In this deeply personal birthday episode of the Resilient Heart Podcast, host Gabi returns after a four-month hiatus to share the profound lessons she learned during her 45th year. After facing a debilitating neurological illness that brought her to dark places she never expected to experience, Gabi vulnerably shares how this season of struggle became a catalyst for tremendous growth, clarity, and unexpected opportunity. From establishing healthier boundaries to creating intentional stillness, recognizing safe spaces, and discovering her role as a stage-builder for others, this episode offers powerful insights about resilience, purpose, and the courage to shed what no longer serves us. Gabi's journey demonstrates that sometimes our greatest challenges prepare us for opportunities we couldn't have imagined.

Gabi is the founder of Resilient Voice Media, a podcast production company, and host of the Resilient Heart Podcast. After navigating significant health challenges including a neurological illness that led to suicidal thoughts, Gabi has emerged with greater clarity about her purpose and mission. A passionate advocate for women healing from trauma, she has recently been granted a license to host TEDx Fredericksburg and is expanding her business to include a podcast studio in downtown Fredericksburg. Gabi combines her personal experiences with professional expertise to create spaces where others can share their stories and heal, firmly believing that vulnerability and resilience can coexist.

• Setting Boundaries: How illness revealed where boundaries were needed and the process of implementing them
• The Shedding Season: Learning to evaluate relationships and move chess pieces based on reciprocity and safety
• Creating Stillness: Practical strategies for managing social media and content consumption for better mental health
• Safe Spaces: The importance of identifying who truly deserves proximity to your story and vulnerabilities
• Purpose Beyond Self: Discovering that sometimes our greatest purpose is building stages for others to shine
• Personal Transformation: How crisis became catalyst for clarity and new opportunities (TEDx, studio space)
• Self-Acceptance: Finding the balance between embracing change and honoring personal preferences
• The Power of Storytelling: How sharing your authentic story can literally save lives

"My boundaries being put into place... did not sit well with some people, and I had to be okay with that. And you have to be okay with that. You can't just let people bust through your shit."

"The shedding season is really figuring out who's worth the pouring. That's what it is. It's who is worth the pouring. Who deserves it. Who needs more space in my life."

"As you evolve and grow, shedding has to happen because if you are not shedding and growing and shedding and growing, then you're going to get really stagnant."

"I realized... people got real comfortable with the way that I was and overstepping boundaries that I didn't set properly. And that kind of sucks to figure out."

"Who is going to give me grace? Who's going to be mean to me or rude or read me to filth because I didn't show up the way they anticipated that I would? Those people move."

"Are you a topic of conversation when you get up from the table? Are you allowing yourself to be disrespected in the name of wanting to be loved, searching for love, looking for worthiness?"

"Sometimes we think the word we choose or the path we choose or the thing that we think is the thing. Sometimes it's for others and it's not for us."

"What if your story is the one that saved somebody's life and you're sitting on it? Because you're in your ego... That person doesn't get saved."

• Resilient Voice Media: Gabi's podcast production company
  • Website: https://www.resilientvoicemedia.com/
• TEDx Fredericksburg: Coming soon, hosted by Gabi
• Three-Part Domestic Violence Series: Referenced in the episode as life-changing for listeners
• CONNECT WITH Gabi: Tag her on social media to share your thoughts on this episode
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabi.garland/
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gabrielle.anaya.5
• FOLLOW THE PODCAST: Resilient Heart Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

Loved this episode? If it resonated with you, please share with your friends and tag Gabi on your favorite social media platform. Remember, you're not alone on this journey of growth and resilience. Keep being badass together!