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Some conversations leave a mark on your heart.

This week's episode of Hope Comes to Visit is one of them.

My guest is Sabrina Foster—a mother, advocate, community leader, and founder of the Foster Family Foundation.

In 2021, Sabrina's son, Glenn Foster Jr., died while in police custody in Alabama. Since that day, she has devoted herself to seeking accountability, honoring her son's legacy, and supporting others through advocacy and community work.

What moved me most about this conversation wasn't simply the tragedy of what happened.

It was listening to a mother tell the story of her son.

Before Glenn was a headline, he was a little boy she adored. He was a student, an athlete, an entrepreneur, a father, and someone who believed deeply in helping others succeed.

Throughout our conversation, Sabrina shares stories of raising Glenn, watching him achieve his dreams, building businesses, becoming a father, and creating a life filled with purpose.

We also talk about grief, resilience, faith, activism, healing, and the reality of continuing to live after unimaginable loss.

Sabrina's love for her son is evident in every word she speaks. And perhaps that's what stayed with me most.

This isn't simply a conversation about loss. It's a conversation about love.

Connect with Sabrina through The Foster Family Foundation.

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts and don't forget Apple now has video!

00:00 Introduction
02:39 How Danielle and Sabrina Connected
04:43 Tell Us About Glenn Jr.
07:54 Raising a Son of Excellence
12:17 Football, College and the NFL Dream
13:18 Watching Your Child Live Their Dream
15:25 Life After Football
18:54 Building Businesses and Creating Legacy
22:05 The Trip Through Alabama
22:53 The Arrest
24:19 When Things Stopped Making Sense
26:08 A Mother's Instinct
28:18 The Phone Call No Parent Should Receive
31:02 What Officials Said Happened
32:23 The Independent Autopsy
35:23 The Pursuit of Justice
36:31 Grief, Survival and Finding Purpose
39:33 The Foster Family Foundation
42:17 What Legacy Means to Sabrina
43:42 How Sabrina Defines Hope
45:01 How to Support the Foundation
46:19 Accountability and Systemic Change
47:42 Final Reflections

I’m so grateful you spent this time with us today.

If Hope Comes to Visit has become a bright spot in your week, I’d love for you to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen so you never miss an episode.

And if this conversation resonated with you, sharing it with a friend, leaving a review, or simply telling someone about the show helps more than you know.

Until next time, take good care of yourself. And remember—your story matters.

New episodes drop every Monday, so you can begin your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv and @HopeComestoVisit

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What does it look like to grieve openly, honestly, and without hiding the hardest parts?

This week on Hope Comes to Visit, I’m joined by Brittany Wiederin—a wife, mother, advocate, and founder of the Handle Hard Better Foundation.

After losing her husband, Cory, to a rare and aggressive form of kidney cancer, Brittany finds herself navigating the unimaginable: raising two young boys, carrying profound grief, and learning how to move forward while still honoring the love that changed her life.

What struck me most about this conversation is Brittany’s willingness to live—and grieve—unmasked.

Together, we talk about love, loss, parenting through heartbreak, caregiving, resilience, faith, and the reality that grief isn’t something we move on from. It’s something we learn to carry.

We also talk about the intentional choices Brittany and Cory made after his diagnosis, including playing catch with their boys every single day, creating legacy videos, and finding ways to build beautiful memories in the midst of a devastating reality.

This conversation is heartbreaking and hopeful all at once.

One of Brittany’s most powerful reminders:

“For as hard as it is, it’s worth it. Being vulnerable takes courage. But if we aren’t vulnerable, someone may never feel seen.”

If you have experienced loss—or love someone who has—I hope this conversation reminds you that you are not alone.

💙 If you get a chance - take the time to watch the video version of this episode and stay through the end. Brittany graciously shared personal family footage of Cory, their boys, and the beautiful life they built together. We share some throughout the episode, but there are extra special moments as our conversation closes. It is a moving tribute to a husband, father, coach, and man who continues to impact the lives of those who love him.

Connect with Brittany on Instagram and keep an eye out for the Handle Hard Better Foundation.

If this episode resonates with you, please share it with someone who may need it. You never know when a story of hope might arrive at exactly the right moment.

00:00 Introduction
01:35 Meet Brittany Wiederin
03:42 Who Was Cory?
05:35 How Brittany and Cory Met
06:45 Cory as a Coach and Father
08:43 The Cancer Diagnosis
11:19 Playing Catch Every Day
13:09 Creating Intentional Memories
14:51 Facing an Uncertain Future
17:04 Living With Grief
18:47 Parenting Through Loss
23:06 Caring for Yourself While Grieving
25:10 Grieving Unmasked
29:42 How the Boys Are Doing
31:22 Preserving Cory’s Legacy
36:04 What Cory Wanted His Boys to Remember
37:49 The Gift of Legacy Videos
40:07 The Handle Hard Better Foundation
43:33 How Brittany Defines Hope
46:20 Connecting with Brittany
47:27 A Message for Caregivers and Widows
49:06 Final Reflections

I’m so grateful you spent this time with us today.

If Hope Comes to Visit has become a bright spot in your week, I’d love for you to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen so you never miss an episode.

And if this conversation resonated with you, sharing it with a friend, leaving a review, or simply telling someone about the show helps more than you know.

Until next time, take good care of yourself. And remember—your story matters.

New episodes drop every Monday, so you can begin your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv and @HopeComestoVisit

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For decades, Dr. Durga Larkin's identity was deeply connected to her work as a cataract surgeon.

Then one unexpected fall changed everything.

After fracturing her dominant arm and facing the possibility that she might never return to surgery, Dr. Durga found herself confronting a question many of us eventually face:

Who are we when the role we've built our life around begins to change?

In this thoughtful and deeply human conversation, we talk about aging, identity, purpose, perfectionism, burnout, rest, and what it means to create a vision for the future—even when life doesn't unfold according to plan.

Dr. Durga shares the inspiration behind her book, Timeless Vision, the lessons she learned from patients who continued to live vibrant, meaningful lives well into their 80s, 90s, and beyond, and how her own unexpected injury became an invitation to reimagine what came next.

We also explore:
• Why so many women struggle with aging and identity
• The labels we carry throughout our lives
• How purpose impacts our health and well-being
• Why rest is often harder than we realize
• The connection between meaning, longevity, and fulfillment
• Learning to release perfectionism
• Creating a vision for your next chapter

One of my favorite moments came when Dr. Durga shared that her injury ultimately gave her permission to do what she had been feeling deep inside all along.

If you've ever found yourself standing at a crossroads, navigating change, or wondering what comes next, I think you'll find a lot of wisdom in this conversation.

Connect with Dr. Durga on her website - durgalarkinmd.com

And find her book - Timeless Vision

If Hope Comes to Visit has become a bright spot in your week, I'd be so grateful if you'd subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who might need it.

Your story matters. And so does theirs.

Chapter Markers

00:00 Introduction
01:32 Meet Dr. Durga Larkin
01:54 Why She Wrote Timeless Vision
05:46 Why We Fear Aging
09:43 The Power of Having a Vision for Your Life
12:10 Blind Spots, Labels & Identity
14:29 The Injury That Changed Everything
18:04 When Life Makes You Walk the Talk
19:17 Purpose, Meaning & Longevity
20:46 Why Rest Matters More Than We Think
24:44 Learning to Sit Still
26:15 Reinvention After a Career Change
29:18 Craving Peace
30:00 Perfectionism & High Achievement
31:25 Advice for Anyone Facing Change
33:54 Meditation, Reflection & Self-Awareness
36:21 Dr. Durga's Timeless Vision
38:12 How Dr. Durga Defines Hope
39:17 Where to Find Dr. Durga & Her Book
40:16 Final Thoughts

I’m so grateful you spent this time with us today.

If Hope Comes to Visit has become a bright spot in your week, I’d love for you to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen so you never miss an episode.

And if this conversation resonated with you, sharing it with a friend, leaving a review, or simply telling someone about the show helps more than you know.

Until next time, take good care of yourself. And remember—your story matters.

New episodes drop every Monday, so you can begin your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv and @HopeComestoVisit