Virago 24/7

Fear has a sneaky way of sounding like logic. It tells us to wait, to perfect the plan, to keep everyone happy, and to stay small so we don’t get judged. And for a lot of women, that voice gets so loud that we end up watching our own life from the sidelines. 

I’m joined by Cortney Hackett, the woman behind Grit and Grace and an IFBB figure pro, for a grounded, practical conversation about self leadership, women’s empowerment, and what it really means to take ownership of your life. Cortney shares how she went from a structured corporate career to coaching women through resistance, fear, people pleasing, and the “I know I’m capable of more, but I don’t know where to start” feeling. We dig into why “being fearless” isn’t the goal and how fear can actually be useful data when you learn to name it, stress test worst case scenarios, and choose the next right step. 

We also talk boundaries as a form of mental health, why it’s okay to say out loud what you want, and how discipline and self compassion can exist together. Cortney brings lessons from bodybuilding too, including what happens when motivation drops and the deadline disappears and how to keep moving without beating yourself up. If you’ve been carrying guilt about the past or waiting for the perfect time, this is your reminder that today still counts. 

Subscribe to Virago 24/7, leave a five-star rating, and share this episode with a woman who needs permission to take up space. 

Connect with Cortney Hackett: https://gritandgrace.icu/

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Music by Deli Rowe: "Space to Move"
Logo by Kaylin Talley

What if the habits you hate most aren’t personality flaws at all, but protection strategies your nervous system learned a long time ago? I sit down with Owen Smithyman from Optimized Consciousness to look at anxiety, self-doubt, people pleasing, and perfectionism through the lens of trauma and the unconscious patterns that keep looping until something truly changes at the root. 

Owen shares how he went from a hardcore scientific, engineering worldview into deep trauma healing after burnout and years of searching for something more effective than “just manage it.” We talk Peak States Therapy and why the model matters, especially when symptoms are complex or layered. He breaks down generational trauma, biographical trauma, and associational trauma, the kind that links a neutral cue to an old painful moment and creates triggers that feel confusing but powerful. 

We also get practical: why calm can feel unsafe (dysfunctional homeostasis), how a body-based approach can help you access what talk therapy can’t always reach, and why anxiety is often a secondary symptom protecting something deeper like hurt, grief, defeat, or shame. Then we zoom out to life direction, fear-based decisions, and what it can look like to reclaim the parts of you that got dimmed or “lost” after hard seasons. 

If you want real trauma healing, nervous system regulation tools, and a fresh way to think about inner peace and identity, listen through to the end. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s stuck, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Connect with Owen Smithyman :  https://www.optimize-consciousness.com/

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Music by Deli Rowe: "Space to Move"
Logo by Kaylin Talley

Autopilot can look like a full calendar, a “nice” personality, and relationships you keep maintaining even when you feel drained. I’m joined by Kirsten Davidson, a registered psychotherapist in Ontario and the founder of Mind the Gap Psychotherapy, to name what’s really happening underneath those patterns and how to start changing them without shame. 

We talk about the “Mind the Gap” idea as the space between comfort and growth and why that space is where healing actually happens. Kirsten shares how trauma-informed therapy helps people move from “this is just how I am” into real awareness of where anxiety, anger, and people pleasing came from. We also get honest about the messy middle: resentment toward the people who hurt us, the grief of outgrowing old dynamics, and the reality that forgiveness can be for your nervous system even if you never get an apology. 

You’ll hear practical insight on boundaries that don’t make you cold, the fine line between compassion and self-abandonment, and how to get okay with not being liked by everyone. We also unpack rest versus growth, taking up space emotionally, and the simplest mindfulness reframe: the moment you notice you were lost in thought, you’re back in the present. 

If you want healthier relationships, stronger self-worth, and fewer repeated cycles, hit play. Subscribe to Virago 24/7, share this with a friend who’s doing the work, and leave a review so more everyday warriors can find us.

To connect with Kirsten Davidson: https://mindthegaps.co/

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Music by Deli Rowe: "Space to Move"
Logo by Kaylin Talley

Money can be the loudest place we silence ourselves and it doesn’t have to stay that way. I’m joined by Lisa Clements, a financial planner and the founder of Clear Springs Wealth, for a real talk about women, wealth, and what financial confidence actually looks like when you’re building a life on purpose.

Lisa shares her path from a long corporate career to helping women get clear on investing, retirement planning, and the choices that create real security. We dig into why so many of us feel intimidated by money language, how that stress shows up in marriage, and why the stakes get even higher during divorce or after the loss of a spouse. If you’ve ever felt behind, overwhelmed, or embarrassed to ask “basic” questions, you’ll hear a different message: you’re capable, and you can learn this.

We also break down investing basics in plain English, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, and why diversification matters. Lisa walks through the accounts that shape most long-term plans like a 401(k), IRA, spousal IRA, and brokerage accounts, plus the tax differences between Roth and pre-tax contributions. You’ll leave with practical next steps you can take today, like doing a full account inventory and moving savings into a high yield savings account, and you’ll learn what to look for in a fiduciary, comprehensive financial advisor who puts your needs first.

If this conversation helps you feel braver, share it with a friend who needs that push, then subscribe, leave a five-star review, and tell us what money question you want answered next.

Connect with Lisa Clements: https://www.clearspringswealth.com/

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Go to my website http://www.virago247.net for all things Virago 24/7
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Everyday growth, everyday healing with everyday warriors!

Music by Deli Rowe: "Space to Move"
Logo by Kaylin Talley

Grief can knock the air out of your life, then leave you wondering who you are without the person you lost and what you even believe now. We sit down with Beth Lynch, an evidential medium, meditation teacher, author, and founder of Inner Light Teaching, to talk about what helps when the mind is loud, the heart is tender, and you still need a way to keep going.

We get practical about spirituality and mental wellness, starting with Beth’s definition of spirituality as your intuitive nature, creativity, emotional coping, connection, and compassion. From there, we dig into meditation for anxiety in a way that finally makes sense for “busy mind” people: meditation as mediation between your thoughts and emotional responses, built through short daily practice, breathwork, and mindful moments in nature. Beth also explains chakras in a grounded way, linking them to the nervous system and the stress response, and shares why five minutes a day can change how your whole system handles overwhelm.

Then we go into grief and loss, signs from loved ones, and how spirit communication often comes through simple symbols, dreams, and deeply personal memories. If you’ve ever questioned whether you’re imagining things, we talk about how intuition feels in the body, how to separate it from overthinking, and how to invite connection without forcing it.

If this conversation supports you, subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a five-star review so more listeners can find these tools for healing.

To connect with Beth Lynch: https://innerlightteaching.com/

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Everyday growth, everyday healing with everyday warriors!

Music by Deli Rowe: "Space to Move"
Logo by Kaylin Talley

We sit down with author and poet Linda Drattell to get to the stories under her books and the lived moments that shaped her voice, including life across three continents, the shock of feeling “other” in new cultures, and the deep question of what it really means to belong.

Linda shares how progressive hearing loss in her 30s pushed her toward sign language, Deaf culture, and a community that refuses to define itself by limitation. We also talk about writing craft and process, from critique groups and poetry techniques to why she aims for a twist and keeps her work open enough to become a dialogue with the reader. If you care about mental health, self-love, and women’s empowerment, you’ll hear how writing can hold what the mind can’t safely replay.

Then the conversation turns to survival and recovery as Linda recounts being caught in the 2016 Nice terrorist attack and the aftermath of fear, avoidance, and PTSD. A therapist’s “second arrow” concept becomes a practical tool for healing, and Linda explains how getting the full story onto the page can create relief instead of re-traumatizing yourself. We also dig into aging gracefully, identity labels, and her upcoming magical realism satire "The Peccadillos of Philomena Phipps", where a woman’s front-yard garden grows wildly as she refuses to be erased.

If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review so more everyday warriors can find these stories and feel less alone.

For more on Linda Dattrell :    https://lindadrattell.com/

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Music by Deli Rowe: "Space to Move"
Logo by Kaylin Talley

Mental illness does not only shape the person who lives with it. It can shape the kids who grow up around it, the stories they keep silent, and the versions of themselves they build as survival.

We sit down with Suzanne Sherman, a writing coach, editor, and author whose new book, "Living in the Long Shadow: Surviving a Legacy of Mental Illness", traces what it was like to grow up with a mother experiencing sudden onset schizophrenia, recurring psychosis, and crushing depression. Suzanne shares the contrast between the early years filled with music, nature, and creativity and the later years marked by instability and lack of boundaries. 

Suzanne goes deep on memoir craft and the writing process, including why she had to “sneak up” on her own story, how she drafted 86,000 words in five weeks, and why revision is where meaning and structure finally click. If you care about mental health stories, suicide loss, schizophrenia in the family, or healing through writing, this conversation offers both heart and practical insight, with an emphasis on compassion and refusing to reduce a whole person to a diagnosis.

If this resonates, subscribe to the show, share this conversation with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more listeners can find Virago 24/7.

Info on Suzanne Sherman:   https://suzannesherman.com/

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Go to my website http://www.virago247.net for all things Virago 24/7
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Thanks for listening and don't forget to share, share, share!
Everyday growth, everyday healing with everyday warriors!

Music by Deli Rowe: "Space to Move"
Logo by Kaylin Talley

You can spend a lifetime trying to become “better,” only to realize the life you want starts when you stop abandoning yourself. 

I’m joined by psychotherapist, Diamond Approach teacher, and memoirist Rosanne Annoni, author of "Unfolding the Heart", for a conversation about what happens when you finally get quiet enough to hear the truth you’ve been editing for years.

Rosanne takes us back to a moment from childhood that should have been met with care, but instead shattered her confidence in her own inner voice. From there, we trace how that loss of trust can turn into people-pleasing, self-censorship, and looking to others for permission. She breaks down transactional analysis in a way that makes your relationships instantly clearer, including the Drama Triangle and why rescuing, victimhood, and persecution keep repeating until we learn to pause.

We also dig into the Diamond Approach and how inquiry, meditation, and modern psychology can help us separate personality conditioning from our essential qualities like love, strength, compassion, and peace. Then we get personal about boundaries with a difficult parent, motherhood guilt, making amends, and grief that doesn’t disappear but can transform as love continues.

If you’re on a healing journey, craving deeper spiritual growth, or learning to take up space as a woman, this one gives you language and tools you can actually use. Subscribe to Virago 24/7, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more women can find these conversations.

Rosanne Annoni: https://rosanneannoni.com/

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Go to my website http://www.virago247.net for all things Virago 24/7
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Everyday growth, everyday healing with everyday warriors!

Music by Deli Rowe: "Space to Move"
Logo by Kaylin Talley

A tablespoon of oil seems harmless until you ask what processing and heat actually do to it. We talk with legendary nutrition educator and author Udo Erasmus, known for “Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill” and “Your Body Needs an Oil Change”, to unpack why the real health risk is often not “fat,” but the damage done to fats by industrial refining and by high-heat cooking. If you’ve been confused by headlines about seed oils, omega-6, omega-3, and inflammation, this conversation brings clarity without fear-mongering.

We start with Udo’s powerful origin story, from being a war baby and refugee to building a lifelong drive to understand what’s true and dependable. After surviving pesticide poisoning and being told there was “nothing” a doctor could offer, he explains why personal responsibility, biochemistry, and essential nutrients became his roadmap back to wellness. We break down the role of essential fatty acids, what balance between omega-3 and omega-6 really means, and why shelf life pressures lead to processing choices that can degrade oils through light, oxygen, and heat.

Then we widen the lens into what Udo calls total health: how food choices interact with stress, thought patterns, presence, and a deeper sense of purpose. It’s a grounded, provocative discussion that connects nutrition science to daily life, with practical guidance on choosing oils, avoiding frying, and getting essential fats from fresh, whole foods. If this resonates, subscribe, share this with a friend who loves cooking, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Udo Erasmus:

https://www.udoerasmus.com/

https://www.instagram.com/udoerasmus/?hl=en

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Go to my website http://www.virago247.net for all things Virago 24/7
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Thanks for listening and don't forget to share, share, share!
Everyday growth, everyday healing with everyday warriors!

Music by Deli Rowe: "Space to Move"
Logo by Kaylin Talley

A joking question about an “assassin ex” turns into a story you will not forget: Lyanette Talley, Briana Deck, and Shiney Eapen are back! But the real reason we hit record is bigger than the plot twist. We are three friends catching up after months apart, comparing notes on what changes when you finally choose peace, stability, and your own life again. 

We talk about a long awaited promotion into office manager, the awkward leap from peer to manager, and the pride that comes with stepping into responsibility. We also get honest about sobriety, rebuilding mental health, and why a healthy relationship after an abusive marriage can feel confusing at first. When you are used to bracing for impact, calm love can feel unreal, and we break down what it looks like to accept it anyway through gratitude, communication, and self worth. 

We dig into emotional regulation and the decision to own your happiness, even on hard days. From there, we explore career pivots, job loss, and the dream of building community based work that helps people connect in real life. The conversation goes deep on divorce recovery, faith and prayer in crisis, grief stages, and the tough emotions that can hit later: shame, guilt, and learning self forgiveness while parenting and breaking cycles for your kids. 

If you care about healing after divorce, healthy relationships after trauma, sobriety, emotional regulation, and rebuilding confidence, you will find yourself here. Subscribe for more real conversations, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find us.

Send us Fan Mail

Go to my website http://www.virago247.net for all things Virago 24/7
You can email me at [email protected]

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Thanks for listening and don't forget to share, share, share!
Everyday growth, everyday healing with everyday warriors!

Music by Deli Rowe: "Space to Move"
Logo by Kaylin Talley