Welcome to a brand-new season of This is My Silver Lining!

As we step into the new year, host Ingrid Busson-Hall reflects on the journey of creating this podcast, its mission to inspire hope and resilience, and the exciting plans ahead. This season will feature more extraordinary stories of courage, kindness, and gratitude—reminders that even in life’s toughest moments, there’s always a silver lining to embrace.

In this episode, Ingrid shares a special update about Co-Host Kathleen Merrigan, who is stepping away from the podcast to pursue new opportunities. Though Kathleen will no longer be behind the mic, her spirit and support will always be part of the show’s DNA.

Thank you for joining us on this journey, and here’s to starting the year with optimism, fresh perspectives, and inspiring conversations!

Links and Resources

This is My Silver Lining: Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Website

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© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

In this thought-provoking episode of This is My Silver Lining, I sit down with Dan Kowalski, founder of Plan A Thinking and author of W.I.S.E. Choices at Work: Go From Doubting to DECISIVE When the Clock is Ticking.

Dan's mission is to empower individuals and teams to make better decisions through deliberate and disciplined thinking. From his humble beginnings to navigating career transitions and founding his own consulting firm, Dan shares how curiosity, resilience, and a framework for decision-making have shaped his journey.

We explore the importance of creating space for reflection, asking the right questions, and understanding the downside of every choice. Dan also shares his insights on the evolving role of technology—especially AI—in decision-making and how to strike a balance between speed and thoughtful consideration in a fast-paced world.

Whether you're a leader, a professional facing tough decisions, or simply someone striving to think more effectively, Dan's wise and practical approach will leave you inspired.

Episode Links and Resources

Plan A Thinking

W.I.S.E. Choices at Work: Go From Doubting to DECISIVE When the Clock is Ticking

Dialogue Mapping: Building Shared Understanding of Wicked Problems, Jeff Conklin

Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions, Temple Grandin

Think Again, Adam Grant

I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times, Mónica Guzmán

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Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

In this inspiring episode, we speak with Bill Burke, founder of the Optimism Institute and host of the Bluesky podcast, about the powerful link between optimism and gratitude. Bill shares his perspectives on how life’s toughest challenges ultimately shape us into better, more empathetic people, and how being grateful for these experiences opens us up to new relationships and greater possibilities in the future.

We dive into the importance of optimism—not as a naive perspective, but as a grounded, realistic outlook that fuels resilience, deepens connections, and helps us embrace the good in life.

Bill discusses his transition from being a high-powered media executive at Turner Broadcasting where he served as the first General Manager of Turner Classic Movies to relocating his family to Portland, Maine. Ironically, it was getting off the corporate merry go round that created the opportunity for Bill to serve as Ted Turner’s ghost writer on his highly anticipated biography, Call Me Ted.

Bill reflects on the importance of gratitude and how cultivating a mindset of optimism can transform not only your life but also the world around you. Tune in for a dose of inspiration on living with optimism, curiosity, and gratitude!

Episode Links and Resources

Optimism Institute

Bluesky Podcast

Call Me Ted

How to be an Optimist in a Turbulent World, Dr. Sue Varma

The Effects of Optimism on Health, Dr. Nicola Williams

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing!

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2024 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

In this heartfelt conversation, InsideWink co-creators and co-hosts Jean Trebek, widow of Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, and actress, Alison Martin, explore the transformative power of friendship, everyday miracles, grief, and compassion. Jean reflects on her journey of loss and resilience, sharing deeply personal experiences of losing her brother at a young age, overcoming an eating disorder, and caring for and grieving her beloved husband, Alex. Alison opens up about the impact of losing her father as a child and the simple, profound importance of being present for a friend in need. Through laughter and tears, they remind us that friendship is a precious gift of love from the universe.

Episode Links and Resources

InsideWink

A Course in Miracles, Helen Schucman

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing!

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2022 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

When faced with a breast cancer diagnosis, treatment recommendations, and reconstruction options, Becky Johnson was unequivocal: she wanted the cancer out, and she wanted to minimize the need for additional surgeries. She opted for an aesthetic flat closure after her double mastectomy. She never expected that this decision would take her from the world of real estate to creating a whole new line of fashion for the flat community. When Becky discovered that no clothes truly honored a woman’s decision to go flat, she decided to take on the challenge with her friend and designer, Tracy Friden. Together, they created Flatware Clothing, a company that creates fabulous and feminine clothes for women who choose to go flat. We explore body image, femininity, the need for greater awareness, and the role fashion plays in making us feel good in the skin we’re in.

Episode Links and Resources:
Flatwear Clothing
Instagram: @flatwearclothing
Facebook: flatwearclothing
Flat Closure Now
Not Putting On a Shirt
Fierce, Flat, Forward
Fantastic Flat Fashions
Fabulously Flat Not Reconstructing Breasts
Why I Chose To Remain Flat After My Mastectomy, Ellyn Winters-Robinson, Châtelaine Magazine, October 25, 2023
'Boobless Babe' Removes Breasts Despite Not Having Cancer, Health News, Mira Miller, May 21, 2024

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing!
Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.
Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.
© 2024 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Amiel Handelsman opens up about his personal experience of loss and grief and how he found healing power in his discovery of positive psychology. Amiel discusses the importance of acknowledging and expressing grief, particularly for men and removing the taboos. He shares his experience of losing his first child in the hospital after a preterm live birth and the feelings of isolation that were compounded by the stress of several rounds of IVF and miscarriage for him and his wife. Amiel took this experience to a lecture hall, telling medical students about his experience and the power of apology.

Amiel also shares his professional perspective on shifting our thinking to develop sustainable strategies and innovative solutions. He shares his journey into executive coaching and highlights recurring themes in his work, such as managing emotionally charged situations and adapting to change. Amiel talks about deliberate practice and its application in leadership development. His podcast, 'How My View Grew,' explores the importance of injecting nuanced perspectives to solve complex problems.

Episode Links and Resources
Amiel Handelsman
How My View Grew (website)

Podcasts:
How My View Grew, The Amiel Show
Teaching Doctors How to Say “I’m Sorry”
Michigan Is Haven from Climate Change. Officials Must Prepare.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing!
Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.
Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.
© 2024 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Nik Venios, founder of The Ideas Agency, shares his journey of resilience and creativity. When Nik lost his mother to breast cancer at age eight it made him an outlier. The transformational impact of her death wasn’t all negative, he says. It provided him the the ability to always look at problems from a range of perspectives. Nik discusses his early career, how he discovered design thinking, and how he went from foraging for nettles in Denmark to inventing a hygienic door handle long before the 2020 pandemic. We discuss the creative process, the importance of taking the time to truly define and understand a problem before developing solutions that may not produce the best fix, and the intense value of testing and tinkering. Nik emphasizes the need to embrace curiosity, daydreaming, and playfulness to foster creativity.

Episode Links and Resources

The Ideas Agency

Free innovation course from The Ideas Agency

Big Magic

Alchemy

Think Bigger

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing!

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2022 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Heather shares her experience of losing Jake, her four-year-old son, after a still undiagnosed illness that caused constant seizures. Heather emphasizes the importance of breaking the taboo on grief and finding the light in difficult situations.

She and her husband Brian started Jake's Help From Heaven, a nonprofit organization to provide support for individuals and families confronted with complex medical needs and disabilities. She emphasizes the importance of accepting help from others and building a community of support.

Heather also discusses the challenges faced by families with children who have disabilities and the need for more support and understanding from society.

Heather believes in finding silver linings and staying positive despite the loss of her son. In her recently launched podcast, A Place of Yes, Heather shares stories of resilience and possibility with similarly affected families.

Episode Links and Resources

Charity: Jake’s Help From Heaven

Podcast: A Place of Yes

Instagram: @heatherstraughter, @jakeshelp

Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing!

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2022 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Support this podcast by subscribing and reviewing.

Music is considered “royalty-free” and discovered on Audio Blocks.

Technical Podcast Support by: Jon Keur at Wayfare Recording Co.

© 2025 Silver Linings Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.