DunnWise Perspectives

Episode Summary

What happens when the life you've spent decades building no longer looks like the life you imagined?

In this episode of DunnWise Perspectives, Doris Dunn welcomes Melissa Whittaker, founder of Inner Journey Healing and Coaching, to share her journey through illness, family challenges, financial uncertainty, and devastating floods that ultimately changed the direction of her life.

Melissa shares how an illness following a trip to Nepal led her to explore alternative healing practices, and how spirituality and energy healing became important parts of her personal journey. She also recounts the extraordinary experience of having two Vermont communities where her family operated restaurants suffer major flooding on the exact same date, one year apart.

After 25 years in the restaurant business, Melissa and her husband faced a difficult decision: continue fighting to preserve what they had built or let go and pursue a different future.

Their conversation explores the relationship between mind and body, the limits of control, the importance of community, and finding the courage to pursue a long-held dream even when the outcome is uncertain.

In this episode:

• Melissa's unexpected path from world traveler to energy healing practitioner
• Her perspective on combining conventional and alternative approaches to healing
• The emotional and financial toll of two devastating floods
• How family struggles and uncertainty challenged her resilience
• Learning to release perfectionism and let go of expectations
• Finally pursuing her dream of hosting women's wellness retreats

Melissa's story reminds us that sometimes moving forward means letting go of the future we thought we were supposed to have.

Connect with Melissa

• Website:
• Social Media: @melissawhittaker.coach

Connect with Doris

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.dunnwise.com
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/doris-dunn
• Schedule a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/dunnwise-consulting/30min_discovery_call

Want to Be a Guest?

Have a story of resilience, reinvention, or overcoming a challenge? I’d love to hear from you.

👉 Submit your story here: https://forms.gle/gJWpVcsZ5wTwfAgSA

Episode Summary:

When you see a beautiful woman wearing a pageant crown and sash, what assumptions do you make about her life?

When I met China Allen at the Women in Insurance and Financial Services (WIFS) conference, I was immediately intrigued. She was confident, accomplished, and impossible to miss. But as I learned more about her story, I discovered that the woman behind the crown had overcome challenges I never could have imagined.

China is an entrepreneur, pageant titleholder, mother, and advocate. She's also a survivor of domestic violence who has rebuilt her life after an abusive marriage that nearly cost her everything.

In this deeply personal conversation, China shares her journey through a 160-pound weight loss, the terrifying experience that ultimately led to her escape from domestic violence, and the challenges and rewards of raising two young sons on the autism spectrum.

We also explore how pageantry became an unexpected source of confidence, connection, and purpose. What began as an opportunity to rediscover herself evolved into a platform for advocating for others, particularly children with autism and women experiencing domestic abuse.

Throughout our conversation, China reminds us that we rarely know what someone else is experiencing behind closed doors. The confident businesswoman, the mother struggling with her child in the grocery store, or the woman wearing a crown may be carrying a story we cannot see.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How China built a successful career in financial services and eventually became an entrepreneur.
• Her decision to undergo weight loss surgery and the transformation that followed.
• The warning signs of domestic abuse and the experience that changed her life.
• How pageantry helped her rediscover her identity and find a platform for advocacy.
• The importance of understanding, including, and advocating for children with autism.
• Why empathy matters and why we should be careful about judging others based on what we see.

China's story is one of courage, resilience, and finding purpose through adversity. It's also a reminder that everyone has a story, and we never know what someone else may be going through.

A note to listeners: This episode includes a candid discussion of domestic violence, including physical abuse. If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, confidential support is available through the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233) or thehotline.org. You are not alone, and help is available.

Connect with China

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/china.internationalmsusa26/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chinaallen/

Connect with Doris

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.dunnwise.com
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/doris-dunn
• Schedule a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/dunnwise-consulting/30min_discovery_call

Want to Be a Guest?

Have a story of resilience, reinvention, or overcoming a challenge? I’d love to hear from you.

👉 Submit your story here: https://forms.gle/gJWpVcsZ5wTwfAgSA

Episode Summary

At 42, Michelle Drew was living a fast-paced corporate life and putting almost everything ahead of herself. Long hours, poor nutrition, stress, drugs and alcohol had become part of her routine. Then her body gave out.

With severe pneumonia and little oxygen reaching her brain, Michelle was placed in a medically induced coma for three weeks. Doctors warned her family that she might not survive, and that if she did, she could have permanent brain damage and require lifelong care.

She woke up. But surviving was only the beginning.

Michelle left the hospital weighing 90 pounds, using a walker and carrying an oxygen tank. Over the next several years, she began rebuilding her health and, perhaps even more importantly, changing the way she saw and valued herself.

In this episode of DunnWise Perspectives, Michelle shares the parts of her story she once carried with shame, including the unexpected moment with her dog, Scarlet, that helped her realize she was worth more.

Today, at 67, Michelle is a health and nutrition coach who helps other women take control of their health before a crisis forces them to. Inspired by her great-grandmother, who lived an active life to 104, Michelle isn't simply focused on living longer. She wants to live vibrantly for as long as possible.

Michelle believes that even the experiences we would never choose can become gifts if we allow them to shape what comes next. Her story isn't about being grateful for nearly dying. It's about refusing to let the worst moments define the rest of her life and finding a way to use what she learned to help others.

In this episode:

• How years of self-neglect affected Michelle's health
• The health crisis that nearly took her life
• Why surviving and thriving are two very different things
• The surprising moment with Scarlet that changed Michelle's direction
• How self-worth became part of her recovery
• Why Michelle finally decided to own the story she once hid
• What her 104-year-old great-grandmother taught her about living vibrantly

About Michelle Drew:

Michelle Drew is a Certified Naturopathic Wellness Professional. After a health crisis that nearly claimed her life, Michelle made the bold decision to leave behind a high-pressure corporate recruiting career and dedicate herself to helping women over 30 reconnect with their bodies, their confidence, and their sense of self.

Today, she specializes in personalized wellness consulting, using in-depth blood work analysis and integrative wellness strategies to help identify underlying imbalances and better understand what may be contributing to her clients’ challenges. But Michelle’s work is about so much more than symptoms … it’s about helping women feel seen, heard, supported, and empowered to take a more active role in their health.

Her tagline says it all: We’re all going to age … we do NOT have to get old.

Connect with Michelle

• Website: michelledrew.com
• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: Michelle Drew | LinkedIn
• Instagram: @michelledrew520
• Collaboration with Erika as discussed in the episode: Let's partner together to address the root cause of your symptoms.
• Book a call with Michelle: api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/michelle-drew-introductory-call

Connect with Doris

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.dunnwise.com
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/doris-dunn
• Schedule a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/dunnwise-consulting/30min_discovery_call

Want to Be a Guest?

Have a story of resilience, reinvention, or overcoming a challenge? I’d love to hear from you.

👉 Submit your story here: https://forms.gle/gJWpVcsZ5wTwfAgSA

Episode Summary

At nine years old, Laura Durfee went to a sleepover and woke up a week later from a medically induced coma.

A catastrophic brain bleed left doctors telling her parents she was unlikely to survive. After four brain surgeries, Laura not only survived, she relearned how to walk, feed herself, get dressed, and do the everyday things most of us take for granted.

Today, Laura lives with an invisible disability and a very different perspective on life.

In this episode of DunnWise Perspectives, Laura shares how that experience shaped her drive to achieve, why she spent years hiding her vision loss, and what finally made her realize she no longer needed to prove what she was capable of.

That realization eventually led Laura to walk away from a successful corporate career as a VP of Talent and launch The Relationship Recruiter, a Nashville-based matchmaking firm that applies the principles she learned during 16 years in recruiting to help busy professionals make better connections.

We also talk about the surprising similarities between recruiting and dating, the difference between preferences and true deal breakers, why values matter more than the perfect checklist, and yes, why some men may be a little "optimistic" about their height.

Most importantly, Laura shares what she's learned from getting a second chance at life: sometimes growth, connection, and even joy require us to get uncomfortable and take a risk.

In this episode:

• How Laura survived a catastrophic brain bleed at age nine
• The lasting impact of living with an invisible disability
• Why high achievement became a way of proving what she could do
• How recruiting became the foundation for a matchmaking business
• Why dating can feel like a second job
• Preferences versus true relationship deal breakers
• The role of values in finding the right partner
• Why Laura walked away from corporate success to pursue something that brought her joy
• The importance of taking risks and embracing your whole self

Free resource:

Laura created Meet People Like a Recruiter, a seven-tip field guide to help singles increase their chances of meeting the right person.

https://www.relationshiprecruiter.com/dunnwise

Connect with Laura"

• Website: The Relationship Recruiter | Nashville matchmaking service
• Social Media: @relationshiprecruiter
• LinkedIn: Laura Durfee | LinkedIn

Connect with Doris

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.dunnwise.com
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/doris-dunn
• Schedule a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/dunnwise-consulting/30min_discovery_call

Want to Be a Guest?

Have a story of resilience, reinvention, or overcoming a challenge? I’d love to hear from you.

👉 Submit your story here: https://forms.gle/gJWpVcsZ5wTwfAgSA

Episode Summary

Tammie Osborne knows a thing or two about changing plans.

She began her career as a nurse, moved into healthcare IT, launched her own consulting company, and eventually created The Sapphire Suite, a coworking and event space in Franklin, Tennessee. But some of the biggest changes in Tammie’s life weren’t career moves she chose. They were the moments that forced her to rethink what she thought her life would look like.

When Tammie and her husband finally became parents after struggling to conceive, their daughter Jordan, affectionately known as Ladybug, was born with Down syndrome, seven and a half weeks early and with a serious heart defect. Within weeks, their newborn daughter was undergoing open-heart surgery and fighting for her life.

Today, Ladybug is 24, loves to travel, adores her iPad and her next meal, and, according to Tammie, has blessed their family far more than they could ever bless her. Tammie shares how raising Jordan changed her perspective, deepened her faith, affected Jordan’s siblings, and taught their entire family not to build their lives around a diagnosis.

We also talk about the fears that don’t necessarily disappear as our children grow, they simply change, including the question many parents of children with special needs eventually face: What happens when I’m no longer here?

And through it all, there is another theme woven into Tammie’s story: people. From nursing to healthcare IT, entrepreneurship, The Sapphire Suite, and now leadership development, Tammie has discovered that her greatest strengths have never really been about technology, buildings, or businesses. They’ve been about understanding, connecting with, and leading people.

In this episode:

• Creating a business without knowing exactly where it will lead
• The risks and realities of entrepreneurship
• Receiving a life-changing diagnosis you never expected
• How Ladybug got her nickname
• Choosing not to center an entire family around Down syndrome
• How fear changes as children with special needs become adults
• Why Tammie believes leadership begins with learning to lead yourself
• Letting go of the expectation that work and life will be perfectly balanced every day

This is a conversation about entrepreneurship and leadership, but even more, it’s about perspective, faith, family, community, and learning to embrace a life that may look very different from the one you originally planned.

Connect with Tammie

• Sapphire Suite: Coworking Space & Event Venue | The Sapphire Suite | Williamson Co.
• Bridgemore IT Consulting: Bridgemore IT
• LinkedIn: Tammie L. Osborne | LinkedIn
• Instagram: Instagram - Tammie Osborne
• Substack: Substack - Tammie Osborne

Connect with Doris

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.dunnwise.com
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/doris-dunn
• Schedule a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/dunnwise-consulting/30min_discovery_call

Want to Be a Guest?

Have a story of resilience, reinvention, or overcoming a challenge? I’d love to hear from you.

👉 Submit your story here: https://forms.gle/gJWpVcsZ5wTwfAgSA

Episode Summary

Hannah Rawiszer thought becoming a business owner would give her more freedom. Instead, she found herself with too many bosses, too little time, and a business that looked nothing like the one she thought she was building.

Burned out and unsure what came next, Hannah scaled back her business, moved home to Florida, and considered giving up entrepreneurship altogether.

Then a connection led to another connection, and eventually to a client call Hannah wasn't particularly excited to take. That client saw something in Hannah she hadn't yet recognized as a business opportunity: a natural ability to listen, uncover what was creating chaos behind the scenes, and turn everything living in someone's head into clear, repeatable processes.

That one client changed the direction of Hannah's business.

In this episode of DunnWise Perspectives, Hannah and I talk about burnout, the courage to pivot, why trying something and deciding it isn't right isn't failure, and the importance of creating enough space to recognize what you're truly good at.

We also talk about the power of genuine connection and Hannah's commitment to celebrating and supporting the people she meets.

Hannah Rawiszer is the founder of Helping Hannah Professional Services, where she helps business owners reduce the mental clutter of running a business by moving the knowledge, processes, and client experiences living in their heads into visible, repeatable structures.

Her signature service, the Client Journey Accelerator, helps business owners document and strengthen the way they serve clients so their businesses don't have to run on memory.

Hannah is also Head of Operations and Chief Concierge for Fem Foundry, a community that connects business owners with women experts who can help them grow.

In This Episode

• How Hannah went from one employer to feeling like she had six
• Why the business she originally created led to burnout instead of freedom
• The decision to move back to Florida, reset, and reconsider entrepreneurship
• How an unexpected connection led to the client who changed everything
• Why that client told Hannah, "You have to sell this"
• Recognizing that your greatest value may be something you've been doing naturally for years
• Why getting everything out of your head can make your business more sustainable
• The importance of creating space when you don't know what comes next
• Why a pivot that doesn't work isn't necessarily a failure
• Hannah's wonderfully short-lived plan to become a HoneyBook expert
• How genuine networking and relationships have shaped Hannah's business
• Why Hannah makes a point of publicly celebrating the people she meets

About Hannah:

Dr. Hannah Rawiszer is a Client Journey Strategist and founder of Helping Hannah Professional Services. She helps service-based business owners transform the invisible knowledge living in their heads into visible structure by defining and documenting how clients move through their business. Through her signature Client Journey Accelerator™, Hannah helps business owners reduce mental clutter, create more consistent client experiences, and build businesses that don’t depend on their memory. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience in education, nonprofit leadership, and operations, Hannah brings a calm, collaborative approach to helping business owners create the clarity and structure they need to grow sustainably.

Connect with Hannah

• Website: https://helpinghannahpro.com
• 5-day email course: Systems That Scale Plan
• Fem Foundry: https://femfoundry.com/
• LinkedIn: Hannah Rawiszer, Ph.D. | LinkedIn

Connect with Doris

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.dunnwise.com
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/doris-dunn
• Schedule a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/dunnwise-consulting/30min_discovery_call

Want to Be a Guest?

Have a story of resilience, reinvention, or overcoming a challenge? I’d love to hear from you.

👉 Submit your story here: https://forms.gle/gJWpVcsZ5wTwfAgSA

Episode Summary

Many of us have never stopped to think about the cost of diapers, or what happens when a parent simply can't afford them.

In this episode of DunnWise Perspectives, Doris Dunn sits down with Brandi Jack, CEO of Nashville Diaper Connection, to discuss her remarkable journey from growing up in a financially struggling family to leading one of Middle Tennessee's fastest-growing nonprofits.

Brandi shares what it was like raising two young boys as a single mother, working multiple jobs, and facing impossible financial decisions, including the emotional story of buying two Lunchables when every dollar mattered. She also explains how a devastating tornado destroyed the business she had moved to Nashville to build, only to open the unexpected door that led her to Nashville Diaper Connection.

Today, Brandi leads an organization serving families in 32 counties with an ambitious goal of distributing five million diapers this year while expanding service throughout Middle Tennessee.

This conversation is about far more than diapers. It's about dignity, resilience, leadership, and how one person's hardest seasons can become the foundation for helping thousands of others.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Brandi's childhood growing up in rural Washington and the lessons she learned from financial hardship.
• Why the "Lunchables story" still impacts her today.
• How becoming a single mother shaped her perspective on poverty.
• The business she launched after moving to Nashville and how the 2020 tornado changed everything.
• Why volunteering at Nashville Diaper Connection became an unexpected career.
• How the organization grew from distributing diapers out of a garage to serving 32 Middle Tennessee counties.
• Why diaper insecurity is a hidden crisis affecting working families every day.
• Innovative programs like Diapers for Diplomas, helping parenting students stay in college.
• The importance of removing barriers so families can thrive.
• How listeners can support Nashville Diaper Connection through donations, volunteering, and community partnerships.

Connect with Brandi

• LinkedIn:Brandi Jack | LinkedIn
• Website: https://nashvillediaperconnection.org

Connect with Doris

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.dunnwise.com
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/doris-dunn
• Schedule a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/dunnwise-consulting/30min_discovery_call

Want to Be a Guest?

Have a story of resilience, reinvention, or overcoming a challenge? I’d love to hear from you.

👉 Submit your story here: https://forms.gle/gJWpVcsZ5wTwfAgSA

Episode Summary

A snowboarding accident. A prescription for pain medication. An addiction that quietly took over eight years of Kristina Pollard's life.

On this episode of DunnWise Perspectives, Kristina shares the deeply personal journey that led her from doctor shopping, arrests, and isolation in a jail cell to a life filled with purpose, faith, and service to others. Her story reminds us that addiction rarely begins with a single bad decision—it often starts with pain, trauma, and unhealthy ways of coping.

Kristina opens up about growing up in a broken home, feeling like the "black sheep," and how childhood experiences shaped the choices she made later in life. She describes the moment she reached rock bottom, the unexpected turning point that led her into a 13-month faith-based recovery program, and how surrender—not willpower—became the foundation for lasting change.

Today, Kristina is building a new chapter, helping others through her own business while encouraging people to seek hope before they reach their own rock bottom.

Whether you have personally struggled with addiction, love someone who has, or simply need a reminder that transformation is possible, this conversation is filled with honesty, compassion, and hope.

In This Episode

• How a snowboarding injury led to opioid addiction
• Growing up in a home marked by divorce, loss, and alcoholism
• Why addiction is often a symptom of something deeper
• The dangers of shame, secrecy, and isolation
• Hitting rock bottom after an arrest and three days alone in jail
• The faith-based recovery program that changed her life
• What recovery taught her about surrender, community, and identity
• The difference between enabling someone and truly helping them
• Why helping others became an essential part of her own healing
• Building a life of purpose after addiction

Memorable Quotes

• "I thought changing my geography would solve my problems. My addiction followed me."
• "When you stop focusing on yourself and start helping someone else, it changes your heart posture."
• "There is hope. You don't have to wait until rock bottom."
• "If you find yourself hiding pieces of your life from the people who love you, that may be the sign that it's time to tell on yourself."

Connect with Kristina

• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn: Kristina Pollard | LinkedIn
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krispo24?utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristina.pollard.5?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Connect with Doris

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.dunnwise.com
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/doris-dunn
• Schedule a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/dunnwise-consulting/30min_discovery_call

Want to Be a Guest?

Have a story of resilience, reinvention, or overcoming a challenge? I’d love to hear from you.

👉 Submit your story here: https://forms.gle/gJWpVcsZ5wTwfAgSA

Episode Summary

What if the greatest challenge facing our world isn't a lack of success, but a lack of connection?

In this episode of DunnWise Perspectives, Doris Dunn sits down with entrepreneur, leadership coach, and Southern Whiskey Society owner Tiny Irwin to explore how a childhood marked by financial hardship shaped a life devoted to building community.

From delivering newspapers and selling candy to afford school clothes to leading a 95-year-old family business through a complete cultural transformation, Tiny shares the lessons that have guided his journey. Rather than leading from an office, he earned trust by listening, serving alongside employees, and making people feel seen.

Today, his mission extends far beyond business. Whether he's coaching executives or hosting whiskey events, Tiny believes every meaningful conversation has the power to combat one of today's greatest challenges: isolation and loneliness.

You'll discover why whiskey is simply the excuse and why authentic relationships are the real purpose.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How childhood adversity can become a foundation for resilience.
• Why empathy is one of the most powerful leadership skills.
• How trust is built through consistency, humility, and listening.
• The leadership practices that transformed a struggling company.
• Why intentional conversations matter more than ever.
• How Tiny's mission evolved into helping people overcome isolation and loneliness.
• The surprising role whiskey, food, and cigars play in creating meaningful community.

Whether you're a leader, entrepreneur, or simply someone looking for deeper connection, this conversation offers practical wisdom and heartfelt reminders that none of us were meant to do life alone.

Guest Bio

Tiny Irwin is an entrepreneur, leadership coach, and the owner of the Southern Whiskey Society. After leading a 95-year-old beer distributorship through a remarkable cultural transformation, he now coaches business owners and executives while helping organizations build healthier cultures rooted in trust, empathy, and accountability.

Through the Southern Whiskey Society, Tiny has created far more than a whiskey event. His mission is to bring people together through intentional experiences that spark meaningful conversations and combat the growing epidemic of isolation and loneliness.

Connect with Tiny

• Email: [email protected]
• Coaching Website: Tiny Irwin
• Whiskey Website: https://southernwhiskeysociety.com/
• LinkedIn: Tiny Irwin | LinkedIn

Connect with Doris

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.dunnwise.com
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/doris-dunn
• Schedule a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/dunnwise-consulting/30min_discovery_call

Want to Be a Guest?

Have a story of resilience, reinvention, or overcoming a challenge? I’d love to hear from you.

👉 Submit your story here: https://forms.gle/gJWpVcsZ5wTwfAgSA

Episode Summary

This episode explores a different perspective on resilience—one that begins with the relationship we have with ourselves.

Relationship coach Danielle Lee Darling believes that many of the patterns we experience in our relationships are rooted in old beliefs, past experiences, and habits we may not even realize we're carrying. Through what she calls self-sovereignty, Danielle helps women recognize unhealthy relationship patterns, reconnect with themselves, and build healthier, more intentional relationships.

This conversation offers a thoughtful perspective on self-awareness, emotional healing, communication, and the patterns that shape our relationships.

In This Episode

• What it means to become "self-sovereign"
• Why we often repeat unhealthy relationship patterns
• The four relationship archetypes Danielle sees most often
• Creating a list of qualities that truly matter in a partner
• Why calm may be healthier than butterflies
• Listening to what your body is trying to tell you
• The role of inner child work and emotional awareness
• How understanding yourself can strengthen every relationship—including friendships, family, work, and business
• Danielle's upcoming Soul Sovereign Love Academy

Whether you're navigating a new relationship, strengthening a long-term partnership, or simply interested in understanding yourself better, this episode offers practical ideas for becoming more intentional in the relationships that shape your life.

Books mentioned

• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
• It Didn't Start With You by Mark Wolynn

Connect with Danielle

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: Https://danielleleedarling.com/sovereign-love-academy
• Love Pattern Quiz: https://danielleleedarling.com/lovequiz
• LinkedIn: Danielle Lee Darling | LinkedIn

Connect with Doris

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.dunnwise.com
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/doris-dunn
• Schedule a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/dunnwise-consulting/30min_discovery_call

Want to Be a Guest?

Have a story of resilience, reinvention, or overcoming a challenge? I’d love to hear from you.

👉 Submit your story here: https://forms.gle/gJWpVcsZ5wTwfAgSA