But the story underneath that story is the one worth hearing.

In this conversation, Melissa and Laura Lyn — friends of 25+ years who raised their kids side by side — talk about what it actually costs to reinvent yourself, the voices that tell you not to, and the grief that can arrive right alongside your greatest new beginning. Melissa shares what she's learning in the counseling room, why she hands every new client a snail, and what she wants anyone in the middle of a hard season to know: change is always possible, and hope starts right now.

Topics covered: second acts and reinvention | self-care across generations | going back to school at 51 | loss, grief, and "brutally beautiful" moments | Brainspotting for trauma | loneliness as a universal theme | the courage to stop people-pleasing | finding hope in the last third

Guest contact: melissalewiscounseling.com | melissa@melissalewiscounseling.com | Franklin, TN | 615.210.7724

In this conversation, Laura Lyn sits down with her longtime friend to talk about his memoir, The Real Things: An Intimate Journey of a Working Musician from Bill Graham to Billy Graham to Instagram. Brent traces a 50-year path through New Orleans, New Jersey, Dallas, California, Nashville, and back again — playing bars at 14, chasing record deals in the Bay Area, producing Point of Grace in Nashville, sharing a stage (and a piano) with Billy Graham, and eventually building the music library at Meta.

Along the way: addiction, sobriety, faith, family, loss, reinvention, and the hard-won wisdom of a man who finally stopped hurrying to get somewhere. His memoir is available now on Amazon in print, e-book, and audiobook —which is something special.

About Brent Bourgeois

Brent Bourgeois is a musician, songwriter, producer, and author based in California. He was one half of the 1980s duo Bourgeois Tagg (Island Records), a Nashville-era producer whose credits include Point of Grace, and the architect of Meta's music library — a catalog of over 16,000 original tracks. His memoir, The Real Things: An Intimate Journey of a Working Musician from Bill Graham to Billy Graham to Instagram, is available now on Amazon. Find Brent and his book community on Facebook: search "Brent Bourgeois and The Real Things."

Resources & Links

•  The Real Things by Brent Bourgeois — available on Amazon (print, e-book with color photos and music links, and audiobook)

•  Brent's Facebook book community: search "Brent Bourgeois and The Real Things"

•  StorySessions™ the Podcast: www.storysessionsthepodcast.riverside.com

•  Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, and iHeart Radio

Connect with StorySessions™

Instagram: @storysessions_thepodcast

W Brand Publishing: @wbrandpub

Producer: @donahuecreates

Website: www.storysessionsthepodcast.riverside.com

The Roadie Cartel is a fictional dive into the music industry's shadowy underbelly, built from years of backstage access and one unforgettable question: what if it was all run by a cartel?

In this episode, Philip talks about the courage it takes to tell your story, why fiction might just be the safest and most powerful creative tool you have, and how writing gave him something touring never could: himself.

Resources & Links:

• For more info on Phillip, visit https://www.phillipjkriz.com

• Follow Philip on Instagram: @philipjkriz

• The Roadie Cartel — Paperback and Kindle

• Learn more about StorySessions™: StorySessions.live

What made a writer in Tennessee, with no celebrity status, decide to write a memoir? What did she risk? What actually happened in the year that followed — the readers, the book festivals, the connections she never expected?

Laura Lyn traces the origin of the book back to a single podcast episode she heard while driving to Nashville, shares what vulnerability truly cost her, and reads a passage from chapter 45 that started as a book launch reading and became the heart of everything she hoped the memoir would do.

Whether you've read the book or you're hearing about it for the first time, this episode is an invitation to tell your story, because your story matters too.

Resources & Links:

• Who Do You Think You Are? — available on Amazon (paperback + Kindle): itslauralyn.com

• Link to Purchase

• Follow StorySessions: @storysessions_thepodcast

• Follow "Who Do You Think You Are?": @itslauralynauthor

• Follow Laura Lyn: itslauralyn.com

Remember to Follow, Like, Share, and Leave a 5-Star Review

Dee Nichols is a union camera operator who has spent his career behind the lens for some of the biggest names in music and film. He's also — somewhat unexpectedly, even to himself — a children's author. During the pandemic, with a tour to 14 countries canceled five days before departure, Dee sat down with a sewing machine he didn't know how to use and started making bears from his own clothing. A friend told him if he wrote a story about them, he could probably sell them. He'd never written a long-form story before. He did it anyway.

What emerged was the world of the Scaredy Bears — Curtis and Fergus, two very different bears living in the Big Woods, whose friendship is at the heart of everything. Curtis, who seems to know everything and worries about nothing. Fergus, who worries about everything and seems to know nothing. And beneath all of it, a quiet question Dee has been sitting with for a long time: what does Home really mean?

In this conversation, Dee talks about the Ohio farm country that shaped his storytelling instincts, the brother he lost in 1994 whose memory lives on in the Curtis and Fergus relationship, the Cherokee grandmother he barely knew but never forgot, and what it means to take the parts of yourself you're least proud of and put them in the mouths of little bears.

This one is for the kids. And it's absolutely for the rest of us too.

StorySessions™ — where your story matters.

Connect with Dee

• Website: scaredybears.com
• Instagram: @curtisandfergusthescaredybears
• Curtis and Fergus and the Sleuth of the New-New on Amazon — link at scaredybears.com
• Audible: available now for the first book

Connect with StorySessions™

• Website: storysessions.live
• Instagram: @storysessions_thepodcast
• W Brand Publishing: @wbrandpub
• Editor/Producer: @donahuecreates

Every memory has its own soundtrack, and few people understand that more deeply than Shaka Mitchell. As the founder of the Come Together Music Project, a Nashville-based nonprofit, Shaka has built something quietly revolutionary: a framework for using music to create the kind of conversation most of us are starving for.

In this episode, Laura Lyn and Shaka explore the emotional landscape of childhood--a blended families, latchkey afternoons, the homes that shaped them--and trace how music became the thread connecting memory to meaning.

They talk about what it really means to listen, why vulnerability is easier when a song opens the door first, and how sitting in a room with someone you disagree with and sharing a playlist might do more for community than any town hall ever could.

This is a conversation about love, really. For music. For people. For the stories we carry.

In this episode:

• The Come Together Music Project — what it is and why Shaka built it
• Growing up Gen X: latchkey kids, blended families, and what was left unsaid
• Dancing in the living room with his grandmother and why that memory still moves him
• Music as a bridge across difference — and why it works when words don't
• His live events in partnership with TEDx Nashville, featuring Scott Hamilton and John Oates
• The question he wishes someone would ask him — and what it unlocks

Connect with Shaka Mitchell:

• Website: cometogethermusic.org
• Podcast: Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms
• Substack: Shaka's Substack

Subscribe & Follow StorySessions™

🌐 storysessions.live 🎙️ Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, iHeart Radio, and Amazon Music

📸 Instagram & Facebook: @storysessions_thepodcast

Story Sessions™ — where your story matters.

Charlynda is an Air Force veteran, TEDx speaker, serial entrepreneur, and the author of Rock Bottom Has a Trampoline. She's the founder and CEO of Mutt's Sauce, a barbecue sauce company born from her grandfather's original 1956 recipe — and a legacy she inherited on a handwritten piece of paper. What she did with that piece of paper is the story of hard work, grief, grit, entrepreneurship, and ultimately, peace.

In this session, Charlynda talks about the grandfather who she called Daddy because he raised her. He was an Air Force veteran whose call sign was Mutt for his ability to make friends anywhere and blend in everywhere. She shares how she turned his recipe into a product while still on active duty, the mentor who believed in her before she fully believed in herself, and what it looked like to show up on magazine covers and television while sleeping on a cot in an empty apartment.

This is a conversation about what it means to let your work speak for itself, to give grace to your own rock bottom moments, and to discover that peace--real, quiet, uncomplicated peace--might be the greatest trampoline of all.

StorySessions — where your story matters.

Connect with Charlynda

• Website: charlyndajean.com
• Instagram: @charlyndajean
• Mutt's Sauce: muttssauce.com
• Mutt's Sauce on Instagram: @muttssauce
• 6888 Kitchen Incubator: 6888kitchen.org
• Rock Bottom Has a Trampoline on Amazon: amazon.com/dp/195690669X

About Charlynda Scales

Charlynda Scales is a serial entrepreneur, Air Force veteran, TEDx speaker, and author. She is the founder and CEO of Mutt's Sauce LLC — a multi-flavor barbecue sauce company built on her grandfather's original 1956 recipe — and of OH Taste LLC, with its nonprofit arm the OH Taste Foundation. She is also the co-founder of the 6888 Kitchen Incubator in Dayton, Ohio, a shared-use commercial kitchen for food entrepreneurs.

Charlynda and Mutt's Sauce have been featured in Yahoo! Finance, NPR, Forbes, QVC, Men's Journal, CBS News, NBCUniversal, Black Enterprise Magazine, and Military.com. She was also featured in Shark Tank investor Daymond John's bestselling book POWERSHIFT.

Her book, Rock Bottom Has a Trampoline: How to Turn Every Loss into a Win with the Like-Hearted Mentor, was published by W Brand Publishing in October 2023.

In This Episode

• How Sarah convinced her CEO to let her work remotely from 12 countries in 12 months — before remote work was a thing
• The Bali moment: why freedom and flexibility aren't enough on their own
• The six core drivers of fulfillment: money, identity, routines, growth, impact, and joy
• Why your job doesn't have to be your only source of what you need
• The flamenco dancers of Valencia and what they taught Sarah about peaking at any age
• Two stories from Thailand — a Buddhist monk and a drag show — and the surprising identity question they share
• What Kyoto, Japan revealed about the individual vs. the community
• Why going more personal in your storytelling makes you more professional, not less
• The practice of choosing joy — and giving yourself permission not to, sometimes
• How small tweaks to your routines can unlock the growth that travel provides

Guest Links & Resources

Sarah Aviram

• Website: sarahaviram.com
• Instagram: @sarahaviram
• Remotivation: The Remote Worker's Ultimate Guide to Life-Changing Fulfillment — sarahaviram.com/book
• The Scenic Route — thescenicroutebook.com 
• TEDx Talk: "Does more freedom at work mean more fulfillment?" — available on TED.com

StorySessions™ Links

• All episodes & streaming platforms: storysessionsthepodcast.riverside.com
• Learn more about StorySessions: StorySessions.live

Summer of Gone — Phil Madeira on Memoir, Music, and the Art of Suffering Well

Phil Madeira came to Nashville from Rhode Island with a dream — to make his own music. What followed was nearly four decades of pouring that gift into other people's careers, including 18 years alongside Emmylou Harris. In this conversation, Phil talks about what it finally meant to turn toward his own story.

We discuss his upcoming memoir Summer of Gone (fall 2026), the origin of its poetic title, and how grief, lost love, and a terminal illness became the unlikely foundation for some of his best creative work. We also dig into Mercyland — the gospel-inspired recording project that quietly became a beloved annual songwriting retreat — and his current Kickstarter for two new albums, The Millionth Mile and More Miles.

Phil is honest, funny, and completely unguarded. This one stays with you.

IN THIS EPISODE: How Phil's early career shaped and delayed his own artistic voice / The story behind Summer of Gone and the woman who unknowingly wrote the title / Why he threw out 135 pages and started over / What terminal illness reveals about a person / The Providence album, red flags, and what eternal optimists overlook / Mercyland: from Kickstarter to community to unexpected calling / A tribute to John Mulder, beloved friend and hospice pioneer / Why all good art comes from suffering / The Millionth Mile Kickstarter and what's next

Links & Resources:

🎵 Phil's Kickstarter — The Millionth Mile & More Miles

📖 Summer of Gone — coming fall 2026 (Pre-order/info available via Kickstarter)

📖 God on the Rocks — Phil's first memoir [Search on Amazon or your favorite bookseller]

🌐 Phil Madeira's website [INSERT PHIL'S WEBSITE URL]

📲 Follow Phil on socials INSTAGRAM: @PhilMadeira FACEBOOK: PhilMadeira1

Listen & Watch StorySessions™: 🎙️ Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeart Radio | Amazon Music ▶️ YouTube youtube.com/@StorySessionsPodcast :

Subscribe: StorySessions™ Podcast

🌐 StorySessions.live

StorySessions™ — where your story matters. Hosted by Laura Lyn Donahue | Produced by Don Donahue | Sponsored by W Brand Publishing

In this episode, we introduce our new name, StorySessions™, and delve into the importance of storytelling. We explore why your story matters and how sharing it can transform relationships and personal growth.

Learn the art of listening without judgment and the impact of creating safe spaces for vulnerability. Join us as we share real stories and insights on embracing authenticity and connection.

Tune in to understand how your story, with all its imperfections, is a powerful tool for deeper connections and healing.

www.storysessions.live

In this deeply moving episode, Rebecca Black shares her powerful story of surviving childhood abuse, confronting the justice system’s failures, and using her voice to inspire change. Her journey through court cases, healing traumas, and creating a documentary that exposes the raw truth is nothing short of extraordinary. If you’ve ever felt silenced or overwhelmed by your story, this is a bold reminder that your voice can spark transformation.In this episode:

• Rebecca’s experience with childhood sexual abuse and the decades-long fight for justice
• How her books, Facing the Elephants and Raising Prey, serve as tools for resilience
• The pivotal moment when medical trauma surfaced her suppressed past
• The importance of breaking intergenerational trauma cycles and raising awareness
• Insights into her upcoming documentary and the power of sharing stories on multiple platforms
• The role of community, vulnerability, and hope in healing from trauma
• Reflection on societal perceptions that hinder justice and change
  Resources & Links:

• Facing the Elephants by Rebecca Black

Connect with Rebecca Black:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

This episode isn’t just about Rebecca’s story — it’s about the universal truth that healing is possible, that our voices matter, and that sharing our stories can light the way for others. Let her experience remind you: your Elephant is not insurmountable when you find your voice and community. Speak up, heal, and keep pushing forward. The world needs your story.

Are you searching for stories that breathe life into your soul, ignite your hope, and remind you of the profound power of our personal histories? Today, we’re diving into Emily Nydam’s captivating novelJourneying Home— a story woven across centuries, echoes of war, resilience, and the unbreakable thread that connects us all.In this episode, you’ll discover:

• How Emily’s personal journey from law to storytelling infused her novel with authenticity and depth
• The inspiration behind the parallel lives of Lizzie, a WWI nurse, and Gwen, a modern woman unraveling her family’s secrets
• The deep symbolism of the house — a home that is more than just a setting, but a sacred intersection of memories and identity
• How the universal struggles of inadequacy, hope, and redemption resonate through both characters’ stories
• The creative process of weaving timelines, the importance of character authenticity, and the magic of small details like keepsake boxes and poetic interludes
• Emily’s reflections on the balancing act of storytelling, her writing journey, and her bold leap into publishing her first novel
• Heartfelt insights on embracing vulnerability, the societal pressures around rest and reflection, and the power of giving yourself permission to search for “more”

Takeaways

• Adapting to constant change
• Navigating upheaval with openness and grace Love for School
• Navigating Change

Chapters

• 00:00 Challenges of Virtual Learning and Return to In-Person Teaching
• 25:53 The Importance of Loving School
• 32:13 Reflecting on the Pandemic Experience
• 41:06 Embracing Change and Growth

Takeaways

• Importance of storytelling
• Community and connection

Chapters

• 00:00 Military Influencer Conference
• 07:22 The Power of Storytelling and Connection

Links

• WBrand Publishing
• MilSpace Books
• JuLee Brand

Takeaways

• Grief and Loss: Alexa's personal experiences with grief and loss have inspired her to create projects that support others going through similar challenges.
• Entrepreneurship: Alexa's journey from author to accidental entrepreneur highlights the importance of community and collaboration in the publishing industry.

Chapters

• 00:00 Upcoming Project: 'Death Proof Your Business'

Takeaways

• The harmful effects of legalism and religious persecution
• Struggles with authenticity and loneliness
• Navigating Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the Marine Corps Journey from military to adult film industry
• Struggles with substance abuse and recovery
• Reflections on spirituality and faith
• Advice to younger self
• Current reading, watching, and listening preferences

Chapters

• 00:00 Early Life in Greenville, South Carolina
• 24:21 Recognizing Fundamentalism as a Cult
• 34:21 Struggles with Perfectionism and Legalism
• 40:45 Struggles with Authenticity and Loneliness
• 49:19 Coming Out to Family and Coping with Reactions
• 56:13 The Advocate's Attention
• 01:10:13 Writing and Freedom
• 01:18:00 Advice to Younger Self
• 01:27:55 Reading, Watching, Listening
• 01:33:56 Parting Words

Takeaways

• Leadership experience in the military informed corporate leadership style
• Challenges faced by women in corporate careers

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Tauni Crefeld and Her Books
• 06:22 Challenges Faced by Women in Corporate Careers
• 12:44 Uncovering Hidden Biases and Challenges
• 18:19 Upcoming Book: 'Ride the Camel'

Takeaways

• Overcoming criticism
• The journey of writing and publishing Cultural Adjustment
• Creative Writing Process

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Kim Orendor
• 06:08 Dealing with Criticism
• 13:14 The Power of Positive Feedback
• 19:39 The Story of 'To Whom It May Concern'
• 25:14 Writing Journey and Unbound Feet
• 33:22 Cultural Adjustment in China
• 40:57 Discussion on New Book and Inspiration

Takeaways

• Resilience
• Identity Overcoming struggles
• Seeking help

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Chris Krueger
• 07:52 Memoir: Walking Away from the Ledge
• 21:20 Identity and Coping Mechanisms
• 35:42 Struggles with Alcohol and Recovery
• 42:55 Navigating Moments of Weakness
• 55:33 Walking Away From the Ledge
• 01:10:21 Reading, Listening, and Watching

Takeaways

• Empathy and self-discovery
• Navigating perfectionism and people-pleasing The power of empathy in connecting with others through personal stories
• The universality and worthiness of personal stories, and the impact of sharing them

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Julie Tully
• 06:01 Dispatches from the Cowgirl
• 11:12 Rediscovering Home
• 18:39 Perfectionism and People Pleasing
• 26:54 Writing and Future Projects
• 32:12 The Adventure of Writing
• 39:04 Connecting Through Stories
• 48:15 Reading, Watching, and Listening

Karin is the author of "100 Days Smart," a memoir born from her experiences during the pandemic while teaching overseas. Her book is available for purchase at Military Family Books.

Connect with Karin on her website and follow her on social media: Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Discover more about her work and support military families by purchasing her book.

Originally from Milan, Simona shares her transformative experiences from her expatriation in Malaysia to her permanent move to the United States.

Discover how her early exposure to the English language opened doors to global opportunities and how she transitioned from a successful engineering career to coaching. Simona discusses her book, "Authentically Yours," a blend of memoir and self-help, offering insights into embracing authenticity.

Tune in to explore Simona's unique perspective on cultural adaptation and leadership.

Visit her website at www.coachingwithsimona.com

Follow her on social media: @coachingwithsimona

Instagram

YouTube

LinkedIn

As the founder of Blissful Life Consulting, Malaysia guides women through spiritual transformation, helping them overcome trauma and align with their true purpose.

In this episode, she shares her personal journey, including her time in the United States Air Force and her battle with illness, which inspired her bestselling book, 'God Has My Six.' Malaysia's story is one of resilience, faith, and the power of holistic wellness. Her insights into mindfulness, gratitude, and forgiveness offer a blueprint for personal growth and transformation.

Tune in to discover how Malaysia is making a difference in the lives of women, especially veterans, and learn how you can apply her teachings to your own life.

Connect with Malaysia:

Instagram @malaysiahharrell

YouTube @Dreamlifemanifested

Coaching: Blissful Life Consulting

Website: Malaysia Harrell

Emily's Info:

Website: https://www.emilysaxenydam.com/

Instagram: @emilysaxenydamwrites

Clarifications:

• "Voces 8" is an a cappella singing group based out of England.
• The Samuel Barber piece mentioned is "Agnus Dei."
• The piece Emily is working on for her church choir is Duruflé's "Requiem."

Rebecca opens up about her harrowing journey from escaping a decade-long nightmare to becoming a beacon of hope for others. Her story is a testament to resilience and the power of speaking out.

Discover how Rebecca's courage inspired others to find their voice and seek justice. This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking inspiration and empowerment.

Connect with Rebecca on Instagram: @RebeccaBlack_author

Visit her website: www.wbrandpub.com

Purchase her books on Amazon:

• Facing the Elephants

*This episode deals with traumatic subject content. Please be advised.

Alexa Bigwarfe is a USA Today best-selling author, publishing coach, and founder of Write|Publish|Sell. She helps women and underrepresented voices publish professional books, build platforms, and grow businesses around their expertise. As the creator of the Women in Publishing Summit, Alexa brings together thousands of authors and publishing professionals each year to learn, connect, and amplify diverse voices in publishing. Whether guiding authors through powerful book launches or helping them turn their stories into tools for impact, Alexa is passionate about helping women use their words to inspire change. She also writes romantic comedies under the pen name Lexi Haddock.

Want to contact Alexa?

The best place is to email info@writepublishsell.co or reach out via social – you can find her everywhere under Alexa Bigwarfe, WritePublishSell, or The Women in Publishing Summit.

Follow Rich on social media: Twitter, Instagram. His newest novel will be released by WBrandPub.com.

In this engaging conversation, Julie Tully shares her journey as an award-winning author and the insights she has gained through her experiences living abroad and writing her memoir, 'Dispatches from the Cowgirl.' The discussion delves into themes of empathy, the importance of quiet reflection, the power of storytelling, and the challenges of perfectionism. Julie emphasizes the universality of human experiences and the connections we can forge through our stories, all while maintaining a light-hearted and relatable tone.