What if the voice that saves your life is your own? In this deeply human conversation, writer and coach David Alan Brown traces the slow erosion of self that came from always being “the good one”—the supportive partner, the present dad, the dependable friend—until one pandemic night he drove in circles, ideating, and realized he needed help. Therapy, awareness, and a surprising validation—“anger is the appropriate reaction here”—reopened his emotional life. From there, David rebuilt with a simple framework: cultivate awareness, honor emotion (without judgment), and take aligned action.

That framework became Convergence, his program for weaving three voices—instinct/emotion, active intellect, and a higher-power “I got you” presence—into one integrated way of living. We dig into functional depression, the gifts inside every feeling (“the gift of anger is motivation”), and how to move from autopilot to authorship—on purpose, one step at a time. If you’ve been drifting through your own story, this episode hands the pen back to you.

• [00:00] Cold open + premise: “Find the simple thing that helps you remember you are worthy…”

• [02:30] Author your life: handing the pen to others vs. taking it back (James & David)

• [05:00] Backstory → “good guy” identity; slow self-erasure by helpfulness and humility

• [10:00] Functional depression as numbness; the lyric that revealed “I haven’t felt anything”

• [11:30] Pandemic triggers; late-night drive and suicidal ideation; choosing to tell the truth in therapy

• [20:00] Relearning feelings without judgment; “anger is appropriate” + the gifts inside emotion

• [29:30] The return of the third voice: “I got you” (story of his son + the inner voice)

• [31:00] Convergence framework: emotion ↔ action ↔ higher-power integration (Venn lens)

• [39:00] Building the program with community conversations; who it helps most

• [43:30] What it’s like to work the program: tools, community, authenticity, love in action

• [48:00] Writing the memoir as unflinching self-inventory; why he knows what he knows

• [51:30] Big life bet: moving to NYC with faith and practices intact

• [53:30] Close: worthiness, simple mantras, one step at a time

• Website: home

• Program: Convergence (details via website/contact)

In middle school, Laura Bratton looked up at the blackboard and the words had disappeared. A rare retinal disease began taking her sight piece by piece—with no timeline, no roadmap, and no way to “prepare.” What followed was denial, panic attacks, and a daily apprenticeship in grit. With parents who refused to lower the bar (see the now-famous dishwasher story), Laura learned to take life inch by inch: get up, get dressed, get to school—win the day. Later, a guide dog in San Francisco became her first big “I can” moment.

In this conversation, Laura reframes two ideas most people get wrong: grief and gratitude. Grief isn’t failure; it’s fuel for grit. And gratitude isn’t loving your trauma—it’s appreciating what helps you navigate it (hello, guide dogs, Siri, and Alexa). Laura shares practical coaching cues for agency (“What’s one step today—one call, one email?”) and leaves listeners with a simple charge for any identity shift: give yourself compassion, then take the first step forward.

• [00:00] Gratitude clarified: not for trauma, but for what helps you navigate it (yes, Siri/Alexa).

• [01:00] The geography-class moment: the blackboard goes blurry; life tilts.

• [05:00] Denial → “I can’t do this” → anxiety and depression.

• [08:30] “Inch by inch”: parents’ day-by-day mantra.

• [10:00] The dishwasher story: standards stay high; victim identity denied.

• [14:00] First guide dog in San Francisco: choosing to embody grit.

• [16:30] Identity + grief: permission to grieve and move forward at once.

• [21:00] Coaching others: acknowledge loss, then ask for one step today.

• [31:00] “Grief fuels grit”: holding both at the same time.

• [32:00] Gratitude practice: three specifics per day, no repeats; the mindset shift.

• [36:00] Myths: gratitude ≠ forced happiness; keep it embodied, not rote.

• [38:00] Agency: you can’t control circumstances, but you can control response.

• [40:00] Core message: “You are still enough” through any identity change.

• [41:00] Where to find Laura & her work: Laura Bratton | Keynote Speaker .

• [43:00] Final charge: self-compassion first, then one courageous step.

• Book: Harnessing Courage: Overcoming Adversity with Grit and Gratitude — Laura Bratton.

• Speaking/Coaching: Laura Bratton | Keynote Speaker (contact, programs, book info).

What if the feeling you can’t explain is actually the clearest voice you have? In this episode of A Joyful Rebellion, intuition coach and speaker Anna Quigley breaks down how to recognize, trust, and train your inner guidance—especially in midlife. Anna shares the surprising “shopping test” that convinced her intuition was real (complete with a last-minute nudge to “just ask”), the freeway vs. back-road detour that saved her 30 minutes, and why she believes midlife isn’t a crisis—it’s a calling.

We dig into the difference between intuition and emotion, why the rational mind can act like a “bully,” and practical ways to create the calm your intuition needs to be heard: two quiet minutes in the car, time in nature, water, yoga, meditation, even a simple tracking sheet to gather “evidence” you can trust. You’ll also learn how intuition shows up—gut feelings, a quiet inner voice, “thin slicing” certainty, and repeating cues—plus questions to rediscover what you loved before life got noisy. This is a gentle, actionable roadmap from distraction to discernment.

• [00:00] Opening: “Have you ever had a hunch so strong it felt like more than a feeling?”

• [02:00] Why intuition (not “woo-woo”)—Anna’s origin story and early seeking

• [04:00] The “shopping test” & the inner nudge to “just ask” (it worked)

• [06:00] Leaving a beloved but toxic job; realizing “it’s my time”

• [07:00] Midlife crisis as calling; what second-act purpose looks like

• [12:00] The practice of calm: meditation, yoga, nature, water; turning down the rational mind

• [13:00] The rational mind as “bully”; emotion vs. intuition (discernment)

• [16:00] Ideas in motion: a scientist’s best insights while running at Torrey Pines

• [18:00] The freeway/back-road story: ignoring guidance = 30 minutes of construction

• [20:00] Client win: “dig a little deeper”—the job that became five times bigger

• [22:00] How to build trust: use a tracking sheet; notice patterns & results

• [24:00] How intuition shows up: gut, chills, inner voice, “thin slicing,” repeating cues

• [31:00] Finding direction: what you loved as a kid; ask friends “what am I really good at?”

• [33:00] A personal example: importing what she loved (accessories) after feedback clicked

• [35:00] Tiny practices: two quiet minutes in the car; water as a shortcut to calm

• [37:00] “Go sit on the mountain”: traveling to an ashram and learning next-step faith

• [40:00] Closing challenge: review your life’s turning points—where was intuition already guiding?

• Coaching & speaking with Anna Quigley (San Diego-based; virtual groups and talks)

• Intuition practice ideas: meditation, yoga, nature/water time, personal tracking sheet