Her Story Unscripted

Heather Nelson
  • 4.8 (23)
  • Personal Journals
  • Updated Weekly

Her Story Unscripted is a podcast where women share honest, unscripted conversations about life, growth, and the experiences that shape us — because the most powerful stories are the ones we stop trying to perfect. Hosted by Heather Nelson, this is a space for real conversations. Not rehearsed. Not polished into tidy narratives with clean endings. Just women showing up, telling their truth, and finding out they are far less alone than they thought. Each episode creates space for stories to unfold naturally — covering identity and personal growth, life transitions, relationships, resilience, and the beautiful complexity of everyday life. Whether you're in the middle of something hard, on the other side of it, or just trying to make sense of where you are right now, there is something here for you. Her Story Unscripted was born out of five years of authentic conversations — formerly known as Life Conversations with a Twist — and has evolved into a podcast with a clearer name and a deeper purpose: to make women feel seen, understood, and a little less alone in their own story. Hosted by Heather Nelson — connector, business strategist, community builder, and someone who genuinely believes that connection starts with being real. New episodes available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms. Authentic stories. No script needed. Guest inquiries and collaborations: heather@theconnectionhive.co Website: theconnectionhive.co/podcast

  1. 5d ago

    13 Years Sober — Kate Bee on Quitting Wine Culture for Good

    "Behind every craving for alcohol is some unmet need. Alcohol is like a sticking plaster." — Kate Bee There's a kind of struggling with alcohol that never makes it into the movies. No crash, no rock bottom — just years of feeling like something's a little off every time you reach for a glass of wine. Kate Bee knows that feeling well. She spent her twenties and most of her adult life before thirty in what she calls the gray area, before finally stopping — for good — thirteen years ago. Since then, she's built The Sober School and helped more than 4,000 women rethink their relationship with alcohol without shame or a lifelong label. Kate and I talk about mommy wine culture, the 100-day mindset shift that finally worked for her, and the confidence that showed up once she stopped numbing it. If you've ever wondered whether you need permission to question your relationship with alcohol, this conversation might be exactly what you need to hear. New episodes every Thursday on all major podcast platforms. Connect with Heather:  Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube Timestamps 00:00 — Introduction — Heather welcomes Kate Bee03:12 — Kate's early drinking years and life without a "rock bottom"13:05 — Mommy wine culture and how alcohol gets marketed to women18:33 — The 100-day mindset shift that finally worked20:30 — What changed in Kate's body, career, and confidence23:34 — Heather's own honest reflection on her relationship with wine40:24 — Where to connect with Kate Bee and The Sober School  About Kate Bee Kate Bee is the founder of The Sober School, a coaching platform that helps women stop drinking and start living — without shame, labels, or deprivation. A former BBC journalist and certified life coach, Kate now empowers women across the globe to navigate alcohol-free living with confidence and joy. Her flagship program, Getting Unstuck, has supported more than 4,000 women in transforming their relationship with alcohol. Kate lives near Manchester, UK. Website Instagram Facebook X Support the show

    13 Years Sober — Kate Bee on Quitting Wine Culture for Good

  2. Aug 6

    Women's Self-Care Isn't Selfish — The Papers We Can't Let Go Of with Lisa Woodruff

    "I was just really in a dark place, and that's when I started Organized 365." — Lisa Woodruff There's a stack of papers somewhere in your house you've been meaning to deal with. Maybe it's in a drawer, maybe it's a basket by the door. For Lisa Woodruff, that stack of overwhelm became the thing that changed the whole direction of her life. In this episode, Lisa Woodruff — founder of Organize 365 — joins Heather to share the honest, unscripted story of the recession, the family loss, and the years of invisible overwhelm that led her to build a company around one radical idea: your home is a business, and you're the CEO. They talk about the five levels of work happening in every household, why paper is the hardest thing to let go of, and the Sunday Basket system that's changed how thousands of women run their weeks. If you've ever felt like the mental load of running a home is quietly running you, this real life story about women, order, and starting over is for you. New episodes every Thursday on all major podcast platforms. Connect with Heather:  Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube Timestamps 00:00 — Introduction — Heather welcomes Lisa Woodruff. 02:17 — Lisa's path from stay-at-home mom to founding Organize 365. 08:42 — The recession, her parents' divorce, and losing her dad — all at once. 15:32 — The five levels of work happening in every home. 24:11 — Why paper is the hardest thing to organize, and what to actually keep. 31:46 — What the Sunday Basket is and how it changes your week. 44:18 — Where to connect with Lisa Woodruff. About Lisa Woodruff Lisa Woodruff is a productivity specialist, home organization expert, and founder and CEO of Organize 365®. After spending a decade as a stay-at-home mom, she built a company that helps women organize their homes and their paper with functional systems that actually work — including her bestselling Sunday Basket® system. Her top-rated Organize 365® Podcast has surpassed 25 million downloads, and she's the author of several Amazon bestselling books, including The Paper Solution. Lisa is in the final stages of a PhD in Psychology, where her research focuses on operationalizing the definition of housework and testing real interventions for homeowners. Her mission is to free every woman to pursue her unique passion and gift with the world. Instagram Website  Facebook  Email Support the show

    Women's Self-Care Isn't Selfish — The Papers We Can't Let Go Of with Lisa Woodruff

  3. Jul 30

    Women's Self-Care Isn't Selfish — The Importance of Nervous System Regulation and the Skin with Amelia Castillo

    "If you're the caretaker of someone in any way, it will also take a toll on you. And it's okay to then say, I need someone else to help me while I help this person."— Amelia Castillo There's a version of self-care we've all been sold — bubble baths, candles, a glass of wine we didn't even want. And then there's the real thing, the kind that shows up quietly in your skin when nobody's watching. Amelia Castillo is a Sonoma County esthetician with 17 years of experience, and in this episode she shares the honest story of what happened to her own skin when her best friend was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. We talk about the nervous system, perimenopause and hormones, why women carry so much guilt around self-care, and what it really costs to hold someone else's hand through the hardest moment of their life. If you've ever felt like your body was trying to tell you something, or you've been the strong one for someone else while quietly falling apart, this conversation is for you. New episodes every Thursday on all major podcast platforms. Connect with Heather:  Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube Timestamps 00:00 — Introduction — Heather welcomes Amelia Castillo. 01:49 — Amelia's 17 years as an esthetician and how her approach has evolved. 04:05 — The nervous system, the skin, and why it gets overlooked. 08:17 — Redefining self-care beyond bubble baths and wine. 23:29 — Caring for her best friend through stage four breast cancer. 19:41 — Perimenopause, sleep, and the evening routine that changes everything. 47:26 — Where to connect with Amelia.  About Amelia Castillo Amelia Castillo is a wife, mom, esthetician, and Integrative Nutrition Health Coach with nearly two decades of experience. As the owner of Bare Skin Beauty, she is passionate about helping women feel confident in their skin through a blend of science, wellness, and real life sustainability. Website Instagram YouTube Facebook Support the show

    Women's Self-Care Isn't Selfish — The Importance of Nervous System Regulation and the Skin with Amelia Castillo

  4. Jul 23

    Midlife Burnout, Hormones, and the Truth About Mineral Depletion — with Dori Martin

    "It's totally her minerals, it's not her."— Dori Martin There's a particular kind of tired that doesn't go away with sleep — the brain fog, the inflammation, the mood swings that make you feel like a stranger in your own body. For years, Dori Martin thought that was just what happens to women in midlife. It wasn't, and what she discovered instead is the heart of this conversation. Dori Martin is a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner who uses Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis to help midlife women understand what's really going on beneath the surface. We talk about the decade of caretaking that led to her own burnout — from a divorce with two small children, to getting engaged to a man given a terminal diagnosis, to watching her own labs come back worse than his. Dori explains why mineral depletion is so often mistaken for a personality problem, and what it actually takes for a woman's body to feel safe enough to rest and recover. If you've ever felt exhausted, inflamed, or like your moods aren't quite your own — this one will feel like a mirror. New episodes every Thursday on all major podcast platforms. Connect with Heather:  Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube Timestamps 00:00 Introduction — Heather welcomes Dori Martin. 03:25 Dori's 2006 divorce and the start of a decade of holding it all together. 03:25 Getting engaged to a man given a terminal diagnosis. 26:26 The mastermind, the flatline, and the shame of not keeping up. 14:08 What Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis actually shows. 16:11 Sodium, potassium, copper — the minerals behind mood and burnout. 38:13 Nervous system regulation, safety, and functional freeze. 46:54 Where to connect with Dori Martin.  About Dori Martin Dori Martin is a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner and Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis specialist who helps midlife women understand the connection between mineral depletion, hormone imbalance, and burnout. After navigating her own years of unrecognized depletion — through single motherhood, caregiving, and building a business from the ground up — she now helps women read their own body's data so they can stop guessing and start healing. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband, three kids, and a whole lot of hard-won wisdom about rest. Website Instagram YouTube Facebook Support the show

    Midlife Burnout, Hormones, and the Truth About Mineral Depletion — with Dori Martin

  5. Jul 16

    Midlife Reinvention — Her Story of Grief, Grace and Laughter with Donna Johnsen

    “You are responsible for your own actions, your own behaviors, your own reactions. You cannot control the actions, reactions of others.” — Donna Johnsen Twenty-three years. That's how long Donna Johnsen was with her husband when an unplanned divorce rewrote everything she thought she knew about her own life. This week on Her Story Unscripted, she shares what happened when the identity she'd built inside a marriage suddenly wasn't there to stand on anymore. Donna Johnsen talks with me about the messy, real work of rebuilding — journaling her way through the rumination, reading a memoir that gave her permission to stop performing grace, and eventually finding her way to humor as a way to heal out loud instead of hide. We also get into what it's like helping teenagers navigate a divorce without projecting your own feelings onto theirs, and the almost-empty nest she's facing now that her kids are grown. If you've ever felt like you were standing at the edge of a cliff, unable to go back and scared to go forward, this conversation is for you. New episodes every Thursday on all major podcast platforms. Connect with Heather:  Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube Timestamps 00:46 Introduction — Heather welcomes Donna Johnsen. 07:48 Donna opens up about the unplanned end of her 23-year relationship. 10:15 The memoir that gave her permission to move beyond society's expectations after divorce. 13:02 Why she started journaling in her Notes app to stop the constant rumination. 17:30 How humor became part of her healing journey. 31:19 Navigating teenagers through divorce and letting them have their own feelings. 40:33 The almost-empty nest, midlife reinvention, and becoming "Mama D." 42:22 Where to connect with Donna Johnsen.  About Donna Johnsen Donna Johnsen is the voice behind Laugh Lines and Life Goals, where she shares an honest, funny, and refreshingly unfiltered take on midlife, motherhood, and reinvention. After an unplanned divorce ended a 23-year relationship, Donna turned to journaling — and eventually to social media — as a way to process what she was going through, and has since built a community of women who find comfort in her humor and her honesty. She's the mom of two, with one child already away at college and the other headed there this fall. Pinterest  Facebook  Instagram  LinkedIn  Support the show

    Midlife Reinvention — Her Story of Grief, Grace and Laughter with Donna Johnsen

  6. Jul 9

    Keeping Your Shape — Kari Brunson Wright on Reinvention, Boundaries, and Coming Back to Self

    "The opposite is always the medicine. You people-please to others — so how do you people-please to you?" — Kari Brunson Wright There's a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from bending yourself into whatever shape a room needs you to be. Kari Brunson Wright knows it well — from a ballet stage, to a restaurant line, to running her own businesses. It took three full reinventions before she learned how to stop. In this episode, Kari shares the honest story of walking away from a decade-long career as a professional ballerina, building and eventually selling a cafe and an ice cream company, and becoming a Psycho-Spiritual Leadership Coach. This is real conversation and authentic storytelling about identity, boundaries, and the whispers that show up long before the big changes do — the kind of personal growth for women that doesn't come with a tidy bow. If you've ever bent yourself into a shape that wasn't really yours, this one's for you. New episodes every Thursday on all major podcast platforms. Connect with Heather:  Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube Timestamps 00:00 — Introduction — Heather welcomes Kari Brunson Wright 6:02 — Kari's decade as a professional ballerina and the injury that led her to walk away 12:52 — From the ballet stage to the restaurant line — falling into food 16:20 — Building a cafe and an ice cream company, and the decision to finally sell her shares 19:43 — "I want to be you" — the moment coaching became the next chapter 29:48 — Boundaries, energy, and what it means to "keep your shape" About Kari Brunson Wright Kari Brunson Wright is a psycho-spiritual leadership coach and regenerative business consultant who works with founders, executives, and leaders navigating the gap between who they've become and how they're actually living. Her work centers on alignment, integrity, and self-trust — helping people make decisions they can actually stand behind. She brings fifteen years of experience working alongside people through growth, pressure, and change, plus her own background as a co-founder of multiple businesses. Kari writes the Substack newsletter The Recipe for Being Well, and lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband, their two kids, and a Great Pyrenees/Lab mix puppy named Bean. Connect with Kari Brunson Wright Instagram  Website  LinkedIn Substack  Support the show

    Keeping Your Shape — Kari Brunson Wright on Reinvention, Boundaries, and Coming Back to Self

  7. Jul 2

    She Spent 20 Years Climbing the Ladder — Then Found Her Voice, with Dr. Shola Sulaimon

    "Growth happens when you're uncomfortable, because you push yourself into things you wouldn't normally do." — Dr. Shola Sulaimon There's a kind of tiredness that comes from being everything to everyone — and never quite getting around to asking what fills your own cup. For Dr. Shola Sulaimon, that question sat quietly for almost 20 years before she finally let herself answer it. In this episode, Dr. Shola shares what it was like being the first Black woman PhD student in her program, the quiet weight of representing more than herself in corporate America, and the slow internal pull that eventually led her to step away from nearly two decades of corporate leadership. We talk about the difference between being nice and being kind, what it means to leave something on your own terms, and why finding an outlet outside of work and family might be the thing that saves you. If you've ever wondered whether it's safe to want something different than what you built, this one's for you. New episodes every Thursday on all major podcast platforms. Connect with Heather:  Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube Highlights 00:00 Cold open — Dr. Shola on finding an outlet outside work and family  0:54 Heather welcomes listeners to Her Story Unscripted  1:20 Heather introduces Dr. Shola and the story of how they met  4:23 The phases of a woman's life — and what it feels like to hit “stuck”  9:24 Heather opens up about feeling stuck in her own routine  11:19 Leaving things on your own terms, and knowing who your tribe is  12:36 Kindness vs. niceness — and learning not to be a pushover  16:07 Where her boldness came from — her mother's influence  19:00 Being a woman of color in corporate, and the pressure of representation  23:05 What's within your influence vs. what's out of your control  25:57 The slow build toward finally leaving corporate after almost 20 years  31:50 Advice for moms re-entering the workforce after raising kids  37:39 Advice for women who feel stuck but are afraid to leave  47:15 What she's building now — ShoTune Medical Consulting Group and Voice to Value  51:28 Closing reflection — “you are not alone”  53:48 Outro About Dr. Shola Sulaimon Dr. Shola Sulaimon was born and raised in Nigeria, trained and practiced as a veterinarian, then moved to the United States to pursue her PhD at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — where she became the first Black woman to do so in her program. She spent close to 20 years in corporate leadership in clinical, regulatory, and quality roles before founding ShoTune Medical Consulting Group, where she advises medical device companies on regulatory, clinical quality, and commercialization risk. She's now building Voice to Value, a Sonoma County community and coaching space for professional women centered on leadership, mentorship, and helping women find the confidence to speak up in rooms where they once stayed quiet. Website LinkedIn Support the show

    She Spent 20 Years Climbing the Ladder — Then Found Her Voice, with Dr. Shola Sulaimon

  8. Jun 25

    From Single Mom to Top 2% — Darcey Elizabeth Unscripted Journey of Reinvention

    "You get back up and build better — it is going to be 10x more than you can believe." — Darcey Elizabeth  Four years ago, Darcey sat in what she now calls one of the darkest seasons of her life — a newly single mom who had just moved four hours from home, left corporate, and was trying to build something from scratch. She had no guarantee any of it would work. She just kept going. In this episode of Her Story Unscripted, Darcey is back to share the honest, unscripted version of what those four years actually held. She talks about the grief of losing her mom, the ego hit of going back to corporate in 2024, building a team of 33 women, and the night she missed a major business goal by $2,000 and had to decide who she wanted to be on the other side of it. It's a real conversation about personal growth, resilience, and what it looks like when belief finally catches up with your effort. If you're a woman in the middle of something hard — or on the other side of it trying to make sense of how you got there — this one is for you. New episodes every Thursday on all major podcast platforms. Connect with Heather:  Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Youtube Highlights 0:00 Introduction — Heather welcomes Darcey back, four years later 1:57  Where Darcey was when they first met — single mom, new city, uncertain chapter 4:35 The decision to go back to corporate and why it felt like failure 7:29 Jumping into Arbonne, pairing it with personal training, and growing fast 20:28 Missing the rank by $2,000 — the setback, the tears, and the comeback 24:14 Walking across the stage and watching her team do the same 27:22 Both shows rebranding — the conversation about what's next About Darcey Elizabeth  Darcey Elizabeth Burke is a Regional Vice President with Arbonne, certified personal trainer, nutrition coach, corporate finance professional, boy mom, and host of The Undeniable Expansion Podcast. She built her business to the Top 2% of Arbonne within just 13 months by focusing on authentic relationships, community, and helping women create real results in their health and lives. Through wellness, leadership, and entrepreneurship, Darcey is passionate about empowering women to expand beyond their current circumstances, build confidence, and create a life they truly love. Website YouTube Facebook Instagram Podcast Support the show

    From Single Mom to Top 2% — Darcey Elizabeth Unscripted Journey of Reinvention
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4.8
out of 5
23 Ratings

About

Her Story Unscripted is a podcast where women share honest, unscripted conversations about life, growth, and the experiences that shape us — because the most powerful stories are the ones we stop trying to perfect. Hosted by Heather Nelson, this is a space for real conversations. Not rehearsed. Not polished into tidy narratives with clean endings. Just women showing up, telling their truth, and finding out they are far less alone than they thought. Each episode creates space for stories to unfold naturally — covering identity and personal growth, life transitions, relationships, resilience, and the beautiful complexity of everyday life. Whether you're in the middle of something hard, on the other side of it, or just trying to make sense of where you are right now, there is something here for you. Her Story Unscripted was born out of five years of authentic conversations — formerly known as Life Conversations with a Twist — and has evolved into a podcast with a clearer name and a deeper purpose: to make women feel seen, understood, and a little less alone in their own story. Hosted by Heather Nelson — connector, business strategist, community builder, and someone who genuinely believes that connection starts with being real. New episodes available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms. Authentic stories. No script needed. Guest inquiries and collaborations: heather@theconnectionhive.co Website: theconnectionhive.co/podcast

Information

  • Creator
    Heather Nelson
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    210
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Her Story Unscripted
  • Show Website
    Her Story Unscripted

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