Grief, Goals, and Gut Checks: Closing 2025, Calling in 2026 | 061

In this deeply honest and unexpectedly funny episode, sisters and co-founders Blair and Alana kick off 2026 by unpacking the emotional hangover of 2025. From grief anniversaries and health scares to TV obsessions, bowel updates (yes, really), and big audacious dreams, this conversation is a reminder that resilience is rarely tidy and never boring.They talk about honouring their late mother, navigating the heaviness of the holidays, managing bodies that hold stress in strange places, and why it is okay to celebrate wins even when grief still sits at the table. The episode also pulls back the curtain on what is coming next for The Global Resilience Project, including books, billboards, a TV show in development, and a bold Q1 vision for 2026.Equal parts reflective, irreverent, and forward-looking, this episode is for anyone who survived last year and is trying to move into the next one with presence, humour, and intention.In This Episode, They Talk About:Why December was emotionally and financially heavy and how that shaped the start of 2026Honouring Sharon’s birthday with cake, Greek food, and ritual, even when life does not pauseHow grief changes the holidays and why the absence of traditions can hit harder than expectedEMDR training, nervous system regulation, and doing healing work while still living real lifeSomatized emotions, inflammation, and listening to what your body is trying to sayCanadian healthcare realities and the rise of health apps as a first line of reassuranceAlana’s very committed relationship with her bowel movements and her quest for answersSurvivor fandom, Season 50 dreams, and Blair offering to DM a former cast memberWhat Blair and Shayne are binge-watching and why streaming convenience is a blessing and a curseTV shows that surprised us, including low-budget stories with global impactBehind-the-scenes realities of TV production and what Anatomy of Lies revealedThe comedy series Blair and Alana have been developing for nearly a year, and what comes nextWhat it really means to turn grief into business without bypassing the painBlair’s Q1 2026 goal of signing a TV deal and how the pitch process worksThe upcoming Substack that will share the real, messy, hilarious parts of building this workA prescriptive memoir in progress rooted in the Navigating Grief FrameworkVision boards, chosen words for the year, and why presence beats pressureWhat is launching next for The Global Resilience Project, including books, speaking, merch, and eventsWhy sponsorship matters and how listeners can support the missionIf this episode resonated, share it with someone who is navigating grief while building a life they still care about. Leave a review, subscribe, and follow along as Blair and Alana continue to tell the truth about resilience, healing, and doing big things with broken hearts.Because resilience is not about being polished, it is about showing up anyway.Sponsorship opportunities: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15oZsxAigvb6e4wbAmvW_El_1_laeyK4shMY1md6zVWI/edit?usp=sharingSubscribe to our Substack: https://theglobalresilienceproject.substack.com/Buy our books: https://theglobalresilienceproject.com/books/⚠️ Content Note: Some episodes may contain themes that could be distressing. Please take care of yourself while listening, and don’t hesitate to seek support from a mental health professional if needed.About the Hosts: Blair Kaplan Venables is a British Columbia-based grief and resilience expert and coach, motivational speaker and the Founder of The Global Resilience Project. Her expertise has been featured on media platforms like Forbes, TEDx, CBC Radio, Entrepreneur, and Thrive Global. She is named the Top Grief and Resilience Expert of the Year 2024 by IAOTP. USA Today listed Blair as one of the top 10 conscious female leaders to watch and she empowers others to be resilient from stages around the world. 'MyStory,’ which is a television show available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Google Play, showcases Blair's life story. She is the host of the Radical Resilience podcast and specializes in helping people strengthen their resilience muscle using scientifically proven methods and guides grieving high performers with her Navigating Grief Framework. The Global Resilience Project’s award-winning book series are international bestsellers, and her fourth book, RESILIENT A.F.: Stories of Resilience Vol 2, will be published in January 2025. In her free time, you can find Blair writing, in nature, travelling the world and helping people to strengthen their resilience muscles. Links:https://www.blairkaplan.ca/https://theglobalresilienceproject.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/blairdkaplan https://www.facebook.com/blair.kaplan https://www.facebook.com/BlairKaplanCommunications  https://www.instagram.com/globalresiliencecommunityhttps://www.instagram.com/blairfromblairland/https://www.facebook.com/globalresiliencecommunity  https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-global-resilience-project [email protected] Alana Kaplan is a compassionate mental health professional based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She works in the mental health field, and is a co-host of the Resilient A.F.  podcast. Fueled by advocacy, Alana is known for standing up and speaking out for others. Passionate about de-stigmatizing and normalizing mental health, Alana brings her experience to The Global Resilience Project’s team, navigating the role one’s mental health plays in telling their story.Engaging in self-care and growth keeps her going, and her love for reading, travel, and personal relationships helps foster that. When she’s not working, Alana can often be found on walks, working on a crossword puzzle, or playing with any animal she sees.Thanks for listening!Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? 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