In this episode of Tales from the Deck, we sit with the Knight of Pentacles, a card of patience, diligence, and the slow but steady commitment to the path ahead.

Where The Fool is the leap into the unknown, the Knight of Pentacles is the daily step, the faithful tending, the willingness to keep showing up even when progress feels invisible.

This isn’t fortune-telling. It’s about reflection and story — about finding yourself in the quiet rhythm of persistence, in the work that shapes us as much as we shape it.

Tales from the Deck is a twice-monthly bonus series within the What’s Your Story? podcast, as well as essays on Substack. Each card opens a doorway into the narratives we carry and the truths waiting beneath the surface.

In this episode:

* Exploring the Knight of Pentacles as a symbol of devotion and endurance

* The balance between patience and progress

* How slow, steady effort shapes both story and self

The card is on the table. The story is yours to enter.

If this resonates, share it with someone else who might need to be reminded that their softness is not a weakness it’s the start of healing.

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We also make The Montessori Dad and Come Back To Earth.

There’s a small wisdom tucked inside every pause. Not the ones you schedule, but the ones that find you—when the kettle takes its time, when silence lingers in conversation, when you realize rushing won’t help.

In this bonus episode of The What’s Your Story? podcast, we explore what happens when we treat pauses not as inconveniences, but as invitations.

💭 What if wisdom isn’t a lightning bolt, but a quiet space where nothing seems to be happening, and yet everything is?

* The Coffee Mug Philosopher appears twice a month, both on the podcast and on Substack.

* For more reflections and full-length conversations, explore the What’s Your Story? podcast archive.

If this reflection resonated with you, consider taking one extra pause today—and see what it’s been holding for you.

Join the community → fragilemoments.org/community

Subscribe for future episodes + articles → storypodcast.substack.com

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Come and share your story on the show HERE

We also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth.

Get full access to Storytelling Alchemist at storypodcast.substack.com/subscribe

In this first episode of Tales from the Deck, we explore The Fool, the card of beginnings, trust, and the leap into the unknown.

Join me as we sit with the archetype of the traveler at the edge of the cliff, carrying nothing but hope and curiosity. This episode is not about fortune-telling, it’s about reflection, story, and the wisdom the cards have to offer us in our own lives.

The Fool invites us to embrace uncertainty, follow intuition, and open ourselves to new possibilities. Whether you’re stepping into a new chapter, facing a decision, or simply curious about tarot, this episode is a gentle invitation to lean into the unknown.

Tales from the Deck will appear twice a month as a bonus series on the What’s Your Story? podcast, as well as essays on Substack. Each card offers a story, maybe even one that mirrors your own.

Topics covered in this episode:

* The symbolism and meaning of The Fool

* Archetypes and personal reflection

* How tarot can guide storytelling and self-discovery

Listen, reflect, and let the card speak.

If this resonates, share it with someone else who might need to be reminded that their softness is not a weakness it’s the start of healing.

Join the community → fragilemoments.org/community

Subscribe for future episodes + articles → storypodcast.substack.com

Say hello on ⁠Instagram.⁠

Comment on this episode HERE

Come and share your story on the show HERE

We also make The Montessori Dad and Come Back To Earth.

You don’t have to be a believer to pray. Sometimes the prayer isn’t even words.Sometimes it’s just the ache of being lost long enough to finally ask for help — not from a person, not from a system, but from whatever else might be listening.

That’s where Sophia’s story begins. On a beach in Egypt. A stranger in a strange place. A whispered please — flung into the air with no expectation of return.

But something answered. And what unfolded from that moment was nothing short of a quiet spiritual rebellion — the kind of path you can only follow barefoot, with everything you thought you needed falling away.

This is not a story about religion. It’s a story about asking. And being met. And letting go of everything that doesn’t survive the meeting.

If you’ve ever felt on the edge of belief.If you’ve ever spoken to the sky and waited.If you’ve ever been changed by something you still don’t fully understand…This one’s for you.

If this resonates, share it with someone else who might need to be reminded that their softness is not a weakness it’s the start of healing.

Connect with Sophia Rose HERE

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We also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth.

There’s a certain magic in the moments before the day truly begins—when the coffee is still hot, the light is still soft, and the world hasn’t yet asked anything of you.

That’s where The Coffee Mug Philosopher was born.

In this special introduction, I’m sharing the heart behind this new twice-a-month bonus series for the What’s Your Story? podcast—a space for gentle, soul-filled reflections you can sip alongside your morning coffee (or tea).

You’ll hear why I believe slowness isn’t wasted time, how noticing small moments can change the way we move through the world, and what you can expect from these short, intimate episodes going forward.

We’ll talk about:

* Why stillness is an active choice (not a luxury)

* The questions worth asking before you check your messages

* How small pauses can reframe an entire day

* What it means to tell stories that breathe

Whether you listen in the quiet of early morning or in the middle of a busy afternoon, I hope these episodes feel like a deep breath you didn’t realize you needed.

Pour yourself a cup. Let’s begin.

I’m excited to introduce Tales from the Deck, a brand-new bonus series within the What’s Your Story? podcast.

In this series, I’ll pull a tarot card twice a month and follow it into the stories, reflections, and wisdom it wants to share. These aren’t fortune-telling sessions — they’re intimate, poetic explorations of archetypes, memory, and meaning.

Tales from the Deck also lives as a written series on Substack, where you’ll find essays that deepen the conversation.

Whether you’re a tarot curious or a seasoned seeker, this series invites you to slow down, listen deeply, and discover the stories waiting in the cards — maybe even your own story.

Subscribe and tune in for these special bonus episodes that bring archetype and alchemy to life, one card at a time.

Join the community → fragilemoments.org/community

Subscribe for future episodes + articles → storypodcast.substack.com

Say hello on ⁠Instagram.⁠

Comment on this episode HERE

Come and share your story on the show HERE

We also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth.

There’s a kind of wisdom that doesn’t announce itself.It doesn’t arrive in the form of a five-step plan or a TED Talk voice.It arrives slowly — in stillness. In the breath you didn’t know you were holding.In the soft return to a body you forgot how to trust.

That’s what this story holds.Not a lesson. Not a formula. Just a quiet unfolding.

Catherine Crestani has walked the long road of returning to herself. Not in a loud, dramatic way — but in a way that feels like rooting.Her presence is medicine. Not because she’s trying to heal you, but because she’s made a practice of honoring her own healing — and letting that ripple outward.

If you’ve ever felt the ache of burnout, the dissonance of performing calm while feeling chaos, or the yearning for a slower, truer life…This one is for you.

A soft reminder:You don’t have to be fixed.You just have to come home.

If this resonates, share it with someone else who might need to be reminded that their softness is not a weakness it’s the start of healing.

Connect with Catherine Crestani HERE

Join the community → fragilemoments.org/community

Subscribe for future episodes + articles → storypodcast.substack.com

Say hello on ⁠Instagram.⁠

Comment on this episode HERE

Come and share your story on the show HERE

We also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth.

Some relationships look like love on the surface — but underneath, they echo the same abandonment, chaos, or silence we learned to tolerate as kids.

This week, I sit down with Dr. Chelsea Azarcon — a deeply thoughtful voice in the intersection of trauma, health, and emotional healing — to talk about the kind of love that breaks us down before it builds us back up.

Chelsea shares her story of surviving a seven-year, emotionally abusive relationship that began when she was just 18. It was a cycle of leaving and returning, of questioning herself, of feeling both addicted to and terrified by the pull of someone who mirrored her early wounds.

What followed was a years-long process of reclaiming her voice, her nervous system, and her sense of worth. This episode isn’t just about relationships — it’s about rewriting what we think we deserve, and learning how trauma lives not only in our minds, but in our bodies and beliefs.

In this conversation, we explore:— The hidden cost of emotionally unavailable relationships— Why chaos can feel like connection (until we unlearn it)— How trauma patterns show up in our health, identity, and nervous system— What it looks like to break cycles without breaking yourself— The power of coming home to your body and your story

If this resonates, share it with someone else who might need to be reminded that their softness is not a weakness it’s the start of healing.

Connect with Dr. Chelsea Azarcon HERE

Join the community → fragilemoments.org/community

Subscribe for future episodes + articles → storypodcast.substack.com

Say hello on ⁠Instagram.⁠

Comment on this episode HERE

Come and share your story on the show HERE

We also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth.