This week marks one year since I hit publish on The Feisty Heroine Podcast—and what a ride it’s been.

In this special solo episode, I’m pulling back the curtain and sharing more of my own story: what it means to grow up emotional in a non-emotional family, to follow the “safe” script of marriage and career, and to finally break free and choose my own road.

From counseling teens in NYC public schools to leaving my marriage, to starting over (again) in hospitality, I talk about the resilience, stubbornness, and reinvention that have shaped me—and this podcast.

✨ What you’ll hear:

• Why being sensitive and stubborn became my superpowers

• How I learned that the “safe” path isn’t always safe

• My story of reinvention after marriage, education, and career pivots

• Why resilience and feistiness matter now more than ever

• The Hunter S. Thompson quote that sums up how I want to live my life

Whether you feel like a black sheep, a cycle breaker, or simply a woman searching for her next chapter, this episode is for you.

👉 Subscribe, share, and let’s keep rewriting the rules—together.

Connect with me at the following:

Website: thefeistyheroine.com

YouTube: @thefeistyheroine

Instagram: @thefeistyheroine

Keywords woven in: resilience, reinvention, cycle breaker, sensitive empath, black sheep, women empowerment, choosing your own path, life transitions.

In this episode of Feisty Fridays on The Feisty Heroine Podcast, Rachel Beck explores the hidden cost of chasing validation — from relationships, family, society, and even social media.

Validation can feel sweet in the moment, but what happens when it costs you your peace? Rachel shares personal stories and lessons about learning to stop performing for approval, trust your gut, and reclaim your self-worth without needing external permission.

If you’ve ever felt the pressure to measure your value by someone else’s opinion, this mini-sode will remind you that your worth isn’t up for debate.

📖 Inspired by this Guardian article: ‘Men seem to make life for women worse’: single US women share the woes of dating in 2025

Follow me at:

Insta: @thefeistyheroine

YouTube: @thefeistyheroine

Website: thefeistyheroine.com

Keywords: validation, self-worth, boundaries, independence, women empowerment, authenticity, single women, mental health

What happens when you trust your gut—even when the world tells you not to?

In this episode of The Feisty Heroine Podcast, Rachel talks with writer Marla Stein, a 53-year-old New Yorker turned Valencia, Spain local, about two defining “feisty heroine” moments: advocating for herself at 32 after a doctor dismissed a breast lump (which proved to be cancer) and, years later, rebuilding a life abroad after a stage 4 neuroendocrine tumor diagnosis just three months into her Spain move.

Marla shares how women’s intuition and self-advocacy became non-negotiable tools—guiding hard pivots, setting boundaries, and choosing a nontraditional path. From finding community and care in Spain to embracing acceptance, surrender, and reinvention, she offers grounded wisdom for anyone feeling stuck or pressured by “shoulds.”

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Why listening to your inner voice can be life-saving—especially in women’s health

• How to advocate for yourself with doctors, family, and systems

• Living fully with a chronic diagnosis: mindset, humor, and tiny daily joys (beach walks, writing, meditation)

• Choosing an unconventional life abroad and giving yourself permission to pivot—at any age

Feisty reminder: there’s rarely a “perfect time.” Make the decision; the path appears.

**Also, Marla is on Substack! You can follow her writings here.

(Keywords: women’s intuition, self-advocacy, women’s health, stage 4 cancer, neuroendocrine tumor, resilience, reinvention, living abroad, Valencia Spain, personal growth, acceptance, surrender, empowerment)

What if happiness isn’t measured by square footage, matching furniture, or a scripted timeline?

In this Feisty Fridays episode, Rachel Beck dives into inspiring stories of women rewriting what it means to live well — from the Birdnest community in Texas (11 women, 9 dogs, no husbands) to the growing love for tiny homes, minimalism, and having fewer things but more peace.

Rachel shares her own journey — living in a three-bedroom suburban home she didn’t need, then tightening into 300-square-foot apartments in NYC — and how those experiences taught her that less can truly be more.

She explores why communities like The Birdnest matter, especially for women who may be single now or later — and why having options, not just one roadmap, changes everything.

✨ What you’ll hear:

• Why The Birdnest isn’t just an article — it’s a model of possibility
  

• How minimalism and tiny home values can bring freedom and joy
  

• Why the narrative “you’ll die alone” is being challenged — powerfully
  

• How home, belonging, and community can take many forms
  

📰 Read the article that sparked this episode: “11 Women, 9 Dogs, Not Much Drama (and No Guys)” — The Bird’s Nest commune in Texas ➤ https://longreads.com/2025/08/25/retired-women-commune-texas/ Longreads

Whether your dream is a tiny home, a shared village, or a cozy solo space, this episode will remind you: your path doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. Home is where belonging lives.

What if you stopped living the life you “should” and followed your inner voice instead? In this episode of The Feisty Heroine Podcast, Rachel Beck talks with Joanna, a 41-year-old licensed marriage & family therapist from San Francisco, who is choosing reinvention: an open-ended journey abroad with her dog, a Lisbon-to-Budapest road trip, and a plan to claim EU citizenship through Hungarian ancestry.

Joanna opens up about moving from people-pleasing and perfectionism to treating change as an experiment—and why feeling “stuck” is often valuable information, not failure. Together we explore how societal expectations (and the patriarchy’s quiet pressures) shape women’s choices around work, relationships, and timelines—and how solo travel, community, and listening to your hungers can catalyze personal growth and better mental health.

You’ll hear:

• How to honor your inner voice without having every step figured out

• Tiny next steps to get unstuck (before jumping to the “how”)

• Why reinvention is a superpower at any age

• Cultural contrasts (US vs. Europe) that expand what’s possible

• Practical truth: “You get to make mistakes, too.”

Feisty reminder: Your timeline is yours alone. Ask, “What am I longing for?”—and let that answer lead.

(Keywords: self-discovery, societal expectations, women empowerment, mental health, travel, reinvention, relationships, cultural differences, inner voice, personal growth)

The headlines called it her fairytale ending — but what does Taylor Swift’s engagement really say about how we view women’s worth?

In this Feisty Friday mini-sode of The Feisty Heroine Podcast, Rachel unpacks why society still treats engagement as the ultimate achievement for women, even for someone as wildly successful as Taylor.

✨ You’ll hear:

• How the media frames powerful women as “complete” only when partnered.

• The double bind successful women face in dating and relationships.

• Why this narrative keeps so many of us stuck chasing someone else’s timeline.

• A feisty reframe for celebrating women without reducing them to their love lives.

This isn’t about tearing down Taylor’s joy — it’s about questioning why her love story is treated as the pinnacle of her success, and what that means for the rest of us.

💡 Whether you’re single, divorced, childfree, a single mom, or partnered, this is your reminder: you are already enough.

In this powerful and unapologetic episode of The Feisty Heroine Podcast, host Rachel Beck sits down with Abreya—a self-proclaimed “black sheep” from the Midwest who refuses to shrink herself to fit into anyone’s mold.

From being raised by a single mother in Des Moines to choosing permanent child-free living through a bilateral salpingectomy (just 10 days before Roe v. Wade was overturned), Abreya’s story is one of radical self-trust, defiance of societal norms, and unwavering personal freedom.

She opens up about what it means to be a woman who questions everything—marriage, motherhood, the “good girl” script—and why embracing her inner rebel has led to the most grounded version of herself yet.

Together, Rachel and Abreya explore:
✨ The loneliness and liberation of being the “black sheep”
✨ Why she chose permanent sterilization—and what that choice gave back to her
✨ Dating while child-free in a conservative culture
✨ Mental health, boundaries, and the power of solitude
✨ Creating a life rooted in purpose, not permission

If you've ever felt out of step with the world around you, this episode will remind you: you’re not broken—you’re building a life on your own damn terms.

From “Ozempic face” to red-light masks to the endless pressure to stay young, thin, and flawless — beauty culture is everywhere. But what happens when self-care turns into self-surveillance? When beauty stops feeling like joy and starts feeling like a bully?

In this week’s Feisty Fridays, Rachel Beck dives into the toxic cycle of self-optimization and why women are constantly told they’re “not enough.” From diet drugs to anti-aging fads, we’re reminded that society doesn’t trust women to own their bodies, their time, or their worth.

You’ll hear:

• Why “fixing yourself” keeps women small, busy, and disconnected.

• How beauty standards shift just out of reach — and who profits from it.

• Why no amount of hotness or health hacks can save us from misogyny.

• What it really means to unhook from the hustle and love yourself as you are.

💡 Feisty reminder: You are allowed to age. You are allowed to rest. You are not a product to be perfected — you are already whole.

Stay feisty. Stay free. Stay you. 💋

In this powerful episode of The Feisty Heroine Podcast, host Rachel Beck sits down with renowned social scientist and author Dr. Bella DePaulo to explore what it really means to live a full, empowered, and joyful life as a single woman.

Together, they challenge the cultural myths around marriage, partnership, and “happily ever after.” Bella introduces her groundbreaking concept of being Single at Heart — a way of living that’s rooted in authenticity, freedom, and the refusal to settle.

They unpack:

• Why being single is not a problem to solve

• The difference between loneliness and chosen solitude

• How singleism (discrimination against singles) impacts everything from housing to healthcare

• Why solo living can be powerful, peaceful, and full of love

• And how to build a deeply meaningful life outside of traditional family structures

If you’ve ever felt “behind” because you’re not married, questioned whether partnership is right for you, or longed for validation that your single life is complete as it is, this conversation will feel like a breath of fresh air.

Dr. DePaulo’s work has been featured in The Atlantic, TEDx, Psychology Today, The New York Times, and more — and today, she’s bringing her wisdom straight to this community of bold, independent, growth-minded women.

Listen now and discover why the most powerful love story might just be the one you write on your own.

Follow Dr. Bella DePaulo for the latest on Singlehood:

Social media:

X: @belladepaulo

Bluesky: @belladepaulo.bsky.social

IG: @bellasingleatheart

FB: @belladepaulo

YouTube: @BellaDePaulo

LinkedIN: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/bella-depaulo/5/540/286

In this Feisty Fridays mini-sode, host Rachel Beck dives into the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth I—known as the “Virgin Queen”—and the bold choice that defined her reign: never marrying. Drawing from the BBC’s Why the Virgin Queen Never Married, (link to the article here.) Rachel explores how Elizabeth defied the intense pressure to wed, navigated political and personal challenges, and built a 44-year reign on her own terms.

From her rumored love for Robert Dudley to her famous declaration that she was “married to England,” Elizabeth’s story is a masterclass in self-sovereignty, personal power, and rewriting the rules for women.

Rachel connects Elizabeth’s 16th-century defiance to the pressures modern women face today—reminding listeners that choosing yourself is not selfish, it’s sovereign.

Perfect for fans of women’s history, personal empowerment, and the quiet rebellion of living life on your own terms.

Keywords: Queen Elizabeth I, Virgin Queen, women’s history, personal empowerment, choosing yourself, living single, historical women leaders, women and marriage, Cate Blanchett Elizabeth, sovereignty