Podcast
Make Life Less Difficult
Hosted by Lisa Tilstra · EN
"What do we live for, if not to make life less difficult for each other?" - mary anne evansThis quote summarizes my life purpose. Life isn't easy. It's complex, filled with the unexpected, and sometimes really hard. While life is full of challenges, I believe there are myriad things we can do to help make life less difficult for each other.On this podcast we'll share stories, struggles, and successes that help us know we're not alone. And knowing we're not alone is one way to make life less difficult.
39episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Béa Albina: Diving Deeper into Ending Emotional Outsourcing
Feb 2000:57:17Tap to summarizeSend us a message!My guest today is Béa Victoria Albina.Béa is a returning guest and I'm so excited to share this second conversation with you where we dive deeper into her book, End Emotional Outsourcing: How to Overcome Your Codependent, Perfectionist, People-Pleasing Habits and Reclaim Your Life.You'll learn more about how to take care of yourself and truly love those around you in ways that will support healthy growth and relationships.Béa's website: https://beatrizalbina.com/Béa's book: End Emotional Outsourcing: How to Overcome Your Codependent, Perfectionist, People-Pleasing Habits and Reclaim Your LifeSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra
Transcribe →Lisa Lewis Daniels: The Messy Middle & Lion Heart Society
Feb 1001:07:58Tap to summarizeSend us a message!My guest today is Lisa Lewis Daniels.Lisa brings a unique blend of professional experience, academic achievement, and transformational coaching expertise to her work with individuals, couples, and families.After the birth of her son, Lisa, Founder and CEO of Lionheart Society, LLC faced the challenge of balancing a stable, loving home with her career ambitions.Despite countless hours researching resources, she found no tribe or tools that fully met her new reality. This frustration sparked her passion to support women, men, couples, and families in practical, sustainable ways.Coach Daniels is happily married to Mr. Daniels, affectionately known as “Babe,” and treasures her role as Mommy to their son. Their family thrives on the principle that individual pursuits are balanced with the collective welfare of the household unit, creating a stable and loving environment for everyone.Early in her journey, Coach Daniels coined the phrase “Heels, Hubby, and Highchair” to describe the integration of career, marriage, and parenthood. What began as a simple expression grew into a foundation for her work on identity, leadership, and life transitions, which is the very foundation that now informs all of Lionheart Society’s coaching and programs.Learn more about Lisa and her work at: https://www.thelionheartsociety.com/Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisalewisdaniels/Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra
Transcribe →Jessica Vogt: Coming Home to Yourself
Feb 501:10:48Tap to summarizeSend us a message!My guest today is Jessica Vogt.Jess is a holistic leadership development coach who supports people with a foot in many worlds -- culturally, professionally, or personally.Jess is a returning guest and I highly recommend listening to our first conversation on Episode 233 where she shared pieces of her story growing up as a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults).Today Jess shares more about her passion for coming home to ourselves. Finding who we really are, leading from this place of who we really are. It's so much easier said than done.Jess has a new program, Lead As You Are (LAYA). The program helps people who’ve lived between cultures or identities reconnect with their voice, confidence, and sense of direction — so they can lead their lives more authentically and feel at home in themselves.Jessica is currently having conversations with people who are curious to learn more about her and Lead As You Are, and to see whether it could be a fit.You can either reach her directly at jessica@talpaco.com, check out her website: www.talpaco.com, or book a discovery call. Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra
Transcribe →Kelly Kienzle: Journey into Your Next with the Alchemy Workbook
Jan 3000:51:43Tap to summarizeMy guest today is Kelly Kienzle.Kelly is a returning guest and today we are talking about her book, Alchemy Workbook: Journey into Your Next.Alchemy Workbook blends art, journaling, and guided self-inquiry to help you chart a path from “what was” to “what’s becoming.” Inside, you’ll explore playful prompts, visual exercises, and intriguing practices that reveal patterns, possibilities, and a way forward. Designed for creators, dreamers, and anyone approaching a crossroads, Alchemy Workbookhelps you navigate change with curiosity by alchemizing what you already know into a clear path to your “next”.Author Kelly Kienzle is a leadership coach, writer, and facilitator who helps mission-driven leaders move from being overwhelmed and over-extended to being energized and confident so that they have the freedom to focus on their organization’s highest strategic priorities. She does this work as the founder and CEO of Open Circle Coaching.Kelly's website: https://opencirclecoaching.com/Purchase the book:https://opencirclecoaching.com/alchemy-workbook/Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra
Transcribe →Wise Women: Humanity's Untold Origins with Christopher Henze & Dominique Debroux
Jan 2600:59:18Tap to summarizeMy guests today are Christopher Henze and Dominique Debroux, the Director and Producer team for the film, Wise Women: Humanity's Untold Origins.I'm thrilled to share this conversation with you and cannot recommend the film enough. There's so much to be discovered about the role of older women in our societies and world.About the FilmWise Women – Humanity’s Untold Origins reframes human evolution through a revolutionary lens: the leadership of post-reproductive women. It challenges 10,000 years of patriarchal storytelling and restores women — especially mature, experienced women — to their rightful place as the architects of civilization.The film reveals that menopause was not a biological failure but a human superpower — the adaptation that made long-term cooperation, shared leadership, and empathy-driven survival possible.This is not just a film about biology; it’s a story about power, design, and who gets written out of the human narrative.Learn more about the film: https://wisewomenmovie.com/Rent the film: https://www.bingeable.net/wisewomenJoin the community: https://www.wisewomenforward.com/Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra
Transcribe →Conrad Colman: Solo, We are Nothing
Jan 2200:59:30Tap to summarizeOur conversation today is hosted by Russ Watts. Russ, thanks so much for bringing this conversation to Make Life Less Difficult. Russ is talking with Conrad Coleman, and I cannot wait for you to hear this conversation. I listened to it and it will have you on the edge of your seat. As Conrad shares some of his sailing adventures, Conrad has circumnavigated the world multiple times on sailboats, including two solo voyages without using any fossil fuels, which is a cause close to his heart.Conrad, thanks so much for coming on the podcast, and as always, the only challenge I have with Russ hosting on the podcast is I'm jealous. I didn't get to speak directly to Conrad, but oh my gosh, this is such an amazing conversation. I, I, I don't know if you can hear it, but I have a huge smile on my face, even just recording this introduction.So without further ado with, enjoy this conversation with Russ and Conrad.Learn more about Conrad: https://conradcolman.com/enConrad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conradcolman/Conrad's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@colmanoceanracingSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra
Transcribe →Guryan Tighe: Unmasking Fear - How Fears are our Gateways to Freedom
Jan 1800:47:04Tap to summarizeMy guest today is Guryan Tighe.Guryan is an experienced leadership coach, workshop facilitator, and communications strategist whose clients describe her as a “Fear Technician”. She founded her company, FOURAGE, on the belief that understanding and working with our fears, rather than trying to conquer them, yields more professional success and personal fulfillment. In her book, Unmasking Fear: How Fears are our Gateways to Freedom, Guryan reframes the way we approach fear from the goal of conquering it to a goal of learning from it by providing readers three gateways to look at fear in a way that frees us: curiosity, gratitude, and purpose. She shows us how to interrupt our initial reaction, pause, check in with ourselves, and rewrite the patterns we use to respond to that which we fear. With this shift in thinking and how to engage it, readers will find new pathways forward as they shift from unintentional reactions to intentional responses.When we change our relationship to fear, we gain valuable insights that inform our growth and development, connecting us more deeply to our truth. This different approach to fear doesn’t just transform our relationship with ourselves but can also unite us with others through empathy and shared purpose. What has the power to separate us from ourselves and each other—fear—also has the power to unite us. Unmasking Fear shows us that fear is courage unrealized and understanding our fears frees us to pursue the life we want.Learn more about Guryan and her work: https://fourage.io/Unmasking Fear, the book: https://fourage.io/unmasking-fearSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra
Transcribe →Mona Khan: Seeding the Soil of Connection
Jan 1401:13:27Tap to summarizeMy guest today is Mona Khan.Mona is a culture alchemist and joy cultivator who helps teams co-create with clarity, navigate conflict with care, and show up fully — no masks, no holding back.She helps teams embrace the joy of difference: thinking differently, acting differently, doing differently. She nurtures them to turn those differences into superpowers.Collaboration stops being exhausting and starts being energizing, even fun.Mona does this through coaching for leaders and teams, guiding organizations on culture-shift journeys, and hands-on skill-building like her Art of Conflict series. Mona is the co-founder of the Social Identity Coaching Lab. Learn more at: https://www.socidlab.com/Connect with Mona on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mona-khan-b21a99a2/Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra
Transcribe →Jennifer Berryhill: Brain Health and Wellness for MidLife Women (and Happy 2026!)
Jan 901:17:11Tap to summarizeHello and welcome to the first officially released episode of 2026! I’ve got a great conversation with Jennifer Berryhill to share with you today that I think is very timely with the new year.Before jumping into that conversation, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the start of this new year. If you happened to listen to the last episode, you’ll know that there I reflected on the end of 2025. While I am a full believer that every day, every moment, really, is a chance to begin again, I do find something special about the ending and beginning of years. We mark a lot in our lives by years… birthdays, anniversaries, budgets, management cycles, zodiac signs!Back in 2014, I was introduced the idea of having a word for the year from my dear friend, Amy Cupic. My word then was curiosity, as I knew it would serve as a great reminder for me to be curious as I experienced moving from the Philippines to Saudi Arabia. This year, 2026, my word is Space. For me it serves as a reminder to take up space in the world, to create and step into spaces that will bring me joy and fulfillment. And to be intentional about the spaces in my life, both external and internal. You'll hear more about my plans in the podcast (all the text wouldn't fit here!)So, that’s a little bit of what my 2026 is starting off focused on. I hope that you take some time to reflect on what you want out of this year. Maybe it’s not shaving your head, but what might you do in support of others you love? Even if it’s a little uncomfortable, maybe it’s worth the effort of pushing through the fear. And maybe it’s not camping and rock climbing for 50 days, but what might you do to celebrate life and living and loving. Life is precious and it’s a gift. I know too many whose lives have been cut short and so I recommit to living life with an awareness that it’s a gift and that each day I have is an opportunity to extend love to those around me, and to look for ways to make life less difficult for each other.Thank you so much for being part of my journey by listening to the Make Life Less Difficult podcast. And now… my conversation with Jennifer.Connect with Jennifer Berryhill: https://www.jenniferberryhillwellness.com/Jennifer's IG: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_berryhill_wellness/LinkedInLisa's Fundraiser for St. Baldrick's Foundation: https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/mypage/1171198/2026Lisa's Red Rocks Adventure: https://red-rock-adventure.vercel.app/Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra
Transcribe →Stephen Barry: Re-Finding Community, Faith, and Love
Mar 1, 202501:24:12Tap to summarizeMy guest today is Stephen Barry.Stephen is a massage therapist living in the Nashville, Tennessee area.Stephen is someone who I have wanted to have on the podcast for years, so it’s truly a delight to finally share this conversation here.Stephen originally connected with me after I was on a podcast called Everyone’s Agnostic. We had a number of things in common including our upbringing in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. And stepping away from that faith community. Stephen also recognized my last name and asked if I was related to Doug Tilstra. My father-in-law, Doug Tilstra, had been one of his professors in university and, as you’ll hear in Stephen’s story, has remained a prominent friend and support to him.In our conversation today, Stephen shares pieces of his story of leaving religion, coming out as gay, nearly giving up on life, and re-finding community, faith, and love. Embedded in this is an amazing story of friendship and making life less difficult for each other.Stephen, thank you so very much for this conversation. I feel so grateful to be connected. Thank you for sharing your stories with authenticity, vulnerability, love, and compassion. You make the world a better place!If you’d like to connect with Stephen, you’ll find links below.https://www.facebook.com/barryorchestra Make Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra
Transcribe →