What if the darkest moments of your life were actually preparing you for your greatest transformation?
In this week’s episode of Hope Comes to Visit, I sit down with Valerie Rowekamp, whose story is a breathtaking testament to resilience, audacity, and the power of refusing to give up on hope.
Valerie’s journey began in crisis: at just 22 weeks pregnant, her water broke, and doctors offered little optimism for her son, Rex, who was also facing multiple heart defects. Against all medical odds, Valerie carried him for nine more weeks. She remembers telling doctors, “We don’t have time for realistic here. This is my child.”
That fierce audacity carried her through five heart surgeries for Rex — who today is thriving, a living embodiment of what Valerie calls “hope personified.”
But Valerie’s transformation didn’t stop there. At 42, she turned the same tenacity inward, reinventing her life in remarkable ways. She lost 70 pounds, became a fashion model walking runways, and embraced a bold new identity as Vivi Chantal — a woman who radiates self-belief and possibility.
Her philosophy is simple yet profound: “Dress the part first. Romanticize your life. Stop waiting to be complete — evolution is the work of living.”
This episode is a reminder that:
Hope whispers even when logic shouts.
Reinvention is always possible — at any age, in any circumstance.
Audacity — the refusal to tell yourself no — may just be the key to transformation.
Valerie’s story will inspire you to dream bigger, live bolder, and trust your own inner knowing.
Listen to the full episode here
And Connect with Valerie Here:
Instagram – Charmed Valerie
YouTube – Charmed Valerie
TikTok – Charmed Valerie
Thank you for listening to Hope Comes to Visit. If this episode resonates with you, please follow, rate, and share the show — it helps others find their way to these conversations.
New episodes drop every Monday and Friday, so you can begin and end your week with a little light and a lot of hope.
For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv and @HopeComestoVisit
xo, Danielle
