The Stone in My Shoe Podcast - Honest conversations about the hidden patterns shaping our lives.

Have you ever realised you've been working so hard to belong that you've slowly lost connection with yourself?

In this heartfelt conversation, Debbie Thompson sits down with Ramona Kossowan to explore the quiet moments that often become life's biggest turning points.

For many midlife women, an identity change doesn't begin with a crisis. It begins with a quiet feeling that something no longer fits.

Ramona shares how years of striving, saying yes, and fearing she might miss out eventually led her to recognise a deeper truth: the life she was creating no longer felt aligned with who she really was. Instead of forcing outcomes, she began listening to her intuition, letting go of what felt wrong, and discovering an unexpected sense of relief.

This episode is for women navigating identity, finding yourself, life transitions, people pleasing, relationship patterns, and that quiet feeling that you've spent so long looking after everyone else that you've forgotten what you truly want.

In this episode we explore:

• Identity and identity change

• Finding yourself again after years of putting others first

• People pleasing and relationship patterns

• Emotional healing through self-awareness

• Self-worth beyond external validation

• Authenticity and living in alignment

• Personal growth through self-trust

• Letting go of fear and embracing purpose

• Choosing peace over constant striving

• Recognising the patterns that keep us disconnected from ourselves

Sometimes transformation doesn't begin by becoming someone new.

Sometimes it begins by giving yourself permission to stop abandoning who you've always been.

👤 Guest Links

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ramonakcoaching

Website: www.ramonakcoaching.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramona-kossowan-380ba66a/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RamonaKCoaching

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ramonakcoaching

CONNECT WITH DEBBIE

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thestoneinmyshoe/ 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thestoneinmyshoe/ 

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-thompson-b3b1b715/

Youtube-  https://www.youtube.com/@stoneinmyshoepodcast

Website - https://debbiethompson.lovable.app/

Have you ever looked at your life and quietly wondered… "How did I get so far away from myself?" 

In this deeply honest conversation, Audra Phelps shares how years of living within clearly defined roles slowly left her disconnected from herself. As a wife, mother and committed member of the Mormon church, she did everything she believed was expected of her—until anxiety, curiosity and unexpected life changes began asking questions she could no longer ignore.

Rather than one dramatic turning point, Audra describes a series of quiet awakenings: returning to university, discovering supportive friendships beyond her church community, moving overseas, and finding enough space to examine beliefs she had never questioned before.

This episode is for women navigating a midlife identity shift, life transitions, people-pleasing, emotional disconnection, or the quiet feeling that the life they've built no longer reflects who they truly are. It's a conversation about finding yourself again, learning to trust your inner voice, and creating a life that feels aligned with who you are today.

In this episode you'll hear about:

• Living through roles that slowly eclipse your sense of self.

• The connection between anxiety and unexamined expectations.

• Why creating physical and emotional space can change your perspective.

• Learning to trust your own inner voice.

• Rebuilding identity with curiosity rather than certainty.

Every turning point begins with one honest question.

Topics Covered

• Midlife identity shift

• Finding yourself again

• Women trusting their intuition

• Identity beyond roles

• Emotional disconnection

• Anxiety and self-awareness

• Life transitions for women

• Personal transformation story

• Midlife awakening

• Self-discovery after 40

• Building a life aligned with your values

• Faith transition and identity

Every turning point begins with one honest question.

Perhaps this conversation will help you ask your own.

👤 Connect with Audra Phelps

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mamaaudra

Website: https://mamaaudra.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/audra-phelps-b422786a/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571178607920

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Mama-Audra

CONNECT WITH DEBBIE

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thestoneinmyshoe/ 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thestoneinmyshoe/ 

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-thompson-b3b1b715/

Youtube-  https://www.youtube.com/@stoneinmyshoepodcast

Website - https://debbiethompson.lovable.app/

What if the symptoms you've been trying to fix are actually carrying a message you've never been able to hear?

In this deeply moving episode of The Stone in My Shoe, Debbie Thompson is joined by embodiment mentor and Ayurveda health consultant Lina Lambertini to explore the profound connection between our bodies, our stories, and the truths we haven't yet recognised.

After years of living with unexplained illness, emotional pain, and searching for answers, Lina discovered that the "stone in the shoe" she had been carrying wasn't simply physical—it was an unspoken truth her body had been holding all along.

Together, Debbie and Lina explore what it means to stop fighting our bodies and begin listening with curiosity, compassion, and courage. Their conversation is a gentle reminder that healing isn't about becoming someone different, it's about returning to who we've always been beneath the expectations, coping strategies, and stories we've carried.

In this episode you'll hear:

• Why the body often speaks before the mind understands.

• How unspoken truths can influence our health, relationships, habits, and nervous system.

• The powerful question that changed Lina's life:"Do I want to keep living like this?"

• Why true healing begins with understanding yourself, not fixing yourself.

• How knowing who you truly are can become the beginning of peace.

Whether you're navigating a midlife transition, questioning the life you've built, or simply sensing that something inside you is asking for attention, this conversation offers hope, wisdom, and a compassionate invitation to listen more deeply.

Connect with Lina Lambertini

🌐 Websitehttps://www.lina-lambertini.com

📸 Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/linalambertini/

🌿 A Soul for a Womanhttps://www.instagram.com/asoulforawoman/

▶️ YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@linalambertini

✍️ Substackhttps://substack.com/@linalambertini

CONNECT WITH DEBBIE

Facebook - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/thestoneinmyshoe/⁠ 

Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thestoneinmyshoe/⁠ 

LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-thompson-b3b1b715/⁠

Youtube-  ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@stoneinmyshoepodcast ⁠

Website - ⁠https://debbiethompson.lovable.app/

What happens when the life you've worked so hard to build no longer feels like the life you're meant to be living?

In this heartfelt conversation, Debbie Thompson sits down with facilitator and Capacity Reset founder Faith Paki to explore the quiet identity shift that unfolded beneath years of professional success, leadership and achievement.

From the outside, Faith's life looked successful. She was leading teams, travelling the world and helping others grow. But underneath it all was a growing sense that she had become defined by what she did rather than who she was.

Everything changed when one simple question left her speechless:

"What do you do?"

It was the beginning of a journey back to herself.

Together, Debbie and Faith explore how self-belief isn't built through extraordinary moments, but through the small promises we keep to ourselves every day. They reflect on identity, purpose, intuition, letting go of perfectionism, and learning to trust the quiet voice that had been there all along.

If you've ever felt disconnected from yourself, found yourself questioning your purpose, or sensed that life is asking something different of you, this conversation will feel deeply familiar.

In this episode you'll hear about:

• Building a successful life while quietly losing yourself.

• Why identity often becomes attached to our roles.

• The small daily choices that shape self-belief.

• Learning to trust yourself again.

• Letting go of perfectionism and control.

• The courage to ask, "Who am I beneath everything I do?"

• Why awareness is often the first step back to yourself.

This conversation is a gentle reminder that you don't need to become someone new.

You may simply need to remember who you've always been.

👤 Connect with Faith Paki

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/faithpaki/

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/faithpaki.reset

Website:https://byfaithpaki.com/

CONNECT WITH DEBBIE

Facebook - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/thestoneinmyshoe/⁠ 

Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thestoneinmyshoe/⁠ 

LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-thompson-b3b1b715/⁠

Youtube-  ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@stoneinmyshoepodcast ⁠

Website - ⁠https://debbiethompson.lovable.app/

What happens when you've built the life you always dreamed of… and still don't feel free?

In this deeply honest conversation, Debbie Thompson speaks with entrepreneur, investor and founder Nyasha Ngwena about the hidden patterns that shaped her life long after she had achieved the career she'd always wanted.

From growing up believing she needed approval to pursue her dreams, to recognising that people-pleasing had quietly become part of her identity, Nyasha shares the powerful turning point that changed everything. Rather than blaming her circumstances, she began asking different questions—questions that led her back to herself.

Together, Debbie and Nyasha explore what it means to stop performing for acceptance, reconnect with your intuition, and build a life that's aligned not just with your ambitions, but with who you truly are.

If you've ever felt emotionally disconnected despite outward success, found yourself constantly seeking validation, or wondered why achieving your goals hasn't brought the peace you expected, this conversation will resonate deeply.

In this episode you'll hear about:

• Living your dream while still seeking approval

• The hidden cost of people-pleasing

• Why self-sacrifice can become a lifelong pattern

• Learning to trust your intuition instead of external validation

• Identity, belonging and self-worth

• Rebuilding your relationship with yourself

• Creating success without abandoning who you are

This episode is for women navigating identity shifts, emotional burnout, life transitions and the quiet feeling that there has to be another way to live.

Sometimes the biggest turning point isn't changing your life.

It's changing the story you've been telling yourself.

👤 Connect with Nyasha

Personal Website: https://nyasha.koshabrands.com

Instagram:https://instagram.com/beingnyasha

Substack:https://substack.com/@cultivateyourknowing

Aligned Wealth:https://alignedwealth.life/

YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@AlignedWealthLife

Aligned Frequencies:https://music.alignedwealth.life/

CONNECT WITH DEBBIE

CONNECT WITH DEBBIE

Facebook - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/thestoneinmyshoe/⁠ 

Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thestoneinmyshoe/⁠ 

LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-thompson-b3b1b715/⁠

Youtube-  ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@stoneinmyshoepodcast ⁠

Website - ⁠https://debbiethompson.lovable.app/

What happens when you've spent your entire life believing you're the problem?

In this deeply honest conversation, Debbie Thompson sits down with Amanda Gorman, artist, ADHD advocate, TEDx speaker, founder of Distractd, and mother of two, to explore the emotional reality of living for decades without understanding why life felt harder than it seemed for everyone else.

Amanda shares her experience of juggling work, parenting, caregiving, grief, and the relentless pressure to keep everything together while quietly blaming herself for struggles she couldn't explain.

What begins as a conversation about ADHD becomes something much deeper.

It's a conversation about identity.

About the stories we create about ourselves.

About carrying invisible burdens.

And about the freedom that comes when understanding replaces self-judgment.

Together, Debbie and Amanda explore:

• The emotional impact of receiving an ADHD diagnosis later in life
• The hidden cost of masking and high-functioning coping strategies
• Grief, burnout, and what happens when life becomes too heavy to carry alone
• Why many women grow up believing they're "too much" or "not enough"
• The difference between a character flaw and a neurological difference
• Learning self-compassion after years of self-criticism
• Why understanding yourself changes everything
• The powerful question: "What do I need?"

This episode is for women who have spent years doing everything for everyone else while quietly questioning themselves.

For women navigating life transitions, identity shifts, emotional exhaustion, people-pleasing, or the feeling that something doesn't quite fit anymore.

Most of all, it's for the woman who has carried a story about herself for a very long time and is beginning to wonder if that story is actually true.

Sometimes healing doesn't begin with fixing yourself.

Sometimes it begins with seeing yourself differently.

 GUEST LINKS

Distractd: https://www.distractd.org

Amanda Gorman Artist: https://www.amandagormanartist.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d_istractd/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DISTRACTD

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandagormanartist/

CONNECT WITH DEBBIE

Facebook - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/thestoneinmyshoe/⁠ 

Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thestoneinmyshoe/⁠ 

LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-thompson-b3b1b715/⁠

Youtube-  ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@stoneinmyshoepodcast ⁠

Website - ⁠https://debbiethompson.lovable.app/

How many of the things that matter most have quietly been placed in the "someday" category?

In this heartfelt conversation, Debbie Thompson speaks with Adriana Carballo—storyteller, community builder, founder, mother, and creator of Spark Keepers—about the dream that changed the direction of her life.

What begins as a story about her grandmother's wish to see the Norwegian fjords becomes a powerful reflection on time, intuition, adventure, and the assumptions we make about the future.

When Adriana lost her grandmother before that dream could happen, she was forced to confront a question many women quietly carry:

What am I postponing because I believe there will always be more time?

Together, Debbie and Adriana explore the emotional patterns that keep us waiting, the hidden belief that we have to do everything alone, and the courage required to stop delaying what feels most alive.

This conversation is for women navigating change, questioning what matters most, or feeling the pull toward something they can no longer ignore.

In this episode you'll hear about:

• The story that became Adriana's "stone in her shoe"

• Why the things that matter most often get pushed into the future

• The hidden cost of waiting for the perfect time

• Learning to receive support instead of doing everything alone

• Following a dream before certainty arrives

• Creating space for joy, adventure, and possibility

• What it means to become enchanted with your own life again

Sometimes the stone isn't there to stop us.

Sometimes it's there to wake us up.

As you listen, notice what stays with you.

Perhaps there is something in your life that has been waiting patiently for your attention.

👤 GUEST LINKS

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hola.adrianacarballo

Website: https://adrianacarballo.lovable.app/

Spark Keepers: https://spark-keepers.com/

Substack: https://adrianacarballo.substack.com

CONNECT WITH DEBBIE

Facebook - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/thestoneinmyshoe/⁠ 

Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thestoneinmyshoe/⁠ 

LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-thompson-b3b1b715/⁠

Youtube-  ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@stoneinmyshoepodcast ⁠

Website - ⁠https://debbiethompson.lovable.app/

What happens when you've spent so many years helping everyone else that you can no longer hear yourself?

In this deeply honest conversation, Karen Blair shares the moment she realised that the life she had built around caring, achieving, helping and doing had come at a cost she never expected.

For years, she believed her value came from being useful. She stayed busy, kept moving, supported others, and rarely stopped long enough to ask what she needed. What looked like commitment and capability on the outside was masking a growing disconnection from herself.

The turning point came when she began to see the patterns she had been living inside for years. Patterns of people pleasing. Over-functioning. Constant doing. Avoiding stillness. Searching outside herself for something she could only find within.

When someone asked Karen what her greatest loss had been, her answer was simple.

"Losing myself."

But this conversation is not only about loss.

It is about the slow and courageous process of finding yourself again.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

• People pleasing and the hidden cost of constantly helping others
• Burnout, over-functioning and tying self-worth to being useful
• Losing connection with yourself while meeting everyone else's needs
• Learning to slow down and listen to your inner voice
• The discomfort of sitting with yourself instead of escaping yourself
• Self-abandonment, identity shifts and personal transformation

What it means to finally come home to yourself

This episode is for women navigating life transitions, emotional disconnection, burnout, people pleasing, identity shifts, or the feeling that somewhere along the way they lost touch with who they really are.

Karen's story is a reminder that the greatest transformation is often not becoming someone new.

It's remembering who you were before you became everything for everyone else.

👤 GUEST LINKS

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenconsciouslycoaching/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-blair-a7260b207/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karen.blair.274039

CONNECT WITH DEBBIE

Facebook - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/thestoneinmyshoe/⁠ 

Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thestoneinmyshoe/⁠ 

LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-thompson-b3b1b715/⁠

Youtube-  ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@stoneinmyshoepodcast ⁠

Website - ⁠https://debbiethompson.lovable.app/

Sometimes the moment that changes everything isn't a crisis.

It's a question.

A comment.

A reflection from someone who loves us.

In this deeply honest conversation, Victoria Solomon shares the turning point that forced her to see her life through a different lens. What began as a seemingly ordinary interaction with her teenage daughter became the moment she could no longer ignore the reality she had been living with for years.

Together, Debbie and Victoria explore how relationship patterns become normalised, how self-worth can slowly erode without us realising it, and why awareness often arrives long before change.

This is a conversation about the painful gap between what we know deep down and what we continue to tolerate.

It's about survival, self-abandonment, identity, and the courage it takes to finally acknowledge the truth.

For women navigating life transitions, questioning long-held patterns, or feeling disconnected from themselves, this episode offers a powerful reminder that recognition is often where transformation begins.

In this episode we explore:

• The moment Victoria realised her daughter was watching more than she thought

• How unhealthy relationship dynamics become normalised over time

• The hidden cost of constantly trying to be enough

• Why awareness can feel both devastating and liberating

• The impact our choices have on the people who love us most

• The beliefs that keep women stuck in relationships and situations that no longer serve them

• Moving from survival toward self-worth and self-trust

• The freedom that comes from seeing clearly

Sometimes the greatest turning points begin with a simple question:

What am I teaching by what I'm willing to tolerate?

🎧 PODCAST LINKS

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stoneinmyshoepodcastSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZplV0leGMT3TAfrbrvWz0?si=37jd6LVYTKKH0zI0yOqzYgApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-stone-in-my-shoe/id1869259267

👤 GUEST LINKS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoria.j.salomon

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theixchelsystem/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ixcheltherapies/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IxchelTherapiesTheIxchelSystem

Website: http://www.ixchelsystem.com

CONNECT WITH DEBBIE

Facebook - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/thestoneinmyshoe/⁠ 

Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thestoneinmyshoe/⁠ 

LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-thompson-b3b1b715/⁠

Youtube-  ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@stoneinmyshoepodcast ⁠

Website - ⁠https://debbiethompson.lovable.app/

Have you ever looked around your life and quietly wondered:

"When did I stop feeling like me?"

In this deeply honest conversation, Debbie Thompson speaks with Valerie Ritchie — known as The Crone Goddess — about identity, silence, relationships and what happens when we spend years becoming who life asks us to be.

Valerie shares the moments that slowly shaped her life: a childhood experience that taught her to become quieter, years of adapting to roles and expectations, and the unexpected feeling that surfaced when her marriage ended.

Not heartbreak.

Relief.

Together they explore what it means to lose yourself gradually, the stories we carry for decades, and how midlife can become a return rather than an ending.

This episode is for women who have spent years being:

• the reliable one
• the responsible one
• the strong one
• the woman who keeps everything together

and are quietly wondering:

"What's mine now?"

Inside this conversation you'll hear:

• how early experiences can quietly shape identity
• the emotional cost of adapting yourself over time
• people pleasing and self-abandonment patterns
• recognising yourself inside life transitions
• the difference between coping and truly living
• what it means to return to yourself

Maybe this isn't about becoming someone new.

Maybe it's about remembering who was there all along.

👤 GUEST BIO

Valerie Ritchie is a Midlife Empowerment Coach, speaker, and founder of The Crone Goddess. After more than 30 years in education, Valerie now supports women through midlife transitions, helping them reconnect with their identity, purpose, and inner power. 

👤 GUEST LINKS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valerie.cronegoddess

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valerie.cronegoddess/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valeriej-cronegoddess

Website: https://www.transformationinaction.co.uk

CONNECT WITH DEBBIE

Facebook - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/thestoneinmyshoe/⁠ 

Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thestoneinmyshoe/⁠ 

LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-thompson-b3b1b715/⁠

Youtube-  ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@stoneinmyshoepodcast ⁠

Website - ⁠https://debbiethompson.lovable.app/