Change Happened, Then What? | Real Stories After Life Changes

Julie Barth’s life changed again and again through love, loss, caregiving, motherhood, grief, and survival. From reconnecting with her childhood love and raising a daughter with a rare genetic disorder, to losing her husband to Stage 4 pancreatic cancer and surviving years of emotional abuse, Julie’s story is one of resilience in its rawest form. In this deeply emotional episode of Change Happened, Then What?, Julie shares what it means to rebuild yourself after life completely unravels. This is not just a story about heartbreak or divorce. It is about identity, self-worth, motherhood, and finally learning to stop living for everyone else’s approval. Heather reflects on the quiet ways people lose themselves inside grief and toxic relationships, and the courage it takes to reclaim peace after years of chaos. This episode contains conversations about cancer, emotional abuse, divorce, caregiving, and trauma. If you have ever felt alone while carrying the weight of everyone else, this episode is for you. Connect with Julie and Taytem: Julie Barth Author & Personality Hope4Tayt Donate — The Colin James Barth Outreach     If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

What if the hardest moments in your life were also trying to give you something? In this Smile Drop, Heather shares a personal and lighthearted reflection on an upcoming surgery and her body’s tendency to “grow things” at the most inconvenient times. With humor and honesty, she explores a concept introduced by a friend called secondary gain—the idea that even in difficult or unwanted situations, there can be something meaningful waiting underneath. As life presses pause, she leans into the discomfort of slowing down, stepping away from work, and sitting in stillness. It’s not easy. It’s not natural for her. But within that pause, there’s an invitation—one to listen more closely, rest more deeply, and reconnect with what really matters. This episode is a reminder that not every interruption is a setback. Sometimes, it’s a quiet redirection. If you’ve ever been forced to slow down, pushed out of your routine, or found yourself asking “why is this happening,” this Smile Drop offers a different question to consider. What might this moment be giving you? A gentle, honest, and slightly humorous reflection on healing, perspective, and finding something to smile about—even when life doesn’t go as planned. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

Lisa Zawrotny’s life was shaped by caregiving, grief, resilience, and the quiet overwhelm that comes from carrying too much for too long. Raised in a home built on service, Lisa learned early how to care for others. But over the years, that role would deepen in ways she never expected. She became caregiver to both of her parents, walked through profound loss, navigated Alzheimer’s, and eventually found herself asking a life-changing question: Does all of this really have to be this hard? In this episode of Change Happened, Then What?, Lisa shares how survival, burnout, grief, and second chances shaped the woman she became and how she turned those lessons into a life of helping others create more balance, productivity, and peace. This is a story about caregiving, resilience, overwhelm, and what it means to offer yourself grace while becoming who you were always meant to be. Connect with Lisa: Podcast | Positively Productive Systems LLC Positively Productive Systems LLC Connect with Lisa on Facebook Connect with Lisa on Instagram  Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn  Connect with Lisa on Pintrest If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

Heather Holt walks you through the messy, beautiful middle of reinvention — juggling a full-time job, a growing podcast, and the tiny hacks (hello, scheduling tools and image generators) that make it possible. She admits she leans on tech, but never at the expense of the awkward, genuine moments that make connection real. With Waylon and Dalton quietly supervising and a few candid laughs about rewriting emails until they sound like her, Heather tells a personal story about choosing what to keep and what to outsource. She shares the surprising trade-offs of innovation, from confident AI mistakes to the resource costs behind the systems we rely on. Listen for a short, heart-forward reminder: use the help, keep the heart, and hold tight to the human pauses that no tool can replace — because at the end of the day, the thing the world needs most is still you. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

At 20 years old, Ken Kunken was a college football player at Cornell University with his future in front of him when a routine tackle changed everything. In an instant, he became paralyzed from the shoulders down. But this story is not about the moment Ken’s life changed. It is about what he chose to do next. In this episode of Change Happened, Then What?, Heather Holt shares Ken’s extraordinary journey from devastating spinal cord injury to becoming the first quadriplegic to graduate from Cornell, earning multiple advanced degrees, building a decades-long legal career, and creating the family he once thought he would never have. More than a story of survival, this is a conversation about resilience, disability rights, purpose, and what becomes possible when determination meets community. If you have ever wondered what can be built after life falls apart, Ken’s story is one you will not forget. Connect with Kenneth Kunken: Connect with Ken on Facebook Ken Kunken - YouTube Connect with Ken on Instagram Kenneth J. Kunken | LinkedIn BUY THE BOOK - Ken Kunken   If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

Have you ever met someone and felt like you already knew them? In this reflective Smile Drop, Heather explores the quiet, powerful truth about the people who enter our lives. Some arrive with purpose, shifting something deep within us. Some walk beside us for a season, holding us through moments we could not have faced alone. And a rare few become what we recognize as soul family. But how do we know which is which? And why do some connections feel so meaningful, only to change or fade over time? Through personal insight and lived experience, Heather shares what it means to trust the timing of relationships, to release people with love instead of resistance, and to recognize that not every connection is meant to last forever. Some are here to teach, some to support, and some to stay. At the heart of this episode is a grounding prayer that has guided her for more than twenty years. It offers a way to hold on without gripping, to let go without bitterness, and to trust that the right people will always find their way to you. This is a story about connection, growth, and the courage to let relationships evolve. If you have ever questioned why someone came into your life or struggled with letting them go, this episode is for you. Follow Change Happened, Then What? for more real stories about what happens after life shifts and how we find meaning in what comes next. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

What happens after something changes all of us, and then we stop talking about it? In this episode of Change Happened, Then What?, Heather Holt shares Kenny’s story, a man who lived through COVID with humor, curiosity, and a deep sense that something about that time still feels unfinished. A former Army National Guard veteran, Kenny spent 30 years in service before retiring just one year before the pandemic. When the world shut down, everything shifted again. He lost his job, his relationship, and even his dog. But through it all, he kept doing what he has always done, finding humor in the hard moments and meaning beneath the surface. This episode explores what we experienced during COVID, from the rules and restrictions to the quiet confusion that followed. It also reflects on the deeper impact, including loss, distance, and the moments many people never got back. Kenny shares his perspective on why remembering matters, not to hold onto fear, but to better understand what we lived through and what it changed. Along the way, there are moments of lightness, unexpected silver linings, and a reminder that even in the middle of uncertainty, people find ways to connect, to create, and to move forward. If you have ever wondered why such a defining time in our lives feels like it disappeared from conversation, this story invites you to reflect, remember, and keep asking questions. Connect with Kenny: Kenny Dupar Pin-Up Dolls Scoundrels In Iraq If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

What if the first thing you hear each morning is not random at all In this Smile Drop, Heather reflects on waking up with a lyric already playing in her mind and what that might reveal about memory, emotion, and the quiet ways music moves through our lives From car rides to heartbreak to healing, music becomes more than background noise. It becomes a thread that connects who we were to who we are becoming This short reflection explores how the songs we carry can shift with us, return when we need them most, and sometimes say what we do not yet have words for If you have ever felt like a song found you at the exact right moment, this episode is for you If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

What happens when the person you grew up with… served beside in spirit… doesn’t make it home? In this episode of Change Happened, Then What?, Scott DeLuzio shares the story of serving in Afghanistan at the same time as his younger brother, Steven—both answering the same call to duty, in the same war. But during one mission… everything changed. After learning that his brother had been killed in action, Scott was forced to navigate the unthinkable—continuing to serve in the middle of a war, while his world was breaking apart. What followed wasn’t just grief. It was anger. Survivor’s guilt. PTSD. And the long, complicated road back to himself. This is a story about brotherhood… about sacrifice… and about what it means to keep living when someone you love no longer can. And ultimately… it’s a story about purpose. Today, Scott shares his journey through healing, therapy, and rebuilding a life after loss—along with how he now helps others through his Drive On Podcast and his book Surviving Son. If you’ve ever wondered what happens after everything changes… this conversation will stay with you. Connect with Scott: Drive On Podcast- www.driveonpodcast.com Surviving Son Book If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

Heather Holt opens a small, sunlit door into a childhood that still smells like sugar and cardboard. As the penny slips quietly out of circulation, she traces the sound of coins and the tiny triumph of choosing a favorite candy. the ritual that made independence feel enormous. With crisp sensory detail the jingle of a coin, the rows of little boxes, Jelly Bellies at Grandma’s, Heather weaves a gentle meditation on change, memory, and the odd comfort of things that don’t change. This episode is a compact, heartfelt pause that turns a lost copper coin into a story about who we were and who we still can be. Listen in, remember your sweetest smallness, and let one tiny memory nudge a smile back onto your face. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

What if your life finally made sense, even decades later? In this episode of Change Happened, Then What?, I sit down with Nadine Ellis, an author, poet, and late-diagnosed autistic woman whose story doesn’t unfold in straight lines. It unfolds in poetry. Diagnosed with autism in her 50s, Nadine shares a deeply personal journey through childhood, trauma, motherhood, and rebuilding her life from the ground up. Through it all, writing became her way of processing the world, giving voice to what couldn’t always be spoken. This episode is different. It weaves conversation with poetry, offering a raw and powerful look at what it means to feel misunderstood and what it feels like to finally understand yourself. You’ll hear Nadine’s original poems woven throughout the episode, reflections on identity, survival, healing, and the gray spaces in between. Because sometimes, the most honest stories aren’t told in sentences, they are felt. Nadine also has a second book coming out in early 2027. To purchase Nadine's Book "The Gray Between" Click here.  If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

You know what I heard again this week? Birds. In this Smile Drop episode, Heather reflects on the quiet return of spring in Vermont—the sounds of birds filling the morning, the unexpected arrival of nests, and the small, meaningful signs that remind us life is beginning again. From robins covering the lawn to geese making their bold (and messy) entrance, this episode weaves humor, nature, and reflection into a deeper truth: sometimes, change doesn’t arrive loudly—it shows up in the little things. And sometimes… those little things are made from pieces of us. This episode explores: The emotional shift from winter to spring The meaning we find in everyday moments The quiet ways we are connected to the world around us If you’ve ever needed a reminder that you made it through—or that you’re part of something bigger—this one is for you.     If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

John DeDakis spent his life as a journalist, telling other people’s stories with clarity and truth. But nothing could prepare him for the stories he would one day have to live for himself. In this episode of Change Happened, Then What?, John shares his deeply personal journey of losing his sister to suicide and decades later, losing his son to a heroin overdose. Through unimaginable loss, John reveals how grief changes over time, what it means to face truth when it becomes your own, and how hope can still exist alongside heartbreak. This is a powerful conversation about resilience, perspective, and the reality that there is no one “right” way to grieve. If you’ve ever experienced loss or are trying to understand it this episode will stay with you. Resources -                                    Connect With John - Crisis Hotline - 988 John DeDakis's Books Mental Health Resources Connect with John on Instagram The Help Hub Connect with John on YouTube       If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

One year after its original release, Ila’s Moon returns as a remastered bonus episode of Change Happened, Then What? This is the story that helped shape the heart of this podcast. Jeannie shares the unimaginable loss of her daughter, Ila—and the journey that followed. What unfolds is not only a story of grief, but of enduring love, quiet connection, and the ways we carry those we’ve lost with us. Through Jeannie’s voice, you’ll hear how love continues beyond loss… and how moments of connection can appear when we need them most. Remastered with updated audio and a new reflection, this episode honors where the story began—and how it continues today. If you’ve ever loved deeply, lost someone, or searched for meaning after life changed you, this story will stay with you. Connect with Jeannie on YouTube If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

There’s something about Vermont maple sugaring season that stays with you. In this Smile Drop, I take you inside a tradition that’s been part of my life for as long as I can remember—from gathering sap and tending the fire, to the unmistakable smell of steam rising from the sugarhouse. It’s more than a process… it’s memory, family, and something that feels like it’s in your blood. We talk about what it really takes to make maple syrup—from the 40-to-1 ratio of sap to syrup, to the long hours of boiling—and why the method matters. The difference between modern RO systems and a traditional wood-fired arch isn’t just efficiency… it’s flavor, experience, and connection. This episode is also a celebration of Vermont maple sugar makers who are still doing it the traditional way. You’ll find links in the show notes to local producers using wood-fired arches—so you can taste the difference and support small makers during the heart of the season. If this episode brings you back to something familiar—or helps you discover something new—I’d love for you to share it with someone who could use a little warmth today. Find a few Favorites below, and come for some Sugar on snow!  Twin Maple SugarWorks - Wood Fired Arch Barred Woods Maple - RO Maple Morse Sugar Farm - Wood Fired Arch Visit the VT Sugarmakers Association to lear more!  If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

What happens when the life you’ve been told is “right”… doesn’t feel right anymore? In this deeply personal and eye-opening episode of Change Happened, Then What?, host Heather Holt shares the story of Leah—a mother whose entire world shifted after a single moment she couldn’t ignore. What began as a quiet realization during early motherhood—holding her “clingy” baby close—turned into something much bigger. After watching a video that challenged everything she thought she understood, Leah found herself questioning long-held beliefs about parenting, connection, and what it really means to trust your instincts. As her daughter grew, new layers unfolded. Differences that weren’t visible at home began to show up in a traditional school setting, leading Leah down a path of exploring neurodivergence, masking, and what it looks like when a child is trying to fit into a world that wasn’t designed for them. Faced with uncertainty, lack of clear support, and the pressure to follow the “normal” path, Leah and her husband made a choice—one rooted not in fear, but in intuition. They chose differently. From rethinking education to ultimately transitioning into homeschooling, this episode explores what happens when you stop living by default and start making decisions that truly align with your child, your family, and yourself. This is a story about: Motherhood and deep connection Trusting your intuition as a parent Neurodivergence, masking, and understanding your child Letting go of societal expectations Choosing a path that feels right—even when it looks different Because sometimes… the most powerful changes don’t come from big, obvious moments. Sometimes, they begin with a feeling you can’t ignore. Connect with Leah on YouTube Connect with Leah on Facebook Connect with Leah on Instagram LakoraYoga.com If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

As St. Patrick’s Day fades and Easter approaches, this reflective Smile Drop explores the quiet space between celebration and renewal. Through the lens of Catholic tradition and seasonal change, this episode traces the meaning of Lent—sacrifice, awareness, and the subtle lessons learned in childhood that often stay with us for life. A simple memory of giving something up becomes a deeper reflection on letting go, faith, and personal growth. From the outward joy of St. Patrick’s Day to the introspective stillness of the Lenten season, the contrast reveals something deeper about how we move through both celebration and reflection. As winter begins to loosen its grip, the story shifts toward spring—longer days, the first signs of daffodils, and the quiet return of hope. Beneath the surface of holidays and traditions, this episode explores the universal rhythm of renewal. A story about seasons, memory, and the moments that shape who we become—reminding us that even in the in-between, something meaningful is unfolding. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

When Mark Maselli was five years old, he watched his grandmother go through dialysis and made a quiet promise to himself: that will never be me. Years later, Mark was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease (PKD), the same genetic kidney disease that had already affected generations of his family. In this powerful episode of Change Happened, Then What?, Mark shares his kidney disease journey, the emotional reality of facing dialysis, the Facebook post that led to three donor matches, and the extraordinary moment a newly discovered family member became his perfect kidney donor match. After receiving a life-saving kidney transplant in November 2023, Mark chose not to waste his second chance. Just 346 days after surgery, he ran the Las Vegas Marathon—despite never being a runner before. This is a story about kidney transplant recovery, resilience, gratitude, mindset, organ donation awareness, and the power of taking the first step when life changes everything. If you are looking for an inspiring story about PKD, dialysis, kidney donation, transplant recovery, marathon training after surgery, and what it means to rewrite your future, this episode is for you.   Follow Mark on Facebook Follow Mark on Instagram Check out Mark's Book Mark's Bio If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

Heather Holt invites listeners into a warm, ordinary day turned tenderly chaotic when her 85‑pound Labrador Dalton wakes up post‑surgery, baffled by a shaved leg and a humiliating stocking. Through Dalton’s amusing first‑person update—peppered with peanut butter bribes, cone avoidance, and a too‑energetic housemate named Waylon—we feel the tug between impatience and healing. What unfolds is a small, honest story about recovery: the slow, stubborn steps, the unexpected comforts, and the quiet lessons in learning to wait. By the time spring returns, the promise of play feels sweeter, and Heather’s gentle narration turns a medical update into a human (and canine) reminder to find smiles in the messy middle. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

What happens when the life you planned suddenly disappears? In this episode of Change Happened, Then What?, Andrew Davie shares his powerful story of surviving a ruptured brain aneurysm and the long road back to rebuilding his life. What began as an ordinary trip to the airport quickly turned into a life-threatening medical emergency that would force Andrew to rethink everything he thought he knew about his future. Before the aneurysm, Andrew’s life was filled with creativity, teaching, and writing. After emergency brain surgery and months of intense recovery, he found himself facing a very different challenge — learning how to reconnect with himself emotionally while navigating a completely new version of life. Andrew opens up about the physical and emotional realities of brain injury recovery, the identity shifts that often follow major trauma, and how the unexpected events of the pandemic created space for deeper healing. Along the way, he discovered a new purpose helping others as a counselor and supporting his mother during her battle with ALS. This is a story about resilience, perspective, and what it means to realign your life when everything you once planned changes. Because sometimes the map disappears… so you can learn how to navigate by something deeper. Connect with Andrew Andrew Davie – Website Connect on Facebook Connect on Instagram Connect on X Connect on YouTube   If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

Step into an old‑fashioned Vermont winter with Heather Holt: Lake Champlain frozen, roads with character, and eyelashes that freeze mid‑sentence. What seems like weather chit‑chat becomes a quiet emotional check‑in—an unspoken way of asking, How are you holding up? Heather turns winter irritation into gentle reflection, plotting the garden, imagining open windows, and finding warmth in shared smiles. This pocket‑sized pause will make you laugh, exhale, and remember we’re all waiting for spring together. Sponsored by Pure Energy Apothecary (use code PURESMILE for 20% off). Created and engineered by Heather Holt with minor supervision from her emotional support dogs, Waylon and Dalton. Find more at changehappenpodcast.com. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

What happens when the chaos you grew up in starts to feel normal? In this deeply honest episode, Tenya shares her journey from childhood instability and conditional belonging to adulthood clarity and self-worth. Raised in an environment shaped by mental health struggles, frequent moves, and complicated family dynamics, she learned early how to stay small, stay quiet, and stay under the radar. But survival strategies that protect you as a child don’t always serve you as an adult. As Tenya builds her own life, she begins to see old patterns more clearly — and faces the painful, powerful decision to set boundaries where none existed before. What unfolds is not a dramatic overnight transformation, but a quiet shift toward ownership, healing, and integration.   This episode explores: • Growing up with instability and mental health challenges • The long-term impact of conditional belonging • Setting boundaries in complicated parent-child relationships • Grief and relief existing at the same time • Moving from survival mode into self-worth   Tenya’s story is not about blame. It’s about awareness. It’s about recognizing how our past shapes us — and choosing who we want to become anyway.   If you’ve ever struggled with family boundaries, anxiety rooted in childhood, or the complicated emotions that come with healing, this conversation will resonate.   Because sometimes the biggest transformation isn’t loud.   It’s the quiet decision to stop surviving… and start living.   Connect with Tenya 🌿 Website: Design Your Existence  🌿 The Metamorphosis Project Now a coach and the creator of the Metamorphosis Project, Tina turns lived pain into purpose—guiding women from survival into steadiness, and reminding us that change is often a slow whisper that becomes a roar. Listen for a tender, honest story about how we heal, set limits, and build a life worth staying in. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

Heather Holt remembers a song that sneaks up like a warm nudge—C.W. McCall’s “Teddy Bear”—and with it, a simple truth: people don’t have to be heroes to matter. In this brief, heart-first Smile Drop, she traces the gentle ripples of everyday kindness—the texts, smiles, and tiny pauses that quietly become someone’s salvation. With the soft patience of a storyteller and the occasional cameo from Waylon and Dalton, Heather paints a scene where strangers tune in, stay on the line, and send teddy bears simply because it’s the right human thing to do. It’s a reminder that small acts, offered without fanfare, can change a life. If you need a nudge to keep listening—or to offer the small thing someone might need today—this Smile Drop is tender, honest, and full of the kind of hope that lives in ordinary moments. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

Content Warning: This episode includes discussions of childhood sexual abuse, opioid addiction, substance use disorder, and the impact addiction can have on families. Please listen with care, especially if these topics are tender for you. Jennifer Chase grew up in a family where addiction ran four generations deep. Determined to break the cycle, she built a marriage and family of her own — until chronic pain and prescribed opioids pulled her into the very addiction she swore, she would avoid. In this powerful episode, Jennifer shares her journey through opioid addiction, generational trauma, recovery, and the moment she realized she had unknowingly become part of her son’s addiction. From surviving a life-threatening brain tumor to battling substance use disorder, Jennifer opens up about isolation, shame, motherhood, and what it truly takes to break family patterns rooted in addiction. She speaks candidly about recovery, setting boundaries without abandoning the people you love, and how connection became the foundation of her healing. Read Jennifers Bio Jennifers Website Connect with Jennifer on Facebook Connect with Jennifer on Instagram Connect with Jennifer on TikTok Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn   Immediate Help 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 https://988lifeline.org Free, confidential support available 24/7 in the United States. 🧠 Substance Use & Treatment Support SAMHSA National Helpline 1-800-662-HELP (4357) https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline Free, confidential treatment referral and information service (24/7). FindTreatment.gov https://findtreatment.gov Search for addiction treatment providers near you. 💛 Support for Loved Ones of Addicts Al-Anon Family Groups (for families of alcoholics) https://al-anon.org Nar-Anon Family Groups (for families of those struggling with drug addiction) https://www.nar-anon.org SMART Recovery Family & Friends https://www.rainn.org Confidential support for survivors of sexual abuse. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

This Smile Drop slows down to a hush as the humans rush and the dogs keep watch. When Dalton heads into surgery, Waylon takes the mic to share how love looks when it’s quiet: soft vigilance, lap-dog loyalty, and a full-time guardian refusing to let fear take the stage. Through Waylon’s eyes, we feel the small rituals of bravery—sitting close to a brother, extra barks for strangers, and the gentle insistence that petting is mandatory—woven into a simple, faithful promise: I’ll wait here until you come home. This short reflection is a warm pause for anyone holding their breath for news, a reminder that staying close is sometimes the bravest thing we do… and that even while healing, a smile still helps. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

Content Warning: This episode discusses childhood abuse, trauma, disordered eating, cancer, and complicated grief. Please listen with care. What happens when a child grows up believing she is unwanted… and spends decades trying to prove she is worthy of love? In this powerful episode of Change Happened, Then What?, Lisa shares her journey through childhood trauma, emotional and physical abuse, family enabling, complicated grief, narcissistic relationship patterns, divorce, and ultimately healing. Lisa grew up in a home marked by violence and silence. As a child, she endured abuse from her brother while the adults around her failed to intervene. As a teenager, she faced the loss of her mother to cancer and the emotional withdrawal of her father. Those early experiences shaped how she saw herself — and influenced the relationships she chose later in life. For years, Lisa found herself in unhealthy relationship dynamics rooted in unresolved trauma. But through deep trauma work, healing workshops, and ultimately trauma-informed therapy, she began to break the cycle. In this episode, we talk about: • The long-term effects of childhood abuse • How trauma shapes adult relationship patterns • Family enabling and complicated forgiveness • Narcissistic relationship dynamics • Divorce after 30 years • Grief mixed with unfinished business • Trauma therapy vs. talk therapy • EMDR, somatic healing, and other trauma-informed approaches • What safe love actually feels like Today, Lisa hosts her own podcast, Healing and Growing, Hand in Hand, and leads workshops supporting survivors of childhood trauma. Her work centers on becoming the resource she once needed. If you are navigating trauma recovery, healing after abuse, or learning how to build safe, emotionally healthy relationships, this episode offers both validation and hope. Support resources and Lisa’s links are available in the show notes and at changehappenedpodcast.com under Season Two guests. Because your story isn’t over. And healing is possible. Immediate Crisis Support (U.S.) Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) National Domestic Violence Hotline Connect with Lisa Tickel - FREE starter kit Listen to Lisa's Podcast Sign up for one of Lisa's Workshops Learn more about Lisa Here Trauma-Informed Therapy & Mental Health Resources SAMHSA Treatment Locator Search for trauma-informed mental health providers Psychology Today Therapist Directory Filter by trauma, EMDR, IFS, narcissistic abuse recovery, and more Trauma-Specific Modalities EMDR International Association Find certified EMDR therapists Somatic Experiencing International Directory for somatic trauma practitioners IFS Institute (Internal Family Systems) Information and therapist directory Brainspotting International Ongoing Mental Health Support National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Education, advocacy, and support groups If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, Heather Holt pauses the noise and expectations surrounding it—shifting the focus away from couples and grand gestures and toward the quieter, truer forms of love that often go uncelebrated. February holds two truths for her: Valentine’s Day and February 18th, the birthday of her brother, who would have turned 58. Through gentle remembrance, Heather reflects on how love doesn’t disappear with loss—it changes shape. Some love stays. Some love remembers. With warm, conversational storytelling and small, vivid details—the jingle of collars, Waylon curled nearby, Dalton’s head resting on her foot—this Smile Drop explores how grief and tenderness can coexist without fanfare. It’s an honest, hushed reflection that turns a holiday aisle into a backdrop for enduring love, presence, and the permission to hold February on your own terms—whether with joy, sorrow, or both. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

In this episode of Change Happened, Then What?, Heather Holt shares the story of Russell Van Brocklen—placed in special education as a child, underestimated for years, and yet driven by a fierce love of learning that never let him stop moving forward. Russell walks us through the clever hacks, stubborn curiosity, and pivotal moments— including law school—where learning finally began to click. What once felt impossible slowly became clear as he discovered how passion can change the way the brain processes information. That discovery became the foundation of his work today. Using word analysis and articulation, Russell developed a repeatable method that helps reroute language to a different part of the brain—shifting students from “learning disabled” to “learning enabled.” What began as a personal fight to read turned into research, advocacy, and a mission to change how we teach and understand dyslexia. This is a hopeful, clear-eyed conversation about resilience, neuroscience, and finding the doorway into learning when the world expects you to fail—and about what becomes possible when someone learns how their brain truly works. Connect with Russell on Facebook Connect with Russell on Instagram Connect with Russell on YouTube Connect with Russell on LinkedIn If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

On a night when the moon feels too loud to ignore, I watch Waylon and Dalton patrol the living room like it’s an emotional battlefield and laugh at how the world can get wildly extra—one cut-off driver, one rogue auto correct, one raccoon sighting at a time. In this Smile Drop, the full moon becomes both chaos and companion. Sleep gets weird. Emotions rise closer to the surface. Dogs stare at walls like they’re holding secrets. And yet, beneath the ruckus, there’s something quietly beautiful happening. This short reflection unfolds like a diary entry—the full moon as an exhale. A reminder that cycles peak and release, that whatever bubbled up this week might be asking to be noticed, not judged. No rituals required. Just a breath of cold air, a glance up, and permission to let go. Because if the moon can pull entire oceans back and forth, it’s okay if it tugs at us too. Join me for a brief, heart-to-heart pause where chaos becomes information, a smile becomes medicine, and the soft reset after the moon’s ruckus feels like a welcome beginning. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

A quiet call at a flower market marked the beginning of a life split into before and after—a swollen eye, a rare benign tumor, and the relief of survival shadowed by lingering trauma and guilt. In this episode of Change Happened, Then What?, Heather Holt sits down with Rachel Stone, an award-winning Canadian author and medical trauma survivor, to explore what happens when survival changes how you see yourself—and your life. Rachel shares her journey of living with facial asymmetry after a rare benign tumor, navigating multiple recurrences, invasive surgery, and the quiet pressure to “be grateful” and move on. As scans and surgery gave way to an impossible pause, Rachel found an unexpected sanctuary in writing. Together, Heather and Rachel talk honestly about trauma that lingers after the crisis passes, the emotional weight of being labeled “lucky,” and the healing that begins when we finally name what we’ve been carrying. Five years and many rejections later, The Blue Iris emerged—a testament to the messy, hopeful work of surviving, naming loss, and discovering the one thing that makes time disappear. This episode follows that arc with tenderness and clarity, reflecting on resilience, identity, creativity, and the question that lingers after everything changes: then what? If you’ve ever survived something life-altering, struggled to hold gratitude and grief at the same time, or wondered what your own then what moment might be—this story is for you. LinkTree Buy The Blue Iris Rachel Stone's Blog  Rachel Stone's Website Socials: Connect with Rachel on Instagram Connect with Rachel on Facebook   If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

Hey there — I’m Heather Holt, and this Smile Drop from Change Happened, Then What? begins with bad news, a very unrealistic set of rules for a Labrador, and a whole lot of quiet bravery. When Dalton tears his ACL, life suddenly comes with instructions no Lab understands—no running, no jumping, no wrestling, and only ten minutes of leash walking a day. The dog who believes he’s all speed and mischief is officially on medical probation, and what follows is messy, tender, and oddly beautiful. In this short reflection, I try to keep an 85-pound Lab from acting like a Lab, watch Waylon adjust to losing his favorite chaos partner, and learn—again—what strength looks like when it’s mostly patience. Dalton doesn’t complain. He simply pauses. And in that stillness, something unexpected shows up. This Smile Drop is about waiting, slowing down, and trusting that healing still counts—even when it doesn’t look the way you hoped. If you’re in a season where the pause feels endless, this episode offers a quiet companion… and a reminder that slowing down isn’t failing. It’s healing. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

When Lisa stumbles onto a secret life her husband has been hiding, the ground beneath her dissolves. A trusted future, her children’s stability, and her sense of self all hang in the balance. In this episode of Change Happened, Then What?, Heather Holt shares the story of Lisa Johnson—a woman whose relationship looked right on the outside but slowly became defined by emotional and financial control behind closed doors. What follows is a relentless, deeply human story of betrayal, coercive control, and an uphill fight through doubt and a legal system not yet equipped to name what was happening. As the marriage collapses, Lisa is forced to find her voice, speak for herself, and navigate the courts in ways few ever expect to face. This episode traces Lisa’s journey from the first red flag to a legal victory that helped change precedent—while also exploring why coercive control is so difficult to recognize from the inside, why abuse is not a gender issue but a human one, and how language itself can become a powerful form of freedom. At its core, this is a story about survival, courage, and the hard-won clarity that comes when someone decides they will not be defined by what happened to them—and instead turns their pain into purpose. Connect with Lisa on Instagram Connect with Lisa on Facebook Connect with Lisa on YouTube Connect with Lisa on TikTok Listen to Lisa's Podcast  Buy Been There Got Out Book Safeline Vermont The Hotline Jennifers Law   If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

In this special Smile Drop, Heather Holt shares the story behind Dear Sweet One — a personalized lullaby project created with intention, love, and deep meaning. What began as a simple idea grew into something more after Heather became a grandmother. This episode reflects on why stories matter so early in life, how the words we hear shape us long before we remember them, and why every child deserves to feel seen, known, and loved. Dear Sweet One lullabies are customized using a child’s name, birthday, and sun or moon sign, creating a keepsake families can return to at bedtime, on hard nights, and during the fleeting moments that matter most. This Smile Drop isn’t about rushing childhood or selling perfection. It’s about presence, care, and honoring children for who they already are — not who we expect them to become. A gentle, heartfelt reflection on love, storytelling, and creating something meaningful for the next generation. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

Content warning: This episode includes discussion of childhood sexual abuse. Please take care while listening. When a childhood that should have been safe is stolen, the wound doesn’t vanish—it shapes every decision that follows. In this episode of Change Happened, Then What?, Heather Holt sits down with Richard, a trauma recovery coach who shares the story of being robbed of his right to freeze at age twelve, the secret shame that followed, and the early loss of his mother to cancer. What began as survival turned into years of alcoholism, gambling addiction, depression, and living emotionally stuck inside a boy who never had the chance to grow up. Richard takes us through his slow, startling awakening—the moment he stopped medicating feelings and began listening to what his body had been holding all along. He explains the practice of separating “Richy,” the twelve-year-old shaped by trauma, from “Richard,” the adult who survived, and how breathwork, visualization, and presence helped him shift from living in “I was” to living in “I am.” As the conversation unfolds, Richard shares how this healing became the foundation of the work he now offers others—helping people release younger versions of themselves that are still trapped in survival. He also reflects on finding faith beyond himself, discovering community, and building a daily practice that keeps the past from running his life. This is a candid, visceral story about resilience, accountability, peace of mind, and the possibility of being whole again. Connect with Richard on Facebook Buy Trauma Recovery Anonymous  Connect with Richard on YouTube If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

Heather Holt notices the absurdity of retail timelines when Christmas is barely wrapped, and Easter already fills store aisles. With her signature wry humor, she explores our cultural rush to the next celebration — and the quiet pressure to always be emotionally prepared for joy. In this Smile Drop, Heather reflects on missing St. Patrick’s Day green, early holiday overload, and the simple desire to live one season at a time. Between the supervising sighs of her emotional support dogs, Waylon and Dalton, she offers permission to slow down, resist the pastel pressure, and savor where you are — shamrocks and all.  If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

Grief doesn’t follow a straight line—and healing rarely looks the way we expect it to. For Angie Hawkins, loss became a turning point that reshaped how she sees herself, her life, and what it means to move forward. In this episode, she shares the quiet, complicated journey of rebuilding after loss—and the courage it takes to begin again. This is a story about healing, resilience, and discovering who you are on the other side of heartbreak. Angie is now an Inner Glow Coach and the author of Running in Slippers, a raw memoir about vulnerability, accountability, and radical self-love. Her story is a reminder that worthiness isn’t something we earn—it’s something we remember. Content note: This episode includes discussion of suicide. Listener discretion is advised. Support resources are listed in the show notes and at ChangeHappenedPodcast.com. If you or someone you know is in Crisis, you can dial or Text 988 American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Connect with Angie on Instagram Connect with Angie on YouTube Buy Running in Slippers Visit Angies Website Blog Reflection on Angie's story   If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

Heather Holt settles in with a sigh, Waylon and Dalton politely supervising, and confesses she doesn’t love New Year’s resolutions—not because change is impossible, but because it rarely needs a calendar. With gentle humor and plain truth, she traces the quiet moments when real change begins: an unexpected conversation, a small wrecking of complacency, the plain decision that you can’t keep doing things the same way. She flips the script on grand promises and marathon-morning fantasies, asking instead for one sustainable choice you can actually keep coming back to—the tired, busy, real-you decision that builds over time. No confetti, no countdown, just the steady repetition that becomes life. Short, warm, and honest, this Smile Drop invites you to start whenever you’re ready. Listen for the chuckles, the collar jingles, and the permission to begin—today, tomorrow, or whenever the moment finally feels honest. Enter to Win a Soft Tee or Cozy Trucker Hat If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

Listener Note This episode includes conversations about self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Please listen in a way that feels safest for you. Support resources are listed in the show notes. At 27, Kevin receives a message that opens a door he never thought would be unlocked: a chance to meet the father who was absent his whole life. What follows is a raw, intimate journey through a childhood shaped by quiet absence, a dangerous comfort with pain, and the hollow victories of outward success. In this episode, listen as Kevin traces the slow unraveling and surprising turns that force him to ask who he really is. From moments on the edge of despair to the lifeline of a friend, therapy, and the creation of a purpose-driven podcast, his story is about learning to stay—finding a safe place to land, and discovering self-awareness as the bravest kind of work. Tune in for a candid, human story of loss, reckoning, and the small decisions that change everything. 988 - crisis hotline Next Level University  Connect with Kevin on Facebook More about Kevin  If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

This final episode of the Holiday Story Series shares the story of the Three Kings — also known as Los Tres Reyes Magos — a tradition celebrated across many cultures as a journey guided by light, faith, and devotion. Traveling across a winter landscape, the kings follow a star not knowing exactly where it will lead, only trusting that it points toward something meaningful. As the closing story in this seasonal series, this episode reflects on the shared themes found across all eight stories: hope in darkness, connection across differences, and the ways light continues to guide humanity forward. A gentle, reflective conclusion to a season of storytelling meant to be shared across generations. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

This New Year’s Eve episode revisits The Little Match Girl, the Danish winter story written by Hans Christian Andersen — a tale that has been told with many endings across generations. Originally written to awaken compassion during a harsh winter, the story has evolved over time, shaped by the hopes and values of those who retell it. In this gentle, reimagined version, the match girl’s light becomes a symbol of resilience, kindness, and the quiet power of hope as one year closes and another begins. This episode invites listeners to reflect on the sparks we carry forward — the memories, lessons, and love that guide us into what comes next. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

At ten, she was told her father had died of a heart attack. Thirty-five years later, a single question—and a mother's trembling answer—pull back a secret that rewrites a lifetime: he had taken his own life. This episode follows Lisa Sugarman as she confronts that fractured narrative, feels the rage and grief, and walks the slow path toward understanding. Lisa's pain becomes purpose. Devouring research, listening to survivors, and refusing to accept stigma, she transforms her loss into lifelines—founding The Help Hub, counseling in crisis, and writing a book that brings her closer to the father she thought she knew. Through intimate memories, hard-won insights, and raw honesty, the story shows how truth, however late, can open the way to healing and fierce compassion. Content warning: this episode discusses suicide and grief. Listen with care, and know you are not alone—there are people and resources ready to help. Tune in to hear a story of protection, revelation, and the unexpected work of rebuilding a relationship with loss. Connect with Lisa on YouTube Connect with Lisa on Facebook Connect with Lisa on Instagram Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn Buy Lisa's Books on Amazon Listen to Lisa's Podcast - The Survivors Podcast The Trevor Project If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

This episode shares a Kwanzaa story inspired by Ujima — the third principle of the Nguzo Saba — meaning collective work and responsibility. Created within African American communities, Kwanzaa honors culture, resilience, and the power of shared effort. Through a winter tale of a grandmother and child, this story explores how community becomes strength when storms arrive and resources grow thin. More than a lesson, Ujima is a lived practice — one that reminds us we are shaped not only by what we carry alone, but by what we choose to carry together. A gentle, reflective story about belonging, responsibility, and collective care. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

This Christmas episode explores the origin, mystery, and magic behind A Visit from St. Nicholas — the beloved poem better known as ’Twas the Night Before Christmas. For nearly two centuries, this poem has shaped how the world imagines Santa Claus: the sleigh, the reindeer, the twinkling eyes, the quiet wonder of Christmas Eve. Yet its authorship remains debated, caught between Clement Clarke Moore and Henry Livingston Jr. In this episode, Heather reads a lightly modernized narration of the full poem and reflects on why this timeless story still captures our imagination. A warm, nostalgic Christmas listen for families of all ages. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

In this episode Heather Holt interviews Peter Ho, a kinesiologist from Hawaii who moved to California and found himself in an abusive relationship that led to physical harm, financial ruin, and homelessness. Peter shares how confronting perfectionism and his ego helped him reclaim self-worth and begin to rebuild. Today he works as a tennis coach and wellness practitioner, helping others restore balance and health. His message: it’s okay to start over — use the lessons you’ve learned to write a new chapter. Connect with Peter on Facebook  National Domestic Violence Hotline International Directory of Domestic Violence Agencies 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

This Solstice story explores ancient winter traditions from Norse, Celtic, and early northern cultures who saw the shortest day of the year as a sacred turning point. The Winter Solstice — the longest night and the return of the sun — was marked by fires, rituals, and stories reminding communities that light always returns. Through legends of the Sun Child, the Oak King and Holly King, and protective northern spirits, this episode offers a reflective narrative about endurance, balance, and the quiet magic of midwinter. A gentle, timeless reminder that even in our darkest seasons, a sunrise is already on its way. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

What does it mean to raise a December baby — especially one born just days before Christmas? In this Smile Drop episode, Heather reflects on her son’s December 18 birthday and the lifelong journey that came with it. From sharing a birthday with his older cousin (and Stone Cold Steve Austin), to being born prematurely and coming home on Christmas Eve, this story traces the milestones that quietly shape motherhood. Heather remembers first birthdays, school cupcakes, sleepovers, teenage rites of passage, learning to let go at sixteen, watching independence grow at eighteen, twenty-one, and twenty-five — and now celebrating twenty-six with gratitude and perspective. This episode is a reflection on December birthdays, motherhood, family cycles, and how women grow alongside their children. It’s about holding on, letting go, and realizing that sometimes the greatest gifts aren’t wrapped — they’re lived. Perfect for listeners navigating the holiday season with full hearts and full calendars. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

What happens when your body forces you to stop—and listen? In this deeply moving episode of Change Happened, Then What?, Heather Holt sits down with Sandra, an intuitive card reader and oracle deck creator whose life was forever changed by a devastating car accident. What followed was not just physical recovery, but a profound reckoning with trauma, grief, motherhood, and the quiet wisdom stored within the body. Sandra shares her journey through heartbreak, loss, and healing—how creativity became medicine, how intuition requires consent and sacred responsibility, and how slowing down ultimately led her back to herself. This is a story about resilience, embodied healing, and trusting the unfolding—even when life cracks you wide open. Link to Dancing Elk Woman Link to Sandra on Facebook Clevland Clinic on Chakras The Intuitive Mindset Donna Ashworth Poet If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

This episode retells the story behind Hanukkah — a tale of courage, identity, and the miracle that became a symbol of Jewish resilience. Dedicated to Heather’s longtime friend Julie, who first introduced her to the warmth and beauty of Jewish tradition, this narrative explores the Maccabees’ fight to reclaim their sacred Temple and the tiny jar of oil that burned for eight days. Blending history, spirituality, and reflection, this gentle retelling invites listeners to consider the power of choosing hope even when the world feels dark. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

This Nordic winter story explores the legend of Sankta Lucia — a young woman crowned with candles who brings light, warmth, and protection during the darkest days of the year. Rooted in Swedish tradition, Lucia’s story blends history, folklore, and the deep human need for hope when daylight grows short. Through a tale of generosity, resilience, and returning light, this episode invites listeners into a timeless tradition that continues to inspire families across Scandinavia. A gentle, narrative retelling for the holiday season. If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.

Guest Lisa Zerwotny (Positively Living) shares four simple, actionable steps to end the year well: reflect on the past, plan next-year intentions, review finances (use FSA/HSA and set budgets), and declutter physical and emotional spaces. Short, practical, and compassionate guidance to create breathing room for the new year, plus resources and gentle encouragement to get started and ask for support if needed. Connect with Lisa Positively Living Website Positively Living Podcast Connect With Lisa On Instagram Connect With Lisa on LinkedIn Connect With Lisa on Pintrest Connect With Lisa on YouTube If you'd like to support the show, just click the link | Be a part of the Change Happened community Enter to win the "What Changed Me Community Challenge" | Enter to Win! To join our mailing list and learn more our guests visit | Changehappenedpodcast.com Ready to get your discount on Pure Energy Apothecary products Click the link below | 20% off PURE ENERGY NOW Looking for your customized Dear Sweet One lullaby find them here | Shop Now Dear Sweet One Follow along on Instagram @Change Happened for behind-the-scenes moments and updates. Got a story to share or just want to say hello? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line at [email protected] and maybe your "Change Happened" moment will be next.