Major / Full Spoilers

• Mistborn (Era One — The Final Empire & The Well of Ascension): Kelsier's death and self-sacrifice early in the series is discussed directly; the arc of the Lord Ruler being reframed as sympathetic by the end is revealed; a major character death in the second book's battle (Sazed's love interest) is named, along with the fact that many characters die in that war. The chapter-header epigraphs and who is writing them across the three books are also explained.
• Broken Dove (sequel to Silver Elite): The ending cliffhanger and the fate of the love-triangle setup are discussed in detail, including a late-book reveal, a specific final scene, and the fact that the story extends beyond the expected duology.

Moderate Spoilers

• When the Moon Hatched / Ballad of Falling Dragons: Structural reveals (that the two were originally one book, series length) and general plot confusion are discussed, though no specific twists are named.
• Alchemized: The book's origin as a reworked Harry Potter fanfiction (and its connection to Manacled) is discussed, which some readers consider a spoiler.

Minor Mentions

• Referenced but not significantly spoiled: Fourth Wing / the Empyrean series, Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Eragon / the Inheritance Cycle (an emotional beat in Inheritance is alluded to), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Dungeon Crawler Carl, Outlander, The Plated Prisoner series, and Spark of the Everflame.

Books all day? Yes, please. Shay Watson is back — you last heard her on Episode 95 sharing her personal health and money journey — and this time she's here purely to talk books, which quickly becomes everyone's favorite kind of episode.

The jumping-off point is Mistborn, Brandon Sanderson's genre-defining trilogy and Tawny's very first Sanderson read. Shay, a self-described die-hard Cosmere fan who's read "every single book he's ever written," walks us through why Mistborn is the perfect entry point to Sanderson's world, that jaw-dropping metal-based magic system, and the characters who wrecked us along the way.

From there the conversation wanders exactly where a good book chat should: the agony of unfinished series (looking at you, George R.R. Martin and Patrick Rothfuss), why Sanderson can crank out 1,200-page tomes while the rest wait, the great "do audiobooks count as reading?" debate, and the joy of watching the fantasy world blow up when some of us have been closet nerds since the very first Harry Potter book.

Plus a spoiler-y detour into that Broken Dove cliffhanger, thoughts on the upcoming Mistborn adaptation, and a rapid-fire round to close things out.

Whether you're a lifelong Cosmere devotee or a newcomer wondering if Sanderson is for you, this one's a warm, funny, deeply relatable hang between two people who could talk books forever.

This episode discusses:

• Infertility and IVF (fertility treatment, failed cycles, retrieval results, the decision to stop treatment)
• Grief and pregnancy loss — including grieving pregnancies/children that never came to be
• Childlessness not by choice and identity loss tied to not becoming a parent
• Pregnancy announcements and baby showers (may be difficult for listeners in active grief)
• Adoption and foster care loss — including birth parents reclaiming a child and financial/emotional loss in the adoption process
• Endometriosis and related medical discussion
• Mental health — jealousy, isolation, and the emotional toll of long-term grief
• Brief references to religion/prayer in the context of unsolicited advice
• Strong language (some profanity throughout)

Kelly Balcer returns to Radiant Resilience for one of the most honest conversations we've had on the show. If you missed her infertility story back in Episode 101 (still our most-listened-to episode), start there — but this one stands on its own.

Tawny and Kelly get real about infertility grief and why it's so often misunderstood: the repeat grief of failed cycles, negative tests, and canceled IVF, and the deeper loss of grieving a life that never came to be. They walk through the comments that land wrong — "just relax," "it'll happen when it's meant to," "have you tried…," "you can always adopt," "at least you can travel," "you're still young," "everything happens for a reason," "time heals all wounds" — and explain why each one stings, while acknowledging that most people saying them genuinely mean well and want to help.

Then they tackle the topic that's triggering Tawny most right now: how to handle pregnancy announcements with friends and family who are struggling with infertility. Their guidance is specific and usable — tell us privately, in a thoughtful text, before we find out from a group chat, a social media post, or (yes, this really happened) a baby shower invite in the mailbox. Give us the space to process, acknowledge the struggle, and let us decide whether we're able to attend the shower.

Whether you're walking this road yourself and need to feel seen, or you love someone who is and want to show up better, this episode is a roadmap. As Tawny puts it: "I love you, I'm sorry, I'm here for you, this sucks" goes a long way.

Big thanks to Carrie Hoskins for the shout-out love in this one.

Major / full spoilers

• Ballad of Falling Dragons — Rave's true identity as Eloyn, her 100-year disappearance and rebirth, and the reveal that she is Kazari's mother with Khan as the father. The Etherstone is revealed to be her lover, who is the cause of the moons falling; she reforms him, the moons fall again, and he returns to the stone. Khan's dragon, Raicon, dies going to the ice. Rave is heavily implied to be an Elding bird / phoenix.
• Ballad of Falling Dragons (Pyrock's arc) — the reveal that Essie is alive, discovered when Pyrock finds her upstairs; both Rave and Essie have spent the book mourning each other, and they never reconnect by the end.
• Ballad of Falling Dragons (villains) — Sareem survives and appears to be controlling/manipulating the Scavenger King, Arkin; Arkin's backstory as the older, single-bead bastard brother; and the brother's unexplained return, walking, at the moonfall.
• When the Moon Hatched — the abrupt ending, the mystery of Rave's lost memory, and the "she blocked it out from trauma" explanation the hosts push back on.

Moderate spoilers (plot points / twists revealed)

• Fury Bound / Direbound — the late-arrival of a previously unmentioned god as the endgame.
• Throne of Glass and Assassin's Blade — discussion of Celaena's arc, the Sam backstory, and the transformation by Empire of Storms, plus criticism of the series ending.
• A Court of Silver Flames — Nesta's characterization and arc.
• Silver Elite and Daggermouth — specific spicy scenes and which couples do (and don't) get their moments.

Minor mentions (no significant spoilers)

• Fourth Wing, Hunger Games, Divergent, Dune, The Expanse, Ender's Game — referenced as comparisons for world-building pace and genre preference.
• Mistborn and the Stormlight Archive (Brandon Sanderson) — discussed re: complex magic systems and slow builds.
• The Black Jewels series (Anne Bishop) — general discussion of the series' structure and content notes (child abuse flagged as difficult).
• The Knight and the Moth / Lightbringer, Web of Vows and Vengeance, Anathema, Poison Daughter, Turn of Fates, Sublimation, and Alchemized — named as current/upcoming TBR reads without plot detail.

Tawny is joined by her longtime friend and "book bestie" Alysha for a spoiler-filled dive into Ballad of Falling Dragons, the second book in the series that began with When the Moon Hatched. The two unpack why this one was such a struggle to get into without a reread, whether it lived up to its considerable hype, and the theories that are keeping them up at night ahead of book three. Along the way they trade takes on Pyrok's scene-stealing inner dialogue, the icy-lake metaphor and why it hit close to home, the case for physical books over audiobooks, and the ever-present question of whether the genre's, ahem, anatomical claims are biologically plausible. Plus: a detour into the current state of the bonded-dragon waiting list. Expect tangents, hot takes, and a running list of what to read next — from Fourth Wing to Throne of Glass to The Knight and the Moth.

Trigger Warning Topics

• Infertility and failed IVF (including zero embryo results)
• Pregnancy complications (bleeding at 32 weeks, difficult C-section recovery)
• Chronic illness/chronic pain (endometriosis, adenomyosis)
• Medical trauma, medical gaslighting, and dismissal by healthcare providers
• Brief mention of cancer (breast cancer screening/late diagnosis)
• Pregnancy loss adjacent content and grief around family building
• Brief casual references to alcohol and drug use
• A brief flippant expression of frustration ("I'd rather shoot myself with a peptide" — said in reference to injections, not self-harm, but worth noting for sensitive listeners)

Tara Harding is back! Since her first appearance on episode 55, Tara's practice has grown from a fertility-focused clinic into a full-scope private practice serving women (and men!) across seven states and counting — all while taking insurance, which is nearly unheard of in this space.

In this update, Tara opens up about her stage 4 endometriosis and adenomyosis journey, a failed IVF cycle a year ago, and why she's now exploring cutting-edge options like peptides, PRP, ovarian rejuvenation, and stem cell therapy instead of another surgery.

We also dig into:

• Why so many women are dismissed, misdiagnosed, or medically gaslit — and what a full-body workup should actually look like
• Perimenopause confusion and why one lab value on the wrong cycle day isn't a diagnosis
• The GLP-1 and hair loss connection (and the genetic test that can fast-track treatment)
• Why birth control shouldn't be the only option handed to teen girls
• The broken insurance system from both the patient and small-business-owner perspective
• Tara's upcoming documentary exposing the state of women's healthcare — from teens to menopause

Tara's message is simple: women have to start putting their health first again. It's okay to say no to things that drain you.

Connect with Tara on Instagram @DrTaraHarding or at Simply U Wellness

Major/full spoilers:

• Daggermouth by H.M. Wolf — the entire plot, including the ending, character deaths, Callum's return and betrayal, and the Python/mom reveal

Moderate spoilers (plot twists revealed):

• The Plated Prisoner series by Raven Kennedy — a mid-series character identity twist
• Shield of Sparrows — a character identity twist from book one
• Divergent by Veronica Roth — how the book series ends (differs from the movies)
• The Hunger Games trilogy — series ending details

Minor mentions (no significant spoilers):

• Direbound / Furybound, Fourth Wing / Onyx Storm, From Blood and Ash, Alchemized, Manacled, Metal Slinger, When the Moon Hatched, Zodiac Academy, the Off-Campus series, ACOTAR, and Throne of Glass

Tawny is joined by her oldest friend in the world — fellow hairdresser, book girlie, and Evanescence devotee Emily Monaghan — for a full spoiler-filled deep dive into Tawny's favorite book of the year (so far): Daggermouth by H.M. Wolf. They break down the three-ring world, the Sorrell family's jaw-dropping betrayals, THAT death, the vow ceremony rebellion, and the Python reveal that neither of them saw coming. Plus: tangents on romantasy vs. "real" fantasy nerd credentials, why female empowerment (and spice) is fueling the romance boom, hockey romance, seasonal reading, fan theories, and the joy of the post-divorce girl house.

Daggermouth is available now on Kindle Unlimited, with a relaunch edition (sprayed edges!) and audiobook coming in July.

Pause now, go read it, come back — major spoilers ahead.

Buy Daggermouth HERE!

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING ⚠️

This episode contains full, unfiltered spoilers for Alchemised by SenLinYu — including the ending, major character reveals, and the events across all three parts. We also get into spoiler territory for Shield of Sparrows and Rise of the Starling.

If you haven't finished Alchemised yet, stop here. Go read all 1,024 pages, come back, and we'll be waiting. This is a raw, no-holds-barred discussion of a thousand-plus-page book, and we do not hold back.

Content note: this episode discusses mature themes present in the book, including coercion and dark subject matter.

Welcome back to episode two of the Radiant Resilience Book Club! Tawny is joined by her bestie Kellyn to dig into Alchemised by SenLinYu — all 1,024 (surprisingly heavy) pages of it. From its origins as the wildly popular Harry Potter fanfic Manacled to its transformation into a fully original world, the two unpack the complex magic system (vivimancy, animancy, necromancy — try keeping those straight in part one), the gut-wrenching Kane and Helena romance, and that split-timeline structure that had them racing through part two just to figure out how we got here.

They cover the heartbreak, the redemption arcs, the morally gray choices, and why Helena might just be the smartest, most underestimated heroine they've read in a while. Plus: a rapid-fire ratings round, audiobook narration hot takes, and a spiral into Shield of Sparrows, the Dune movies, and everyone's least favorite romantasy trope (looking at you, "I kept a secret to protect you").

Grab your copy — the one that weighs as much as a small weapon — and settle in.

GET YOUR COPIES HERE
Alchemised

Shield of Sparrows
Rites of the Starling

Sign up for Kindle Unlimited HERE

The following books and series are discussed with spoilers and plot details:

• Broken Dove
• Silver Elite
• Shield of Sparrows
• Rights of the Starling
• When the Moon Hatched
• Ballad of Falling Dragons
• The Knight and the Moth
• One Dark Window
• Two Twisted Crowns
• Metal Slinger
• Lightwielder
• Mistborn
• A Court of Thorns and Roses
• Throne of Glass
• Harry Potter
• Road of Bones
• Spark of the Everflame
• Anathema
• Feathers So Vicious
• The Poisoner (mentioned as a recommendation)
• Because I Killed Him

The book club conversation continues!

In Part 2, Tawny and Kaylynn dive even deeper into the world of romantasy, discussing favorite series lengths, book theories, character arcs, slow burns, and what separates a good sequel from a great one.

They share their thoughts on Shield of Sparrows, Rights of the Starling, When the Moon Hatched, Broken Dove, and a growing list of upcoming releases they're eagerly awaiting. Along the way, they debate popular fan theories, discuss the challenges of unfinished series, compare reading habits, and confess to the very real struggle of book FOMO.

If you've ever stayed up way too late reading "just one more chapter," bought a book because the sprayed edges were pretty, or planned your entire reading schedule around upcoming releases, this episode is for you.

As always, this conversation contains major spoilers for several books and series. Check the list below before listening!

Warning: This episode contains major spoilers for several books. Check the list below before listening if you're trying to avoid spoilers!

Welcome to the very first installment of the Radiant Resilience Book Club! In this spoiler-filled episode, Tawny sits down with her longtime book bestie, Kaylynn Bringhurst, to talk about how they fell in love with reading, the rise of romantasy, and why women everywhere seem to be rediscovering books.

Then they dive headfirst into a discussion of Dire Bound, Fury Bound, Silver Elite, and Broken Dove—sharing favorite characters, hot takes, plot twists, frustrations, cliffhangers, and all the reasons these stories kept them turning pages late into the night.

Expect passionate opinions, plenty of laughter, discussions about book boyfriends, dire wolves, shadow daddies, love triangles, and the very real struggle of waiting years for the next book in a series.

The following books and series are discussed with varying levels of spoilers:

• A Court of Thorns and Roses
• Throne of Glass
• Crescent City
• Fourth Wing
• Dire Bound
• Fury Bound
• Silver Elite
• Broken Dove
• When the Moon Hatched
• Ballad of Falling Dragons
• One Dark Window
• Two Twisted Crowns
• Harry Potter
• Twilight
• A Game of Thrones
• The Name of the Wind
• The Wise Man's Fear

Guess what I have been working on??? The Radiant Resilience Book Club is coming soon! I am so excited to share these convos with you! STAY TUNED!

• Childhood trauma
• Childhood neglect
• Childhood abandonment
• Domestic violence
• Alcohol addiction and substance misuse
• Mental health struggles
• Suicidal ideation
• Medical trauma
• Serious illness
• Coma and hospitalization
• Amputation
• Grief and loss of a parent
• Family dysfunction
• Generational trauma
• Depression
• Self-worth and self-esteem challenges

What if the path forward begins by going back?

In this deeply honest and inspiring conversation, Tawny sits down with author, occupational therapy professional, Reiki practitioner, and accessible travel advocate April Day Garcia to discuss her journey through childhood trauma, abandonment, health crises, addiction, and ultimately, healing.

April shares how growing up with instability, neglect, and violence shaped her sense of self-worth, how surviving meningitis and multiple amputations led her down a path of alcohol dependency, and what finally inspired her to choose sobriety. Together, Tawny and April explore the complicated realities of addiction, generational trauma, healing childhood wounds, ADHD diagnoses in adulthood, forgiveness, and the courage it takes to revisit painful memories in order to reclaim your life.

They also discuss April's memoir, The Room to Be Brave, where she uses the metaphor of "rooms" to revisit defining moments from her past and uncover new perspectives, healing, and freedom.

This episode is a powerful reminder that while our past may shape us, it does not have to define us. Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is walk back into the rooms we've been avoiding and discover that we're stronger than we ever realized.