Uncomfy: Sticking with Moments That Challenge Us

What do you do when something happens that you can’t control and you’re terrified of what comes next?

For Laura Lummer, that moment came with a devastating cancer diagnosis. She couldn’t control what was happening or how the people she loved reacted to it, but she could decide where to put her energy.

Laura joins host Julie Rose to talk about fear, the surprising weight of other people’s feelings, and learning to look toward the life ahead instead of the one you thought you’d have.

ABOUT GUEST
Laura Lummer is a certified life, health, and nutrition coach, host of The Breast Cancer Recovery Coach podcast, and founder of Better Than Before Breast Cancer (https://www.thebreastcancerrecoverycoach.com/).

CHAPTERS
(0:00) Intro
(0:51) Meet Laura Lummer
(1:24) Stage Four Shock
(4:15) Choosing to Heal
(5:14) Future Self Mindset
(6:36) Handling Others’ Reactions
(8:31) Better Than Before
(11:16) When Fear Returns
(13:18) Advice to Past Self
(14:24) Wrap Up

After 20+ years covering the news, journalist Niala Boodhoo has seen how easy it is to become cynical.

But she’s choosing a different approach—bringing together two things journalists have traditionally kept separate: faith and the news.

In this episode, Niala joins host Julie Rose to talk about why she’s done keeping faith on the sidelines and what it might add to the way we understand the news and each other.

ABOUT GUEST
Niala Boodhoo is an award-winning journalist and podcast host who has worked with NPR, Axios, Reuters, and the Miami Herald. She is the creator and host of the new podcast “Oh God Now What,” which explores current issues through religious, spiritual, and moral wisdom (https://nialaboodhoo.substack.com/).

CHAPTERS
(0:00) Introduction
(0:47) Meet Niala Boodhoo
(1:13) The Layoff
(1:49) Walking the Camino
(4:33) News Trauma and Faith
(6:30) Reimagining a News Show
(8:50) Oh God Now What
(11:32) Big Questions Sacred Lens
(12:12) Hope Frameworks and Values
(13:13) Wrap Up

An autism diagnosis changed everything for Harry and Gus Psaros—but not in the way they expected.

Together, this father and son share an honest conversation about fear, hope, parenting, and what happens when you stop focusing on limitations and start looking for possibility.

ABOUT GUESTS
Harry Psaros is the author of “From Struggle to Strength”, a memoir about raising his son Gus after he was diagnosed with autism at age 3 (https://www.harrypsaros.com/).
Gus Psaros is a recent Kent State University graduate pursuing a career in physical therapy.

CHAPTERS
(0:00) Introduction
(0:41) Diagnosis Drive Home
(3:21) Early Signs and Denial
(5:06) Gus on Being Different
(6:49) Kindness as Superpower
(7:55) Setbacks
(9:24) Brain Balance Breakthrough
(11:07) Finding Balance and Burnout
(11:58) Senior Year and College Leap
(14:38) Gus’ Vision Board and Big Goals
(15:24) Calling on Dads to Step Up
(18:27) Conclusion

What would you do if something that connected you to someone you loved disappeared forever?

Marriage and family therapist Elizabeth Gruebel shares the heartbreaking story of returning home to discover she'd been robbed and that the one item she treasured above everything else, her late father's Bronze Star, was gone forever.

At first, the loss felt unbearable. But over time, Elizabeth discovered something unexpected: the values, courage, and integrity she associated with her father had never lived in the medal—they had become part of her.

ABOUT GUEST
Elizabeth Gruebel is a marriage and family therapist and a professor of human development and family science at the University of Rhode Island (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grz8axNdgOg).

CHAPTERS
(0:00) Introduction
(0:47) Meet Elizabeth Gruebel
(1:17) The Robbery
(3:25) Losing Dad So Young
(4:21) Finding the Treasure Trunk
(6:28) What the Star Meant
(7:52) Grief and Letting Go
(9:21) Narrative Therapy and Re-storying
(11:35) Avoiding Villains and Victims
(13:24) Integrating the Lesson
(15:07) Conclusion

If you've ever felt guilty for resting, struggled with burnout, or wondered how to sustain meaningful work without sacrificing your well-being, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, award-winning science writer Elizabeth Svoboda shares how years of overwork, anxiety, and burnout led her to rethink everything she believed about productivity. Drawing on the research behind her book, “The Art of Pacing,” she explains why elite athletes rest and recover as intentionally as they train and why the rest of us should, too.

ABOUT GUEST
Elizabeth Svoboda is an award-winning science writer and the author of “The Art of Pacing,” a guide to building a more sustainable, fulfilling approach to work and life (https://elizabethsvoboda.com/).

Hero's Journey Restorying Intervention - https://bostoncollege.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_724BzzxcIUzIEku

CHAPTERS
(0:00) Introduction
(1:21) College Burnout Spiral
(2:36) The Do More Mindset
(3:40) Anxiety and the Quick Fix
(6:18) From Time Management to Pacing
(8:19) Energy Management Rhythms
(9:44) Athletes and Recovery Lessons
(11:27) Re-storying
(13:14) Advice to Younger Self
(14:21) Conclusion