Life Between Coasts S3 E9: Adversity into Purpose

This week on Life Between Coasts, Leah turns the tables and sits down with Lex, the show's editor and producer, who is usually the one behind the scenes bringing everyone else's stories together.What started as a conversation Lex wasn't entirely sure she wanted to have became an opportunity to reflect on just how much life can change in 18 months. From unexpected challenges and difficult decisions to new beginnings, personal growth, and everything in between, Lex shares what it's been like navigating a season of life that has been anything but ordinary.Together, Leah and Lex explore the balancing act of everyday life, learning to adapt when things don't go as planned, and finding the determination to keep moving forward even when the path isn't clear.It's a different kind of conversation this week, and a reminder that sometimes the people quietly helping tell everyone else's stories have quite a story of their own.Support the show

In this solo episode, Leah shares the story behind Swaying With the Trees and the movement it inspired: The Forest We Become. It’s an invitation to connect through the stories that shape us: our losses, our growth, and the moments that help us find our footing again.Leah reflects on grief, her experience with illness, finding her voice again, and her trip to the TODAY Show plaza. Using trees as a metaphor for resilience and connection, she explores how sharing what we’ve lived through can help someone else feel less alone.She also shares how you can take part by answering one question: When life asks you to bend, how did you remain rooted? Share your story with #TheForestWeBecome and tag Life Between Coasts.Support the show

This week, Leah sits down with Pam for a conversation about family, ambition, and making room for the life you actually want. Pam shares how her close-knit Michigan upbringing shaped her work ethic, why she left a demanding corporate career for real estate, and how she’s working toward a future that gives her nieces and nephews a stronger start.From hunting trips and a family-wide pickleball obsession to honest conversations about boundaries and showing up for one another, there’s plenty of laughter alongside the bigger questions. Together, Leah and Pam explore the value of time, putting your intentions into action, and building a life around the people who matter most.Support the show

This week on Life Between Coasts, Leah sits down with certified health coach Anthony Guastella, whose personal health challenges inspired a passion for helping others.Anthony shares the story behind his journey into wellness and his desire to make complex health topics easier to understand. At the heart of his work is a personal understanding of what it feels like to struggle and a belief that those experiences can become a meaningful way to connect with and support others.From personal setbacks to coaching and podcasting, Anthony shares why supporting others has become central to the life he's building.Support the show

Where we begin doesn’t have to decide where we go next. This week on Life Between Coasts, Leah sits down with Jasmine for an honest conversation about foster care, adoption, motherhood, and building a different future.Jasmine shares how becoming a mother helped shape the life she wanted for herself and her two sons. From moving to a new community to creating a home rooted in communication, encouragement, and opportunity. Together, she and Leah talk about changing familiar patterns, getting comfortable with discomfort, and making room for dreams of your own.It’s a conversation about resilience, everyday choices, and continuing forward, even when you don’t have everything figured out.New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe and join the conversation.Support the show

This week on Life Between Coasts, Leah sits down with Eric to talk about the decision that changed his life, the experiences that shaped his 24 years in the FBI, and the transition into retirement.They discuss the human side of demanding work: navigating difficult experiences, staying connected to family, finding humor, and learning when to ask for support. Eric also shares how writing is helping him revisit his story and why certain songs still take him straight back to his working days.Now, with the badge put away, a new chapter is beginning.Support the show

This week, Leah welcomes Sarah Bean for a conversation about finding purpose, following unexpected opportunities, and the connections that shape our lives.From California’s entertainment industry to publishing and a new chapter in Michigan, Sarah shares how she found her place behind the scenes, helping others bring their stories to life. They talk about the mentors who opened doors, learning to trust what you bring to the table, and how our definition of success changes with family, experience, and new priorities.Sarah also offers an honest look at self-publishing and what it takes to help a book reach its readers. And, of course, she shares her personal anthem!Support the show

This week on Life Between Coasts, Leah sits down with Scott Reisfield for a conversation about writing, storytelling, business, creativity, and all the stories we pick up along the way.Scott has spent much of his life working with words, from marketing and business writing to becoming an author himself. And yes, there’s the pretty incredible family connection to his aunt Greta Garbo, but this conversation is really about so much more than that.Leah and Scott talk about finding the story, telling it well, following the things that make us curious, and how the people and experiences in our lives become part of what we have to share.It’s thoughtful, funny, interesting, and a little reminder that every life has a story worth telling.Support the show

This week on Life Between Coasts Leah sits down with Crystal Bell for a conversation about growing up performing finding her way into teaching taking some big leaps and eventually becoming an executiveCrystal shares the twists and turns that brought her across the country and eventually back to herself including a little time in Italy at 22 and the realization that being busy and successful does not always mean you are happyWe talk about what happens when we start growing from the inside out how that growth can change the relationships around us and what it really means to make space for the person we are becomingIt is a fun honest and very human conversation and we think there is a little something in Crystal’s journey that everyone can recognizeSupport the show

This week on Life Between Coasts, Leah sits down with Michigan native Lee Ehlers for a conversation about following dreams, navigating life's unexpected turns, and recognizing the connections we find along the way.From being a police officer to chasing his dream of becoming a screenwriter, seeing his work come to life on screen, and now working as a real estate agent, Lee's journey is a reminder that life can take us in directions we never saw coming.Along with the exciting highs have come some incredibly difficult lows, including the heartbreaking loss of his loving wife and mother of his children. Together, Leah and Lee talk about dreams, grief, resilience, and all the plot twists that shape who we become.Because life isn't always about having the whole story figured out. Sometimes it's about learning to move through each chapter, and realizing along the way just how connected we all really are.Support the show