Hope in Action: A Story of Light and Consistency
with the radiant @CarlaBirnberg

There are people who show up with such unwavering integrity that you feel braver just being near them. That’s how I feel about Carla Birnberg.

In this episode of Hope Comes to Visit, we explore what it means to lead a mission-driven life — one grounded in heart work, radical consistency, and a commitment to showing up even when no one’s watching.

Together, we dive into what it means to live a life rooted in mission — from the soul work she’s doing in Kenya through @NextStepFDN to the powerful practice of showing up consistently for yourself and your community.

We talk about:
Why consistency might be the most underrated superpower
Letting go of external expectations and stepping fully into your truth
What happens when we stop performing and start becoming
And how the Swahili name, Upili, serendipitously ties to my own word of the year: Light

Carla is wise, hilarious, deeply thoughtful, and real. You’ll love her.

This episode? It’s what hope looks like in motion.

Connect with Carla here:
Instagram -@CarlaBirnberg
https://carlabirnberg.substack.com/
The foundation -@NextStep_FDN
https://nextstepfdn.org/
Her project at NSF:
https://nextstepfdn.org/upili/
The WHY (animated, short & created in Kenya by an old Team member)
https://youtu.be/e0nHKIS0eAE?si=BtB55agBX7s2os2y
The book that started it all (the one Venus Williams blurbed)
https://a.co/d/9G97H9G

Thank you for listening to Hope Comes to Visit. If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show — it helps others find their way to these conversations.

New episodes drop every Monday and Friday, so you can begin and end your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv.

Finding Art, Hope, and Voice with Little Junior

In this deeply personal episode, I’m joined by my friend Oliver — a gifted creative, devoted father, loving husband, social worker, and the heart behind the artistic identity Little Junior. By day, he serves his community with compassion and care. But within, lives a storyteller, a poet, a music producer, and a man who has fought to find — and use — his voice in a world that often felt too loud.

Born with a hearing disability and living with noise anxiety, Oliver could have stayed silent. Instead, he found a way to create — not in spite of the noise, but through it. His story is one of profound creativity, resilience, and the courage to embrace both stillness and sound in his healing journey.

We talk about identity, legacy, the quiet spaces where creativity is born, and how hope sometimes arrives wrapped in melody and memory. This episode is a celebration of art, of choosing softness in a world that demands hardness, and of letting the truth of who you are guide what you give.

Little Junior is a writer of poetry, a music producer, social worker, an aspiring author, astrologer is his free time, part time introvert. He is also a stellar father, husband, friend, and wise soul - improving the world one conversation at a time.

Connect with him:

• SoundCloud: Little Junior
• Music: YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify under Little Junior.
• Social Media:
  • Website Farsideradio.net (coming soon!)

Thank you for listening to Hope Comes to Visit. If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show — it helps others find their way to these conversations.

New episodes drop every Monday and Friday, so you can begin and end your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv and @HopeComesToVisit

Thank you for listening to Hope Comes to Visit. If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show — it helps others find their way to these conversations.

New episodes drop every Monday and Friday, so you can begin and end your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv.

A Conversation with Wendy Faith on Surrender, Truth, and Soul Recognition

What happens when everything you’ve built no longer feels like you?

In this deeply honest episode, creative business coach, author, and late-in-life lesbian Wendy Faith opens up about what it means to walk away from a life that looks successful on the outside but feels misaligned within. After years as a prolific writer, entrepreneur, and public figure, Wendy faced a series of personal and professional betrayals that brought her to her knees — and ultimately became the catalyst for a total reinvention.

Together, we talk about the messiness of starting over, the cost of people-pleasing, and the healing power of nervous system safety, creativity, and truth. Through it all, Wendy’s story is one of fierce authenticity, quiet courage, and hope that rises even from the rubble.

If you’ve ever felt the pull to begin again — this conversation will remind you it’s never too late to choose yourself.

Wendy Faith is a creative business coach, artist, author, and late-in-life lesbian who has built and sold two companies, published over 30 books, and even served as a city councilwoman. After walking through personal and professional betrayals, burnout, and burnout, Wendy shed the version of herself that no longer fit — unmasking, “unfreezing,” and rediscovering her true, soul-aligned identity. Today, she helps LGBTQ+ and women entrepreneurs build businesses rooted in nervous system safety, radical authenticity, and deep alignment — not people-pleasing.

Connect with her:

• Website & Coaching: wendyfaith.com
• Books & Resources: Available on her site and Amazon
• Social Media:
  • Instagram: @wendyfaith
  • LinkedIn: Wendy Faith

Thank you for listening to Hope Comes to Visit. If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show — it helps others find their way to these conversations.

New episodes drop every Monday and Friday, so you can begin and end your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv.