🎙️ Episode 8: When the Universe Stopped Whispering

In this episode of Sunday Held: Stories Behind the Stories, I revisit one of my most personal essays, When the Universe Stopped Whispering.

Before reading the essay, I share what was happening in my life when I finally decided to write about the unexpected breakfast that changed its course. For years, I had carried the memory of buying an owl painting, meeting the radiant artist who created it, and blurting out a truth on the drive home that I had not yet fully admitted to myself.

I then read the essay in its entirety and return afterward to reflect on what has unfolded since. I explore the signs I can now recognize in hindsight, why the words “I know” have stayed with me, and how that painful moment became the beginning of my return to myself.

I also reflect on the difference between a life that looks fine and a soul that feels alive, why clarity often arrives before courage, and how another person’s joy can reveal the parts of ourselves we have stopped noticing.

🎙️ Press play, settle in with a cup of tea, and join me for the story behind the story.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sundayheld.substack.com

🎙️ Episode 7: Why Screens Hold Us the Way They Do

In this episode of Sunday Held: Stories Behind the Stories, I revisit my essay, Why Screens Hold Us the Way They Do.

I begin by sharing the story behind the story—how a simple observation of people absorbed in their screens at work, in restaurants, at airports, and even at home sparked a deeper curiosity. Like many of us, I first blamed the algorithms. But the more I watched, the more I wondered if something much more human was drawing us back to our devices.

After reading the essay in its entirety, I reflect on what has continued to unfold since I wrote it. I share how this experience has changed the way I see the people around me and why I have come to believe that, beneath the scrolling and notifications, many of us are simply searching for the same thing: connection. Perhaps the screens that often seem to divide us are also softly reminding us that none of us are as alone as we think we are.

🎙️ Press play, settle in, and stay awhile.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sundayheld.substack.com

🎙️ Episode 6: Where Did My Moxie Go?

In this episode of Sunday Held: Stories Behind the Stories, I revisit one of my favorite essays, Where Did My Moxie Go?

After reading the essay in its entirety, I share the story behind the story and reflect on how easily life can convince us that we have lost something we once possessed. Looking back at a younger version of myself, I realized the courage, confidence, and determination I was searching for had never actually disappeared. They had simply been buried beneath the weight of life’s disappointments, responsibilities, and self-doubt.

I also explore why reclaiming our moxie is not about becoming someone new, but about remembering who we have always been. Sometimes all it takes is one memory to remind us that the person capable of taking the leap is still very much alive within us.

🎙️ Press play, settle in, and stay awhile.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sundayheld.substack.com

🎙️ Episode 5: Nothing Was Wasted

In this episode of Sunday Held: Stories Behind the Stories, I revisit one of my most personal essays, Nothing Was Wasted.

After reading the essay in its entirety, I share a reflection that has continued to unfold since I first wrote it. Looking back, I realize I wish I had spent less time focusing on what I had yet to accomplish and more time celebrating how much I had already grown. If I could sit down with my twenty-year-old self over a cup of tea, I know exactly what I would tell her.

I also share why, despite the heartbreaks, disappointments, and uncertain seasons, I would not change a single chapter of my story. I have come to believe that we cannot fully appreciate the light without first walking through the darkness—and that every experience, both beautiful and difficult, has led me to a life I would not rewrite.

🎙️ Press play, settle in, and stay awhile.

Quiet reflections, every Sunday and Wednesday.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sundayheld.substack.com

🎙️ Episode 4: I Found My Way In

In this episode of Sunday Held: Stories Behind the Stories, I share the story behind one of my favorite travel memories—and one of life’s most meaningful lessons.

While planning a mother-daughter trip to Shanghai, there was one experience I knew I couldn’t miss: practicing Tai Chi in People’s Park with the locals. Drawn to its grace, flow, and meditative nature, I wanted to experience it where it all began, even though I was far from an expert.

What happened that morning became about so much more than Tai Chi.

I share the story behind the essay I Found My Way In, read it in its entirety, and reflect on how stepping outside our comfort zones often leads to our greatest joys—and how the simple kindness of people who welcome us can inspire us to become that welcoming presence for others.

🎙️ Press play, settle in, and stay awhile.

Quiet reflections, every Sunday and Wednesday.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sundayheld.substack.com

In this episode of Sunday Held: Stories Behind the Stories, I share the story behind one of the most personal essays I have written.

Years ago, in the middle of a divorce, I found myself at the Golden Door. I arrived feeling broken, lost, and unsure of who I was becoming. What I expected was a week of rest. What I found was something much more unexpected.

A gentle reminder that beneath the grief, the fear, and all the ways life had changed… the truest part of me had never left.

I talk about that season of my life, the healing that began there, and why this story still feels so meaningful today. Then I read the essay, She Was Still There, and reflect on what has unfolded since.

☕ Pour a cup of tea and stay awhile.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sundayheld.substack.com

In this episode of Sunday Held: Stories Behind the Stories, I revisit a moment that took place in 2020 but stayed with me long enough to become one of the earliest seeds of Sunday Held.

At the time, I was moving quickly through life—focused on work, responsibilities, and what came next. Standing still was not something I did often. But one day, for reasons I still cannot fully explain, I stopped long enough to witness a moment that would stay with me for years.

What I thought was a story about a stranger has become something much deeper: a reminder of the importance of paying attention, listening to our inner voice, and staying present for the moments that might otherwise pass us by.

Years later, after writing about the experience, I discovered that the memory had not only stayed with me. It had stayed with others, too.

In this episode, I share the story behind The Day I Looked Up and reflect on how its meaning continues to unfold.

☕ Pour a cup of tea and stay awhile.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sundayheld.substack.com

Before we begin revisiting the Sunday Held archive, I want to share the story behind Sunday Held itself.

What started as a personal search for a quiet place to reflect—during a stressful season at work and on the eve of the tenth anniversary of my father’s death—became something I never expected. A weekly practice. A source of healing. A way to reconnect with old friends, connect with new ones, and discover that many of us are carrying more than we realize.

In this first episode, I share how Sunday Held came to be, why Sunday mornings have always been sacred to me, and how a simple desire to create a place to return to became a community of readers and listeners.

Then we will revisit the very first Sunday Held essay and explore how its meaning has continued to unfold.

Thank you for being here.

Pour a cup of tea and stay awhile.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sundayheld.substack.com