Focused on Forward
By Focused on Forward
Focused on ForwardFeb 17, 2021
The Issue with Shame and Guilt ft. Lois Hollis
And there really is no better description for Lois's story than from her own website - "Once upon a time… Shame and guilt came to stay with Lois and became her uninvited guests. However, they overstayed and refused to leave. They told her many lies. Shame and guilt said to her that she was stupid and would not amount to anything because she stuttered and couldn’t read. They said she deserved beatings and needed to do penance for being a bad child. Lois tried to silence them, but they only grew stronger.
Despite the shame/guilt bullies, Lois had many career successes. Nevertheless, the shame and guilt intruders deepened her depression and added physical distortions to her body. She developed severe scoliosis with heart, liver, and lung disease, as well as childhood skull and rib traumas. Lois held firm to her inexhaustible spirit that knew a way to heal but not to her, yet.
Soon she realized that shame and guilt did not belong to her but influenced her feelings, thoughts, and body. They used a disguise to hide, and she unknowingly lived in the prison of mediocrity and defeat. They changed her passion into anger and her love into hate.
Lois decided to take control. She befriended her emotions and earned their trust. She realized that shame and guilt made her and her emotions miserable. Her emotions supported her. Shame and guilt sabotaged her.
She wants everyone to know that “shame and guilt are not ours to own or give.” Each one of our emotions, either happy or sad are ours."
In this Episode we talk with Lois about overcoming her abuse, both physically, emotionally and mentally. We talk about the work she is doing now as as counselor and educator, helping people overcome their backstory to have a happier and brighter future.
For more on Lois Hollis - please visit her website www.loishollis.com
The Difficult Journey Forward ft. Lydia Knorr
For our 7/9/21 LIVE show, we welcome Lydia Knorr. Lydia is going to tell us her story of surviving cancer, dealing with being widowed and becoming a single mom to three daughters, and how she took all of that and moved forward with her life. She is a co-author of the book - "Ignite Your Inner Spirit"
Join us for Lydia's story and be inspired by her journey!
For more about Lydia Knorr, please visit her website - www.lydiaknorr.com , where you can talk one on one with her and order her book.
Awkward is the New Brave ft. Belle Lockerby
Resilience in the Face of Abuse ft. Brittany McEnteggart
We talk with new author Brittany McEnteggart about overcoming a young life of Physical, Emotional and Sexual Abuses. But we will also be Focused on Forward, so that we can see how she overcame her past to live her life to the fullest now and how her book can help others who are going through similar traumas to know that there is a way out and a happier ending then what they are enduring or have endured. Be sure to join us at 8PM Eastern - Live on Focused on Forward's Facebook, Twitter and YouTube Channels. To watch on Twitch - please visit @the_podcast_guy
For more information about Brittany McEnteggart please visit the following -
Website - www.resilienceanautobiography.com
Instagram - @resiliencetheautobiography
Facebook - @ResilienceTheAutobiography
From Trauma to Ted Talks ft. Lisa David Olson LIVE!
This week we chat with the amazing Lisa David Olson and find out how she went from a traumatic childhood to being a public speaker at a Ted Talk. Along the way she has found power in the humor and comedy and is even a fellow podcaster! Join us to see how Lisa David Olson is living a life that is Focused on Forward!
For more on Lisa David Olson - Please visit -
www.lisadavidolson.com
Facebook - Lisa David Olson
A Call to Action ft. Paul Forchione
Paul Forchione is a fellow podcaster and a motivation coach. But what makes Paul’s story unique is that Paul was born with Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy is a congenital disorder of movement, muscle tone, or posture. And it can affect muscle movement and coordination. Paul discusses how he learned to deal with this life long disability, and he became Focused on Forward in his life.
Be sure to check out our YouTube Channel and subscribe there as well. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7U3GhXwO8RjkjW97XGeWSA
For more information on Paul Forchione - please visit the following links -
Actions and Limits Podcast - https://www.facebook.com/ActionsandLimits
A Call to Action Motivational Coaching - https://www.facebook.com/A-Call-To-Action-106527044023448
The Safe Circle ft. Eric Harazi LIVE
SHOW LESSJoin us tonight at 8pm EDT #addiction #recovery #sobriety #abuse #drugs are just some of the topics we will cover with our special guest Eric Harazi, the CEO of Coherently Aware Now. Be inspired by his story of overcoming and what he’s doing now to help others For more on Eric and his company - please visit https://www.thesafecircle.org/
The A to Z Healing Toolbox ft. Susan Hannifin MacNab
We talk with Susan Hannifin MacNab about the sudden loss of her husband, and raising her young son on her own. In her journey to deal with grief and mourning, she fell back into her training as a social worker and began to work through her loss. In her work she came to began to work up the multi-award winning book called the A to Z Toolbox.
You can find out more about her work with another group called Soaring Spirits, a group that works to help Widows and Widowers alike. You can look them up here - www.soaringspirits.org
For more information on Susan and her award winning book, please go to her website - www.a2zhealingtoolbox.com - where you can find links for her book and an online copy of the toolbox for your immediate use.
Being with Joy LIVE ft. Joy Gandell
Tonight we talk with Joy Gandell of the podcast - "Being with Joy". We will talk about her daughters cancer diagnosis, and how it affected the family mentally and emotionally. We will talk about the remission process, and how shes doing with her health now, but also how the family worked to become Focused on Forward through this process. We will for sure talk about Joys podcast, what she covers and how she got into podcasting. Starting tonight at 8PM Eastern!
The Underdog Engineer ft. Mel Butcher
This week we have a great conversation with the amazing Mel Butcher. Mels story starts in her youth, but didnt really bloom until the year 2009 when she made some major decisions in life - leaving her steady job, leaving an unhealthy relationship, and trying to figure out her next step. At the same time as this was going on, she lost both of her grandfathers ...
Eventually Mel went back to school even though she was told that Science and Engineering wasnt for women. Im happy to say Mel proved them wrong ... Listen to her story here and then go to the following to find out more about Mel Butcher
www.,melbutcher,.com
Lead to Soar Podcast
Underdogengineers.com
Focused on Forward Live - ft. Nancy Sovran Wish Upon a Teen
This is a replay of a discussion we had with Nancy Sovran. Nancy is the executive director of a very important charity called Wish Upon A Teen. She not only has a personal interest in the success of the charity, but she has a personal experience with her daughter Hope and how Wish Upon a Teen helped hope during an extended hospital stay.
PLEASE go to www.wishuponateen.org and donate to help them offset the lack funding that 2020 & 2021 has brought them due to Covid shut downs.
Also if you go tohttps://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/13102576-rswof?ref_id=22912&store_id=754465- 100% of merchandise profits go to Wish Upon A Teen.
Dismantling Limiting Beliefs ft. Jenny Marie
In this episode we have an open conversation with Jenny Marie about her relationship with her mother as she was growing up. The verbal, physical and mental abuse she endured were very trying and caused some issues along the way. But shes also very clear about how and why she chose to forgive her mother and how she is moving forward in life.
Jenny is now a Life Coach and wants to help others to learn to overcome just as she has learned to overcome. If you are interested in learning more about Jenny - visit her website www.jennymariecoach.com
Nowhere to Go But Up! Live with Sean Dustin
5/28/21 Live Show
Fellow podcaster and host of the Nowhere To Go But Up Podcast, Sean Dustin, joins us to talk about his journey through life dealing with abuse, addiction and prison, how he made changes to that story, and what hes doing now. Be sure to check out his show as well - Nowhere to Go But Up. You can find him on all your favorite podcast destinations!
Visit Sean on his website nowheretogobutuppod.com
The Keith Milano Memorial ft. Larry Sprung
Larry Sprung lost his brother in law Keith Milano to suicide years ago, and since then, he and his wife have been working hard to raise suicide prevention awareness. In fact - Larry now sits on the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Board as a very active member.
He champions mental health and advocates for those who do not yet know how to use their own voice.
We have a discussion about losing loved ones, the difficulties suicide leaves on the everyone else around them, and how we may be able to prevent others from ever having to deal with this too.
You can find out more about the Keith Milano Memorial here - https://keithmilano.org
and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention here - https://afsp.org
If you are in need of someone to talk with - PLEASE CALL 800-273-8255 - YOU ARE NEEDED!
You can find out more about Larry Sprung on his podcast - The Mitlin Money Mindset
Autoimmune Issues and Parenting ft. Anna Graves LIVE
This week on our live show we sit down with the amazing voice actress Anna Graves ( Duchess Satine Kryze on Star Wars Clone Wars) to talk about being the parent of an autoimmune child, what that means in a COVID world, and how they have adapted their life to be "Focused on Forward" If you have questions for Anna about her experiences with this topic - please include them in the comments, and we will do our best to include them onscreen!
For more information on Anna Graves and her voice over work - please look her up on IMDb or follow her on Twitter as @gravyvoice
Hail to the Victor in You ft. Tracy Lowry
Tracy Lowry is the host of the Mulitform PTSD podcast. I had the pleasure of being interviewed on her show (also released today - go check it out!) and talking about why I started this podcast.
But here we talk with Tracy about being a survivor of sexual assaults and how that weighed upon her mind and spirit. We talk about her breakdown and the realization that she needed to do SOMETHING to confront her trauma head on. We talk about Tracy became Focused on Forward and how she became a podcaster! Wonderful and inspiring, thats how I would describe Tracy. Hopefully after this episode, you will too.
For more on Tracy Lowry - please look her up by her name and see her podcast - Multiform PTSD.
Ignorance Was Bliss ft. Kate Wallinga
On 5/14/21 at 8pm EST we will talk with Kate Wallinga - the host of the podcast "Ignorance Was Bliss". Kates podcast is about making just about anything sound normal, from PTSD to podcasting to serial murder. She also has her own story of overcoming after having broken her back in 2014. So lets chat with Kate, about her journey through life with her careers in different fields, talk about her back and lessons learned in her recovery, and about her podcast. Lets find out if Ignorance was Bliss?
You can find out more about Kate at IWBpodcast.com
Successfully Chaotic ft. Maria Daniels
Live with the King! ft. C.L. King
5/7/2021 Live Show
We are proud to bring you a conversation with CL King - CL is a motivational speaker, Public Speaker, and host of the Impacting Life 24/7 Podcast, and just an all around good person!
We will talk about the abuses he endured as a young man, and how he chose to become Focused on Forward.
Family Success Secrets ft. Steve and Katie Keene
Our 50th Episode!
In this episode we talk with Steve and Katie Keene about their journey as parents. From long distance relationships while Steve was in the military to overseas births and immediate health issues to their newborn child, to ongoing health issues for other child yet to come. We also talk about the impact that Covid-19 had on a family with special needs and autoimmune family members.
We also go on to talk about Steve and Katies journey into podcasting. How they got started, why they got started, and how you can learn from them and their guests things that will impact your family. From financial matters to health matters, they are sharing secrets of family success.
You can find their podcast on your favorite audio podcast providers!
From Gangs to Table Tennis Ft. Wally Green LIVE!
In tonights live episode, we talk with Wally Green - professional and world renowned ping pong player, about growing up in New York City in the projects. We talk about gang involvement, how he hated ping pong as a kid, how he ended up in Germany, and how that changed his life. That trip helped him to become Focused on Forward.
We also talk about his trip to North Korea to play Ping Pong, and how he hopes his trip and his involvement in the North Korean Tournament impacted views of people living in the Western Hemisphere.
For more information about Wally Green, you can look for him on Instagram and TikTok.
The Underdog Ninjas Ft. The Madrigals! LIVE!
Tonight we talk with Javie and Jessica Madrigal on our LIVE edition of Focused on Forward. We will talk about Javie's heart issues, Autoimmune issues in their family and how they have changed their life to become Focused on Forward.
For more information on the ways that Javie and Jessica are fighting Heart Disease one day at a time - check out their website www.underdogninja.org - you can also find them on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Hashtag Dad Swag ft. Jay Cee
With Jay Cee we have a deeply open and honest conversation about the abuse he endured at the hands of his mother and her boyfriends. We talk about the dangers of his youth, the invaluable lessons he learned and how that shaped his though processes moving forward. We talk about the experience of serving two years in San Quentin Prison and how that drastically altered his outlook for the positive for himself, but ultimately for his wife and children as well.
But we also talk about his podcast - Hashtag Dad Swag - a show that I love and I urge you all to check out. Jay Cee deeply believes in iron sharpening iron and he uses his platform to help fathers raise each other up and urges them to be 1% better tomorrow than they were today. Always moving forward. Its a wonderful show with a wonderful message.
After an early lifetime of struggles and issues, Jay Cee is definitely Focused on Forward.
You can find Hashtag Dad Swag on all major podcast destinations.
The Sugar Bear Foundation ft. Jennifer Carazo
Tonight we talk with Jennifer Carazo about the loss of her husband. How she is moving forward in life and how that led to the creation of the Sugar Bear Foundation. The Sugar Bear Foundation Supports the Surviving Spouses & Children of Fallen United States Military Personnel.
If you would like to help out the foundation or just find out more about them - please visit https://www.thesugarbearfoundation.org/
Raven Transcending Fear ft. Terri Kozlowski
Our guest this week is author Terri Kozlowski who wrote about overcoming her rape at the age of 11 years old and the trauma that understandably followed that event. We discuss her process, how moving past anger and no longer allowing herself to be identified as a victim gave her power and allowed her to move forward.
We talk about her book, Raven Transcending Fear, its meaning and the importance of the Ravens symbolism to her tribe. If you would like to find out more about Terri and her book you can go to www.TerriKozlowski.com and you will find links to her books, her blog and her podcast called Soul Solutions.
The Body Queen ft. Keisha Tucker
To find out more about her company - The Body Queen, please visit the following places
Internet - www.thebodyqueens.com
Facebook - thebodyqueens
Instagram - the.body.queens
Within the Head of Fredd - A LIVE chat with Fredd Carroll
Tonight we chat with Fredd Carroll. Fredd is an author, podcaster and someone who has overcome some tough adversity. Fredd has worked to overcome physical and sexual abuse, and will tell us what it took for him to be Focused on Forward. Join us live tonight - 8pm EST!
You can find us at -
Focused on Forward's YouTube Channel
Focused on Forward's Facebook Page
and of course, our supportive network - The Scene Snob Channel on Facebook!
The Mental Health Stigma with Mick Manhattan
This is the story of Mick Manhattan. Mick is the founder of the Scene Snobs Network , the network we are newly & proud members of. Mick though isnt just a figure head in the network, he's an active podcaster as well with several of his own shows that he hosts.
We have a deep discussion about Mental Health, why Men have such a hard time with accepting help with Mental Health, and how his backstory in life affected his outlook. There are stories about alcohol, and alcohol abuse, family issues, and reconciling it all.
You can find out more about Mick Manhattan and his shows by looking him up on IMDb.com or going to scenesnobs.com
Kids Need Fathers, Not Visitors ft. Darell Singleterry
The Anxiety Effect ft. Mark Halberg
The Greatest Sports Story You’ve Never Heard ft. Dave Stevens
The Trouble with Rett Syndrome ft. Ceceilia Baker
Today we are talking to Ceceilia about her daughter Delilah, and her condition called Rett Syndrome. According to the website rettsyndrom.org - "Rett syndrome is a rare genetic neurological disorder that occurs primarily in girls and more rarely in boys. Rett syndrome leads to severe impairments, affecting nearly every aspect of the child’s life."
Ceceilia tells us how she and her husband not only deal with this condition, but what they have learned as special needs parents and how much she loves her daughter. But she also tells us how taking care of her is now more difficult with her recent personal diagnosis of Multiple sclerosis or MS.
But despite these challenges, the Baker family as a whole, is focused on moving forward. Oh and if you can - blast some Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars for Delilah .... she LOVES it!
Defying the Darkness ft. Dylan Sessler
Surviving Sexual Abuse ft. “Vicky”
Dealing With Cancer and Grief ft. Chris Johnson
The Littlest Peanut ft. Shannan Wilson
You can buy this book at www.thelittlestpeanut.com and find out more about Shannan Wilson - www.shannanwilson.com
Concrete Cowboy ft. Liz Priestley
Surviving a Pandemic ft. Timothy McLaughlin
100 Acres of Hell ft. Stacey Toy
Aspergers and FANG! ft. Richard Burgin
Free Range Adult ft. Wil Wilson
When Words Fail, Music Speaks ft. James Cox
Don’t Let The Disability Fool You ft. Domo Jones
Man From Somewhere ft. Johan van Vuuren
Wait. What? Y’Nevano ft. Wali Collins
You can find out more about Wali, his book and his new YouTube show "Wait. What? with Wali" from his website www.walicollins.com and his book at www.ynevano.com
The Sales Angel ft. David Angel
Live Interview with Scott H. Silverman
Tonight I had the pleasure of interviewing Scott H. Silverman, a nationally recognized addiction expert. But we also had a special guest CoHost - Tommy Estlund from The Curiosity Hour Podcast.
Listen as Tommy and I ask Scott questions about the impact of Stigma to addiction, how 2020 and social distancing are affecting meetings and presenting challenges to sobriety and more.
You can find more information about Scott at www.yourcrisiscoach.com or simply call him at (619) 993-2738. Scott wants to talk to you and hes ready to listen .... PLEASE dont hesitate to call him