🎙️ Treading the Waters of Life – Episode 3
Hope Is the Light We Carry
Holiday Episode – December 2025
Host: Sylvia Stinson-Perez
Guests: Gabriel Lopez & Emily Damm
The holidays can feel like a lot — joy, nostalgia, traditions, pressure, expectations, gatherings, grief, and magic all swirling together. That’s exactly why this episode is the one you’ll want to listen to as you move through the season.
In this warm, uplifting, and fun holiday conversation, Sylvia is joined by two thoughtful and inspiring friends to explore how hope, joy, and authenticity carry us through the busiest time of the year.
✨ What You’ll Hear in This Episode
🌟 Finding Joy in the Present
We kick things off with one simple question:
“Before we go deep, what has brought you joy recently?”
From cozy moments of rest to the joy of true friendship, Sylvia, Gabriel, and Emily remind us how powerful it is to slow down and stay rooted in the present — especially during the holidays. We even talk about the power of music and dancing!
💬 “Treading the Waters of Life”… What Does That Mean to You?
When life gets heavy, what keeps you afloat?
· Gabriel shares how hope pulled him through the uncertainty of finding his career path — and why not giving up was everything.
•Emily reminds us that even joyful seasons can feel complicated, and that both things can be true at once.
🍽️ Finding Joy During the Holidays (Even When Life Is Heavy)
This episode is full of practical inspiration, including:
· the grounding power of sharing food
• navigating joy and grief without guilt
•Emily’s brilliant idea: a “Holiday Hope List” — a list of things that bring magic, meaning, and intention to the season
You will find ideas to make your holidays feel more peaceful and purposeful.
· Live Authentically (Even When It’s Hard)
· The power of surrounding yourself with people who challenge and uplift you
• why fear — especially fear of judgment — keeps us from being our truest selves
•how choosing ourselves is sometimes the bravest thing we can do
· The importance of setting Intentions & Limiting Distractions
Just like last episode, we return to the importance of putting devices down and living fully present in the moments that matter.
💖 Kindness, Generosity, and Taking Care of Yourself
This episode is filled with gems, including:
· Emily’s quotes:
“Say no without guilt and yes to things that bring magic.”
“What you are not changing, you are choosing.”
💡 What We Hope You Take Away
Hope is a practice. Joy is a choice. Authenticity is a gift.
This episode will leave you with encouragement, clarity, and a spark of holiday magic.
📝 A Simple Action You Can Take This Week
· * Begin your mornings with prayer, meditation, or a moment of stillness
· Start a gratitude practice — write down 3 things that brought you joy today
📚 Want to Go Deeper?
If you enjoyed this episode, you’ll love the book that inspired the podcast:
Treading The Waters of Life: A Guide to Self-Reflection and Action.
In it, Sylvia explores the very themes of hope, joy, and resilience that come to life in this conversation.
Grab your copy at no cost and dive deeper at TotalImpactPartners.com or for 99 cent on Kindle.
🎧 Ready to Listen?
Don’t miss this heartwarming, insightful, laughter-filled holiday episode.
Listen now to “Hope Is the Light We Carry” — Episode 3 of Treading the Waters of Life.
Let it be your reminder that even in the busiest seasons, hope is still lighting the way.
We would like to thank the Sunday Edition Family of Podcasts and Digital Media Content Services for the belief in Treading the Waters of Life and our mission. Coming in January Treading the Waters will have its own Podcast feed to subscribe to as we grow and share so many more lessons and love throught 3=2026. We would also like to shout out our Holiday Sponsor Florida Vision Tech. For over 30 years they have been helping to amplify the lives, voices and experiiencies of the Blind and Low Vision community.
Give yourself permission to choose intention, joy and peace.
pisode Notes
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