Deserts to Mountaintops Podcast

In this episode of Deserts to Mountaintops, Jessica interviews Sue Muraida, author of the anthology chapter titled "Becoming Me," where she details her desert to mountaintop experience.

Deserts to Mountaintops is a limited series podcast created by Top 1% ranking podcast host, Jessica Kidwell, she lifts the author off the page as she holds conversations with co-authors of this inaugural anthology released in January 2023 by Soul Speak Press.

This series is meant to give readers of DTM a deeper insight into the authors that brought their experiences to the page and hopes to inspire it’s audience to a place of transformational healing.

Deserts to Mountaintops: Our Collective Journey to (re)Claiming Our Voice is available now on Amazon.

For more information on Deserts to Mountaintops, Soul Speak Press and upcoming anthologies, please visit www.desertstomountaintops.com.  For more information Jessica Buchanan, please visit www.jessbuchanan.com or follow her on instagram at @jessicacbuchanan

Meet Sue:
Sue Muraida is a writer, speaker, and pursuer of abundant life. Over the past thirty years, she has worked as a medical photographer, photojournalist, leadership trainer, writer, and teacher. She has written for several publications including
the Casper Journal, The Small Group Network, Christianity Today, and The New York Times. Sue has published two books, Change For a Penny and The Silent Sound of Darkness (as Sue Skalicky), and co-authored the anthology Deserts To
Mountaintops: Our Collective Journey To (Re)Claiming Our Voice (as Sue Muraida). Sue is passionate about teaching and inspiring adults to live each day to its fullest by rewriting the past into the best tomorrows. She is currently the program director for Humanities North Dakota. Follow Sue at www. suemuraida.com IG: @lifeplotline

The theme song is courtesy of the The Mystic Chics.
Instagram @themysticchics

This podcast is hosted by Jessica Buchanan, a NYT Bestselling author, speaker, survivor and founder of Soul Speak Press. Soul Speak Press is a boutique non-traditional publishing company focused on publishing stories from women who have been through something, now they know something, and can teach us something.

Learn more about Jessica's first book: Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six

Learn more about the Deserts to Mountaintops Anthologies. If you're interested in hearing interviews with our Soul Speak Press authors, check out the Deserts to Mountaintops Podcast. 

In this episode of Deserts to Mountaintops, Jessica interviews Janice Fearon, author of the anthology chapter titled "The Flight of Survival," where she details her desert to mountaintop experience.

Deserts to Mountaintops is a limited series podcast created by Top 1% ranking podcast host, Jessica Kidwell, she lifts the author off the page as she holds conversations with co-authors of this inaugural anthology released in January 2023 by Soul Speak Press.

This series is meant to give readers of DTM a deeper insight into the authors that brought their experiences to the page and hopes to inspire it’s audience to a place of transformational healing.

Deserts to Mountaintops: Our Collective Journey to (re)Claiming Our Voice is available now on Amazon.

For more information on Deserts to Mountaintops, Soul Speak Press and upcoming anthologies, please visit www.desertstomountaintops.com.  For more information Jessica Buchanan, please visit www.jessbuchanan.com or follow her on instagram at @jessicacbuchanan

Meet Janice:
Janice Fearon was born in Jamaica, West Indies, and migrated to the United States as a single mom. Now, Janice works as a Compliance Review Administrator for a state and federal agency where her capability allows her to help plan, organize, contribute, strengthen existing, and create new policies and procedures. Also, she ensures that the agency follows the organization’s standards. Janice is passionate about social change and supporting families and youth within the autistic community to deliver
compassionate, individualized services to address adaptive behaviors and skill development for activities of Daily Living. Janice’s educational background includes pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration with a concentration in
Management and Leadership at Walden University. Janice has earned a Master of Philosophy with a Public Policy and Administration concentration from Walden University and an MBA with a concentration in Management from Long
Island University, Brooklyn Janice has a passion for policy change. She hopes that the
implication of her study “Effects of High-Cost Health Insurance on the Uninsured Middle-Class Families of Essex County, New Jersey” will promote affordable health
insurance, which could lower death rates and provide better health outcomes. Follow Janice on Instagram @pinklypassion.

The theme song is courtesy of the The Mystic Chics.
Instagram @themysticchics

This podcast is hosted by Jessica Buchanan, a NYT Bestselling author, speaker, survivor and founder of Soul Speak Press. Soul Speak Press is a boutique non-traditional publishing company focused on publishing stories from women who have been through something, now they know something, and can teach us something.

Learn more about Jessica's first book: Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six

Learn more about the Deserts to Mountaintops Anthologies. If you're interested in hearing interviews with our Soul Speak Press authors, check out the Deserts to Mountaintops Podcast. 

In this episode of Deserts to Mountaintops, Jessica interviews Nathalie Cholette, author of the anthology chapter titled "My Journey Home," where she details her desert to mountaintop experience.

Deserts to Mountaintops is a limited series podcast created by Top 1% ranking podcast host, Jessica Kidwell, she lifts the author off the page as she holds conversations with co-authors of this inaugural anthology released in January 2023 by Soul Speak Press.

This series is meant to give readers of DTM a deeper insight into the authors that brought their experiences to the page and hopes to inspire it’s audience to a place of transformational healing.

Deserts to Mountaintops: Our Collective Journey to (re)Claiming Our Voice is available now on Amazon.

For more information on Deserts to Mountaintops, Soul Speak Press and upcoming anthologies, please visit www.desertstomountaintops.com.  For more information Jessica Buchanan, please visit www.jessbuchanan.com or follow her on instagram at @jessicacbuchanan

Meet Nathalie:
Nathalie Cholette is a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) with a background in mindfulness, who has dedicated her life to helping children find their voice. She speaks and writes openly about her experiences as a woman who, like many others, started out vibrant, lost in the wonder of her human experience, in love with the freedom of life, and of how, through endless expectations imposed on her from an
early age, she lost her soulful voice. Nathalie considers herself a modern communication specialist, whose professional experience as an SLP, personal
experience as a woman, as well as learnings and practice in mindfulness, are expertly blended into her speeches, writing, and teachings.

A proud Francophone, Nathalie hails from Toronto and is a mother of two teenage daughters. She is hungry and passionate about sharing her personal and professional
experiences so that other women can reclaim their voice, stand in their own power, as well as become vehicles of positive change in the world. Deserts to Mountaintops is Nathalie’s second anthology project. More information on Nathalie and her first
co-authoring project entitled Honest as a Mother can be found on her website www.nathaliecholette.com. You can also find Nathalie on Instagram @nathalie_cholette_ and on Facebook @The Art of Letting Go.

The theme song is courtesy of the The Mystic Chics.
Instagram @themysticchics

This podcast is hosted by Jessica Buchanan, a NYT Bestselling author, speaker, survivor and founder of Soul Speak Press. Soul Speak Press is a boutique non-traditional publishing company focused on publishing stories from women who have been through something, now they know something, and can teach us something.

Learn more about Jessica's first book: Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six

Learn more about the Deserts to Mountaintops Anthologies. If you're interested in hearing interviews with our Soul Speak Press authors, check out the Deserts to Mountaintops Podcast. 

In this episode of Deserts to Mountaintops, Jessica interviews Ruth Hetland, author of the anthology chapter titled "Nothing Really Happened," where she details her desert to mountaintop experience.

Deserts to Mountaintops is a limited series podcast created by Top 1% ranking podcast host, Jessica Kidwell, she lifts the author off the page as she holds conversations with co-authors of this inaugural anthology released in January 2023 by Soul Speak Press.

This series is meant to give readers of DTM a deeper insight into the authors that brought their experiences to the page and hopes to inspire it’s audience to a place of transformational healing.

Deserts to Mountaintops: Our Collective Journey to (re)Claiming Our Voice is available now on Amazon.

For more information on Deserts to Mountaintops, Soul Speak Press and upcoming anthologies, please visit www.desertstomountaintops.com.  For more information Jessica Buchanan, please visit www.jessbuchanan.com or follow her on instagram at @jessicacbuchanan

Meet Ruth:
Ruth Hetland grew up on a small dairy farm near Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, seventh in a family of eight children. She, her husband, and their daughter now live in Fargo,
North Dakota and also enjoy spending time at their lake home near Battle Lake, Minnesota. In high school Ruth was a cheerleader and still considers herself one today. She loves to cheer for and celebrate others as they accomplish great things! Ruth earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Minnesota State University, Moorhead and her Master’s degree in Business Administration
from the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management. She is a Project Management Professional (PMP) and a non-practicing Certified Information Systems
Auditor (CISA).

Ruth enjoys warm weather outdoor activities, including hiking, running, biking, waterskiing, and paddleboarding. She also enjoys reading, listening to audio books, jigsaw puzzles, yoga, dancing, Halloween and any other opportunity to dress up, and of course, writing! This chapter is Ruth’s first publication. Follow Ruth on Instagram (@ruthahetland) and LinkedIn (Ruth Hetland).

The theme song is courtesy of the The Mystic Chics.
Instagram @themysticchics

This podcast is hosted by Jessica Buchanan, a NYT Bestselling author, speaker, survivor and founder of Soul Speak Press. Soul Speak Press is a boutique non-traditional publishing company focused on publishing stories from women who have been through something, now they know something, and can teach us something.

Learn more about Jessica's first book: Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six

Learn more about the Deserts to Mountaintops Anthologies. If you're interested in hearing interviews with our Soul Speak Press authors, check out the Deserts to Mountaintops Podcast. 

In this episode of Deserts to Mountaintops, Jessica interviews Gentry Jones, author of the anthology chapter titled "Overgrown Ivy," where she details her desert to mountaintop experience from contemplating suicide to thriving sober, single mom.

Deserts to Mountaintops is a limited series podcast created by Top 1% ranking podcast host, Jessica Kidwell, she lifts the author off the page as she holds conversations with co-authors of this inaugural anthology released in January 2023 by Soul Speak Press.

This series is meant to give readers of DTM a deeper insight into the authors that brought their experiences to the page and hopes to inspire it’s audience to a place of transformational healing.

Deserts to Mountaintops: Our Collective Journey to (re)Claiming Our Voice is available now on Amazon.

For more information on Deserts to Mountaintops, Soul Speak Press and upcoming anthologies, please visit www.desertstomountaintops.com.  For more information Jessica Buchanan, please visit www.jessbuchanan.com or follow her on instagram at @jessicacbuchanan

Meet Gentry:
On May 1, 2018, Gentry drove into her garage broken, defeated, and convinced there was no way to stop the train wreck she had become. It was in that moment of feeling like there was no way out that Gentry finally submitted to the only way out. After struggling with alcohol abuse for over ten years, she surrendered to sobriety. Since that day she has been dedicated to learning as much as she can about her addiction, mental health, and personal development so she can use her voice to help bring support and community to others suffering. Gentry built her social media platforms
around her life as a sober single mom and sharing the joy and confidence that can come after addiction. After receiving so much love and support from sharing her journey online, she wanted to do more to give back to the sober community and
became trained as a certified life and recovery coach. Being from a long line of well-respected educators and coaches, she’s using her natural abilities and continued education to teach others how to get and stay sober and reclaim their lives. A few months before getting sober, Gentry decided to only focus on making small habit changes. She started by making her bed every day and strongly believes habits
helped get and keep her sober. She has since created a twelve-week healthy habit bootcamp to help other men and women experience their own transformation to a happier and healthier life. Gentry is dedicated to inspire, entertain, and end the stigma of addiction. You can follow Gentry under the handle @lifewithgentry on all social media platforms. You will also find links to her twelve-week course on those platforms as well.

The theme song is courtesy of the The Mystic Chics.
Instagram @themysticchics

This podcast is hosted by Jessica Buchanan, a NYT Bestselling author, speaker, survivor and founder of Soul Speak Press. Soul Speak Press is a boutique non-traditional publishing company focused on publishing stories from women who have been through something, now they know something, and can teach us something.

Learn more about Jessica's first book: Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six

Learn more about the Deserts to Mountaintops Anthologies. If you're interested in hearing interviews with our Soul Speak Press authors, check out the Deserts to Mountaintops Podcast. 

In this episode of Deserts to Mountaintops, Jessica interviews Cathy Gabrielsen, author of the anthology chapter titled "A Lifetime of Dying," where she details her desert to mountaintop experience through life-changing near death experiences.

Deserts to Mountaintops is a limited series podcast created by Top 1% ranking podcast host, Jessica Kidwell, she lifts the author off the page as she holds conversations with co-authors of this inaugural anthology released in January 2023 by Soul Speak Press.

This series is meant to give readers of DTM a deeper insight into the authors that brought their experiences to the page and hopes to inspire it’s audience to a place of transformational healing.

Deserts to Mountaintops: Our Collective Journey to (re)Claiming Our Voice is available now on Amazon.

For more information on Deserts to Mountaintops, Soul Speak Press and upcoming anthologies, please visit www.desertstomountaintops.com.  For more information Jessica Buchanan, please visit www.jessbuchanan.com or follow her on instagram at @jessicacbuchanan

Meet Cathy:
Cathy Gabrielsen is an Intuitive Healer, Spiritual Teacher, and number-one best-selling author of Dying to Live: Surviving Near-Death. Cathy is also a Graduate Teacher of Energy Medicine and the founder of the Gabrielsen Healing Center. Cathy offers in-office and Zoom private healing sessions. Cathy is also the founder of Connect Thru Cancer, a nonprofit supporting families with cancer. To find out more about Cathy visit www.cathygabrielsen.com, or connect with her over Facebook at Gabrielsen Healing Center or on Instagram @cathy_gabrielsen.

The theme song is courtesy of the The Mystic Chics.
Instagram @themysticchics

This podcast is hosted by Jessica Buchanan, a NYT Bestselling author, speaker, survivor and founder of Soul Speak Press. Soul Speak Press is a boutique non-traditional publishing company focused on publishing stories from women who have been through something, now they know something, and can teach us something.

Learn more about Jessica's first book: Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six

Learn more about the Deserts to Mountaintops Anthologies. If you're interested in hearing interviews with our Soul Speak Press authors, check out the Deserts to Mountaintops Podcast. 

In this episode of Deserts to Mountaintops, Jessica interviews Shaina Philpot, author of the anthology chapter titled "Where Do I Belong?,"  where she details her desert to mountaintop experience of losing herself in an abusive relationship and the journey to finding her voice again.

Deserts to Mountaintops is a limited series podcast created by Top 1% ranking podcast host, Jessica Kidwell, she lifts the author off the page as she holds conversations with co-authors of this inaugural anthology released in January 2023 by Soul Speak Press.

This series is meant to give readers of DTM a deeper insight into the authors that brought their experiences to the page and hopes to inspire it’s audience to a place of transformational healing.

Deserts to Mountaintops: Our Collective Journey to (re)Claiming Our Voice is available now on Amazon.

For more information on Deserts to Mountaintops, Soul Speak Press and upcoming anthologies, please visit www.desertstomountaintops.com.  For more information Jessica Buchanan, please visit www.jessbuchanan.com or follow her on instagram at @jessicacbuchanan

About Shaina:
Shaina Philpot (she/her/hers) is an enrolled tribal member of the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Native American Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, her first Master’s Degree in Public History with a subspeciality of Native American History from the University of California, Riverside and her second Master’s Degree in Teaching from the University
of Southern California. Shaina co-authored a chapter in the book titled, The Indian School on Magnolia Avenue: Voices and Images from Sherman Institute (OSU Press,
2012), which focuses on the off-reservation boarding school experience at Sherman Institute in Riverside, CA. Shaina spent many years in various roles in the field of education, including teaching and working with tribal communities. She is also currently a doctoral candidate in the Ed.D in Leadership in Higher Education program at Northcentral University. Her research centers on American Indian students’ sense of belonging in higher education, specifically comparing American Indian students’ sense of belonging between predominantly White institutions (PWIs) and
Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). When Shaina is not working and researching, she is a dog mom and enjoys watching anime and traveling with her husband. Shaina
hopes her story will inspire other women to continue living. You can follow Shaina’s journey on her Instagram: @s_philpot.

The theme song is courtesy of the The Mystic Chics.
Instagram @themysticchics

This podcast is hosted by Jessica Buchanan, a NYT Bestselling author, speaker, survivor and founder of Soul Speak Press. Soul Speak Press is a boutique non-traditional publishing company focused on publishing stories from women who have been through something, now they know something, and can teach us something.

Learn more about Jessica's first book: Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six

Learn more about the Deserts to Mountaintops Anthologies. If you're interested in hearing interviews with our Soul Speak Press authors, check out the Deserts to Mountaintops Podcast. 

In this episode of Deserts to Mountaintops, Jessica interviews Gia Mariam Hasan, author of the anthology chapter titled "The Original Wounds,"  where she details her desert to mountaintop experience.

Deserts to Mountaintops is a limited series podcast created by Top 1% ranking podcast host, Jessica Kidwell, she lifts the author off the page as she holds conversations with co-authors of this inaugural anthology released in January 2023 by Soul Speak Press.

This series is meant to give readers of DTM a deeper insight into the authors that brought their experiences to the page and hopes to inspire it’s audience to a place of transformational healing.

Deserts to Mountaintops: Our Collective Journey to (re)Claiming Our Voice is available now on Amazon.

For more information on Deserts to Mountaintops, Soul Speak Press and upcoming anthologies, please visit www.desertstomountaintops.com.  For more information Jessica Buchanan, please visit www.jessbuchanan.com or follow her on instagram at @jessicacbuchanan

About Gia:
Gia is a coach and facilitator, working with people across ages and sectors in stress, resilience, nutrition, and overall well being. As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Gia dedicates time to working with and for other survivors and people needing
supportive tools for recovery and healing. Born and raised in England to South Asian parents, Gia moved to the USA 18 years ago, and currently lives on Piscataway Land (Alexandria, VA). She is an eternal student, and is particularly interested in trauma, resilience, somatics, and complexity. With a love for earth wisdom and earth medicine, she is currently fascinated by all things mushroom related.

Gia loves to feed people and creates new recipes in her kitchen lab, where she compiles her own cookbooks for clients and friends. Her ethic is firmly rooted
in love, and she works with local organizations on diversity, equity, and belonging. She loves the power of reinvention and reimagination, and is committed to collective liberation. You can find out more about Gia at www.urbansanctuarywellness.
com, www.pangaeaplus.com, or follow her on social media @relativelygia

The theme song is courtesy of the The Mystic Chics.
Instagram @themysticchics

This podcast is hosted by Jessica Buchanan, a NYT Bestselling author, speaker, survivor and founder of Soul Speak Press. Soul Speak Press is a boutique non-traditional publishing company focused on publishing stories from women who have been through something, now they know something, and can teach us something.

Learn more about Jessica's first book: Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six

Learn more about the Deserts to Mountaintops Anthologies. If you're interested in hearing interviews with our Soul Speak Press authors, check out the Deserts to Mountaintops Podcast. 

In this episode of Deserts to Mountaintops, Jessica interviews Lonna Whiting, author of the anthology chapter titled "Dining at the Dementia Cafe,"  where she details her desert to mountaintop experience of both losing herself and finding herself in caring for her mother who suffers from dementia

Deserts to Mountaintops is a limited series podcast created by Top 1% ranking podcast host, Jessica Kidwell, she lifts the author off the page as she holds conversations with co-authors of this inaugural anthology released in January 2023 by Soul Speak Press.

This series is meant to give readers of DTM a deeper insight into the authors that brought their experiences to the page and hopes to inspire it’s audience to a place of transformational healing.

Deserts to Mountaintops: Our Collective Journey to (re)Claiming Our Voice is available now on Amazon.

For more information on Deserts to Mountaintops, Soul Speak Press and upcoming anthologies, please visit www.desertstomountaintops.com.  For more information Jessica Buchanan, please visit www.jessbuchanan.com or follow her on instagram at @jessicacbuchanan

About Lonna:
Lonna Whiting is a freelance writer, editor, and communications consultant who lives in Fargo, ND. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Minnesota
State University Moorhead and writes frequently about her experience as a caregiver to her mother who has been living with early-onset dementia since 2010. You can follow her on Instagram @lonnawhiting.

The theme song is courtesy of the The Mystic Chics.
Instagram @themysticchics

This podcast is hosted by Jessica Buchanan, a NYT Bestselling author, speaker, survivor and founder of Soul Speak Press. Soul Speak Press is a boutique non-traditional publishing company focused on publishing stories from women who have been through something, now they know something, and can teach us something.

Learn more about Jessica's first book: Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six

Learn more about the Deserts to Mountaintops Anthologies. If you're interested in hearing interviews with our Soul Speak Press authors, check out the Deserts to Mountaintops Podcast. 

In this episode of Deserts to Mountaintops, Jessica interviews Andrea Birskovich, author of the anthology chapter titled "Indisputable Knowing," where she details her desert to mountaintop experience finding her path and purpose through her relationship and death of her brother.

Deserts to Mountaintops is a limited series podcast created by Top 1% ranking podcast host, Jessica Kidwell, she lifts the author off the page as she holds conversations with co-authors of this inaugural anthology released in January 2023 by Soul Speak Press.

This series is meant to give readers of DTM a deeper insight into the authors that brought their experiences to the page and hopes to inspire it’s audience to a place of transformational healing.

Deserts to Mountaintops: Our Collective Journey to (re)Claiming Our Voice is available now on Amazon.

For more information on Deserts to Mountaintops, Soul Speak Press and upcoming anthologies, please visit www.desertstomountaintops.com.  For more information Jessica Buchanan, please visit www.jessbuchanan.com or follow her on instagram at @jessicacbuchanan

Meet Andrea:
Andrea Birskovich has spent half of her life designing marketing and advertising campaigns, crafting communications and content for a variety of products and services, and infusing brands with value while building consumer demand. In seeking a reprieve from a general sense of overwhelm in her early twenties, Andrea found herself watching her thoughts and counting her breaths in a yoga class almost by accident. Since then, she has continued to journey deeper into herself to awaken and reconnect with her intuition, nurture her innate gifts, and rediscover her
soul’s purpose. Uncovering the transformative power of grief offered by
the successive deaths of her father and baby sister in her pre-teen years, and her beloved older brother in her early thirties, Andrea has only recently embraced her path as a Resilience Guide. In seeking to make meaning from her pain and facilitate soul growth using a wide variety of kinetic, spiritual and energetic practices, she’s grateful for the ability to empower others simply by sharing what she learns. She’s currently on a path to use her marketing and communication skills to promote healing modalities that have served her, and shed light on the strength and
endurance within all of us.

Andrea currently lives by the beach in Santa Cruz, California, with her chiweenie Stanley Stretch Jones. She shares snippets, snapshots, and sass at @hi.andreanicole on Instagram.

The theme song is courtesy of the The Mystic Chics.
Instagram @themystichics

This podcast is hosted by Jessica Buchanan, a NYT Bestselling author, speaker, survivor and founder of Soul Speak Press. Soul Speak Press is a boutique non-traditional publishing company focused on publishing stories from women who have been through something, now they know something, and can teach us something.

Learn more about Jessica's first book: Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six

Learn more about the Deserts to Mountaintops Anthologies. If you're interested in hearing interviews with our Soul Speak Press authors, check out the Deserts to Mountaintops Podcast.