Mia Godfrey: A Sister’s Love Beyond Loss

Wendy & Rich 0:01
Coming to you from the Freedom Federal Credit Union Studios, Hartford County living presents, Conversations with Rich Bennett. 

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Rich Bennett 0:27
What happens when the memories we bury refuse to stay hidden? in buried, not broken, Mia Godfrey opens her heart to reveal a life shaped by poverty and Communist Romania, childhood trauma, addiction, immigration, devastating loss, and the extraordinary bond she shared with her sister Mona. Yet this is not simply a story about what Mia endured. It is a story about the love, faith, encouraged that kept her from being defined by it. Through deeply personal memories filled with heartbreak, humor, family, and hope, Mia reminds us that healing does not erase our scars. It teaches us how to carry them differently. Her journey shows that even when life leaves us feeling buried beneath grief, shame, or fear, we are not necessarily broken. How are you doing Mia? 

Mia Godfrey 1:30
I'm good. Thank you so much for having me. 

Rich Bennett 1:33
Oh, my pleasure. And for those of you listening, Mia just, she blew me away when we were in the green room, uh, because I had no idea she's already published two books, right? Yeah, you're because your second book just 

Mia Godfrey 1:50
this 

Rich Bennett 1:50
came 

Mia Godfrey 1:51
year. Yes, 

Rich Bennett 1:52
this year. And yeah, it's a published two books this year. This is her first book and she's already working on the manuscript or finished the manuscript for the third book. 

Mia Godfrey 2:03
Yes. Yes, I did. 

Rich Bennett 2:07
And she works a full-time job. 

Mia Godfrey 2:09
Yes, I do. 

Rich Bennett 2:12
How 

Mia Godfrey 2:12
So, um, 

Rich Bennett 2:13
do you 

Mia Godfrey 2:14
there's 

Rich Bennett 2:14
give 

Mia Godfrey 2:14
an 

Rich Bennett 2:14
any sleep? 

Mia Godfrey 2:15
amazing right. There's an amazing book that is called the 5 a. m. club. I read that book a while back and he completely changed my life. So, the way I do my writing and there's also a lady that was with my mentor and she influenced me. She's from England. Her name is Joanna Pan. And she also says she had a full-time job and said, I wanted to write. I didn't know how so I decided to wake up early in the morning. So for me, how that looks sometimes when I when I was doing the writing and get up, if I get up at 4 30 a. m. or 5 a. m., writing till 7 at 7 go get a shower get ready for war getting the car drive 30 minutes and be our work from 9 till 5. And then I come home and do it all over again. And 

Rich Bennett 3:06
Wow. 

Mia Godfrey 3:06
in the morning I focused this year I decided my husband and I put a lot of our travel. We love to travel. We put the travel on 

Rich Bennett 3:15
Okay. 

Mia Godfrey 3:15
hold. And we said we are going to focus on this because this is part of our heart and who we are and the impact we want to live in the world and the legacy we want to live in the world. So for this year we removed the vacation, we didn't plan anything. Everything was focused towards our personal business, which is called scribbled pages International Coaching and scribbled pages publishing and writing. So evenings focus on the business morning focus on the writing. And I still tried to sleep at least 6 to 7 hours a night, so that's there. 

Rich Bennett 3:55
Well, that's a good thing I was going to say because if you're only getting a few hours of sleep, you can't be focusing that well. Wow. Okay. So what actually inspired you to start writing in the first place? 

Mia Godfrey 4:10
So as a child, right? 

Rich Bennett 4:11
Well, 

Mia Godfrey 4:13
uh very not broken yes it's my first one as a 

Rich Bennett 4:17
yeah. 

Mia Godfrey 4:17
child I always like to write I always like to submit my stories I used to love to write poems the same for my mom however in my country a lot of people what they didn't know um we grew up under the communist regime and we never had access to pens or um uh notebooks so um which is uh I just have a notebook here. I will add at in my country when we were kids the government used to give us either four to five notebooks about this size and 

Rich Bennett 4:51
Wow. 

Mia Godfrey 4:51
we had to keep them the entire year so while we did we used to start on one side writing one subject for example geography and the other end we used to do history and we used to write in pencil and when we met in the middle we erased and start from scratch and I never had my own pad of paper to write when I was 13 years old somebody gifted me with a pad of paper and that's when I started journaling and writing and I realized how much I loved it and all through high school and college when uh everything changed there in change the Romani and I have more access to those resources I start writing but for 

Rich Bennett 5:35
wow 

Mia Godfrey 5:35
this particular book it came from um 2023 when my sister got diagnosed with ovarian cancer I became one of her caretaker for 11 months and she's the one that says look we have a story that could help somebody she also knew we made a lot of promises as children that we say we're gonna take with us to the grave and she 

Rich Bennett 5:58
you don't 

Mia Godfrey 5:58
say 

Rich Bennett 5:58
right 

Mia Godfrey 5:59
do that I say you can free yourself and it's okay if you write it down so when she passed the way in November of 2023 I came home and I was thinking through that and I knew how meant for her uh that I write our story uh 

Rich Bennett 6:18
yeah 

Mia Godfrey 6:18
yeah using so that's what pushed me in to say you know what I'm gonna take a leap of faith I'm just gonna do it and you know how there's always those voices who do you think you are nobody's gonna read your book oh it's gonna die on a shelf oh here's another book that's gonna end up in a research shop and I was getting all those comments and voices and I start praying and I say god you know my heart you know I'm not doing this to get reached but you also know if this is meant to help somebody or impact somebody you know who needs to get this book and it truly truly made a huge impact in places I do not ever realize it will go 

Rich Bennett 7:02
right and you mentioned Moan and she she appears throughout the book um well as your sister protector 

Mia Godfrey 7:11
confident 

Rich Bennett 7:13
and of course best friend um what do you most went readers to understand about who she was beyond her cancer diagnosis 

Mia Godfrey 7:27
yes um so growing up under the coming is regime we didn't really have friends outside of our hot home walls so i'm the the youngest of 10 children so Mona was one of the most the strongest most spiritual most mature person I don't know even as a child somebody said well it kind of like sounds like um it was a little exaggeration how amazing she was but I said no that's who she was even as a 10 and 11 year old she had a ability to see people that were hurting and she knew where to meet them how to meet them how to be there for them how to care for them she had that ability of seeing people who were suffering in silence and uh she was always there to help and that's after she passed I said god please I want to that's why got my certification to become a life coach because I said I want to help people that are suffering in silence 

Rich Bennett 8:34
yeah 

Mia Godfrey 8:34
and sometime that can start from a book 

Rich Bennett 8:38
all right so with Mona and I have a funny feeling i know the answer to this because as i'm looking at the cover with the tree and it looks like shattered glass over it because a lot of people a lot of times would put somebody's photo there but i have a feeling that tree resembles Mona a lot doesn't it 

Mia Godfrey 9:05
so 

Rich Bennett 9:05
okay 

Mia Godfrey 9:05
that that that cover it's really personal to us 

Rich Bennett 9:09
i love it 

Mia Godfrey 9:10
We'll see a pattern in all of our books, uh, regarding the glass shatter also. Um, so my mom during the coming years, she had a saying that she always used to say they tried to bury us but they did not know that we were seen. So she said every single time that you're going through hardship, don't look at as being broken, don't look at it as being damaged goods, don't look at it as there's no, there's no hope for anything different for the future. Look at it like you are buried. So if you are buried under a soil, the buried things tend to bloom. So she always used to say at any point in time, it can be your time to bloom, just be ready and look at it as being buried. So that tree, um, and like you said some of us show that they were dead lips falling, but then 

Rich Bennett 10:08
Mm-hmm. 

Mia Godfrey 10:08
it's flourishing and it's coming back to life. I wanted to show the significance like no matter what you're going through, there is something on the other side and even through her death, her light is going to continue to bear fruit, her light and we're even through her dead, she's going to impact other people. Now the shattered glass, um, it was not necessary as profound. My 

Rich Bennett 10:35
husband

Okay. 

Mia Godfrey 10:37
Three, has a company, it's called God Free Glass. So he's been working on the glass company for over 30 years. And at the time when I was writing the book, I said how can I add a part of my husband who he is in every single book? So we decided to add shattered glass. Well, that could have so many other meanings, but I guess this was, 

Rich Bennett 11:04
oh 

Mia Godfrey 11:05
no. We found a second book that came out September the third, this year, it's called "Second Sign Rise Together", um, Couple's Guide through Marriage Trust and Blended Family because I was a widow, he went through a very messy divorce and God brought us together when we thought 

Rich Bennett 11:29
it would, mm-hmm. 

Mia Godfrey 11:30
Well, that one has shattered glass also so we said, I guess this is a theme. Every book we're going to have will try to incorporate a little of that. It's not deep or emotional but it's part of who my husband 

Rich Bennett 11:43
is. You are. 

Mia Godfrey 11:44
His identity and I wanted to carry that through every single book that I'm going to write. 

Rich Bennett 11:53
I love that. I love that. And actually with that too because with the glass and the tree the book is actually structured like a patchwork quilt of memories rather than one continuous timeline. Why was that the most honest way to tell your story? 

Mia Godfrey 12:18
So, when I first started writing it was in chronological order and my wonderful editors said, look, this is extremely heavy. I gave to one of the bed artists when I read it and said, I couldn't finish it. It was so heavy that I felt so broken for you. I just want to help that little child that was going through abuse and I didn't know how and I couldn't finish it because she has mild children. So that was the feedback I gave to my editors and they said, look, the book is extremely heavy and we have to be careful how we position it. And it said, but in order to make sure that it's not as heavy and you let people hang in like. It said let's change it where we're going to move in those stories in a way where it's not as heavy. So he said, are you happy in your life now and I say, yes, I am. Well, as some of those stories in it, 

Rich Bennett 13:17
Why? 

Mia Godfrey 13:18
so it was 

Rich Bennett 13:19
smart. 

Mia Godfrey 13:19
Back and forth, not chronological order to give the readers with a heavy heart. 

Rich Bennett 13:31
That is very smart because when you get into books that are really heavy a lot of times, people can't finish reading it because it just brings us down. The other thing is too. Now I don't know if this is an audio form or not, but to hear it is. Now do you do it or is there 

Mia Godfrey 13:52
it? 

Rich Bennett 13:52
a 

Mia Godfrey 13:52
Well, 

Rich Bennett 13:52
narrator that does 

Mia Godfrey 13:53
I tried to do it for the first time and I realized I'm not, I can write but I'm not the best narrator. So I actually searched for somebody from Eastern Europe that had my... 

Rich Bennett 14:05
Oh. 

Mia Godfrey 14:06
I'm going to do United States and she narrated my first 

Rich Bennett 14:13
book. Okay. 

Mia Godfrey 14:14
' so, yes, but she's from Eastern Europe. That was my accent when I came to the United States. It's extra'. Ok. I'm just an European. 

Rich Bennett 14:25
Ok. I was hoping it was in your voice, but that's alright. You did it the smart way you found somebody, but even because if you wouldn't have edited it, if you wouldn't have done it in a chronological order, I would think it would have been hard for the narrator to get through. Without breaking down. And if somebody's listening to it, especially a good narrator putting the feeling into it, yeah, that would be so hard. 

Mia Godfrey 14:54
And she does. She's done a phenomenal job. She said all through it. She had to call her mom in Bosnia, Herzegovina, and as a mom. This is what I'm narrating and she said her mom, for her heart, an she said, 'I can't relate to that because I've been through similar things as well'. So, um, I think it was a good choice to pick somebody from that part of the world. 

Rich Bennett 15:20
Absolutely. 

Absolutely. And you're a fast writer, which still amazes me. Don't know me, because you did not tell me how long this one took to write, but you started when Moona passed in 2023, right? 

Mia Godfrey 15:35
Well, no. It took me a while to work on my healing. 

Rich Bennett 15:39
We 

Mia Godfrey 15:40
stopped and I said, 'I cannot do that. I fought with my therapist, that absolutely not'. But my therapist said, 'Just humor me right in your journal'. I was like, 'I can write in the journal'. And a few months into it, she read and said you need to publish it. And as I told my husband, he said, 'Yep, I'm going to'. So the first one, he took me a few months, I don't know, maybe six months, once I started writing, because I started really serious writing in 2025. 

Rich Bennett 16:10
Okay. 

Mia Godfrey 16:11
So, as soon as I finished it, because my mind was like, 'There's so much more'. 

Rich Bennett 16:16
Yeah. 

Mia Godfrey 16:16
Before I even submitted the first manuscript, I started writing the second. And I just had a lot of chapters. And I did the same with the third. As soon as I submitted the manuscript, I was already writing the third book. But they're so different from each other. 

Rich Bennett 16:34
Yeah. So with the first book, especially as you're writing it, where there were times where you just had to stop and get up and walk away, because it was too emotional for you. 

Mia Godfrey 16:51
The first book, I typed it through a lot of tears. 

Rich Bennett 16:58
Okay. 

Mia Godfrey 17:00
Extremely raw. I had to go in places that I didn't go for over 30 years. I had to go and resurface memories that I buried, and I did not want to talk about. So the first one was extremely draining and emotional when I was writing. And yes, I had to walk away, watch my face, get my contacts out, put my glasses in, just to try to get myself to still continue to type. Second one was a little bit easier, because he has more happy moments. 

Rich Bennett 17:33
Yeah. 

Mia Godfrey 17:33
And it was easier to put that on paper. 

Rich Bennett 17:37
Alright. So with buried not broken, because that's that's when I was able to look at. And I really want to push this book. 

There's a remarkable story involving one orange and a decision your your family made together. So without revealing everything. Why does that orange still symbolize so much for you? 

Mia Godfrey 18:11
So my mom always, and to these days I do a lot of things in the remembrance where I used to be. My mom always used to say it's it's better to give than to receive. And to this day I have to catch myself because I tend to constantly, because I... So I will say some of the part of that story. That was a gift. My sister helped somebody as a payment gave her an orange instead of eating the orange herself. She brought a home and she said, "Mom, I got this orange." And in my family, everything that we have like that, we try to divide it for everybody in the family, have a little bite. 

Rich Bennett 18:58
Oh, yeah. 

Mia Godfrey 19:00
And 

it was just one orange and we all thought we're going to peel it. And we're going to... We just need the peel also, which I still do, but I try not to eat it in front of people, but that's it remembers where I came from. So my mom said we could eat it. or we can send it to our grandparents who never had an orange. We never tasted an orange to that point 

Rich Bennett 19:22
One, two, three. 

Mia Godfrey 19:23
because that was something so rare for us to see. We used to have apple trees and pear trees, but orange was not something we had access to. So we could do it or what if we can send it to our grandparents, think how they will act to know that they tasted an orange for the first time. So we all decided, all the kids decided, "Yes, we're going to send it to our grandparents." So my mom put a little package together with we always used to send them flower and because again, lived in a country where we didn't have access to basic needs and food 

Rich Bennett 20:05
we 

Mia Godfrey 20:06
and a member always sent flowers and sometimes cornmeal and honey and put them all in a box and my mom put that orange in it and said, "Don't worry, you will see how God will bless us. This will grow." And we were just so excited and what happened. I think I don't remember if it was the same day or the next day we had somebody knocking on our fans. We had like a huge tall 

fans and the mom opened the door and they said, "Whoop and defends." And they said, "Well, somebody delivered from us, some church, a lot of oranges. They came from a different country. They are going bad. We don't know what to do." So we decided to go to the poor families in neighborhoods and hand them some oranges. As far as I remember, I think they hand us like 10 boxes 

of oranges. 

Rich Bennett 21:08
metal 

Mia Godfrey 21:08
So my mom was just... you could just sit to your coming down her face. I said, "Thank you Lord." She said, "You never leaves us, never forsake us." And I remember we ate oranges for weeks, and to these days and this myself and we opened the box and we ended up sending to my grandparents more. And I have to be careful like what I eat because I don't want to gross anybody else. Oh, but there's a lot of things that went up on myself for just with my husband. I gravitate to like, "Hey, designate me up home." I 

Rich Bennett 21:42
Yeah, 

Mia Godfrey 21:43
remember those oranges. I don't know, but I remember I was them with the peel and all, just buying out of it as an apple. That's what I remember. 

Rich Bennett 21:51
wow. 

Mia Godfrey 21:52
I don't remember how my siblings used 

Rich Bennett 21:53
to eat. 

Mia Godfrey 21:55
But 

Rich Bennett 21:55
you 

Mia Godfrey 21:55
from... 

Rich Bennett 21:55
guys didn't know how to? 

Mia Godfrey 21:58
We had out TV. We 

Rich Bennett 21:59
have. 

Mia Godfrey 22:00
didn't And to these days, I go by small... 

Mandering oranges. 

Rich Bennett 22:08
Yes. 

Mia Godfrey 22:09
And from time to time, if I'm in comfort of my home, I just buy into it as an apple. Why? I always want to remember what I came from. And to remember God's blessings when we had nothing, how God poured His blessing unto us. 

Rich Bennett 22:26
Mia, that is not gross. You're not gross than anybody out. Now, some people may... listen, it may be what? Who probably cussed me out right now? They're probably saying, "Well, we're chewing the right mind-eats oranges, orange peels." How many... I mean, you use orange zest in a lot of things, which is the peel of the orange. And you think of other fruits like kiwi. Kiwi, the skin, is probably the most nutritionist part for you. And we eat the skin of apples, so why not? 

Mia Godfrey 22:59
I 

Rich Bennett 23:00
say, "Look, go ahead." 

Mia Godfrey 23:03
I don't think about the taste. It's the remembrance 

Rich Bennett 23:07
of what it means. Yeah. 

Mia Godfrey 23:08
What the memory is that it brings back. And it keeps me grounded. And it keeps me standing to selflessly continue to help people and serve others instead of just thinking of me, me, me, and... 

Rich Bennett 23:25
Well, you think about it. The first time somebody saw an orange, do you think they cut it or peeled it? 

Mia Godfrey 23:31
It's probably not. 

Rich Bennett 23:33
No, they probably bit into it. Now, cookin' up may have been different, because they probably broke their teeth trying to fight it to that. That's amazing. it. You're listening to the conversations with Rich Bennett. We'll be right back. 

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Let's get back to the conversation. 

You guys also had gotten a simple shoebox gift from a stranger in the United States. Which actually became what you call box of hope. How can you, er, better yet? How can an act that seems small to one person completely change another person's life? Just like the orange changed yours? 

Mia Godfrey 25:29
Yes. So I liked to, I'm not a representative for that same company. I'm a 

Rich Bennett 25:37
Oh. 

Mia Godfrey 25:37
volunteer spokesperson. I became a volunteer this summer. And I do travel a few times, um, few times a month during the weekends. I travelled to tell my story about that. And this is what I like to tell people. Those boxes, that's when I got my pad of paper. I was 13 years old. And those boxes don't just have toys in it. Those boxes brings hope. Those boxes tell somebody that they matter. Those boxes bring dignity. Those boxes show somebody who are struggling. Yeah. He shows them that they are loved. He shows 

Rich Bennett 26:24
Yeah. 

Mia Godfrey 26:24
them that they are. It's something on the other side. So, um, that's really, really close to my heart. That I do like to tell that story because we don't realize the impact that we're making by spending $25 to $30 into sending a box to somebody in a country that they never had a toy. And that was the first time in my entire life that I held in my hands a teddy bear. And I was 13 years old. And that was my first. So, I do, I do love to tell that story because the impact it did in my life. 

Rich Bennett 26:59
Wow. What was there? One story. You almost removed because sharing it made you feel too exposed. And, and they saw what convinced you to leave it in. 

Mia Godfrey 27:13
Yes. Um, me battling addiction, me battling alcohol and pale addiction. Um, I go went back and forth and didn't want to put it because I didn't want to heard the people that I was serving at the time. 

Rich Bennett 27:28
Right. 

Mia Godfrey 27:28
They thought very highly. I mean, they didn't know that I was battling with that. I was working in a church helping children and I was battling alcohol addiction and pale addiction. And I said, if I leave these chapters in this book, Is this going to hurt more than he heals? And I went back and forth. I was like, and in my family, my siblings did not know. I left home when I 

Rich Bennett 27:54
yeah. 

Mia Godfrey 27:54
was 18 years old, Mona knew how is going to hurt them. How is going to put them what type of life is going to put them? So that was one of the hardest of a few chapters that I went back and forth about removing them. Nobody wants to be known as a fraud. And that's how I felt. 

Rich Bennett 28:16
And then I thank you for keeping them in. And I say that because we we talked to a lot of people in recovery on here. And one of the things I have seen is, and it happens a lot listeners will contact me and thank me for having that guest on and here in their story. And to the point to where it's even helped some people get a loved one into recovery. So yeah, no, thank you for sharing that more people need to do that. Definitely need to do that. And it's yeah. Yeah, thank you. 

Which chapter actually helped you understand yourself differently once you saw the experience written on the page? 

Mia Godfrey 29:12
I think one of the chapters that kind of helped me see that the difference that could potentially make through that writing was the last chapter. The last chapter I wrote, we traveled through Romania. And my kids that I adopted your my husband's kids. They met my family for the first time and they were able to see where I used to be, where my family is at and where I'm at today. So, in the last chapter, I was saying that with a heavy heart, you know, uhm, I was realizing the impact that that book could have. 

Rich Bennett 29:56
Mhm. 

Mia Godfrey 29:56
So, he held me not second guess, not be afraid of launching the book in the world, not be afraid people knew that I'm not this always good perfect, you know, person who likes to serve others, that my brokenness could help somebody more than my wholeness so, uhm, that's up there brought it all together for me. 

Rich Bennett 30:21
Wow. Alright, so, if Mona was here today, and I'm sure she spoke to you in your dreams and everything, what do you think she would have said about the book? 

Mia Godfrey 30:35
Oh, she was saying proud 

Rich Bennett 30:38
of you sis. Yeah. 

Mia Godfrey 30:39
She always used to say that even when I was struggling with alcohol addiction, she used to say I'm proud of you sis, and I know you're fighting some demons right now, but my prayer is that someday you can look back, and this can be something that it's a story of redemption. And I didn't understand that at the time. 

Rich Bennett 31:00
Right. 

Mia Godfrey 31:00
And I know she will be extremely proud that that book end up in the hands of some people that needed 

Rich Bennett 31:09
do I have a funny feeling she was like a mentor 

Mia Godfrey 31:12
it. Why 

Rich Bennett 31:13
or even an idol to you? 

Mia Godfrey 31:15
She was. And she still is in someone. 

Rich Bennett 31:18
Yeah. 

Mia Godfrey 31:19
I feel like she taught me more or less than in her passing than through life. Now I'm I'm going back and going over everything and all the lessons she taught me, and and the thing is she was only 13 months, older than me. But she was way wiser than anybody I've ever met all throughout childhood. She had strong words of wisdom. 

Rich Bennett 31:45
Any plans on actually writing the book strictly about her? 

Mia Godfrey 31:51
Yes, I'm thinking about it. 

Rich Bennett 31:53
Oh, 

Mia Godfrey 31:53
to. 

Rich Bennett 31:53
you have 

Mia Godfrey 31:54
Yeah. So so second one. It's more like I said, my my husband's been through a lot as well. 

Rich Bennett 32:01
Right. 

Mia Godfrey 32:02
I'm a single father overnight. I became a widow when I was 35 years old. So it's a collection of stories from two, two broken people. And the lessons we learned through our lives and what brought us where we're at today. And it has key takeaways to help couples. Well, the third one is about teaching people how to find that identity and how to fully step into their purpose because life is short. And we only have one life and only one chance to do it right. And there's no do over so the. 

Rich Bennett 32:39
Yeah, 

Mia Godfrey 32:40
third book is on that, but I'm thinking more about words of wisdom and things that I've learned from people that passed on. 

Rich Bennett 32:51
Wow. And something else about your book. And this is something I don't see a lot. Now, I don't know if this was only in the advanced reader copy or if it's actually in the published book, you have a lot of photos in it. 

Mia Godfrey 33:06
I do. 

Rich Bennett 33:07
Okay. So that isn't the published one as well. 

Mia Godfrey 33:11
That isn't the published one. And I wish I would have put some photos in the second book. But the first book, those are photos that nobody in my family has anymore. 

Rich Bennett 33:24
Wow. 

Mia Godfrey 33:25
What happened a lot of them through my sister's passing a lot of them when they cleaned some of them got thrown out. Also with the move from Romania to the United States. So we don't have access to any of those pictures I had them on the phone because Mona had them at some point and she took pictures and send them to me. So I said, we want to keep this. These are the last pictures that we have from our childhood is that a way we can embed some of those pictures into the pages of the book just as a legacy. So we could preserve them and keep them. So they were okay with doing that. 

Rich Bennett 34:06
Nice. I love it. I love the fact that they're in there. You don't see that a lot. Very often where people put pictures or photos into the book, drawn, you know, sketches, but not actual photos. Yeah. I think it also, I think it helps for the reader to know the author a lot better as well. 

Yeah. And actually since you've written the Barry not broken. Have you actually been out to do any book signings or anything? 

Mia Godfrey 34:43
Oh, yes, yeah, we have multiple book signings at Barton Noble and we also had we did like a book signing party. 

Rich Bennett 34:53
I have to issue this and I'd love to ask an author's this question. There's the first book that somebody asked you to sign, or the first time somebody asked you to sign one of your books. What was the feeling that went through you? 

Mia Godfrey 35:08
I was so confused. 

I ended up googling it. One day I put in a book for a book signing. And it gave me a lot of stuff. I was like, "That's a lot of writing." So then I met an author and said, "Look, I strongly encourage you sign 'em and put some stuff and do it ahead of time and then bring the book sign already." And I was like, "No, I wanna make it personal. I wanna write it right then." So, when we did our first book signing in April, there were over a hundred people in line to sign and I realized about 25 in, my hand was hurting so bad. And I was like, "Oh, because I was trying to make it personal to that person." And I was writing on some, I remember the first few pages, it was like the whole page just writing how... And I was like, "I can't do that. The line is not going smaller, and I need to figure it out a way to move the light fast." And I had my friends in the back that were like, "I'm like, "But I'm trying to make it personal." So I'm still learning about the book signing. 

Rich Bennett 36:31
I know the fact that, I mean, making it personal is one thing. And 

Mia Godfrey 36:38
How 

Rich Bennett 36:38
you would... 

Mia Godfrey 36:39
clueless I was? 

Rich Bennett 36:41
But now you wanna spend time with the person that wants the autograph. And I do the same thing because I play Santa Claus professionally. One of the things I cannot stand is for people to rush the kids through. It's like, "No, let them take the time." I think one is sit there with me for 10 minutes. Let them. I don't care. I'll stay here all night if I have. And it's just, it's that personal connection that you want. And... Oh... 

Mia Godfrey 37:10
Yes. Yes. 

Rich Bennett 37:12
Some 

Mia Godfrey 37:13
still learning. 

Rich Bennett 37:15
Well, and I think we always do. I don't think the learning ever stops. So, tell listeners why... There's a lot we didn't cover about the book because I don't want to give it away. I mean, there's a 

Mia Godfrey 37:30
lot of 

Rich Bennett 37:31
trauma in there, a lot of heal and a lot of grief. There's, you know, the addiction part. But tell people why they need to purchase this book. 

Mia Godfrey 37:43
Every single one of us, at some point in our life, we're gonna go through hardship. 

Rich Bennett 37:48
It's 

Mia Godfrey 37:49
inevitable. We're gonna go through grief. We're gonna go through things that we weren't planning. I think this book is going to highlight... I know this book highlights a lot of resilience and highlights that no matter what you're going through. Just keep in mind, this is just a chapter. This is just a chapter. This is not the rest of your life. And in life, we have waves. You're gonna 

Rich Bennett 38:16
Yeah. 

Mia Godfrey 38:16
go through low valleys and through the mountains. There is no way to get the top of the mountains, unless you overcome and get past that valley. And just be assured that it's just the chapter, it's just the valley. You don't have to stay there. So if you want to read something that highlights resilience, this book is for you. 

Rich Bennett 38:45
And when did you move to the States from Romania? 

Mia Godfrey 38:49
And moved to the United States in 2008. I was 27 years old. 

Rich Bennett 38:55
Okay, 

so you were from Romania. Wow. Alright, so this might be a tough question for you, but I have a funny feeling it's probably not. 

What does home actually mean to you now? 

Mia Godfrey 39:16
it's the people. Uh, in 2015, I remember I was battling depression and crying. It's like I lost my husband. I have nobody in the world. I'm all alone. My family's not here. I tried to go home to Romania. And they said I lost my citizenship. And I just felt like I don't have anybody in the world. But then I realized how many people in the community stepped in and they brought me food and they loved me. When they didn't have to do it, they didn't. So I don't look at home now as a country for a specific location. Home is where people are. And even if you don't know and you're not familiar with them, you could be the one that takes the first step and love on people. Because every single one of us have moments that we suffer in silence, how about be deaf with them, be home for them. So home is where the people are. It's not a country for me. 

Rich Bennett 40:15
Wow. Now. 

You've never made it to the state, 

Mia Godfrey 40:23
right? She did. She came to the United States in 2021. Uh, she 

Rich Bennett 40:27
OK 

Mia Godfrey 40:28
with the pastor in Montana, but she got diagnosed with cancer in 2023. So she was here for less than two years before she got diagnosed. 

Rich Bennett 40:38
Wow, wow. 

Those of you listening, you know what I'm going to say right now, but it's important. When you purchase Mona's book Barry not broken up Mona, me as block. 

Mia Godfrey 40:56
It's Mona stew. It's both of 

Rich Bennett 40:58
Yeah, 

Mia Godfrey 40:58
us. 

Rich Bennett 40:58
it is Mona's to yeah. Um, 

Mia Godfrey 41:00
I wrote it in her honor. So thank 

Rich Bennett 41:03
So, 

Mia Godfrey 41:03
you for. 

Rich Bennett 41:03
I meant, yeah. Make sure you leave a full review everywhere you can leave reviews. Take a photo of yourself holding the book posting on social media, tag me in it, tag myself in it. And don't pass it on to somebody else. Purchase copies for other people because this is a book you'll go back to and read again and again. Trust me. You will. Um, I don't know what it is. But when with memoirs, especially when people are writing about everything that you've been through, people tend to go back and read them again. And I think it's also like a. I know it was healing for you as you're writing it. But I think it's people read it. It's also healing for them. Yeah, you know, um, where can actually actually where can people purchase the book and follow you? 

Mia Godfrey 42:02
Yeah, thank you so much. So my website is Mia Godfree.com. 

Rich Bennett 42:08
It's easy. 

Mia Godfrey 42:09
Yeah. Simple. Yes. And I'm. 

Rich Bennett 42:12
Thank God it was in your real name because that would be hard. 

Mia Godfrey 42:15
I know. Yeah. Who advised me to use a short version? It was pretty smart. 

Rich Bennett 42:22
Wait, 

Mia Godfrey 42:22
Um, but I still. 

Rich Bennett 42:23
Mia. I'm sorry. I have to stop you there. You have to tell. If you're okay, you have to tell everybody. What would your real name is? Why you shortened it? 

Mia Godfrey 42:33
Okay. So my real name is Mihaila Nikoletta Khalib. Emb Godfrey. So I 

Rich Bennett 42:41
Beautiful 

Mia Godfrey 42:41
was 

Rich Bennett 42:41
name. But that is. 

Mia Godfrey 42:42
in. I was encouraged to use the shorter version. And Mia was my nickname at home. So I kept Mia and Godfrey, which is my husband's name. Um, 

Rich Bennett 42:57
Hi. 

Mia Godfrey 42:57
but Mia Godfrey on Facebook, Instagram, um, LinkedIn. And my website is Mia Godfrey. And you can purchase an any store like Target, Walmart, Barton, Nobles or you can purchase it on Amazon. 

Rich Bennett 43:14
And you said you own your own business. 

Mia Godfrey 43:17
I do. I do. 

Rich Bennett 43:19
Which is it. Alright, so what type of 

Mia Godfrey 43:20
Um, 

Rich Bennett 43:20
business? 

Mia Godfrey 43:22
so, um, in the evenings and weekends, um, it's my business is scribble pages, international coaching. So I am an EMB practitioner at evenings because I have a day job. So that means emotion might an energy. 

Rich Bennett 43:39
Yes. 

Mia Godfrey 43:39
And I also work with sound healing. So I coach clients also, I have clients most of mine are international. So I can actually coach them early in the morning for 5 a. m. for late in the evening. And I can still give my day job. And I also do retreats for women that, um, it's called the reset to purpose retreat. 

Rich Bennett 44:04
Okay. 

Mia Godfrey 44:05
I teach people again to find their identity and step into their purpose. 

Rich Bennett 44:10
How did you get into 

Mia Godfrey 44:13
After Mona, I realize how short life is and I 

Rich Bennett 44:16
that? 

Mia Godfrey 44:16
want to 

Rich Bennett 44:16
Yeah. 

Mia Godfrey 44:17
something that will live a legacy. And I'm doing my next retreat is January and I'm experimenting internationally. Next taper we will do one in, uh, in the mountains of Transylvania, 

Rich Bennett 44:31
Romania. Wait, what? 

Mia Godfrey 44:32
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 44:33
Really? 

Mia Godfrey 44:34
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 44:35
Oh, all right. Well, you have to give everybody the website for your business then. 

Mia Godfrey 44:39
Yes. So my website is meagotfree.com. 

Rich Bennett 44:44
That's where your business is, too. People could find your business on there. Scribble pages? 

Mia Godfrey 44:48
Everything, 

Rich Bennett 44:49
Really? 

Mia Godfrey 44:50
everything is in meagotfree. I also have courses there. I do have a 30 day course and 60 day courses. They're all on my website. 

Rich Bennett 45:00
I did I miss all that because I was looking 

Mia Godfrey 45:02
And 

Rich Bennett 45:02
at. 

Mia Godfrey 45:02
I do keynote speaking as well. 

Rich Bennett 45:07
Okay. Any other surprises for us? 

Mia Godfrey 45:10
I think that will be all. I'll update my website to add the dates for the next retreat as well. 

Rich Bennett 45:20
How long have you been doing keynote speaking? 

Mia Godfrey 45:24
About two years, but it's 

Rich Bennett 45:26
Really? 

Mia Godfrey 45:27
expanding where I am speaking every weekend. 

Rich Bennett 45:33
Oh, I love that. So, Mia, before you pick the last question, is there anything you would like to add? I almost called you Mona again. 

Mia Godfrey 45:44
Hey, that's okay. I. You 

Rich Bennett 45:48
know what it is? It's the M&M. It's the M&M factor. I guess. And if that's not a thing it is now because I just said it. 

Mia Godfrey 45:58
It is. 

Rich Bennett 45:58
Is there anything you'd like to add? 

Mia Godfrey 46:01
No, I just want to say, thank you. Thank you for having a platform where people can come and for their heart and try to bless others. You truly, you're truly making a difference. Thank you. 

Rich Bennett 46:14
Thank you. And I can't wait to have you on again and you know, the door is open anytime. You want to come back. So this is how this works. This is going to be interesting. I have a hundred different questions here. And somehow or another a lot of times and you're going to pick the question. But a lot of times the question that the guests pick somehow another aligns with what we've been talking about. So we're going to see how good you are. So I need you to pick a number first between one and five. 

Mia Godfrey 46:50
Three. 

Rich Bennett 46:51
Great. All right. Now I need you to pick a number between 41 and 60. 

You know, we're going to do two questions 

Mia Godfrey 47:03
of the 45. 

Rich Bennett 47:05
45. 

What does it mean to live a good life. 

Mia Godfrey 47:17
I like to picture that I'm on a rocking chair with my husband of old. We're both old and a rocking chair overlooking the ocean. And if I can sit with him and try to think, hey, we we live the good life. That it's a life of impact. 

A good life to me is making a difference. Being able to serve others, being able to put a smile on somebody else's face. That to me is, it's a good life. We can sit on that rocking chair holding my husband's hand and look at him and say, babe, we live the good life because we made a difference. 

Rich Bennett 47:59
Love that. Now, do you by chance know what moon is favorite number was? 

Mia Godfrey 48:04
Seven. 

Rich Bennett 48:06
Okay.

Now  I've got to find number seven. 

You know what? I have a funny feeling that moon would ask you this and she probably knows what it is. What is a hidden hidden talent or interests you have that might surprise people? Was I right when she? 

Mia Godfrey 48:34
I break apple with my bare hands. I never hit an apple unless I can break it with my hands. When 

Rich Bennett 48:42
What? 

Mia Godfrey 48:42
I was a child, when I was a child, my brothers used to break that apple and used to challenge me to do it. So now as an adult I am determined that I am not taking a bite out of that apple unless I break it with my bare hands. So Mona, it's funny. Always used to say that's a hidden talent, not everybody can do it. I'll say, yes, they can. They can, but then I realize they cannot. But that has to do with over 40 years of practice to know. So I don't eat an apple unless I can physically break it with my hands. Break it in half. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 49:23
Yeah, oka. Now you challenge me because I eat apple. 

Mia Godfrey 49:28
Yeah, I would have demonstrated, but I don't. 

Rich Bennett 49:30
I eat apples every day and now when I eat one later, I'm going to have to. But I'm probably going to embarrass me because I was sit there trying to break the thing. And if I can't, I'm going to call you and yell. 

Mia Godfrey 49:42
Yes, I'll do a 

Rich Bennett 49:43
What 

Mia Godfrey 49:43
video. 

Rich Bennett 49:44
did you do? 

Mia Godfrey 49:44
Send that to you and show you. 

Rich Bennett 49:46
That wow. That that is definitely a hidden talent. I was not expecting that answer. Most people say 

Mia Godfrey 49:55
I'm like now I'm close at the time, I just don't walk around breaking apples. So that's something that, uh, from time to time. I remember I was in meetings at work and I didn't pay attention. I broke an apple. I was like, did you just, I was like, I'm sorry, don't, don't mind me, I just wanna eat this.

Rich Bennett 50:17
God, Mia, thank you so much. It's been an honor. And like I said, the doors open anytime you wanna come back on and I will angel, you said, right? 

Mia Godfrey 50:29
Yes , angel of 

Rich Bennett 50:30
You're probably alright, I'll contact her 

Mia Godfrey 50:33
it. 

Rich Bennett 50:33
to get you on the other podcast as well in the author pitch. Actually, now you have two books to pitch. So it's gonna be two recordings for you. 

Mia Godfrey 50:42
Thank 

Rich Bennett 50:42
Thank you. So 

Mia Godfrey 50:43
you. 

Rich Bennett 50:43
there's a lot. I have a funny feeling we're gonna be talking several times. 

Mia Godfrey 50:49
Thank you. 

Rich Bennett 50:50
Thank you. 

Mia Godfrey 50:51
Thank you so much. 

Rich Bennett 50:53
... What a powerful reminder that the chapters that hurt us do not have to become the entire story of our lives. Miyagafri's journey is filled with poverty, childhood trauma, addiction, immigration, grief, and loss, but is also filled with faith, generosity, second chances, and an extraordinary bond between two sisters. Moana may no longer be here physically, but her love, wisdom and belief in Miyagafri continued to live through Barry not broken, and through every person Miyagafri helps. I keep thinking about the lesson Miyagafri's mother shared with her. They tried to bury us, but they did not know we received. What a beautiful way to look at hardship. Sometimes the darkness we find ourselves in is not the end. It may be the place where our roots grow deeper, and where a new part of us begins to bloom. Miyagafri also reminded us that small acts of kindness can have an impact far beyond what we ever see. One orange shared with love. One shoebox, filled with hope. One person willing to listen. Or one honest story can change the direction of someone's life. Her willingness to reveal the parts of her past she once feared others would judge may now help another person feel understood unless alone. Please visit Miyagafri.com to learn more about Miyagafri's books, coaching, speaking, courses and retreats. Purchase a copy of Barry not broken, and once you have read it, please leave a thoughtful review. Reviews help authors reach new readers, and this is the kind of story that deserves to find the people who need it most. You might also consider purchasing a copy for someone who is facing grief, addiction, shame, or difficult new beginning. Miyagafri, thank you for trusting us with your story, for honoring Moon as legacy, and for showing us that a good life is not measured only by what we accomplish, but by the difference we make in the lives of others. A special thank you to Hartford County Health Department for sponsoring this episode, and helping us bring these meaningful conversations to you. Until next time, I'm Rich Bennett. Thanks for listening and remember, every great conversation starts with someone willing to listen. And someone willing to share. Now it's your turn. Join the conversation by sharing this episode. Leave in a comment or reach and have to meet directly. Take care. Be kind to one another, and I'll talk with you again soon.