The Vanessa Barrington Show

Most books about addiction are told one of two ways.

The trauma porn version, where readers pick up the book because they want to see the junkie in the public toilet. Or the spiritual bypass version, where everyone holds hands and decides nothing is anybody’s fault.

This week on the show, I sat down with my Railene Turner-Rose: recovering perfectionist, former marketing and events strategist with two decades in music, sport, and government, and the debut author behind Day One Again, releasing in September with Healing House Publishing.

In this conversation, Railene and I go to the heart of Day One Again — a memoir that begins with weight, but becomes about something much deeper: the emotional weight we carry when we spend a lifetime trying to be perfect, hold everything together, overwork, people please and stay in control. Railene shares why she removed the weight loss numbers from the book, how a Marcus Aurelius quote sparked the title, and what it took to break the all-or-nothing mentality that shaped the first 55 years of her life. 

Together, we explore failure, recovery, accountability and what it means to start again without shame — with honesty, courage and deep humanity.

Whether you carry a book about your own recovery inside you, or you simply know the politer addictions all too well, this episode is the kind of conversation that lands.

Inside this episode:

If you have a book inside you that names the thing no one talks about, you’ll definitely relate to this episode. 

If you love this episode, please take a moment to leave a review and rate it — it really helps the algorithm gods! Thank you so much! XXX

Thank you for tuning in! Your journey to clarity, confidence, and freedom starts here. 🌟✨

If you love this episode, please take a minute to leave a review! xxx

There is no shortage of writing advice in the world.

Wake up at 5am. Outline in order. Write a thousand words a day. Hit your deadline. Push through.

But what does writing a book actually look like for a woman with a full life, a family, a business, and a message that won't stop knocking at her chest?

This week on the show, I sit down with Stacey Webb. Intuitive somatic mentor. Mother of four. A police detective of nearly twenty years. And the bestselling author of Embodied Grace: Trusting Yourself, Healing Deeply, Expanding Fully.

Stacey is here to share the real lessons of writing a book. Not the polished version. The honest one. The non-linear way she actually wrote the manuscript. The deadline she set that the book refused to honour. The oracle cards she almost talked herself out of making. The book cover designer she had to walk away from. The "good girl" she had to meet head-on.

Whether you're writing your first book or your fifth, whether your manuscript is still in your head or already on your laptop, these lessons will meet you exactly where you are.

Inside this episode:

If you love this episode, please take a moment to leave a review and rate it — it really helps the algorithm gods! Thank you so much! XXX

Your Next Step

Thank you for tuning in! Your journey to clarity, confidence, and freedom starts here. 🌟✨ If you love this episode, please take a minute to leave a review! Xxx

Two years ago, Maria O'Connor sent Vanessa an email that said she really wanted to write her book, but “now” was just not the right time. Vanessa wrote back with one question: has there ever been a right time? That question is where this episode begins.

Vanessa sits down with Maria, a graduate of The Book Doula Program and the published author of Magical Dreams and Sewing Machines, to trace what happened after Maria stopped waiting for the right moment and backed herself instead. From burnout in high-end bridal couture, to the playfulness that came rushing back the moment she started writing, to the eight months after her book launch that no one prepares you for. This is a conversation about what it actually takes to trust the creative process, and to become the author you already are.

Connect with Maria on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maria.creatingmagicalstories

Visit Maria's website: https://mariaoconnor.com.au/

Purchase Magical Dreams and Sewing Machines at healinghousepublishing.com

Key Highlights

00:00 – Why your inner magic is the whole point, and how Maria built a book around remembering it

05:00 – The cost of growing up in a world that asks you to trade imagination for seriousness

14:00 – The question Vanessa asked that became the nail in the coffin for Maria's hesitation

20:00 – What changes the moment you financially back your own creativity for the first time

27:00 – Why becoming an author is less about writing and more about meeting yourself on the page

37:00 – The eight months after a book launch that nobody talks about, and what real integration looks like

46:00 – Why community is the unintended consequence that accelerates everything

If you love this episode, please take a moment to leave a review and rate it. It really helps the algorithm gods. Thank you so much. xxx

About Vanessa

I am Vanessa Barrington, Book Doula, publisher, speaker, and the founder of Healing House Publishing. For most of my life, I worked with words, across journalism, media, marketing and publishing, helping other people shape their stories, build their brands, and be seen. I led narrative and brand strategy in complex, high-stakes environments, including work with multibillion-dollar organisations, where I learned how stories shape trust, influence culture, and move people at scale.

For a long time, I ignored my own.

I could see the power in stories. I could see how they heal, connect, and change lives. I just did not fully trust my own voice yet. When my intuitive and psychic abilities opened, everything changed. I realised that stories are not just content or strategy. They are medicine. And when they are shared at the right time, in the right way, they do not just change careers. They change people. That realisation is what led me to become a Book Doula, and to build Healing House Publishing.

Today, I bring together a rare intersection of psychic mediumship, strategic brand positioning, media expertise and publishing mastery. I have published dozens of books, taught my book birthing methodology on international stages, and supported hundreds of authors, healers, coaches, creatives and experts, to unlock their voice, trust their story, and create work that builds authority, impact and legacy.

My work exists to rebalance an industry that too often prioritises platforms over people, and to help powerful voices step forward without waiting for permission to be seen, heard, or taken seriously.

Your Next Step

Join my powerful 3 Day Birth Your Book Experience.

Visit https://www.thebookdoula.com.au/birth  to secure a FREE seat!

Stay Connected: Subscribe to the podcast by hitting the 'Follow' or 'Subscribe' button on the show page. Follow Vanessa on Instagram: @book_doula_au @healinghousepublishing @vanessabarrington.au

Ready to write your book in 2026? Get on the Priority List for The Book Doula Program: https://www.thebookdoula.com.au/waitlist 

Ready to publish your book? Visit Healing House Publishing: https://www.healinghousepublishing.com

Thank you for tuning in.

Your journey to clarity, confidence, and financial freedom starts here. 🌟✨ If you love this episode, please take a minute to leave a review. xxx

You think the reason your book is not written yet is that you are not healed enough to write it. But what if that is not the obstacle? What if the writing itself is one of the ways through?

In this episode, I sit down with Shelley Hill, debut author of Only Joy Bites, to explore what it truly took to move from carrying a story for years to holding a finished, published memoir in her hands. Shelley's journey is raw, honest, and deeply human — and it might be the permission slip you have been waiting for without knowing it.

Shelley Hill is a psychotherapist, author, and resilience advocate. After a drug investigation ended her career in the police force and a near-fatal malaria diagnosis left her living with a physical disability, Shelley channelled her long search for identity, healing, and self-acceptance into her debut memoir, Only Joy Bites.

Available at all good bookstores, Amazon, and Healing House Publishing.

Connect with Shelley on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shelley11_11/

In this episode we explore:

00:00 — What it really takes to say yes to your story before you feel ready

02:00 — The events Shelley had been carrying: the police scandal, the malaria, the amputations

08:29 — Why writing brought the trauma back to the surface, and why she kept going anyway

13:09 — How the writing became its own unexpected form of healing

17:47 — How a tarot-reading hairdresser led Shelley to The Book Doula

20:16 — The writing shift that changed everything: from police report to real memoir

23:36 — The post-book-launch comedown no one warns you about

27:07 — What Shelley would say to anyone sitting with a story that feels too big to tell

Your Next Step

Thank you for tuning in. Your story matters, and the world is ready for it. If you loved this episode, please take a minute to leave a review. It means everything. xxx

You think you need more time, more discipline, or more motivation to finally finish your book.

But what if the real reason you’re stuck is something far more subtle… and something you’re doing to yourself without even realising?

In this episode, Vanessa reveals the hidden patterns of self-sabotage that keep high-capacity, intelligent women circling their book for years — and the belief shift that allows you to finally move forward with clarity, confidence, and momentum.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re getting in your own way… this is the episode that will show you why.

Key Highlights:

00:00 – Why this episode still hits (and who it’s really for)

03:05 – The moment Vanessa realised she was self-sabotaging her own success

07:08 – How self-sabotage actually shows up in your creative process

12:16 – “Sally the Student”: when learning becomes a form of avoidance

16:31 – “Petra the Procrastinator”: the hidden truth behind “I don’t have time”

20:22 – The real reason self-sabotage happens (and how to start shifting it)

If you love this episode, please take a moment to leave a review and rate it, it really helps the algorithm gods! Thank you so much! XXX

Your Next Step

Thank you for tuning in. Your journey to clarity, confidence, and financial freedom starts here. 🌟✨

If you love this episode, please take a minute to leave a review! xxx

You think you’ve lost your creativity.

That you need more time, more discipline, or to “get back into the flow” before you can start writing again.

But what if the real thing holding you back isn’t a lack of ideas… it’s the moment you stopped trusting what was coming through?

In this episode, Vanessa explores the belief that shifts everything for creatives, coaches, healers and experts who feel stuck: you’re not blocked — you’re interrupting the flow. This conversation will change how you see your creativity, your voice, and your ability to finally bring your book to life.

Guest Bio: Gail Warwick is a spiritual healer, psychic medium, medical intuitive and author who has spent decades guiding people back into alignment with their true path. Through her one-on-one sessions, retreats and teachings, she is known for her ability to connect deeply with the soul, offering precise and compassionate insight that helps people move through blocks, reconnect with themselves, and trust their inner guidance.

To learn more about Gail’s work, visit: www.gailwarwick.com

Key Highlights:

If you love this episode, please take a moment to leave a review and a rating. It really helps the algorithm gods! Thank you so much! XXX

Your Next Step

Thank you for tuning in! Your journey to clarity, confidence, and financial freedom starts here. 🌟✨

If you love this episode, please take a minute to leave a review! xxx

You think the reason you haven’t written your memoir yet is because it’s too complicated… too tangled… too risky. Because your story involves other people.

But what if the real thing holding you back isn’t the complexity of your story — it’s the belief that you need permission to tell it?

In this episode, Vanessa shifts your entire perspective on memoir writing, showing you how to honour your truth without silencing yourself — and why your story being connected to others is NOT the problem you think it is.

Key Highlights:

If this episode resonates with you, please take a moment to leave a review and rate it — it really helps with the algorithm gods!

Thank you so much! XXX

Your Next Step:

Thank you for tuning in! Your journey to clarity, confidence, and financial freedom starts here. 🌟✨

If you loved this episode, please take a minute to leave a review! xxx

If you’re a high-achieving coach, healer, creative, or expert who knows you have a powerful story to share — but you keep holding back from fully showing it — this episode will land deeply.

You think you’re not sharing your work because you need more confidence, more clarity, or a better strategy. But what if the real reason you’re not finishing your book… or talking about your results… is because you’ve learnt that being fully seen isn’t safe?

In this episode, Vanessa unpacks the hidden pattern behind why high-achieving women stay invisible — and the belief shift that changes everything. This episode is for the high-capacity, spiritually aware woman who knows her work is extraordinary but keeps finding reasons not to show it to the world. Vanessa shares a raw, real moment from her own journey where the ego's "not good enough" story came back hard, right on the edge of another moment of massive expansion, and what happened when she chose to ask for help anyway. If you have ever caught yourself hiding behind humility, avoiding testimonials, or talking yourself down in the moments that matter most, this episode will name what is actually happening and give you a way through it.

Key Highlights:

00:00 – The moment you deflect praise instead of receiving it (and what that reveals)

01:14 – The gap between who you are and what you let the world see 08:51 – The breakdown that revealed a deeper visibility block

15:12 – Why hiding behind humility is actually a survival strategy

20:56 – The real reason your book is still unwritten (and it’s not time)

22:52 – Why your book is not just for you — and never was

If you love this episode, please take a moment to leave a review and rate it—it really helps the algorithm gods! Thank you so much! XXX

Your Next Step

Thank you for tuning in! Your journey to clarity, confidence, and financial freedom starts here. 🌟✨ If you love this episode, please take a minute to leave a review! xxx

You might think you're stuck because your book ideas feel unclear. But the truth? It’s not your ideas — it’s the missing link that connects them all, keeping your story scattered and unfinished.

In this episode, Vanessa reveals the crucial belief trapping high-capacity coaches, creatives, healers, and experts in an endless loop of frustration — and shares the powerful missing piece that transforms your scattered thoughts into a clear, compelling message that truly lands with your audience.

Key Highlights:
00:00 – That quiet, unsettling moment when you realize your book just isn’t clicking
01:55 – Why this struggle isn’t about lack of time, discipline, or talent — it’s something deeper
02:25 – The hidden level of structure most writers never tap into — until now
04:06 – How having too many ideas might actually be keeping you stuck
05:14 – The crucial shift from raw expression to intentional construction
06:47 – How missing structure fuels self-doubt — and what to do about it
07:12 – What transforms when your book finally gets a strong backbone
08:42 – Why your topic alone isn’t your book — and what truly makes your message powerful

If this episode speaks to you, please take a moment to leave a review and rate it — every single review helps us reach more writers like you. Thank you so much! 🙏✨

Your Next Step
Don’t miss out — stay connected and keep your writing momentum strong:

Thank you for tuning in! Your journey to clarity, confidence, and financial freedom starts right here, right now. 🌟✨
If this episode inspired you, please take a minute to leave a review—it means the world to us!

You think the reason you can’t start writing is that you’re unclear… like you just need more time to figure it out.

But what if the real reason isn’t lack of clarity—it’s that you haven’t discovered the ONE big idea that will unlock your entire book?

In this episode, Vanessa reveals the transformative belief that changes everything when your book feels messy, overwhelming, or impossible to define — and why what feels like confusion is actually your signpost that you haven’t identified your macro idea yet.

This episode is made specifically for high-capacity coaches, healers, creatives, and experts who KNOW they’re meant to write a book… but find themselves stuck circling ideas, second-guessing, or frustrated that they’re not further along by now.

Inside this episode, you’ll not only see your “lack of clarity” from a completely new perspective — you’ll feel the relief of knowing you’re not behind schedule. You’re just missing one critical piece.

Key Highlights:
00:00 – The moment you realise you’re juggling too many ideas without a clear direction
01:15 – Why your book topic isn’t the true foundation of your story
03:18 – The hidden reason most authors stay stuck for months — or even years
06:06 – The single question that separates clarity from noise
07:59 – Why emotional impact matters more than just the lesson
08:28 – How to choose your ONE idea without abandoning everything else

If this episode sparks your passion, please help us reach more aspiring authors like you by leaving a review and rating—it means the world to us! Thank you so much! XXX

About Vanessa Barrington

I’m Vanessa Barrington — a Book Doula, publisher, speaker, and the founder of Healing House Publishing.

For most of my life, I worked with words — across journalism, media, marketing, and publishing — helping others shape their stories, build their brands, and be seen. I led narrative and brand strategy in complex, high-stakes environments, including work with multibillion-dollar organisations, where I learned how stories shape trust, influence culture, and move people at scale.

For a long time, I ignored my own.

I could see the power in stories. I could see how they heal, connect, and change lives. I just didn’t fully trust my own voice yet.

When my intuitive and psychic abilities opened, everything changed. I realised that stories aren’t just content or strategy — they’re medicine. And when they’re shared at the right time, in the right way, they don’t just change careers. They change people.

That realisation is what led me to become a Book Doula and to found Healing House Publishing.

Today, I bring together a rare intersection of psychic mediumship, strategic brand positioning, media expertise and publishing mastery. I’ve published dozens of books, taught my book birthing methodology on international stages, and supported hundreds of authors — healers, coaches, creatives and experts — to unlock their voice, trust their story, and create work that builds authority, impact and legacy.

My work exists to rebalance an industry that too often prioritises platforms over people, and to help powerful voices step forward without waiting for permission to be seen, heard, or taken seriously.

Your Next Step

Thank you for tuning in! Your journey to clarity, confidence, and financial freedom starts here. 🌟✨

If you love this episode, please take a minute to leave a review! xxx