22. Year One Reflections: Life Story Methods and Meaningful Living

Life Story Methods and Meaningful Living: Year One Reflections

What if capturing your stories today could transform how others care for you tomorrow? After nearly a year and 22 episodes, I'm reflecting on what I've learned about capturing essence—and why this podcast is evolving to focus on meaningful living right now, not just future care.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why capturing your essence nurtures well-being in the present moment, not just preservation for later
• The many ways to capture life stories: digital storytelling, guided autobiography, photography, music, and video
• How podcasting became my creative outlet and community connector
• Key themes from year one: lived experiences, storytelling tools, visual stories, and person-centred care
• Why I'm changing the subtitle to reflect proactive approaches to life story work
• What's coming in year two: returning guests and new conversations about creativity and identity

This podcast serves:

• Anyone wanting to preserve what makes them uniquely themselves
• People curious about life story work and creative expression
• DIYers learning to capture stories themselves
• Professionals interested in person-centred approaches

Coming in Year Two:

• Kristy Wolfe on my storytelling journey (February)
• Sean Cisterna on Silver Screamers and lifelong learning
• Dr. Cheryl Svensson and Sarah White on the "Second Chances" anthology
• Dr. Angela Roberts on super aging

Connect with Capturing Essence for Care:

• Text the show using the link in your podcast player
• Email: awestruckaspirations@gmail.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/AWEStruckAspirations
• Website: capturingessenceforcare.buzzsprout.com

Enjoying the show? Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and share with someone exploring their life story journey!

Thank you for listening!

Do you have a question or a topic related to "capturing essence for care" that you would like discussed on the podcast?  Text the show using the link above or send Lisa an email:  awestruckaspirations@gmail.com

Interested in learning more?  

• Check out my Etsy Shop
• Visit my YouTube channel or website

Intro and outro music with thanks:  Upbeat and Sweet No Strings by Musictown 

Lisa brings over 25 years of experience working in healthcare settings with older adults. The perspectives shared on this podcast are her own and do not represent the views of any past or current employer. Patient/resident stories are shared only with explicit permission or as anonymized composites for educational purposes.

Transcript

Welcome And Purpose

Lisa 0:04

Welcome to Capturing Essence for Care, where we discuss the importance of incorporating personal life stories into healthcare and share ideas to help you on your journey. I'm your host, Lisa Joworski. As I record this, we're currently in January 2026. And it's really hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that I started this podcast, Capturing Essence for Care, in March 2025. So it's almost been a year. And within that time period, I've recorded 22 episodes. I number my podcast episodes. So the trailer would be number one, but I didn't number that one. So the trailer plus 21 other episodes is really what I'm referring to. And only a couple of those were solo recordings. And I'm going to be very honest and let you know that I'm not so comfortable with talking to myself. I know I'm talking to you, the listeners, but it's really hard as I sit here by myself in front of my laptop that to think that other people are listening and that I'm speaking to other people. But I know that I am. And the reason I know that is because there are several of you who have actually reached out to give your support, to provide your kind words. And I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate that because it does make it feel a little bit more real and that there's a reason to keep going. I am just getting started and I feel like there's so much more to talk about. When I first began, I remember somebody saying, Do you think you have enough information or enough people to reach out to to keep this going? And I quickly, a hundred percent said, yes, absolutely. And I think the reason for that is because every single one of us has a story. And this podcast is all about capturing that, capturing the essence of who we are and how we can do that easily, where we can incorporate those ideas, that storytelling, that personhood, which is what all of us have into the healthcare setting. So this is honestly about bridging the arts, creative expression, emotional expression with our healthcare system and seeing us as unique individuals, which you've probably heard that as the common thread throughout all episodes, which will continue going forward. So today I just want to take a few minutes to reflect on what that experience has been like doing this podcast, as well as touch on what some of the conversations were or the topics that we discussed. And uh yeah, just have a chance to try to do this solo podcast thing and get a little bit more comfortable with it. So please bear with me. And hopefully down the road, I'll see this as a way of capturing my own essence and be able to look back and see how much I've grown and evolved from March 2025. I have interviewed mostly people that I know, a couple that I've reached out to and didn't really know all that well, but most people I have been connected with already. And so this podcast just gave me the opportunity to have a reason to connect with them and have a purpose to have a conversation on a deeper level with individuals, all for the same purpose on capturing essence for care and what that really means to me and to them. So as I sit here and uh think to myself, and I have a little journal that I use. I write and I journal. Um, I don't do it all the time, but I do try to do some kind of, let's say, meditative practice or something that helps to just ground me and get me thinking creatively, or just allow me to be in a space that's quiet. Just a couple of things that came to mind. I wrote down ideas for me to follow. I wrote podcasting has given me an ongoing creative outlet. And that is so true. I don't know about you, but I find that there's moments for me that maybe my mood would have lulls, and that of course still continues to happen. But since starting the podcast, I find that there's always something to look forward to. And because they come out every two weeks and I do interviews in between, I'm doing editing here and there and trying to keep up. But I also have given myself enough wiggle room that there's a few um podcast episodes that are waiting to be aired, that it's just a constant joy. That might sound really weird, but I feel like I've I've found maybe my thing, at least for now, that's really helping me feel like I'm giving back, but I'm also being energized by this work. So it's something that's all my own. And that I've realized has been really important to me. There's things we do because we have to, or things we do because of, you know, work or other roles. But this podcast, it allows me to have the autonomy, maybe that I needed, to have a voice of my own. And when I'm talking about capturing essence for care, I'm also realizing that this podcast for me is capturing my essence. Maybe that will be used for care someday, but it's really capturing who I am and what's important to me and sort of sharing that with you as I go along on this journey. So I see podcasting itself as being a little bit of a blend of journaling, blogging, vlogging, which is video blogging, and also incorporating a little bit of maybe like a talk show into this podcast idea. And it that blends all my world together. I may have mentioned before that when I was applying to university after high school, I originally applied for television and radio broadcasting, and then I withdrew those applications. So I never went down that path. So I feel kind of like things are working out in the order that was meant to happen. Podcasting, I don't think, was a thing in the 90s. So the fact that it is now allows me to have a voice and share messages like this about working with people our age as well as older and understanding the importance of capturing essence and sharing different ways to do that. So, as much as you've heard me talk about um how I think video and capturing video is really helpful. Obviously, I don't do that all the time with the podcasts up to this point, but it's still the voice, it's still the conversations and talking about the importance of video. Video can be a lot of work, but it doesn't have to be, is really uh a message I want to make sure people understand. So, yeah, I get excited each time a new podcast episode comes out. There's something different when I get to sit back and listen to it. So when I interview guests on the podcast, we do the interview and then I listen to it back, uh, do some editing and get rid of the ums and the ahs, the the in-between words, the filler words that we tend to use. So, as much as I'm enjoying listening to the conversation back, I'm really more focused on how it sounds to the listeners in the end. So I'm not sitting back and enjoying um the actual conversation itself. And when you're in a conversation, I don't know about you, but I'm not gonna remember, I don't always remember all the details on what we shared. So for that reason, too, probably good I have this podcast because my memory honestly isn't all that great. I feel like I remember more the emotional message people send rather than the words in the content. So if it seems like I'm not listening, that might be why. Maybe I'm picking up more on what I'm getting from the body language and from the nonverbals than I am the actual words. I need to work on the communication a little bit more when it comes to that. But so I love the fact that once the podcast airs, whether I'm driving in my car or going for a walk, I get to hear that episode and what that conversation is like without doing all the editing. I get to really hear back and be reminded on the content, the information, and the importance of the message that person was sharing with me and how we were really on the same page and aligned in that conversation. Uh, so that's been really enjoyable for me. It's also allowed me to think more broadly around what is capturing essence for care. And just because I have this idea and this the reason that I started this podcast, I'm learning so much about the different ways that we can capture essence. And so now every now and then somebody will reach out to me and ask me a question or or want to be on the podcast or introduce themselves and want to connect somehow. And that is so cool because it's not just around video, it's around people that sure might be doing some kind of filmmaking, but also musicians and artists and thinking about the environment. And those are some things that we've talked about already. But there's lots of different ways and things that we can consider when talking about the subject. So that's been really interesting to me. I love that the podcast has helped me create these connections and share thoughts with one another. And doing so in a non-judgmental way, which is, I think, one of my core, my core values, is not trying really hard not to be judgmental of other people. Uh, so I love the fact that this has provided that opportunity for us just to have conversations with one another and hear each other out and to learn from each other. As I was reviewing the podcast episodes that I've done already, I was trying to think about what those key topics were. And it's a little bit tricky because they really overlap with one another. So we've had some lived experience conversations with Mary Beth Whiton, for example. Mary Beth, I want to thank you here for being my first episode besides my trailer, and yeah, just always being there to support these ideas that I have along the way. And Ron Bellino, who was the caregiver for his dad, and he's also an advocate, so speaks a lot about dementia care, advocacy, and just being kind to ourselves and thinking about our own stories in caregiving roles. So he's number nine. And then I was thinking about uh the common language digital storytellers that I've interviewed so far, and there are several more, so stay tuned. I'm sure there would be more for 2026. But Mike Lang, he started us off for episode number three, and then Christy Wolf was episode number five. Um, Maureen in episode 10, where we talked more. She was her nursing background, is what we kind of focused on a little bit more. And it was nice to be able to talk about her personal experience with doing a video for her dad, who eventually moved into long-term care, and what that experience was like with the long-term care home staff. And um, yeah, I just thought that was a powerful conversation between two friends. So that's a good one to listen to. Crystal Schofield, we talked about the visual stories uh and how her photography background and her personal lived experience being a medical mom for her daughter uh has really helped her to shape her own business in storytelling methods, especially with visual storytelling and digital storytelling. And then also Heather Alicia Knox, which is episode 14, talks about all the ways that we have sort of had similar paths when it comes to storytelling. So she also does guided autobiography, digital storytelling, and photography. So all of us have some complementary models that we do together and separately. And I think it's just beautiful the way that we can work together, collaborate, and be our strong independent selves. Then there are the people who talk more about life story tools and resources and apps, which are fantastic tools for us to keep in mind uh as we're trying to support the people that we're working with. So, for example, Tim and Tannis Roberts talked about Echo Box. They're on uh episode number four, if you're looking. And Laura Boley explained to us about to whom I may concern. So, to whom I may concern is a model where individuals with dementia get together and they're invited to share their stories. And I think there's there's a scribe, and you can go back and listen to that episode with Laura where she explains a little bit more on how that how that works, but they're supported through sharing their stories verbally and written down, and then they perform that story in the end. So they have a scribe that helps them out. And Heather Knox is actually, she's acted as a scribe before. And so then there's a performance in the end where each individual with cognitive changes gets to be a part of that story on writing a letter that they're then saying out loud. So whoever's worried about them or whoever they're wanting to address, they're able to explain a little bit more and describe the challenges, maybe on having a diagnosis with dementia, what that's looked like. And then they talk about specific things that they want to speak about that relate to their own journeys. So it's a pretty cool approach on really hearing people out and hearing their stories. And then Cheryl Svensson spoke for episode number 15 about guided autobiography. It's definitely worth hearing and learning more about the Beer and Center and the work that they are doing around guided autobiography. If you wanted to be an instructor or if you're just interested in taking classes, uh, that's definitely worth checking out. Flora Brown was another one who she's also a guided autobiography instructor, and she's episode 13 and talks more about the deeper meaning, what groups are like, what holding a guided autobiography group is like, um, how to write your own life story. So we talk about a few different things in that episode, too. And then I had the opportunity to interview some videographers and life story filmmakers, uh, who include Sean Daigle, for example, with Memoir Films, and Whitney Myers with Sacred Stories. And so definitely go back and check out their episodes as well. Whitney is episode 12 and Sean is episode seven. So you can listen more to them. There are so many. Then more recently, there's a few learning opportunities, such as through the waiting room revolution with Dr. Sammy Winemaker. They have a podcast themselves called The Waiting Room Revolution. And her and Dr. Sien Siao share ideas on the importance of being able to interact and speak up for yourself, especially around the end of life, or having your own needs met and your own personhood acknowledged and addressed as you're uh looking to support yourself with healthcare needs and speaking up to the healthcare professionals in your life and supporting your healthcare. So that's definitely one that you'd want to listen to, and that's number 16. And then also Dr. Marie Savundrinayagam talks about virtual reality and her work with Be Epic. That's episode 17 and definitely worth hearing about the work she's done on creating avatars where right now long-term care home staff can take this training through virtual reality. And so they're able to try certain approaches and communication techniques that then help them in the real world know what to do, what not to do, what to say, what not to say, what cues to look for in their environment in order to provide the best care possible. And then also I had Megan Smith on the show, and she's a musician, a singer, an artist. My goodness, she she does so many things. But as much as I knew that she wrote songs for other people about their life stories, for example, or about a meaningful moment in their lives, she does so many other things too, like the artwork, like writing a book, but also being able to share her own experience on how songwriting has really touched her own life and how that was her own outlet for being able to share and process her own emotions. And I don't know, when you listen to that episode, something that really stuck with me was about when she was at the kitchen sink washing dishes. And that's when finally she had this moment where the song pretty much wrote itself, one that she was really struggling with that she wanted to write for a person who reached out to her to write a song about his wife who had ALS. And so there's things that I'm learning along the way on remembering to pause, remembering that sometimes when we try so hard, that's not when the ideas come through. And so this podcast is just a little bit deeper than I was really expecting it to be, but in such a perfect and beautiful way. The last podcast episode that I recorded at the very end of December, number 21, was with Beth Fitzmorris. And that was all on the personal experience that she and I had co-creating a digital story for the common language digital story slam. And so that was back in March 2025. So it's pretty neat to think that I started the podcast that same month that we also did that Story Slam. And then I ended that very first year with Beth on the podcast, and that was very intentional. We talk about discovering a video of her mom singing silent night. And her mom had sung in church choirs for 70 some odd years, and she had a beautiful voice that everyone remarked on, Beth said. And Beth had completely forgotten she captured this recording. And then through our discussion, and I remember her, you know. Wanting to find that video to show me of her mom singing Silent Night, she realized that probably showing that video to the recreation staff at the day program her mom attended would have really helped the staff to think about new ideas and engage her mom in singing activities and musical activities in a different way, in a more personal way. But she hadn't thought of that before. And that really is the reason behind this whole podcast. Just sharing ideas that maybe you haven't thought about before. And when I say you, I'm also including me because through doing this, I'm learning about things and ways that we could capture essence that I hadn't really thought about before. In year two, I plan to bring back some familiar guests from the past. Christy Wolf and I have a wonderful conversation that should be coming out in February. And she interviewed me for her podcast, co-created. Um, but I'm gonna air it on the Capturing Essence podcast as well because I think it's pretty cool. It's it's a good conversation, another one kind of like the Maureen Lear one, where the two of us just talk about what the experience has been like, a little bit about what the Story Slam was like, about where things are headed now. Um, so if you want to hear more on my personal story, you'll get to hear her interviewing me, which was yeah, a nice little change. I plan to speak with Sean Sisterna, who's a filmmaker, and he created Silver Screamers. And he did so with the intention of inspiring audiences and really showing that people can continue to learn and grow and try new things outside of their comfort zones. So I can't wait for that conversation. And Dr. Cheryl Svensson is actually coming up very soon to talk more about the Beer and Center and Guided Autobiography and a new anthology, their fourth one, I believe, that they have in their series called Second Chances. So I hope you'll join me for that one as well. So those are just a couple of little ideas on future episodes. Another one will be Dr. Angela Roberts, who will talk about super aging, but those are the ones I'll share with you for now. This experience has been just awesome for me. I've loved every moment of it, as I'm sure you could tell. What I am going to be doing going forward is something I think is sort of exciting. I've really been thinking about the title and wanting to make sure that I'm capturing the reason for this podcast most effectively so that people understand what the podcast is about. And this past year, the podcast was talking about promoting personhood in healthcare settings. And as much as that is still true, that is focusing more on the healthcare need itself. And I think it might be limiting to the audience that I'm hoping to attract. And the audience I'm hoping to attract are people who are proactive and preventative in their mindset. So going forward, you will notice that the podcast is going to still be called Capturing Essence for Care, but the subtitle is changing. Now it's going to be Capturing Essence for Care, Life Stories, Creativity, and Meaningful Living. And in the about section, you'll notice that I've also become more clear on that. So I'm just going to read it to you so that you get an idea of what it's all about. What if healthcare teams knew what lights you up? Capturing Essence for Care celebrates the everyday moments, passions, and stories that make us who we are right now while we're living fully. This podcast explores the many ways we can capture and express our essence through storytelling, photography, video, music, autobiography, meaningful conversations, creative arts, and more. We talk with artists, musicians, storytellers, people living vibrant lives, and experts who help preserve stories. Along the way, we discover how engaging with our creativity and stories isn't just about preservation. It's about nurturing our overall health and well-being in the present moment. Why for care? You know the podcast is called Capturing Essence for Care. Well, it's because life is unpredictable. When we eventually need healthcare support, whether for ourselves or for loved ones, having our essence captured means care teams can see us as whole people, not just patients. They'll know what brings us joy, what matters most to us, and how to connect with who we truly are. This podcast is for anyone who wants to preserve what makes them uniquely themselves, people curious about life story work, personal history, and creative expression, those who believe our identities matter throughout our entire lives. DI wires, do-it-yourselfers, looking to learn to capture stories themselves, professionals interested in person-centered approaches, anyone inspired by hearing how others capture and share their essence. So I'm curious to hear what you think about this. Does that still sound like you as a listener? Am I better capturing the people who are part of this community that we're building? I want to hear from you. I want to hear what you like about this show. I want to hear about maybe where we can improve, what topics I should focus on next, and maybe what you have to offer. Are there topics that you'd like to join me for on this podcast? What programs, products, services, supports, resources, or tools are you looking for in order to live your best life and also to help you think about how you'd capture your own essence for the potential future and people who really need to know who you are and what matters to you, how they can better understand that in a quick, effective way. What do you need to help you do that? I hope to hear from you. I want this to be a community where we can really draw on each other's skills and thoughts and ideas for capturing essence. I came with the video idea, but I'm starting to realize that there are so many different ways that we can capture essence and realizing that it's not just video in healthcare, but um considering our whole environment, considering the day-to-day routines that we do. So I might explore a few more ideas and avenues going forward, but the key message is always about the importance of capturing our essence. I hope you will stay in contact. When you look at the show notes, you can text the show directly. There's a link that when you click on that, it'll lead directly to me. So feel free to use that link. Also, email me right now the email address, which maybe might change in the near future, is awstruckaspirations at gmail.com. That's A W E S T R U C K Aspirations, A-S-P-I-R-A-T-I-O-N-S at gmail.com. I also have a Facebook community page called Austruck Aspirations, and then a YouTube channel with the same name that I started in March of 2020, which I think is when a lot of YouTube channels might have begun. And so you can find different videos on there, including my digital stories that I've done. Of course, not the ones that are private, but you can find ones like Beth's on there, Dr. Flora Brown's on there, and a couple others that might be helpful for you to peruse. Thank you again so much for the people who have joined the show for me to have conversations with as guests, as well as those of you who have reached out to me, given me your positive support, family and friends as I get going with this, and also those of you who have reached out for the first time who have never met before with curiosity and interest in this subject. I appreciate each and every one of you. Thanks again for joining me. Take care, and I look forward to the next time.