"Santa! I love you!" Those words, yelled out by a random car passenger driving past him brought clarity to a man whose white beard and demeanor immediately evoked the classic image of Santa Claus. He'd been praying about "what to do with all this." Playing the role at Christmas was one avenue he pursued, but the whole "ho ho ho" and commercialism didn't fulfill his spirit. "Santa! I love you!" Something about those words resonated. He went to the courthouse the very next day and had his name officially changed. "Having the name Santa Claus makes my work as an advocate for children more effective." That work; his life's purpose, as is often the case in this podcast series, emanated from his own painful childhood. An overweight child with a disability, he was bullied. And he determined that one day he would stand up for children who couldn't protect themselves. Santa lives in North Pole, Alaska (which is different from The North Pole), and the essence of his message is love: "We can't save people. But we can love them." You'll feel the love throughout this interview, with encouragement to ask for help and laugh more - and how the dark times help us appreciate the light even more. Learn more about Santa Claus at www.santaclausnorthpolealaska.com.

"My mother didn't like me." Born ten months after her older brother died, Stephanie Smith grew up feeling like "the replacement baby." Only she wasn't a boy and her talkative, creative, and effervescent personality broke the mold of her mother's expectations and preferences. From passive-aggressive attempts to "marry her off" to refusing to sign the papers that would allow her to attend the dream college she was accepted to - Notre Dame - much of Stephanie's adult life focused on winning her mother's elusive approval. A prominent government analyst and municipal clerk, the list of her accomplishments could fill volumes. Still, her mother remained cold and disapproving. It wasn't until well into adulthood that, while attending a professional retreat, a leader delivered an "Aha!" moment. "Stop making yourself unhappy trying to make your mother happy." That realization dislodged her from a lifelong cycle of futility. From that point on she says, "I began leaning into who I really was." Stephanie shares three solutions to life's challenges: "You can accept what is, change it, or leave it. If you don't choose one of those, that's the definition of a martyr." Stephanie chose to accept her "mother wound" and now even considers it to be the very tool that made her who she is today. A best-selling author and sought-after speaker, she can be contacted at StephanieDee@ThePinkBriefcase.com. Her book, Values-Based Goal Setting: How to Dream Big and Live the Life You Were Meant To Live can be purchased on Amazon: https://a.co/d/aGQNYs9

When you're winning awards for crushing company goals, chosen to lead and mentor, and generating millions of dollars in revenue, the last thing you'd expect is to be terminated.

Laura Krauss was blindsided.

This politically charged layoff, rendered right before the holidays without even the courtesy of a face-to-face meeting left Laura bitter and grieving.

Even her closest colleagues stopped talking to her.

In dire need of connection, she began posting on LinkedIn, and her message struck a nerve with others who were also grappling with the aftermath of an abrupt termination.

In a true case of pain turning into purpose, Laura created a free online community, "The Layoff Cooties Couch," and her book The Layoff Cooties: It's Them, Not You is helping many navigate the emotional trauma of a layoff.

Because it's not just business. It IS personal.

Find out more about Laura's work and book at www.rippleeffectsales.com.