This and more coming up on the Whitney Reynolds Show.

We spent 11 months wondering if our girls were going to survive.

And a lot of days, there were times where we thought they might not survive because of the intensity of the matter.

I'm not afraid of tomorrow, for I've seen yesterday and I love today.

So, just know it's in your past.

It was bad.

It can get a lot better.

And so I'm like, all right, well, let me put my hand at writing a book.

Let me put my hand at making jewelry.

Let me reinvent the wheelhouse with the impact to help others with the struggles I overcame.

Announcer: The Whitney Reynolds Show is funded by Yates Protect, a minority owned business focused on protecting communities and providing solutions to safety problems for public and private institutions, including air purification, metal detectors, thermal detection, and more; Together at Peace: a community lifting you from coping to hoping; O'Connor Law Firm: when it comes to your injuries, we take it personally.

Xtreme Xperience: making the world's supercars accessible, so you can experience being in the driver's seat on the race tracks and back roads of our country; Theraderm Clinical Skincare: committed to developing skin care products designed to restore skin health and promote natural beauty.

And by 10 West Real Estate Group, UFC Gym Lakeview, Ella's Bubbles, Hi-Five Sport Chicago, Fresh Dental, Kevin Kelly Real Estate Agent, Concierge Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery, Deluxe Cleaning Services, Mid-West Moving & Storage, TuTu School Chicago, Goldfish Swim School Roscoe Village, and by these funders: Hidden grace and the moments we didn't see coming that define us.

That's today's topic.

[opening theme music] [background conversation] Whitney: Bringing a baby into the world, especially a firstborn, can be filled with a range of emotions.

And nobody knows that better than our guests today.

Their desire to become parents ended up taking them on a journey that would truly change their outlook on life.

Dom: You know, we spent 11 months wondering if our girls were going to survive and a lot of days there were times where we thought they might not survive because of the intensity of the matter.

Whitney: It's hard to believe that just a few months ago life was very different for the twins, Addison and Lily, who were both born conjoined at the stomach.

For their parents, Dom and Maggie, it was a journey of hope and faith that carried them through this life-changing experience.

We had just gone through a miscarriage and right after the miscarriage we decided to try again.

We got pregnant successfully and we went in for our 7 1/2 ultrasound.

and they saw the heartbeat, and it was just one baby that they had seen a heartbeat.

20 week ultrasound came around.

I went in for the ultrasound and when they put the wand on my belly we saw that there were two and that they were connected at their bellies.

I looked at the lady and I was like, "Oh my gosh, there's two heads.

So there's two?"

And she's like, "You you know what?

"I'll be right back.

"I gotta go get the doctor.

"They're actually sharing an abdomen.

"We're not sure what other organs they're sharing.

It's pretty complicated."

Dom: And you know, she didn't know how to describe it to me initially.

You could tell she was trying to find the words.

I'm also a very optimistic person and sometimes-- He's more than I am here.

Too much.

Yeah.

He's going to be like, "Oh, that's fine.

Let's separate them now."

Exactly.

And that's what I thought.

I was like, "Okay, do we just go now?

"And is this something that we take care of right away?"

So it it was definitely a lot of naive thoughts and definitely no deep understanding of what we were about to embark on.

So, during that moment.

I thought of a quote that my mom used to say to me.

"What God gives you is His gift to you "and what you make of that gift is your gift to God."

Right after that, that was our-- It was one day at a time.

And we just kept turning to each other and saying, one day at a time.

Whitney: Keeping their spirits high and ready to meet their new babies.

The road to delivery was not just filled with excitement but also an unknown fear of what the outcome might be.

Right before delivery, I had that moment of-- "Gosh, as a mom--" and any mom can relate to this.

Is you've carried your baby and you just you keep them safe and when they come out, it's a whole different world.

It's just you're letting the world come at them.

And you no longer have that protection.

And I just remembered thinking, "Oh my gosh, I can no longer make sure that you're safe in here.

And I was very nervous going into it.

And also we were told you wouldn't know if they would survive delivery.

So it was very scary because we've been told, you know, that a lot of these are just stillborn, you know.

So that was just-- I was waiting for them to cry.

And finally they were delivered and they got whisked off right away to the room that's next door to just get their vitals going and make sure-- I was like, "I don't hear them crying.

Are they going to cry?"

And they opened the door and we heard them cry.

And I just went, "Oh, this is amazing."

Yeah.

Yeah.

It was a wonderful day.

Early on, as much as we wanted to be able to sit there and love on the girls and take the skin-to-skin time photos and everything, they were fragile.

It was a precious, little, newborn babies that were together some complexity.

And so for us those first couple weeks, I know were just a whirlwind, and we were taking it day by day, as they say and hour by hour, and just trying to enjoy those little moments with the girls.

But something as simple as getting them out of bed, It required team members, medical team members, to do with us.

We couldn't just simply grab our girls and get them out of bed.

So those situations were really tough looking back on it.

But yeah, I'd say intense was the proper way to describe it.

Whitney: Pushing through the difficult beginning, the road leading up to the separation was filled with emotions as Dom and Maggie were ready to bring home two separate baby girls.

And 11 months, just shy of 11 months was when we went forward with the best day of our lives which was the separation day, October 13th, 2021.

And the girls went in that morning and came back to us in two separate cribs later that day, late afternoon.

And then we very quickly started planning on how to get home.

Maggie: Where's daddy going?

Here she is.

Lily?

Where's Lily?

There she is.

Yay.

[giggling] Yay.

Where's Lily?

There she is.

I didn't know that they would already have that ready as if, "Hey, these girls are coming back and they're coming back in two separate cribs."

And I just start crying because I was like, I've never seen two separate cribs with these girls.

And we're just-- they're ready for them.

[laughing] There's our friends.

Dom: So, we're seeing the girls start to stand.

They stand up and actually hold themselves up on their own.

We're there to have them wobble around and bounce around, but they're standing on their own.

We started taking steps on our own with some hand support.

They're doing tremendous right now.

Maggie: You know, they're inspiring girls.

They're just very strong, active, normal girls now and it's kind of cool because you never knew what it was going to happen in the end with this, this whole situation.

And to see them come home and just thrive and be these normal, active, crazy girls, it's cool to see.

and I hope people get-- You know, that's why their names are Mattie Hope and Lilly Faith.

It gave us a bunch of hope and faith.

They are pure joy.

And so I hope you just feel that joy whenever you're around them.

That's what we've felt from other people who have come by and just hung out with them.

They're like, "These girls are just-- they're just joy."

And that's how we feel every day with them.

[theme music] Whitney: At a young age, Caleb Pickman experienced a life-changing procedure.

This after a hospital visit for a football injury.

And that went on to uncover something much greater.

While the journey left a lasting impact on him that would prevent him from doing what he once did, it also led him on a unique path.

One that helped him find a hidden talent.

Welcome to the show.

Thank you for having me.

We just saw your story and you are truly a miracle.

Do you know that?

I've been told but it's crazy to hear that from you yourself.

Yeah, so walk us back to that little kid that was playing football that realized that he couldn't grip.

It was real.

It's almost like I blocked it out immediately because I was like, this is it and I just have to move forward.

How did you cope as a child understanding that you had a tumor on your brain?

when I found out it was happening, they immediately wanted to life flight me to Jones Mercy hospital, but they were like, "You guys can drive if you want."

And luckily my dad's like, "Yeah, we can drive."

Nervous but felt loved just because I had all the support around me and that really eased the anxiety I was going through at the time.

As a kid, did you ever think that this could take your life?

Yeah.

I definitely did.

Shortly after my first operation, I was informed that had we not caught it when we did, I would have passed more than likely two weeks in my sleep.

So that was always terrifying, but also made me feel very, very lucky to have caught it when we did.

Yeah, you're a survivor for one, and you're also a thriver.

Let's talk about the photography because I find that very interesting.

You went from playing football, which was a huge hobby and then you had to shift those hobbies because your life looked very different post-brain surgery.

How did you get into photography?

Yeah, like you said football is a big hobby.

Very big into sports.

I was fortunate enough to grow up in a creative family.

My older brother makes films.

My middle brother went to school for film.

And my mom worked at a bank, an IT specialist, but we went around to all the departments and that was my first introduction to Photoshop and their marketing.

They let me play around with it on the computer and play with the cameras and I was just hooked.

Now you've taken it where you said you have to really plan your shoots because of the disability.

So, it moves just not the fingers the fingers.

The fingers.

Which would be hard you would think for a photographer.

How has that actually helped you with your business?

Yeah, it's helped me because I have to think differently.

So like for instance, most people would pull focus with their left hand.

I pull it with my ring finger on my right as I hold the camera.

That's allowed me to not only just love learning about new equipment but really get to experience a whole variety of lenses.

So for instance, I shoot with what's called a prime lens primarily, which is a lot sharper.

What would you say to the person watching today that is in the midst of the struggle that maybe hasn't found the cherry on top at the end yet?

A quote that I always thought about as a kid was "I'm not afraid of tomorrow for I have seen yesterday, and I love today."

So just know it's in your past.

It was bad.

I can get a lot better.

It can be difficult.

It can be daunting and it can really be a motivational killer but stay focused.

It doesn't have to be bad.

And it's allowed me to know that I want to give back to kids that are in my situation.

I can do that, you know just by going to the hospital to visit or giving a certain amount of my percentages of proceeds from my wedding photography and just really try to make a difference.

Thank you so much for coming on.

Thank you.

[theme music] Whitney: Our next guest uses her humble beginnings as her secret inspiration all in the name to impact the lives of so many.

Julie: My dad was a contractor in the 80s, which was a tough time to be a contractor.

And they bought a lot to build a house on.

We ended up living doubled up with a family for the summer.

And then at one point we got-- somebody lent them a one of those campers.

They go over a pickup truck.

And so we lived in that at a campground near near our school for a while.

In that experience we ended up basically showering at the YMCA.

And I saw first-hand the struggle that our family experienced.

It's really hard to maintain.

You don't have an address for your mail to go to.

You don't have a place to put your toothbrush.

Whitney: Julie Dickinson is someone who lived a lesson out loud, who is now pooling from her struggle to help better the lives of those who need it the most.

Well, the grace in the moment that honestly, I didn't realize that was prepping me for my role here as director at Humble Design made me have that "aha" moment that, oh, wait a minute.

I was actually homeless as as a kid.

I was homeless for over two years.

I feel like I can relate to them in a way and that I can embrace them, and that I understand to some extent where they've been, what they're going through and honestly, I think it makes me more approachable for them and and make them feel more comfortable.

It's it's a tough position to be in to be the one in need.

To be the one asking for people to give you things.

To be forced in that position.

It's made me feel the importance of what I'm doing now in a way that I feel like it's super profound.

That how important those those little things are.

Whitney: Humble Designs' mission is simple reaching a hand out to the folks who need it the most and helping them move into and create a space.

they can call home.

Julie: Humble Designs' mission is to help families, individuals and veterans who are emerging from homelessness with donated household goods and furniture.

We're in Chicago, Detroit Seattle, San Diego and most recently Cleveland.

Chicago actually just helped our 500th home.

We've helped about 1400 Chicagoans and about 900 children emerging from homelessness.

And all at the extreme poverty level.

All emerging from homelessness.

And all ready for a fresh start.

You know, they've gotten housed But then they need that bed, the blanket, the toys for their kids.

The ripple effect.

It goes beyond the direct people that we help.

And now to a letter that was hidden for years, and how it's making its mark in today's time.

Maria: There was a letter that was folded neatly that she must have carried with her every day of her life.

It was must have been her favorite letter.

It was written to her by my grandfather while he was serving in the Army asking for her to marry him and to wait so he could come home and marry her and so that was the only thing that we found.

Whitney: Maria Caruso Martin is the founder and creative director of her own bridal company with an unusual inspiration.

In1953, Maria's family was living in Elizabeth, New Jersey, a town victim to three plane crashes in 53 days, the second of which crashed into her grandparents home.

on that day in January.

It was an afternoon.

It was a rainy day.

My father was in grade school and one of his nightly duties was both pick up bread for dinner.

He got to the grocery store and everybody there was talking about, "Oh my god, there's another crash.

"There's another crash.

A plane just crashed."

So he jumps on his bicycle following the fire engines and police cars and it's not until he gets up the hill and he's following all these police cars that he realizes that they're leading him basically to his house.

My grandmother was in the house and when that happened she thought my father was in the backyard because he was notorious for not leaving on time to get the bread.

So she ran towards the back door to try to you know, find him and as she was doing that the structure, or the beams collapsed inside the house and pinned her.

Whitney: Maria's grandmother was saved from the rubble however would later pass away in the hospital from her injuries.

In a bid to find any items from the burnt house to remember his wife, Maria's grandfather searched through the rebel.

So there were no photographs.

There were no keepsakes.

There was nothing.

They had nothing to even prove their existence of their life.

And so that was very upsetting to him.

And he would go overnight looking for pieces.

Then one of the only things that he found was my grandmother's handbag.

There was a letter that was folded neatly that she must have carried with her every day of her life.

It was must have been her favorite letter.

It was written to her by my grandfather while he was serving in the Army asking for her to marry him and to wait so he could come home and marry her and so that was the only thing that we found.

Planning my elopement and my stepdaughter was getting married, I was looking for a special handbag because there's a family tradition to write a love letter on your wedding day to your soon-to-be spouse and to carry it in your handbag.

That's something that we've always done in honor of my grandmother.

And as I was looking for a very special handbag for my stepdaughter and myself for her elopement, I found that there weren't a lot of brands out there that were offering an heirloom style bag.

Whitney: Inspired by the memory of her grandparents love story, Maria created her own bridal handbag company.

The brand and my hope when I started this brand was really to encourage the younger generation to reach deep back into tradition and to carry on with things of the past and to create heirlooms and pass down things from generation to generation.

Whitney: Turning tragedy into creativity, Maria's company reminds us the power of love.

and remembrance.

Living and acting with purpose.

That's our next guest.

Let's take a look.

An actress, author, mother jewelry designer, and the list goes on.

Jen Gotszen found her hidden grace through an experience while modeling overseas.

A revelation that helped her discover true beauty comes from within, and now she wants to share this message of empowerment in any way possible.

Welcome to the show.

Whitney.

I'm so excited to be here.

I am so glad you are here too because your story hits so home run with today's topic.

You were over in China and you were modeling.

You saw your face on a billboard, but you had this moment where you still felt so empty.

Yeah, let's talk about that.

How many of us look in a mirror and we see all of our flaws?

Like as I get older, I'm like, "Oh my gosh.

Look at all these lines in my face."

My size.

I'm getting older.

I had a baby.

Now I'm larger than I can fit into my clothing.

And in China when I was modeling, that's exactly what I felt.

I didn't understand why I was even selected.

I'm 5'4, short.

And as I was there feeling so empty, and I started to think on, "I am strong.

I'm courageous."

And they had a fan blowing and they were capturing photos.

And there's this fierce picture of me looking like this ferocious, courageous individual.

And I realized, Whitney, we all can be transformed in our facial features based on what we think on.

What got you to that point before China where you were having that low?

Well growing up, I remember one of the girls in high school, she would put her hair behind her head with her hand and she would look at me and she would go, "You're bleep bleep and sick."

And... Like early bullying.

Yeah.

And then I went through a divorce where, due to mental health challenges, I felt as if he didn't think I was beautiful and so I walked out of that feeling so empty.

And that's when I met my forever husband, Jim.

And he's like, "Honey, your beauty comes from within."

Talk about hidden Grace, you know, here you are overseas going through kind of this moment of like, what do I do?

And then that actually kind of propelled you to what you're doing now.

You had those feelings with you over time and then you just had this switch and that switch really transformed you to who you are today and what you are doing.

Tell us about what you are doing today.

I want to help others.

And I learned that 90% of girls starting at a very young age, even like around six years old, we see magazines, we see television commercials and we see social media, Instagram, and we're like-- That's a whole new thing these days with social media.

We're like, "Why am I not getting that many likes?"

We're seeking love because we need to feel beautiful.

I was on this red carpet one time and I was feeling like so hot mess, out of place and I'm like, let me do the poser a thing.

Let me do the smile thing.

And I'm like-- And then I heard inside me an inner voice saying, "Who do I say you are?"

And I said, "You called me to be strong and courageous."

"My body and soul are marvelously made.

I am your masterpiece."

They physically called me back because they saw a transformation over the temporaneous muscles over my eyes and they said, "Jen" and they took some more photos.

And I was like, "This will help other women when you walk into a room and you feel uncomfortable."

Whitney: Yeah, that's true.

Mind, body and soul are marvelously made.

And this was actually part of the movie that you and your husband produced together too, which it's not every day that you say produced a movie and you you Incorporated this bracelet with that.

Tell us about the movie.

Yeah, so it's called, "The Farmer and the Belle: Saving Santa Land."

I'm so excited because you could get it now.

It's amazing.

We were an Amazon bestseller when we came out 2020 for six weeks.

And then last year, we trended on Amazon as the number one Christmas movie during the week of Christmas.

Whitney: That is a very hard accomplishment.

We have put together a sequel.

Our first movie is about inspiring inner beauty based on these biblical truths and psychology.

A fun family rom com, and now we're making a sequel kind of like "City Slickers" meet" Sweet Home, Alabama."

It's going to be about how do you have a fulfilling marriage?

Where does your passion for that come?

From my own life.

I fell in love with him on his family's pig farm while I was modeling in China.

And this idea came, "The farmer and the belle."

And belle is another word for beauty, which is what you see in the modeling industry, which now, I'm like 43 years old.

I'm aged out of that world.

And so I'm like, all right, well, let me put my hand at writing a book.

Let me put my hand at making jewelry.

Let me reinvent the wheelhouse with the impact to help others with the struggles I overcame from the divorce and being bullied in high school.

You are bringing so much light to the world.

Thank you so much for coming on and sharing your story.

Thank you.

Hidden grace, and the way each of our guests discovered that, completely different.

But the common thread: they evaluated their situation and decided to find the good.

Remember your story matters.

[music] Announcer: The Whitney Reynolds Show is funded by Yates Protect, a minority owned business focused on protecting communities and providing solutions to safety problems for public and private institutions, including air purification, metal detectors, thermal detection, and more; Together at Peace: a community lifting you from coping to hoping; O'Connor Law Firm: when it comes to your injuries, we take it personally.

Xtreme Xperience: making the world's supercars accessible, so you can experience being in the driver's seat on the race tracks and back roads of our country; Theraderm Clinical Skincare: committed to developing skin care products designed to restore skin health and promote natural beauty.

And by 10 West Real Estate Group, UFC Gym Lakeview, Ella's Bubbles, Hi-Five Sport Chicago, Fresh Dental, Kevin Kelly Real Estate Agent, Concierge Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery, Deluxe Cleaning Services, Mid-West Moving & Storage, TuTu School Chicago, Goldfish Swim School Roscoe Village, and by these funders: Announcer: For more information on today's program visit www.whitneyreynolds.com or get social with us.

Facebook: @WhitneyReynoldsShow Twitter: @whitneyreynolds or on TikTok and Instagram: @whitneyó_reynolds.

Kids: Our mommy!