Unconventional Leaders

Kristen LaValley is a writer, speaker, and author whose work explores the intersection of faith, trauma, and belonging. Through her books, courses, and online community, she creates space for honest conversations about spiritual struggle, mental health, identity, and what it means to rebuild a life after certainty falls apart.

In this conversation, we explore the relationship between healing and storytelling, the tension between vulnerability and boundaries, and how personal experiences shape the work we're called to create. Kristen shares why moving through anger is different than living from it, how to know which parts of your story belong to you, and why finding people who are genuinely happy to be with you can change everything.

WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Writing for catharsis vs. writing for craft
• How to share your story without turning your pain into content
• Finding belonging after identity shifts and spiritual change

CONNECT WITH KRISTEN LAVALLEY:

• Website: https://www.kristenlavalley.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristen.lavalley/

CONNECT WITH HEATHER:

• Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/
• Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/172

Stone Stafford spent more than two decades in the music industry as an artist, songwriter, producer, and trusted advisor to creators with big dreams and even bigger ambitions. But what drew me to Stone’s work wasn't his résumé…it was his philosophy of "quietly taking over."

In this conversation, we explore the tension between impact and attention, why meaningful work often requires stepping away from the noise, and what it looks like to build something that truly matters without chasing the spotlight.

WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Building quietly: Why you don't need to announce every move to make a meaningful impact
• Trending up vs. going deep: How creators can choose depth over dopamine without losing their audience
• Value over volume: Why a smaller, more engaged audience creates deeper impact

CONNECT WITH STONE STAFFORD:

• Website: https://www.stonestafford.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stoneoo7/

CONNECT WITH HEATHER:

• Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/
• Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/171

Ana Urban is an ADHD coach, educator, and creator who helps people better understand their minds and build lives that work with their brains instead of against them. After being diagnosed with ADHD at nineteen, Ana spent years navigating procrastination, perfectionism, shame, and self-worth struggles before discovering a more sustainable approach to growth and personal transformation.

In this conversation, we explore one of the most thought-provoking ideas I've heard in a long time: the difference between your fantasy self and your future self. We talk about why so many people get trapped chasing an imaginary version of themselves, how perfectionism disguises itself as self-improvement, and why lasting change comes not from fixing yourself, but from learning to trust the person you're becoming.

WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• The difference between your fantasy self and your future self
• How perfectionism and self-criticism keep us stuck
• Why small identity shifts create lasting transformation

CONNECT WITH ANA URBAN:

• Website: https://www.anaurban.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adhd.untamed/
• Untamed: https://www.anaurban.com/untamed

CONNECT WITH HEATHER:

• Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/
• Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/170

Mattie Jo Cowsert is a New York-based actor, author, and storyteller whose work explores the stories we inherit (and what happens when they no longer fit). Raised in a conservative evangelical home near Branson, Missouri, where her father was a pastor, Mattie Jo spent years untangling the narratives she was handed about faith, sexuality, identity, relationships, and what it means to live a meaningful life.

In this conversation, we explore her memoir, God, Sex, and Rich People, but what fascinated me most wasn't simply her story of leaving evangelical purity culture. It was the way she used storytelling to make sense of it. We talk about the courage it takes to question inherited beliefs, why our most personal stories often resonate the deepest, and how examining our own narratives can become a catalyst for growth, healing, and impact.

WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• How inherited narratives shape our identity, beliefs, and life choices
• The role of storytelling in healing, self-discovery, and personal transformation
• What it takes to rewrite a narrative that no longer serves you

CONNECT WITH MATTIE JO COWSERT:

• Buy the Book: https://www.mattiejocowsert.com/book
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattiejocowsert/

CONNECT WITH HEATHER:

• Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/
• Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/169

Ciarra Jones, known online as The Gardening Theologian, blends theology, ecology, and storytelling to help people untangle inherited beliefs and cultivate a more liberated, life-giving spirituality. Drawing from her experiences in Pentecostal Christianity, academia, queerness, and gardening, Ciarra explores how systems of power shape the way we understand God, identity, belonging, and collective care. Through the wisdom of plants and natural systems, she invites people to imagine faith beyond rigidity, certainty, and perfectionism.

In this episode, Ciarra shares how gardening became a pathway toward a gentler understanding of God, why ecosystems reveal the limits of individualism, and how uncertainty can become a form of liberation rather than fear. She unpacks the tension between conviction and mystery, the loneliness of leaving harmful systems, and the possibility of rebuilding community, identity, and faith from the ground up.

WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Why ecosystems challenge individualism and “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” culture
• What plants teach us about suffering, flourishing, death, and transformation
• Why certainty can become a form of control—and how mystery creates space for growth
• How the earth, plants, and the garden challenge ideas of hierarchy and white supremacy

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Lessons from Plants by Beronda L. Montgomery: https://amzn.to/3P87SSV
• Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God Kelly Brown Douglas https://amzn.to/4tK4rjt
• The Four Vision Quests of Jesus Steven Charleston https://amzn.to/4nvQi7Q
• Aztlán and Arcadia: Religion, Ethnicity, and the Creation of Place https://amzn.to/3PsCQ87
• Matters of the Heart by Thema Bryant Ph.D. https://amzn.to/4drJdk8
• Homecoming by Thema Bryant Ph.D. https://amzn.to/4dRd7Qc

CONNECT WITH CIARRA JONES:

• Website: https://ciarrajonesconsulting.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegardeningtheologian
• Substack: https://sacreddissent.substack.com/
• The Community Garden Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6NJ90Dwrlky75Olr7dvROG?si=cd32effe3534483b

CONNECT WITH HEATHER:

• Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/
• Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/168

Jeremy Steele creates space for folks recovering from religious trauma to rediscover ritual, spirituality, and connection on their own terms. An ordained pastor and creator of the “Not Church” community, Jeremy works with skeptics and spiritual outsiders searching for connection without rigid dogma or fear-based theology.

In this episode, Jeremy and Heather explore the psychology behind ritual, the mental health benefits of sacred practices, and why reclaiming labels like “heretic” can become part of the healing process.

WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Why rituals still matter even outside organized religion
• The psychological benefits of sacred practices and meditation
• Reclaiming the “heretic” identity after religious trauma

CONNECT WITH JEREMY STEELE:

• Website: https://jeremy-steele.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skeptic.pastor/
• Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skeptic.pastor
• Buy ‘Rituals for Heretics’: https://a.co/d/0c4YsDd7

CONNECT WITH HEATHER:

• Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/
• Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/167

Erik Ireland is known online as “your queer mountain grandpa,” where he shares stories and mindfulness practices for folks who want a little more peace and purpose.

I got to sit down with him to talk about his new book, Awaken Your Myth, where he moves beneath surface-level self-improvement into identity, shadow, and the deeper forces shaping what we create.

In this conversation, you’ll hear about his journey as a content creator sharing his voice publicly, the inner work he has done to really own his story, and why self-compassion is the secret weapon for doing anything brave.

WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• How shadow work reveals both your wounds and your gifts
• Navigating criticism while sharing your story publicly
• Self-compassion as a creative and leadership practice

CONNECT WITH ERIK IRELAND:

• Buy Awaken Your Myth: https://awakenyourmyth.com/book/
• Follow Erik: https://www.instagram.com/listentosleep/

CONNECT WITH HEATHER:

• Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/
• Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/166

In this conversation, Keith Giles and Nish Dubashia explore the emerging idea of quantum theology, where modern physics, ancient mysticism, and religious tradition begin to overlap.

They rethink what Jesus meant, they confront fear-based beliefs about salvation, they ask whether reality itself is interconnected in ways we can barely comprehend, and this episode stretches the boundaries of how we understand God, truth, and existence.

WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• What quantum theology is and how science and mysticism overlap
• How quantum physics challenges reality (observer effect, entanglement, time)
• Is the world ending? Or are we moving into a new level of human consciousness?

Buy Quantum Theology: Https://A.Co/D/09r55zrx

Connect With Keith Giles: Http://Www.Keithgiles.Com

Connect With Nish Dubashia: Https://Integraldream.Com/

Connect with Heather:

• Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/
• Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/165

Cyndi Zaweski is an award-winning journalist, storytelling marketer, and entrepreneur. A little over six months ago, she made a bold move: she stopped posting on social media (yes, as a digital entrepreneur). What happened next? Her sales jumped 176%.

In this episode, she breaks down how it’s even possible…how leaning into search and her background in SEO drove consistent traffic to her offers. We also explore the mental shift that came with unplugging: from withdrawal and fear to clarity, creativity, and finally hearing your own voice again.

WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• How her sales went UP 176% after quitting social
• How SEO, email, and search-driven content bring in clients without social
• The shift from constant output to intentional, meaningful creation

CONNECT WITH CYNDI ZAWESKI:

• Website: https://www.cyndizaweski.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyndizaweski/

CONNECT WITH HEATHER:

• Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/
• Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/164

Joshua Coburn is a marketer, creator, and storyteller…but if you ask him what he does, his answer is simple: he makes people’s lives better.

Joshua shares how years of success, setbacks, and personal battles reshaped his understanding of confidence, purpose, and what actually matters. From learning that confidence is earned through adversity, to navigating the tension between strength and empathy, to choosing connection in a world designed to divide us, this episode is a reminder that impact isn’t about scale…it’s about how you show up, one person at a time.

WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Confidence is earned: why adversity is required, not optional
• Strength + empathy: leading without losing your humanity
• The algorithm vs. real life: choosing connection over division

CONNECT WITH JOSHUA COBURN:

• Website: https://repputationmarketing.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuacoburn/

CONNECT WITH HEATHER:

• Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/
• Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/163