Chelsea Pegue’s dad died suddenly from addiction and she had to learn to live without her best friend. This journey also led her to learn why addiction takes so many lives. This is her story and she is RESILIENT A.F.

Buy the books: https://theglobalresilienceproject.com/books/

About the Guest:

Chelsea Pegues is a freelance writer, proofreader and editor based in the Hudson Valley region of New York. Since losing her dad to alcohol use disorder in 2020, she is honored and humbled to speak about addiction and recovery as much as possible, in an effort to be a force for change and an advocate for those in need. Her desire moving forward is to apply her creativity and skills to projects that make a positive impact in the world.

Links:

Instagram.com/chelsea.elizabeth.writes/

chelseaelizabethwrites.com

linkedin.com/in/chelsea-pegues-7b63ab211

chelseapegues.substack.com

⚠️ Content Note: Some episodes may contain themes that could be distressing. Please take care of yourself while listening, and don’t hesitate to seek support from a mental health professional if needed.

About the Hosts:

Blair Kaplan Venables is a British Columbia-based grief and resilience expert and coach, motivational speaker and the Founder of The Global Resilience Project. Her expertise has been featured on media platforms like Forbes, TEDx, CBC Radio, Entrepreneur, and Thrive Global. She is named the Top Grief and Resilience Expert of the Year 2024 by IAOTP. USA Today listed Blair as one of the top 10 conscious female leaders to watch and she empowers others to be resilient from stages around the world. 'MyStory,’ which is a television show available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Google Play, showcases Blair's life story. She is the host of the Radical Resilience podcast and specializes in helping people strengthen their resilience muscle using scientifically proven methods and guides grieving high performers with her Navigating Grief Framework. The Global Resilience Project’s award-winning book series are international bestsellers, and her fourth book, RESILIENT A.F.: Stories of Resilience Vol 2, will be published in January 2025. In her free time, you can find Blair writing, in nature, travelling the world and helping people to strengthen their resilience muscles.

Links:

https://www.blairkaplan.ca/

https://theglobalresilienceproject.com

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

https://www.facebook.com/blair.kaplan

https://www.facebook.com/BlairKaplanCommunications

https://www.instagram.com/globalresiliencecommunity

https://www.instagram.com/blairfromblairland/

In this episode, Blair Kaplan Venables and Alana Kaplan pull back the curtain on what life looks like when creativity, grief, business, and resilience all collide at once.

The conversation starts in heavier territory. Blair and Alana reflect on the devastating attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia, and talk openly about what it means to hold grief, fear, and resilience at the same time. They explore the emotional weight of being Jewish right now, the meaning of Hanukkah in moments like this, and the exhaustion that comes from staying strong while the world feels increasingly unsafe. There is honesty here about fatigue, mental health, and the importance of checking in on yourself and each other when everything feels like a lot.

Then, the mood lifts as they celebrate a major win: the recent New York book launch of RESILIENT A.F. Skin Deep Stories. They recap the Times Square billboard moment, the overwhelming community support, the energy of being together in person, and what it means to see a project rooted in resilience land so powerfully. They also share what’s coming next, including future publishing plans, a waitlist for the next tattoo book, and ideas for expanding the RESILIENT A.F. clothing line and other ventures.

This episode is part life update, part grief processing, part creative strategy session, and part reminder that resilience isn’t about doing it all perfectly. It’s about showing up honestly, supporting your people, and continuing to build even when things feel heavy.

If you’re navigating big feelings, big projects, or both at the same time, this one will feel like a deep exhale.

Buy the books: https://theglobalresilienceproject.com/books/

Subscribe to their Substack: https://theglobalresilienceproject.substack.com/

RESILIENT A.F. Skin Deep Stories waitlist: https://theglobalresilienceproject.com/share-your-story-tattoo-waitlist/

⚠️ Content Note: Some episodes may contain themes that could be distressing. Please take care of yourself while listening, and don’t hesitate to seek support from a mental health professional if needed.

About the Hosts:

Blair Kaplan Venables is a British Columbia-based grief and resilience expert and coach, motivational speaker and the Founder of The Global Resilience Project. Her expertise has been featured on media platforms like Forbes, TEDx, CBC Radio, Entrepreneur, and Thrive Global. She is named the Top Grief and Resilience Expert of the Year 2024 by IAOTP. USA Today listed Blair as one of the top 10 conscious female leaders to watch and she empowers others to be resilient from stages around the world. 'MyStory,’ which is a television show available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Google Play, showcases Blair's life story. She is the host of the Radical Resilience podcast and specializes in helping people strengthen their resilience muscle using scientifically proven methods and guides grieving high performers with her Navigating Grief Framework. The Global Resilience Project’s award-winning book series are international bestsellers, and her fourth book, RESILIENT A.F.: Stories of Resilience Vol 2, will be published in January 2025. In her free time, you can find Blair writing, in nature, travelling the world and helping people to strengthen their resilience muscles.

Links:

https://www.blairkaplan.ca/

Suzanna Fisher lost her Grammy, who was her best friend. This is her story, and she is RESILIENT A.F.

Buy the books: https://theglobalresilienceproject.com/books/

About the Guest:

Suzanna Fisher is a tattoo artist and Seattle local.

Links:

www.bellwethertattoo.com

https://www.instagram.com/suzannafisher/

⚠️ Content Note: Some episodes may contain themes that could be distressing. Please take care of yourself while listening, and don’t hesitate to seek support from a mental health professional if needed.

About the Hosts:

Blair Kaplan Venables is a British Columbia-based grief and resilience expert and coach, motivational speaker and the Founder of The Global Resilience Project. Her expertise has been featured on media platforms like Forbes, TEDx, CBC Radio, Entrepreneur, and Thrive Global. She is named the Top Grief and Resilience Expert of the Year 2024 by IAOTP. USA Today listed Blair as one of the top 10 conscious female leaders to watch and she empowers others to be resilient from stages around the world. 'MyStory,’ which is a television show available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Google Play, showcases Blair's life story. She is the host of the Radical Resilience podcast and specializes in helping people strengthen their resilience muscle using scientifically proven methods and guides grieving high performers with her Navigating Grief Framework. The Global Resilience Project’s award-winning book series are international bestsellers, and her fourth book, RESILIENT A.F.: Stories of Resilience Vol 2, will be published in January 2025. In her free time, you can find Blair writing, in nature, travelling the world and helping people to strengthen their resilience muscles.

Links:

https://www.blairkaplan.ca/

https://theglobalresilienceproject.com

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

https://www.facebook.com/blair.kaplan

https://www.facebook.com/BlairKaplanCommunications

https://www.instagram.com/globalresiliencecommunity

https://www.instagram.com/blairfromblairland/

https://www.facebook.com/globalresiliencecommunity

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-global-resilience-project

blair@blairkaplan.ca

Alana Kaplan is a compassionate mental health professional based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She works in the mental health field, and is a co-host of the Resilient A.F. podcast. Fueled by advocacy, Alana is known for standing up and speaking out for others. Passionate about de-stigmatizing and normalizing...

Sara was living her dreams in Latin America with her husband Brian when a bus accident turned everything upside down; Sara broke her leg and lost five teeth, and tragically, Brian died, just one week after his 44th birthday. This is her story, and she is RESILIENT A.F.

Buy the books: https://theglobalresilienceproject.com/books/

About the Guest:

Sara Clark is a facilitator, trainer, and team coach. She likes to nerd out about people problems, puzzling out ways to bridge our many differences. Communication differences are her forte. She has spent two decades working on international and multicultural teams, as well as bridging with her husband, whose style was very different style from her own. Over the last year, Sara has found a new route of connecting across difference – grief, which is what brings her to us today.

Links:

https://www.instagram.com/curiousways.co/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/curiousways

https://www.facebook.com/curiousways2/

⚠️ Content Note: Some episodes may contain themes that could be distressing. Please take care of yourself while listening, and don’t hesitate to seek support from a mental health professional if needed.

About the Hosts:

Blair Kaplan Venables is a British Columbia-based grief and resilience expert and coach, motivational speaker and the Founder of The Global Resilience Project. Her expertise has been featured on media platforms like Forbes, TEDx, CBC Radio, Entrepreneur, and Thrive Global. She is named the Top Grief and Resilience Expert of the Year 2024 by IAOTP. USA Today listed Blair as one of the top 10 conscious female leaders to watch and she empowers others to be resilient from stages around the world. 'MyStory,’ which is a television show available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Google Play, showcases Blair's life story. She is the host of the Radical Resilience podcast and specializes in helping people strengthen their resilience muscle using scientifically proven methods and guides grieving high performers with her Navigating Grief Framework. The Global Resilience Project’s award-winning book series are international bestsellers, and her fourth book, RESILIENT A.F.: Stories of Resilience Vol 2, will be published in January 2025. In her free time, you can find Blair writing, in nature, travelling the world and helping people to strengthen their resilience muscles.

Links:

https://www.blairkaplan.ca/

https://theglobalresilienceproject.com

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

https://www.facebook.com/blair.kaplan

https://www.facebook.com/BlairKaplanCommunications

https://www.instagram.com/globalresiliencecommunity

https://www.instagram.com/blairfromblairland/

https://www.facebook.com/globalresiliencecommunity

Alana and Blair met in Los Angeles to attend End Well and Grieftastic. End Well is a grief conference and is considered “A Day About Death & Life: For the Curious and Courageous.” The day was full of inspirational speakers, deep connections and all of the feelings. The following day was Grieftastic, a book fair with grief books, panels, networking, and a lot of laughing. This episode is a digest of their two days and the amazing people they met.

End Well: https://endwellproject.org/end-well-2025/

Grieftastic: https://www.grieftastic.com/

Buy The Global Resilience Project books: https://theglobalresilienceproject.com/books/

⚠️ Content Note: Some episodes may contain themes that could be distressing. Please take care of yourself while listening, and don’t hesitate to seek support from a mental health professional if needed.

About the Hosts:

Blair Kaplan Venables is a British Columbia-based grief and resilience expert and coach, motivational speaker and the Founder of The Global Resilience Project. Her expertise has been featured on media platforms like Forbes, TEDx, CBC Radio, Entrepreneur, and Thrive Global. She is named the Top Grief and Resilience Expert of the Year 2024 by IAOTP. USA Today listed Blair as one of the top 10 conscious female leaders to watch and she empowers others to be resilient from stages around the world. 'MyStory,’ which is a television show available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Google Play, showcases Blair's life story. She is the host of the Radical Resilience podcast and specializes in helping people strengthen their resilience muscle using scientifically proven methods and guides grieving high performers with her Navigating Grief Framework. The Global Resilience Project’s award-winning book series are international bestsellers, and her fourth book, RESILIENT A.F.: Stories of Resilience Vol 2, will be published in January 2025. In her free time, you can find Blair writing, in nature, travelling the world and helping people to strengthen their resilience muscles.

Links:

https://www.blairkaplan.ca/

https://theglobalresilienceproject.com

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

https://www.facebook.com/blair.kaplan

https://www.facebook.com/BlairKaplanCommunications

https://www.instagram.com/globalresiliencecommunity

https://www.instagram.com/blairfromblairland/

https://www.facebook.com/globalresiliencecommunity

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-global-resilience-project

blair@blairkaplan.ca

Alana Kaplan is a compassionate mental

Rachel lost her dad when she was 27 years old and turned to travel as a way to heal her heart. She built an online community as a way to express her feelings, which quickly grew. Shortly after, she started leading Grief Trips around the world to show others the beauty in travelling while grieving. This is her story, and she is RESILIENT A.F.

Buy the books: https://theglobalresilienceproject.com/books/

About the Guest:

Rachel is the founder of Happy Grieving, a grief community. Her life took a profound turn after the loss of her father at the age of 27. This devastating experience reshaped her perspective and inspired her to dedicate her work to helping others navigate grief in meaningful, transformative ways. Her mission is to create a grief-literate society where open conversations about loss are normalized.

Links:

https://grieftrips.com/

https://www.instagram.com/grief.trips

https://www.instagram.com/happy.grieving/

⚠️ Content Note: Some episodes may contain themes that could be distressing. Please take care of yourself while listening, and don’t hesitate to seek support from a mental health professional if needed.

About the Hosts:

Blair Kaplan Venables is a British Columbia-based grief and resilience expert and coach, motivational speaker and the Founder of The Global Resilience Project. Her expertise has been featured on media platforms like Forbes, TEDx, CBC Radio, Entrepreneur, and Thrive Global. She is named the Top Grief and Resilience Expert of the Year 2024 by IAOTP. USA Today listed Blair as one of the top 10 conscious female leaders to watch and she empowers others to be resilient from stages around the world. 'MyStory,’ which is a television show available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Google Play, showcases Blair's life story. She is the host of the Radical Resilience podcast and specializes in helping people strengthen their resilience muscle using scientifically proven methods and guides grieving high performers with her Navigating Grief Framework. The Global Resilience Project’s award-winning book series are international bestsellers, and her fourth book, RESILIENT A.F.: Stories of Resilience Vol 2, will be published in January 2025. In her free time, you can find Blair writing, in nature, travelling the world and helping people to strengthen their resilience muscles.

Links:

https://www.blairkaplan.ca/

https://theglobalresilienceproject.com

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

https://www.facebook.com/blair.kaplan

https://www.facebook.com/BlairKaplanCommunications

https://www.instagram.com/globalresiliencecommunity

https://www.instagram.com/blairfromblairland/

Deb Drummond is an author in the forthcoming book about tattoos of resilience, RESILIENT A.F. Skin Deep Stories, launching December 2025. Dr. Parul Dua Makkar is an author in the upcoming book, RESILIENT A.F.: Stories of Resilience Volume, launching in March 2026.

Deb Drummond joins us to talk about balancing various projects, life, and everything in between. They talk about health, abundance and what happiness can feel like. This is Deb’s story, and she is RESILIENT A.F.

Dr. Parul Dua Makkar lost her brother, and as she came to terms with that, she lost her dad three years later. This is her story, and she is RESILIENT A.F.

Buy the books: https://theglobalresilienceproject.com/books/

About the Guests:

Deb Drummond is a pioneer in the world of entrepreneurship. To date, she has built 7 international companies and inspired thousands around the globe.

She is the Founder behind the Show Up StandUp Speak Up, Yes You! movement, a televised, heart project with a reach of over 350 million designed to remember the solidarity of International Women’s Day. Deb  owns The Women's Channel, offering accessible televised opportunities to all women.

Deb’s thirty-year deep dive in Top Performance has built her reputation as a speaker, mastermind trainer and personal coach. She has educated, and motivated audiences of 20 thousand to stand to their feet. In her private practice, Deb has personally worked with over 30 thousand clients, moving them to a higher state of optimal health and wealth.

A well-known radio host of the Mission Accepted podcast, Deb interviews dynamic Entrepreneurs, Ultrapreneurs, Creatives, and Media Professionals who reveal personal life stories and secrets to the success of ‘making it.’ Deb is the Founder of Mission Accepted Media, where she creates anthologies and books about people and business. She is the creator of the ever so popular Top Performance Day Planner and Tracker.

Deb loves music and is happiest when she is connecting people that she knows will benefit from meeting each other and, if you were to go to her home, you would be greeted with a table of “treats” that look like she took over Willy Wonka’s candy shop!

Links

www.debdrummond.com

LI – https://www.linkedin.com/in/DebDrummond/

FB – https://www.facebook.com/deborahldrummond/

IG – @deborahldrummond https://www.instagram.com/deborahldrummond/;

@debdrummond_official (3)Instagram; @missionaccepted_media (3) Instagram

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsnh0BsWjHS1aba4cItw4rw

Dr. Parul Dua Makkar is a dentist, author, and grief coach whose life and work were forever shaped by loss—first her younger brother to oral cancer, and later her father. She channels that grief into action, educating healthcare professionals and the public on oral cancer prevention and early detection, while creating compassionate spaces for conversations about grief. Through her work, she bridges science and empathy, reminding us that awareness saves lives and shared stories heal...

The Kaplan sisters catch up on Shayne’s health, Alana’s experience with a cat psychic, a new way to communicate their mental health superpowers, and what they've both been up to.

Buy the books: https://theglobalresilienceproject.com/books/

Grief and Resilience Expert Certification Program with Blair Kaplan Venables, information and registration: https://blairkaplan.ca/grief-resilience-expert-certification-program/

Blair’s Substack: https://substack.com/@blairfromblairland

⚠️ Content Note: Some episodes may contain themes that could be distressing. Please take care of yourself while listening, and don’t hesitate to seek support from a mental health professional if needed.

About the Hosts:

Blair Kaplan Venables is a British Columbia-based grief and resilience expert and coach, motivational speaker and the Founder of The Global Resilience Project. Her expertise has been featured on media platforms like Forbes, TEDx, CBC Radio, Entrepreneur, and Thrive Global. She is named the Top Grief and Resilience Expert of the Year 2024 by IAOTP. USA Today listed Blair as one of the top 10 conscious female leaders to watch and she empowers others to be resilient from stages around the world. 'MyStory,’ which is a television show available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Google Play, showcases Blair's life story. She is the host of the Radical Resilience podcast and specializes in helping people strengthen their resilience muscle using scientifically proven methods and guides grieving high performers with her Navigating Grief Framework. The Global Resilience Project’s award-winning book series are international bestsellers, and her fourth book, RESILIENT A.F.: Stories of Resilience Vol 2, will be published in January 2025. In her free time, you can find Blair writing, in nature, travelling the world and helping people to strengthen their resilience muscles.

Links:

https://www.blairkaplan.ca/

https://theglobalresilienceproject.com

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

https://www.facebook.com/blair.kaplan

https://www.facebook.com/BlairKaplanCommunications

https://www.instagram.com/globalresiliencecommunity

https://www.instagram.com/blairfromblairland/

https://www.facebook.com/globalresiliencecommunity

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-global-resilience-project

blair@blairkaplan.ca

Alana Kaplan is a compassionate mental health professional based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She works in the mental health field, and is a co-host of the...