What happens when life changes your body, your identity, and your sense of safety overnight?

In this powerful conversation, I’m joined by John Kippen: Entrepreneur, professional magician, speaker, and resilience coach, who shares his extraordinary journey of self-acceptance after adversity.

After surviving brain tumor surgery that left him with permanent facial paralysis, John spent over a decade in hiding. What ultimately brought him back wasn’t “fixing” himself—but reclaiming joy, breath, creativity, and the courage to live his own dream.

In this episode, we explore:

• How self-acceptance becomes a nervous-system practice—not a mindset shift

• Why doing what you love is often the most healing thing you can do

• How breath anchors safety when life feels overwhelming

• What it means to stop waiting to be “whole” before living

• Why adversity can become an unexpected initiation into purpose

• • The power of daily presence, compassion, and creative expression

  John also shares incredible moments from performing magic for Alex Trebek to being featured in a documentary with Jamie Lee Curtis, and how those experiences reinforced a deeper truth:

  
  

  Being different isn’t something to overcome. It’s something to honor.

  This conversation is a reminder that healing doesn’t mean returning to who you were.
  Sometimes, it means finally becoming who you are.

• Connect with John:

  
  

  https://kippencoaching.com

  
  

  
  

  Connect with Kelly:

  ⁠⁠drkellykessler.com⁠⁠

  
  

  Free Guide: Sacred Boundaries:

  ⁠⁠http://drkellykessler.com/sacredboundaries⁠

  
  

  Self-Respect Reset is a guided, body-based experience for women who struggle to set boundaries—not because they don’t know what they need, but because it hasn’t felt safe to honor it.

  Inside, you’ll learn how to rebuild inner safety, strengthen self-trust, and create boundaries that actually protect your peace—without guilt, over-explaining, or self-abandonment.

  👉 Learn more and join Self-Respect Reset here:

  ⁠⁠⁠http://drkellykessler.com/selfrespectreset⁠⁠⁠

  
  

  
  

  Milk and Butterflies:

  Get free shipping on your order with this link:

  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://milkandbutterflies.com/discount/DRKELLY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠