Heather's Soul Talks

Back in the '80s, bullying wasn’t a buzzword.
It was just... childhood.
No hashtags. No school assemblies. No adults asking questions.

And for seven relentless years, I was his target.

I was tall. Big. Loud. An Amazon child in a sea of Barbie dolls.
He was mean. Clever. Committed.
He turned school into a war zone.

Every bus ride.
Every hallway.
Every insult—fired like clockwork.

And just when I thought I had fought back hard enough to make it stop?
He leveled up—with help from his dad.

But this isn’t a story about the bully.
This is a story about my mom.

Because one night, after years of stuffing down the shame and believing every word he said, I finally cracked open and told her:
“I’m worthless. I’ll never be anything. Because I’m fat.”

She didn’t flinch.
She looked me straight in the eye and said:
“It’s not true.”

Then she told me my story.
How I wasn’t supposed to exist.
How doctors told her she’d never have a child.
How I came into this world two weeks late, 10 pounds 4 ounces of pure defiance.

“You are a miracle,” she said.
“You are here on purpose. That boy is wrong.”

And just like that, she handed me a shield.
One I’d carry for life.

He didn’t stop bullying me. But I stopped believing him.
Every insult was met with a quiet inner echo:
I am a miracle. I am worthy. I matter.

Years later, I found his Facebook.
You’ll never guess who he married.
(Okay, maybe you will. And yes, it’s wildly ironic.)

💫 This story is for anyone who’s ever felt too big, too small, too different, or too broken to belong.
🛡️ It’s for the daughters who carry their mother’s truth when the world tries to rewrite them.
🩷 And it’s for you—if you’ve ever needed one sentence to change your whole trajectory.

Because bullies don’t get to define us.
Love does.

✨ Two new Soul Talks drop weekly—in written, animated, and podcast form.
🌀 No coincidence you’re here. This story was waiting for you.

One conversation changed my life.
Maybe this one will change yours too.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heathercriswell.substack.com

🎧 Hospitals, Heartbreak, and the Conversation I Never Wanted to Have

What do you do when your dad—your real-life superhero—starts disappearing by inches?

First his eyes. Then his heart. Then his leg.
Diabetes was relentless. And the man who once raced Corvettes and played poker with fire in his eyes? He was now in a hospital bed, silent, still, trapped inside a body that kept betraying him.

I didn’t want to believe what was happening.
But the whisper came anyway:
“It’s time to have the conversation.”

This is the story of the day I finally said what no daughter wants to say:
“You can go now. I love you. I’ll be okay.”

It’s raw. It’s real.
It’s the moment I gave my dad permission to be free.

And just when I thought he was too far gone to hear me…
he curled his fingers around mine
and cried.

💔 This is a story about letting go.
💬 About sacred whispers in ICU rooms.
🕊️ About how sometimes the bravest love is the one that says: “You don’t have to stay for me.”

Whether you're walking through grief, sitting with someone you love, or holding tight to something that needs releasing—this episode is for you.

Because one conversation changed everything.
Maybe it will for you, too.

✨ Two new Soul Talks drop weekly—in written, animated, and podcast form.
No coincidence you’re here. This story was waiting for you.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heathercriswell.substack.com

Welcome to Heather’s Soul Talks

You didn’t land here by accident.
Something brought you. A whisper. A nudge. A “Wait—what is this?” moment.

This is Episode 0 of Heather’s Soul Talks—the beginning of a storytelling space where one sentence can flip a switch in your soul. If you’ve been craving something real, raw, and quietly magical, you just found it.

In this kickoff episode, Heather lays it all out:
💫 Why she started Soul Talks
💫 What to expect each week (spoiler: short, true stories that heal, reveal, and remind)
💫 And why these aren’t just stories—they’re soul transmissions

You’ll hear about parenting and grief, weird signs from the other side, heartbreak, hilarity, and the big ah-ha’s that find you in Target parking lots when you're not even looking.

If your life feels heavy, if you’re holding too much, if you’ve lost someone or lost your way, this podcast is here to offer one thing:
Hope.
Wrapped in a story.
Told straight from the heart.

Because one conversation changed Heather’s life.
Maybe this one will change yours too.

✨ Two new Soul Talks drop weekly—in written, animated, and podcast form.
🌎 You can read, watch, or listen—whatever way you love to receive, the story will meet you there.

🪄 No coincidence you’re here.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit heathercriswell.substack.com