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Life Is Like Sandpaper…

Susan Baumgaertel · June 1, 2026

It smooths you up, but it hurts along the way. Michael Mantell, PhD shares profound lessons on resilience, healing, gratitude, and turning setbacks into success.

Michael was my special guest on Voices With Vigor’s “Men Who Matter” series, just a few months ago. This intimate conversation is still in my head, and now you can enjoy watching our video in the free VWV Video Library!

After a wow factor intro (aka Michael’s incredible bio), we settled into a personal discussion of myriad interwoven topics, including:

💎  The box diagram of how life works – events, thoughts, feelings, reactions

💎  Four essential links:

  • Not everything is possible, but so what?
  • Focus on what’s going right and be grateful for it
  • Change is always for the good
  • Leave no room in your mind for anything negative

💎  The power of autonomy 

💎  Suffering and healing

… and many other pearls of wisdom, such as Michael’s HAPPY acronym:

❤️ H – Heart open

🤝 A – Attuned to other people

🎯 P – Present in connection

🎈 P – Playful in spirit

🌎 Y – Yes to belonging

Missed the live show? Want to learn what HEALTH stands for? 

➡️  Access the free on-demand video replay of our live, unfiltered and unscripted conversation now!

In the meantime, watch this video clip of us reflecting on how to turn setbacks into success as I recount a story from my early medical training days.

➡️  Learn more about our next remarkable guest on the VWV Home Page.

➡️  Missed a live show? Watch the on-demand video replays in our free VWV Video Library. 

Voices With Vigor… Creating light with sound, one conversation at a time 💫

More Information

  • Mental Health
  • Stress & Life Changes

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