No One Is Normal

There’s a quiet kind of damage that happens when no one ever tells me, “I believe in you.”
No big speech. No defining moment. No one pulling me aside and saying I was capable of more. And after a while, I stopped looking for it. I settled. I played my role. I told myself this was just how life worked.

In this episode of No One Is Normal, I talk about what changed when I realized belief was never going to arrive from the outside. I share how I went from drifting without direction to setting real goals, why being publicly doubted could have defined me if I let it, and how self-belief is not something I felt first. It was something I built through action.

I also get honest about the internal damage of staying small, the risk of climbing ladders that were never mine to begin with, and what happens when I finally decide to trust my own voice more than everyone else’s opinion. This is about backing myself before the results show up. This is about choosing a direction even when confidence feels shaky.

Because the hard truth and the freeing truth are the same:
No one was coming to believe in me… so I had to start believing in myself.

🔗 More from me:

🎙️ Podcast & episodes:
https://www.bradhhill.com/podcast

📖 Book (Print + Kindle):
https://a.co/d/016Dh1eB

🎧 Audiobook:
https://www.audible.com/pd/No-One-Is-Normal-Breaking-Free-from-Normal-Audiobook/B0GJFWBSBZ

👕 Wear the message:
https://www.bradhhill.com/merch

Some changes arrive slowly, but alter everything.

In this episode of No One Is Normal, Brad sits down with Laura Bratton to discuss her journey of losing her sight as a teenager and how that gradual change reshaped not only her world, but her understanding of herself.

Laura shares what it was like to move through denial and grief while the world around her continued operating as usual. She speaks openly about learning Braille and Spanish Braille, navigating anxiety, and adapting to a world built for sight. Rather than framing her story as one of “overcoming blindness,” Laura redefines resilience as a daily choice — one rooted in self-compassion, validation of emotions, and small acts of courage.

She reflects on becoming the first blind student to complete the Master of Divinity program at Princeton, not as a moment of achievement alone, but as an exercise in self-trust and redefining what was possible.

This conversation explores gratitude not as forced positivity, but as perspective. Courage not as a one-time decision, but as something practiced repeatedly. And change not as something to conquer, but something to navigate with honesty.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Gradual vision loss and the grieving process

• Adapting to a sighted world

• Learning Braille and Spanish Braille

• Anxiety and non-linear healing

• The difference between acceptance and peace

• Self-compassion as a resilience tool

• Becoming the first blind MDiv graduate at Princeton

• Daily courage versus one-time bravery

• The role of community and spirituality in growth

• Trusting your inherent worth during rapid change

If this episode resonates, it may be because change rarely asks for permission. It asks for presence. And sometimes the most powerful shift is remembering that worth was never dependent on circumstances in the first place.

🌐 Learn more about Laura’s work:
👉 https://laurabratton.com

🔗 More from me:

🎙️ Podcast & episodes:
https://www.bradhhill.com/podcast

📖 Book (Print + Kindle):
https://a.co/d/016Dh1eB

🎧 Audiobook:
https://www.audible.com/pd/No-One-Is-Normal-Breaking-Free-from-Normal-Audiobook/B0GJFWBSBZ

👕 Wear the message:
https://www.bradhhill.com/merch

There’s a brutal truth that took me way too long to accept.

No one is coming to live my life for me.

Not a boss. Not a mentor. Not a partner. Not the “right opportunity.” Not the perfect timing. And the longer I waited for someone else to step in and make things easier, the longer I stayed stuck.

In this episode of No One Is Normal, I talk about the moment everything shifted. The moment I stopped hoping someone would rescue me and realized I had to take ownership of my habits, my health, my career, my choices, and my future.

I also get real about what happens when loyalty doesn’t come back, when people sabotage behind closed doors, and when waiting quietly turns into learned helplessness. This is about taking the wheel back, even when motivation is gone, even when life feels unfair, and even when the road ahead still sucks.

Because the hard truth and the hopeful truth are the same:

No one will do it for me… but that means I don’t have to wait anymore.

🔗 More from me:

🎙️ Podcast & episodes:
https://www.bradhhill.com/podcast

📖 Book (Print + Kindle):
https://a.co/d/016Dh1eB

🎧 Audiobook:
https://www.audible.com/pd/No-One-Is-Normal-Breaking-Free-from-Normal-Audiobook/B0GJFWBSBZ

👕 Wear the message:
https://www.bradhhill.com/merch

Starting over doesn’t always happen once. Sometimes ithappens again and again, across countries, careers, health challenges, and identity shifts.
In this episode, Brad sits down with Zulma Williams, a licensed clinical social worker known as The Swearing Therapist, to talk about reinvention, discipline, and what real mental health work looks like when life doesn’t follow a traditional timeline. Zulma shares her journey from Argentina to the United States, returning to school later in life, navigating breast cancer, and ultimately redesigning her life to live by the ocean in Panama.
This conversation explores anxiety, depression, grief, and self-talk through a grounded, human lens. Zulma explains how discipline can matter more than motivation, why mindset shapes healing, and how staying present can change theway people relate to pain, fear, and uncertainty. The discussion also touches on creativity, therapy, and the courage it takes to keep moving forward without pretending things are easy.
This episode is for anyone who feels behind, overwhelmed, or unsure how to move forward and needs a reminder that growth doesn’t require perfection, just honesty and persistence.

Zulma Beatriz Williams is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker,breast cancer survivor, podcaster, and founder of Dragonfly Therapy Services. She specializes in trauma, anxiety, and depression, and is known for her direct, real-world approach to mental health.
🔗 Learn more about Zulma’s work:

Email: [email protected]Website: https://www.dragonflytherapyservices.netIG: https://www.instagram.com/theswearingtherapist/Podcast: https://feed.pod.co/get-real-with-zulmaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/DragonflyTSLV/You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/@theswearingtherapistLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zulma-williams-ab7609214/

🔗 More from me:

🎙️ Podcast & episodes:
https://www.bradhhill.com/podcast

📖 Book (Print + Kindle):
https://a.co/d/016Dh1eB

🎧 Audiobook:
https://www.audible.com/pd/No-One-Is-Normal-Breaking-Free-from-Normal-Audiobook/B0GJFWBSBZ

👕 Wear the message:
https://www.bradhhill.com/merch

Change looks great on paper… until real life shows up and lights the whole plan on fire.

In this episode of No One Is Normal, I’m talking about what change actually feels like when the honeymoon wears off. The kind of change that’s supposed to be a step up. More money. Better balance. A smarter move. And then the reality hits: burnout, anxiety, regret, and that sinking feeling of “what the hell did I just do?”

I share the behind-the-scenes truth of a career move that looked perfect from the outside, but almost broke me once I got inside. Not just the financial fallout, but the emotional side. The shame. The sleepless nights. The identity shake-up. The moment I realized I had to admit I got it wrong and adapt fast.

This episode is for anyone in the messy middle of change right now, where nothing feels stable and you’re rebuilding in real time. Because sometimes change isn’t growth at first. Sometimes it’s grief. And sometimes adapting isn’t inspirational. It’s survival.

🔗 More from me:

🎙️ Podcast & episodes:
https://www.bradhhill.com/podcast

📖 Book (Print + Kindle):
https://a.co/d/016Dh1eB

🎧 Audiobook:
https://www.audible.com/pd/No-One-Is-Normal-Breaking-Free-from-Normal-Audiobook/B0GJFWBSBZ

👕 Wear the message:
https://www.bradhhill.com/merch

In this episode, I sit down with Hilary Momberger Powers, a womanwith an unbelievable story of transformation, recovery, and deep emotionalhealing. Hilary began her career at only five years old, landing the role of SallyBrown in the Charlie Brown cartoons and working alongside legends like CharlesSchulz. But early fame came with pressure, fear, and a painful realitybehind the scenes that shaped how she saw herself for years.

We talk about how people pleasing becomes survival, howoverachieving can become a form of pain management, and why addiction is oftenthe symptom of something deeper that has been avoided for too long. Hilaryshares what it truly means to hit rock bottom, why surrender can become thefoundation for a new life, and how healing requires more than motivation. Itrequires honesty, support, and a willingness to face what has been buried.

One of the most powerful moments in this conversation is Hilary’smetaphor of cleaning out the emotional refrigerator. That place whereold pain sits and rots in the dark until it affects everything else. Thisepisode is about opening that door, doing the work, and finally letting thepast release its grip.

We also talk about the power of service, the necessity of community,and why real recovery is not about chasing recognition. It is about findingfreedom.

If you’ve ever felt trapped in old patterns, stuck in self-doubt, orexhausted from trying to hold it together, this episode will hit home.

🔥 In this episode, we cover:

- Childhood fame and the cost of being a “meal ticket”

- Why fear creates a false version of who we are

- “Moving targets don’t get hit” and the overachiever trap

- Addiction, rock bottom, and what surrender really means

- Cleaning out the emotional refrigerator instead of buying a new one

- Service, gratitude, and recovery that actually lasts

- Why healing requires community and support

🔗 Connect with Hilary:

Hilary’s work, coaching, and resources:

Website: www.hilarymombergerpowers.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hilarymombergerpowers/

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hilary.momberger

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilary-momberger-powers-078a604/

🔗 More from me:

🎙️ Podcast & episodes:
https://www.bradhhill.com/podcast

📖 Book (Print + Kindle):
https://a.co/d/016Dh1eB

🎧 Audiobook:
https://www.audible.com/pd/No-One-Is-Normal-Breaking-Free-from-Normal-Audiobook/B0GJFWBSBZ

👕 Wear the message:
https://www.bradhhill.com/merch

🏆 2026 Signal Awards Finalist — Best Writing, Individual Episodes

Vote for “Relapsed: How Easy It Creeps Back In” in the Signal Awards Listener’s Choice:
https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/craft/best-writing

Relapse is one of those words people whisper, like it is a confession. It gets treated like proof you failed, like it cancels every ounce of progress you made. But the truth is, relapse is often not the end of the story. It is information. It is a warning light. It is a moment where something got heavier than the tools you had in your hands.

In this episode, I tell the truth about my own relapse while writing No One Is Normal. Not as a dramatic breakdown, but as the quiet kind that sneaks in through stress, fear, and isolation. One small decision that looked manageable, until it wasn’t. Because for me, alcohol is not something I can “control.” I don’t have a dimmer switch. I have an on and off switch.

We talk about how relapse really starts long before the bottle. It starts in the silence. It starts when I stop talking, stop admitting I’m scared, and start carrying everything alone like that is strength. This episode is about what it feels like to fall back into it, how fast the body remembers, how shame tries to take the wheel, and what it took to fight my way back out.

If relapse is part of your story, I want you to hear this clearly. You are not worthless. You are not hopeless. You are not alone. The story depends on what you do next.

🔗 More from me:

🎙️ Podcast & episodes:
https://www.bradhhill.com/podcast

📖 Book (Print + Kindle):
https://a.co/d/016Dh1eB

🎧 Audiobook:
https://www.audible.com/pd/No-One-Is-Normal-Breaking-Free-from-Normal-Audiobook/B0GJFWBSBZ

👕 Wear the message:
https://www.bradhhill.com/merch

Some changes start with urgency. Others begin with quiet resolve.

Stanley Bronstein’s story didn’t hinge on one dramatic moment. It unfolded through years of learning what works, what fades, and what it actually takes to build a life that stays healthy long after motivation disappears.

In this conversation, Stanley opens up about the cycle so many people know too well. You lock in for a while, you lose weight, you feel better, and then life hits. Old habits come back. The structure disappears. The progress slips away. Not because you are weak, but because temporary effort can’t compete with permanent systems.

We talk about what it means to stop chasing short bursts of discipline and start building routines that can actually be lived inside of. How walking became a foundation. How simplifying food choices created stability. How the mindset shift from “trying to get results” to “beating yesterday” makes real transformation possible.

This is not a story about perfection. It is about consistency. It is about progress without punishment. And it is about learning how to keep going even when the excitement wears off.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in the repeat cycle of starting over, this episode is for you.

How to find more about Stanley Bronstein:
Website is TheWayOfExcellence.com

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@thewayofexcellence

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanleybronstein/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/wayofexcellence/?sorting_setting=CHRONOLOGICAL

🔗 More from me:

🎙️ Podcast & episodes:
https://www.bradhhill.com/podcast

📖 Book (Print + Kindle):
https://a.co/d/016Dh1eB

🎧 Audiobook:
https://www.audible.com/pd/No-One-Is-Normal-Breaking-Free-from-Normal-Audiobook/B0GJFWBSBZ

👕 Wear the message:
https://www.bradhhill.com/merch

There’s an old saying that excuses are like assholes and everyone has one. I am not here to beat anyone up for having them. I am here to be honest about what it cost me when excuses stopped being occasional and started becoming my default setting.

For a long time, I did not just make excuses. I collected them. I polished them. I built whole stories around them. They were armor when I felt insecure, and a shield when I was afraid to try. The problem was not that I owed the world an explanation. The problem was that I had a built-in excuse for every failure before I even started.

I used excuses in the big arenas that shape an actual life. Alcohol. Health. Career. Any time change felt hard or vulnerable, I reached for lines that sounded reasonable, but kept me circling the same drain for years.

Then I walk through the shift that finally started changing things. Quitting smoking was a turning point because I stopped treating change like a vague wish and started treating it like a project. A real quit date. Triggers. Environment. The unglamorous structure that makes follow-through possible when motivation dies.

We also zoom out into the psychology of excuses. Self-handicapping. Perfectionism. Procrastination. The way the brain tries to drag you back into what is familiar because “safe” matters more to it than “fulfilled.” And the truth that real change is usually boring up close. Small actions. Reps. Consistency. Not a dramatic overnight reinvention.

By the end, this is the bottom line. Excuses will always be an option, always within reach, ready to soften discomfort and give you a fast exit. The choice is who gets the final say.

Content note: addiction and habit change themes.

🔗 More from me:

🎙️ Podcast & episodes:
https://www.bradhhill.com/podcast

📖 Book (Print + Kindle):
https://a.co/d/016Dh1eB

🎧 Audiobook:
https://www.audible.com/pd/No-One-Is-Normal-Breaking-Free-from-Normal-Audiobook/B0GJFWBSBZ

👕 Wear the message:
https://www.bradhhill.com/merch

In this episode of No One Is Normal, Brad sits down with Peter Gunn — poet, author, musician, U.S. Air Force veteran, and lifelong creative — for a wide-ranging conversation about identity, discipline, creativity, and purpose.

Peter shares his life story through many roles he has lived over time, including military service, bodybuilding, fatherhood, poetry, and music. He reflects on a near-death experience at a young age that profoundly shaped how he views life, creativity, and meaning, and how that experience continues to influence his work today.

The conversation explores the realities of the creative industry and the challenges artists face when trying to stay authentic in a space that often rewards conformity over depth. Peter discusses The Amazons series and his approach to blending fact with fiction to create engaging, mythic stories for young readers, particularly young girls, inspired by his daughter and a desire to expand how heroism is represented in storytelling.

In many ways, Peter’s journey reflects what it truly means to find your tribe — not by chasing approval or fitting neatly into a category, but by staying grounded in who you are long enough for the right people to recognize you.

Brad and Peter also dive into poetry, music, and modern culture, including the evolution of songwriting, lyrical depth, and Peter’s concept of “Linked Lyrical Poetry,” which blends elements of poetry and music. They discuss the importance of discipline, meditation, and structure in creative work, as well as the role of spirituality, discernment, and personal drive in living with intention.

Throughout the episode, Peter shares insights into his current and upcoming projects, including books, music, and future plans for promoting his work, while emphasizing the value of perspective, perseverance, and creating with integrity.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Living across multiple identities and roles

• A near-death experience and its lasting impact

• Military discipline and personal structure

• Bodybuilding, fitness, and pushing past limits

• The realities of the creative industry

• Writing The Amazons and creating strong heroines

• Blending fact, fiction, and mythology

• Poetry, music, and the evolution of lyrics

• Creativity, spirituality, and discernment

• Finding alignment before belonging

Peter Gunn's Website:

 https://www.petergunn.net/

🔗 More from me:

🎙️ Podcast & episodes:
https://www.bradhhill.com/podcast

📖 Book (Print + Kindle):
https://a.co/d/016Dh1eB

🎧 Audiobook:
https://www.audible.com/pd/No-One-Is-Normal-Breaking-Free-from-Normal-Audiobook/B0GJFWBSBZ

👕 Wear the message:
https://www.bradhhill.com/merch