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When Healing Meets Connection: Finding the Real Holiday Magic

Empowering Women, Transforming Lives

Release Date: 11/20/2025

A Thoughtful Beginning: How Stories Guide the Year Ahead show art A Thoughtful Beginning: How Stories Guide the Year Ahead

Empowering Women, Transforming Lives

What if the way we begin a new season of life isn’t by setting louder goals, but by paying closer attention to the stories that have already shaped us? In this episode, Rebecca Hall Gruyter sits down with writer and biographer Cathryn Farr for a reflective conversation about life writing, courage, and the quiet decisions that lead us into unexpected adventures. Cathryn shares her journey of returning to school later in life, studying creative nonfiction abroad, and discovering how facts, memory, and meaning can coexist on the page. She offers insight into her approach to “life writing,”...

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Strategic Unruliness: Starting the Year Powerfully by Choosing Yourself, Your Truth, and Your Power show art Strategic Unruliness: Starting the Year Powerfully by Choosing Yourself, Your Truth, and Your Power

Empowering Women, Transforming Lives

What if the limits holding you back aren’t real, just invisible? In this episode, Rebecca Hall Gruyter sits down with Kim Bolourtchi, keynote speaker, strategist, and creator of Strategic Unruliness™, to explore how breaking the “invisible rules” we’ve absorbed throughout our lives can lead to greater authenticity, fulfillment, and freedom. Together, Rebecca and Kim dive into what it means to lead with Strategic Unruliness™, not as rebellion for rebellion’s sake, but as a mindful practice of choosing yourself, your truth, and your power in every moment. This conversation is an...

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Rebuilding Trust and Reducing Chaos show art Rebuilding Trust and Reducing Chaos

Empowering Women, Transforming Lives

What if the real work of starting a new year isn’t about pushing harder, but about rebuilding trust and clearing the chaos that quietly drains our energy? In this episode, Rebecca Hall Gruyter is joined by Karen Ann Bulluck, bestselling author and leadership advocate, and Allison Williams, attorney and business strategist, for an honest conversation about trust, leadership, and intentional growth. Drawing from their books Embracing Trust and Crushing Chaos, they explore where trust breaks down, why chaos thrives in leadership environments, and how clarity can restore both purpose and peace....

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Heartfelt Conversation and Holistic Alignment: Starting the Year on Purpose show art Heartfelt Conversation and Holistic Alignment: Starting the Year on Purpose

Empowering Women, Transforming Lives

What if the most powerful way to begin the year isn’t by doing more, but by listening more deeply to ourselves and to one another? In this episode, Rebecca Hall Gruyter is joined by Dezlee Hancock and Laurie Hartley-Moore for a rich, reflective conversation about intention, connection, and choosing to live on purpose from the inside out. Dezlee brings the heart of meaningful conversation, how words, presence, and authentic connection shape our relationships, our faith, and the way we show up in the world. With wisdom drawn from both study and lived experience, she reminds us that every...

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REPLAY: Let Your Passions Guide You in the New Year show art REPLAY: Let Your Passions Guide You in the New Year

Empowering Women, Transforming Lives

As we have launched into a new year, it’s time create a year that’s truly aligned with what lights you up. Your core values and passions can guide you toward what truly matters and keep you grounded in your unique identity. In this replay, Rebecca will talk with guests Skye Bellarmine and Gary Fretwell about how their new books flow out of their passions and purpose. Don't let this be a year of just checking off a list of resolutions. Instead, align your actions with your passions and prioritize what truly matters to you. Whether you're releasing a new book, trying a new hobby, or taking a...

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REPLAY: Hopeful Holiday Magic show art REPLAY: Hopeful Holiday Magic

Empowering Women, Transforming Lives

The holiday season can be fraught with all kinds of emotions - some good, some hard. They are full of memories, hopes, expectations, hurts (present and past), gatherings, and plans. How can we navigate all of that with hopefulness? In this replay, our guest, Deborah Wiener and Janet Schmidt, will talk with Rebecca about the ups and downs of the holidays. You'll come away with honest, authentic thoughts about the magic of your holiday celebrations as you close out 2021. As always, you can find our host, Rebecca Hall Gruyter at www.yourpurposedrivenpractice.com. Deborah's online home is at...

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Part 2 of Highlight from the November 14, 2025 Author Summit: Voices That Inspire show art Part 2 of Highlight from the November 14, 2025 Author Summit: Voices That Inspire

Empowering Women, Transforming Lives

This week, we’re excited to share a special feature from our November 14, 2025 Author Summit, an event created to celebrate storytelling, creativity, and the power of words. In this 45-minute highlight, you’ll hear directly from several of our featured authors as they open up about their creative journeys, lived experiences, and the messages behind their newest works. From leadership and resilience to healing, empowerment, and personal transformation, each author brings a unique perspective that reminds us why stories matter. You’ll hear from voices like Debi Corrie, Elaine Damschen,...

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The Transformational Journey: From Cocoon to Soar show art The Transformational Journey: From Cocoon to Soar

Empowering Women, Transforming Lives

What if this season, instead of moving from moment to moment on autopilot, we slowed down enough to notice the quiet transformation happening within us? The kind that invites us to breathe, reflect, and rise a little higher than before. In this special episode, Rebecca Hall Gruyter sits down with Dr. Sharon Arrindell, Inspirational Speaker, Pastor, Counselor/Coach, Maxwell Leadership Certified Trainer, and bestselling author, for an uplifting conversation about growth, healing, and the journeys that shape us. Dr. Sharon, visionary and lead author of the bestselling anthology From Cocoon to...

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Highlights from the November 14, 2025 Author Summit: Voices That Inspire show art Highlights from the November 14, 2025 Author Summit: Voices That Inspire

Empowering Women, Transforming Lives

This week, we’re excited to share a special feature from our November 14, 2025 Author Summit, an event created to celebrate storytelling, creativity, and the power of words. In this 45-minute highlight, you’ll hear directly from several of our featured authors as they open up about their creative journeys, lived experiences, and the messages behind their newest works. From leadership and resilience to healing, empowerment, and personal transformation, each author brings a unique perspective that reminds us why stories matter. You’ll hear from voices like Debi Corrie, Elaine Damschen,...

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When Healing Meets Connection: Finding the Real Holiday Magic show art When Healing Meets Connection: Finding the Real Holiday Magic

Empowering Women, Transforming Lives

What if this season, instead of rushing through the holidays, we slowed down enough to rediscover the magic within us, and between us?   In this special episode, Rebecca Hall Gruyter sits down with two extraordinary women, Amy McKiernan and Amy Weinland Daughters, for a heartfelt conversation on healing, connection, and mindfulness.   Amy McKiernan, author of More Than a Survivor, shares how her “Eight Keys” help survivors of trauma reclaim their voice and rediscover peace. Her story is one of courage, a reminder that healing begins with presence,...

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More Episodes
What if this season, instead of rushing through the holidays, we slowed down enough to rediscover the magic within us, and between us?
 
In this special episode, Rebecca Hall Gruyter sits down with two extraordinary women, Amy McKiernan and Amy Weinland Daughters, for a heartfelt conversation on healing, connection, and mindfulness.
 
Amy McKiernan, author of More Than a Survivor, shares how her “Eight Keys” help survivors of trauma reclaim their voice and rediscover peace. Her story is one of courage, a reminder that healing begins with presence, not perfection.
 
Amy Weinland Daughters, award-winning author and keynote speaker, brings a different kind of magic, the power of handwritten letters. After writing 580 notes to each of her Facebook friends, she learned that slowing down and choosing intentional connection can heal loneliness and bring unexpected joy.
 
Together, the two Amys explore how we can find presence in pain, peace in reflection, and connection in the simplest gestures, especially in a season that so often pulls us away from both.
 
As always, you can find our host, Rebecca Hall Gruyter, at www.yourpurposedrivenpractice.com.
 
Our guests are also online:
 Amy McKiernan: amymckiernan.com | Instagram @amy_mckiernan_author | Facebook Amy McKiernan – Author
 Amy Weinland Daughters: amydaughters.com | Instagram @smokinhotamys | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter
 
About the Guests:
 
 
 
Amy McKiernan is the author of More Than a Survivor: Eight Keys to Overcoming Sexual Assault and Finding a Path to Living a Fulfilled Life. Her book offers a powerful guide for reclaiming self-worth, rediscovering peace, and embracing a life of authenticity after trauma. Beyond her writing, Amy serves as Director of Employee Relations in Education, where she fosters collaboration, communication, and compassion in schools and workplaces. She’s also a wife and mother of two, embodying resilience and grace in both her personal and professional life.
 
 
 
Amy Weinland Daughters is an award-winning author, keynote speaker, and connection advocate who believes that what makes us different is what brings us together. Her work explores the transformative power of handwritten letters, inspired by her own journey of writing 580 personal notes to every Facebook friend she had. Through her humor and humanity, Amy reminds us that slowing down to connect, especially during the holidays, can rekindle the magic of gratitude and belonging.