On today’s show, Gina Low, the other half of The Gratitude Spark, jumps into our conversation with Jeremy Ridlington. Jeremy is an Alaskan Native, born and raised in the interior village of Nenana, Alaska. In this episode, Jeremy will share his story about the hardships and challenges growing up in that small Alaskan village to his service in the United States Army that took him to places like Germany and Saudi Arabia. Jeremy will share with us some of the challenges he faced from his battle with drugs and alcohol to the loss of his sister who was one of the most important people in his life. Along the way, Jeremy fully leaned into a practice of gratitude which, according to him, changed the course of his life. He now leads with gratitude in all that he does and he spends his time living in the present moment appreciating all that he has. Join us as shares his incredible story of pain and hardship to grit and determination to love and gratitude. So with that…enjoy.

On today’s show, Gina Low, the other half of The Gratitude Spark, jumps into our conversation with Julie Cara Hoffenberg.

Julie is a spiritual artist and author. Her latest book is “Homeless to Happy in a Split Second”, in which she shares her story of life behind the wheel while living in her Hyundai Tucson, and how it allowed her to tap more deeply into her joy and purpose. She feels her purpose here on earth is simply to love and be loved, and her art and books are the channel through which she does this. She’s passionate about seeing someone’s eyes light up when they have an “a-ha” moment, and loves connecting deeply with those around her. Nature is her greatest inspiration and can often be found on van trips with her wife or photographing the beauty she finds on a trail. It’s Julie’s hope that her books and art will bring a sense of love and grace to the world, encouraging people to claim their innate power within and live the lives they feel most aligned with! To learn more, please visit www.JulieCaraHoffenberg.com.

In this episode, Julie will share her story about how she camped on cliffsides, attained work in an unfamiliar town, met a hugging saint, and spent nearly a year watching sunrises and sunsets along the California coast. She talks about resistance and surrender, pain and pleasure, and an abundance of gratitude along the way.

Join us as Julie takes us on her journey from homeless to happy.

On today’s show, we’ll talk with Erin O’Donoghue. Erin’s story is one of inspiration and true gratitude during an incredibly challenging situation. It’s also a story that is not just hers. It’s one that is completely intertwined with the story of her son. Erin is a Physician Assistant Professor, but job #1 for her is being a mom to an amazing young cancer “warrior”.

In this episode, Erin will share with us her journey over the course of her son’s illness – from the moment she received the devastating news, to the unending treatments, to months in the hospital and to impossible setbacks. But along with the pain and uncertainty that weaved its way into her journey, she also found the power of gratitude and, with the help of her son’s wisdom, she found the importance of living in the moment (and having ice cream for dinner). She hopes to use her story to raise awareness and improve treatment options for pediatric cancer. In the meantime, Erin and her son celebrate the little victories and are grateful for each day.

Erin and her son’s story is one of incredible challenges, but, it is also one of incredible power and inspiration and one that I’m so grateful she is sharing with all of us.

So with that….enjoy.

On today’s show, we’ll talk with Robin Berkstresser Walters. Robin is the founder of a recruiting agency called Rogue Recruitment. I met Robin back in 2019 when I was looking for my next opportunity. One morning I was sitting in a coffee shop when I got a number from someone in Tulsa, OK – it was Robin. And looking back on that call, I could not be more grateful. She did help me land an amazing job, but, more importantly than that, I came out of that process with a great friend. That’s the thing with Robin and Rogue Recruitment – she’s transforming the staffing industry and she’s doing it by focusing on the people and process instead of the result.

In this episode, Robin will talk about the successes she’s had in building Rogue Recruitment. But, she also provides an incredibly raw and transparent perspective into the challenges she’s had over the last several years with respect to her mental health. She will give us a sense of the sheer power of depression and the toll it can take on someone who is experiencing it. And with that, she’ll also share how gratitude has weaved its way through her mental health journey – going from non-existent at some points to something that has played an incredibly important role in her ability to heal and recover from some next-to-impossible challenges.

Robin’s is a story of incredible challenges but also one of incredible inspiration. It’s powerful , and one that I’m so grateful she is sharing with all of us.

Enjoy.

It has happened to so many of us. You get called into an unexpected meeting only to see someone from HR sitting at the table. Your heart sinks because you know what’s coming. You’re part of a “workforce reduction”. That’s what happened to Mark Herfurth after a long 26 year career with his company.

I met Mark a few years ago after a panel discussion where I had been talking about The Gratitude Spark and how gratitude had played a role in my life through some pretty challenging situations. After the meeting, Mark introduced himself and mentioned that he had recently been going through a pretty dark time as he was in the midst of a job transition.

Over the course of 2020, far too many of us experienced the journey of a job transition. In this episode, Mark will talk with us about his journey – the struggles he had, the uncertainties that came with the transition, the lessons he learned along the way. Mark’s story is one of struggle, introspection, resilience and how his intentional focus on gratitude not only led him to a new opportunity, but also to a new perspective on life.

It’s easy to be grateful during the good times, but, it’s far more difficult to find gratitude when dealing with some of life’s challenges. The challenges that Amy Christiansen experienced are difficult to even imagine. In this episode, she will share with us how gratitude has helped shape her life and how it has provided an incredible perspective – a perspective that has not only been a core theme over the course of her life, but also one that helped her navigate a next-to-impossible traumatic situation on her path to healing and recovery.

Enjoy…