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What happens when you step into an entirely new chapter of your life — and find your greatest joy waiting for you there?

In this heartfelt episode of Glow Wild, host Nicole Gaitan sits down with Kathi Holzer, a former physical education teacher who discovered a deep love for painting later in life. After retiring from a long and fulfilling teaching career, Kathi felt an unexpected pull toward art — a passion so strong her husband built her a backyard studio to bring her creative vision to life.

But Kathi’s story runs deeper than paint and canvas. Diagnosed with **Type 1 diabetes at 40 — and later walking alongside her granddaughter through the same diagnosis — Kathi has transformed her pain into purpose. Her artwork has become a space for healing, joy, and legacy.

In this conversation, we explore:

• 🌿 Finding new purpose and passion later in life
• 🩺 Navigating a major health diagnosis with resilience
• 🎨 How painting became a powerful form of therapy
• 💫 The joy of creating a legacy that lives beyond you

Kathi’s journey is a reminder that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself, embrace creativity, and live in vibrant color.

🎧 Listen now to Glow Wild for an inspiring story about reinvention, joy, and the healing power of art.

Connect with Kathi at her website: https://kathiholzerart.com/

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🌿 Revisiting this incredibly moving episode this week.

In this powerful and heart-wrenching episode, Nicole sits down with Heather Manson—a devoted mother, trauma survivor, yoga teacher, and fierce advocate for pediatric cancer research. Heather shares her journey through the unimaginable: losing her 11-year-old daughter Parker to a rare form of soft tissue sarcoma after a two-year battle filled with surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation.

But Heather's story is not just about grief—it's about resilience, transformation, and choosing purpose in the face of devastation. Just months after Parker’s diagnosis, Heather herself was involved in a traumatic accident that left her with a broken back, pelvis, and foot. She was bedridden, in recovery, while spending countless nights beside her daughter’s hospital bed.

Together, Nicole and Heather reflect on:

• What it means to mother through trauma and loss
• The moments of light that broke through the darkest days
• How grief changes us—not just emotionally, but physically and spiritually
• The power of honoring our children’s legacies through action and advocacy
• The creation of the Little p Project, a nonprofit born from heartbreak and hope

This episode is a sacred invitation to witness what it looks like to keep loving, living, and showing up—even when the unimaginable happens.

💛 About Heather Manson:

• Mom of three: Maisey, Gates, and Parker (who would be 14)
• Founder of Little p Project — supporting pediatric sarcoma research and families in treatment
• Former pharmacist of 17 years
• Yoga teacher and advocate for mindful healing
• Currently living in Park City, Utah with her family

🕊️ In Honor of Parker:

Parker was a bright, brave 11-year-old who loved deeply, fought fiercely, and inspired everyone she met. Her legacy lives on through the Little p Project and the countless lives her story continues to touch.

🧡 Support & Resources:

• Donate to the Little p Project: www.littlepproject.org
• Learn more about pediatric sarcoma: Sarcoma Foundation of America
• Grief support resources: The Dougy Center | Compassionate Friends
• Follow Heather's journey on Instagram: @littlepproject

🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review if this episode moved you. Sharing stories like Heather’s helps build a community of healing—and keeps Parker’s light shining.

Half Serious
Real hardships, raw situations, gallows humor, and no matter what, how to keep going.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

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✨ Podcast Show Notes

Episode Title: Surviving the Palisades Fire: Sarah Silver on Losing Her Home, Rebuilding Life & Finding Strength
Podcast: Glow Wild

In this powerful and intimate conversation, host Nicole sits down with Sarah Silver — a woman whose life was forever changed when the Palisades Fire tore through her neighborhood, destroying her home and so many others.

Nicole and Sarah first met in the most unexpected place — the customs line in Paris this past August. What began as a casual conversation quickly revealed a story of extraordinary strength and quiet resilience.

Sarah opens up about the night she lost everything, the arrest of a suspect connected to the fire, and the complicated emotions that come with seeking justice. She shares what it’s really like to navigate grief in the aftermath of disaster — from the silence after the headlines fade to the slow, sacred work of rebuilding a life.

Together, they talk about:

• 🕯️ What it feels like to lose everything in an instant
• ⚖️ Her emotional response to the recent arrest tied to the fire
• 🌿 The deep lessons she’s learned about resilience, community, and hope
• 🏡 How her idea of “home” has evolved through both fire and recent flooding
• ✨ What she wants others facing loss to know about healing

Today, Sarah continues to move forward with courage and purpose — not just as a survivor, but as a woman determined to build beauty from ashes. She also runs a thriving travel business, Seamless Destinations, helping others create unforgettable journeys around the world.

🧭 Connect with Sarah

🌐 www.seamlessdestinations.com

📸 Instagram: @seamlessdestinations

💛 Join the Glow Wild Community

If Sarah’s story moved you, share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.
✨ Follow the podcast @glowwildpodcast and for more heartfelt, empowering conversations rate, review and follow our show wherever you get your podcasts.
🎧 Leave us a review — your words help amplify stories like Sarah’s.

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