In this solo episode, April is sharing her own Inside Story around a time when she felt hopeless and afraid. She shares the painful experience of losing the facade of financial security when her husband walked away from a very toxic business partnership.

As a young mom to two small children, and living life over 1000 miles away from nearest family, April spiraled into a dark hole of fear. It wasn’t until a defining moment on her closet floor, and the story of another woman that acted as a beacon of light was she able to find her way out.

Don’t miss this inspiring, vulnerable, and oh-so-real story. It will leave you inspired and telling your own internal monsters to go to hell.

In this episode, she shares:

• What fear sounded like and how the voice fed her lies she believed
• A defining moment when her mother drew a hard line in the sand
• How another woman’s story helped her see where she had gone astray
• A critical decision she made in the middle of the night while standing in her close...

Today’s topic is one I’m really excited about! Today I chat with Patty Lennon, intuitive business coach, about the Art of Receiving. Patty shares her own story (complete with some unexpected twists and turns) of how she learned to receive more for herself. We cover a ton of great information in today’s episode—so get ready to learn everything you need to know about receiving and how it plays a role in our lives.   

Some of the topics Patty and I discuss:    

• How Patty’s Irish Catholic background and her career in banking both played a role in her initial resistance to receiving
• How our brains are wired to increase our propensity for caretaking and giving while simultaneously diminishing the areas primed to receive
• A pivotal conversation with a co-worker that helped Patty realize she could leave her banking job and still remain a good person
• When Patty determined that coaching would be her new career
• The first time Patty recognized her intuitive gifts and the insight she had a
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Today’s guest is Lacey Marie, with amazing inside stories of her own. If there is one word I’d use to describe Lacey, it would be “survivor.” Despite many experiences on many different levels, she continues to march forward with strength and love. She’s also someone who takes the challenges and shares them openly with others in a way that makes my heart sing. Listen in to see how she harnesses the power of her story.

Here’s what Lacey and I cover in this episode:   

• Does Lacey see herself as a survivor? You’ll love her answer, which can help you to move through your own challenges.
• Why I reached out to Lacey and what I think people can learn from her story (which leaves a lot of people breathless when they hear it).
• Viewing the events in hindsight, Lacey explains how several of the major blows in her life were actually related to each other and later affected her own challenges over time.
• How navigating multiple blows over the years, many in close succession, changed her and s
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One of the best parts of the Lightbeamers Community is to see a woman burst onto the scene and then watch her rise!

Reaiah Cubero of ReeCreation Ministries first showed up during one of our Wednesday livestream days — she appeared quiet, nervous, unsure, yet concretely determined.

She stuck with it.

Week after week her confidence grew and her gorgeous storytelling unfolded.

She surprised us with her talents around spoken word poetry and artistic endeavors!

She’s passionate about mental health, and incredibly grounded in her faith.

She shows shows up regularly on live-streams on her various channels and is making a huge difference in this world, especially for other women who may also be struggling with mental health, conflicts around their faith, and identity crisis.

Take a minute to get to know her better in this months Lightbeamers Spotlight!!

APRIL: Tell us a little bit about your journey leading to the creation of ReeCreation Ministries?

REAIAH: It's been quite a journey...

I’m excited to share this conversation with Ros Smith today. I’ve wanted to feature Ros on the podcast for a long time! She’s had an enviable career in design and philanthropy. Her life was interrupted by a surprising cancer diagnosis in 2019, at just 58 years old. Her journey has continued to amaze me, and I know that you will also glean a lot from what she went through and the message she now shares from the other side of this experience.  

In this episode, you’ll learn:   

• The details of Ros’s story, beginning with her first cancer diagnosis and through to where she is today.
• Why fear was never a factor in her recovery and death wasn’t part of the equation in her mind.
• How going through an MRI procedure flicked a switch in Ros’s mind, moving her from fear to courage (even when others might have given up).
• The importance of journaling through her recovery and how it led to her book,
• Ros’s essential distinction between what we do and who we fundamentally are—and how that has
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Today’s episode was born from two recent events: first, when I heard a quote from Michelle Obama that really gave me pause; and then, the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

In today’s podcast, I share some musings on the concept of feminism, how it has evolved in my life, and what I think needs to change for us to live in a world where we can bridge the gap between men and women so that everyone has a powerful voice that is heard.

I discuss:  

• The quote from Michelle Obama that got me thinking about the role of women in our culture
• How Ruth Bader Ginsburg paved the way for women in the justice system and in our society
• Why I would have said, “No Way!” if you’d asked whether I was a feminist even 10 years ago, yet today might even call myself “a raging feminist” (and be proud of it)
• The ways our society influences us to believe that “feminism” is a negative concept
• How my work with the women in the LIGHTBeamers community cemented some of my views and ideas around feminism
• RBG’s
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Today, my very special guest and dear friend, Sandra Sky (Scaiano if we’re being official) joins me on the show. When I realized it was my own short-term vision that had kept me from starting this podcast, I knew I had to invite Sandra on to talk about “the long game”—she even has her own podcast with the same name! So of course I invited her to talk more about what “the long game” really means, and spark some ideas for you around where you might need a longer-game vision as well.

Sandra and I uncover so many great nuggets in this conversation. Here’s some of what we discuss:  

• What tripped me up when I started the podcast, and how keeping the long game in mind helped me to finally move forward.
• What is the long game philosophy? Sandra shares her perspective from her own journey and vision.
• What it takes to really solidify your brand and direction in business (and how that relates to the long game).
• Key foundational pieces you need to put in place to build your business over t
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No matter which stories I share each week on this podcast, my hope is that they prompt you to delve more deeply into your own inside stories as a result of listening here. Why? Because my fundamental belief is that we each have an important story to tell—and yours is no different.

Today, I share how my personal philosophy around storytelling developed and why I’ve come to believe that our stories are so important (enough to build an entire podcast around!). So come along for the ride as I venture back to where it all began—my early career as a broadcaster—and how things evolved from there.

In today’s episode, I cover:  

• How, as a young journalist, I became disillusioned with the kinds of stories most networks aired and how my viewpoint shifted when I discovered the work of Steve Hartman at CBS
• What Steve Hartman taught me: How Hartman became my “silent mentor” and showed me the power of stories through his show, Everybody Has a Story, in which he chose Americans at random and t
...

Welcome to the first episode of The Inside Story! Thank you so much for tuning in. I’m April Pertuis, and for most of my adult life, I’ve been captivated by the power of stories to connect people. My intention for this podcast is to simply bring insightful, inspiring stories that shine a light back on YOU, and spark something that prompts you to examine your own story and see how valuable it really is—especially when you decide to share it.

I’ll take you behind the curtain to reveal the success stories of entrepreneurs, thought leaders, change makers and others who’ve walked through fire and come out the other side. How did they get there? What were the hurdles? What are their biggest “aha” moments? Plus, we’ll look at the power of story (because your own journey has power to propel you forward in life too), and I’ll be sharing my own stories along the way.

In today’s episode, I talk about how this podcast came to be, as well as my goals and intention for The Inside Story, includin...

I first met Louisa Garrett through a mutual friend on the internet. I was taken immediately by her enthusiasm, bright smile and laugh, and intense determination to "Make Kind Loud" 

Louisa is the epitome of a LIGHTbeamer because she uses her social media channels relentlessly to share her message of Kindness. 

She shows up LIVE every single day spreading a message of compassion and empathy toward others. You can't help but fall in love with Louisa within 2 seconds of meeting her. 

She's infectious.... and a powerful LIGHTbeamer leading the way to make this world a better place. 

I'm honored to feature her for this month's LIGHTbeamers Spotlight! 

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APRIL: You are the powerful creator behind The Kindness Summit and Make Kind Loud... tell me how that began. 

LOUISA: I started my "Kindness journey" nearly a decade ago. But before that, I was super sarcastic. I lived and breathed sarcasm. I was sarcastic for no reason; lo...