Holy Dirt & Sacred Fire: Claiming Joy In the Plot Twists

What do you do when life hands you two medical plot twists, a heart transplant, a breast cancer diagnosis, grief, anxiety, and a world that keeps calling you “strong”? In this conversation, I sit down with my dear friend and guide, Kristina Langston, to talk about what it really looks like to walk through it all with support, humor, and a stubborn commitment to joy.Kristina shares the story of her husband Juan’s heart transplant and her own breast cancer journey—from the shock of hearing “it’s the C-word” to chemo chairs lined up so she could walk to the bathroom, to the anxiety that didn’t show up until after the treatments were done. She talks about the power of language, how labels (like “widow” or “in remission”) land in the body, and why she refuses to keep speaking words that don’t match the future she’s creating.We explore healing as a deeply human, spiritual, and very practical process: asking for help, letting people love you, listening instead of fixing, and finding your posse of truth-tellers. We also dive into Kristina’s retreat, Holy Dirt & Sacred Fire, and how reconnecting with the earth, each other, and our own voice might be the bravest way to face the second half of life. This is an episode for every woman who’s ever thought, “All the good is behind me”… and is ready to believe there’s more.