Hope Comes to Visit
Hope Comes to Visit is a soulful podcast that holds space for real stories, honest conversations, and the kind of moments that remind us we’re never alone.
Hosted by author, speaker, and former TV journalist-turned-storyteller Danielle Elliott Smith, the show explores the full spectrum of the human experience — from the tender to the triumphant. Through powerful interviews and reflective storytelling, each episode offers light, connection, and presence for anyone navigating the in-between.
Whether you’re grieving, growing, beginning again, or simply craving something real, Hope Comes to Visit will meet you right where you are — with warmth, grace, and the quiet belief that even in the dark, transformation can take root.
New episodes drop every Monday and Friday, so you can begin and end your week with a little light, reflection, and hope.
Episodes
22 episodes
The Gifts Hidden in Life’s Hardest Seasons: Maria De Los Angeles on Caregiving, Cancer, and Midlife Transformation
What if the most difficult chapters of your life were actually preparing you for unexpected gifts?In this moving episode of Hope Comes to Visit, award-winning writer Maria de los Angeles shares how caring for her parents ...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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50:26
A Ray of Light Through the Clouds: Adria Ferrier on Creating Elayne and Honoring Her Mother
Grief doesn’t end with goodbye. For many, it’s followed by a quiet, exhausting weight no one talks about — the paperwork, the phone calls, the endless “to-do’s” that come when your heart has already been broken.When Adria Ferrier ...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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45:44
One Day at a Time: Martha Sharkey on Hope, Loss, and Building “Today is a Good Day” - Episode 19
“Hope has to evolve and change.”These powerful words shaped the extraordinary journey of Martha Sharkey, Founder & CEO of Today is a Good Day — a nonprofit creating a lifeline for families navigating the Neonatal Inte...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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37:59
86,400 Seconds of Hope: Donald Dowridge Jr. on Choosing Purpose Every Day
What would your life look like if you used every single second with intention?This week on Hope Comes to Visit, I’m joined by Donald L. Dowridge Jr., a man who embodies resilience, purpose, and what it truly means to live...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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48:28
Trauma to Triumph: Valerie Rowekamp on Choosing Audacity and Becoming “Hope Personified”
What if the darkest moments of your life were actually preparing you for your greatest transformation?In this week’s episode of Hope Comes to Visit, I sit down with Valerie Rowekamp, whose story is a breathtaking testamen...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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50:22
Boundaries, Broken Places, and Being Mended with Gold - with Aimee Kandrac
What happens when life breaks open in every direction? For Aimee Kandrac, it all came crashing down in a six-week period — empty nesting, a cancer scare, the end of her 23-year marriage, and selling her dream home. But from that breaking point ...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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45:16
The Most Chosen: Miranda Ward on Love, Survival, and Rewriting the Narrative
“You were the most chosen.”These are the words Miranda Ward spoke to her son after he learned he was conceived through sexual assault. In this week’s episode of Hope Comes to Visit, Miranda shares her extraordinary journe...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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42:43
72 Hours, 86 Miles, and a Lifetime of Lessons with Ian Hawkins
What happens when you set out on an 86-mile journey with no athletic background, no clear “why,” and only three days to complete it?For Ian Hawkins — Speaking and Storytelling Coach at Netflix — the answer was far more t...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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43:18
Broken Open: What Grief Teaches Us About Living
Grief shatters us in ways we never imagine possible until we're standing in its wreckage. When Marty died suddenly, almost 2 years ago, on August 13, 2023, I found myself navigating the rawest form of pain while thousands of miles a...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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14:44
Scrappy Grace — Grief, Motherhood & Bold Belief with Kim Moldofsky
What happens when your world breaks open… and you find a way to keep breathing anyway?In this deeply moving episode of Hope Comes to Visit, Danielle sits down with writer, speaker, and bold belief builder Kim Moldofsky, w...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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49:17
Breakdown. Breakthrough. Becoming. - Hope Comes to Visit with Holly Plont
What happens when the life you asked for arrives — and it’s not what you wanted, but exactly what your soul needed?In this episode, I sit down with Holly Plont — a devoted mother of two, wife to her best friend, and a wom...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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54:32
On Her Own Terms - Marla Cichowski's Journey to Motherhood
What happens when the dream doesn't look the way you thought it would — but turns out even better?In this episode of Hope Comes to Visit, Danielle Elliott Smith sits down with former award-winning journalist and communications e...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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48:05
My Story of Redefining Sober: Why I Stopped Drinking — and Started Truly Living
(Because You Don’t Have to Hit Bottom to Choose a Better Life)Six years ago, I made one of the most powerful decisions of my life:I stopped drinking.Not because I hit bottom.Not because I lost it all.But...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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17:32
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The Power of Purpose & Presence with Dr. Dan Peters - Episode 8
There are conversations… and then there are the ones that stay with you.This is one of those.In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Dan Peters—psychologist, executive coach, author, and host of Make It a Great One—for a...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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45:32
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Hope in Action: A Story of Light and Consistency with Carla Birnberg - Episode 7
Hope in Action: A Story of Light and Consistencywith the radiant @CarlaBirnbergThere are people who show up with such unwavering integrity that you feel braver just being nea...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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37:26
Hope Comes to Visit Creating Through the Noise: Finding Art, Hope, and Voice with Little Junior - Episode 6
Finding Art, Hope, and Voice with Little JuniorIn this deeply personal episode, I’m joined by my friend Oliver — a gifted creative, devoted father, loving husband, social worker, and the heart behind the artistic identity Litt...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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39:14
Hope Comes to Visit - Unmasking, Unfreezing, and Uncovering the Real Me - Wendy Faith - Episode 5
A Conversation with Wendy Faith on Surrender, Truth, and Soul RecognitionWhat happens when everything you’ve built no longer feels like you?In this deeply honest episode, creative business coach, author, and late-i...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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43:35
Hope Comes to Visit - Still Here - Hope, Healing and Beating the Odds with Tim MCDonald - Episode 4
What does it mean to be still here when the odds said you wouldn’t be?In this powerful episode, Tim McDonald shares his remarkable journey of being diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer — a diagnosis that carries only a 15% f...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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44:16
Hope Comes to Visit - Letting Go of Certainty, Finding Hope in Maybe with Allison Carmen - Episode 3
What happens when your entire sense of safety is rooted in certainty — and that certainty disappears?In this thought-provoking conversation, author, speaker, and business consultant Allison Carmen shares how her deep attachment to...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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40:52
Hope Comes to Visit - Holding Grief and Joy: Dr. Ashley Wellman’s Journey - Episode 2
In this powerful premiere interview of Hope Comes to Visit, Dr. Ashley Wellman shares her extraordinary story of heartbreak and healing after the sudden loss of her husband. With her four-year-old daughter by her side, Ashley began a j...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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56:11
Hope Comes to Visit - Before There Was Light - Premiere Episode 1
Before there was light, there was isolation and there was grief. There was loss, confusion, silence. In this intimate first episode of Hope Comes to Visit, host Danielle Elliott Smith shares the deeply personal story behind...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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20:44
Hope Comes to Visit - An Introduction - Trailer
Step into the heart of Hope Comes to Visit with this special introduction from host Danielle Elliott Smith. In this short trailer, Danielle shares the intention behind the show and what you can expect from each episode. It's a gentle i...
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Season 1
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1:09