Bouncing Forward: Resilience, Hope, and Community with Ken Carlson

In this episode of the Crazy Amazing Humans podcast, hosts Katrina Carlson and Jefferson Denim are joined by producer Ken Carlson for a year-end holiday reflection on resilience, hope, and community.
We begin on location at Marquez Elementary School in the Pacific Palisades. We walk the campus, see the play structure that survived the fires, and meet a community that stands as a powerful symbol of resilience. It is a community rebuilding after loss, led by children, teachers, and staff who continue to show up for one another with courage, care, and hope.
From there, the conversation returns to the studio for a thoughtful reflection on the year. We focus on three themes that wove their way through many of our most meaningful conversations: resilience and rebuilding, maintaining hope in the face of injustice or trauma, and fostering community and belonging.
Throughout the episode, we share practical takeaways drawn from our Crazy Amazing guests and our own lived experiences. We explore resilience not as bouncing back, but as bouncing forward through conscious choices, reframing perspective, taking small actions that build momentum, and allowing timelines to unfold without self-judgment. We reflect on hope as a discipline rather than a feeling, emphasizing the importance of self-advocacy, rejecting toxic positivity, and remembering that there is always something new to try, even when circumstances feel overwhelming or unjust.
The conversation also centers on community as both a lifeline and a responsibility. Through personal stories, legacy lessons, and research-backed insights, we underscore that belonging is created through small, intentional acts of care. We remind listeners that the more love we give, the more love there is to give, and that community is the antidote to isolation, especially during the holidays.
We close the episode with deep gratitude for the Crazy Amazing Humans community and for everyone who supported Marquez Elementary through the Carlson family’s Halloween Spooktacular fundraiser. As a final holiday gift, Katrina and Jefferson share their co-written Christmas song, You Are Christmas. Bouncing Forward: Resilience, Hope, and Community is an invitation to reflect, reconnect, and step into the new year with courage, compassion, and a commitment to take good care of each other.
If this episode encourages you, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs hope and belonging right now.
This episode of Crazy Amazing Humans explores resilience after loss, community rebuilding after wildfires, maintaining hope during injustice and trauma, and the power of belonging during the holidays. On location in Los Angeles at Marquez Elementary School in the Pacific Palisades and in the CAH podcast studio in Santa Monica, this conversation offers inspiration, practical takeaways, and real stories of healing, gratitude, and human connection.
00:00 – On Location at Marquez Elementary School
A school community rebuilding after the fires in the Pacific Palisades
02:30 – A Holiday Reflection and Year-End Gratitude
Why this episode is our gift to the Crazy Amazing Humans community
04:30 – Theme One: Resilience and Rebuilding
Why resilience is not bouncing back, but bouncing forward
07:30 – Reframing, Momentum, and the Power of Small Actions
How taking action creates hope and forward movement
10:45 – Letting the Timeline Be the Timeline
Rebuilding without self-judgment or unrealistic expectations
14:45 – Theme Two: Maintaining Hope in the Face of Injustice or Trauma
Hope as a discipline, not just a feeling
18:45 – Choosing Hope When Outcomes Are Uncertain
Why there is always something new to try
22:45 – Rejecting Toxic Positivity and Practicing Real Joy
What it actually means to choose joy
26:30 – Theme Three: Fostering Community and Belonging
Why community is the antidote to isolation
30:45 – Small Acts That Build Belonging
Showing up for others, especially during the holidays
35:30 – Legacy Lessons: Take Good Care of Each Other
Why love multiplies when it’s shared
40:30 – Be the Community You Want to Have
Creating belonging through intentional action
43:30 – Gratitude for Marquez Elementary and Community Support
The impact of the Halloween Spooktacular fundraiser
44:45 – Holiday Gift: “You Are Christmas”
A co-written song by Katrina Carlson and Jefferson Denim
48:30 – Closing Thoughts and New Year Invitation
Stepping forward with resilience, hope, and community

Website: http://www.katrinacarlson.com
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