Send us Fan Mail

 Lisa Espinoza made a commitment to write every day for the year following the loss of her 25-year-old son, Chandler. What began as a way to process her grief and honor her son eventually became her book, First, Brush Your Teeth: Grief and Hope in Real Time, and helped Lisa put words to something she had already been learning to live: the power of taking the next small step.

Lisa shares why she wanted her writing to show grief as it really was, including the first Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas without Chandler. She didn’t want to offer a how-to or put a neat ending on child loss. She wanted someone walking through grief to be able to see that another step was possible. 

That idea became the heart of First Brush Your Teeth. Some days, moving forward may simply mean getting out of bed, walking to the sink and brushing your teeth. Lisa explains why the next small step doesn’t only apply to grief. Hard seasons take many forms, and sometimes looking at the entire mountain makes moving forward feel impossible.  

Lisa also talks about finding purpose in helping other people feel less alone, why real stories matter, and the role faith continues to play in the way she approaches difficult seasons. Her closing encouragement is simple: don’t focus on the whole mountain ahead. Find the one small step that can move you forward today. 

This is a conversation about grief, resilience, faith, moving forward after loss, finding purpose through pain, and taking the next step when life feels overwhelming.

Connect with Lisa:
https://www.lisaespinoza.com/

Find Lisa’s book:
First Brush Your Teeth: https://www.lisaespinoza.com/first-brush-your-teeth

🎧 Listen to Unspoken Lives Podcast: https://www.unspokenlives.com/#listen

Hosted by Kelsey Billingsley | Unspoken Lives Podcast

Every life has a story worth telling. Unspoken Lives Podcast, hosted by Kelsey Billingsley, shares real stories of resilience, faith, identity, loss, healing, purpose, and the moments that change us. Follow the show on your favorite podcast app, visit unspokenlivespodcast.com, and follow @unspokenlivespodcast on Instagram. 

Send us Fan Mail

Lisa Espinoza’s life changed when her 25-year-old son, Chandler, was struck by a car while riding his bike to work. Eighteen days later, Lisa stood beside his hospital bed, held his hand, and watched him take his last breath. 

Lisa shares who Chandler was beyond the tragedy that took his life and what it has meant to grieve the loss of a child while learning how to keep living. She opens up about the unpredictable nature of grief, why she no longer believes grief follows a linear path, and what she learned about allowing yourself to feel the pain rather than trying to push it away.  

One question eventually became an important part of the way Lisa carried Chandler with her: What would honor Chandler? A friend even gave her a ring engraved with WWHC as a reminder. Lisa began asking herself what it could look like to continue living while still honoring the son she loved and missed. That question eventually led to another idea that would shape her life and her writing: taking the next sacred small step, even when that step is simply brushing your teeth.  

Lisa also shares the role faith played during Chandler’s 18 days in the hospital. Christmas was approaching, and she found herself holding onto one truth above everything else: Emmanuel. God is with me. 

This is a conversation about child loss, grief, faith, motherhood, and learning to live alongside a loss that will always be part of you.

Connect with Lisa:
https://www.lisaespinoza.com/

🎧 Listen to Unspoken Lives Podcast: https://www.unspokenlives.com/listen

Hosted by Kelsey Billingsley | Unspoken Lives Podcast

Every life has a story worth telling. Unspoken Lives Podcast, hosted by Kelsey Billingsley, shares real stories of resilience, faith, identity, loss, healing, purpose, and the moments that change us. Follow the show on your favorite podcast app, visit unspokenlivespodcast.com, and follow @unspokenlivespodcast on Instagram. 

Send us Fan Mail

After losing his wife, Laurie, Ryon Harms became a young widower and single father trying to figure out what life after loss was supposed to look like.

Ryon had spent ten years building a life with Laurie, loving her through an extraordinarily difficult illness and eventually becoming a father to their daughter, Sky. Losing Laurie meant grieving the person he loved while also learning how to navigate a future he never expected to face without her. Ryon shares the complicated emotions that followed her death, raising Sky as a single father, dating as a widower, and slowly discovering who he was in this new chapter of his life.

A trip to Chile eventually introduced Ryon to Angela, and an unexpected connection quickly became something much deeper. Ryon began to understand that finding love again didn't mean replacing the love he had with Laurie or trying to recreate it. His love for Angela was entirely its own, and as their relationship grew, so did the realization that he had found someone he wanted to build the next chapter of his life with. What began as a chance meeting became another great love story Ryon never could have predicted.

Ryon's story explores grief, widowhood, life after losing a spouse, single fatherhood, dating after loss, finding love again, and the beautiful possibility that sometimes lightning really can strike twice.

Hosted by Kelsey Billingsley | Unspoken Lives Podcast

Connect with Ryon Harms:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryonharms/
Writing: https://www.ryonharms.com/

Listen to Unspoken Lives Podcast:
https://www.unspokenlives.com/listen

Every life has a story worth telling. Unspoken Lives Podcast, hosted by Kelsey Billingsley, shares real stories of resilience, faith, identity, loss, healing, purpose, and the moments that change us. Follow the show on your favorite podcast app, visit unspokenlivespodcast.com, and follow @unspokenlivespodcast on Instagram. 

Send us Fan Mail

What does it look like to build a life with someone when you know tomorrow isn't guaranteed?

Ryon Harms and Laurie were young and in love when a medical crisis changed everything. After years of unexplained swelling and debilitating pain, Laurie’s scans eventually made their way to a doctor at Harvard, who told her family that she had essentially been walking around with a broken neck. 

Ryon left his life in San Francisco and drove through the night to be by her side. After a nearly 14-hour surgery to rebuild her spine, the surgeon delivered news no one was prepared for: Laurie had two years to live. 

Ryon and Laurie chose to build a life anyway.

They married, settled into life together and eventually became parents to their daughter, Sky. As the two-year mark came and went, Laurie was still there. For a time, life even began to feel normal again. 

In Part 1, Ryon shares the love story that shaped his life, the uncertainty they learned to live with and what happened when the future they thought they had escaped suddenly became uncertain all over again.

It’s a story about choosing to live today when you know tomorrow isn't guaranteed, and just how much life can happen in the time you’re given.

Connect with Ryon:

Website & writing: ryonharms.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ryonharms

Every life has a story worth telling. Unspoken Lives Podcast, hosted by Kelsey Billingsley, shares real stories of resilience, faith, identity, loss, healing, purpose, and the moments that change us. Follow the show on your favorite podcast app, visit unspokenlivespodcast.com, and follow @unspokenlivespodcast on Instagram. 

Send us Fan Mail

Thirteen years after leaving Ethiopia, Isaac Melber returned to the country and family he had never stopped thinking about.

The journey brought him back to the village where he was born, to family members he hadn't seen since childhood, and to the graves of the parents he lost so young. He had spent years wondering about the life and people he left behind. Now, he was finally able to ask questions and hear pieces of his own story he had never known.

One of those answers would completely change the way Isaac understood why he left Ethiopia in the first place.

In Part 2, Isaac shares what it was like to return to his village and reunite with his family after 13 years. He also shares the conversation with his uncle that revealed just how serious the circumstances had been when Isaac was a child and why his uncle was forced to make an unimaginable choice involving two children. 

That conversation eventually gave Isaac the words for his story: Twice Delivered. What began with loss, adoption, two families and two very different worlds became a story Isaac now sees through the lens of faith, purpose and one redeeming love. 

Connect with Isaac:

Website: isaacmelber.com
Instagram: @isaacmelber

Isaac's book:
Twice Delivered: A Story of Two Families, Two Worlds, and One Redeeming Love

Learn more about Twice Delivered

Every life has a story worth telling. Unspoken Lives Podcast, hosted by Kelsey Billingsley, shares real stories of resilience, faith, identity, loss, healing, purpose, and the moments that change us. Follow the show on your favorite podcast app, visit unspokenlivespodcast.com, and follow @unspokenlivespodcast on Instagram. 

Send us Fan Mail

Isaac Melber was born in a remote village in Ethiopia. After losing both of his parents at a young age, he was placed in an orphanage and eventually adopted by a family in the United States.

At five years old, Isaac was suddenly living in a new country, learning a new language and trying to understand a life that looked nothing like the one he had left behind. He was loved by his new family, but that didn't mean the transition was easy. Isaac shares the anger and questions he carried with him, his struggle to understand why God would allow so much loss, and the identity questions that came with growing up between two families and two worlds.

Then, at seven years old, Isaac had a dream he has never forgotten. A man dressed in white called him by name and said, “Isaac, follow me.”

 In Part 1, Isaac shares the story of that dream, the role it played in his faith, the challenges of adjusting to his new life, and the longing he continued to carry for the family and country he left behind. 

Years later, Isaac would finally have the opportunity to return to Ethiopia and search for answers about the life he left behind.

Connect with Isaac:

Website: isaacmelber.com
Instagram: @isaacmelber

Isaac's book:
Twice Delivered: A Story of Two Families, Two Worlds, and One Redeeming Love 

Learn more about Twice Delivered

Every life has a story worth telling. Unspoken Lives Podcast, hosted by Kelsey Billingsley, shares real stories of resilience, faith, identity, loss, healing, purpose, and the moments that change us. Follow the show on your favorite podcast app, visit unspokenlivespodcast.com, and follow @unspokenlivespodcast on Instagram. 

Send us Fan Mail

What happens when you give someone an opportunity, but they don't have the support or community they need to navigate everything that comes with it?

In this episode, Jordan Bartlett shares what years of working alongside current and former foster youth have taught him about resilience, asking for help, and why opportunity alone isn't always enough. He shares the story of a young man who rode his bike four hours to work each way, only to lose his job after falling asleep during a shift, and what Jordan learned when he took the time to ask more questions. 

That same desire to remove barriers eventually led Jordan into the world of technology and AI. He explains why he believes new technology could give everyday people and small teams the ability to solve problems that once required enormous resources, and how he's using it to make complicated information easier to access. 

Then the conversation becomes much more personal.

Jordan shares about his daughter Jessie's diagnosis with Rett syndrome and the moment he realized their lives had changed forever. Suddenly, he was the one overwhelmed by information, trying to understand medical research, insurance, and what his daughter's future might look like. That experience created an unexpected connection between his work, his interest in AI, and his hope for what technology could someday mean for Jesse and others with Rett syndrome.  

He also shares how a difficult night with Jesse unexpectedly turned him into a runner. What began as an attempt to help her sleep became something they both loved and a special place of peace and connection between a father and his daughter. 

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why resilience can be both a strength and a struggle
• Why opportunity matters, but community and support matter too
• Using technology and AI to remove barriers and create change
• Jessie's Rett syndrome diagnosis and how it changed Jordan's perspective
• His hope for what advances in technology could mean for her future
• How running became an unexpected bond between Jordan and his daughter
• Why one person may have more power than ever to make a meaningful difference

From his work with foster youth to fatherhood, technology, and running, Jordan's story shows how experiences that once seemed completely unrelated can begin to connect and shape a greater sense of purpose.

🎙️ Listen to Part 2 of Jordan Bartlett's story on Unspoken Lives Podcast.

Every life has a story worth telling. Unspoken Lives Podcast, hosted by Kelsey Billingsley, shares real stories of resilience, faith, identity, loss, healing, purpose, and the moments that change us. Follow the show on your favorite podcast app, visit unspokenlivespodcast.com, and follow @unspokenlivespodcast on Instagram. 

Send us Fan Mail

Jordan Bartlett was adopted when he was very young and raised by two loving parents, knowing little about the biological family he came from. Then, at 19 years old, a young woman he had never met walked up to him and said three words that would eventually change the direction of his life:

“I’m your sister.”

In Part 1 of this conversation, Jordan shares what it was like to discover a sibling he never knew, how they slowly began building a relationship, and what he learned about the very different life she had lived in and out of foster care. As he came to understand more of her story, he also began looking more closely at the foster care system, the barriers young people face after leaving it, and the difference that support and community can make.

Jordan also reflects on the experiences that awakened a deeper sense of purpose in his own life, including a powerful encounter while volunteering at Ronald McDonald House and the decision to leave a more traditional career path in search of work that felt meaningful. That journey eventually led him to co-found Doing Good Works, a social enterprise built to support young people aging out of foster care.

This conversation explores family, identity, empathy, and the unexpected moments that can redirect an entire life. It is also a reminder that sometimes understanding someone else’s story changes the way we see our own.

Connect with Jordan:

• Doing Good Works
• Foster Greatness
• LinkedIn

Listen & Subscribe

If this conversation encouraged you, please follow, rate, and review Unspoken Lives Podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Sharing episodes with friends and family is one of the best ways to help these stories reach more people.

Every life has a story worth telling. Unspoken Lives Podcast, hosted by Kelsey Billingsley, shares real stories of resilience, faith, identity, loss, healing, purpose, and the moments that change us. Follow the show on your favorite podcast app, visit unspokenlivespodcast.com, and follow @unspokenlivespodcast on Instagram. 

Send us Fan Mail

Have you ever wondered if you missed what God was calling you to do?

If you've been questioning your next step, wondering if it's too late, or searching for direction, this conversation is a reminder that God isn't finished with your story.

Maybe fear got in the way. Maybe life took an unexpected turn. Or maybe you simply said no because you didn't feel ready.

In Part 2, Holiday Zimmerman shares why she believes God is far more patient and gracious than we often imagine. From walking through deep depression to leading a nonprofit that now serves thousands of people throughout Orange County, she reflects on healing, trusting wise counsel, and why she doesn't believe God gives up on the purpose He has for our lives.

In this episode:

•  Why healing shouldn't be rushed 
•  The advice that helped Holiday through depression 
•  What it means to trust God's timing 
•  Why she believes you haven't missed your calling 
•  The growth and impact of The Hub OC 
•  Encouragement for anyone searching for their next step 

Learn more about Holiday and The Hub OC:

Website: https://thehuboc.org

Meet the team: https://thehuboc.org/our-team

Instagram: @thehuboc

Every life has a story worth telling. Unspoken Lives Podcast, hosted by Kelsey Billingsley, shares real stories of resilience, faith, identity, loss, healing, purpose, and the moments that change us. Follow the show on your favorite podcast app, visit unspokenlivespodcast.com, and follow @unspokenlivespodcast on Instagram. 

Send us Fan Mail

What if the opportunities you're resisting are the very ones God is using to shape your purpose?

After the unexpected loss of her father and a season of deep depression, Holiday Zimmerman wasn't looking to start a nonprofit. In fact, when opportunity after opportunity landed in front of her, she kept saying no.

Four times.

Every time she said no, the opportunity came back.

Today, Holiday serves as CEO of The Hub OC, a nonprofit that partners with churches, schools, cities, and volunteers to serve people experiencing homelessness, poverty, human trafficking, and hardship throughout Orange County, California.

In Part 1, Holiday shares how one unexpected "yes" changed the course of her life, why she believes God doesn't give up on us when we're afraid, and the incredible ways He provided exactly what was needed at every step.

In this episode:

•  Losing her father and walking through depression 
• The nonprofit she never planned to lead 
•  Why she kept saying "no" 
•  The unexpected opportunities that kept coming back 
•  Learning to trust God's timing over her own 
•  The moments that confirmed she was exactly where she was supposed to be 

Learn more about Holiday and The Hub OC:

Website: https://thehuboc.org

Meet the team: https://thehuboc.org/our-team

Instagram: @thehuboc

Every life has a story worth telling. Unspoken Lives Podcast, hosted by Kelsey Billingsley, shares real stories of resilience, faith, identity, loss, healing, purpose, and the moments that change us. Follow the show on your favorite podcast app, visit unspokenlivespodcast.com, and follow @unspokenlivespodcast on Instagram.