What does it really take to rise after life knocks you down? Not once, but twice? I’ve spent the last few months inviting remarkable women to sit on this couch with me, to be raw, vulnerable, and honest about the challenges that shaped them. And I knew—if I’m asking my guests to go there, then I have to go there too. In this deeply personal episode, I'm flipping the script and sitting down with someone who has walked beside me through my darkest moments: my therapist of 10 years, Lesley Lasker.

Lesley Lasker is a licensed marriage and family therapist and parent education specialist who has been an anchor in my life, guiding me through breast cancer, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and the unraveling and rebuilding that came with both. Today, she interviews me about the hardest chapters of my life, the moments I haven't shared publicly, and the lessons that shaped who I am as a mother, wife, and woman.

This conversation is raw, vulnerable, and honest. We talk about the fear of telling a three-year-old about cancer, the devastation of not being able to hold my seven-month-old son, the shame of needing a wheelchair, and all of the lessons along the way- including the moment I realized the universe was forcing me to stop, breathe, and just be.

In this episode, I share:

• How I discovered my breast cancer while nursing my newborn in the hospital
• The moment I knew something was wrong and called Lesley Lasker to help me tell my daughter
• Going through double mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation with a six-month-old and a three-year-old
• The power of gratitude during treatment: "It could be worse. Be grateful."
• My second diagnosis: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare autoimmune disorder that left me paralyzed
• Losing 20% of my movement every day and planning for life in a wheelchair
• The fear, the waiting, the misdiagnosis, and the moment I learned it had become chronic (CIDP)
• How my community showed up: cousins taking my kids to camp, friends taking notes at the hospital, rabbis praying with me
• The shame and grief of losing my identity as an active, strong woman
• The life-changing lessons the universe taught me through both diagnoses
• Why I believe things happen FOR us, not TO us
• How these experiences led me to launch Journey with Rita and this podcast

The information shared in this episode is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment or therapy. If you are struggling with your mental health or are in crisis, please reach out to a professional for support. You can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free, confidential support 24/7. Help is available, and you don’t have to go through it alone.

✨Follow me on Instagram @JourneyWitRitaOrg

✨Tag me on Instagram and share what resonated with you! Use hashtag #JourneyWithRitaPodcast

The information shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical, psychological, financial, or legal advice

References:

• Connect with Lesley Lasker, LMFT at Lasker & Associates: https://laskerandassociates.com/lesley-lasker-lmft/
• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988
• Connect with Rita @journeywithritaorg and @ritanaffasdesign
• Visit www.journeywithrita.org for more episodes and resources

New Year's resolutions often set us up for disappointment: long lists of goals, mounting pressure, and the weight of unmet expectations. But what if there was a better way? What if instead of waiting for January 1st to give us permission to change, we embraced a process that honors our growth every single day?

In this episode, I share the three powerful practices that have carried me through 15 years of personal transformation, major life challenges, career shifts, and achieving goals that once felt impossible. These aren't quick fixes or empty promises. They're intentional practices that bring clarity, strengthen belief, and reveal the ways we might be standing in our own way.

In this episode, I share:

• Why I don't believe in New Year's resolutions and what I do instead
• How vision boarding creates clarity and trains your mind to recognize your desires
• The power of writing gratitude letters to the universe in the past tense, as if your goals have already happened
• Why resistance while writing reveals limiting beliefs you need to work through
• The importance of working hard, then releasing control and trusting the timing
• How manifestation isn't magic. It's about aligning your actions with your vision
• Why this process has been transformative for me over 15 years
• A challenge to replace resolutions with vision boarding, gratitude letters, and intentional action

When we stop waiting for a date on the calendar and start stepping into a process that nurtures our growth, aligns with our dreams, and honors the life we're meant to live, that's when real transformation begins.

✨Tag me on Instagram and share what resonated with you! Use hashtag #JourneyWithRitaPodcast

Follow @journeywithritaorg on Instagram to keep building resilience through proven guiding principles, practical tools, and weekly inspiration.

The information shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical, psychological, financial, or legal advice

References:

• Connect with Rita @journeywithritaorg and @ritanaffasdesign
• Visit www.journeywithrita.org for more episodes and resources

As women, we're encouraged to be emotionally resilient, spiritually resilient—but financially resilient? We don't talk about that enough. That part of the conversation can feel intimidating or even off-limits. But not here, not today.

Meet Roxana Maddahi: financial advisor, president of Maddahi Wealth, and contributor for Forbes and HuffPost. Roxana's journey isn't just about spreadsheets or portfolios. She's seen what it's like to lose everything—to watch her savings slip away when Lehman Brothers filed for the biggest bankruptcy in history. Out of that painful experience rose her dedication to help others avoid the same struggles.

In this conversation, we explore what financial resilience really means—and how to build the habits, knowledge, and mindsets that help us withstand and recover from financial shocks like illness, job loss, market downturns, or divorce.

Disclaimer: This conversation is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not financial advice. Please consult a licensed financial professional for guidance tailored to your personal situation.

In this episode, Roxana shares:

• The mindset of a financially resilient person: accepting that emergencies are inevitable
• Why meditation is essential for managing financial stress and making clear decisions
• How to build an emergency fund (and why it doesn't have to be all liquid cash)
• The biggest misconception about the stock market—it's not gambling
• Why women are as financially literate as men but 44% less likely to believe it
• Her story of working at Lehman Brothers during the 2008 bankruptcy
• Why she invested her life savings in Lehman Brothers stock—and lost it all
• How watching families lose everything shaped her mission to provide good guidance
• Why 90% of women will have to manage their finances alone at some point
• The importance of finding a financial advisor who truly understands you

✨Tag me on Instagram and share what resonated with you! Use hashtag #JourneyWithRitaPodcast

The information shared on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical, psychological, financial, or legal advice

References:

• Follow Roxana Maddahi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roxana.maddahi/?hl=en
• Visit Maddahi Wealth for more information: https://maddahiwealth.com/
• Connect with Rita @journeywithritaorg and @ritanaffasdesign
• Visit www.journeywithrita.org for more episodes and resources