Phoenix Lessons
Most of us, in the course of our adult lives, have experienced the need to reinvent ourselves. Something happens, life blows up, and now we've got to rebuild. It's easy to get so mired in the grief of our losses and transitions that we wander too long amidst the rubble of ideas we once had about ourselves and our lives, hoping we can make something of what is left after our structures have
come crashing down.
But the fabled Phoenix offers us some guidance whenever we
find ourselves needing to remake our lives. Periodically she burns herself up and rises again from her own ashes. It would be lovely if THE BURNING wasn’t necessary for THE RISING to happen. But it usually is. Lucky for all of us, there is always someone who has gone before us—blowing up their life and then coming back as a stronger-than-ever badass—that we can learn from.
Phoenix lessons are the stories and teachings of those who can show us how to climb out of the ashes and fly again.
Come and learn from those who know how to rise!
Episodes
40 episodes
Age Without Apology with Amanda & Cami
What does it really mean to be “old?" Is there a moment when you’re supposed to hang up your soccer cleats, retire your dance shoes, or put away the baseball mitt for good?This episode challenges the idea that aging has to mean slowing d...
Final Straw with Mindi Rivin
Meet Final Straw — our bold new series hosted by the incredible Mindi Rivin.Every transformation has a breaking point. That split-second when something inside you snaps and you think: I’m done. The job, the relationship...
Would You Run An Ultramarathon? Cami Did!
Would you run a marathon? Now imagine running two back-to-back—no breaks, no excuses, just grit.Cami doesn’t just test her limits—she obliterates them. After a decade of dreaming, training, and refusing to quit, she’s f...
Creativity From the Ashes with Amanda & Cami
Creativity isn’t reserved for artists—it’s something every one of us needs. But what happens when you feel burned out, like the fire has gone out and you’re left standing in the ashes with no energy, motivation, or ideas?The truth is, cr...
One Conversation That Changed Hundreds of Lives with Danielle Neufeld
Danielle’s master’s degree project took her to Thailand, where she interviewed current and former sex workers. One woman’s answer changed her life forever.Twelve years later, Danielle and her co-founder Nee created
Beyond Belief: Getting Religion Out of My Body w/ Heidi Fischbach
After escaping a high-control religious environment, Heidi Fischbach dedicated her life to helping others not just survive—but truly thrive. She holds a master’s degree from Harvard and multiple professional certifications, equipping her to hel...
Be Brave, Not Perfect with Amanda & Cami
Do you have a goal, resolution, or “focus” guiding your year? Even with the best intentions, what happens when you miss a day or fall off track? Cami and Amanda share an honest, uplifting conversation about staying focused on what matters, find...
"You'll never earn more than minimum wage!" with Kristi Lyn Reddy
Kristi Lyn Reddy is one of the strongest women we know—and we know a lot of strong women. She rescued herself and her daughter from domestic violence, built a successful real estate business, won a hard-fought battle with cancer, and r...
Setting Goals with Cami & Amanda
Goals? Resolutions? Bucket lists? How do we decide what’s actually worth chasing—and what “success” even looks like for us? In this episode, we explore how to set meaningful goals, define our own finish lines, and create realistic plans ...
What We Can Learn From a Wills & Trusts Attorney About Loss and Life with Amelia Heath
Wills and trusts attorneys sit at a rare intersection of law, family, and mortality. They see the practical realities of what happens when someone dies—but also the emotional, often messy human side of it. From that vantage point, someone like ...
Aren't You Over It By Now? with Cami & Amanda
It’s incredibly painful when your grief is still raw but the world around you seems to have moved on. That mismatch—between your inner reality and others’ expectations—can make you feel isolated, defective, or misunderstood. But nothing is wron...
Beyond Belief: Finding Choice After A Cult with Debbie McNulty
Debbie has spent much of her life untangling the knots of shame and blame—trying to understand what truly belongs to her and what never should have. While the answers might seem obvious to some, they become far more elusive when you’re raised i...
Beyond Belief: Homelessness to Holiness to Wholeness with Mindi Rivin
Mindi Rivin spent much of her adolescence searching for herself on the streets, navigating instability and hardship. Eventually, she found safety and a sense of purpose at a local community college, where she began to rebuild her life. As a you...
Beyond Belief: The Secret Lives of Women in Extreme Religions
What happens when women walk away from extreme religion? Beyond Belief, edited by Cami Ostman and Susan Tive, shares powerful, personal stories from women who left rigid faith communities. These narratives reveal not only th...
Faith, Fire, and Freedom with Ronna Russell
Ronna Russell is a two-time author (The Uncomfortable Confessions of a Preacher’s Kid, Scold's Bridle) and visual artist. Ronna talks with Cami and Amanda about her multiple times through the pho...
Let's Talk About Sex with Cami & Amanda
Why is it so hard to talk about sex? And if it’s such a struggle, why do we keep coming back to it? This universal experience often leaves us questioning ourselves, our desires, and our relationships. What messages did we absorb as children tha...
Living Your Best Life On the Road w/ Kyle Firstenberg
Kyle Firstenberg has lived through a series of Phoenix moments—periods of profound transformation where life demanded he rise from the ashes and reinvent himself. Each chapter forged a stronger, more intentional version of who he is. The result...
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone w/ Cami & Amanda
Amanda and Cami explore how stepping out of your comfort zone can open your eyes to new possibilities, help you get unstuck, and move through the ashes of what’s no longer serving you. One of their favorite tools for transformation? Travel—not ...
Thank God She's Cute: A Mother/Daughter Journey with Special Needs ~ Jenn Drennan
Jennifer Drennan is a 23-year critical care nurse and the mother of a special needs,disabled and autistic teenage child. When Jennifer’s daughter, Caitlyn, was born in 2010 with congenital, stage 4 cancer, Jennifer was unexpectedly thrust i...
Bad Bargain We Make with Cami & Amanda
We all make bad bargains. We stay in relationships for security or stay in jobs for fear of change while living with consequences that are just too high. Bad bargains keep us stuck in the ashes and make it almost impossible for us to move forwa...
Slow Down! How One Rock Climber Got Her Feet on the Ground ~ Keely Carolan
Keely Carolan, a twenty-three year old rock climber and climbing coach, nearly lost her vocation and avocation when her body started to break down. Instead of giving up her dreams, she learn how to slow down, listen to her body, and embrace lif...
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How Music Saved My Life with Cami & Amanda
Cami and Amanda talk about times and ways music helps them tap into their deep joy. When we are sitting in the ashes, we often distract ourselves from the pain and discomfort, which can be health... to a point. Learn the difference between dist...
Signs of Life with Shannon Knight
Shannon Knight is a psychotherapist, host of The Tarot Diagnosis podcast, and the creator The Symposium, a community of tarot and psychology. Can you use symbolic tools to help y...
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Having the Hard Conversations with Cami & Amanda
How do you talk to your beloved aunt about politics? What do you do when a good friend says something you cannot imagine they believe? We live in polarizing times. But that doesn't mean we have to lose out on relationships which are important t...
At The End of My Hope with Cami and Amanda
Cami and Amanda talk about what how even the helpers need help from time to time. Where do you turn when hope that you have held onto (sometimes for ages) in a certain area fades away? How do you know when to let go of hope and look for another...
