Voice Within: A Storybook by Storytellers

Simona Rosa
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This podcast narrates to you short stories, poems and letters from a collective of authors. It is a simple cup of tea in hand, or a long drive kind of moment, to truly immerse yourself in a tale or two. For the love of a good story!

  1. 11/14/2025

    From Lonely Lunch To Living Community: Tai Chi At Bexley Uniting Church

    A quiet invitation at a crowded food court table changed everything.  Four letters, four voices—honest, unpolished, deeply human—about how Tai Chi, shared meals, and a patch of soil at Bexley Uniting Church turned isolation into community. We read four voices that chart the same discovery from different paths: movement can be medicine, and friendship is a practice you do together. You’ll hear how a senior, newly single and adrift, found balance and new friends in gentle forms and monthly cooking demos that use the garden’s tomatoes and pumpkins. Another writer recalls first seeing a lone figure glide above the city, then years later finding a class where 24-step form, calm music, and weekend rituals bloomed into breakfasts, theatre nights, and a park practice that carried them through lockdowns. A third letter traces how opening the church’s halls and gardens let neighbours without yards plant, harvest, and belong. And a final voice describes joining a park group during COVID, learning under a patient master facing cancer, and discovering that Tai Chi sharpens both body and mind while stitching a chosen family for those far from home. These letters reflect what makes community care durable: simple, repeatable rituals; spaces that welcome different languages and traditions. The Tai Chi group didn’t just write—they sponsored this edition so more stories can be told and valued. If you’ve been searching for a steady rhythm, a place to bring your recipe or your story, or a gentle way to feel strong again, this conversation is for you. Subscribe to support our authors, share this episode with someone who needs an invitation, and leave a review with the slow practice that keeps you grounded. Want your writing featured and paid? Visit voice-within.co to submit and join our newsletter for updates every two weeks. Support the show voice-within.co voicewithin_anthology voicewithin_publications

    18 min
  2. A Taste of Elegy for Colin

    11/14/2025

    A Taste of Elegy for Colin

    A little look into this poem as we slow the world down to share an elegy for Colin, a farrier whose six-week visits shaped more than hooves.  Jessica’s piece sets a quiet, reflective mood over people that have left this world. Colin the farrier as a steady presence over years, left a deep impression on Jessica’s view of the world. With sensory images of horses, tools and routine craft, small appointments become life-shaping rituals, where grief arrives late, gratitude arriving clear. The line that anchors the poem: one’s nature is what matters most.  This story is available in the anthology Voice Within: A Storybook by Storytellers Edition II. Support the show voice-within.co voicewithin_anthology voicewithin_publications

    2 min
  3. A Taste of Headland

    11/14/2025

    A Taste of Headland

    A taste of salt on the lips, granite underfoot, and a heartbeat that answers the surf. We bring you a richly textured reading of Headland by poet Jessica Klein-Gibaud, a piece that turns a simple shoreline into a mirror for the body and a ledger for time. Through crisp images of dense brown stones, white water sifting through fissures, and wind skimming the surface of the eyes, the poem guides us from sensation to insight without a single wasted word. As we narrate, you’ll hear how small details carry big truths: cloth that clings to the pillar of a thigh, a crown-of-the-head thrum that syncs with the tide, a steady line of deep blue that makes our soft impermanence plain. Jessica’s language finds the quarter line where observer and landscape meet, then holds us there long enough to feel what changes. The coast is not scenery; it’s an active force shaping memory, attention, and humility. By aligning heartbeat with surf, the poem shows how nature can reset noisy minds and clarify what matters. We share a few framing notes about Jessica’s eye for travel and observation, then let the poem do its work—clean, direct, and resonant. Whether you come for the imagery, the meditation on mortality, or the brief, bracing calm of a well-read lyric, you’ll leave with one indelible picture that sticks. Press play when you need three minutes of atmosphere that doesn’t drift, and if the final lines catch you the way they caught us, pass it on. If this reading moved you, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves poetry and place, and leave a quick review to help more listeners find their own headland. This poem is available in Voice Within: a Storybook by Storytellers Edition II. Support the show voice-within.co voicewithin_anthology voicewithin_publications

    3 min

  4. 10/17/2025

    A Taste of M.I.C-K.E.Y M-O-U-S-E

    A little taste of four souls on the edge of despair. One magical encounter that changes everything. At Disneyland, where wishes are meant to come true, Rose dons the Mickey Mouse costume one last time before her planned suicide. Behind the iconic mask, she carries the weight of an unwanted pregnancy and a shattered relationship. As she prepares to say goodbye to the world, an unexpected visitor arrives at the park gates. Five-year-old Emily, her body ravaged by Spinal Muscular Atrophy, communicates only through her expressive brown eyes. Having outlived doctors' predictions by years, she arrives at Disneyland on her Make-A-Wish trip, clutching her Mickey Mouse toy and wearing mouse ears atop her golden curls. Her mother Catherine, devoted yet secretly planning to join her daughter in death once Emily passes, wheels her through the entrance. By extraordinary coincidence, pop superstar Britney Spears is also at the park that day, filming a video while contemplating joining the "27 Club" after public humiliation and heartbreak. When Mickey spots Emily and presents her with forbidden flowers from the display garden, the cameraman captures a moment of pure magic that transforms all four lives. This heartbreaking yet ultimately hopeful story explores how brief human connections can provide healing when we need it most. Through one spontaneous act of kindness, Rose finds reason to live, Catherine discovers peace, Britney gains perspective, and Emily experiences the perfect final day. Listen as we explore this powerful story about finding meaning and connection even in our darkest moments. What unexpected encounters have changed your life? Share your stories with us and remember that sometimes the most profound impacts come from the briefest meetings.  This story is available in the anthology Voice Within: A Storybook by Storytellers Edition II. Support the show voice-within.co voicewithin_anthology voicewithin_publications

    2 min

  5. 08/22/2025

    Just Like A Feather

    What happens when we lose our seemingly magical abilities and must journey through the ordinary world to find extraordinary wisdom? This mesmerizing story follows a man who once walked on water but finds himself sinking to the depths where a sea spirit delivers his first lesson—that what he seeks lies within. From that moment, everything changes. Unable to walk on water anymore, he must travel by land, encountering profound teachers in unexpected forms. A tree spirit speaks of love that honors one's true nature. A beautiful flower, picked thoughtlessly, teaches him about consequences and impermanence. The ocean waves whisper that crossing shores is impossible until he discovers what he seeks within himself. The narrative reaches its emotional peak when the flower transforms into a woman who cycles through maiden, mother, and crone before his eyes. She offers herself as love transformed—but only if he can overcome his past and make a difficult choice. When he awakens back at his starting point, the sea spirit affirms his choice to return to his core self, gifting him with profound wisdom: "The power is not in taking what you want but in receiving." Throughout this journey of transformation, we witness the universal struggle between desire and acceptance, between grasping and letting go. As listeners, we're invited to consider our own quests—what are we seeking outside ourselves that has always been within? And like the woman waiting across the lake, what opportunities for connection might we miss if fear holds us back or if we arrive too late? Listen with an open heart and discover how this enchanting tale might illuminate your own path to finding what truly matters. Support the show voice-within.co voicewithin_anthology voicewithin_publications

    16 min

  6. 08/22/2025

    Interview with Risa August: The Road Unpaved - Living Beyond Limits

    When doctors dismiss your symptoms for seven years despite you knowing something is deeply wrong with your body, what do you do? For Risa, that medical journey led to a life-altering diagnosis of acromegaly – a rare condition caused by a pituitary tumor she affectionately named "Bubba."  The moment an endocrinologist finally validated her experience with four simple words – "you are not crazy" – marked the beginning of a profound transformation. Rather than allowing her diagnosis to define her limitations, Risa embarked on an extraordinary path of self-discovery, eventually cycling the Pacific Coast for six weeks just two years after completing radiation treatment. Throughout our conversation, Risa reveals the contrasting aspects of her healing journey – from the woman in purple hoodie who could barely climb a hill to the defiant Wonder Woman who sewed her own costume for radiation treatments. These personas represent the universal struggle between surrender and perseverance that many face during profound adversity. What truly shines through is how Risa channeled her experience into purpose, becoming an advocate who speaks at medical conferences to improve, and cultivate better knowledge doctor-patient relationships. Rather than harboring resentment toward the medical establishment that initially dismissed her, she chose collaboration to create meaningful change.  Risa's upcoming TED Talk on "how a single word can rebuild your life" further demonstrates her belief in the transformative power of language. Perhaps most inspiring is Risa's evolved definition of adventure – finding that connection and community through simple things, and trying new things is where her heart is. Her journey reminds us that transformation doesn't happen overnight but emerges through daily choices and moments of breakthrough. Ask yourself: What's holding you back? Is it your own limiting beliefs? What's one small step could you take today toward unleashing your authentic self? Author of "The Road Unpaved - Border to Border with a Brain Tumor and a Bike"  CLICK HERE - FOR AUTHOR PAGE AND PURCHASING OPTIONS! 5-Star Readers' Favorite, Independent Press Award Winner, International Impact Book Awards Winner, Next Generation Indie Book Awards Winner, Regal Summit Book Award Winner, IAA William Shakespeare Finalist! Support the show voice-within.co voicewithin_anthology voicewithin_publications

    54 min

  7. 08/09/2025

    A Taste of Emergence

    A little taste of Mama Earther finds a young woman she calls "Cockroach No-Breath" near death in a cave and dedicates herself to bringing her back to life. Over two years, through patient nurturing and unconditional love, she helps the traumatised woman—renamed "Sunshine"—recover physically, emotionally and spiritually until nature itself intervenes to restore her will to live.  "Emergence" takes us on a haunting journey of a young woman who has retreated from life itself. The story unfolds in three distinct movements. First, we witness the discovery of "Cockroach No-Breath"—a once vibrant young woman now reduced to a skeletal, barely-breathing form after suffering devastating abuse. Guided by intuition and disturbing dreams, Mama Earther finds her just in time, cradling her back to physical existence through patient, loving care. The second movement chronicles the painstaking rehabilitation process spanning more than two years. We observe the glacial pace of healing as the renamed "Sunshine" progresses from complete helplessness to tentative independence. Most poignant is her journey back to language—from muteness to whispers, to single words, and finally to storytelling. Mama Earther's methods blend practical care with spiritual nourishment, always gently guiding Sunshine toward self-responsibility rather than dependence. The final movement reveals Sunshine's origin story through her own voice. She is a naturally questioning spirit who sought love but found abuse that confirmed her deepest fears of unworthiness. The transformative moment arrives through a mystical encounter with a seemingly dead tree that suddenly bursts with radiant light, speaking directly to her soul: "You are exquisitely made and of value, and life is a precious gift." This profound reconnection with life's essential energy marks the true beginning of her emergence. Have you ever witnessed the slow rebirth of something you thought was lost forever? This story reminds us that healing from profound trauma requires both loving human connection and moments of transcendent awakening. Listen now and rediscover what it means to truly emerge from darkness into light. Subscribe for the full story. This story is also available in the anthology Voice Within: A Storybook by Storytellers Edition II. Support the show voice-within.co voicewithin_anthology voicewithin_publications

    2 min

  8. 07/11/2025

    A Taste of A Good Egg

    A taste of Rachel Faith's powerful story "A Good Egg" takes us on a journey that shatters expectations and reveals the transformative potential of conscious awareness. This story leaves you asking, what happens when gratitude meets mindfulness in a relationship teetering on destruction?  We meet Sasha, trapped in a cycle of abuse with her partner Alex. The tension is palpable from the first moment—a kicked cleaning bucket, harsh words, and the weight of ongoing mistreatment evident in Sasha's apologetic response. When she spots a small wooden temple offering meditation classes, something shifts. Despite her fear and uncertainty, Sasha begins attending weekly meditation sessions in secret, telling Alex she's working extra shifts. The narrative beautifully captures the awkward beginnings of a meditation practice. Sasha's wandering thoughts, her uncertainty about whether she's "doing it right," and her gradual discovery of the space between breaths feel authentic and relatable. As weeks pass, the practice begins changing her—physically through her walks to class, but more importantly, internally through the affirmation "I am loving, I am kind, I accept without judgment." When Sasha starts applying genuine gratitude to her interactions with Alex, something remarkable happens. The relationship begins transforming as both partners learn to express appreciation for each other. But just when you think you understand where this story is heading, a Christmas morning revelation changes everything. The final twist challenges our assumptions about domestic abuse, delivering a profound reminder that transformation is possible even in the most unexpected circumstances. Have you experienced how mindfulness can change your relationships? Share your story and join us for more thought-provoking narratives that explore the human condition through the power of storytelling. This story is also available on the Edition 1 of Voice Within: a storybook by storytellers. Support the show voice-within.co voicewithin_anthology voicewithin_publications

    2 min
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This podcast narrates to you short stories, poems and letters from a collective of authors. It is a simple cup of tea in hand, or a long drive kind of moment, to truly immerse yourself in a tale or two. For the love of a good story!

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