In this deeply moving episode, Kristin Crockett sits down with Jen Bianco for a conversation that reaches straight to the heart. Jen opens up about the sacred journey of carrying, meeting, and saying goodbye to her son A.J.—a journey filled with love, uncertainty, and an unwavering courage that continues to shape her family today.

Together, Kristin and Jen explore the duality of joy and sorrow, and what it means to hold both at the same time. Jen shares how A.J.’s brief but powerful life changed the way she sees motherhood, faith, family, and the purpose of each new day. Her story is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the quiet bravery required to walk through grief while still choosing love.

This episode also highlights the healing that comes through connection—between friends, through community, and through the legacy we choose to create. Jennifer reflects on the ways her family continues to honor A.J., turning heartbreak into meaningful acts of remembrance that touch others and keep his light alive.

If you have ever navigated loss, felt the tension between hope and heartbreak, or wondered how to keep moving forward when life breaks open, this conversation will meet you exactly where you are. It’s a story of resilience, tenderness, and the courage to keep showing up.

Listen in and be reminded: even in our deepest pain, we can rise, we can love, and we can live our Courageous Destiny.

About Jen Bianco — Storyteller, Creative Visionary, and Heart-Led Guide

Jen Bianco is the co-founder and owner of Bianco Productions, a Chicago-based, family-run creative production company dedicated to telling stories that matter. Purpose-driven and rooted in community impact, Jen creates high-quality visual content for municipalities, nonprofits, and small businesses—bringing missions to life and showcasing the heart behind every organization she serves.

A proud Filipino American artist from Chicago’s northern suburbs, Jen built an international career across stage, film, and television, with performances spanning New York City, the Philippines, and China. Her work has included major films, TV series, commercials, and theatre productions, as well as the development of intercultural arts programs and community initiatives that use storytelling to connect people and purpose.

Beyond the camera, Jen is a devoted birth doula and the owner of A Joyful Blessing Birth Services, where she supports families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Blending her creative eye with her calling to serve, she also captures birth stories as a videographer and photographer, preserving the sacred beauty and strength of each family’s journey.

Whether she’s producing mission-centered films or standing beside a mother in labor, Jen leads with compassion, creativity, and courageous purpose. She believes deeply in the power of story—how it heals, inspires, and reveals who we are becoming.

Jen and her husband, David, are the grateful parents of four sons who continue to shape her purpose and inspire her work every day.

In this powerful episode, we sit down with Alicia Rayner, a courageous mother, former middle school educator, and fierce warrior currently navigating a long-term journey with stage four leiomyosarcoma. Alicia’s story is not just about survival — it’s a living embodiment of radical presence, faith, and the unstoppable power of the human spirit.

Through her voice, we explore what it truly means to live courageously in the face of the unknown — to keep loving, laughing, and making memories even when life delivers the unthinkable. Alicia generously opens her heart to share how community, faith, and intentional gratitude have carried her through the darkest of days.

• Illness doesn’t define your spirit — it can awaken it. Alicia’s cancer journey has reshaped her entire perspective on purpose, joy, and what truly matters.
• Community is lifeline, not luxury. No one should ever walk their hardest chapters alone.
• Faith and prayer change everything. Her spiritual grounding has been her anchor through every storm.
• The present moment is holy. Small joys, deep conversations, soft moments — that is where life is actually happening.
• Your story is someone else’s survival guide. Sharing is not weakness — it is leadership.
• Celebrate while you can. Love louder, laugh longer, and create memories now — not someday.

This episode is an invitation — to slow down, open your heart, and live fully now. Alicia reminds us that courage isn’t the absence of fear — it’s love, faith, and intention in motion.

This episode of Courageous Destiny: Build a Business & Life You Love presents a rich and illuminating conversation between Kristin Crockett and Krista Brea, diving into the multifaceted journey of self-publishing. Together, they peel back the layers of what it truly takes to bring a book into the world—not just as a creative endeavor, but as a bold pathway toward freedom, income, and impact.

Krista, a ten-time author, shares her unique insights into the self-publishing process, emphasizing that while the idea of writing a book can feel overwhelming, it doesn’t have to stop you. She stresses the value of a structured, courageous approach: using ghostwriters to support your voice, leveraging AI to create outlines, and breaking down the writing journey into actionable steps that anyone can follow.

Throughout the conversation, Krista highlights the importance of market research—checking tools like Google and Amazon to ensure that book topics align with real reader demand. This strategic lens transforms writing from a daunting dream into an achievable, profitable venture. With smart planning, appealing book covers, targeted keywords, and the power of reviews, Krista reveals how authors can generate visibility and create streams of passive income through platforms like Amazon.

At its heart, the dialogue echoes a Courageous Destiny principle: overcoming fear with clarity, structure, and action. Listeners walk away not only with strategies to self-publish but also with the empowered mindset to push past the inner voice that says, “I can’t.”

• Plan with courage: Understand market demand before committing to a project.
• Leverage support: Use ghostwriters and AI to streamline the writing process without losing your unique voice.
• Break it down: Tackle book writing in manageable steps to reduce overwhelm.
• Market smart: Optimize keywords, covers, and reviews to stand out on Amazon.
• Create freedom: Passive income from self-publishing is real with the right structure and strategy.
• Move through fear: Courageously face the overwhelm of writing and transform it into confidence.

Krista Brea is a vibrant, self-published author who began her journey in 2022 after becoming a mother, seeking a way to create passive income while embracing the joy of family life. What began as a bold experiment quickly turned into a thriving stream of royalties and a proven, repeatable process.

With ten books under her belt in just a few short years, Krista now teaches her strategies through her self-publishing course, showing others how to turn their ideas into income. Her energy is contagious, her approach is practical, and her story embodies what it means to step courageously into new possibilities.

Krista reminds us all that self-publishing isn’t just about books—it’s about creating a destiny by design, where your words, wisdom, and willingness to take bold action can change your life and the lives of countless readers.

Krista's community on Skool for emerging author's turning pages to paychecks:

We invite you to join Krista Brea’s Skool community (https://www.skool.com/kdp-publishing/about)— the ultimate space for aspiring and experienced self-publishers who want to turn their ideas into published books and create real passive income. Inside, members connect with like-minded creators, share wins, and get expert insights from Krista, a seasoned author and publishing mentor with over 15 years of digital marketing experience.

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