It is a fact of life that we are all going to experience adversity at times. Life hands us circumstances in the form of hardship, trauma, or other difficulty, and we’re left to try to figure out how to move through it and pick up the pieces.

This week on the podcast, we’re focusing in on how to create a life of meaning after adversity through the story of one woman’s journey to turn her own adversity into an organization to help others.

Becca Erickson is the Founder of Emerge Mother’s Academy. The mission of Emerge Mother’s Academy is to equip single moms to emerge as confident women and caring moms. They do this through a holistic approach that helps women thrive in their lives.

The incredible thing about this week’s episode is that, although Becca’s work focuses on single moms, the value and expertise she shares is so applicable to everyone. You don’t have to be a mom or even a parent to get so much value out of this episode.

In particular, Becca and I have an in-depth conversation about the passive versus active thoughts that our mind conjures up. We debunk the myth that somehow our passive, automatic thoughts are more valuable or authentic than the thoughts we intentionally cultivate. And, Becca provides the most simple, yet elegant and effective exercise for recognizing and changing your own thought pattern. It’s powerful.

Parenting is one of the most difficult jobs on the planet. Regardless of whether you are a parent or not, you’ll get so much out of this episode to help you build psychological strength and thrive in your own life.