In The Blink Podcast
In The Blink is a podcast about resilience, healing, and the strength it takes to rebuild after life-altering experiences. Hosted by Meagan Oberle, this show dives deep into the realities of grief, trauma, and mental health, sharing personal stories of survival and transformation. Through candid conversations with experts, survivors, and those navigating their own journeys, In The Blink explores the resources, strategies, and support systems that help people heal. Because life can change in an instant—but so can the path to hope.
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7. Nicole Carson | Healing Through Working with Mediums After the Loss of Loved Ones
06/02/2025
7. Nicole Carson | Healing Through Working with Mediums After the Loss of Loved Ones
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to connect with a loved one who’s passed—or how that experience could transform your healing journey? In Episode 7 of In the Blink Podcast, Meagan sits down with Nicole Carson and Audra Brem to explore their deeply personal and emotional experiences with a medium. From grief and trauma to unexpected peace and growth, their stories offer powerful insights into life, loss, and the messages that can come through when you open your heart. Tune in to hear how one phone call changed everything. “Have an open mind to other people who have done that and not be so harsh or judgmental towards that decision. Because everybody in life is on their own journey, and their own healing journey, and trauma is wild. So if you can find a sliver of hope in the darkest time of your life to get through that, and that comes in the form of a medium, so be it.” - Nicole Key Takeaways: Mediums Can Provide Deep Emotional Healing: Nicole and Audra found significant healing through their sessions with Monica, a medium who helped them process grief, understand past traumas, and find peace with the loss of their parents. Letting Go Can Lead to Freedom: Nicole’s journey emphasized the importance of releasing the need to understand everything—particularly her father's suicide—which allowed her to finally feel a sense of peace and freedom. Skepticism Is Normal, Openness Is Transformational: Both Nicole and Audra began their journeys skeptical of mediums but experienced life-changing moments once they opened their minds and hearts to the process. Mediums Can Offer Ongoing Support and Guidance: Monica not only connected loved ones with those who had passed, but also continued to provide emotional and spiritual support, acting as a life coach and parenting guide. Shared Experiences Foster Empathy and Growth: Meagan, Audra, and Nicole found that discussing their experiences with mediums helped them process their pain, grow emotionally, and become more supportive and empathetic toward others navigating similar paths. All About the Guest: Nicole Carson is a passionate entrepreneur and franchise sales expert who owns Star Glow Spray Tan, a successful spray tan studio known for its high-quality service and client care. In addition to running her business, she works in franchise development, helping others pursue business ownership. With a background in marketing and a degree in Public Relations and Marketing, Nicole has built a career on strong relationships and strategic brand development. Her early experiences in dance and professional cheerleading shaped her confidence and leadership. Outside of work, she's a dedicated wife, mother of two active kids, school volunteer, and proud dog mom. Nicole enjoys spending time with loved ones, cheering for the Denver Broncos, and embracing her love of music and dance. Connect with Nicole: Instagram: @starglowspraytan Connect with Meagan: Instagram:
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6. Meagan's View 3 Years Later, Non Profit Launch
05/19/2025
6. Meagan's View 3 Years Later, Non Profit Launch
Join us for a powerful new episode of In the Blank as we reconnect after a three-year pause with a deeply personal conversation about resilience, grief, healing, and purpose. In this heartfelt episode, our host opens up about the life-altering accident that changed everything, her journey through trauma, and the inspiration behind launching a nonprofit to provide prosthetic eyes for those in need. From navigating single motherhood to rediscovering love and building a new life, this episode is a testament to the strength it takes to start again. Tune in for raw honesty, meaningful insights, and a story that reminds us we’re never alone in our struggles. “This journey actually and founding this nonprofit, working on a website, telling my story, has actually been extremely healing. So just going through this process has really helped. All the things I did back in the beginning” Key Takeaways: Importance of Personalized Learning: The episode emphasizes that education should not be one-size-fits-all. There is a strong call to recognize students' diverse learning styles, needs, and contexts to design more meaningful and effective learning experiences. Teacher Agency and Autonomy: Empowering teachers to adapt and personalize learning experiences is a recurring theme. When teachers have the autonomy to make decisions, they can better address the unique needs of their students. Learner-Centered Classrooms: The discussion highlights a shift toward placing students at the center of the learning process. This involves encouraging student voice, choice, and ownership of learning, which can lead to more engagement and deeper understanding. Challenges of Standardization: The conversation critiques standardized curricula and assessments, suggesting they often limit creativity and responsiveness in teaching. Flexibility and adaptability are presented as better alternatives. Importance of Reflective Practice: Teachers are encouraged to engage in continuous reflection to improve their practice. This includes questioning what is working, what isn’t, and how to better support student learning. Community and Collaboration: Building a supportive learning community is seen as vital. This includes collaboration among educators, as well as partnerships with students and families, to create environments where everyone can thrive. Connect with Meagan: Instagram:
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5. Katie Doble | Investigating the Challenges and Clarity that Comes from a Terminal Diagnosis
05/05/2025
5. Katie Doble | Investigating the Challenges and Clarity that Comes from a Terminal Diagnosis
If you’re looking for a conversation full of resilience, humor, and hope, don’t miss the latest episode of In the Blink featuring Katie Doble. Katie shares her extraordinary journey through personal loss, a stage-four cancer diagnosis, and life-changing treatments — all with incredible honesty and warmth. Her story is packed with life lessons about navigating adversity, finding strength in community, and embracing every moment. Listen in and be inspired! “Own the narrative and take control. There's so much right now you can't control, and so figure out what you can and work on that. So just take what you need to make yourself feel like you have the control, but you need to own the narrative, and you need to tell people what you need, instead of letting people tell you what they need” - Katie Doble Key Takeaways: Resilience Through Major Health Challenges: Katie faced immense adversity, including the death of her mother from pancreatic cancer and her own diagnosis with stage-four ocular melanoma. Despite these overwhelming hardships, she adapted with strength and found ways to move forward with her life. Importance of Community and Support Systems: Throughout her cancer journey, Katie emphasized how vital her support network was — from her family rallying around her to friends and the cancer community. She also learned to communicate clearly about what support she needed from others. Power of Hope, Faith, and Signs: Katie found hope through spiritual signs, especially a recurring symbol of hot air balloons she connected to her late mother. These experiences gave her comfort, a sense of connection, and motivation during difficult times. Mental Health Strategies in Facing Trauma: Therapy played a crucial role in Katie’s ability to manage her emotions. Key strategies included focusing on what she could control, owning her narrative, preparing for emotional triggers, and allowing herself to sit with grief rather than forcing positivity. Living Fully with Uncertainty: Katie highlighted the balance between cherishing the present, remembering the past, and planning for the future, even amid uncertainty. She emphasized that living meaningfully doesn't mean ignoring past hardships but embracing all parts of life’s journey. All About Katie Doble: With her captivating presence and insightful perspective, Katie Doble shares her profound first-hand account of navigating a stage 4 cancer diagnosis as a young adult. In her role as a patient advocate, Katie consults with and presents to pharmaceutical, biotech, and clinical supply audiences including the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF), American Brain Tumor Association, American Cancer Society, AstraZeneca, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and the FDA. Recognized for her resilience and advocacy, Katie is a past recipient of the Courage Award from the MRF and the Out Living It Award from First Descents, and she has been published or featured in , NPR, , and TODAY.com. She works as a headhunter in Denver, Colorado, where she lives with her husband, Nick, and their doghter, Alice. Sign up to get updates on when Katie’s book releases and links to her blog, youtube, socials, and published articles or have been featured in: Throughout May, Katie Doble will proudly sport an eye patch daily to support the Eye on Grace Foundation. This non-profit offers crucial financial assistance to ocular melanoma patients traveling for treatment. You can contribute to this cause by donating here: Connect with Meagan: Instagram:
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4. Buck Latta | Exploring a Renewed Sense of Purpose After Loss of Arm
04/28/2025
4. Buck Latta | Exploring a Renewed Sense of Purpose After Loss of Arm
If you've ever faced life-altering loss or unexpected challenges, this powerful podcast episode is a must-listen. It’s a heartfelt, raw, and at times surprisingly humorous conversation about resilience, perspective, and the unexpected gifts that can emerge from even the darkest moments. With stories of physical and emotional recovery, finding joy after tragedy, and the importance of a strong support system, this episode will leave you feeling seen, inspired, and hopeful. Listen in—you won’t want to miss it. “Buy a helmet and run right at life, don't let it stop you. You're going to be sad, you're going to have bad days, and it's going to be awful. I'm not going to sugarcoat it to you, life is going to suck for a while and you'll run into things that will bring you back to really fragile parts of your recovery, and those will be hard, but life is still out there waiting for you.” Key Takeaways The Duality of Loss: Curse and Blessing Loss can lead to profound growth and transformation. The pain is real, but it can bring clarity and unexpected beauty to life. Grief provides perspective; many things that once felt important become trivial. Grieving Is Personal and Nonlinear There's no timeline for healing; grief must be fully felt and honored. Pressure to “just be positive” can be harmful—real healing comes from allowing all emotions. The Power of Community Supportive friends who treat you like your normal self can be essential to recovery. The right tribe helps you maintain humor, identity, and perspective through adversity. Acceptance Through Perspective Loss reframes what matters: being alive, seeing your family, appreciating the little things. Volunteering and hearing others’ stories can shift focus from “poor me” to gratitude. Adaptation and Resilience People are capable of more than they think; with time, you can do almost anything again. Even with physical limitations, it’s possible to thrive and even surpass previous abilities. Humor as a Coping Tool Laughing at yourself can be healing—it’s a form of acceptance and a way to disarm discomfort. Humor creates connection and helps normalize tough experiences. Practical Advice for Navigating Loss “Buy a helmet and run right at life”—don’t let fear stop you. Find things you love and let them distract and fill you up ("distractive therapy"). Don't waste time with people or things that don’t add value to your life. About Buck Latta: Buck Latta is a Colorado native and amputee with deep ties to his family and community. Whether that's helping local businesses successfully navigate benefits strategies or Volunteering, coaching or teaching within the amputee community, local sports teams and non-profits. Buck lives in A-Town (Aurora) with his awesome wife, Cammie and two kids, Kiera (16) & Flynn (14) where he enjoys playing golf with his family and making questionable decisions on the ski hills in Colorado's beautiful high country. Connect with Meagan: Instagram:
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3. Jennifer MacNiven | Healing Through Plant Medicines and Self-Discovery
03/31/2025
3. Jennifer MacNiven | Healing Through Plant Medicines and Self-Discovery
Jennifer MacNiven shares her transformative journey from a career in physical therapy to a path of self-healing and discovery. She opens up about overcoming PTSD, anxiety, and depression through alternative therapies, including plant medicines, yoga, and travel. With experiences spanning 32 countries and 49 states, Jennifer discusses the importance of self-love, feminine energy, and holistic healing. She also introduces her book, Mind, Body, Soul Mate, which explores personal growth and relationships. “My yoga teacher training, especially in myofascial yin yoga, deepened my understanding of meditation and body awareness. It’s like a deep massage that helps release trauma, often bringing unexpected emotions to the surface.” Key Topics: 1. Transition from Medical Device Job to Healing Journey 13 years in physical therapy and neurological rehab before experiencing burnout. A pivotal shift led her to photography and yoga teacher training in Bali. Struggled with anxiety, PTSD, and adrenal fatigue before embracing self-healing. 2. Healing Journey and Discovering Empathy Learning to embrace her empathic nature and overcome personal trauma. The impact of yoga, meditation, and mindfulness on emotional well-being. Finding purpose through photography and working with entrepreneurs. 3. Trauma and Healing through Plant Medicines Overcoming trauma from a past attack and understanding how the body stores trauma. Healing through psilocybin therapy, ayahuasca, and San Pedro. Importance of somatic therapy in conjunction with plant medicine for deeper healing. 4. Understanding Feminine Energy and Self-Love The challenge of embracing softness in a society driven by achievement. Learning self-acceptance and the power of receiving. Cultural contrasts between Eastern and Western perspectives on feminine energy. 5. Transition to Photography and Women’s Empowerment Shifting from medical work to photography, focusing on personal transformation. Empowering women through brand photography and self-expression. Attracting positive energy and living a fulfilling life through joy and beauty. Connect with Jennifer: FB:Jennifer MacNiven IG: @jenmacniven LI:Jennifer MacNiven Book: Website: Connect with Meagan: Instagram: Linked:
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2. Ray Caruso | Navigating Loss and Finding Healing Through Music and Ritual
03/31/2025
2. Ray Caruso | Navigating Loss and Finding Healing Through Music and Ritual
Hi, I’m Meagan Oberle, host of In the Blink. In this episode, I talk with Ray Caruso about the tragic loss of his son, Gavin, in a hiking accident. Ray shares his journey through grief, the support he received, and how he’s finding healing through music and community. "I think this life is bigger than any one person or any one thing. And even though I'm not spiritual and I don't believe in an afterlife, there's still something I believe in the universe." — Ray Caruso Key Topics: The Accident & Its Impact Gavin and his girlfriend, Courtney, were caught in a thunderstorm while hiking. A slip on wet rocks led to Gavin’s fatal fall. Courtney survived and later became an EMT, inspired by the experience. Coping with Loss Ray struggled to face the reality of Gavin’s death. He avoided identifying Gavin’s body and still hasn’t opened his remains. I share my own experience with loss and dealing with Bob’s remains. Healing Through Rituals & Community My therapist emphasized the importance of rituals, like spreading ashes. Ray plans to honor Gavin by spreading his ashes in San Diego. We discuss the emotional challenges of preparing for closure. Personal Growth & Reflection Ray shares how his relationship with Gavin evolved over time. Courtney’s perspective helped Ray see his son in a new light. We talk about the role of community in the grieving process. Creativity & Healing Ray wrote a song, Cross the Line, to process his grief. Music became a therapeutic outlet for him. We explore how creative expression helps in healing. Connect with Ray Connect with Meagan: Instagram: Linked:
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1. Finding Strength in Loss: My Journey Through Grief and Resilience
03/24/2025
1. Finding Strength in Loss: My Journey Through Grief and Resilience
In this deeply personal episode of In the Blink, I open up about my late husband Bob’s battle with COVID-19, his hospitalization, and the heartbreaking moments that followed. I share how I navigated the emotional toll, including my struggles with PTSD, and how the love and support from friends and family carried me through. I also reveal the life-changing accident that led to the loss of my left eye and how these profound experiences have shaped my journey toward healing and advocacy. Through this podcast, I hope to honor Bob’s legacy, help others in their own grief, and provide support to those in need of prosthetic eyes. This episode is about loss and abundance—two sides of the same coin—and the power of storytelling in finding resilience and healing. “People said it was necessary, and I believe it brought closure. It was a beautiful celebration where stories were shared, keeping his legacy alive—especially for Beau to understand how special his dad was.” - Meagan Key Topics Discussed: Bob’s Illness and Initial Hospitalization I recount the early signs of Bob’s illness and the moment we realized he needed hospital care. I describe the peaceful and beautiful end to Bob’s life, playing our wedding song and working with the palliative care team. The emotional impact of his illness, including my PTSD from past hospital experiences. The aftermath of Bob’s hospitalization—processing the loss, experiencing breakdowns, and the journey to acceptance. Life During COVID-19 The unexpected silver linings: spending quality time as a family and forming a close-knit “COVID crew.” Bob’s more flexible work schedule gave us rare moments of togetherness. Despite initial fears, we thought we had recovered from COVID-19—until Bob’s condition suddenly worsened three weeks later. Bob’s Hospitalization and ICU Transfer The devastating moment when Bob was admitted and I couldn’t be with him due to strict protocols. His initial signs of improvement gave me hope, but his health continued to decline. Bob’s resistance to being moved to the ICU and his eventual decision to be intubated. Medical Challenges and Holding Onto Hope Bob’s transition to a ventilator and my unwavering belief in his recovery. Fighting for his transfer to Anschutz Medical Center for specialized care. My obsession with medical data, spending every waking moment at the hospital, and receiving conflicting updates about Bob’s condition. Honoring Bob’s Legacy and Moving Forward The importance of closure and celebrating Bob’s life through storytelling. Why I started In the Blink—to share my trauma journey and inspire healing in others. How I’ve turned my personal tragedy into advocacy by helping others receive prosthetic eyes. Connect with Meagan: Instagram: Linked:
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