In this powerful and deeply human episode, Jaime and Stan sit down with Kevin Briggs — the former California Highway Patrol sergeant whose steady voice, calm presence, and incomparable empathy helped guide hundreds of people away from suicide attempts on the Golden Gate Bridge.

What begins with humor and lightness quickly opens into one of the most candid, courageous conversations in our show’s history. Kevin shares the traumas he survived long before he ever put on a uniform — childhood abuse, cancer at age 20, traumatic brain injuries, and the emotional toll of decades in law enforcement — and the unexpected path that led him to become a global voice for suicide prevention and mental health advocacy.

Through raw honesty, hard-earned wisdom, and a surprising amount of humor, Kevin reminds us that courage is not only found in heroic acts — but in simply choosing to stay.

KEY TOPICS COVERED

• Growing up in Marin County → the early hardships no one saw
• Enlisting in the United States Army and battling cancer at age 20
• Surviving childhood abuse and decades of buried trauma
• Working in corrections at San Quentin State Prison
• Joining the California Highway Patrol and discovering the reality of the bridge
• Handling 4–6 suicide interventions per month — with zero formal training
• His communication approach: talk, behavior, and mood
• What people on the bridge actually see when they look down
• The emotional cost of the work — and why he refuses the word “saved”
• The story behind his viral TED Talk - Kevin Briggs and new career as a global speaker
• How to truly support someone struggling with suicidal thoughts
• The loneliness epidemic — and why seniors are at the highest risk
• The power of rapport, humility, and being someone’s “0.25 more”

MEMORABLE QUOTES

• “They’re not looking at tomorrow. They have one singular thought — and they’re trying to find the courage for it.”
• “Commonalities create comfort. My job is rapport. My job is hope.”
• “If you go into negotiation with an ego, people get hurt.”
• “Imagine the courage it takes to step over that rail. Now imagine the courage it takes to come back.”
• “Loneliness is a silent killer — for every age.”

Where to listen & watch:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/lGHTKO53W2Q
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-your-story/id1768048076
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aFWnedfyylxVs5vJrD8tY
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c4c493e-e2f2-4b4b-bfd3-52174caeaf7c/whats-your-story-with-jaime-stan

Connect with Kevin Briggs
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kevin.briggs.79/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/guardianofthegoldengate/
Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbriggspivotalpoints/
My Website: www.Pitotal-Points.com
My Email: Kevin Briggs@Pivotal-Points.com

If this episode helped you rethink what success looks like, subscribe, rate, and review our podcast! Your support helps us share more powerful stories like Kevin’s.

Follow us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JaimeSpeaks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaimeMarcoSpeaks
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimeamarco
Website: https://www.jaimemarco.com

Got feedback or a guest recommendation? Email us at connect@jaimemarco.com

From a chance encounter in a Volvo service lounge to a deep dive into one of the most demanding art schools in the world — this episode spotlights the unstoppable drive of Eileen Zhang, a second-year computer animation student at Ringling College of Art & Design.

At just 19, Eileen’s already lived away from home, navigated elite pre-college programs, and mastered the art of following a passion even when the world tells you it's “too risky.” She opens up about intense studio life, artistic pressure, AI myths, global career dreams, and why 2D animation still has her heart.

Her story is brave, bright, and beautifully unfiltered — just like the art she creates.

KEY TOPICS COVERED

• The random Volvo-service-center meeting that started it all
• Growing up artistic — and parents pushing excellence
• Pre-college programs, early independence, and choosing Ringling
• What computer animation really is: 2D vs. 3D explained
• The pressure cooker of Ringling’s studio classes
• The emotional weight of critiques, deadlines, and “waiting for the email”
• The truth about AI in animation — and why intent still matter
• Dreams of working in studios across the globe
• Life as an out-of-state student building community and resilience
• The future: internships, studios, and refusing to make a Plan B

MEMORABLE QUOTES

• “Animation isn’t a genre — it’s a medium.”
• “AI can’t create intention. It can’t understand story.”
• “I loved the school because I knew the alumni were working on every movie I grew up watching.”
• “If I have the energy to draw for fun, I feel like I should be working on an assignment.”

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Where to listen & watch:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/xCFRDabpOgk
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-your-story/id1768048076
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aFWnedfyylxVs5vJrD8tY
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c4c493e-e2f2-4b4b-bfd3-52174caeaf7c/whats-your-story-with-jaime-stan

If this episode helped you rethink what success looks like, subscribe, rate, and review our podcast! Your support helps us share more powerful stories like Eileen’s.

Follow us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JaimeSpeaks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaimeMarcoSpeaks
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimeamarco
Website: https://www.jaimemarco.com

Got feedback or a guest recommendation? Email us at connect@jaimemarco.com

In this high-energy, behind-the-scenes episode, we sit down with Nicole Kaney — Sarasota native, devoted mother, and the powerhouse founder behind one of Florida’s most sought-after wedding and event planning companies. From her early days as a college-town yoga trailblazer with a cult-following (and $5 classes that packed 50 people into a bike shop), to running 75+ weddings a year with a 13-woman team, Nicole walks us through the grit, grace, and groundedness that built her business.

Nicole shares how scrappiness, strong community roots, smart support systems, and a whole lot of hustle helped her grow from studio owner to event industry standout. She opens up about marriage, motherhood, hurricanes, hiring help without guilt, and the real secret to surviving the emotional roller coaster of wedding days.

This is a masterclass in building a business you love, staying sane while doing it, and remembering that dinner at the table matters just as much as any dance floor.

KEY TOPICS COVERED

• Growing up in Sarasota and returning to raise her own family
  
• Building a cult-favorite yoga studio in Gainesville before yoga was “cool”
  
• The grassroots hustle: flyers, bikes, DJs, art openings, and AOL
  
• Transitioning into events and creating a planning company brides related to
  
• Growing from 10 weddings a year to 75+ with a powerhouse all-female team
  
• Navigating motherhood, marriage, and running a business (with help — proudly!)
  
• COVID challenges, hurricanes, and the emotional weight of wedding days
  
• What clients really expect today: bigger, bolder, and more everything
  
• Marriage longevity: 23 years with her high-school sweetheart
  
• Building a new home, raising kids in Sarasota, and staying grounded

MEMORABLE QUOTES

• “You can’t be fully dedicated if you’re trying to do everything alone.”
  
• “I wasn’t a great student. But I’m scrappy — and that’s what helped me build a business.”
  
• “I’ve always had help — and I’m not afraid to say it. More people should.”

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Where to listen & watch:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/8OwglL7nA4g
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-your-story/id1768048076
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aFWnedfyylxVs5vJrD8tY
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c4c493e-e2f2-4b4b-bfd3-52174caeaf7c/whats-your-story-with-jaime-stan

Connect with Nicole Kaney:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nk_weddings/
Website: https://nkproductions.net/

If this episode helped you rethink what success looks like, subscribe, rate, and review our podcast! Your support helps us share more powerful stories like Nicole’s.

Follow us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JaimeSpeaks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaimeMarcoSpeaks
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimeamarco
Website: https://www.jaimemarco.com

Got feedback or a guest recommendation? Email us at connect@jaimemarco.com

In this unforgettable episode, Lisa Kohn shares her journey from growing up in the infamous Unification Church (the “Moonies”) to reclaiming her identity, healing deep trauma, and teaching others the radical power of self-love. From surviving a fractured childhood and cult indoctrination to becoming an author, speaker, and leadership coach, Lisa’s story is one of fierce resilience, joy, and rebirth.

KEY TOPICS COVERED

• Growing up inside the Unification Church (the “Moonies”)
• Escaping cult life and rebuilding her sense of self
• Trauma recovery and how the body stores pain
• Overcoming addiction and self-loathing
• Healing through parenting and self-love
• Neuroplasticity and rewiring the brain for joy
• Life after cancer and living with purpose
• Faith, forgiveness, and finding meaning beyond religion

MEMORABLE QUOTES

• “I rewired my brain to be joyful. That’s neuroplasticity.”
• “No one joins a cult — they join a really good idea, until they realize they were trapped.”
• “Love yourself first, most, always.”
• “The body keeps the score — and it also knows how to heal.”
• “Every magician worth talking about creates something of their own. It’s a craft.”

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Where to listen & watch:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/5kV5QS24INU
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-your-story/id1768048076
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aFWnedfyylxVs5vJrD8tY
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c4c493e-e2f2-4b4b-bfd3-52174caeaf7c/whats-your-story-with-jaime-stan

https://x.com/LisaKohnWrites
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisakohnccg/
Website: https://lisakohn.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisakohnwrites
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisakohnwrites/
X: https://x.com/LisaKohnWrites

If this episode helped you rethink what success looks like, subscribe, rate, and review our podcast! Your support helps us share more powerful stories like Lisa’s.

Follow us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JaimeSpeaks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaimeMarcoSpeaks
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimeamarco
Website: https://www.jaimemarco.com

Got feedback or a guest recommendation? Email us at connect@jaimemarco.com

When life gives you heartbreak, sea turtles, and a gibbon that hugs your baby bump—you write a book about it. In this episode, Jaime and Stan meet Julie Henry, zoologist turned leadership speaker and author of Wisdom from the Wild and Wisdom from the Wild for Youth. Julie opens up about growing up in the Midwest, her years at aquariums and zoos, her late husband’s remarkable legacy, and the powerful lessons she’s learned from both the animal kingdom and her own wild life journey.

Julie’s story is one of resilience, humor, and heart—where science meets storytelling, and grief transforms into growth.

KEY TOPICS COVERED

• Growing up in a family of leaders and learning from her father’s steel mill days
  
• From zoology to leadership: connecting animal behavior to human potential
  
• Raising children who co-authored her latest book (Wisdom from the Wild for Youth)
  
• Leading through grief and the realities of caregiving
  
• How animals—from wolves to giant squid—teach us about resilience and connection
  
• The beauty of parenting, partnership, and living fully even after loss

MEMORABLE QUOTES

• “Your job as a leader is to create a space in which people feel safe, but not comfortable.”
  
• “Grief teaches you that you don’t know how long you have—so do what you need to do today.”
  
• “Leadership isn’t lofty. It’s real, it’s messy, and it’s human.”
  
• “I wanted to stitch together the worlds of science and leadership—to show how lessons from the wild can make us better people.”

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Where to listen & watch:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/BVOfqOKLnjM
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-your-story/id1768048076
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aFWnedfyylxVs5vJrD8tY
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c4c493e-e2f2-4b4b-bfd3-52174caeaf7c/whats-your-story-with-jaime-stan

Connect with Julie Henry:
Website: https://www.juliechenry.com/
Podcast: https://www.juliechenry.com/podcast
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/juliechenry
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliechenry/

If this episode helped you rethink what success looks like, subscribe, rate, and review our podcast! Your support helps us share more powerful stories like Julie’s.

Follow us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JaimeSpeaks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaimeMarcoSpeaks
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimeamarco
Website: https://www.jaimemarco.com

Got feedback or a guest recommendation? Email us at connect@jaimemarco.com

From teenage bingo gigs to a 30-year run at PepsiCo, Bill Bornstein’s story is pure hustle, humor, and heart. In this episode, Bill opens up about his journey from the streets of Queens to corporate success, the rock-and-roll soundtrack that shaped him, and the rediscovery of purpose through faith, volunteering, and pickleball (yes, really).

Key topics covered

• Growing up in Queens and starting work at 13
• From Beatles to Iron Maiden — the evolution of a lifelong music fan
• Thirty years at PepsiCo: loyalty, layoffs, and lessons learned
• Retirement reality: purpose, volunteering, and rediscovering Jewish roots
• Confidence, kids, and passing on wisdom from the back nine of life
• Why pickleball (and puppy Enzo) keeps him grounded

Memorable quotes

“Confidence is critical to success — and I think I lacked a little of that.”

“Use it or lose it — in music, work, or life.”

“You don’t need to be perfect, just present.”

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Where to listen & watch:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/gT9AMh3N7PY
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-your-story/id1768048076
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aFWnedfyylxVs5vJrD8tY
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c4c493e-e2f2-4b4b-bfd3-52174caeaf7c/whats-your-story-with-jaime-stan

Connect with Bill Bornstein
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bill_bb1984/

If this episode helped you rethink what success looks like, subscribe, rate, and review our podcast! Your support helps us share more powerful stories like Bill’s.

Follow us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JaimeSpeaks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaimeMarcoSpeaks
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimeamarco
Website: https://www.jaimemarco.com

Got feedback or a guest recommendation? Email us at connect@jaimemarco.com

This one’s personal — Jamie finally flips the mic to her parents, Stan and Ruth Brown, who’ve been married for 54 years and counting. From fire ants in Venice to a ski slope disaster, a diamond bought with a sold Volkswagen, and a lifetime of laughter — their story proves that love, humor, and commitment can outlast anything (including running out of gas in Vermont).

KEY TOPICS COVERED

• How a Boston hospital, a lime-green Pinto, and fate created a lifelong partnership
  
• Why a “no diamond, no wedding” ultimatum changed everything
  
• The secret to staying married 54 years (hint: laughter and patience)
  
• Selling the car (and the couch!) to buy the engagement ring
  
• Why marriage is a job — not a fairy tale — and why that’s a good thing

MEMORABLE QUOTES

• “Marriage isn’t fairy tales and unicorns. It’s a job — and you do it well or you don’t.”
  
• “He asked me out after another guy took me to an adult movie. The bar was low.”
  
• “We sold the Super Beetle and the couch. That’s how I got my diamond.”
  
• “You make a commitment — and you stick to it. No annual contracts.”
  
• “Just keep laughing.”
  

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Where to listen & watch:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/3wmk7wKzFeo
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-your-story/id1768048076
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aFWnedfyylxVs5vJrD8tY
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c4c493e-e2f2-4b4b-bfd3-52174caeaf7c/whats-your-story-with-jaime-stan

If this episode helped you rethink what success looks like, subscribe, rate, and review our podcast! Your support helps us share more powerful stories like Stan and Ruth’s.

Follow us on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JaimeSpeaks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaimeMarcoSpeaks
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimeamarco
Website: https://www.jaimemarco.com

Got feedback or a guest recommendation? Email us at connect@jaimemarco.com

From high school cross-country to the Shark Tank stage, Julie Busha’s story is all about endurance, grit, and flavor. The founder of Slawsa – a cabbage-based relish that’s part salsa, part slaw – shares how she turned a family recipe into a national brand, stayed debt-free, and kept her values (and humor) intact along the way.

Key topics covered
- From corporate NASCAR marketing to food entrepreneur
- Overcoming setbacks and buying out a business partner
- Turning rejection into national exposure on Shark Tank
- Smart money habits for founders (and humans)
- Building a made-in-America brand without investors
- Writing her next nonfiction exposé uncovering corruption

Memorable quotes
“Every day is different — that’s what I love. It’s never boring.”
“You can’t manufacture time, but you can control how you use it.”
“You either come with a boatload of money or something truly unique — I chose unique.”
“Being on Shark Tank? I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
“If you’re on the good side of accounting, they’ll love you forever.”

Where to listen & watch:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/InjStkEnjuY
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-your-story/id1768048076
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aFWnedfyylxVs5vJrD8tY
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c4c493e-e2f2-4b4b-bfd3-52174caeaf7c/whats-your-story-with-jaime-stan

Connect with Julie Busha
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-busha-9220093/
Website: https://www.slawsa.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Slawsa

If this episode helped you rethink what success looks like, subscribe, rate, and review our podcast! Your support helps us share more powerful stories like Julie’s.

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Follow us on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JaimeSpeaks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaimeMarcoSpeaks
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimeamarco
Website: https://www.jaimemarco.com

Got feedback or a guest recommendation? Email us at connect@jaimemarco.com