The Unexpected Detour ❤️

“I will be so happy when menopause is over,” I told my GYN. Her response caught me off guard. “Frances, I hate to tell you, but menopause doesn’t end.”

I went home with a question. What did she mean? In this solo episode of The Unexpected Detour® ❤️, I share what I learned about postmenopause and why I wanted to bring the men in our lives into the conversation.

We talk about what it feels like to get through a workday after a night of broken sleep, how to talk about intimacy when something has changed, and the questions that can help us feel heard. I also make room for women navigating menopause-like symptoms during breast cancer treatment.

If someone you love is going through this, start with one question. “What has this been like for you?” Then give her time to tell you.

If this episode opens up a conversation you’ve been wanting to have, share it with someone you love. Follow The Unexpected Detour® on your favorite podcast platform and subscribe on YouTube @theunexpecteddetour17.

Resources mentioned in the episode

• The Menopause Society — Patient Education

• National Institute on Aging — What Is Menopause?

• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — The Menopause Years

• Menopause information for partners and supporters

• National Cancer Institute — Hot Flashes and Night Sweats

Until next time, keep walking.

Who are you when the career, relationships, and accomplishments you once used to define yourself begin to fall away?

In this episode of The Unexpected Detour® ❤️, I sit down with Richard “Rick” Lobo, author of The Trifecta Code: When Crisis Becomes the Catalyst for Profound Change.

Rick shares how a college football injury ended one dream, while years later, grief, divorce, and career loss challenged the identity he had built. We talk about facing pain instead of running from it, finding meaning beyond professional success, and how caring for his sister continues to teach him patience, compassion, and love.

Rick also introduces Foundational Alchemy, his framework for rebuilding after life-changing experiences. Our conversation explores self-worth, spirituality, forgiveness, and the courage it takes to begin again.

If you are grieving a loss, navigating an unexpected change, or wondering who you are becoming, this conversation offers something to reflect on: your worth goes beyond your titles, and your story is still unfolding.

📖 Rick’s book — The Trifecta Code:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/20655254147

🌐 Rick’s official website:
https://ricklobo.com

🔗 Learn about Foundational Alchemy and Rick’s work:
https://talks.co/rick-lobo-the-trifecta-code/

Please like, share, and subscribe on YouTube at @theunexpecteddetour17. Follow The Unexpected Detour® ❤️ on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform.

The road may change, but your story doesn’t end because of the detour. Keep walking.

Treatment eventually ends, but the journey doesn’t.

In this episode of The Unexpected Detour® ❤️, I welcome breast cancer survivor Leslie Sousa for an honest conversation about faith, fear, and learning to live in a body changed by cancer.

What began as a routine mammogram led Leslie through chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and radiation during the COVID-19 pandemic. She shares the anxiety before surgery, the difficulty of saying “I have cancer,” and the moments when she questioned God—even while walking closely with Him.

As fellow survivors, we also talk about what happens after treatment: the fear of recurrence, the search for a different normal, and the need for support when the appointments slow down but the emotional healing continues.

Leslie’s story reminds us that faith can hold both trust and questions, and that we can find gratitude, compassion, and purpose through experiences we never would have chosen.

If you or someone you love is facing breast cancer or navigating survivorship, I hope this conversation helps you feel less alone.

Listen, share with someone who needs encouragement, and keep walking.

Sometimes the hardest detours are the ones no one else can see.

In this episode of The Unexpected Detour ❤️, I welcome Jack L. Finkle, author of The Extreme Mercy of Jesus Christ: And How He Proved It to Me. Jack shares his experience with depression, surviving a suicide attempt, and the gradual journey toward finding hope again.

He reflects on the love of his wife and daughters, the support of his church, and why he sees God’s mercy at the heart of his story. We also talk about the pressure to appear okay within faith communities, the childhood hurt he carried into adulthood, and how forgiving his mother opened the door to rebuilding their relationship.

From receiving care during his most difficult days to finding joy in his family today, Jack shares what moving forward has meant to him—and why he chose to put his experiences into a book.

At the heart of our conversation is a reminder: it’s okay to not be okay. There is room for honesty, compassion, and support, even when we don’t have all the answers.

📖 Get Jack’s book: The Extreme Mercy of Jesus Christ: And How He Proved It to Me — available on Amazon

Follow The Unexpected Detour ❤️ for more conversations about the turns we never expected and how we find our way forward.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of depression and a suicide attempt.

Krystal Craven, a California Christian artist and songwriter, joins Frances Hammond for an honest conversation about the detours that changed her life—childhood sexual abuse, chronic illness, partial paralysis, and the long work of healing. Krystal shares how facing the truth, renewing her mind in God’s Word, and writing music in the middle of pain helped her rediscover her voice, strengthen her faith, and walk in purpose.

Together, Frances and Krystal talk about making room for difficult emotions, trusting God through uncertainty, music as ministry, and the reminder that healing is not linear—but God’s purpose cannot be detoured.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of childhood sexual abuse, trauma, and chronic illness.

Connect with Krystal and her music at www.krystalcravenmusic.com.

If this conversation encouraged you, please like and subscribe to The Unexpected Detour® ❤️ on YouTube at @theunexpecteddetour17 and follow the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform.

What happens when you stop shrinking yourself to make other people comfortable?

Andrea C. Stallworth of Brown Girl From Boston joins me on The Unexpected Detour® ❤️ for an honest conversation about rebuilding after heartbreak and job loss. She shares how therapy, faith, photography, writing, and solo travel helped her reconnect with herself and begin enjoying life while still healing.

We explore perfectionism, the weight of other people’s opinions, and the freedom of creating something simply because it brings you joy. Andrea’s story leaves us with a question worth carrying: What could change if we gave ourselves permission to begin again?

Connect with Andrea at browngirlfromboston.com or on Instagram @browngirlfromboston.

Follow The Unexpected Detour® ❤️, rate the show, and share this conversation with someone finding their way forward.

What began as an ordinary visit to a coffee shop turned into an unexpected lesson about assumptions, awareness, and the importance of curiosity.

It all started with a pink scarf.

During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I noticed a woman wearing pink and assumed her cancer journey. I was wrong. But what could have ended as an awkward encounter became a meaningful conversation about survivorship, understanding, and Charlotte Haley—the woman who created the original peach-colored breast cancer awareness ribbon in 1991.

As a breast cancer survivor, I choose not to wear pink to represent my journey. My testimony speaks for itself. But I respect those who choose differently, because every survivor has a story worth telling.

In this episode, I reflect on why good intentions don't always lead to correct conclusions, why we should never assume we know someone's story, and how curiosity can open the door to understanding.

Sometimes the greatest lessons come from the most unexpected encounters.

🎙️ Listen to The Unexpected Detour® ❤️ on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and wherever you enjoy your favorite podcasts.

❤️ If this episode resonates with you, please like, subscribe, follow, and share.

YouTube: @theunexpecteddetour17

The Unexpected Detour® ❤️ — Wherein life's detours are inevitable.

#TheUnexpectedDetour #CharlotteHaley #LifeBeyondCancer #CancerSurvivorship #NeverAssume

What exactly are we racing toward?

That's the question that stayed on my mind as I watched artificial intelligence continue to advance at an incredible pace.

But this episode isn't only about AI.

It's about us.

Human beings have always raced toward the next discovery—the next machine, the next frontier, the next breakthrough. From industrialization and automobiles to aviation, space travel, computers, electric vehicles, and now artificial intelligence, the technology keeps changing.

But the race continues.

In this episode of The Unexpected Detour ❤️, I reflect on progress, competition, technology, our planet's resources, and the responsibility we have to the generations coming behind us.

Maybe the question isn't simply who reaches the future first.

Maybe we also need to ask:

What will be left when we get there?

🎧 Thank you for traveling another journey with me on The Unexpected Detour ❤️.

Follow the podcast so you don't miss the next detour.

The Unexpected Detour ❤️®™
Where in life, detours are inevitable.

The Unexpected Detour® ❤️ | Resilience of Black Women Embracing Survivorship

What happens when breast cancer treatment ends, but the emotional, physical, and spiritual journey continues?

In this heartfelt episode of The Unexpected Detour® ❤️, I sit down with the women of Resilience of Black Women Embracing Survivorship for an honest, unscripted conversation about the realities of life after breast cancer.

We have moved beyond treatment, but we are still learning what it truly means to live as survivors.

Together, we explore the importance of giving ourselves grace, accepting the changes in our bodies, managing the fear of recurrence, and protecting our peace from negativity and unnecessary stress.

We also open up about faith. Did our relationship with God become stronger during our journey? Was our faith tested? Or did we discover a strength within ourselves that we never knew existed?

The women share different experiences, reminding us that there is no single way to navigate survivorship.

Our conversation also touches on ongoing surgeries, medication side effects, changes in hair growth, healthy boundaries, and the importance of having a community where women can speak openly without judgment.

We even discuss the commercialization of the pink ribbon and why breast cancer awareness should be about more than a color or a single month of recognition.

One truth remains: Survivorship does not come with a handbook.

We are women who have walked through something life-changing, and although our journeys may be different, our voices deserve to be heard.

Breast cancer may have become part of our stories, but it does not define who we are.

We are still healing, still growing, still discovering ourselves, and still learning to live beyond survival.

To every woman navigating life after breast cancer: You are not alone. Your feelings are valid. Your voice matters. And your story is still being written.

If this conversation speaks to you, share it with another woman who may need encouragement, understanding, or simply the reassurance that someone else understands what she is experiencing.

🎙️ Listen to The Unexpected Detour® ❤️ on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and wherever you enjoy your favorite podcasts.

❤️ YouTube: @theunexpecteddetour17

Please Like, Subscribe, Follow, and Share to help these important conversations reach more women.

Because in life, detours are inevitable, but our stories do not end where the road changes.

— Frances
The Unexpected Detour® ❤️

#BreastCancerSurvivorship #LifeAfterBreastCancer #TheUnexpectedDetour

A good moment can exist alongside an unfinished problem.

Join me for a short Sunday audio reflection on making room for joy, rest, and yourself. You deserve something in your week that makes you say, “I’m looking forward to that.”

Subscribe to The Unexpected Detour ❤️, like this episode, and share it with someone who could use some encouragement. How are you enjoying these audio conversations? Let me know in the comments.

#TheUnexpectedDetour #SundayEncouragement #MakeRoomForJoy