February’s conversation continues as Kristin picks up her Dollywood story right where she left off, standing in the rain with two excited kids, a husband stretched out on a bench with a thrown‑out back, and a full day ahead. What begins as a simple family outing becomes a deeper look at the quiet narratives we repeat to ourselves, the ones that shape our choices long before we ever test whether they’re true. Kristin admits she had spent her entire life saying she wasn’t a rollercoaster girl, even though, as she confesses, “the last time I had gotten on a roller coaster was never”.

With her kids watching and hope practically radiating off of them, Kristin realizes she has a choice. She can let disappointment define the day, or she can step into something unfamiliar for the sake of the people she loves. That moment opens into a bigger conversation about the stories we tell ourselves, the comfort zones we cling to, and the surprising joy that waits when we challenge those long‑held beliefs. Denise joins in with her own example, sharing how she unexpectedly found herself salsa dancing in the middle of a Thai restaurant, a moment she would have missed if she had stayed loyal to the old “I don’t dance” script.

Kristin eventually climbs into the coaster with her kids, bracing for fear and finding something entirely different. The ride launches, the wind hits, and she discovers a joy she never expected, arms outstretched as if she were flying. By the end of the day, they’ve ridden Big Bear Mountain about a dozen times, creating a core memory she almost blocked because of a belief she had never questioned. It’s a reminder that courage often begins with a single step toward the unfamiliar, and that joy sometimes waits on the other side of the narratives we’re finally willing to release. And as for Jared, he stayed on that bench recovering, watching the fun unfold, and waiting for the redemption tour still to come.

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Follow Kristin Johnson on her website, KristinJohnsonSpeaks.com