Host: Danny Bader

Guest: Jonelle Marie Carter

What does it mean to take back your life, reclaim your lost identity, and overcome the barriers within your own mind as you start again after profound loss?

In this episode Danny sits down with Jonelle Marie Carter, a singer whose life was up-ended by a cancer diagnosis that eventually lead to the loss of her singing voice (literally). After waking up from life-changing surgery, Jonelle felt like a completely different person. She had lost a critical part of who she was. The singing-voice in which she had tied up so much of her identity and her career was gone. Faced with the choice to accept defeat or choose to embrace her struggle, Jonelle learned to lean into her strength, challenge her anxiety, and re-discover her voice.

In this episode Danny and Jonelle discuss:

• The power of mind-set.
• The value and importance of self-talk.
• Leadership.
• The courage to trust your voice.

"Confidence isn't something you're born with, it's something you build."

Jonelle Marie Carter's: Website FaceBook Instagram TikTok

What does it mean to truly belong — to a place, to a community, or even to yourself?

On this episode of Back to Life, Danny sits down with Marina Baronas, a storyteller of belonging whose life has crossed borders of culture, language, and identity. Raised in Lithuania, Russia, and Azerbaijan, Marina inherited a deep understanding of hospitality — not as a job, but as a way of being.

After immigrating to the United States at nineteen, she built a career in restaurants, hotels, and leadership, discovering that true service is less about transactions and more about presence. Through motherhood, migration, reinvention, and resilience, Marina learned that "home" is not a destination — it's a daily practice of returning to yourself.

Together, Danny and Marina explore:

• What it means to belong in seasons of transition

• How hospitality becomes a leadership philosophy

• The power of presence in a distracted world

• Carrying hope and identity through change

This conversation is a reminder that resilience isn't always loud. Sometimes it's the quiet decision to keep showing up — to yourself and to others — with tenderness, courage, and an open heart.

If you've ever felt in-between places, roles, or identities, this episode is for you.

Check out her book, here.

Marina's website: https://www.marinabaronas.com/

As the year winds down and a new one begins, Danny invites listeners into a deep, honest exploration of what it means to be fully alive. In this season-opening episode, he reflects on the 3 Levels of Life, why so many of us get stuck in the "functional fog," and how a Radical Reverence for Your Life can pull you back into clarity, purpose, and joy.

With simple, timeless practices you can begin today, Danny offers a roadmap for slowing down, creating vision, reconnecting with your Spirit, and moving into the new year with intention—not exhaustion.