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What does it take to go from a life dimmed by control and doubt to a voice that fills pages and crosses state lines on two wheels? We sit with Teri as she walks us through the quiet tactics of emotional abuse—financial gatekeeping, isolation, and the slow erosion of self—and the practical steps that helped her leave for good. A single, measurable boundary around money became the hinge of a new life. Therapy rebuilt lost pillars: work, friendship, and agency. Allies showed up without pressure, offering presence over prescriptions and making room for a choice only she could make.

On the far side of fear, her creativity returned with force. Six weeks after leaving, 50,000 imperfect words spilled out, the first of many drafts that taught her hand to tell the truth. We talk about the craft of becoming an author: embracing messy first manuscripts, partnering with an editor, learning marketing as a skill, and publishing before perfect. Then the story moves to the road—3,102 miles of cycling that rewired identity from “I can’t” to “I did.” Big physical acts can anchor a new narrative in the body, and that proof changes everything.

Teri also shares a hard-won philosophy: throw out the bucket list. Pick the one dream that won’t leave you alone and do one concrete step today. That urgency sharpened after losing her husband Bruce to glioblastoma; because they rode when they could, the ride exists as a finished chapter, not a deferred wish. We close with where to find her work—podcasts that champion indie authors, new books and anthologies—and a toolkit for supporting friends in harmful relationships: reduce isolation, offer specific help, and hold space without judgment.

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Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The co-hosts of this podcast are not medical professionals. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast. Reliance on any information provided by the podcast hosts or guests is solely at your own risk.

Pamela Cass is a licensed broker with Kentwood Real Estate
Natalie Davis is a licensed broker with Keller Williams Realty Downtown, LLC

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Burnout can feel like a locked room; Teri Brown found the key on a tandem bicycle. After years in an emotionally abusive marriage, she rode 3,102 miles across the United States and came home with a bolder truth: the hardest part isn’t “can I do it?”—it’s “what do I want?” From that moment, the words flowed, and a novelist’s voice took shape.

We dive deep into how Teri crafts character-driven fiction that feels timeless. She shows why people in the 1890s and people in 2025 share the same emotional DNA: grief, love, hunger, hope. You’ll hear the origin of Sunflowers Beneath the Snow, a Ukrainian family saga inspired by three pages of real events wrapped in eighty-two thousand words of imagination. Teri explains how she trades perfect, unbelievable protagonists for flawed, compelling humans, and why she’ll delete tens of thousands of words to protect a character’s voice.

Creativity lives in the margins of our lives, so we talk about widening those margins. Teri “storms” along the beach to clear mental noise, writes in long, intuitive bursts, and uses retreats and coffee shops to put distance between the page and the laundry buzzer. We face the guilt many of us—especially women—feel about putting art before chores, and we offer practical ways to build boundaries that honor your work. Then we pivot to play: Little Lola and Her Big Dream, a children’s story about a train who wants to be an astronaut. The twist? NASA later announced its lunar rail concept, turning Lola’s “impossible” dream into a near-future headline.

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Subscribe to Our Weekly ThinkLetter
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Check out our Book Series:

Magical Mornings Journal

Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The co-hosts of this podcast are not medical professionals. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast. Reliance on any information provided by the podcast hosts or guests is solely at your own risk.

Pamela Cass is a licensed broker with Kentwood Real Estate
Natalie Davis is a licensed broker with Keller Williams Realty Downtown, LLC

Send us a text

Ready to stop white-knuckling your goals and actually feel grounded in them? We’re pulling back the curtain on a simple shift that changes everything: moving from performance to presence. When you drop out of the head noise and into embodied attention, your coaching lands, your pitch connects, and your energy stops leaking. That’s the heart of our Reignite Live 2026 experience in Loveland, Colorado—a full day designed to reset your nervous system, reclaim your focus, and turn intentions into action right when most resolutions start to wobble.

We walk through the real reasons January momentum fades and how day 22 becomes a critical inflection point for habit formation. Pam shares how she went from exhausted after sessions to energized by learning to coach from grounded presence, and how that same shift helped win a competitive listing against top agents. Natalie opens up about leaving the “alpha” leadership script, stepping onto big stages after renowned speakers, and using quick embodiment cues to steady her voice and deliver with clarity. This is practical mindset work for leaders, entrepreneurs, sales pros, and anyone who wants to be heard in rooms that matter.

Inside the event arc: Pam leads the journey from invisible to influential, guest speaker Rachel Jayne Groover guides embodiment practices that stabilize attention under pressure, and Natalie helps you craft a clean action plan with habit stacks that actually stick. Expect tangible tools, thoughtful reflection, and space to connect with people who care about growth as much as you do. If you’re craving less noise and more signal in 2026, this conversation lays the foundation—and the event gives you the reps to make it real.

Join us, bring a friend, and give your goals a second wind. Subscribe, share this episode with someone who needs a reset, and check the show notes for the Reignite Live 2026 registration link. Your year can still turn on a dime—ready to step into it?

REIGNITE LIVE 2026 TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW!

Subscribe to The Reignite Resilience Thinkletter

Support the show

Subscribe to Our Weekly ThinkLetter
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Check out our Book Series:

Magical Mornings Journal

Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The co-hosts of this podcast are not medical professionals. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast. Reliance on any information provided by the podcast hosts or guests is solely at your own risk.

Pamela Cass is a licensed broker with Kentwood Real Estate
Natalie Davis is a licensed broker with Keller Williams Realty Downtown, LLC