near the border with Spain. It was a sold-out community event attended by 200+ residents of the surrounding villages. Most of our audience didn't speak English or had very limited ex…

Not every meaningful moment is big and dramatic. As a matter of fact, smaller moments can be even more electrifying when we take the time to notice them. I had one of those moments last week when I pe…

Not every meaningful…

Not every meaningful moment is big and dramatic. As a matter of fact, smaller moments can be even more electrifying when we take the time to notice them. I had one of those moments last week when I performed as a backup vocalist and played my flute with the band of a friend and talented singer/songwriter at a local bar to a crowd of enthusiastic fans. We were on the patio and the crowd was much bigger for the last hour of our performance, so we pulled out our faster, more danceable tunes. My friend called the name of the last song for the night and it was one I didn't know. She counted off th…

"She stood up from across the aisle and walked over. Stopping in front of my seat, she said: 'I can see that you're struggling, and if you would rather I walk away, just say so. It's just that it look…

"She stood up from a…

"She stood up from across the aisle and walked over. Stopping in front of my seat, she said: 'I can see that you're struggling, and if you would rather I walk away, just say so. It's just that it looks like you could use a hug, and I'm a hugger.'" In today's episode I'm sharing a story about a pivotal moment in my life, an experience that shifted how I think about Grief, and inspired me to be more compassionate with strangers. I almost said no, but something about her made me think if I did, she'd never offer this gift to a stranger again. It was almost as if she was the one who needed a hug. …

Driving home from a volunteer shift at the Old Salt Festival near Helmville, Montana, I listened to the last hour of the book The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. As I listened to the characters refle…

Driving home from a …

Driving home from a volunteer shift at the Old Salt Festival near Helmville, Montana, I listened to the last hour of the book The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. As I listened to the characters reflect on their lives to share with others via handwritten letter (and a few emails), I was reminded of the great conversation I shared on this podcast with Amy Daughters, author of Dear Dana. As I mentioned in last week's episode, I was recently inspired to change the format of this show. The new format for my show aligns with what I'm learning about narrative identity (how the stories we tell about …

In a moment of inspiration on one of my hikes, I realized that after more than 430 episodes, this show is overdue for a format change. For the book I'm writing, a companion to my recently published TE…

In a moment of inspi…

In a moment of inspiration on one of my hikes, I realized that after more than 430 episodes, this show is overdue for a format change. For the book I'm writing, a companion to my recently published TEDx talk, I'm exploring research around narrative identity, which is the way the stories we share influence who we are, and self-awareness as defined by present-day psychologists. The new format for my show aligns with what I'm learning, and my hope is that future episodes will offer additional insights for the book, my guests, and our listeners. In today's episode I'm sharing a story about a pivot…

"Someone said to me recently, 'You're so lucky that you get to work at home and do this stuff.' And I said, 'Luck has nothing to do with it. I consciously created my life. I Love it because it's mine.…

"Someone said to me …

"Someone said to me recently, 'You're so lucky that you get to work at home and do this stuff.' And I said, 'Luck has nothing to do with it. I consciously created my life. I love it because it's mine. I made it.'" In this episode, podcast host Sarah Elkins and ghostwriter and publisher Lana McAra discuss Lana's unique approach to publishing and her deep understanding of what it takes to be an effective ghost writer for fiction and nonfiction books. Lana grew up in an Amish community in Pennsylvania, but wasn't raised in an Amish household. Growing up on the edge of that tightknit community fos…

433 Taking Steps To Take Better Care Of Yourself In today's episode, Sarah Elkins discusses the importance of taking your time to enjoy the world, to enjoy being you, to take time to make sure You, …

433 Taking Steps To …

433 Taking Steps To Take Better Care Of Yourself In today's episode, Sarah Elkins discusses the importance of taking your time to enjoy the world, to enjoy being you, to take time to make sure You, Dear Listener, are healthy in mind, body, emotion, and spirit. Highlights Encouraging healthy self reflection to lessen loneliness and division. Acknowledging when you need help or a break is key to not only your own wellbeing but to the wellbeing of those you care for. Stop and smell the flowers. Life isn't a race. Take your time and enjoy the world you have helped to cultivate and get …

432 The Power of Kindness featuring Joe Emery In today's episode Sarah Elkins and Joe Emery discuss the importance of dispelling misconceptions, serving our communities, and elevating voices of kind…

432 The Power of Kin…

432 The Power of Kindness featuring Joe Emery In today's episode Sarah Elkins and Joe Emery discuss the importance of dispelling misconceptions, serving our communities, and elevating voices of kindness and positivity. Highlights The beauty of visiting places we've only seen in pictures or film. Misconceptions about places and people and learning the truth to be able to see the world for the better. Emotional storytelling and the importance of making people see the humanity behind the story. The importance of being kind, patient, and empathetic in a world that is becoming more ja…

431 The Art of Aging - Featuring Diane Place In today's episode Sarah Elkins and Diane Place discuss the art and beauty in aging and how it allows us to collect amazing stories, learn new things abo…

431 The Art of Aging…

431 The Art of Aging - Featuring Diane Place In today's episode Sarah Elkins and Diane Place discuss the art and beauty in aging and how it allows us to collect amazing stories, learn new things about ourselves, and how we can use these experiences to help others. Highlights Aha moments and how trusting yourself will most often take you to better places in life. Bringing in other story tellers to enlighten yourself with intergenerational, interracial, and interhuman connections. Reframing aging and how we perceive aging, in that it is never too late to do anything and you don't nee…

428 Building Bridges Through Kindness and Compassion In being human we are able to connect more authentically with people not just in the workplace but in everyday life, by allowing them to see us …

428 Building Bridges…

428 Building Bridges Through Kindness and Compassion In being human we are able to connect more authentically with people not just in the workplace but in everyday life, by allowing them to see us for who we truly are and what we are capable of. In today's episode Sarah Elkins and Neal Foard discuss the importance of compassion and connection. Highlights Being present and aware of your actions on others and the world around you. Building trust and genuine connection that lasts lifetimes as opposed to a quick and easy contract. The importance of working in a diverse environment. …

427: Eat Your Feelings - A Cooking Show Demonstrating True Connection, Featuring Sam Nathews Highlights from the show: Sam initially wasn't sure about cohosting the show with Cory! He can be shy a…

427: Eat Your Feelin…

427: Eat Your Feelings - A Cooking Show Demonstrating True Connection, Featuring Sam Nathews Highlights from the show: Sam initially wasn't sure about cohosting the show with Cory! He can be shy about performing or entertaining people he just met. It didn't take long to realize how grateful he was that Cory was persistant in starting the project and about Sam joining the show. Sam shared how the show helped him process his grief over losing his mother, and how being able to talk openly about his Emotions has been healing for him. He emphasized the importance of normalizing vulnerability,…

426: Ending the Cycle of Family Trauma Featuring Sharon Weinstein "How did you ever come out of that household? How did you ever evolve into who you are and what you've become from that background?" W…

426: Ending the Cycl…

426: Ending the Cycle of Family Trauma Featuring Sharon Weinstein "How did you ever come out of that household? How did you ever evolve into who you are and what you've become from that background?" We met in Washington DC at the final competition for the People's Choice speaker for the next TEDxUStreetWomen event scheduled on November 3, 2025. And when she won the coveted spot, all of us were thrilled. She earned it. In this episode we discussed her TEDx talk, "Think Differently to be Unstoppable", the use of the 4W framework to reframe personal trauma into recovery and Growth. She shared ins…