America is facing what the U.S. Surgeon General recently called an epidemic of loneliness. Nearly half of adults say they feel isolated at times, and that isolation often deepens during life’s hardest moments: serious illness, caregiving, grief, infertility, or financial uncertainty. Author and loneliness coach Karen Kay Smith asserts these “waiting room seasons” can quietly push people away from the very support they need most.
On your show, Smith explains why people often shift into “functioning versus feeling” during crises, how emotional suppression fuels loneliness, and why many struggle to communicate what they truly need. She offers practical, yet life-changing tools listeners can use immediately, including how a simple “breath prayer” can replace pressure-filled spiritual routines, why naming emotions out loud can be more healing than staying strong, and how her “3 C’s” framework—confidence, communication, and community—helps people rebuild connection step by step.
Drawing from 15 years caring for her husband during his battle with multiple sclerosis, along with years in women’s ministry and training as a transformational life coach, Smith brings a rare blend of lived experience and practical guidance to conversations about loneliness and connection. She is the author of Nearsighted: Choosing to See Eating Disorders Differently and the upcoming Hope Has a Seat in Every Waiting Room.
Contact Karen Kay Smith at (256) 812-5106; ksmith@rtirguests.com