What if the weight of your past isn’t something you have to carry forever? In a deeply moving conversation, Agi Keramidas sits down with Katharine Giovanni — best-selling author, speaker, and forgiveness coach — to explore the liberating and transformative power of forgiveness.
Having survived childhood trauma, years of bullying, and a breast cancer diagnosis, Katharine is no stranger to hardship. But it wasn’t the pain itself that defined her journey — it was the decision to let go of it. In this episode, she unpacks a lifetime of experience and reveals how forgiveness became the foundation of her healing.
The Flashpoint of Change
Katharine describes what she calls a “flashpoint” — a pivotal moment in life when everything changes. For her, it was the death of her mother, with whom she had reconciled after years of dysfunction and pain. That moment forced her to confront her own anger and the realization that she, too, could die bitter and broken if something didn’t change.
It was then she made a decision that would transform her life: she quit drinking in 1990 and began her lifelong commitment to forgiveness and healing.
Redefining Forgiveness
One of the most powerful aspects of this conversation is Katharine’s redefinition of what forgiveness truly is. “Just because I forgive you doesn't mean I want a relationship with you,” she says. “I do it for me.” Forgiveness, in her words, is a selfish act — but not in a negative sense. It’s about reclaiming your energy, your peace, and your freedom from those who continue to live rent-free in your mind.
She also challenges harmful clichés like “forgive and forget.” As she says with a smile, “I'm from New York City — I’m not forgetting anything.” Instead, her system removes the emotional charge behind painful memories, allowing you to remember without suffering.
A Step-by-Step System for Letting Go
Katharine developed a practical system to make forgiveness accessible and less overwhelming. Rather than starting with the most painful wounds, she advises working from the bottom up — forgiving the small grievances first to build emotional muscle and confidence.
The process begins with writing a list of people or memories you want to forgive, rating them from 1 to 10 based on intensity. Then, using visualization and heartfelt language, you speak forgiveness aloud — not just to the person, but to the energy around the situation and to yourself. This helps remove the emotional weight that can linger even when we think we’ve "moved on."
The Body Keeps Score
Drawing from the Japanese Water Study and personal experience, Katharine explains how negative emotions like anger and resentment can literally make us sick. Our bodies, made mostly of water, absorb emotional energy. Forgiveness is not just a spiritual or psychological process — it's a physical release as well.
She even shares how after a deep forgiveness session, she once spent three days in bed, not with the flu, but with her body purging years of suppressed anger.
Self-Forgiveness: The Ultimate Challenge
Many people, Katharine says, find their own name at the top of their forgiveness list. Self-forgiveness, often the hardest of all, requires picking apart memories and applying the same loving process to oneself. While we may never receive forgiveness from others, we can grant it to ourselves — and that alone can be life-changing.
Forgiveness as a Superpower
In her closing words, Katharine offers hope: “Forgiveness really is a magic. It's like a superpower, and your life is going to change.” Whether you're holding onto old wounds or simply want to free up space in your heart, this episode offers both the tools and the inspiration to begin your journey.
Let this be your invitation to look inward, forgive often — and reclaim your peace.
For the full episode, show notes, and links, click here: https://personaldevelopmentmasterypodcast.com/486