Episode: Soft in a World That Tries to Harden Me (with Shadé Bell aka Shady the Art Lady)

In this episode of Finder and Keeper, I sit down with the talented painter and writer Shadé Bell, also known as Shady the Art Lady. Based in Washington, DC, Shadé’s work dives deep into healing, identity, and transformation — and today, we’re talking about what it means to stay soft in a world that often pressures us to harden.

Together, we explore the beauty and challenge of holding onto gentleness, creativity, and truth, even when life tries to toughen us up. Shadé shares her journey as an artist, how her work captures resilience and vulnerability, and the ways softness can actually be a source of power.

Follow Shadé on Instagram: @shadytheartlady

https://shadytheartlady.myshopify.com/

https://www.instagram.com/shadytheartlady/

Online, the “soft life” looks like matcha mornings, clean linen, and picture-perfect peace. But real softness isn’t curated for a feed, it’s lived.

In this episode I talk about what softness has actually meant in my life: choosing rest when I feel the urge to prove myself, setting boundaries that protect my peace, and walking away from things that no longer feel like home.

Softness isn’t passive. It’s powerful. It’s the courage to live gently, even when the world expects you to hustle, grind, and harden.

Listen in for:

• ​Why the soft life is more than an aesthetic trend
• ​The difference between performing peace and practicing it
• ​How to define and embody softness in your own life

Follow along for honest conversations on growth, healing, and becoming her again.

We don’t always expect grief to show up in healing. But the truth is, becoming her again often means saying goodbye: to old versions of ourselves, to people we thought would always be in our lives, and to seasons that no longer fit.

In this episode of FINDER AND KEEPER, I talk about the grief that comes with growth — the bittersweet feeling of letting go, even when it’s the right thing. Because grief isn’t the opposite of healing. It’s a part of it.

⸻

Listen in for:

• ​ The grief of outgrowing old versions of yourself
• ​ The quiet heartbreak of releasing people and spaces you’ve outgrown
• ​ How to hold grief and growth together without shame

⸻

✨ New episodes every Tuesday.

Follow along for honest conversations on growth, healing, and becoming her again.

After a pause, a shift, and a lot of quiet, FINDER AND KEEPER is back. But this isn’t a comeback to noise…it’s a return to self.

In this first episode, I share why I stepped away, what I’ve been learning, and how I’m showing up now — softer, stronger, and more sure of myself. This isn’t about having it all figured out. It’s about speaking from the middle of the journey and letting things unfold.

If you’ve ever felt the need to start over, not to prove yourself, but to find yourself…this one’s for you.

Listen in for:

• The truth about why I paused the podcast

• What healing has looked like behind the scenes

• Why your comeback doesn’t have to be loud to be real

✨ New episodes ever Tuesday.

Follow along for honest conversations on growth, healing, and becoming her again.