Episode 42: Choose Joy Even When Life Gets Hard
In this episode of Courage Is Built Here, Justine welcomes Carey Portell for a conversation in Pathway Two, Embody Again, about finding the courage to care for yourself after life changes in an instant. Following a disabling car accident caused by a drunk driver, Carey shares how she has learned to navigate chronic pain, uncertainty, and the ongoing challenges that come with rebuilding a life she never expected.
Throughout the conversation, Carey reflects on the difference between accepting her circumstances and giving up. She explains how releasing the need to control what happened allowed her to focus on what she could control: her perspective, her attitude, and the choices she makes each day. Together, she and Justine discuss preparing for difficult seasons without living in fear of them, embracing discomfort instead of avoiding it, and finding strength through healthy boundaries.
Carey also shares how telling her story has become part of her healing and how choosing presence, gratitude, and purpose continues to help her move forward. Rather than allowing hardship to define her life, she offers a hopeful reminder that joy and pain can coexist, and that courage often grows through the daily decision to keep showing up.
Key Takeaways
- Pathway Two, Embody Again, is about caring well for yourself so you can continue showing up through every season of life.
- Choosing acceptance creates freedom when circumstances are beyond your control.
- Focusing on what you can control helps reduce fear about an uncertain future.
- Living with chronic pain requires learning to prepare for difficult days without allowing them to define every moment.
- Boundaries protect your physical, emotional, and mental well-being during challenging seasons.
- Sharing your story can become a source of healing for both yourself and others.
- Presence and gratitude help shift your focus from what has been lost to what remains possible.
- Joy and hardship can exist together without denying the reality of pain.
- Courage often means leaning into discomfort instead of avoiding it.
- Every difficult experience can become an opportunity to serve others with greater compassion and hope.
About the Guest
Carey Portell is a speaker, author, and resilience advocate who shares her journey of rebuilding her life after surviving a disabling car accident caused by a drunk driver. Through her speaking and writing, she encourages others to embrace acceptance, find purpose through adversity, and choose joy even when life remains difficult. In this conversation, Carey shares how learning to let go of what she could not control, establishing healthy boundaries, and focusing on the present have helped her navigate chronic pain and life’s ongoing challenges.
Connect with Carey:
Website: https://careyportell.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CPSTY/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cp_sty/
YouTube: https://cowgirl.yourhometv.com/
Author:
