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What if one of the best ways to find more purpose in our own lives is simply to show up for someone else?

Beth Ann Riechman has made showing up a way of life.

After retiring from a successful career in sales, Beth Ann turned decades of experience, energy, creativity and connection into something bigger: service. Today, she volunteers throughout the St. Louis community, supporting organizations focused on women, children, education, healthcare, literacy and opportunity.

And she doesn't just volunteer occasionally.

Beth Ann says, “I volunteer every day. I don't ever miss a day.”

In this joyful conversation, Beth Ann and I talk about what happens when service becomes part of your identity—and how the skills we've accumulated throughout our lives can become tools for making a difference in someone else's.

We explore Beth Ann's work with organizations including the Assistance League, Junior League of St. Louis, Connections to Success and Dress for Success Midwest; why helping someone feel confident can change far more than an outfit; and how Beth Ann somehow turned dressing as Barbie into another opportunity to serve.

Beth Ann also shares the story behind her Pink Ribbon Good fundraiser, her passion for connecting people with volunteer opportunities that fit who they are, and why she believes there truly is a nonprofit for everyone.

But beneath all of it is a much bigger conversation about purpose.

As Beth Ann puts it:

“All your accolades in life are never going to be on your tombstone… They're going to remember how you made them feel.”

Maybe making a difference doesn't require changing the entire world.

Maybe it begins with deciding to show up for one person, one organization, one community—or one moment that matters.

In this episode:
• Finding purpose through service
• Turning career skills into community impact
• Why volunteering doesn't have an age limit
• Helping women build confidence through clothing and connection
• Beth Ann's Barbie-inspired literacy work
• The mission of Pink Ribbon Good
• Finding the volunteer opportunity that fits you
• Why purpose matters in every chapter of life
• How Beth Ann defines hope

Because sometimes hope comes to visit through the people who simply choose to show up.

You can connect with Beth Ann at fashion1st@msn.com.

I’m so grateful you spent this time with us today.

If Hope Comes to Visit has become a bright spot in your week, I’d love for you to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, YouTube, or wherever you listen so you never miss an episode.

And if this conversation resonated with you, sharing it with a friend, leaving a review, or simply telling someone about the show helps more than you know.

Until next time, take good care of yourself. And remember—your story matters.

New episodes drop every Monday, so you can begin your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv and @HopeComestoVisit

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What happens when someone with nearly sixteen years of sobriety relapses?

More importantly...

What happens next?

In this deeply honest episode of There Is Always a Way, Danielle sits down with writer Heather King for one of the most courageous conversations in the series.

Heather spent nearly sixteen years sober before a perfect storm of grief, caregiving, loss, chronic stress, and emotional exhaustion slowly led her back to alcohol. What followed wasn't just a relapse—it became a profound lesson in grace, healing, and discovering that recovery isn't about perfection.

Together, Danielle and Heather explore what relapse really looks like, why shame keeps so many people silent, how recovery can evolve over time, and why no amount of sobriety is ever wasted.

If you've ever believed you've gone too far...
If you've ever worried you've failed...
If you've ever wondered whether it's possible to begin again...

This conversation is for you.

Because relapse doesn't erase recovery.

And there is always a way.

Connect with Heather on her Substack.

And if this conversation resonates with you, I hope you’ll continue listening to the other extraordinary guests in this limited series – Adam, Laura and Erin. Every story is different. Every path is unique. Together, they remind us of one simple truth that has become the heartbeat of this series—and of my own life:

There isn’t one right way to redefine your relationship with alcohol… but there is always a way.

If any part of this conversation felt familiar... if you found yourself quietly thinking, "I've never said that out loud, but I've felt it," I want you to know something: I see you. You're not alone, and you don't have to figure this out by yourself. That's exactly why I created the ReDefining Sober™ app. It's the support I wish I'd had—a compassionate, personalized space filled with daily guidance, reflections, coaching, meditations, and practical tools to help you build a healthier relationship with alcohol and, more importantly, a life that feels like yours again. Learn more at ReDefiningSober.com or download the app at studio.com/danielle.

xo, Danielle

I’m so grateful you spent this time with us today.

If Hope Comes to Visit has become a bright spot in your week, I’d love for you to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, YouTube, or wherever you listen so you never miss an episode.

And if this conversation resonated with you, sharing it with a friend, leaving a review, or simply telling someone about the show helps more than you know.

Until next time, take good care of yourself. And remember—your story matters.

New episodes drop every Monday, so you can begin your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv and @HopeComestoVisit

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Seven years ago, I made one of the hardest—and ultimately most life-changing—decisions of my life.

I asked for help.

At the time, I believed alcohol was my problem. Looking back now, I know

Seven years ago, I made one of the hardest—and ultimately most life-changing—decisions of my life.

I asked for help.

At the time, I believed alcohol was my problem. Looking back now, I know alcohol was only part of the story.

In this personal opening episode of the special Limited Series There Is Always a Way, I share my own recovery journey—from the first quiet questions I ignored, to the blackouts, shame, and fear that nearly consumed me... to the hope, healing, freedom, and self-trust I found on the other side.

But this isn't simply a story about sobriety. It's a story about learning that changing your relationship with alcohol isn't just about drinking less—it's about living more. It's my goal to normalize the conversation around living alcohol-free - to remove the shame and judgement.

Together we'll explore:

• The warning signs I missed
• Why I hid my drinking
• The Google search that changed everything
• Why alcohol is never truly self-care
• What finally led me to treatment
• Why I believe there isn't one right way to redefine your relationship with alcohol
• And why I created the ReDefining Sober™ app

Whether you're sober, sober-curious, questioning your relationship with alcohol, supporting someone you love, or simply wondering if life could feel different...This conversation is for you.

Because...I promise - there isn't one right way. But there is always a way.

If any part of this conversation felt familiar... if you found yourself quietly thinking, "I've never said that out loud, but I've felt it," I want you to know something: I see you. You're not alone, and you don't have to figure this out by yourself. That's exactly why I created the ReDefining Sober™ app. It's the support I wish I'd had—a compassionate, personalized space filled with daily guidance, reflections, coaching, meditations, and practical tools to help you build a healthier relationship with alcohol and, more importantly, a life that feels like yours again. Learn more at ReDefiningSober.com or download the app at studio.com/danielle.

00:00 Welcome to There Is Always a Way

02:30 Why I'm sharing my story

04:00 My relationship with alcohol begins to change

07:15 Hiding, blackouts, and the Google search I ignored

11:00 The questions I wish I'd asked sooner

13:00 Drinking through trauma

16:20 The intervention that changed everything

17:30 The text message from my children

18:30 Looking in the mirror

20:30 What sobriety has really taught me

23:20 Finding my "thing"

24:45 Why I created ReDefining Sober™

27:00 A message for anyone quietly questioning

I’m so grateful you spent this time with us today.

If Hope Comes to Visit has become a bright spot in your week, I’d love for you to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, YouTube, or wherever you listen so you never miss an episode.

And if this conversation resonated with you, sharing it with a friend, leaving a review, or simply telling someone about the show helps more than you know.

Until next time, take good care of yourself. And remember—your story matters.

New episodes drop every Monday, so you can begin your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv and @HopeComestoVisit

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What if one unexpected "yes" completely changed the course of your life?

This week on Hope Comes to Visit, I'm delighted to sit down with board-certified emergency physician, author, entrepreneur, and world traveler Dr. Calvin Sun, whose journey to every country in the world began with... a lost bet.

What started as a reluctant trip to Egypt eventually became a life dedicated to curiosity, adventure, and saying yes to experiences that most people only dream about. Along the way, Calvin earned his medical degree, practiced emergency medicine, founded Monsoon Diaries, and discovered that the greatest journeys aren't always measured in miles—they're measured by how much they change us.

Together, we explore:

• Why the biggest risk is often doing nothing at all
• How travel teaches us to trust ourselves
• The surprising relationship between fear and hope
• Why uncertainty can be one of life's greatest gifts
• How saying "yes" opened doors Calvin never imagined

Whether you love to travel or simply need a reminder that life often rewards courage over certainty, this conversation will leave you looking at possibility in a whole new way.

Connect with Calvin on his website the Monsoon Diaries.
And find his book by the same name, The Monsoon Diaries here.

00:00 – Welcome to Hope Comes to Visit
01:55 – Meet Dr. Calvin Sun
03:00 – The lost bet that changed everything
05:45 – Egypt, fear, and discovering the joy of travel
08:20 – Choosing medicine after losing his father
13:20 – Why taking the next step mattered more than certainty
17:30 – Traveling through medical school
22:45 – Building Monsoon Diaries
29:30 – Creating a global travel community
35:10 – Lessons learned from visiting every country
41:00 – Traveling with intention and ethics
46:15 – Visiting countries most people avoid
50:05 – How Dr. Calvin Sun defines hope
53:00 – Final reflections

I’m so grateful you spent this time with us today.

If Hope Comes to Visit has become a bright spot in your week, I’d love for you to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, YouTube, or wherever you listen so you never miss an episode.

And if this conversation resonated with you, sharing it with a friend, leaving a review, or simply telling someone about the show helps more than you know.

Until next time, take good care of yourself. And remember—your story matters.

New episodes drop every Monday, so you can begin your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv and @HopeComestoVisit

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For the past several weeks, I've been exhausted.

Not normal tired. Not "I need a nap" tired. The kind of tired that makes you question yourself, your motivation, your energy, and whether something deeper might be going on.

This week, I wanted to share a personal story about finally listening to my body after weeks of brain fog, joint pain, fatigue, and feeling unlike myself—and the unexpected diagnosis that followed.

But this episode isn't JUST about the diagnosis.

It's about the ways we dismiss ourselves.

The ways we explain away exhaustion, grief, burnout, loneliness, resentment, or that quiet feeling that something isn't quite right. It's about learning to listen before life starts shouting.

Together, we'll explore what happens when we stop asking, "What's wrong with me?" and start asking, "What's trying to get my attention?"

If you've been feeling disconnected, overwhelmed, exhausted, or simply unlike yourself lately, this conversation is for you. Because sometimes hope doesn't arrive as a solution, but rather, as an invitation....An invitation to slow down, pay attention, and come home to yourself.

00:00 Introduction: Life Often Whispers Before It Shouts
01:10 Feeling Exhausted and Unlike Myself
02:30 Ignoring the Signs
03:40 A Trip to Minneapolis and an Unexpected Rash
04:30 The Shingles Diagnosis
05:15 What My Body Was Trying to Tell Me
06:00 Why We Dismiss Ourselves
07:00 What Are You Trying Not to Hear?
08:00 The Questions We Already Know the Answers To
09:00 Lessons from Hope Comes to Visit Guests
10:00 Living Intentionally Instead of Perfectly
11:00 What's Trying to Get Your Attention?
12:00 Hope as an Invitation

I’m so grateful you spent this time with us today.

If Hope Comes to Visit has become a bright spot in your week, I’d love for you to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, YouTube, or wherever you listen so you never miss an episode.

And if this conversation resonated with you, sharing it with a friend, leaving a review, or simply telling someone about the show helps more than you know.

Until next time, take good care of yourself. And remember—your story matters.

New episodes drop every Monday, so you can begin your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv and @HopeComestoVisit