Tiny Brave Steps: Real Women. Real Fear. Real Courage Stories. Wed, 27 May 2026 11:28:01 -0600 https://tinybravestepspodcast.buzzsprout.com en-us © 2026 Tiny Brave Steps: Real Women. Real Fear. Real Courage Stories. yes a63b6c2b-98f1-52b7-b34c-1d0cdcab7c16 Bernice McDonald episodic false She was told by her own team that if she got into trouble, they wouldn’t come to save her. She showed up anyway—every single day for fourteen years. She walked into literal fires while fighting one inside her own chest. And one day, she decided surviving wasn’t enough anymore.


That’s one story. There are so many more.


Tiny Brave Steps is where real women tell the truth about the hardest things they’ve ever walked through—and how they found their way to the other side.


Not with some dramatic, made-for-TV moment. But with what I call Tiny Brave Steps - the kind of courage that happens one terrified, trembling choice at a time.


These are women who’ve faced the fire. 


A surgery that stole everything and gave her more than she ever imagined. 

A caregiving journey with no finish line. 

A fourteen-year silence finally broken. 


These aren’t superhero stories. They’re your-neighbor, your-sister, your-friend stories. The kind where you listen and think, That could be me.


I’m Bernice McDonald, Creator of the Tiny Brave Steps method and author of The Little Books of Courage. 


Each episode, I walk you through one woman’s journey using the Courage Map - a path from feeling “not enough” to becoming “brave enough.” 


You’ll hear her real voice. Her real fear. And the real moment she decided to take that next step - even though her hands were shaking.


Because here’s the truth I want you to know: Courage is never the absence of fear. It’s the judgment that something matters more than the fear.


If you’ve ever whispered I’m not brave enough for this—this podcast was made for you.


New episodes weekly. Bring your heart. Leave with courage.





]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) Bernice McDonald https://storage.buzzsprout.com/s6jiasb45pzohtvx0gyxqrj33g12?.jpg Tiny Brave Steps: Real Women. Real Fear. Real Courage Stories. Chery's Story: Facing Trauma As A Small But Mighty Ninja Warrior Chery's Story: Facing Trauma As A Small But Mighty Ninja Warrior Send us Fan Mail

At 44, Cheryl Ilov walked into a doctor's office and walked out changed. 

When the people she trusted most refused to believe her, she buried it. For a year and a half, she held herself together. 

And then she didn't. 

What pulled her back wasn't therapy or time. It was an acupuncturist who wouldn't stop talking about ninjas. 

This is the story of a fussy girl in pointe shoes who became her teacher's first female black belt — and what she discovered along the way about strength she'd been carrying her whole life.

CONNECT WITH CHERYL ILOV:

https://www.cherylilov.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylilovvitalityconsultant/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU0oIAa1eygYtcRPuNnLv1g

FIND CHERYL'S BOOKS HERE.

Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author. 

Need to find YOUR Next Step through a hard thing you're facing? Have a simple conversation with the Tiny Brave Steps Generator AI:  www.tinybravesteps.com.

Connect with Bernice:  

Email: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Website: www.tinybravesteps.com

Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/

If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it.

Do YOU have a Courage Story you'd like to share? Send Bernice a message. 

]]> Send us Fan Mail

At 44, Cheryl Ilov walked into a doctor's office and walked out changed. 

When the people she trusted most refused to believe her, she buried it. For a year and a half, she held herself together. 

And then she didn't. 

What pulled her back wasn't therapy or time. It was an acupuncturist who wouldn't stop talking about ninjas. 

This is the story of a fussy girl in pointe shoes who became her teacher's first female black belt — and what she discovered along the way about strength she'd been carrying her whole life.

CONNECT WITH CHERYL ILOV:

https://www.cherylilov.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylilovvitalityconsultant/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU0oIAa1eygYtcRPuNnLv1g

FIND CHERYL'S BOOKS HERE.

Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author. 

Need to find YOUR Next Step through a hard thing you're facing? Have a simple conversation with the Tiny Brave Steps Generator AI:  www.tinybravesteps.com.

Connect with Bernice:  

Email: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Website: www.tinybravesteps.com

Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/

If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it.

Do YOU have a Courage Story you'd like to share? Send Bernice a message. 

]]> Bernice McDonald Buzzsprout-19241672 Tue, 26 May 2026 11:00:00 -0600 1667 courage,women's stories,trauma recovery,martial arts,midlife women,self-defense,inner strength,finding your voice,Nippo Taijutsu,black belt,real women real courage,tiny brave steps,Cheryl Ilov,not enough,brave enough 1 9 full false Mary Beth's Story: The Year The Unthinkable Struck Twice Mary Beth's Story: The Year The Unthinkable Struck Twice Send us Fan Mail

In January 2019, Mary Beth went in for a routine appointment and came out with a cancer diagnosis. Ten days after her own surgery, her husband received a diagnosis with a five percent survival rate. 

What followed was a year that asked everything of her — and she showed up for all of it.

This is a story about what you do when the weight is too heavy to carry alone. About the song you put on repeat. About the meltdown in the hotel hallway that let you walk back into the room. 

About the strange courage it takes not to hold on, but to let go.

Mary Beth Plank Mezo is a coach who helps women move from feeling like life is happening to them to knowing they can respond to whatever life brings. This story is where that conviction was forged.

If you are the one holding everything together right now, this episode was made for you.


Connect with Mary Beth:

https://www.lifeleadershipessentials.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/

https://www.facebook.com/marybethLLE


Find your next Tiny Brave Step: www.tinybravesteps.com

Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author. 

Need to find YOUR Next Step through a hard thing you're facing? Have a simple conversation with the Tiny Brave Steps Generator AI:  www.tinybravesteps.com.

Connect with Bernice:  

Email: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Website: www.tinybravesteps.com

Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/

If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it.

Do YOU have a Courage Story you'd like to share? Send Bernice a message. 

]]> Send us Fan Mail

In January 2019, Mary Beth went in for a routine appointment and came out with a cancer diagnosis. Ten days after her own surgery, her husband received a diagnosis with a five percent survival rate. 

What followed was a year that asked everything of her — and she showed up for all of it.

This is a story about what you do when the weight is too heavy to carry alone. About the song you put on repeat. About the meltdown in the hotel hallway that let you walk back into the room. 

About the strange courage it takes not to hold on, but to let go.

Mary Beth Plank Mezo is a coach who helps women move from feeling like life is happening to them to knowing they can respond to whatever life brings. This story is where that conviction was forged.

If you are the one holding everything together right now, this episode was made for you.


Connect with Mary Beth:

https://www.lifeleadershipessentials.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/

https://www.facebook.com/marybethLLE


Find your next Tiny Brave Step: www.tinybravesteps.com

Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author. 

Need to find YOUR Next Step through a hard thing you're facing? Have a simple conversation with the Tiny Brave Steps Generator AI:  www.tinybravesteps.com.

Connect with Bernice:  

Email: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Website: www.tinybravesteps.com

Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/

If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it.

Do YOU have a Courage Story you'd like to share? Send Bernice a message. 

]]> Bernice McDonald Buzzsprout-19185938 Fri, 15 May 2026 16:00:00 -0600 1678 courage, cancer,caregiver,faith, etting go,women’s health,resilience,marriage,coaching,tiny brave steps,pancreatic cancer,uterine cancer,fear,community,support,midlife women,health crisis 1 9 full false Kelly's Story: She Stopped Building Everyone Else's Dream Kelly's Story: She Stopped Building Everyone Else's Dream Send us Fan Mail

For twenty years, Kelly Schuknecht was the woman behind the vision. 

Two CEOs. Two decades. She made everything happen — the platforms, the books, the speaking events, the brand. 

She was exceptional at it. And she was invisible doing it. 

Then, a company acquisition decided she wasn't needed anymore. The layoff hit her harder than she expected. Not just professionally. Deep down, in the place where we keep the questions we're afraid to ask out loud. 

Why didn't they think I was enough to keep? 

The morning after, Kelly made a decision. She wasn't going to go looking for one more person to be the person behind. She opened a spreadsheet, typed three words at the top — Can We Do This? — and started building something of her own. 

This episode is about what courage looks like when the wound is still fresh, and the story isn't finished yet. 

It's about the dream you've been writing down but haven't let yourself say out loud. 

And it's about the question Kelly's husband asked her on a hard day that changed the way she thought about fear. 

You're going to want to hear it. 

________________________________________________________________

 Connect with Kelly

Kelly's Book

https://authorityxfactor.com/ 

Social Media

Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author. 

Need to find YOUR Next Step through a hard thing you're facing? Have a simple conversation with the Tiny Brave Steps Generator AI:  www.tinybravesteps.com.

Connect with Bernice:  

Email: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Website: www.tinybravesteps.com

Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/

If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it.

Do YOU have a Courage Story you'd like to share? Send Bernice a message. 

]]> Send us Fan Mail

For twenty years, Kelly Schuknecht was the woman behind the vision. 

Two CEOs. Two decades. She made everything happen — the platforms, the books, the speaking events, the brand. 

She was exceptional at it. And she was invisible doing it. 

Then, a company acquisition decided she wasn't needed anymore. The layoff hit her harder than she expected. Not just professionally. Deep down, in the place where we keep the questions we're afraid to ask out loud. 

Why didn't they think I was enough to keep? 

The morning after, Kelly made a decision. She wasn't going to go looking for one more person to be the person behind. She opened a spreadsheet, typed three words at the top — Can We Do This? — and started building something of her own. 

This episode is about what courage looks like when the wound is still fresh, and the story isn't finished yet. 

It's about the dream you've been writing down but haven't let yourself say out loud. 

And it's about the question Kelly's husband asked her on a hard day that changed the way she thought about fear. 

You're going to want to hear it. 

________________________________________________________________

 Connect with Kelly

Kelly's Book

https://authorityxfactor.com/ 

Social Media

Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author. 

Need to find YOUR Next Step through a hard thing you're facing? Have a simple conversation with the Tiny Brave Steps Generator AI:  www.tinybravesteps.com.

Connect with Bernice:  

Email: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Website: www.tinybravesteps.com

Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/

If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it.

Do YOU have a Courage Story you'd like to share? Send Bernice a message. 

]]> Bernice McDonald Buzzsprout-19113098 Sat, 02 May 2026 14:00:00 -0600 1104 courage stories,women entrepreneurs,career reinvention,layoff recovery,identity shift,personal brand,starting a business,tiny brave steps,fear and courage,women in business,midlife courage,entrepreneurship,self-belief,choosing your hard,real women real co 1 8 full false Saoirse's Story: Soul Crushed or Soul Soaring Saoirse's Story: Soul Crushed or Soul Soaring Send us Fan Mail

She called herself a cliché. A woman in her mid-40s who needed to find herself.

 But there is nothing clichéd about what Saoirse Temple actually did.

 She left a relationship that had been slowly shrinking her — not with drama, but with years of quiet courage, one small step at a time. She packed one box. She asked the hard question. She walked through a door she had chosen for herself for the very first time at 48 years old.

 And then she kept going.

 Today Saoirse is a writer with nine published books and a definition of success that has nothing to do with sales.

 This is a story about what it looks like to stop letting fear rescue you from your own possibilities.


Connect with Saorise Temple:

Website - https://www.saoirsetemple.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/saoirsetempleauthor

Ko-fi - https://ko-fi.com/saoirsetemple  (in case anyone wants to buy me a coffee to support my creative projects.)

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/saoirse-temple-64755735a/

Intagram - https://www.instagram.com/saoirsealt/

Substack - https://saltemple.substack.com/ (people can subscribe to my free newsletter: A Dash of S.A.L.T.) 

Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author. 

Need to find YOUR Next Step through a hard thing you're facing? Have a simple conversation with the Tiny Brave Steps Generator AI:  www.tinybravesteps.com.

Connect with Bernice:  

Email: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Website: www.tinybravesteps.com

Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/

If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it.

Do YOU have a Courage Story you'd like to share? Send Bernice a message. 

]]> Send us Fan Mail

She called herself a cliché. A woman in her mid-40s who needed to find herself.

 But there is nothing clichéd about what Saoirse Temple actually did.

 She left a relationship that had been slowly shrinking her — not with drama, but with years of quiet courage, one small step at a time. She packed one box. She asked the hard question. She walked through a door she had chosen for herself for the very first time at 48 years old.

 And then she kept going.

 Today Saoirse is a writer with nine published books and a definition of success that has nothing to do with sales.

 This is a story about what it looks like to stop letting fear rescue you from your own possibilities.


Connect with Saorise Temple:

Website - https://www.saoirsetemple.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/saoirsetempleauthor

Ko-fi - https://ko-fi.com/saoirsetemple  (in case anyone wants to buy me a coffee to support my creative projects.)

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/saoirse-temple-64755735a/

Intagram - https://www.instagram.com/saoirsealt/

Substack - https://saltemple.substack.com/ (people can subscribe to my free newsletter: A Dash of S.A.L.T.) 

Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author. 

Need to find YOUR Next Step through a hard thing you're facing? Have a simple conversation with the Tiny Brave Steps Generator AI:  www.tinybravesteps.com.

Connect with Bernice:  

Email: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Website: www.tinybravesteps.com

Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/

If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it.

Do YOU have a Courage Story you'd like to share? Send Bernice a message. 

]]> Bernice McDonald Buzzsprout-19070966 Fri, 24 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0600 1304 courage, midlife women, finding yourself, identity, fear, self-worth, leaving a relationship, starting over, women authors, creative freedom, tiny brave steps, women over 40,brave enough 1 7 full false Kristin's Story: The Peace She Chose In The Face Of Cancer Kristin's Story: The Peace She Chose In The Face Of Cancer Send us Fan Mail

Kristin was 33 years old when a routine doctor's appointment changed everything. 

The diagnosis: colon cancer. 

The prognosis: unknown. 

She drove home alone, in the rain, through Orlando traffic, trying to figure out how to say the word out loud to the people she loved.

What happened in the two to three days that followed is not what you'd expect.

This is a story about choosing peace before you have the answers. About discovering that the woman you thought you'd be in a crisis — the one who'd fall completely apart — isn't the woman who shows up. About faith that arrives quietly, in small signs, before the storm ever breaks.

Kristin walked through 28 sessions of radiation, a 12-hour surgery, a near year with an ileostomy bag, and more than a dozen additional procedures. 

She kept a blog. She shuffled down her sidewalk with a walker. She held onto a picture of feeling like a million bucks, a year from then.

And she made it.

Not just through cancer — but into a woman who, a decade later, faced job loss with that same settled knowing: I've been here before. I'll be okay.


Kristin's courage story is for anyone who is in the middle of the unsurvivable thing. The peace she found is available to you, too.



Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author. 

Need to find YOUR Next Step through a hard thing you're facing? Have a simple conversation with the Tiny Brave Steps Generator AI:  www.tinybravesteps.com.

Connect with Bernice:  

Email: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Website: www.tinybravesteps.com

Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/

If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it.

Do YOU have a Courage Story you'd like to share? Send Bernice a message. 

]]> Send us Fan Mail

Kristin was 33 years old when a routine doctor's appointment changed everything. 

The diagnosis: colon cancer. 

The prognosis: unknown. 

She drove home alone, in the rain, through Orlando traffic, trying to figure out how to say the word out loud to the people she loved.

What happened in the two to three days that followed is not what you'd expect.

This is a story about choosing peace before you have the answers. About discovering that the woman you thought you'd be in a crisis — the one who'd fall completely apart — isn't the woman who shows up. About faith that arrives quietly, in small signs, before the storm ever breaks.

Kristin walked through 28 sessions of radiation, a 12-hour surgery, a near year with an ileostomy bag, and more than a dozen additional procedures. 

She kept a blog. She shuffled down her sidewalk with a walker. She held onto a picture of feeling like a million bucks, a year from then.

And she made it.

Not just through cancer — but into a woman who, a decade later, faced job loss with that same settled knowing: I've been here before. I'll be okay.


Kristin's courage story is for anyone who is in the middle of the unsurvivable thing. The peace she found is available to you, too.



Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author. 

Need to find YOUR Next Step through a hard thing you're facing? Have a simple conversation with the Tiny Brave Steps Generator AI:  www.tinybravesteps.com.

Connect with Bernice:  

Email: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Website: www.tinybravesteps.com

Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/

If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it.

Do YOU have a Courage Story you'd like to share? Send Bernice a message. 

]]> Bernice McDonald Buzzsprout-18985305 Wed, 08 Apr 2026 15:00:00 -0600 1491 cancer courage story,colon cancer survivor,courage in crisis, faith and fear, midlife resilience,women's courage podcast,Tiny Brave Steps,choosing peace,identity through hardship,courage stories 1 6 full false Julie's Story: The Rushing River With No Bridge Julie's Story: The Rushing River With No Bridge Send us Fan Mail

She had built a thirty-year marriage on commitment, love, and the belief that if she just tried hard enough, things would get better.

They didn't.

What Julie Lamphear couldn't have known — not yet — was that the hardest thing she would ever do wasn't leaving. It was learning that she couldn't fix what she couldn't control. That needing a sober environment wasn't weakness. That her emotions weren't broken. They were accurate.

In this episode of the Tiny Brave Steps Podcast, Julie tells the story of walking away from a marriage ravaged by addiction — not in one brave moment, but in a million small steps. 

House-sitting for strangers who opened their doors at exactly the right time. 

Walking into an Al-Anon room convinced she'd never find the nerve to ask anyone for help. 

Buying a condo she could actually afford. 

Building a life, piece by piece, on the other side of the river.

And the river metaphor Julie uses to describe that crossing you will carry with you long after this episode ends.

This is a story about what courage really looks like - not dramatic, not clean, not finished all at once - but faithful. 

Step by step. Rock by rock. Until you get to the other shore.

Find Julie at julielanphear.com.

Find your next Tiny Brave Step at tinybravesteps.com.

Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author. 

Need to find YOUR Next Step through a hard thing you're facing? Have a simple conversation with the Tiny Brave Steps Generator AI:  www.tinybravesteps.com.

Connect with Bernice:  

Email: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Website: www.tinybravesteps.com

Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/

If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it.

Do YOU have a Courage Story you'd like to share? Send Bernice a message. 

]]> Send us Fan Mail

She had built a thirty-year marriage on commitment, love, and the belief that if she just tried hard enough, things would get better.

They didn't.

What Julie Lamphear couldn't have known — not yet — was that the hardest thing she would ever do wasn't leaving. It was learning that she couldn't fix what she couldn't control. That needing a sober environment wasn't weakness. That her emotions weren't broken. They were accurate.

In this episode of the Tiny Brave Steps Podcast, Julie tells the story of walking away from a marriage ravaged by addiction — not in one brave moment, but in a million small steps. 

House-sitting for strangers who opened their doors at exactly the right time. 

Walking into an Al-Anon room convinced she'd never find the nerve to ask anyone for help. 

Buying a condo she could actually afford. 

Building a life, piece by piece, on the other side of the river.

And the river metaphor Julie uses to describe that crossing you will carry with you long after this episode ends.

This is a story about what courage really looks like - not dramatic, not clean, not finished all at once - but faithful. 

Step by step. Rock by rock. Until you get to the other shore.

Find Julie at julielanphear.com.

Find your next Tiny Brave Step at tinybravesteps.com.

Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author. 

Need to find YOUR Next Step through a hard thing you're facing? Have a simple conversation with the Tiny Brave Steps Generator AI:  www.tinybravesteps.com.

Connect with Bernice:  

Email: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Website: www.tinybravesteps.com

Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/

If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it.

Do YOU have a Courage Story you'd like to share? Send Bernice a message. 

]]> Bernice McDonald Buzzsprout-18902604 Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:00:00 -0600 1750 1 5 full false Jill's Story: When The Picture Shatters Jill's Story: When The Picture Shatters Send us Fan Mail

What do you do when the life you dreamed of — the one constant picture you held in your heart since you were a little girl — just doesn't happen?

Jill wanted to be a mom to a house full of kids. That was the dream. Simple. Pure. The kind that settles into a little girl's heart and never leaves. 

Then she lost three babies, and with each loss, something darker than grief took root — blame. The voice that whispered your body should have been able to protect them. You failed.

She became someone she didn't recognize. Someone bitter. Someone who couldn't feel happy for friends announcing pregnancies. Someone so focused on the children she didn't have that she was missing out on the child she did.

In this episode, you'll walk with Jill through the moment a single quote stopped her in her tracks, the courage it took to hold grief and gratitude in the same hands, and the hard-won truth that a shattered picture doesn't mean a shattered life.

__________________________________________________________________

Jillian Armstrong is the owner of Custom Safety Services Ltd. 

Website: https://customsafetyservicesltd.com/
Email: customsafetyservices@gmail.com 

Tiny Hands of Hope: 

Website: https://tinyhandsofhope.ca  
Email: info@tinyhandsofhope.ca

Tiny Hands of Hope Society is a non-profit organization whose mission is to work within our community of Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada and area to support families who have suffered from all types of pregnancy and infant loss. They are dedicated to raising awareness and helping others during their time of need and in their time of grieving.

Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author. 

Need to find YOUR Next Step through a hard thing you're facing? Have a simple conversation with the Tiny Brave Steps Generator AI:  www.tinybravesteps.com.

Connect with Bernice:  

Email: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Website: www.tinybravesteps.com

Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/

If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it.

Do YOU have a Courage Story you'd like to share? Send Bernice a message. 

]]> Send us Fan Mail

What do you do when the life you dreamed of — the one constant picture you held in your heart since you were a little girl — just doesn't happen?

Jill wanted to be a mom to a house full of kids. That was the dream. Simple. Pure. The kind that settles into a little girl's heart and never leaves. 

Then she lost three babies, and with each loss, something darker than grief took root — blame. The voice that whispered your body should have been able to protect them. You failed.

She became someone she didn't recognize. Someone bitter. Someone who couldn't feel happy for friends announcing pregnancies. Someone so focused on the children she didn't have that she was missing out on the child she did.

In this episode, you'll walk with Jill through the moment a single quote stopped her in her tracks, the courage it took to hold grief and gratitude in the same hands, and the hard-won truth that a shattered picture doesn't mean a shattered life.

__________________________________________________________________

Jillian Armstrong is the owner of Custom Safety Services Ltd. 

Website: https://customsafetyservicesltd.com/
Email: customsafetyservices@gmail.com 

Tiny Hands of Hope: 

Website: https://tinyhandsofhope.ca  
Email: info@tinyhandsofhope.ca

Tiny Hands of Hope Society is a non-profit organization whose mission is to work within our community of Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada and area to support families who have suffered from all types of pregnancy and infant loss. They are dedicated to raising awareness and helping others during their time of need and in their time of grieving.

Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author. 

Need to find YOUR Next Step through a hard thing you're facing? Have a simple conversation with the Tiny Brave Steps Generator AI:  www.tinybravesteps.com.

Connect with Bernice:  

Email: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Website: www.tinybravesteps.com

Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/

If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it.

Do YOU have a Courage Story you'd like to share? Send Bernice a message. 

]]> Bernice McDonald Buzzsprout-18826145 Wed, 11 Mar 2026 11:00:00 -0600 1263 1 4 full false Bari's Story: The Long Game of Courage Bari's Story: The Long Game of Courage Send us Fan Mail

What does courage look like when the hard thing doesn’t end?

When there’s no dramatic finish line, no moment where you dust yourself off and say “I did it” - just today, and tomorrow, and the day after that, carrying a weight you never asked to carry?

When Bari’s husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, her entire future shifted without her permission. The life they’d planned together - travelling, growing old side by side - vanished. And Bari had to find the courage to say “yes” to a life she never chose.

This is a story about sustained, conscious courage. The kind that shows up every single day, even when you’re exhausted, even when you’re grieving, even when you’re so angry you could scream. 

If you’re carrying a heavy load with no end in sight, Bari’s story will show you that you don’t have to be strong enough to never break. You just have to be brave enough to keep choosing.

Connect with Bari:

Website: www.yourmeetingplace.com

Connect with her on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bari-schanerman

Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author. 

Need to find YOUR Next Step through a hard thing you're facing? Have a simple conversation with the Tiny Brave Steps Generator AI:  www.tinybravesteps.com.

Connect with Bernice:  

Email: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Website: www.tinybravesteps.com

Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/

If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it.

Do YOU have a Courage Story you'd like to share? Send Bernice a message. 

]]> Send us Fan Mail

What does courage look like when the hard thing doesn’t end?

When there’s no dramatic finish line, no moment where you dust yourself off and say “I did it” - just today, and tomorrow, and the day after that, carrying a weight you never asked to carry?

When Bari’s husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, her entire future shifted without her permission. The life they’d planned together - travelling, growing old side by side - vanished. And Bari had to find the courage to say “yes” to a life she never chose.

This is a story about sustained, conscious courage. The kind that shows up every single day, even when you’re exhausted, even when you’re grieving, even when you’re so angry you could scream. 

If you’re carrying a heavy load with no end in sight, Bari’s story will show you that you don’t have to be strong enough to never break. You just have to be brave enough to keep choosing.

Connect with Bari:

Website: www.yourmeetingplace.com

Connect with her on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bari-schanerman

Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author. 

Need to find YOUR Next Step through a hard thing you're facing? Have a simple conversation with the Tiny Brave Steps Generator AI:  www.tinybravesteps.com.

Connect with Bernice:  

Email: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Website: www.tinybravesteps.com

Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/

If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it.

Do YOU have a Courage Story you'd like to share? Send Bernice a message. 

]]> Bernice McDonald Buzzsprout-18757624 Thu, 26 Feb 2026 15:00:00 -0700 1450 full false Stacey's Story: Better - Not Bitter. The Surgery That Stole Everything. Stacey's Story: Better - Not Bitter. The Surgery That Stole Everything. Send us Fan Mail

September 23rd, 2021. Stacey Ansley walked into what should have been a simple outpatient knee surgery. A few hours, some discomfort, home by dinner.

She woke up in intensive care.

A severed artery. Emergency surgery that destroyed the nerves from her knee down. Months of heavy medication that stole her vision, her clarity, and nearly her will to keep going. Her husband got two phone calls that day—first, that surgery went great. Then, that his wife was fighting for her life.

But Stacey’s story isn’t about what that surgery took from her. It’s about what she built from the wreckage. One Tiny Brave Step at a time, she clawed her way back—off the medications cold turkey, through pain that never fully left, past a medical system that failed her—and discovered a version of herself she never knew existed.

If life has ever handed you something you didn’t ask for and can’t give back, press play.


Connect with Stacey:

Coaching Website: https://buildchangeimpact.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/staceyansley/

Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author. 

Need to find YOUR Next Step through a hard thing you're facing? Have a simple conversation with the Tiny Brave Steps Generator AI:  www.tinybravesteps.com.

Connect with Bernice:  

Email: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Website: www.tinybravesteps.com

Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/

If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it.

Do YOU have a Courage Story you'd like to share? Send Bernice a message. 

]]> Send us Fan Mail

September 23rd, 2021. Stacey Ansley walked into what should have been a simple outpatient knee surgery. A few hours, some discomfort, home by dinner.

She woke up in intensive care.

A severed artery. Emergency surgery that destroyed the nerves from her knee down. Months of heavy medication that stole her vision, her clarity, and nearly her will to keep going. Her husband got two phone calls that day—first, that surgery went great. Then, that his wife was fighting for her life.

But Stacey’s story isn’t about what that surgery took from her. It’s about what she built from the wreckage. One Tiny Brave Step at a time, she clawed her way back—off the medications cold turkey, through pain that never fully left, past a medical system that failed her—and discovered a version of herself she never knew existed.

If life has ever handed you something you didn’t ask for and can’t give back, press play.


Connect with Stacey:

Coaching Website: https://buildchangeimpact.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/staceyansley/

Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author. 

Need to find YOUR Next Step through a hard thing you're facing? Have a simple conversation with the Tiny Brave Steps Generator AI:  www.tinybravesteps.com.

Connect with Bernice:  

Email: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Website: www.tinybravesteps.com

Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/

If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it.

Do YOU have a Courage Story you'd like to share? Send Bernice a message. 

]]> Bernice McDonald Buzzsprout-18749768 Thu, 26 Feb 2026 15:00:00 -0700 1328 3 full false Lynnette's Story: From Fire-Breathing Fear to Fierce Freedom Lynnette's Story: From Fire-Breathing Fear to Fierce Freedom Send us Fan Mail

On her very first day as a firefighter, the men on her team pulled her aside and told her: If you get into trouble, we’re not coming to save you.

For fourteen years, Lynnette walked into burning buildings carrying that weight. She fought literal fires while a fire-breathing Fear-Fred raged inside her head, whispering Don’t mess up. Make sure you’ve got an out. You’re on your own.

She was functioning in survival mode for over a decade - and she didn’t even know it.

In this episode, you’ll walk with Lynnette through every milestone of the Courage Map - from the silence that nearly destroyed her to the fierce freedom she found on the other side. 

Her story will show you what it looks like when a woman decides that surviving isn’t enough anymore.

If you’ve ever stayed silent to stay safe, this one’s for you.

Lynnette's Links:

Website: Fire Within Crisis Services

Buy her book: You're On Your Own

Walking through your own fires? Always keep moving courageously forward. If you don't know what to do next, the Tiny Brave Steps Generator will help you find the next step: Free Access to the Tiny Brave Steps Generator

Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author. 

Need to find YOUR Next Step through a hard thing you're facing? Have a simple conversation with the Tiny Brave Steps Generator AI:  www.tinybravesteps.com.

Connect with Bernice:  

Email: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Website: www.tinybravesteps.com

Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/

If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it.

Do YOU have a Courage Story you'd like to share? Send Bernice a message. 

]]> Send us Fan Mail

On her very first day as a firefighter, the men on her team pulled her aside and told her: If you get into trouble, we’re not coming to save you.

For fourteen years, Lynnette walked into burning buildings carrying that weight. She fought literal fires while a fire-breathing Fear-Fred raged inside her head, whispering Don’t mess up. Make sure you’ve got an out. You’re on your own.

She was functioning in survival mode for over a decade - and she didn’t even know it.

In this episode, you’ll walk with Lynnette through every milestone of the Courage Map - from the silence that nearly destroyed her to the fierce freedom she found on the other side. 

Her story will show you what it looks like when a woman decides that surviving isn’t enough anymore.

If you’ve ever stayed silent to stay safe, this one’s for you.

Lynnette's Links:

Website: Fire Within Crisis Services

Buy her book: You're On Your Own

Walking through your own fires? Always keep moving courageously forward. If you don't know what to do next, the Tiny Brave Steps Generator will help you find the next step: Free Access to the Tiny Brave Steps Generator

Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author. 

Need to find YOUR Next Step through a hard thing you're facing? Have a simple conversation with the Tiny Brave Steps Generator AI:  www.tinybravesteps.com.

Connect with Bernice:  

Email: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Website: www.tinybravesteps.com

Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/

If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it.

Do YOU have a Courage Story you'd like to share? Send Bernice a message. 

]]> Bernice McDonald Buzzsprout-18749376 Thu, 26 Feb 2026 15:00:00 -0700 1107 1 full false