Grief has a way of shaking everything. Our identity, our confidence, and even our sense of worth. In this episode, Eryn Eddy Adkins sits down with storyteller, public scholar, speaker, community activist, and author Dr. Terence Lester to unpack the complex relationship between loss and self-worth. They discuss how grief doesn’t diminish your dignity, the lies we often believe in our lowest moments, and the healing power of being seen and known. If you’ve ever felt like pain has rewritten your story, this conversation is a reminder that your worth remains unshaken.

• As Founder and Director of Love Beyond Walls and Director of Public Policy and Social Change at Simmons College of Kentucky (HBCU), Dr. Terence Lester passionately aims to raise awareness about poverty and homelessness. His campaigns on behalf of the unhoused and those facing poverty, have been featured in USA Today, CNN, Black Enterprise, Essence, and Reader's Digest and have been viewed by millions of people globally on The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS News, NBC, Upworthy, and "The Bright Side" with Katie Couric. Terence has authored several books, including “I See You,” “When We Stand,” and “All God's Children,” along with a recent children's book “Zion Learns to See: Opening Our Eyes to Homelessness.” His fifth book is set to release Fall of 2025, entitled, “From Dropout to Doctorate: Breaking The Chains of Educational Injustice.” 
  

• Stay connected to Terence and his work:

@imterencelester - Instagram, Facebook, Threads, X

@lovebeyondwalls - Instagram, Facebook, Threads, X

Betrayal cuts deep—it shakes your reality, shatters trust, and leaves wounds that don’t heal overnight. In this special episode, Eryn sits down with her own therapist, licensed professional counselor Lori Rader-Jacobs, to dig into the brutal realities of betrayal trauma, how it hijacks your mind and body, and why betrayal whether through infidelity, addiction, financial deception, or other gut-wrenching breaches of trust can leave you questioning everything. She unpacks the instinctive reactions to betrayal, how it wrecks both self-worth and self-trust, and what it takes to rebuild. Lori also shares eye-opening metaphors that expose the hidden layers of trauma, challenges common misconceptions about boundaries, and tackles the hard question: How do you know if a betrayer is truly changing? Plus, she reveals what really happens in your brain when you’re blindsided by betrayal, including the lesser-known ‘flop’ response and practical ways to regain a sense of safety. Eryn also opens up about her own experience with betrayal trauma, making this an intimate, insightful, and deeply validating conversation you won’t want to miss.

About Lori Rader-Jacobs:
Lori has extensive training and experience working with couples and partners who are dealing with betrayal trauma and relational distress resulting from problematic sexual behaviors. She facilitates therapeutic disclosures and lead betrayal trauma groups. She is also passionate about working with people who encounter stress and unwanted patterns of behavior that interfere with their individual, relational and career aspirations. She is a fully trained EMDR therapist, certified Gottman Level 1 couples counselor and also works with those who consider faith to be an important part of their worldview.

Stay connected to Lori and her work:

https://hopefortomorrowtherapy.net/ - Website

Follow So Worth Loving:
https://www.instagram.com/soworthloving/ - Instagram
https://soworthloving.com/ - Website

What are you willing to do to feel chosen?

In this deeply honest conversation, speaker and wordsmith Tega Taylor opens up about the hidden battles many of us fight in the pursuit of love, approval, and belonging. Growing up, Tega learned to perform for validation—through grades, appearance, and behavior—while privately struggling with pornography from a young age into early adulthood. She unpacks how easy it is to slip into toxic cycles of numbing pain and chasing worth in all the wrong places.

But Tega didn’t stay stuck. Through faith, counseling, and brave, honest community, she began to confront her wounds, rewire unhealthy patterns, and step into real healing. This episode is a conversation about struggle, redemption, and the freedom that comes when we stop hiding and start telling the truth.

Guest Bio

Tega Taylor is a dynamic speaker, host, spoken word artist, and creative force known for blending honest storytelling with thoughtful leadership. She is the co-founder and Director of Creative Strategy & Storytelling for Untitled, a creative agency that designs intentional experiences helping brands, organizations, and businesses move from being seen and heard to truly remembered.

With a background in neuroscience and seminary training, Tega brings depth, energy, and empathy to every space—whether on stage, behind a mic, or through her writing. She has partnered with churches, camps, and organizations across the Southeast, always pointing people to Jesus while making room for authenticity, curiosity, and honest questions.

Above all, Tega is passionate about creating moments that move people. She loves her husband, a great thrift find, an oat-milk vanilla latte, investing in the next generation, and crafting stories that lead to real transformation.

Stay connected with Tega:

• Website: https://www.tegafaafa.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/totallytega
• Untitled Creative: https://www.untitledcrtv.com/

How do you lead, create, and build without losing yourself along the way?

In this episode, Eryn Eddy Adkins sits down with Ford Fry, chef and CEO of Rocket Farm Restaurants, one of the South’s most influential chef-owned restaurant groups with 27+ restaurants across Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Houston, North Carolina, and Florida.

A four-time semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation Outstanding Restaurateur Award and the 2013 Georgia Restaurant Association Restaurateur of the Year, Ford has built some of the country’s most beloved restaurants, including MICHELIN-recognized concepts like Marcel, Little Sparrow, and Superica.

But this conversation goes far beyond accolades.

Ford opens up about growing up in an eclectically entrepreneurial home, how feelings of unworthiness led him to live a double life both professionally and personally, and what ultimately helped him embrace his true self. Now, he desires to encourage others to know who they truly are and operate from that place even when they’re misunderstood.

And yes don’t miss the unexpected musical surprise at the end.

Follow Ford: www.instagram.com/fordfry
Find out more: www.fordfry.com
–
Follow SWL: www.instagram.com/soworthloving
Find out more: www.soworthloving.com

Welcome to the So Worth Loving podcast. In this deeply personal inaugural episode, host Eryn Eddy Adkins opens up about the painful journey that brought this podcast to life—nine years after she first announced it. Eryn shares the raw, unfiltered story of how constantly saying "it's okay" and "it's fine" led to a complete implosion of her life. She candidly discusses the ending of her marriage, the loss of her business partner, community, and reputation, and finding herself at 30 years old back in her parents' guest bedroom with $10 in her bank account and $150,000 in debt. This episode explores: • The dangerous pattern of people-pleasing and seeking validation from others • How numbing yourself to your own needs creates a slow-building crisis • The isolation of losing everything—community, marriage, career, and self-respect • Seeking love in all the wrong places after divorce • The moment she realized she had no self-respect left • A stranger's act of kindness at a coffee shop that became a turning point • The difference between "living your truth" and actually living in truth • Why a few people who stayed made all the difference in rebuilding Eryn doesn't claim to be an expert on knowing your worth—she's an expert on struggling with worth. And that's exactly what makes this conversation so powerful. If you've ever felt like you've lost yourself in the pursuit of being loved, valued, or seen—this episode is for you. You'll hear honest talk about mistakes, betrayal (both chosen and received), the painful process of forgiveness, and what it actually takes to rebuild your life from the ground up. Because it's common to feel unworthy of love, but uncommon to talk about it. So let's talk about it.