You’ve heard people say “just be grateful” a million times, but what happens when life is falling apart, you’re in real pain, and that kind of gratitude feels fake? In this episode, I sit down with USA Today’s “Gratitude Guru” Chris Schembra to talk about a completely different and honest approach to gratitude, one that doesn’t ignore your hardest moments, but starts with them. Chris shares how producing hit campaigns, dining with world-class leaders, and hosting intimate, high-end dinners still left him feeling lonely and anxious. Get ready to rethink what gratitude really is, stop pretending everything is “fine,” and start using your hard times as a bridge to deeper confidence, connection, and purpose.

In This Episode You Will Learn

• Why the usual “good vibes only” gratitude advice actually keeps you stuck.

• How one question around a dinner table has made thousands of people open up and connect.

• How to turn your hardest memories into a source of meaning, empathy, and power.

• What stoicism really teaches about pain, obstacles, and emotional resilience.

• Ways to move from rumination and despair into appreciation and agency.

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Resources + Links

• Get your copy of Chris’s Book Gratitude Through Hard Times HERE!

• Call my digital clone at 201-897-2553! 

• Visit heathermonahan.com

• Sign up for my mailing list: heathermonahan.com/mailing-list/ 

• Overcome Your Villains is Available NOW! Order here: https://overcomeyourvillains.com 

• If you haven't yet, get my first book Confidence Creator

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