Episode 96: Losing Memory and Keeping Hope with Alzheimer's Expert Megan Carnarius
Aging is a privilege and we should treat it like the gift it is. But the gift of aging comes with complex challenges and unavoidable sadnesses, like memory loss. If you’re caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s or dementia—or if you’re facing a memory loss diagnosis yourself—I want to offer some encouragement and practical wisdom for you to navigate this tender experience as well as you can.This week’s podcast guest is Alzheimer’s specialist Megan Carnarius, who is doing the hard and holy work of dignifying the experiences of people living with memory loss. I pray today’s conversation with Megan gives you fresh hope for your future and the futures of the ones you love. Here’s just a preview of what Meg and I covered:Making every stage of aging as good as it can beNavigating the “hand-off” of independenceLearning how to help the soul of our loved ones shine throughFinding “fall out” blessings in life with memory lossReframing our older years as an “Inner adventure”If you need expert advice for navigating the realities of memory loss, this episode is for you.Show Notes:A Deeper Perspective on Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias: Practical Tools with Spiritual Insights by Megan Carnarius - https://a.co/d/dI1lbRsScriptures referenced in this episode:2 Corinthians 4:16***There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine.Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant a little hope in your inbox? Sign up for the Hope Note, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenoteGet to know us:Hope Heals: https://hopeheals.com/Hope Heals Camp: https://hopeheals.com/campMend Coffee: https://www.mendcoffee.org/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/
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Episode 95: Invisible Wheelchairs with Caroline Young
I’ve processed and shared countless insights from my second-chance life, but no idea has resonated more deeply and widely with you all than the idea of “invisible wheelchairs.” You know what I’m talking about—those unseen parts of our stories that feel like they’re holding us back from the most abundant versions of our lives.Maybe your invisible wheelchair is shame, doubt, worry, loneliness, or insecurity. As a physically disabled person, I’m dealing with “invisible wheelchairs” that have absolutely nothing to do with my stroke. There’s plenty of dysfunction to go around (HA!) and I’m letting you into what feels most disabling to me these days.On this episode, my teammate Caroline and I are working through the invisible wheelchairs in our own lives and the opportunities they offer us, if we have eyes to see them.Tune into this episode to hear how you can…Identify your invisible wheelchairsFind creativity within your unique constraintsDe-personalize and get curious about your invisible wheelchairsShow up as the person you are today, not the one you thought you’d beIf you’ve needed language for the inside stuff that’s holding you back, this episode is for you!Show Notes:Suffer Strong: How to Survive Anything by Redefining Everything by Katherine and Jay Wolf - https://a.co/d/beOpiYdOpen Spaces Podcast with Jeff and Jourdan Johnson - https://www.theopenspacescollective.com/podcastMend Coffee and Goods - https://www.mendcoffee.org/Hope Heals Camp - https://hopeheals.com/campThe Story Work Conference - https://theallendercenter.org/event/storyworkconference/Make Sense of Your Story: Why Engaging Your Past with Kindness Changes Everything by Adam Young - https://theallendercenter.org/event/storyworkconference/Scriptures referenced in this episode:Romans 12:!2***There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine.Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant a little hope in your inbox? Sign up for the Hope Note, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenoteGet to know us:Hope Heals: https://hopeheals.com/Hope Heals Camp: https://hopeheals.com/campMend Coffee: https://www.mendcoffee.org/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/
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Episode 94: You're More Than Your Mind with Dr. John Swinton
“It's not so much our story that makes us who we are. It’s God’s story who makes us who we are.” Identity, for so many of us, is the sum of our memories, our personality, and the ability to tell the story of who we are. So what’s left when we lose all the things that make us who we are? John Swinton is a disability theologian who is helping people find God in the experiences of mental illness, memory loss, and intellectual disability. This gentle genius (with a glorious Scottish accent, I might add!) hangs out in the places where memory, identity, and disability meet. Turns out, there’s much to be learned about how to live and how to love from people experiencing mental challenges.Dr. Swinton shared more profound thoughts in our hour together than most of us will have in a decade. You don’t want to miss his insights on...How do you live well when your mind is atypicalWhy hope and joy are a possibility, no matter whatDealing with the fear of losing your memory or cognitionFinding flexibility and humility in the Christian faithWhat we have wrong about our relationship to timeIf you want to believe there’s more of us beyond our memories and our minds—or if you want to hear my attempt at a Scottish accent!—then this episode is for you.Show Notes:Becoming Friends of Time: Disability, Timefullness, and Gentle Discipleship by Dr. John Swinton - https://a.co/d/fHyOjJWScriptures referenced in this episode:Colossians 3:3***There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine.Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant a little hope in your inbox? Sign up for the Hope Note, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenoteGet to know us:Hope Heals: https://hopeheals.com/Hope Heals Camp: https://hopeheals.com/campMend Coffee: https://www.mendcoffee.org/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/
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Episode 93: How to Face Your Grief Head-on with Mary Austin Hall
Today I’m offering you a masterclass in grieving well. One day—maybe even today—you will look at your story and see the very thing you prayed you'd never see. You could numb out and absolutely no one would blame you. But you have another option. It's harder, but so much better.Today, in my most tender conversation ever on The GoodHard Story Podcast, my strong-yet-soft sister-in-law Mary Austin Wolf Hall shares the treasures she's found in the deep darkness of a late term miscarriage. She’s faced her grief head-on as an act of faith and I’ve been changed by witnessing it.Here’s a preview of what we’ll unpack:How we can prevent unprocessed griefWhat felt most comforting after her lossFinding the right proportions of mourning and distractionWhat to do when the platitudes don’t feel satisfyingIf you want to face your grief head-on when the time comes, this episode is for you.Friends, my conversation with Mary Austin will focus on late term miscarriage and infant loss. I pray God will use our words to encourage those of you who are ready to hear them. If this discussion doesn’t feel supportive to you today, please feel free to skip today’s episode.Show Notes:MEND Coffee and Goods: https://www.mendcoffee.com/Treasures in the Dark: https://a.co/d/7JrkmFvDark Clouds Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament by Mark Vroegop: https://a.co/d/bC8aXBNEmpty Arms: Hope and Support for Those Who Have Suffered a Miscarriage, Stillbirth, or Tubal Pregnancy by Pam Vredevelt: https://a.co/d/enkfvtbRisen Motherhood Podcast Grief mini-series: https://www.risenmotherhood.com/griefScriptures referenced in this episode:Job 42:10-13***There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine.Follow me in Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant a little hope in your inbox? Sign up for the Hope Note, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenoteGet to know us:Hope Heals: https://hopeheals.com/Hope Heals Camp: https://hopeheals.com/campMend Coffee: https://www.mendcoffee.org/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/
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Episode 92: Your Depression Battle Plan with Hannah Brencher
You’ll reckon with depression at some point in your life, if you haven’t already. Whether it’s seasonal, circumstantial, or a lifelong reality, it’s possible to “partner with God” as we navigate depression. I had the privilege of taking notes from the winsome and wise Hannah Brencher about the disciplines she’s putting into place to live faithfully with depression. Whether you’re dealing with darkness today or simply looking to optimize your mental wellness, this conversation is packed with practical tips and refreshing takes on caring for our minds and souls.This is what’s waiting for you on this episode of The GoodHard Story Podcast:Building a battle plan for depressionReframing wrestling with God as intimacy with GodDeveloping a soft heart and thick skinQuitting our addiction to distraction and numbing outIf you’re looking for trustworthy straight talk about being a person of faith living with depression, this episode is for you.Show Notes:Hannah Brencher on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hannahbrencherScriptures referenced in this episode:John 9***There's so much more to the story. For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me, visit https://hopeheals.com/katherine.Follow me in Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopehealsSubscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast!Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant a little hope in your inbox? Sign up for the Hope Note, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenoteGet to know us:Hope Heals: https://hopeheals.com/Hope Heals Camp: https://hopeheals.com/campMend Coffee: https://www.mendcoffee.org/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals
On The GoodHard Story Podcast, we believe the good story and the hard story can be the same story. Host Katherine Wolf—stroke survivor, speaker, author, and disability advocate—is inviting you to join her in discovering the treasures hidden in our hurting. Sit in on candid conversations with Katherine, the Hope Heals team, and some beloved guests as they work out what it means to wholeheartedly live a good/hard life. Katherine is a defining voice of our time, so you don’t want to miss her hard-won insights on the places where pain and joy can co-exist. We are so excited to welcome you to The GoodHard Story Podcast!
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