Every season has a thread — a fragile line of truth that weaves its way through each story. For Season 2, that thread has been about return: to resilience, to tenderness, to the quiet places inside us that teach us how to keep going.In this final episode of the season, JD sits down with Christina Kingston — known to many as The Velvet Empath — to explore what it means to live with open hands and an open heart. Christina’s presence is both invitation and reminder: that empathy is not weakness, but courage; not just softness, but strength.Together, they reflect on the power of vulnerability, the risk of feeling deeply, and the ways empathy creates connection where silence might otherwise linger.As we close this season, may Christina’s story remind you that your own story matters too — and that the endings we reach are often thresholds waiting to become beginnings.Follow Christina: @thevelvetempathJoin the community → fragilemoments.org/communitySay hello on Instagram.Come and share your story on the show HERE
You don’t have to be a believer to pray. Sometimes the prayer isn’t even words.Sometimes it’s just the ache of being lost long enough to finally ask for help — not from a person, not from a system, but from whatever else might be listening.That’s where Sophia’s story begins. On a beach in Egypt. A stranger in a strange place. A whispered please — flung into the air with no expectation of return.But something answered. And what unfolded from that moment was nothing short of a quiet spiritual rebellion — the kind of path you can only follow barefoot, with everything you thought you needed falling away.This is not a story about religion. It’s a story about asking. And being met. And letting go of everything that doesn’t survive the meeting.If you’ve ever felt on the edge of belief.If you’ve ever spoken to the sky and waited.If you’ve ever been changed by something you still don’t fully understand…This one’s for you.If this resonates, share it with someone else who might need to be reminded that their softness is not a weakness it’s the start of healing.Connect with Sophia Rose HEREJoin the community → fragilemoments.org/communitySubscribe for future episodes + articles → storypodcast.substack.comSay hello on Instagram.Comment on this episode HERECome and share your story on the show HEREWe also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth. Get full access to Storytelling Alchemist at storypodcast.substack.com/subscribe
There’s a kind of wisdom that doesn’t announce itself.It doesn’t arrive in the form of a five-step plan or a TED Talk voice.It arrives slowly — in stillness. In the breath you didn’t know you were holding.In the soft return to a body you forgot how to trust.That’s what this story holds.Not a lesson. Not a formula. Just a quiet unfolding.Catherine Crestani has walked the long road of returning to herself. Not in a loud, dramatic way — but in a way that feels like rooting.Her presence is medicine. Not because she’s trying to heal you, but because she’s made a practice of honoring her own healing — and letting that ripple outward.If you’ve ever felt the ache of burnout, the dissonance of performing calm while feeling chaos, or the yearning for a slower, truer life…This one is for you.A soft reminder:You don’t have to be fixed.You just have to come home.If this resonates, share it with someone else who might need to be reminded that their softness is not a weakness it’s the start of healing.Connect with Catherine Crestani HEREJoin the community → fragilemoments.org/communitySubscribe for future episodes + articles → storypodcast.substack.comSay hello on Instagram.Comment on this episode HERECome and share your story on the show HEREWe also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth. Get full access to Storytelling Alchemist at storypodcast.substack.com/subscribe
Some relationships look like love on the surface — but underneath, they echo the same abandonment, chaos, or silence we learned to tolerate as kids.This week, I sit down with Dr. Chelsea Azarcon — a deeply thoughtful voice in the intersection of trauma, health, and emotional healing — to talk about the kind of love that breaks us down before it builds us back up.Chelsea shares her story of surviving a seven-year, emotionally abusive relationship that began when she was just 18. It was a cycle of leaving and returning, of questioning herself, of feeling both addicted to and terrified by the pull of someone who mirrored her early wounds.What followed was a years-long process of reclaiming her voice, her nervous system, and her sense of worth. This episode isn’t just about relationships — it’s about rewriting what we think we deserve, and learning how trauma lives not only in our minds, but in our bodies and beliefs.In this conversation, we explore:— The hidden cost of emotionally unavailable relationships— Why chaos can feel like connection (until we unlearn it)— How trauma patterns show up in our health, identity, and nervous system— What it looks like to break cycles without breaking yourself— The power of coming home to your body and your storyIf this resonates, share it with someone else who might need to be reminded that their softness is not a weakness it’s the start of healing.Connect with Dr. Chelsea Azarcon HEREJoin the community → fragilemoments.org/communitySubscribe for future episodes + articles → storypodcast.substack.comSay hello on Instagram.Comment on this episode HERECome and share your story on the show HEREWe also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth. Get full access to Storytelling Alchemist at storypodcast.substack.com/subscribe
Sometimes the loudest part of life is the silence that follows holding it all together.This episode opens in the stillness after bedtime dishes undone, a baby monitor humming, the hum of mental chaos louder than anything outside. It’s a fictional story, but if you’ve ever sat alone in a room feeling like the weight of your own life might quietly crush you…you’ll feel seen here.This isn’t a comeback story. It’s not about fixing or rising.It’s about the moment you let yourself break gently.The kind of moment you never post about, but never forget.🎙️ In this episode, we explore:* The invisible labor of being the “strong one”* Quiet unraveling as a form of healing* Why slowing down is sometimes the bravest move* The difference between coping and showing up for yourselfThis story lives at the center of Fragile Moments, a space for emotional honesty, storytelling as medicine, and the soft rebellion of telling the truth about how hard things really are.💌 If this resonates, share it with someone else who might need to be reminded that their softness is not a weakness it’s the start of healing.Connect with Daniel Hoang HEREJoin the community → fragilemoments.org/communitySubscribe for future episodes + articles → storypodcast.substack.comThanks for being here.We’re all still stitching the fragile back together — one story at a time.Say hello on Instagram.Comment on this episode HEREDonate to the Fragile Moments Community. Learn more and sign up here.Come and share your story on the show HEREWe also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth. Get full access to Storytelling Alchemist at storypodcast.substack.com/subscribe
She used to live her life in whispers.Tiptoeing around her needs, folding herself in half just to keep the peace.Until one day, she stopped apologizing, not with a shout, but with a quiet decision to choose herself.We follow a story of emotional burnout, identity, and the journey home to self. From loading up an RV in Tennessee to uncovering what boldness really means, this is a portrait of a woman unlearning silence and rewriting her story in real time.What You'll Hear:* A cinematic story about burnout, motherhood, and reclaiming identity* The emotional weight of being the strong one for too long* What it means to live out loud after years of shrinking* A gentle reminder that coming home to yourself is always a worthy road tripFor Listeners Who:* Are navigating identity outside of caregiving roles* Feel like they’ve been holding it all together for too long* Are craving stories of quiet rebellion and radical honesty* Want to be reminded that they’re not too much — they’re just in the wrong roomConnect with Brianna George HERESay hello on Instagram.Comment on this episode HEREDonate to the Fragile Moments Community. Learn more and sign up here.Come and share your story on the show HEREWe also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth. Get full access to Storytelling Alchemist at storypodcast.substack.com/subscribe
They said he wouldn’t live past four. He did. They said he’d never walk. He does. Now, at 35, he’s becoming a father and breaking the cycle he was born into. This is a story about resilience, legacy, and the radical act of staying alive.If you’ve ever wondered what it means to rewrite a future that was never written for you… this one’s for you.What You’ll Hear in This Episode:* The quiet brutality of early medical predictions* Learning to move through the world, step by step* The strength it takes to live past what others expect of you* Becoming a parent while carrying your own impossible past* A soft, fierce reminder that survival can be sacred* A story that doesn't end in death — but in birthThis Episode Is For You If:* You’ve ever been underestimated — by others or by circumstance* You’re a caregiver, a parent, or someone healing their inner child* You believe in the power of storytelling to change hearts and challenge stigma* You need a reminder that your story isn’t over yetConnect with Joseph KiblerSay hello on Instagram.Comment on this episode HERESupport the show through our Sponsors HEREDonate to the Fragile Moments Community. Learn more and sign up here.Come and share your story on the show HEREWe also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth. Get full access to Storytelling Alchemist at storypodcast.substack.com/subscribe
There are so many versions of the immigration story that never get told. The quiet ones. The complicated ones. The in-between ones. The ones that don’t make headlines, but shape entire generations. Those stories deserve space.Connect with Heidy De La CruzSay hello on Instagram.Comment on this episode HERESupport the show through our Sponsors HEREDonate to the Fragile Moments Community. Learn more and sign up here.Come and share your story on the show HEREWe also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth. Get full access to Storytelling Alchemist at storypodcast.substack.com/subscribe
There’s a point where you break.And when you grow up in a house where breaking is the norm?You don’t even realize you’re shattered.The person you’re about to hear from grew up inside a storm.Connect with Fia SylvanSay hello on Instagram.Comment on this episode HERESupport the show through our Sponsors HERESign up for the Fragile Moments Community to support our work. Learn more and sign up here.Come and share your story on the show HEREWe also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth. Get full access to Storytelling Alchemist at storypodcast.substack.com/subscribe
People talk about breaking points, like they're always loud, a slam door, a breakdown in a parking lot, a dramatic walkout, but sometimes it's a cardboard box. Connect with Sandra SchnakenburgCould you say hello on Instagram?Sign up for our occasional newsletter HEREFollow the show and review us on Apple PodcastsSign up for the Fragile Moments Community to get a supportive community of listeners, members-only merch, and more. Learn more and sign up here.We also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth.Episode transcripts are posted on our website.Show Sponsors:* BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/fragilemoments for 10% off your first month of online therapy.* WHOOP: join.whoop.com/storyteller for a FREE WHOOP 4.0 and one month FREE.* HUEL: for $20 off your first order of complete nutrition from HUEL CLICK HERE* JOT: to save up to $40 on your first JOT coffee order CLICK HERE Get full access to Storytelling Alchemist at storypodcast.substack.com/subscribe
Our newest storyteller is someone who doesn’t just *talk* about healing — they live it, breathe it, and guide others through it with empathy, honesty, and a deep understanding of the human experience. What started as a passion for teaching — rooted in how writing became a lifeline through their own struggles — evolved into something even more powerful: a calling to walk with people through trauma, pain, and transformation.Connect with Andrew Harwood HERECould you say hello on Instagram?Sign up for our occasional newsletter HEREFollow the show and review us on Apple PodcastsSign up for the Fragile Moments Community to get a supportive community of listeners, members-only merch, and more. Learn more and sign up here.We also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth.Check out our online shop.Episode transcripts are posted on our website.Show Sponsors:* BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/fragilemoments for 10% off your first month of online therapy.* WHOOP: join.whoop.com/storyteller for a FREE WHOOP 4.0 and one month FREE.* HUEL: for $20 off your first order of complete nutrition from HUEL CLICK HERE* JOT: to save up to $40 on your first JOT coffee order CLICK HERE Get full access to Storytelling Alchemist at storypodcast.substack.com/subscribe
Meet Sage DeLoach —a vibrant 40-year-old mom who's on a heartfelt journey of rediscovering her personal style and sharing the beautiful complexities of her life with the world.Connect with Sage DeLoach HERECould you say hello on Instagram?Sign up for our occasional newsletter HEREFollow the show and review us on Apple PodcastsSign up for the Fragile Moments Community to get a supportive community of listeners, members-only merch, and more. Learn more and sign up here.We also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth.Check out our online shop.Episode transcripts are posted on our website.Show Sponsors:* BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/fragilemoments for 10% off your first month of online therapy.* WHOOP: join.whoop.com/storyteller for a FREE WHOOP 4.0 and one month FREE.* HUEL: for $20 off your first order of complete nutrition from HUEL CLICK HERE* JOT: to save up to $40 on your first JOT coffee order CLICK HERE Get full access to Storytelling Alchemist at storypodcast.substack.com/subscribe
Laurie Gilbertson is a seasoned communication expert, former New York City prosecutor, and Emmy-award-winning television legal analyst who helps professionals master the art of impactful communication. As the founder of Tribeca Blue Consulting, she combines her extensive background in law, media, and public speaking to teach executives, attorneys, and entrepreneurs how to present themselves with clarity, confidence, and authenticity.Connect with Laurie Gilbertson HERECould you say hello on Instagram?Sign up for our occasional newsletter HEREFollow the show and review us on Apple PodcastsSign up for the Fragile Moments Community to get a supportive community of listeners, members-only merch, and more. Learn more and sign up here.We also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth.Check out our online shop.Episode transcripts are posted on our website.Show Sponsors:* BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/fragilemoments for 10% off your first month of online therapy.* WHOOP: join.whoop.com/storyteller for a FREE WHOOP 4.0 and one month FREE.* HUEL: for $20 off your first order of complete nutrition from HUEL CLICK HERE* JOT: to save up to $40 on your first JOT coffee order CLICK HERE Get full access to Storytelling Alchemist at storypodcast.substack.com/subscribe
Urmis's journey is a powerful illustration of the human spirit's ability to overcome challenges and emerge stronger on the other side. Her unwavering determination and resilience in the face of adversity serve as an inspiration to all who encounter her story. By embracing her true identity and refusing to be defined by the limitations imposed upon her, Urmis not only transformed her own life but also became a beacon of hope for others who may be struggling to find their place in the world. Connect with Urmi Hossain HERECould you say hello on Instagram?Sign up for our occasional newsletter HEREFollow the show and review us on Apple PodcastsSign up for the Fragile Moments Community to get a supportive community of listeners, members-only merch, and more. Learn more and sign up here.We also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth.Check out our online shop.Episode transcripts are posted on our website.Show Sponsors:* BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/fragilemoments for 10% off your first month of online therapy.* WHOOP: join.whoop.com/storyteller for a FREE WHOOP 4.0 and one month FREE.* HUEL: for $20 off your first order of complete nutrition from HUEL CLICK HERE* JOT: to save up to $40 on your first JOT coffee order CLICK HERE Get full access to Storytelling Alchemist at storypodcast.substack.com/subscribe
Mariangela Abeo or “M” as you’ll come to know her as, is a photographer, storyteller, and mental health advocate whose powerful project, Faces of Fortitude, has given voice to those affected by suicide and mental health struggles. What began as a personal journey of healing after losing a loved one to suicide has grown into a globally recognized movement—one that fosters open dialogue, resilience, and connection through raw, unfiltered portraiture.Connect with M Abeo HERECould you say hello on Instagram?Sign up for our occasional newsletter HEREFollow the show and review us on Apple PodcastsSign up for the Fragile Moments Community to get a supportive community of listeners, members-only merch, and more. Learn more and sign up here.We also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth.Check out our online shop.Episode transcripts are posted on our website.Show Sponsors:* BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/fragilemoments for 10% off your first month of online therapy.* WHOOP: join.whoop.com/storyteller for a FREE WHOOP 4.0 and one month FREE.* HUEL: for $20 off your first order of complete nutrition from HUEL CLICK HERE* JOT: to save up to $40 on your first JOT coffee order CLICK HERE Get full access to Storytelling Alchemist at storypodcast.substack.com/subscribe
Traci Neal’s journey is nothing short of inspiring. Growing up, she took on various roles that epitomized servanthood—cleaning public toilets, assisting in daycare centers, supporting preschool and kindergarten classrooms, and working as a cashier. While these jobs were far from glamorous, they laid the foundation for her profound empathy and resilience. Connect with Traci Neal HERECould you say hello on Instagram?Sign up for our occasional newsletter HEREFollow the show and review us on Apple PodcastsSign up for the Fragile Moments Community to get a supportive community of listeners, members-only merch, and more. Learn more and sign up here.We also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth.Check out our online shop.Episode transcripts are posted on our website.______________Show Sponsor:* BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/fragilemoments for 10% off your first month.* WHOOP: join.whoop.com/storyteller for a FREE WHOOP 4.0 and one month FREE. Get full access to Storytelling Alchemist at storypodcast.substack.com/subscribe
Get ready for new stories starting February 3.Could you say hello on Instagram?Sign up for our occasional newsletter, Storyteller Project.Follow the show and review us on Apple PodcastsSign up for the Fragile Moments Community to get a supportive community of listeners, members-only merch, and more. Learn more and sign up here.We also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth.Check out our online shop.Episode transcripts are posted on our website.______________Show Sponsor:* BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/fragilemoments for 10% off your first month.* WHOOP: join.whoop.com/storyteller for a FREE WHOOP 4.0 and one month FREE. Get full access to Storytelling Alchemist at storypodcast.substack.com/subscribe
As we wrap up our first season here at What's Your Story?, I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for your incredible support.Could you say hello on Instagram?Sign up for our occasional newsletter, Storyteller Project.Follow the show and review us on Apple PodcastsSign up for Storyteller Society to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of all Not Today Media Shows, a supportive community of listeners, members-only merch, and more. Learn more and sign up here.We also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth.Check out our online shop.Episode transcripts are posted on our website.______________Show Sponsor:* BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/fragilemoments for 10% off your first month.* WHOOP: join.whoop.com/storyteller for a FREE WHOOP 4.0 and one month FREE. Get full access to Storytelling Alchemist at storypodcast.substack.com/subscribe
Grief is a suffocating cloak, a relentless storm that rages within, tearing at the very fabric of your being. It's a profound emptiness, a hollow echo where laughter and joy once resided. It's the ache in your chest that steals your breath, the lump in your throat that chokes back tears. Grief is the unwelcome guest that lingers, casting a shadow over every aspect of your life.Connect with Mandy Capehart HERECould you say hello on Instagram?Sign up for our occasional newsletter, Storyteller Project.Follow the show and review us on Apple PodcastsSign up for Storyteller Society to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of all Not Today Media Shows, a supportive community of listeners, members-only merch, and more. Learn more and sign up here.We also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth.Check out our online shop.Episode transcripts are posted on our website.______________Show Sponsor:* BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/fragilemoments for 10% off your first month.* WHOOP: join.whoop.com/storyteller for a FREE WHOOP 4.0 and one month FREE. Get full access to Storytelling Alchemist at storypodcast.substack.com/subscribe
Extreme sports push you to face your fears head-on and step outside your comfort zone. It's challenging, but that's where the magic happens. When you conquer those fears and nail that gnarly stunt, you realize you're capable of way more than you thought.Connect with Jennie Milton HERECould you say hello on Instagram?Sign up for our occasional newsletter, Storyteller Project. Follow the show and review us on Apple PodcastsSign up for Storyteller Society to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of all Not Today Media Shows, a supportive community of listeners, members-only merch, and more. Learn more and sign up here.Join our DiscordWe also make Dads Cry Too and Come Back To Earth.Check out our online shop.Episode transcripts are posted on our website.______________ Show Sponsor:* BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/fragilemoments for 10% off your first month.* WHOOP: join.whoop.com/storyteller for a FREE WHOOP 4.0 and one month FREE. Get full access to Storytelling Alchemist at storypodcast.substack.com/subscribe