Michael Riso in the hot seat with * Joy Beyond Circumstance
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What happens when life hits you with everything at once?
In this deeply moving episode of Listen Bitch Presents: Tell Me Why You’re Special, Branden sits down with Mike Rizzo to discuss caregiving, cancer, faith, resilience, and the power of finding joy even in life’s darkest moments.
Mike shares his incredible journey of caring for his wife Nancy through her battle with ALS while simultaneously facing his own diagnosis of mesothelioma. He opens up about the emotional, physical, and spiritual challenges that came with becoming a full-time caregiver, navigating grief, and confronting mortality head-on.
Throughout the conversation, Mike discusses the importance of remaining calm during adversity, trusting God’s guidance, maintaining perspective, and recognizing that our circumstances do not define who we are. He shares lessons learned through caregiving, cancer, faith, personal growth, and the pursuit of peace regardless of external conditions.
Branden and Mike also explore the human spirit, purpose, mortality, healing, intuition, and the daily practices that allow people to experience joy even when life feels impossible. This conversation is a powerful reminder that while we cannot always control what happens to us, we can choose how we respond.
If you’ve ever faced hardship, loss, uncertainty, illness, or simply needed a reminder that hope still exists, this episode will encourage you to keep going.
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I guide others on how to live from a place of complete calm, without worry, and virtually no stress. I'm qualified to offer this because I live it. This place came about after 65 years of life, including 25 years of meditation, a terminal cancer diagnosis (that hasn't taken my life), and my wife's passing from ALS. I've learned to simplify everything, first teaching golf for nearly 40 years, and now shifting to helping others who want to experience this sense of moment to moment calm and peace in their daily life.
I will help your listeners by offering practical tools they can use, and a different way of seeing themselves, those in their lives, and the world at large. My book Finding Joy in Daily Living is a guide to help people reduce unnecessary suffering. In Jack Canfield's words in his reply to my recent email: "The content is brilliant." I am kind, speak from my heart and am here to serve; I don't need anything else in life.