Symone Fairchild survived domestic abuse, represented herself in court as a low-income single mother, lived in a shelter while fighting to protect her son, and almost did not make it out.

Today she is an actress, screenwriter, director, domestic abuse thriver, and the founder of ION DV, a movement dedicated to eradicating domestic violence before it starts.

In this conversation, Symone and Dali talk about why prevention is more powerful than post-abuse support, what epigenetics reveals about generational trauma, and how chronic domestic violence actually causes brain damage.

Symone also shares the anthology book she created for survivors ready to share their light, and the documentary Lean Into Fear, which is pulling back the curtain on trauma, the legal system, and what it actually takes to get from survivorship to thriving.

This episode is raw, real, and deeply important.

00:00 Intro: How trauma becomes purpose01:00 Meet Symone Fairchild, actress, director, and founder of ION DV02:00 Symone's heart as an actress and how she channels characters
03:00 Screenwriting, directing, and her love of action and espionage
04:00 Why she founded ION DV and the mission to eradicate domestic violence
05:30 Why prevention matters more than post-abuse support
07:00 The anthology book Extraordinary Trauma to Extraordinary Dreams
09:00 What it means to be a mirror for others healing from trauma
12:00 How Symone vets co-authors for the anthology
15:00 Reading soul evolution in a person's language and energy
17:00 Lessons learned from volume one going into volume two
20:00 The documentary Lean Into Fear and how it started as a talk show
22:00 What Lean Into Fear reveals about trauma, genetics, and society
24:00 Epigenetics, generational trauma, and what lives on our DNA
27:00 Research rooted in lived experience, group counseling, and advocacy
29:00 Navigating the court system as a low-income domestic abuse survivor
31:00 How chronic domestic violence causes brain damage
33:00 Why films create social change and what Lean Into Fear aims to do
35:00 How to donate to Lean Into Fear and join volume two
37:00 Symone's closing message: You are not meant to stay in survivorship
38:00 Thriving is your birthright

Donate to Lean Into Fear: https://cinefemme.net/projects/lean-fear/
Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GX31Y8SX
Follow ION DV on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eyeondv/

Follow DaliTalks on IG and LinkedIn @DaliTalks

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalitalks/

https://instagram.com/dalitalks

Website:

https:www.DaliTalks.com/

Most of us walk into relationships without ever stopping to ask ourselves what we actually need. And that is exactly where things start to unravel.

Ruby Raja is back on the DaliTalks Podcast. She is the founder of Inshiraa, a certified trauma facilitator and trainer licensed in the BeyondTrauma modality, and the author of Healing from Narcissistic Abuse: Journeys from Abuse to Freedom.

In this episode, Ruby breaks down what non-negotiables really are, why so many women give them up the moment feelings get involved, and how knowing who you are before you enter a relationship changes everything.

We get into love bombing and how it works, why financial independence is one of the most important tools a woman can have, how language reveals character from the very first interaction, and what parents and caring adults can do when a teenager they love is showing signs of being in an abusive relationship.

If you have ever found yourself in a relationship and realized you had slowly stopped doing everything you loved, this episode is going to hit home.

00:00 Opening: How love bombing works and why time protects you

01:00 Welcome back Ruby Raja and what we are covering today

01:30 What non-negotiables are and why most people never define them

03:00 How Disney and rom-coms set us up for unrealistic relationship expectations

04:00 Why women break boundaries more often and what men notice

05:30 How partners slowly wedge themselves between you and your friendships

07:00 Non-negotiables change at different life stages

08:00 What to consider when children are involved

09:00 How much time should you give a new relationship?

10:00 Religion, culture, and values as non-negotiables

12:00 When cultural differences become deal breakers

13:00 Communication and compromise as the foundation of lasting relationships

14:00 The unspoken labor divide when both partners work and have children

16:00 The most basic questions to ask yourself before entering a relationship

18:00 Why time is one of your most important non-negotiables

19:00 Love bombing explained and how to protect yourself from it

21:00 Language as a red flag: what words reveal about character

23:00 How cultural backgrounds shape what language is acceptable

25:00 The money conversation nobody wants to have but everyone should

29:00 Financial control as a tool of domestic violence

31:00 Why lending money in relationships is a boundary worth protecting

34:00 Co-signing and other financial traps to avoid

35:00 How financial independence gives you the power to leave

37:00 When communication style becomes a non-negotiable

41:00 The connection between ignored boundaries and bullying

43:00 Red flags in texting and communication patterns

47:00 What to do when a teenager in your life is in an abusive relationship

50:00 How to plant seeds without overwhelming them

52:00 Where to find Ruby and her free resources

Connect with Ruby: https://www.inshiraa.com

Email: [email protected]

Ruby's Books: https://www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk/products/healing-from-narcissistic-abuse?_pos=1&_sid=8949f0898&_ss=r

Connect with Dali and learn about DaliTalks: https://www.dalitalks.com/linktree

Follow DaliTalks on IG and LinkedIn @DaliTalks

What if healing from grief, anxiety, or a major life transition did not require years of talk therapy?

Dr. Susan Edkins is the founder of Dragonfly Integrated Health. She is a certified Reiki practitioner, hypnotherapist, and Akashic Records reader who helps women navigate grief and life transitions through guided meditation and nervous system support.

In this episode, Susan breaks down what Reiki, hypnotherapy, and Akashic Records actually are, clears up the most common misconceptions about each one, and explains why more and more mainstream medical institutions are paying attention to energy medicine. She also shares a channeled message she received specifically for the DaliTalks community that you will want to replay.

Whether you are navigating grief, a big life change, or just a nervous system that feels like it is constantly on fire, this conversation is going to open something up for you.

00:00 What an Akashic Records session actually looks like 01:00 Welcome Dr. Susan Edkins and introduction to Dragonfly Integrated Health

02:00 Susan's background in athletic training and college education

02:30 Losing her husband unexpectedly and how it changed everything

03:00 How energy medicine found her and why she knew she had to learn it

03:30 What the Akashic Records are and how to think about them

05:00 The concept of infinite possibilities and why time is a construct

06:00 Dali's childhood memory of feeling everything happening at once

07:00 Why children are more tapped in than adults

08:00 How all modalities are different doors to the same inner wisdom

09:00 Prayer versus meditation and why they might be the same thing

10:00 Can people of faith work with Akashic Records?

11:00 How a one-on-one Akashic Records session actually works

12:00 What channeling feels like and why the messages often surprise Susan too

13:00 The important distinction between Akashic Records and psychic readings

14:00 Susan's analytical background and why she had to learn to trust

15:00 How Reiki and Akashic Records are different but connected

16:00 How Susan discovered Reiki through her own grief

17:00 Stuck energy, root chakras, and why grief lives in the body

18:00 What Susan felt her first time receiving Reiki

19:00 Where Reiki comes from and how it works

20:00 Why Reiki is one of the most researched forms of energy medicine

21:00 Duke University, medical Reiki, and cancer patient care

22:00 The biofield, coherence, and how two energy fields interact

23:00 Sham Reiki studies and what they revealed about human connection

24:00 What Reiki is and is not used for in cancer care

25:00 How energy fields work and why you have felt them your whole life

26:00 What hypnotherapy actually is and what it is not

27:00 Bypassing the conscious mind to access the subconscious

28:00 Why meditation does not have to be an hour of silence

29:00 Susan's new longer meditations with subconscious affirmations

30:00 The power of what we speak about ourselves and what we consume

31:00 Manifestation and why your brain cannot tell real from imagined

32:00 Susan's new course for women navigating life transitions

33:00 What the course covers: nervous system, triggers, and daily practices

34:00 A real life example of nervous system regulation in a crisis

37:00 How to register and connect with Susan

38:00 A channeled message from the Akashic Records for the DaliTalks community

40:00 Trust your intuition and follow what you are drawn to

42:00 Can teens use these modalities?

43:00 The one caveat with Akashic Records and minors

44:00 Why calming your nervous system makes you less reactionary

Connect with Dr. Susan Edkins:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/drsusanedkinsedd

Course registration: http://calm-the-overwhelm.my.canva.site Email: [email protected]

Connect with Dali and learn about DaliTalks: https://www.dalitalks.com/linktree

What if the key to raising a confident, bully-proof kid starts with something as simple as helping them name what they feel?

Marcelle Waldman is a certified teacher, Teen Wise coach, co-founder of Parenting Upstream, and founder of FeelLinks, a line of hands-on social-emotional learning tools for children, families, educators, and clinicians.

In this episode, she breaks down why emotional intelligence is the foundation of everything, from how kids handle conflict to how they show up in friendships, classrooms, and eventually the workplace.

We talk about what happens when kids cannot identify their own emotions, how bullying behaviors are often rooted in emotional illiteracy, and why modeling emotional regulation as a parent is the single most powerful thing you can do for your child.

This one is for every parent who has ever felt lost trying to help their kid navigate big feelings, friendships, and the social pressures that come with growing up.

00:00 What emotional intelligence has to do with bullying prevention

01:00 Welcome Marcelle Waldman and her background

02:00 Growing up in a loving but emotionally structured home and what it taught her

03:00 From kindergarten teacher to social-emotional learning pioneer

04:00 How morning check-ins and journals changed everything in her classroom

05:00 Why Marcelle left teaching to create FeelLinks

06:00 From FeelLinks to Teen Wise: helping girls find themselves

07:00 What FeelLinks emotion dolls are and how they work

08:00 Building emotional vocabulary from infancy through adolescence

09:00 How the dolls are used in hospitals, therapy, and classrooms

10:00 The head, heart, and belly touch points and why they matter

11:00 The FeelLinks journal and Feel Trip: A Journey Through Ordinary Emotions

12:00 Dali shares her own experience learning about fear and anxiety as an adult

13:00 Marcelle's stroke at 23 and how it became the turning point for her work

14:00 Why emotional vocabulary changes everything in relationships

15:00 The connection between unexpressed emotions and bullying behavior

16:00 Why journaling is one of the most powerful tools for emotional release

17:00 How Teen Wise supports teen girls through coaching

18:00 The pandemic's impact on teen mental health and belonging

19:00 Why parents modeling emotional regulation matters more than anything

20:00 What to do when you feel frustration building in front of your kids

21:00 How Marcelle partnered with Teen Wise founder Sheri

22:00 What teen coaching looks like versus therapy

23:00 Finding the right support for your child

24:00 Summer workshops, events, and resources for parents and teens

25:00 How to reach Marcelle and access free resources

26:00 Why community and connection are the antidote to parenting alone

Connect with Marcelle:Instagram: @myfeellinks and @parentingupstream_hub

Facebook: @myfeellinks and @parentingupstreamhub

FeelLinks: https://myfeellinks.com

Teen Wise: http://teen-wise.com

Parenting Upstream: https://www.parentingupstream.com

Email: [email protected]

Connect with Dali and learn about DaliTalks:visit us at https://www.DaliTalks.com/LinkTree

Follow me on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalitalks/Follow DaliTalks on IG and LinkedIn @DaliTalks

Listen and subscribe:

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@DaliTalksPodcast

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4T1R5GFmU4gXWyC9eqKEGS?si=3b59804a244f4c62

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dalitalks-podcast/id1613524529Please like, share, subscribe to this channel, and comment below. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Decades ago, Zig Ziglar's "See You At The Top" taught me something I didn't know was possible: leaders who actually care about the people working for them.

Not long after, I became a Sergeant in the Army and had to decide whether I'd lead the way I'd been led, or do something different.

In this episode, I walk through that decision, why people stay with employers who treat them well even when the pay is better elsewhere, and how this same belief is shaping the way I'm building DaliTalks as I grow toward hiring my own team one day.

Connect with me at DaliTalks.com or @DaliTalks on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Learn more about Dali and DaliTalks at https://www.DaliTalks.com/LinkTree

Have you ever wondered why you keep attracting the same kinds of relationships, or why conflict makes you shut down, or why being alone feels unbearable?

The answer might be rooted in something that was shaped before you even started school.

Bev Mitelman is a certified relationship and attachment trauma practitioner, certified menopause specialist, and founder of Securely Loved. In this episode, she breaks down the four attachment styles, where they come from, how they show up in parenting, friendships, and romantic relationships, and most importantly, how to change them.

This one is going to make you think about your childhood, your kids, and every relationship you have ever been in.

00:00 Opening: What dismissive avoidant attachment really looks like 

01:00 Welcome and introduction to Bev Mitelman 

02:00 What attachment styles are and why they matter beyond romantic relationships 

03:00 How attachment styles connect to the way kids act out at home and school 

05:00 The four attachment styles explained 

06:00 Secure attachment: what it looks like and how it forms 

09:00 Can children of divorce still develop secure attachment? 

12:00 Moving into insecure attachment styles 

13:00 Anxious preoccupied attachment: the core wound of abandonment 

15:00 How anxious attachment shows up in adult relationships 

17:00 What anxious attachment looks like in young children at the grocery store 

18:00 Can attachment styles be changed? Yes, here is how 

20:00 Dali reflects on her own parenting and what she wishes she had known sooner 

22:00 Bev shares a powerful conversation she had with her own son 

24:00 Dismissive avoidant attachment: hyper-independence and emotional walls 

27:00 What about athletes under pressure? Where do they fall? 

30:00 Dismissive avoidant in adult relationships and why they avoid commitment 

32:00 Fearful avoidant attachment: the hot and cold partner explained 

35:00 The difference between personality traits and attachment styles 

35:30 Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn: what people-pleasing really means 

37:00 How to work with Bev and where to find her 

38:30 You can change your attachment style. It is not a life sentence.

Take the free Attachment Quiz: https://www.securelyloved.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SecurelyLoved Instagram: @securely_loved

Connect with Dali and learn about DaliTalks:

https://www.dalitalks.com/linktree

Follow DaliTalks on IG and LinkedIn @DaliTalks

What was the most valuable thing about this conversation for you?

#attachmentstyles #secureattachment #securelyloved

What does it look like when someone turns a painful past into a global mission?

Chason Forehand grew up navigating abuse and addiction, and instead of staying stuck in those cycles, he built something that helps others break free from theirs.

Chason is the founder of HR-4U, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Hudson Valley, New York, with three programs: Advocacy for living wages and workforce dignity, Mentor for Good to help young nonprofits survive their first five years, and Transformation Kitchen, a culinary training program that goes far beyond teaching people how to cook. Participants become part of a family, with support, wellness checks, and community that extends well past the 12-week program.

HR-4U is not planted in one city. They go wherever the doors open. They built their first Transformation Kitchen in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, and are now setting their sights on Australia, Canada, India, Costa Rica, Detroit, and the Hudson Valley, with a goal of 20 kitchens this year.

In this episode, we talk about what it takes to run a nonprofit under a restrictive government, how Chason partners with existing organizations to stretch every dollar toward the people, why paying living wages is not just the right thing but a smart business strategy, and how you can get involved no matter where you are in the world.

As Chason says, "We don't just flip eggs. We flip lives."

00:00 Introduction and welcome 01:00 Chason's background: growing up through abuse and addiction 03:00 The 12-week Transformation Kitchen program and the family it builds 04:30 Why HR-4U travels the world instead of staying in one city 05:30 How a chance connection led to the first kitchen in Matagalpa, Nicaragua 09:00 What it takes to operate a nonprofit under a restrictive government 11:30 Dali's personal connection to Nicaragua 14:00 Transparency, donations, and where the money goes 15:30 How to volunteer in Nicaragua and what it costs 19:00 The biggest challenge when setting up kitchens globally 21:00 2025 goals: Australia, Canada, India, Costa Rica, Detroit, and more 24:00 The three programs inside HR-4U 28:00 Annual fundraising event and how to get involved 30:00 Why one person can make a massive difference 31:30 How to join the advisory board remotely 35:00 How to connect with Chason and HR-4U

Support the mission: http://zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/522b4d43-d5ca-461e-beb9-ccde6e75532c

Connect with Chason: https://linktr.ee/chasonforehand

Connect with Dali and learn about DaliTalks:

https://www.DaliTalks.com/LinkTree

Follow DaliTalks on IG and LinkedIn @DaliTalks

What does it look like to spend nearly two decades in a career that was never meant for you, only to discover your real purpose on the other side of burnout, divorce, and being pushed out of jobs you deserved?

Londone Reid, transformational coach, speaker, and founder of Her Law of Growth, joins Dali for a conversation that is raw, funny, and deeply real. Londone shares how she went from chasing a psychology degree she had to abandon to accidentally discovering life coaching, surviving workplace bullying as a Black woman in corporate America, and finally building a business that lets her help other women do the same thing she did: get clear, find their voice, and move forward.

She also talks about her Clarity Catalyst program, her growing consulting arm that builds out full CRM systems and websites for coaches, and the four-word mantra that changed her life.

Don't worry. Just do it.

What if the most important thing you can do for your child right now has nothing to do with a screen?

Wylde Scott, award-winning children's author and founder of The Imagination Project, joins Dali to talk about preparing kids for a world being transformed by artificial intelligence. But this conversation goes way beyond jobs and careers. Wylde breaks down why imagination is the single most critical skill a child can develop, why our current education model is stripping it away, and what parents can do starting today.

Wylde shares his two-phase development framework, the case for going analog before going digital, why bedtime stories may be one of the most powerful tools parents have, and what he witnessed in a Brooklyn school that changed the entire direction of his mission.

If you have ever wondered what conscious parenting actually looks like in the age of AI, this episode is for you.

Connect with Wylde Scott:

The Imagination Project: https://theirimaginationproject.org Book (Raising Dreamers): Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Facebook: @WyldeScott, Instagram @ WyldeScott

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wylde-scott/

YouTube: @Wyldescottvideos

What if the key to your health had nothing to do with willpower?

Dali sits down with Mandi Murrow, holistic and integrative health coach and founder of Rooted Holistic Wellness, for a conversation that challenges everything you thought you knew about getting healthy.

Mandi shares her journey from hairstylist and salon owner to farm life, yoga teacher, health coach, and now hormone balancing specialist after having a baby at 46.

She breaks down the three pillars she believes every body needs: gut health, nervous system regulation, and sleep, and explains why fixing those first makes everything else easier.

They also talk about why BMI is outdated, how first-generation immigrants often struggle with weight due to changes in food quality and activity level, and how to honor your cultural foods while still making healthier shifts. Plus, Mandi shares her powerful philosophy: shame is worse than sugar.

In this episode:

• The gut-brain connection and what leaky gut actually means

• Why weight loss is secondary to how you feel

• Programs for intuitive eating, hormone balancing, and GLP support

• How Mandi holds clients accountable without judgment

• Menstrual cycle education for teens and adults

• Blue zones, community, and the science of slowing down

Connect with Mandi:

Website: https://www.rootedholisticwellness.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/rootedholisticcoac

Facebook: https://facebook.com/RootedHolisticWellness

Learn more about Dali: https://www.DaliTalks.com/LinkTree