Beautiful Strength: The Podcast

This week’s interview is with 39 year old Antoinette Mell. Mell is a resident of Vancouver, WA and a labor and delivery nurse. What started out as a conversation about Covid and the various different challenges she faced as an essential employee in the medical field on the front line, turned into a rather entertaining and funny podcast of two new friends getting to know each other. Mell is a wife (to a former high school alum same as Annette), and a mom of two young children as well as a teenage son, a self proclaimed stand up comedian (even if her audience is just her reflection in the mirror) and a woman who finds life requires a lot of laughter. This podcast is a fun one. We hope you enjoy.

In this episode, Annette sits down with Nelly Martinez. Annette met Nelly at Robert is Here Fruit Stand in Homestead, FL. After a few minutes of fruit education and a killer milkshake recommendation (Mango, Pineapple, and Passion Fruit) Annette invited Nelly to see the bus and participate in the Beautiful Strength project. This simple meeting ignited a 2 hour conversation and the beginning of a lifelong friendship. Nelly is a spitfire of a woman. She packs a lot of personality into her 5’ 2” stature that could easily compete with giants. Cuban born, Nelly’s chances to come to the United States were very slim, but miracles happen and the universe brought her to the states at 17. Nelly hustled and never took no for an answer. She landed her first job in the US because she spoke from her heart and rightfully won over the owner. She proved she was worthy, smart, and dedicated. Nelly married the love of her life and enjoyed 42 years of marriage. She is extremely proud of her 2 sons and is known as “Mamma Nellie” to everyone at the fruit stand. Here is Nelly’s story… of which we were only able to scratch the surface.

This episode comes to you from the skate ramp at Yousta Storytellers Club headquarters in Hayden Lake, ID. If you ever wanted an insight to the skateboard world and how entertaining and devoted to this sport these men and women are, this is a great episode to listen to. Christian, Jay, and Katy talk about how skateboarding is a lifestyle and more than the stigma of punk rebellious kids skipping school and smoking weed. It’s a hell of a workout. It requires bravery and skill and a ballsy positive mental attitude needed to drop in, fall, get up and drop in again. Skills take months if not years to perfect so there is a high level of dedication and commitment. To some, skateboarding is also their therapy and where they go to escape life for a while and just ride. Most importantly, skateboarding is a community.

In this episode we sit down (ok technically Annette is getting a tattoo at the same time!) with Heather Belle, a tattoo artist from Columbia, SC. Belle has always been into art since she was a kid, but tattooing wasn’t legal in South Carolina when she was younger so she had no career path planned out. She was the outcast, artsy kid that everyone thought was weird. After a while she started to embrace that aspect of herself and love the artist and the person she had become and was becoming. Tattooing fell into place at the perfect timing when she needed it the most and she loves what she does more than anything in the world. Belle loves being able to make people happy with her art and give them a gift they get to keep forever. Heather tattoos people’s lives, things they love, people they love, memories, hobbies, etc. She gets to be part of their journey of life for a few hours and connect with them. Belle has the honor of being part of their story. She makes people smile everyday and that is what makes her the happiest of all. According to Belle, “Life is an amazing journey if you can trust the process and look for art and beauty in all things and NEVER stop following your dreams.”

This week’s podcast out of Billings, MT may be the most thrilling and wild podcast yet. A father who was a former member of the most notorious motorcycle club in history turned informant. A confession to an unsolved murder. A life filled with complications and challenges acquired from the shortcomings of the witness protection program. A double murder suicide. And one badass woman who survived it all. To say Jackee Taylor could make a movie out of her life would be an understatement. This episode is a summary and extension of Taylor’s life story podcast called “Relative Unknown.” A 10 part series that keeps you on the edge of your seat from the start. Available on Apple Podcast and Spotify. Also follow “Relative Unknown” on Instagram @relativeunknownpod

This week we have a special episode of the Beautiful Strength podcast. Annette sits down with Saul Martinez. Saul has an incredible story, he is a former Army Infantryman and Purple Heart Recipient, originally from Southern California, Saul made Bozeman home for his wife and two kids almost 10 years ago shortly after participating in a WQW Fishing Experience. Saul enjoys any time he spends with his family and friends. He is currently a brand ambassador for the Parsons Extreme Golf (PXG) brand, an avid fly-fisherman, amateur calligrapher, and a so-so ukulele player.

This podcast is dedicated in the honor of Sergeant Blake Stephens and Specialist Kyle Little.

his kids. John wants to help those he can on their road to happiness while also honoring your journey. John wanted to include his beautiful wife Angie into the podcast as well to gain her perspective on his amputation and how her strength and determination held their family together through one of the toughest times of their marriage. We talk about love, loss, fighting internal demons, and coming out the other side stronger than ever. John is a true leader and motivator and a positive force in this world.

Today we sit down with Chelsea Gibson. Chelsea is polite, beautiful, and has a smile that lights up a room (or better yet, an entire Vanfest!). From the moment I met her I knew I wanted us to be friends. The more she talked and the more I listened, I realized she’s even more badass than I thought! Wife, mom, Veteran, and technology professional, she’s a female who has worked her ass off in traditionally male-dominated roles and rose to the top of her field. She’s overcome many obstacles in her life, and has used them to catapult herself into the life she is living today. We discuss drug use, life decisions, family life, being a mom to two young boys, military service, marriage, being a woman, and sexual assault. Chelsea has used her pain and life situations and found a voice of empowerment for other women. She tells her story because she knows someone else out there has gone through a similar situation and by telling her story she hopes it comforts and empowers others to heal from their own story.

This week's podcast features the non profit Only 7 Seconds and its Founder Kristin Wall.

As Annette was walking the downtown of Chelan, WA she noticed signs that said “Because You Matter.” The QR code linked to www.only7seconds.com

A WORLD WITHOUT LONELINESS. INSPIRING INTENTIONAL CONNECTIONS BY EMPOWERING PEOPLE AND EQUIPPING PARTNERS THROUGH OUR ESTABLISHED PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES

Only7Seconds is doing great work and believes that connection is the solution to loneliness. We sit down this week to see what inspired Kristin to start this non profit and learn more about how Only7Seconds is showing up, being kind, and loving well.

In this episode we sit down with Marines Adam Gibson and Jessica Rambo. Both Skoolie dwellers and veteran badasses who share the same love of Siemper Fi and a Once a Marine Always a Marine mentality who continue to find family on the road. Adam and Jessica talk about enlisting, undeniable comradery, difficulties of being a marine, the honor they had in serving, life after discharge, and what they are doing in their own circles to make impacts on the lives of other Veterans.