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A live band can make you feel something an algorithm can’t: that electric moment when real people take a risk together in the same room. I’m joined by musician Buzz Sailor of Merging Circles for a heartfelt conversation about why authentic music still matters, how faith shapes the creative process, and what we lose when technology starts replacing human connection.

Buzz shares the story that started it all, from a childhood “problem” in a classroom to a lifetime behind drums, keys, and lyrics. We dig into the mindset that keeps an artist moving through perfectionism, failure, and the pressure to “fit” into a neat genre box. He also explains the meaning behind “Road to My Surrender,” a song built around that universal crossroad moment where temptation, purpose, and destiny collide.

We don’t avoid the hard topics. Buzz opens up about cancer, recovery, and how pain can become songwriting fuel, especially in his decades-long rock opera project Dear Geppetto, centered on addiction and survival. Then we zoom out to the bigger cultural shift: AI in music, automated everything, and the quiet danger of trading presence for convenience. If you care about live music, spiritual encouragement, and creativity that comes from the heart, this one will stay with you.

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She evacuated Hurricane Katrina while battling Bell’s palsy, then realized she was homeless in an instant and still had to keep moving. That is the kind of story that cuts through noise, because it is not just about a natural disaster, it is about what stress does to the body, what matters when you have minutes to decide, and how a life gets rebuilt from whatever you managed to carry out the door.

We sit down with Raquel, a Marine with a fierce fighting spirit and a deep compassion that was forged in hard places. We talk through the Katrina timeline, the chaos of packing when your brain is overloaded, and the preparedness basics that actually protect your future, like keeping vital documents in a fireproof waterproof container and having a true grab-and-go plan. From there, we connect the “outer storm” to the “inner storm,” including moral injury, trauma in the body, and why healing work cannot be postponed forever.

The conversation also goes straight into relationships and community. We unpack how technology, comfort, and isolation can quietly erode family connection, why forgiveness is freeing but does not erase boundaries, and how faith can guide you through breaking away from what is unhealthy. We also share what we are building together around radiant living and introduce Raquel’s book Katrina, My Own Inner Storm, A Moral Injury Journey along with her 40-day framework for growth and healing.

If this helped you think differently about resilience, disaster readiness, trauma healing, forgiveness, and rebuilding community, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it.

Support the show

Please visit us at: http://retreattopeace.com to find out more about the shows you love to listen to, the upcoming retreats we have planned and your favorite merchandise to help support those in need. Also, send us your testimonial of how the show or Catherine has helped you. We would love to share your story on the air.

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A doorknob that never turns in the night should be ordinary, but for many trafficking survivors it feels like a miracle. That single detail becomes a thread we keep pulling as we return to Retreat to Peace with a raw personal update and a conversation that doesn’t let us look away from what’s happening in our towns, our travel stops, and sometimes even our own families.

I start by sharing my own testimony after multiple jaw surgeries and an exhausting recovery that brought pain, isolation, and a desperate 2:30 AM cry to God. I also share a terrifying spiritual moment that forced me to fight for peace in real time and how I later learned a friend was prompted to wake up at the exact same hour to pray for me. If you’ve ever wondered whether prayer matters when you feel helpless, this story will meet you right where you are.

Then I’m joined by Steve Tybor, founder of Eight Days of Hope, a Christian disaster relief and rebuilding ministry that now also builds safe homes and healing campuses for women and children rescued from human trafficking. We talk honestly about why trafficking happens, how pornography and addiction fuel demand, how grooming works, and why most trafficking doesn’t look like the movies. Steve shares practical warning signs to watch for, common red flags in places like hotels and “massage parlors,” and what a real path to survivor healing can require: safety, counseling, medical support, and long-term trauma-informed care.

If this conversation stirs you, don’t let it stop at awareness. Subscribe, share this episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find practical human trafficking prevention and survivor support resources.

Support the show

Please visit us at: http://retreattopeace.com to find out more about the shows you love to listen to, the upcoming retreats we have planned and your favorite merchandise to help support those in need. Also, send us your testimonial of how the show or Catherine has helped you. We would love to share your story on the air.