Podcast Episodes

"Every morning I wake up, I brush my teeth, and I sharpen my tongue." ~ Dorothy Parker Thea Starr's favorite Dorothy Parker quote perfectly captures her sass as the youngest of six children. "I'm not a quiet girl," she says. "Nothing's happening for me unless I say...

Thea Starr describes herself as "a lady in a workshop in the woods at the edge of a bog." She's a sewist, vintage sewing machine repairess, and designer. But before all that, she was "a wild girl. A teenage mom. I even went to juvenile detention. You know, bad girl....

Angela Shen had always been "one of those weird kids that actually liked eating mushrooms." Her dad's a chef, culinary mushrooms were a constant, but she'd never foraged for wild ones herself. Then COVID hit. Everyone was cooped up indoors. "The only access or freedom...

Fifteen years. That's how long Angela Shen had been running Savor Seattle, taking people on food tours through Pike Place Market and showing off Seattle "through the lens of our stomachs." Then COVID hit. Record screech. Restaurants closed. Tourism stopped. The...

The pandemic changed everything, including how we thought about connection. For Tracy Crowley, host of Good Life Stories, those months of isolation meant sitting in her dining room sewing, walking through the woods alone, and thinking constantly about the people she...

Matt Meyers can recite obscure movie quotes from 100 films running simultaneously in his head. Ask him about a conversation from yesterday? Complete blank. "That's the kryptonite in my superpower," he admits. "I couldn't remember what I wrote, so I had to look at the...

The Army didn't know what to do with a cancer patient. There were warrior transition units for combat wounded, but as Matt Meyers learned, "there's no Purple Hearts for cancer, even though you got it when you're deployed." His boss called after two weeks on the job...

"I broke out of the friend zone like Shawshank. Pressure and time." That's how Matt Meyers describes the ten-year journey from high school classmate to husband with Nicole. What started as a casual jogging invitation at Senior Snake—despite jogging being "the last...

In this compelling final episode with David Castillo, Good Life Stories host Tracy Crowley delves into the values, aspirations, and causes that define this thoughtful coach and advocate. The conversation reveals not just what David does, but why he does it—and what he...

How do you know when a life season is ending and it's time to embrace what comes next? David Castillo's coaching story on Good Life Stories takes listeners through a 17-year journey that began with sending 14 letters asking to volunteer coach for free and may be...

Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to meet your father for the first time as an adult? David Castillo's extraordinary journey on Good Life Stories takes listeners through the emotional landscape of growing up without knowing half of your identity, and the...

How does adding one three-letter word transform defeat into possibility? In this inspiring final episode with Sheryl Tullis, host Tracy Crowley explores the profound impact of language, mindset, and purposeful action in creating meaningful change. What begins as a...

"You have to stop getting ready to get ready. Just get on with it." When tragedy strikes, do we retreat into safety or leap boldly into the unknown? For Sheryl Tullis, the answer became crystal clear after receiving devastating news that would forever change how she...

"When somebody tells you no, that doesn't have to be the end of it. There's always an appeal. There's always another way around." In this captivating episode of Good Life Stories, host Tracy Crowley delves into the remarkable life journey of Sheryl Tullis, a West...

"Power is not a zero sum game. Just because somebody steps into theirs doesn't diminish the power of the people who are around them, regardless of gender." In this thought-provoking final episode with Dr. Tammy Yard-McCracken, host Tracy Crowley explores the...

"People come to train out of self-love, not out of fear. They come to train because they recognize their value as a human being." In this insightful second episode of Good Life Stories featuring Dr. Tammy Yard-McCracken, host Tracy Crowley delves deeper into the...

"I don't think as humans we engage in anything like that without some hope that we will accomplish the goal. But I was really clear going in... this is definitely an overwhelming experience. Drinking from a firehose." In this captivating episode of Good Life Stories,...

"Life is what happens while you're planning something else." In this compelling final episode of the George Nowik series on Good Life Stories, host Tracy Crowley delves into the personal and professional elements that have shaped George's life and career. The...