Becoming a mother at 17 changed the timeline Thalishka Fuentes thought her life would follow.

But her story didn’t stop there.

From losing her mom young and rebuilding her life after Hurricane Maria to embracing her identity as a lesbian, falling in love with a woman, and creating a blended family that doesn’t fit neatly into traditional expectations, Thalishka has learned that the life meant for you might look completely different from the one you were taught to expect.

In this episode of Permission, Morgan sits down with Thalishka for an honest conversation about motherhood, grief, queer identity, WLW relationships, family, and what it looks like to stop living for other people’s understanding and start choosing yourself.

You’ll hear about:
• Becoming a teen mom at 17 and watching her original life plan completely shift
• Losing her mom young and how grief continues to shape the way she loves and mothers
• Coming into her identity as a lesbian and the conversation she had with her daughters
• Being the first openly queer woman in her family and watching younger family members feel safer coming out after her
• The stigma women can experience when they have children with men before entering WLW relationships
• Why Thalishka doesn’t feel the need to explain or justify her family
• Moving to Texas with her daughters to build a life with her partner, Val
• Letting go of traditional gender roles inside a relationship between two women
• What healthy, authentic love looks like to her now
• Raising daughters who know they’re allowed to be completely themselves
• Learning to put down the pressure of always being “the strong one”

This is an episode about realizing you don’t owe anyone a version of your life that makes sense to them.

About discovering your sexuality later, choosing a woman after previously dating men, raising children inside a blended queer family, and understanding that none of it requires an explanation.

It’s also about allowing love to look different than what you were taught it was supposed to look like.

Key takeaways:
• There is no deadline for understanding or embracing your sexuality• You don’t have to justify your identity because your past relationships looked different• WLW relationships don’t need to recreate traditional gender roles• Choosing yourself can be one of the most powerful decisions you make• Your children can be part of your journey toward living more authentically• Family is defined by the people who consistently show up with love and safety• Being strong doesn’t mean you have to live in survival mode forever• Your hardest chapters don’t get to define the rest of your story

I hope this conversation reminds you that you are allowed to build a life that feels like yours, even when it doesn’t look like the one you originally imagined.

You’re allowed to discover new parts of yourself.

You’re allowed to love who you love without making it easier for other people to understand.

You’re allowed to create your own definition of family.

And you’re allowed to choose a life where you don’t just survive, but actually get to be yourself.

Because Permission isn’t about becoming the version of you everyone else understands.

It’s about giving yourself permission to live as the woman you actually are.

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Connect with Thalishka:Instagram: @thalishka_fuentes

There are versions of ourselves we’d rather pretend never existed.

The girl who stayed too long. The girl who accepted less than she deserved. The girl who confused attention for love. The girl who made decisions we would never make today.

But healing isn’t about erasing her. It’s about finally understanding her.

In this episode of Permission, Morgan opens up about learning to look at her past without shame and why becoming the woman you’re meant to be requires making peace with every version of yourself who helped get you here.

You’ll hear about:
• Why cringing at your past can actually be evidence of growth
• Learning to have compassion for the choices you made with the tools you had
• Morgan’s experience sharing parts of her story that once brought up shame
• Why growth doesn’t require pretending you’ve always been self-aware
• How to stop judging your younger self through the lens of who you are today
• The difference between reinventing yourself and rejecting yourself
• Why there is no true reinvention without integration
• Learning to own the messy versions of yourself instead of trying to erase them

This is an episode about realizing that the woman you used to be wasn’t stupid.

She was becoming.

About understanding that every relationship, mistake, lesson, and season carried something forward. Even the versions of yourself you’re tempted to disown played a role in creating the woman you are today.

Key takeaways:
• You didn’t have today’s tools, boundaries, or discernment back then
• Growth means being able to recognize what you would do differently now
• Shame doesn’t have to be the price you pay for your past mistakes
• Self-compassion allows you to integrate rather than reject your past
• Reinvention without integration is another form of avoidance
• Some of your messiest seasons may have taught you your most important lessons

I hope this conversation reminds you to stop speaking about your past self like she ruined your life.

Maybe she was doing the best she could with what she knew.

Maybe she was learning in real time.

Maybe she led you exactly where you are today.

And maybe one day, the woman you’re becoming will look back at who you are right now with that same love.

Because Permission isn’t about erasing who you were to become someone new.

It’s about owning every version of yourself that helped you become her.

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There’s a difference between building a personal brand and building a performance.In a world where social media can feel like your business card, AI is making it harder to know what’s real, and everyone seems to be curating the perfect version of themselves, authenticity has become more valuable than ever.In this episode of Permission, Morgan sits down with digital marketing manager, podcast host, storyteller, and entrepreneur Dominique Ramirez to talk about what happens when you stop trying to impress people and start allowing yourself to actually be seen.You’ll hear about:• The difference between personal branding and performing online• Why people can feel when your content isn’t authentic• How storytelling creates genuine connection in marketing• Why perfectionism can keep you from starting, especially in entrepreneurship• Redefining success beyond money, titles, and traditional milestones• What podcasting has taught Dominique about passion and successful people• Why human connection matters even more in the age of AI• Giving yourself permission to grow beyond who people already know you to beDominique also opens up about her current experience navigating an aggressive B-cell lymphoma diagnosis and how the work she had already done to slow down, find inner peace, and build a strong community has helped her move through this season with gratitude and perspective.This is an episode about remembering that you don’t have to manufacture a more impressive version of yourself to belong in the room.Sometimes the most magnetic thing you can be is real.Key takeaways:• Authenticity builds stronger connections than performance ever could• Storytelling works because people connect emotionally, not just logically• Failure and imperfection are part of building anything meaningful• Success gets to mean something different for everyone• Community becomes invaluable when life asks you to slow down• You’re allowed to grow beyond the version of you people already recognize• The right people will connect with who you actually areI hope this conversation reminds you that you don’t need to second-guess yourself into becoming more acceptable, impressive, or polished.You’re allowed to grow. You’re allowed to change. You’re allowed to enter the room as yourself and trust that the right people will recognize you.Because Permission isn’t about creating a version of yourself that everyone will understand.It’s about giving yourself permission to be real.Let's Connect:www.instagram.com/permissionpodcast_www.instagram.com/morgancarringtonburtonwww.instagram.com/thewlwcollectiveConnect with Dominique:www.instagram.com/dominiquer_11

There are versions of ourselves we look back on and wish we could erase.

The version who stayed too long. Who tolerated things she didn’t deserve. Who confused attention for love. Who made decisions we would never make today.

But what if healing isn’t about distancing yourself from who you were? What if it’s about finally loving her?

In this episode of Permission, Morgan gets honest about the shame we can carry around our past selves and why becoming the woman you are today requires making peace with every version who got you here.

You’ll hear about:

• Why cringing at your past can actually be evidence of growth

• Learning to look back at your choices without shame

• Why your younger self made decisions with the tools she had at the time

• Replacing judgment with compassion for the woman you used to be

• Why reinvention without integration is really just avoidance

• Owning the messy versions of yourself instead of trying to erase them

This is an episode about looking at the woman you used to be and realizing she wasn’t stupid, broken, or something to hide.

She was becoming.

About understanding that every mistake, relationship, season, and version of you carried something forward. And you cannot fully become who you’re meant to be while constantly rejecting who you were.

Key takeaways:

• You didn’t know then what you know now

• Growth gives you new tools, perspective, and discernment

• Your past does not need to become a source of shame

• Self-compassion is part of healing

• There is no reinvention without integration

• Every version of you helped bring you here

Maybe your past self didn’t ruin your life.

Maybe she was doing the best she could with what she knew.

Maybe she led you right here.

And maybe the next version of you will look back at the woman you are today with that same love.

Let’sConnect:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/permissionpodcast_/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Becoming a mother at 17 changed everything Thalishka Fuentes thought her life was supposed to look like.

From being removed from school after becoming pregnant, to rebuilding her life after Hurricane Maria, losing her mom, navigating grief, and eventually embracing her identity and creating a family that feels true to her, Thalishka’s story is one of learning that life doesn’t have to follow the plan to still become something beautiful.

In this episode of Permission, Morgan sits down with Thalishka for an honest conversation about motherhood, grief, sexuality, family, and what happens when you finally stop believing you have to be the strong one all the time.

You’ll hear about: • Becoming a teen mom at 17 and how motherhood changed the direction of her life • Being removed from school after becoming pregnant and finding another path forward • Moving from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and starting over • Losing her mom and learning to live with grief that never completely disappears • Coming into her queer identity and choosing a life that feels authentic to her • Raising daughters who feel safe expressing exactly who they are • Building a blended family rooted in love rather than traditional expectations • Why being “the strong one” can become its own kind of survival mode

This is an episode about realizing that strength doesn’t always mean holding everything together.

About accepting that motherhood can be beautiful and exhausting, grief and gratitude can exist together, and the life you build may look completely different from the one you originally imagined.

About giving yourself permission to stop performing strength and start allowing yourself to be human.

Key takeaways: • Your life doesn’t have to follow the timeline you imagined to still become beautiful • Breaking generational patterns can coexist with honoring where you came from • Grief doesn’t disappear just because time has passed • Family can be built around love, safety, and authenticity • Being vulnerable doesn’t make you weak • Sometimes the strongest thing you can say is, “I can’t do this today”

I hope this conversation reminds you that you don’t have to carry everything gracefully to prove how strong you are.

You’re allowed to grieve. You’re allowed to change. You’re allowed to build a life that looks different than what you were taught it should look like.

And most importantly, you’re allowed to put the cape down sometimes.

There was a time when I thought loving someone meant staying.

Staying patient. Staying understanding. Giving another chance. Trying harder. Making it work.

But as I’ve grown, I’ve realized that love and loyalty aren’t always the same thing. Sometimes loving yourself means getting honest about what a relationship, friendship, or connection is actually costing you.

In this episode of Permission, I’m talking about what happens when your relationships start evolving alongside you, and why having standards doesn’t mean you love people any less.

I’m also sharing a personal friendship breakup that taught me about boundaries, communication, and how our choices can impact the people we love, even when our intentions are good.

You’ll hear about:
• Why loyalty doesn’t have to mean staying no matter what
• How growth can change friendships and romantic relationships
• What losing a close friendship taught me about boundaries
• Learning to consider how your choices impact the people you love
• Why uncertainty and constant questioning shouldn’t be confused with love
• The difference between an ultimatum and a standard
• Why you shouldn’t have to beg someone for consistency

This is an episode about learning yourself deeply enough to recognize what love actually feels like for you.

About honoring your boundaries while respecting someone else’s.

And about realizing that sometimes the most loving thing you can do is stop waiting for a relationship to become something it isn’t.

Key takeaways:
• Loving someone doesn’t automatically mean you have to stay
• Boundaries can reveal where communication needs to grow
• Your standards are allowed to evolve as you do
• Healthy relationships require consideration from both people
• You shouldn’t have to convince someone to choose you
• Love and waiting are not the same thing

If you’ve been holding onto a relationship, friendship, or connection hoping it will eventually become what you need, ask yourself:

Does this actually feel like love, or does it feel like waiting?

Because you’re allowed to love deeply and still have standards for how you’re loved in return.

Let’sConnect:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠

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What if success isn't about working harder... but about becoming safer to receive everything you've been asking for?

In this deeply honest conversation, Morgan sits down with business strategist, manifestation expert, and founder of The Tapping School, Jessica Tellian, to unpack what it really takes to build a life and business that feels aligned.

Together, they explore everything from ADHD diagnoses and limiting beliefs to nervous system regulation, manifestation, entrepreneurship, healing, self-worth, friendship breakups, and what happens when women stop trying to earn their success through burnout.

This isn't a conversation about hustle.

It's a conversation about becoming.

If you've ever questioned your worth, struggled with self-sabotage, felt stuck in survival mode, or wondered why success still doesn't feel fulfilling, this episode will challenge the way you think about growth.

• Why healing isn't complete without action

• The difference between ambition and self-abandonment

• How nervous system regulation affects your success

• Why manifestation is more than journaling and vision boards

• The hidden ways self-sabotage shows up in business

• Growing a business without living in survival mode

• Rebuilding friendships after conflict and choosing reconnection

• Why authenticity creates magnetism online and in life

• The relationship between self-trust and consistency

• How childhood labels shape adult confidence

• Why boundaries, slowing down, and joy are business strategies

• Letting go of society's definition of success

• Building a business that supports your life instead of consuming it

"Abundance is your birthright."

"You don't need more healing. You need more action."

"Authenticity is what makes people magnetic."

"You're manifesting twenty-four hours a day, whether you realize it or not."

"Sometimes the biggest breakthrough is allowing yourself to receive."

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a woman who's ready to stop surviving and start creating a life that actually feels like hers.

In this episode we discuss:Memorable Moments

How much of your life is built on beliefs you actually chose?

From childhood, we're handed invisible rules about success, relationships, gender roles, healing, and what a "good life" is supposed to look like. Most of us never stop to ask if those beliefs are truly ours.

In this solo episode of Permission, Morgan explores what happens when you begin questioning the expectations you've inherited and start building a life based on your own truth. Drawing from her experience in a queer relationship, she shares how challenging traditional gender roles opened the door to living more intentionally, loving more authentically, and letting go of the need for external validation.

You'll hear about:

• The invisible rules we inherit without realizing it

• Why questioning your beliefs is a powerful act of self-discovery

• How traditional gender roles shaped Morgan's perspective on relationships

• The freedom that comes from choosing your own values

• Why living authentically often means making others uncomfortable

• How to stop following scripts that were never meant for you

This episode is an invitation to pause before accepting the life you've been told you should live. Because your greatest freedom begins when you decide what you actually believe.

Key Takeaways:

• Not every belief you've inherited deserves to be carried forward.

• Questioning your worldview isn't rebellion. It's growth.

• Healthy relationships are built on partnership, not prescribed roles.

• You don't need external validation to live an authentic life.

• The life that's right for you may not look like anyone else's, and that's okay.

I hope this conversation reminds you that you don't have to keep living by rules you never agreed to. You have permission to question, to unlearn, and to create a life that feels honest to who you are.

Because Permission isn't about becoming someone different. It's about returning to yourself.

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We’re often told to pick one path, one identity, one version of success. But what if you were never meant to fit into just one box?

In this episode of Permission, Morgan sits down with Oyefunke Fayoyin to explore what it really means to build a life that honors every part of who you are. As both a Chief Information Security Officer in cybersecurity and the founder of a thriving beauty salon, Oyefunke shares how she stopped shrinking herself, embraced her multidimensional identity, and gave herself permission to want more.

Together, they unpack the pressure women face to be understood instead of free, why wanting more isn't greed, and how confidence is built from choosing yourself again and again.

You'll hear about:

• Why wanting more is a sign of capacity, not greed
• How women unconsciously shrink themselves to make others comfortable
• Building confidence in both business and personal identity
• The connection between beauty, leadership, and self-worth
• What it means to stop living inside someone else's limitations
• Why freedom is more important than being understood
• The courage it takes to step into rooms exactly as you are

This conversation is a reminder that you don't have to choose between your passions, your ambition, or the different parts of who you are.

You are allowed to build a life that reflects all of you.

Key Takeaways

• You don't have to fit into one box to be successful.
• Wanting more isn't selfish. It's honoring your capacity.
• The only person who can truly stop you is you.
• Confidence grows when you stop shrinking yourself.
• Freedom begins the moment you stop living for other people's understanding.

If this episode reminded you that you're allowed to dream bigger, take up space, and become everything you're capable of becoming, we'd love it if you shared it with someone who needs to hear this conversation.

Connect with Oyefunke:

https://www.instagram.com/thefunkified

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There comes a point in your growth where you stop explaining your boundaries and start honoring them.

For so many of us, "no" feels uncomfortable because we've been taught to prioritize keeping the peace over protecting it. We over-explain, soften our words, and convince ourselves that if people just understood our reasons, they'd respect our boundaries.

But real boundaries don't require a presentation. They require consistency.

In this episode of Permission, we're talking about what it looks like to stop abandoning yourself to make other people comfortable and why the smallest boundaries are often the ones that shape your life the most.

You'll hear about:

• Why over-explaining is often a trauma response
• The hidden cost of saying "yes" when your body is screaming "no"
• How weak boundaries quietly become resentment
• Why people only learn to respect the boundaries you consistently enforce
• The freedom that comes from a simple, unapologetic "no"

This is an episode about choosing yourself before resentment chooses for you.

About understanding that boundaries aren't walls. They're clarity.

And about realizing that the people who truly value you won't need you to justify your limits.

Key takeaways:

• Your boundaries don't need to be understood to be respected
• Over-explaining often comes from a fear of conflict or rejection
• Every time you betray a small "no," it becomes easier to betray a bigger one
• A simple "no" is a complete sentence
• The right people won't ask you to abandon yourself to keep them comfortable

Your peace is not something you negotiate. It's something you protect.

If this episode reminded you that your "no" deserves just as much respect as your "yes," share it with someone who's learning to choose themselves, and don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and join us next week for another conversation about becoming who you were always meant to be.

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