What does it mean to live through history, and then spend decades making sense of it?

In this powerful conversation, Rebecca Hall Gruyter welcomes Mimi Nichter, author of Hostage: A Memoir of Terrorism, Trauma, and Resilience, to reflect on a moment in history that changed her life.

In 1970, Mimi was taken hostage in what became one of the first internationally recognized acts of modern terrorism. Decades later, she revisits that experience with the insight of a cultural anthropologist and survivor. Together, they explore fear, delayed trauma, faith, identity, and why it took nearly fifty years to tell this story.

This episode is not just about what happened; it's about how we carry what happened, and what it takes to reclaim freedom long after the crisis ends.

As always, you can find Rebecca at
www.yourpurposedrivenpractice.com

About the Guest

Mimi Nichter, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita at the University of Arizona and a respected cultural and public anthropologist whose work explores core issues shaping contemporary American life. Her award-winning book Fat Talk received the prestigious Margaret Mead Award for making anthropology accessible to a broad audience.

Her memoir, Hostage: A Memoir of Terrorism, Trauma, and Resilience, marks her most personal work. In it, she revisits her experience as a hostage during a 1970 international terrorism incident and reflects on trauma, resilience, identity, and the long journey toward healing.

Connect with Mimi:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miminichter/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mimi-nichter-30673313/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/MimiNichter

What does it take not just to survive, but to truly thrive?

In this March episode, Rebecca Hall Gruyter is joined by Elaine Damschen and Lisa Sitze for a powerful conversation about stepping into personal agency, courageous leadership, and living love in action.

Elaine shares insights from her bestselling book Made in Vietnam, reflecting on heritage, entrepreneurship, and what it means to build something meaningful that outlives you. From co-founding a company recognized on the Inc. 5000 list to mentoring women leaders, she embodies thriving through bold decisions and service-driven leadership.

Lisa brings a deeply personal and practical lens to thriving through her book Facing Your Demons. She teaches that agency is our greatest superpower, the ability to choose how we respond, grow, and move forward. Through her RAD framework, she shows how recognizing emotions, acknowledging responsibility without blame, and deciding your next step creates momentum toward abundance.

Together, this conversation explores how thriving is not accidental. It's built through intention, ownership, courage, and daily choices that align with who you are becoming.

If you're ready to move beyond limitations and create life on purpose, this episode will help you take that next step.

As always, you can find our host, Rebecca Hall Gruyter, at
www.yourpurposedrivenpractice.com

About the Guests

Elaine Damschen is a #1 international bestselling author, speaker, and entrepreneur who believes in "Love in Action." She co-founded Mainstream Electric Heating, Cooling & Plumbing in 2000, growing it into an Inc. 5000 recognized company three times and earning honors as "Woman of the Year" and "Top Entrepreneur of the Year."

Her book Made in Vietnam shares a story of perseverance, heritage, and purpose. Today, Elaine continues to champion women entrepreneurs and skilled trades professionals, preparing to launch Essence Swimwear while mentoring leaders to thrive with integrity and courage.

Connect with Elaine:
Website: https://ElaineDamschen.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576937244149
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elaine.damschen/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elaine-damschen-050006119

Lisa Sitze is a #1 International Best Selling Author, life coach, and advocate for personal agency. Through her book Facing Your Demons, she teaches that thriving begins when we take stewardship over our choices.

Certified through Dr. Sears Wellness Institute, Lisa helps individuals recognize their emotional patterns, release blame, and move forward with clarity. Her RAD framework, Recognize, Acknowledge, Decide, offers practical tools for stepping into empowerment and abundance.

Lisa believes thriving means living with respect, boundaries, grace, and multiple streams of growth, financial, emotional, and spiritual.

Connect with Lisa:
Facebook: Alyssia Rhys
Instagram: lisa_sitze
LinkedIn: Lisa Sitze

What if profit is not the goal, but the outcome of doing leadership well?

In this episode, Rebecca Hall Gruyter is joined by John A. Lanier, CEO of Middle Market Methods and longtime profit rainmaking expert, for a practical conversation about what truly drives sustainable growth. Drawing from more than 40 years of experience and his upcoming book Profit Rainmaking™, John shares how loyal customers, exceptional operations, and inspired teams are built, not forced.

Together, they unpack what customer loyalty really looks like, why operational excellence is a leadership discipline, and how stewardship creates teams that want to win. This conversation is for leaders who want strong results without sacrificing values, and growth that endures beyond short-term wins.

As always, you can find our host, Rebecca Hall Gruyter, at
www.yourpurposedrivenpractice.com

ABOUT THE GUEST

John A. Lanier is the CEO of Middle Market Methods and a trusted advisor to leadership teams committed to excellence and competitive differentiation. His four-decade career has focused on helping organizations cultivate loyal customers, exceptional operations, and inspired teams, while maintaining a "winning the right way" mindset.

Through consulting, speaking, and writing, John brings an infectious passion for principled leadership and sustainable growth. He is also a proud member of a dog-rescuing family.

Website: https://www.profitrainmaking.com/
LinkedIn (Business): https://www.linkedin.com/company/profitrainmaking/
LinkedIn (Personal): https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnalanier/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ProfitRainmakingbyJohnLanier
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProfitRainmaking/

Your story is not set in stone. Do you believe that? Every day is an opportunity to break from old patterns, reclaim your own personal narrative, and step into a future that finally feels like yours.

In this replay, Rebecca talked to author Carrie West about her forthcoming book Life Rewritten. Love is a powerful force in the midst of your story. Rewriting your life impacts the love you experience too! Tune in as Rebecca and Carrie explore transforming the way you see your past and how you can open the door to new possibilities.

As always, you can find our host, Rebecca Hall Gruyter at www.yourpurposedrivenpractice.com. Our guests are also online. Carrie's online home is https://carriekcwest.com/.

About Our Guest

Carrie KC West is an Author, Speaker and Life Story Coach who uses her entertainment industry experience to support clients with their life and business stories. A well-developed, balanced story brings fulfillment and success in business, relationships, and life. She helps people and businesses change the underlying stories that impede their abilities for success. Carrie is a sought-after speaker, webinar leader, and author of the book, Life Rewritten, launching March 2025. Find her at carriekcwest.com.

What if the most loving thing you could do is stop betraying yourself?

In this February conversation, Rebecca Hall Gruyter welcomes back Kim Bolourtchi, keynote speaker, strategist, and creator of Strategic Unruliness™. Kim challenges high-performing women to examine the invisible rules they've absorbed over time, the ones that ask them to stay small, play it safe, or keep performing long after it stops feeling true.

Together, they unpack why so many accomplished women feel stuck even when they're doing everything "right," how these limits take root, and what it truly means to lead with clarity rather than compliance. Kim shares powerful insights from her work with leaders who transformed their teams and lives by choosing alignment over approval.

This conversation is an invitation to see self-leadership as an act of love. Not the soft kind, but the honest kind. The kind that says it's time to stop shrinking and start leading from who you actually are.

About the Guest

Kim Bolourtchi is a #1 International Best Selling author, a keynote speaker, strategist, and creator of Strategic Unruliness™, a bold framework for breaking the rules that no longer serve us, so we can live and lead with radical clarity.

She helps high-performing women stop shrinking, hiding, or performing and start building lives, careers, and communities that reflect the full force of who they are. Whether she's working with executives, entrepreneurs, or everyday change-makers, Kim delivers the wake-up call we didn't know we needed, and the clarity to do something about it.

What if the way we begin a new season of life isn't by setting louder goals, but by paying closer attention to the stories that have already shaped us?

In this episode, Rebecca Hall Gruyter sits down with writer and biographer Cathryn Farr for a reflective conversation about life writing, courage, and the quiet decisions that lead us into unexpected adventures.

Cathryn shares her journey of returning to school later in life, studying creative nonfiction abroad, and discovering how facts, memory, and meaning can coexist on the page. She offers insight into her approach to "life writing," a form of storytelling that honors truth while reading with the heart of a novel.

The conversation also centers on Cathryn's debut memoir, The Last Mile Is Always Three, which chronicles a remarkable group of women hikers who have traversed the Teton range together every Tuesday for 35 years. Through their shared miles, challenges, and friendships, Cathryn reflects on what motivates people to do hard things, keep showing up, and walk faithfully into the next chapter.

Together, Rebecca and Cathryn explore how paying attention to our stories, both written and lived, can help us begin again with intention, perspective, and purpose.

As always, you can find our host, Rebecca Hall Gruyter, at
www.yourpurposedrivenpractice.com

ABOUT THE GUEST

Cathryn Farr is a writer and biographer specializing in creative nonfiction and life writing. She completed her Bachelor of English at BYU-Idaho at age 53 and later earned a Master's degree in Biography and Creative Non-fiction in England. Her debut memoir, The Last Mile Is Always Three, launches February 10 and chronicles the enduring friendships and adventures of women hikers who have journeyed together for more than three decades.

Learn more at https://lifewritingcathryn.com/