My Inner Mind

By halliegracehmEducation Self-Improvement

My Inner Mind episodes

June 23 The Other Side of Adoption
Adoption isn’t always the fairy tale we make it out to be. In this episode I’m closing out the adoption conversation – for now – by getting honest about the parts people don’t talk about. The kids who get returned. The homes that are worse than where they came from. The 15,000 children who age out of foster care every year with no family, no home, and nowhere to go.

I’m sharing some hard stats, a story that has stayed with me since high school, and what it really feels like to be pushed into a life you didn’t choose. This one is heavy but it needed to be said. And if you’ve lived any part of this story – as an adoptee, a foster kid, or someone who loves one – I see you.

💜 Resources mentioned: Second Shift Birmingham (secondshiftbirmingham.org)
20 min
June 16 Being Other: My Story on Adoption, Race, and Never Fitting the Mold
This week I’m going deeper into my adoption story, specifically what it felt like growing up biracial in a blended family where I never quite fit one box. I talk about being homeschooled, being a preacher’s kid, having a stutter, and constantly being asked “but who are your real parents.” I share some hard memories, including being asked to leave rooms so others could tell racist jokes, and a painful moment on a mission trip where I finally felt like I belonged. This episode is raw, it’s personal, and it’s about what it means to stay true to yourself even when you spend your whole life being told you don’t fit anywhere. Sisters, if you’ve ever felt like the chameleon in the room, this one’s for you.
Show Notes:
In this episode I talk about:
• Growing up adopted, biracial, homeschooled, and a preacher’s kid
• Being told “that’s not your real family” as a child
• Switching between social groups just to feel like I belonged
• A painful memory from church and from a mission trip
• What my siblings taught me about never changing who I am to fit in
• Why being “other” actually became a gift
Follow along @mysistersclosetpod
Check out My Inner Mind at myinnermind.halliewho.com 💜
18 min
June 09 My Adoption Story
Hallie opens her closet — literally — and shares something she’s never fully talked about on the podcast before. Her adoption story.
She was three months old when she joined the Hootin household, the fourth of what would eventually be eight kids — none of them biological siblings, none of them looking alike, all of them family. She talks about growing up biracial in a predominantly white Christian home, the questions strangers asked out loud, the disorienting moments of not fitting in anywhere, and why she’s always known she was different — and been okay with that.
This one is warm, funny in places, and deeply personal.
In this episode:
— Being adopted at three months old and what her parents always told her
— Growing up as the fourth of eight kids with every kind of background and story
— The questions strangers asked — and still ask — about her real family
— What it felt like to be other in every room she walked into
— Her brother with fetal alcohol syndrome and what that meant for the family
— The Cheetah Girls, sorority sisters, and what it means to be proud of where you came from
— Why her dad’s words to the caseworker still mean everything to her
16 min
June 02 Silence is the Call for Help
Hallie came straight from Pilates with a 20-year friend and left with a reminder she needed to share. Her friend had gone quiet — not because things were fine, but because she didn’t want to be a burden. And Hallie had something to say about that.
This episode is about what happens when we shut ourselves off from the people who love us, why silence isn’t protection, and what it actually means to show up for each other in sisterhood.
She also gets personal about a tattoo on her arm, a traumatic season in college, and the friend who showed up for her then — and how she got to return the favor tonight.
In this episode:
— Why not sharing your struggles hurts the people around you too
— The difference between burdening someone and trusting them
— Share, hold, replenish — the three things Hallie came home thinking about
— A story about a tattoo, a hard season, and a friendship that survived it
— Why checking on your quiet friends matters more than you think
16 min
May 26 The Refreshing Period (A Follow Up)
A quick but important follow up. Hallie clarifies what the refreshing period actually means in practice — giving each other space to grow, room for misunderstandings to become understanding, and choosing to experience joy together instead of holding onto pain.

She also shares a personal story about learning something shocking about someone she considers a sister, and how they chose to move forward anyway.

Short, clarifying, and worth the listen. The full arc — react, reflect, repair, refresh — ends here.

Mentioned across the series:
— 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Wiest
— The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
6 min
May 19 The Refreshing Period & What Sisterhood Really Means
After the reaction, the reflection, and the repair — what comes next? Hallie picks up right where she left off and finally gets to the part she didn't have time to cover: the refreshing period. What it actually looks like to start from a clean slate, give people space, and show up differently going forward.

She also gets personal about sisterhood — what it means to her as one of four adopted daughters in a family of eight siblings, and why the relationships she's fought hardest to keep are the ones that have shaped her most.

This one is tender. And it sticks the landing on the arc.

In this episode:
— What the refreshing period actually requires from you
— How repressed memories showed up mid-conversation and changed everything
— Why trauma doesn't just affect you — it affects everyone around you
— What sisterhood looks like when it's been tested and survived
— Forgive but don't forget — and why that's actually healthy
— Why you have to say the hard things out loud
— Sitting with people in pain vs. standing with them in joy

Mentioned: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
17 min
May 12 What's Actually Motivating You
If the first two episodes cracked something open, this one asks what you're going to do with it. Hallie digs into a chapter from 101 Essays about intrinsic motivation — what it means to be driven from the inside out instead of chasing external validation.

She gets personal about the gap between who she thought she'd become and what she's building now, and why it finally feels right.

In this episode:
— Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation and why it matters
— The detour Hallie took from her original vision
— Why meaning is something you assign, not something you find
— A peek at the journaling and community app she's building

Mentioned: 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Wiest

For anyone who wants to connect further, here’s where to find me! 💜
🌐 Everything: halliewho.com
🎙️ Podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3j1tgy99SsRAI7jT7Lfjmf?si=MatAr010TmKWF81GfLSIIQ
🧠 Wellness app:
https://myinnermind.halliewho.com/
📓 Digital shop:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Innershelfstudio
🎀 Podcast IG:
https://www.instagram.com/mysistersclosetpod?igsh=NGJ4c3BlZnhzMzdy&utm_source=qr
💜 Personal IG:
https://www.instagram.com/halliiegrace?igsh=ZmQxMW0wcmtyYXd2&utm_source=qr
So happy to be connecting with you all!
12 min
May 05 Feeling triggered? And need to fix it ?

So what happens when you know better but still don’t do better? Hallie had a moment last week that put her own advice to the test — and she didn’t pass. This episode is about what she did next.
In this episode:
— What she was feeling in the moment and why
— Why devil’s advocate has its limits
— The difference between an apology that changes things and one that doesn’t
— What the repair actually looked like

CONNECT WITH HALLIE 📸 @mysistersclosetpod on Instagram 🧠 My Inner Mind App — myinnermind.halliewho.com
13 min
April 28 It Starts Inside | Reflection, Wellness & Sisterhood
Hallies check-in. She's been reading 101 Essays and the chapter on Zen, flow states, and creativity stopped her in her tracks — because it connects directly to everything she's building with My Inner Mind.

She also shares that a follower reached out wanting to learn more about the foundations of sisterhood, and Hallie gets real about what that actually requires — including a disagreement with her own sisters that she's still working through.

Short, unfiltered, and straight from the heart
For anyone who wants to connect further, here’s where to find me! 💜
🌐 Everything: halliewho.com
🎙️ Podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3j1tgy99SsRAI7jT7Lfjmf?si=MatAr010TmKWF81GfLSIIQ
🧠 Wellness app:
https://myinnermind.halliewho.com/
📓 Digital shop:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Innershelfstudio
🎀 Podcast IG:
https://www.instagram.com/mysistersclosetpod?igsh=NGJ4c3BlZnhzMzdy&utm_source=qr
💜 Personal IG:
https://www.instagram.com/halliiegrace?igsh=ZmQxMW0wcmtyYXd2&utm_source=qr
So happy to be connecting with you all!

11 min
April 20 The Sunday Slow Down
Sunday is for Slowing Down
Hallie had 20 free minutes on a Sunday and did what she always does — created something. But this episode is actually about the opposite of that. It’s about stopping. Resting. Filling yourself back up before you have nothing left to give.
She shares her simple big three for slowing down when life won’t stop moving — one sentence in your journal, five minutes of stretching, and a shower. That’s it. No excuses.
She also teases her upcoming Set It Down Saturdays event and gets real about the trash bin — when it’s full, you can’t take any more. You have to set it down first.
In this episode:
— Why slowing down feels impossible when you’re a builder
— The big three: journal, stretch, shower — 30 minutes or less
— Finding joy in the things you’ve labeled as chores
— You can’t pour into others when you’re empty
— A sneak peek at Set It Down Saturdays — May 30
Mentioned: My Inner Mind app — myinnermind.halliewho.com
12 min

About My Inner Mind

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My Inner Mind is a space for honest conversations about life, growth, relationships, healing, community, and everything we carry along the way.

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My Inner Mind

My Inner Mind episodes

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