🎙️ Episode 12: The Inheritance of Wonder

In this episode of Sunday Held: Stories Behind the Stories, I revisit The Inheritance of Wonder, an essay about my father, the lessons he left behind, and the unexpected ways we sometimes discover that the people we have lost are still very much a part of who we have become.

Before reading the essay in its entirety, I share what was happening in my life when I wrote it—a particularly reflective time when I found myself thinking deeply about my dad, everything he taught me, and my growing willingness to receive the signs that remind me of him without needing to explain them away.

After reading the essay, I reflect on what I now understand about inheritance: that perhaps the most meaningful things our parents leave us are not possessions at all, but curiosity, confidence, wonder, and ways of seeing the world that become part of us.

This is an episode about fathers and daughters, signs, travel, curiosity, and recognizing that sometimes the greatest inheritance is not what someone leaves us, but what they leave in us.

🎙️ 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 11: It Comes in Waves

In this episode of Sunday Held: Stories Behind the Stories, I revisit It Comes in Waves, an essay that began with a stranger on a plane and became a reflection on grief, empathy, grace, and the invisible burdens we carry.

Before reading the essay in its entirety, I share what happened that morning on my way to Seoul—from asking my dad to join me on the trip and tucking his college ring into my carry-on, to an owl calling before dawn and the unexpected encounter that unfolded just before takeoff.

After the reading, I reflect on what it means to remain open enough to notice the people and signs around us, even in the rush of everyday life. I also share what a remarkable flight attendant taught me about showing up for others while carrying our own burdens, and why perhaps we could all move through the world a little slower to judge, a little quicker to understand, and a little more generous with our grace.

🎙️ 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 10: Right on Time

In this episode of Sunday Held: Stories Behind the Stories, I revisit Right on Time, an essay about love, second chances, and the wisdom that comes from having lived enough life to know what matters.

Before reading the essay in its entirety, I share something I did not include when I wrote it: I almost missed my friend Natalie’s wedding. Natalie and I had helped each other through our previous marriages, our divorces, and the unexpected world of dating again. There was no wedding I wanted to attend more. But it fell during a particularly difficult season at work—a season that, in twenty years of my career, I had never missed a single day. This time, I made a different choice.

After reading the essay, I reflect on love later in life, why second chances feel different, and how experience changes what we recognize and value. I also explore the unexpected connection between Natalie choosing marriage again and me finally breaking a rule I had held onto for twenty years. Sometimes changing your mind does not mean you were wrong before. Sometimes you just know more now.

🎙️ 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 9: The Butterfly on the Hotel Door

In this episode of Sunday Held: Stories Behind the Stories, I revisit one of the most pivotal essays I have ever written, The Butterfly on the Hotel Door.

Before reading the essay in its entirety, I share what was happening in my life when I wrote it. Six months into COVID, I was exhausted, living alone after my divorce, and searching for a way back to myself. What began as a quiet weekend away and a psychic reading became the start of a journey that would forever change how I see the world.

After reading the essay, I reflect on what has unfolded since that weekend, how I came to realize the signs had always been there, and why I believe the greatest transformation wasn’t the butterfly itself—it was becoming open enough to notice it. I also share why that reading marked the beginning of many more stories that I am looking forward to telling in future essays and future episodes.

🎙️ 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 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