Two espresso martinis. One manifesto. Five fingers. One truth: you are the author.

Today on Stirring the Plot Podcast, your host Dayna J. Francois sits down with Raejean Alcala (@raejeanalcala) to unpack the power of storytelling, not just as art, but as transformation. Together, the duo breaks down The Power of Five, Raejean’s transformative framework that explores how storytelling rewires your brain, your body, and your life. Awareness, Courage, Expression, Wholeness, and Ownership - this episode dives into the science, soul, and sacred mess of sharing your story out loud. We’re talking the science of being seen, the alchemy of being heard, and how owning your story is the first step to reclaiming your life. Journals open. Mic on. Plot stirred.

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Raejean's Instagram - @Raejeanalcala

Check out Raejean's Podcast: Let Shift Happen - streaming on Spotify and Podbean

Stream Raejean's song Breath of Mine!

If you liked listening, make sure you subscribe to my podcast! Don’t forget to rate and share it with your friends! And make sure that you tune in weekly, because I'm gay, I'm hot, and if there is one thing about me...I'm gonna stir the plot.

Twenty-six years. Twenty-six lessons. Today on Stirring the Plot Podcast, your host Dayna J. Francois sits down to unpack 26 lessons she learned so that hopefully, you won't have to. Some came dressed in glitter and lipstick stains, others arrived barefoot with heartbreak, silence, and mascara running down the bathroom sink. This birthday episode is Dayna's love letter to every version of herself who thought she wouldn’t make it here, and a roast of the chaos that tried to stop her. From friendship breakups to surprise kisses, champagne highs to gut-punch lows, Dayna is counting down 26 lessons for 26 years. And because you know her... Lesson 26 will always be this: everything is for the plot. If life insists on giving us drama, we might as well make it cinematic. So, grab a slice of birthday cake, pour yourself an espressos martini, and let’s stir the plot because it's Dayna's birthday!

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If you liked listening, make sure you subscribe to my podcast! Don't forget to rate and share it with your friends! And make sure that you tune in weekly, because I'm gay, I'm hot, and if there is one thing about me...l'm gonna stir the plot.

We grew up with worship music in our lungs and guilt stitched into our skin. Today on Stirring the Plot Podcast, your host Dayna J. Francois sits down with longtime friend Megan Neumann, someone who’s known Dayna through awkward middle school youth group phases, purity culture, and the quiet pressure to be the “perfect” church girl. Together, the duo unpack the holy ghosts that raised them, the guilt that followed them, and the grace they’ve finally learned to give themselves. In Episode 17, Dayna and Megan unpack growing up in a predominantly white, conservative church, navigating Puerto Rican identity, hiding poverty, purity culture, sex, shame, and the freedom that came with leaving it all behind. This one is for the church kids who stopped apologizing, the ones who learned that holiness isn’t about hiding your heart... it’s about finding it. This conversation is tender, unfiltered, and long overdue. And if you’ve ever wrestled with who you were told to be versus who you actually are… I hope you find yourself in it. Pour yourself an espresso martini, grab your therapy notes, and settle in while we stir the plot with Megan.

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Megan's Instagram - @neumann_megan

Birdie's Instagram - @birdiegirlphx

If you liked listening, make sure you subscribe to my podcast! Don’t forget to rate and share it with your friends! And make sure that you tune in weekly, because I'm gay, I'm hot, and if there is one thing about me...I'm gonna stir the plot.

Brains, beauty, and a little bit of spice. Quasia came to stir it up. Today on Stirring the Plot Podcast, your host Dayna J. Francois sits down with the brilliant mind behind @neurospicetea, the one and only Tequasia, for a conversation that’s as raw as it is revolutionary. Episode 16 is a love letter to unmasking, taking up space, and being brave enough to live in your truth. From unmasking as a neurodivergent Black queer woman to navigating love, friendship, and self-expression, Quasia takes us on a journey that feels like church, therapy, and happy hour all in one. Together, we unpack the layers of identity: gender, race, queerness, and neurodivergence, and what it means to stop shrinking for the comfort of others. The tea is hot, the truth is spicier, and this episode is everything nice. Quasia and I go way back, but this convo? It’s next level. In episode 16, we unpack the story behind Quasia’s neurodivergent platform, @neurospicetea, what unmasking looks like in real time, the intersections of queerness, creativity, and identity. All while having a candid conversation about taking up space and choosing joy. Pour yourself an espresso martini and settle in while we stir the plot with Tequasia.

SHOW NOTES:

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Stirring the Plot Podcast Instagram/TikTok - @Stirringtheplotpod

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Dayna's Instagram/TikTok/Twitter - @Daynajfrancois

Tequasia's Instagram - @_quanos

Follow Neuro Spice Tea on Instagram - @neurospicetea

If you liked listening, make sure you subscribe to my podcast! Don’t forget to rate and share it with your friends! And make sure that you tune in weekly, because I'm gay, I'm hot, and if there is one thing about me...I'm gonna stir the plot.

A sapphic speedrun. A bonnet. A salmon dinner. What started as a nail date turned into an unsolicited love confession and a 15-hour lesbian hostage situation. Today on Stirring the Plot Podcast, your host Dayna J. Francois sits down to tell the unhinged story of Insta Wife, a misadventure in queer dating that started with nail polish and ended with emotional whiplash. From bonnet sleepovers to salmon dinners and the illusion of instant intimacy, Dayna is unpacking the U-Haul lesbian stereotype and asking: what does it really mean when someone brings softness… but forgets boundaries? In Episode 15, Dayna dives into queer intimacy, emotional urgency, U-Haul culture, and the myth of instant connection. Sometimes it’s not romance... it’s projection. Sometimes softness is a weapon. And sometimes the story isn’t about love… it’s about the red flag you ignored for content. This one is personal. And funny. And poetic. And chaotic. Just the way we like it. So light a candle. Pour a glass. Let’s stir the plot.

💌 Share your own U-Haul horror stories: [email protected]

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SEND ME YOUR STORIES HERE!

Email - [email protected]

SOCIALS!

Stirring the Plot Podcast Instagram/TikTok - @Stirringtheplotpod

Stirring the Plot Podcast Twitter - @Stirringtheplot

Dayna's Instagram/TikTok/Twitter - @Daynajfrancois

If you liked listening, make sure you subscribe to my podcast! Don’t forget to rate and share it with your friends! And make sure that you tune in weekly, because I'm gay, I'm hot, and if there is one thing about me...I'm gonna stir the plot.

Today on Stirring the Plot Podcast, your host Dayna J. Francois sits down to unpack a topic that doesn't get nearly enough airtime. Friendship breakups. We talk about breakups all the time. The playlist. The post-cry selfie. The haircut that screams “new era.” But friendship breakups? Crickets. No rom-com montage. No recovery kit. Just the quiet grief of losing the one person who once knew your soul better than anyone else. In Episode 14, Dayna is pulling back the curtain on the friendship breakups that shook her world in 2024. Three friendships. Three breakups. Three lessons I didn’t ask for but desperately needed. Dayna spills the tea on narcissism in friendship, emotional boundaries, friend bombing, red flags, healing, and what it actually means to make space for better. If you’ve ever grieved someone who’s still alive and posting… this one’s for you. This episode isn’t just about endings, it’s about choosing peace over performance. So light a candle. Pour a glass. Let’s stir the plot.

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SOCIALS!

Stirring the Plot Podcast Instagram/TikTok - @Stirringtheplotpod

Stirring the Plot Podcast Twitter - @Stirringtheplot

Dayna's Instagram/TikTok/Twitter - @Daynajfrancois

If you liked listening, make sure you subscribe to my podcast! Don’t forget to rate and share it with your friends! And make sure that you tune in weekly, because I'm gay, I'm hot, and if there is one thing about me...I'm gonna stir the plot.

Today on Stirring the Plot Podcast, your host Dayna J. Francois sits down with none other than her besTEA and fellow emotionally intelligent bad bitch, Alexa Austin, for an episode that’s part confessional, part boundary bootcamp, and fully a love letter to no longer lighting yourself on fire to keep other people warm. In episode 13, the duo unpack codependency: how it starts in childhood, blossoms in our little lesbian situationships, and seeps into friendships disguised as “being the strong one.” From people-pleasing in your “perfect daughter” era to performing emotional labor like it’s your full-time job, Dayna and Alexa are pulling back the curtain on what it really means to put yourself first without flinching. The pair unpack exes who drained us, friends who blurred the line between trauma bond and support system, and the unlearning it takes to go from emotional landfill to emotionally unavailable (in a hot, healed kind of way). This episode is for anyone who’s ever shape-shifted to stay loved, shrunk to stay safe, or stayed when they should’ve said “that’s not my job.” So grab your espresso martini, text your ex “do not disturb forever,” and settle in because being a hot lesbian with boundaries? That’s the plot.

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SEND ME YOUR STORIES HERE!

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Stirring the Plot Podcast Instagram/TikTok - @Stirringtheplotpod

Stirring the Plot Podcast Twitter - @Stirringtheplot

Dayna's Instagram/TikTok/Twitter - @Daynajfrancois

Alexa's Instagram - @_alexaaasn

If you liked listening, make sure you subscribe to my podcast! Don’t forget to rate and share it with your friends! And make sure that you tune in for the rest of season one, because I'm gay, I'm hot, and if there is one thing about me...I'm gonna stir the plot.

Today on Stirring the Plot Podcast, your host Dayna J. Francois is joined by Winter, transmasc legend, emotionally unavailable icon, and fellow avoidant in recovery, for a conversation that might just hit a little too close to home. What happens when two avoidant besties sit down to unpack gender, religion, intimacy, and the Olympic sport of not texting back? Let’s just say… the mask comes off. This episode is for the avoidant girlies, gays, theys, and gentlethems who respond to vulnerability by ghosting, spiraling, or “accidentally” taking three weeks to reply to a message that just said “hey.” It’s for the ones who flinch at intimacy, confuse detachment with strength, and still think emotional repression is a personality trait. In this deep dive, Dayna and Winter unpack how culture, religion, gender identity, and childhood communication (or the lack thereof) shaped their adult relationships: romantic, platonic, and familial. We’re talking about growing up in environments that taught us to shrink, hide, and stay digestible, only to reach adulthood realizing we’ve been ghosting our own identities. From the fear of being perceived to the ache of being misunderstood, from navigating transmasc visibility to learning how to actually say what we feel (instead of just thinking it really loudly), this episode is equal parts mirror and medicine. So if you’ve ever sat across from someone you love and thought, “Why does this feel like a situationship in disguise?” This one’s for you. So, grab your share this with your emotionally avoidant friend, settle in, and unmask with us.

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Stirring the Plot Podcast Instagram/TikTok - @Stirringtheplotpod

Stirring the Plot Podcast Twitter - @Stirringtheplot

Dayna's Instagram/TikTok/Twitter - @Daynajfrancois

Winter's Instagram - @Winterrosay

The Masc Off Podcast Instagram - @themascoffpod

If you liked listening, make sure you subscribe to my podcast! Don’t forget to rate and share it with your friends! And make sure that you tune in weekly, because I'm gay, I'm hot, and if there is one thing about me...I'm gonna stir the plot.

Today on Stirring the Plot Podcast, your host Dayna J. Francois is taking a note out of Evelyn Hugo’s playbook and doing what the girls, gays, and theys have been begging her to do: tell the story. Or rather... tell seven of them. In honor of Pride Month, Dayna's cracking open the vault and giving you a front-row seat as she takes you on a chaotic, unhinged, slightly-too-personal journey through seven situationships that shaped her queer coming-of-age. Some were sweet, some were scandalous, and some should’ve stayed in the drafts. From the almosts to the absolutely-nots, Dayna walks us through each connection with humor, heartbreak, and just enough vagueness to keep you guessing. Dayna is naming (redacted), reflecting (reluctantly), and reclaiming the narrative. This episode is for anyone who's ever fallen for potential, romanticized mixed signals, or convinced themselves "maybe it's different this time." Spoiler alert: it wasn't. But at least it makes for a good plot. So, grab your espresso martini, update your block list, and settle in for seven stories, seven situationships, and seven times Dayna stirred the plot.

SHOW NOTES:

SEND ME YOUR STORIES HERE!

Email - [email protected]

SOCIALS!

Stirring the Plot Podcast Instagram/TikTok - @Stirringtheplotpod

Stirring the Plot Podcast Twitter - @Stirringtheplot

Dayna's Instagram/TikTok/Twitter - @Daynajfrancois

If you liked listening, make sure you subscribe to my podcast! Don’t forget to rate and share it with your friends! And make sure that you tune in weekly, because I'm gay, I'm hot, and if there is one thing about me...I'm gonna stir the plot.

Did you miss me? After an unintentional hiatus, she's back on the mic with a life update. Today on Stirring the Plot Podcast, your host Dayna J. Francois is stepping back on the mic with a diploma in one hand and a whole roster of unprocessed situationships in the other. She’s finally back after going ghost (for academic reasons, of course), and baby… she didn’t just graduate, she evolved. In this life update-slash-chaotic-reflection-slash-soft-launch-of-a-new-era, Dayna takes you behind the scenes of her time at PC: from cheerleading and creative writing clubs to literary awards, open mics, and matching with a professor on Tinder (yes, actually). It’s a storytime-filled, unfiltered love letter to the mess, the milestones, and the main character arc she earned with every poem, heartbreak, and awkward hallway run-in. We’re talking ex-friends, ex-FWBs, and a few men who really thought they had a shot. Spoiler: they didn’t. Oh, and of course, the situationship that we’ll keep vague but emotionally devastating. This episode is for anyone who’s ever gone quiet just to find their voice again. This episode is a sapphic coming-of-age, a celebration of the girl who walked into PC in a cheer skirt and the woman who walked out a queer poet powerhouse. So grab a drink, silence your ex’s notifications, and settle in because Dayna didn’t just graduate… she graduated for the plot.

SHOW NOTES:

SEND ME YOUR STORIES HERE!

Email - [email protected]

SOCIALS!

Stirring the Plot Podcast Instagram/TikTok - @Stirringtheplotpod

Stirring the Plot Podcast Twitter - @Stirringtheplot

Dayna's Instagram/TikTok/Twitter - @Daynajfrancois

If you liked listening, make sure you subscribe to my podcast! Don’t forget to rate and share it with your friends! And make sure that you tune in weekly, because I'm gay, I'm hot, and if there is one thing about me...I'm gonna stir the plot.