155: Empowered to Rise: Reframing the Narrative with Courtney Johnson
Release Date: 06/25/2025
155: Empowered to Rise: Reframing the Narrative with Courtney Johnson
What's Your Shine?
In this powerful episode of What’s Your Shine? The Happy Podcast, Dr. Shine welcomes Courtney Johnson—a powerhouse speaker, advocate, and the founder of Change Course. With a heart for restorative justice and an eye for systemic change, Courtney has dedicated her life to rewriting the story for women in crisis. Courtney’s journey from trauma to transformation isn’t just inspiring—it’s galvanizing. In this conversation, she opens up about her own story of redemption and how it fuels her work to break cycles of incarceration, addiction, and generational poverty. Her nonprofit, Change...
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154: Building Trust, Serving All: Assistant Chief Graves on Policing with Purpose
What's Your Shine?
Join us for an insightful episode of What’s Your Shine? The Happy Podcast as Dr. Shine sits down with Chief Graves of the Grapevine Police Department to explore what it means to lead with heart, humility, and hope in modern law enforcement. With decades of experience, Chief Graves brings wisdom, warmth, and clarity to a profession often misunderstood. “When someone calls 911, they’re not calling to complain—they’re calling because they need help,” she shares. “Our job is to show up ready to serve, with empathy and excellence.” This episode goes beyond policies and procedures...
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153: Designing Connection: Brad Holley on Creativity, Community, and the Power of Outdoor Space
What's Your Shine?
Join Dr. Shine on What’s Your Shine? The Happy Podcast for a captivating conversation with Brad Holley—visionary outdoor designer, creative mind behind Undesign, and winner of the prestigious Million Dollar Pool Design Challenge. In this episode, Brad shares the heart behind his award-winning outdoor environments, which are far more than luxury backyards—they’re places where people gather, celebrate, and grow. He also opens up about navigating imposter syndrome, learning the power of mentorship, and how design can shape behavior and build community. But that’s not all—Brad dives...
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152: Why Boredom Matters: Ashlynn McKay on Screens, Storytelling, and Mental Health
What's Your Shine?
Join Dr. Shine on What’s Your Shine? The Happy Podcast for a powerful and practical conversation with content creator and former educator Ashlynn McKay, as she explores the crisis facing our kids: a silent decline in creativity, connection, and mental health. In this episode, Ashlynn draws from her experience as both a teacher and digital storyteller to unpack what we’re losing in an increasingly screen-centered world—and what we can reclaim. From the pressure cooker of modern childhood in North Texas to the classroom policies that unintentionally squash imagination, Ashlynn shares...
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151: Transforming Your Life One Page at a Time: Klint Guerry on Journaling, Self-Disruption, and Building a Legacy
What's Your Shine?
Join Dr. Shine for an inspiring and deeply personal conversation with Klint Guerry—seasoned executive, author, leadership coach, and the creative mind behind A Guide to Self-Disruption and The Guerry Notebook. As one of the featured contributors to House of Shine’s journaling exhibit, Klint shares how a simple blank notebook—and a desire to rewrite his story—changed the trajectory of his life forever. In this episode, Klint opens up about his journey from a chaotic, unstable childhood to becoming a purpose-driven leader overseeing thousands. He credits journaling as the single most...
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150: What Teens Wish Their Parents Knew: A Conversation with Youth Expert Mimi Loftus
What's Your Shine?
Join Dr. Shine on What’s Your Shine? The Happy Podcast for a heartfelt, eye-opening conversation with Mimi Loftus, House of Shine’s go-to youth expert and self-proclaimed “teen whisperer.” In this deeply relatable episode, Mimi shares powerful insights from real teens about what they wish their parents knew—and how adults can better connect with the young people in their lives. Based on anonymous feedback Mimi gathered directly from adolescents, this episode breaks down three core themes that keep showing up: teens want to be understood, not “fixed”; they need their interests...
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149: Finding Yourself Between the Pages: Travel Journaling with Tien Tran
What's Your Shine?
Join Dr. Shine on this week’s episode of What’s Your Shine? The Happy Podcast for a heartfelt, wanderlust-filled conversation with Tien Tran—global citizen, intentional traveler, and one of the featured journalers in our GROW: Journaling Through the Seasons exhibit at House of Shine. Inspired by The Diary of Anne Frank at age 11, Tien picked up his first journal—a Harry Potter notebook—just weeks before returning to Vietnam for the first time since childhood. That moment sparked a journaling journey that now spans 43 journals, 10 countries, and six continents. In this episode, Tien...
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148: Unlocking Creativity Through Junk Journaling with Peggy Sue Robinson
What's Your Shine?
Join Dr. Shine on What’s Your Shine? The Happy Podcast for an inspiring and deeply personal conversation with Peggy Sue Robinson—longtime friend of the House of Shine, resident creative, and passionate junk journaler. In this joyful episode, Peggy Sue shares her journey from “lurker” on the original House of Shine blog to creative contributor whose influence can be felt throughout our museum space. Together, they explore the evolution of journaling as a practice—not just as a place to write thoughts, but as a powerful form of self-expression. Peggy Sue introduces us to the art of...
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147: Manifestation, Creativity, and the Power of Journaling with Dr. Shine
What's Your Shine?
Join us for a very special solo episode of What’s Your Shine? The Happy Podcast as Dr. Claudia Beeny—aka Dr. Shine—invites listeners into her personal journaling practice and the origin story behind House of Shine’s newest exhibit, Grow: Journaling Through the Seasons. In this candid, insightful, and often hilarious episode, Dr. Shine opens her journals and her heart, revealing how 18 years of spontaneous journaling turned into a powerful manifestation practice that helped bring the House of Shine to life. From blog posts written during preschool pickup to early sketches of programs...
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146: Finding Faith, Hope, and Joy in Uncertain Times Dr. Kim Lozada on Resilience
What's Your Shine?
Join Dr. Shine on What’s Your Shine? The Happy Podcast for a heartfelt conversation with Dr. Kim Lozada, retired educator, cancer survivor, and author of The COVID Chronicles: A Journey of Faith and Hope. In this powerful episode, Dr. Lozada shares how a spontaneous journaling habit during the early days of the pandemic evolved into a published book—one that serves as both a personal memoir and a collective time capsule for a moment in history we’ll never forget. As the world slowed down, Kim picked up her pen. What began as a tool for reflection quickly became a record of everyday...
info_outlineIn this powerful episode of What’s Your Shine? The Happy Podcast, Dr. Shine welcomes Courtney Johnson—a powerhouse speaker, advocate, and the founder of Change Course. With a heart for restorative justice and an eye for systemic change, Courtney has dedicated her life to rewriting the story for women in crisis.
Courtney’s journey from trauma to transformation isn’t just inspiring—it’s galvanizing. In this conversation, she opens up about her own story of redemption and how it fuels her work to break cycles of incarceration, addiction, and generational poverty. Her nonprofit, Change Course, equips women with the tools, training, and mentorship they need to change direction—often for the first time in their lives.
Courtney also shares her profound belief in second chances, the power of proximity, and why the labels we place on people can limit their future. Her voice is a rallying cry for empathy-driven leadership and systems that restore rather than punish.
Key Topics:
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The impact of labels and why reframing matters
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How Change Course offers holistic support for justice-involved women
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The power of storytelling in healing and advocacy
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Courtney’s personal journey and what drives her mission
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Practical ways to get involved and support women rebuilding their lives
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Faith, identity, and reclaiming your worth
Whether you’re in education, social work, ministry—or just passionate about helping people heal—you’ll leave this episode feeling hopeful and equipped to be part of the solution.