Personal Resilience & Transformation Episodes

San Diegan Jeff Seckendorf defies expectations in the most inspiring ways. At age 70, he’s a competitive cyclist and a dedicated scuba coach, proving that age is not a limit, but a frontier. In a culture obsessed with youth, ...

As a teenager, Kim Valentine found herself without a home. Today, she’s the founder and president of Operation Helping Hands SoCal, a nonprofit dedicated to helping the unhoused rebuild their lives. In this episode of SoCal V...

Foster adoption in Los Angeles County is, in a word, unpredictable. The process goes smoothly for some but for others it can be difficult, presenting political, legal and personal challenges that test patience and resolve. In...

Annie Korzen is an 86-year-old actor and comedian who had a recurring role playing the obnoxious Doris Klompus on the hit TV sitcom Seinfeld. Today, Korzen is a social media sensation, sharing pearls of wisdom with nearly hal...

In her book, Plus Size: A Memoir of Pop Culture, Fatphobia, and Social Change , Los Angeles author and activist Mekdela Ejigu chronicles the body positivity movement through a collection of essays reflecting her journey as a ...

For more than 30 years, Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles has been helping former prisoners and ex-gang members redirect their lives to become productive, contributing members of the community. A human services agency offerin...

When she was 17 years old, San Diego author Jennifer Gasner was diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia or FA, a rare progressive neuromuscular disease. The impact of FA varies from person to person, but generally causes difficult...

Born in China and raised in Los Angeles, certified life coach, podcaster, speaker and author Lucy Liu is a self-described ex-overachiever and recovering perfectionist who is thriving in Irvine. On this episode of SoCal Voices...

Tamaira “Miss Tee” Sandifer is having a strong impact on young people from SoCal and beyond as she helps youth develop critical life skills through exposure to the arts. She has developed some of Hollywood’s most sought-after...

Studies and surveys have shown that children start life with similar levels of confidence and self-esteem, but as girls become pre-teens, their confidence and self-esteem decline. LaTina McGhee-Simmons, a teacher at Virginia ...

The mother-daughter relationship has been described as many things - special, complicated, loving, perplexing and more. For many people, it can be one of the most rewarding relationships in their lives. For others, the bond m...

Her Sisters Keeper Foundation provides a safe space for women in SoCal’s Inland Empire to recover from major setbacks or simply reset from the daily stress in their lives. In this episode of SoCal Voices, founder and executiv...

Jackie Gutierrez is Founder of Women Kick Balls — an independent, one-woman multi-media company aiming to elevate the standard of soccer media. She’s living her dream as a journalist and content creator, interviewing professi...

Terrance Stone is a southern Californian committed to steering young people away from the life that cost him much of his precious youth. He spends his time helping students discover their personal worth and true-life purpose ...

With over a decade of teaching experience, educator LaTina McGhee-Simmons saw that many girls in her classroom lacked confidence. She launched Daughters of Promise — a program that helps instill a greater sense of value, resi...

Kimberle Smith Austin is a business growth, communications and lifestyle strategist who helps corporations and businesses experience life at the next level. She is a sought-after speaker and coach, and author of Millions of P...

Kevin Roth is firmly rooted in American folk music history. As a singer-songwriter and dulcimer player, he rose to international fame in the 1970s and 1980s recording albums and collaborating with other folk artists, includin...

In his award-winning book, Alabama Grandson: A Black, Gay Minister’s Passage Out of Hiding, Cedrick Bridgeforth chronicles the many years he spent shielding his truth from the world, the pain he experienced when his secret wa...

Are you dealing with imposter syndrome? That nagging, anxious feeling that you don’t have what it takes and don’t belong in the spaces you occupy? Maybe a workplace bully shattered your confidence and you’re unsure how to get...

Kathy Murphy is an author, singer, inspirational speaker, surfer, mother and certified health and life coach who believes in faith and trust over fear. In this edition of SoCal Voices, Kathy discusses her coaching business, T...

Dianne Callahan is an award-winning communication professional and non-profit executive who lives what many would describe as a charmed life, but she has experienced challenges, including three bouts with cancer. In this edit...

When you think of a pilot or certified flight instructor, chances are, thanks to your social conditioning, you don’t think of a petite 26-year-old African American woman. Free your mind and meet pilot and certified flight ins...

Juleen Erives is a young woman who wants to be limitless, and she’s well on her way! She was one of The Press Enterprise Newspaper’s “25 Most Remarkable Teens,” she has given SUE Talks (Successful Unstoppable Empowering Women...

To the people who know and work with him, Carl Dameron is a dynamic, hard-driving, award-winning advertising and public relations expert with more than 30 years of success helping organizations and people throughout Californi...