From Darkness to Light: A Resilient Year

This week, I sit down with my friend Ashley Hansen to talk about what happens when life doesn’t just nudge you—but completely takes you out at the knees.Ashley followed an intuitive pull to backpack solo through South America for a year. What she found there—stillness, self-trust, and a deeper connection to herself—would become the foundation she didn’t know she’d need.Because not long after, life unraveled in a very real way.We talk about:Leaving your life behind and trusting the pull toward something moreWhat solo travel teaches you about self-trust and stillnessNavigating depression, burnout, and identity shiftsLiving with chronic illness and invisible health strugglesWhat it feels like when your body completely gives outThe emotional toll of losing independenceOutgrowing your old life—and the loneliness that can come with itFinding meaning and direction after everything falls apartThis conversation is about trusting yourself when everything feels uncertain, learning how to ask for help, and finding meaning on the other side of something you never would have chosen.