Beautiful Shifts

Today it's just us, chatting about parenting! We start by talking about some parenting transitions in our own lives. Then we chat about Dr. Becky Kennedy and her book Good Inside, why we love this parenting method, and some helpful tips we've taken away from her book and the ideas she shares. We wrap up by highlighting guests we've had on this season who have talked about different parenting transitions and give highlights from the...

Today we are joined by Margaret who shares her story of parenting her son who is neurodiverse and on the autism spectrum. She shares lessons she learned that changed the way she was experiencing parenting and her relationships with her son, husband, and herself. We discuss letting go of judgment in parenting, following our intuition, helpful strategies, and finding peace, growth, and joy in the parenting journey. 

We really loved...

Rachel is a wife of 30 years, mother of five children, and has two beautiful grandchildren. Today Rachel shares the touching story of adopting her son Noah, who is now 13, and what it has been like raising a Black son in Utah. She shares about the gift of adoption, the delightful person Noah is, and is honest and vulnerable about some of the challenges that have come with racism they have experienced. Rachel does a wonderful job ad...

Kari is a wife, mother of two young children, and an adjunct instructor in the department of Filmmaking, Art & Design at Southern Utah University. Today Kari shares about her husband's recent deployment to Africa where he will serve for the next nine months and how she and her kids are adjusting to him being away. She then shares about the tragic passing of her twin sister Kristi to a heroine overdose eight years ago. She share...

Today we are joined by the amazing and wise Susie Augenstein! Susie shares her experiences and lessons learned on some recent significant life transitions she's been through including the empty nest phase and how to find peace through life's storms. She then shares about her faith evolution as a member of the LDS church, as a former bishop's wife and lifelong active and devoted member. Susie's story, perspectives and advice to list...

It's our Spring Break week, so today we are re-releasing an episode we had last spring with the incredibly inspiring Jorge Font. At 19-years-old Jorge was in a waterskiing accident and became a paraplegic. In this conversation Jorge shares his journey since then including challenges, lessons learned, and how ultimately his life has expanded in ways he is grateful for.   

This is a such an uplifting conversation and we're so grate...

Today we are joined by Deborah Tobola and Elizabeth Buckner who have been friends for close to 25 years, brought together by being teachers at the same prison and a shared love of poetry. Both from California with unique backgrounds including living during the hippie era, they share their individual stories and traumas they've endured through the years, sharing poems they've written along the way, and how writing and sharing poetry...

Today we chat about some recent books we've read (some of you may have read along!). Whether you've read these or not, we've structured this episode so you can listen and take away some highlights and meaning from each book.

We start with Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown, which draws on her research over two decades, mapping connection and language of the human experience. We share a few words/emotions that stood out to us and d...

Today we are joined by Jordan Stuart who is a trail runner, husband, and father of three. Jordan shares how an LDS faith journey led to pursuing wisdom and concepts bringing expanded perspectives and peace, as he remains active in the LDS church. Jordan shares a few of the concepts he's studied and contemplated, and we have a discussion about them including ontological shifts, how personal narrative shapes reality, curiosity, compa...

Today Ashlund Ortiz joins us, who is a 21-year-old Instagram influencer from Riverton, Utah. We get to hear what led Ashlund to become an influencer, what it has been like to enter her 20s, and the ups and downs of young adulthood. Ashlund is fun and relatable and it's interesting to get a glimpse into what this career path entails. She shares insights on following your own path, friendships, and more through the young adulthood ye...

Today we are joined by Kecia who is a mother of seven children including three with Down Syndrome. Kecia shares what it was like to become a special needs parent, how adoption comes into their story, having twins, and much more. Kecia shares what this journey has been like and beautifully explains the shifts and adjustments she has made along the way both in life and in the way she views the transitions she's been through. We discu...

It's our Valentine's Day episode, and it's such a fun one! Today we get to talk with Katie Byrne who is a wife, mother of three young children, and our first guest from the UK, living just outside London. Katie shares about finding love later in life and what led her to becoming a coach helping women, primarily over 35, transform their relationship with themselves and find love. Katie shares about traveling to India for several mon...

Sam and Melissa have been married nine years, have two young children, and are the creators and hosts of the popular YouTube Channel Growing Up In Polygamy (GUIP). Today Sam shares his experiences growing up FLDS in Southern Utah including being raised in a loving family with four mothers and 36 children. We hear what it was like being in the sect with Warren Jeffs as the prophet including his imprisonment, what led Sam to leaving,...

LaRee is a wife, mother of five, and founder/owner of StayFitt Training. Today LaRee shares her story of making changes toward a healthy lifestyle which led to pursuing nutrition and fitness education, starting a fitness group in her home, and eventually founding her own business and opening a community fitness gym, all during and soon after Covid hit! LaRee shares what it's like to be a business owner, balancing it all with family...

Molly is a wife, mother, and woman of many talents including singer/dancer/actress, emcee, copywriter, author, founder of the nationally recognized non-profit "A Good Grief," and keynote speaker on the Commodity of Connection. Today Molly shares about the journey she's been on since the loss of her firstborn daughter 15 years ago, thoughts on various life experiences and shifts, and how connection has emerged as a defining value in...

Thanks to Whitney herself for helping us out with this title! Whitney is a 19-year-old college student, plays soccer for Salt Lake Community College, and is Shantil's daughter! Today Whitney shares several big life shifts she's been through in the past year including adjusting to a challenging first semester of college, deciding to play soccer at the collegiate level leading to a school transfer, and a study abroad to Spain. Whitne...

Today is a special episode with our friends Tasha and Stephanie on living into our values. First, we chat about the Beautiful Shifts Bookclub we are starting for 2024 (listen in for more details). Then we are joined by Tasha and Stephanie and, using Brene Brown's exercise/worksheet on identifying values, we each discuss which values stand out to us and how we can refocus on them for the New Year. Tasha and Stephanie are both though...

Today we share some thoughts on the New Year and fun things we have coming this year for the podcast. We then explain a few meaningful words to consider going into the New Year shared by Holly Wever in our conversation with her last year, which we are resharing today.

Holly shares what she learned through the major life transition of losing her sister to an accidental overdose including acceptance and healing, and the concepts of...

This week we asked for listener submissions of holiday traditions and stories of kindness/giving during this time of year to share. We read these and share some of our own, and about guests we've had on the podcast with charities to support. It was fun hearing what people had to share and chatting about holiday things! We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas week and a Happy New Year! 

Previous guests we've had on the podcast ...