Life Conversations with a Twist

"Growth happens when you're uncomfortable, because you push yourself into things you wouldn't normally do." — Dr. Shola SulaimonThere's a kind of tiredness that comes from being everything to everyone — and never quite getting around to asking what fills your own cup. For Dr. Shola Sulaimon, that question sat quietly for almost 20 years before she finally let herself answer it.In this episode, Dr. Shola shares what it was like being the first Black woman PhD student in her program, the quiet weight of representing more than herself in corporate America, and the slow internal pull that eventually led her to step away from nearly two decades of corporate leadership. We talk about the difference between being nice and being kind, what it means to leave something on your own terms, and why finding an outlet outside of work and family might be the thing that saves you.If you've ever wondered whether it's safe to want something different than what you built, this one's for you. New episodes every Thursday on all major podcast platforms.Connect with Heather: WebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedInYouTubeHighlights00:00 Cold open — Dr. Shola on finding an outlet outside work and family 0:54 Heather welcomes listeners to Her Story Unscripted 1:20 Heather introduces Dr. Shola and the story of how they met 4:23 The phases of a woman's life — and what it feels like to hit “stuck” 9:24 Heather opens up about feeling stuck in her own routine 11:19 Leaving things on your own terms, and knowing who your tribe is 12:36 Kindness vs. niceness — and learning not to be a pushover 16:07 Where her boldness came from — her mother's influence 19:00 Being a woman of color in corporate, and the pressure of representation 23:05 What's within your influence vs. what's out of your control 25:57 The slow build toward finally leaving corporate after almost 20 years 31:50 Advice for moms re-entering the workforce after raising kids 37:39 Advice for women who feel stuck but are afraid to leave 47:15 What she's building now — ShoTune Medical Consulting Group and Voice to Value 51:28 Closing reflection — “you are not alone” 53:48 OutroAbout Dr. Shola SulaimonDr. Shola Sulaimon was born and raised in Nigeria, trained and practiced as a veterinarian, then moved to the United States to pursue her PhD at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — where she became the first Black woman to do so in her program. She spent close to 20 years in corporate leadership in clinical, regulatory, and quality roles before founding ShoTune Medical Consulting Group, where she advises medical device companies on regulatory, clinical quality, and commercialization risk. She's now building Voice to Value, a Sonoma County community and coaching space for professional women centered on leadership, mentorship, and helping women find the confidence to speak up in rooms where they once stayed quiet.WebsiteLinkedInSupport the show

"You get back up and build better — it is going to be 10x more than you can believe." — Darcey Elizabeth Four years ago, Darcey sat in what she now calls one of the darkest seasons of her life — a newly single mom who had just moved four hours from home, left corporate, and was trying to build something from scratch. She had no guarantee any of it would work. She just kept going.In this episode of Her Story Unscripted, Darcey is back to share the honest, unscripted version of what those four years actually held. She talks about the grief of losing her mom, the ego hit of going back to corporate in 2024, building a team of 33 women, and the night she missed a major business goal by $2,000 and had to decide who she wanted to be on the other side of it. It's a real conversation about personal growth, resilience, and what it looks like when belief finally catches up with your effort.If you're a woman in the middle of something hard — or on the other side of it trying to make sense of how you got there — this one is for you. New episodes every Thursday on all major podcast platforms.Connect with Heather: WebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedInYoutubeHighlights0:00 Introduction — Heather welcomes Darcey back, four years later1:57  Where Darcey was when they first met — single mom, new city, uncertain chapter4:35 The decision to go back to corporate and why it felt like failure7:29 Jumping into Arbonne, pairing it with personal training, and growing fast20:28 Missing the rank by $2,000 — the setback, the tears, and the comeback24:14 Walking across the stage and watching her team do the same27:22 Both shows rebranding — the conversation about what's nextAbout Darcey Elizabeth Darcey Elizabeth Burke is a Regional Vice President with Arbonne, certified personal trainer, nutrition coach, corporate finance professional, boy mom, and host of The Undeniable Expansion Podcast. She built her business to the Top 2% of Arbonne within just 13 months by focusing on authentic relationships, community, and helping women create real results in their health and lives. Through wellness, leadership, and entrepreneurship, Darcey is passionate about empowering women to expand beyond their current circumstances, build confidence, and create a life they truly love.WebsiteYouTubeFacebookInstagramPodcastSupport the show

"I woke up one day and I started to feel. And what I felt, it wasn't pretty. I was like, I'm not happy. And that was the very first time I put myself first." — Mercedes HernandezMercedes Hernandez built The SoCo Markets from scratch — 11 vendors on a closed-off side street, a vision, and no guarantee it would work. Six years later, it's one of Sonoma County's most beloved community events, drawing vendors from across the Bay Area and bringing thousands of people together every year. But this episode isn't really a business story. It's a story about what happens when you finally stop building for everyone else and start building for yourself.In this episode of Her Story Unscripted, Mercedes shares her full journey — from a 15-year-old retail worker discovering a passion, to opening her first brick-and-mortar at 20, to creating experiences like Fork'n Good Food Festival and Roast & Rhythm. Then she gets real about the personal chapter she's been walking through: ending a 15-year relationship, living completely alone for the first time in her life, sitting with the loneliness instead of running from it, and slowly coming back to herself through counseling and a whole lot of self-honesty. This is an authentic storytelling conversation about identity, codependency, personal growth for women, and what freedom actually feels like when you finally choose it.If you've ever lost yourself in a role — a relationship, a business, a version of who you thought you were supposed to be — this conversation will meet you right where you are. New episodes every Thursday on all major podcast platforms.Connect with Heather: WebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedInYoutubeHighlights0:00 Opening quote — Mercedes on identity0:39 Heather's intro + welcome to Her Story Unscripted1:05 Welcome, Mercedes — how Heather found her3:31 How Mercedes started in retail and discovered her passion4:21 Opening Bow & Arrow Clothing at 20, the JC entrepreneurship program6:07 SoCo Markets is born — from 11 vendors to 908:53 Growing the market calendar: Fork'n Good, Roast & Rhythm, Closet Clean Outs10:50 What it really takes to run a successful community market18:30 The personal pivot — ending her marriage and stepping into the unknown21:40 Codependency, people-pleasing, and going numb27:48 Living alone for the first time — and what she found there32:39 Identity, worth, and what she'd leave listeners withAbout Mercedes HernandezMercedes Hernandez is a serial entrepreneur and community builder based in Sonoma County, California. She opened her first retail store, Bow & Arrow Clothing, at 20 years old, and went on to build SoCo Markets — a thriving platform for small businesses and local vendors that now hosts events across the Bay Area. From the Fork'n Good Food Festival to Roast & Rhythm to monthly Closet Clean Out pop-ups, Mercedes has become one of the most creative event minds in Northern California. She's passionate about giving small businesses a platform, and about building the kinds of experiences that bring communities together in real, meaningful ways.WebsiteFacebookInstagramEmailSupport the show

"We only get one life, and we don't know when that invisible clock is gonna run out. So you have to make time for people and for things that are important to you." — Christina AlonzoIt started as a normal weekend. By Tuesday, Christina Alonzo was sitting in an ER telling the doctor everything she had been quietly noticing for days. By Wednesday, the diagnosis was in: glioblastoma — an aggressive, inoperable brain cancer. Her husband Kurtis was 44 years old and had never even had a cold. From the date of diagnosis to the date of his death was four months.In this episode of Her Story Unscripted, Christina Alonzo returns to the podcast three years after her first appearance to share the story of the year that changed everything. She opens up about becoming Kurtis's full-time caregiver while raising a toddler, navigating impossible medical decisions, and the termination email from his employer that arrived the very night he died. She also shares the story of her 200-pound weight loss journey — and how losing the weight became something far more significant than she ever expected when Kurtis got sick. This is an honest conversation about grief, love, and what it actually looks like to keep living when someone you love is gone.For any woman who has ever taken time for granted, avoided a hard conversation, or wondered how anyone survives something this big — this episode is an unscripted reminder that life is shorter and more sacred than we let ourselves believe. New episodes every Thursday on all major podcast platforms.Connect with Heather: WebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedInYoutubeHighlights:00:00 Cold open — Christina on the invisible clock00:49 Heather introduces Her Story Unscripted01:15 Welcoming Christina back — three years and a lot of life later02:21 The normal weekend that wasn't — Curtis gets sick5:28 The ER visit and the diagnosis — glioblastoma7:15 Choosing chemo and radiation — a hail mary for a 44-year-old in perfect health12:18 How quickly he declined, and what caregiving looked like at home14:18 Curtis's death in March 2025 — four months after diagnosis18:55 What helped Christina survive this season22:13 The termination email the night he died27:22 200 pounds lost — and how the GLP-1 journey intersected with Curtis's care25:10 How to actually show up for someone in grief36:10 Life now — Addie, memory-keeping, and saying yes38:03 Christina's one takeaway for the listener About Christina AlonzoChristina Alonzo is a mother, content creator, and Sonoma County local who has walked through more grief in the last few years than most people face in a lifetime. From losing babies to navigating a sudden and devastating brain cancer diagnosis in her husband Curtis, she has shown up with remarkable honesty and grace at every turn. In the past year and a half, she has also completed a transformative 200-pound weight loss journey that changed not just her body, but the way she moves through the world. She is raising her daughter Addie with Curtis's love still at the center of their homeInstagramSupport the show

"We all have a story to tell. We all have journeys, we've all been through things — and some of us are worse than others. But we all have a story to tell." — Heather NelsonThere's something that happens when a woman decides to stop performing and just say it the way it actually is. No script. No polish. No waiting for permission. For Heather Nelson, that decision didn't arrive all at once — it built slowly over five years of sitting across from women who had the courage to share the messy, real, unfiltered truth of their lives.In this very first episode of Her Story Unscripted, Heather pulls back the curtain on the rebrand — and everything that led to this moment. She shares the honest, unscripted story of why she podcasted for five years under a name she never fully loved, what finally pushed her to start fresh, and the mission that has been quietly driving her since the very beginning — creating a space where women can show up as they are and say what they actually mean.If you've ever felt like you were performing a version of yourself instead of living as the real one — this is the conversation you didn't know you needed. Heather isn't here to give advice or hand you a roadmap. She's here to sit with you, ask the questions nobody else thinks to ask, and remind you that your story matters exactly as it is.In this episode, you will learn:The lunch conversation five years ago that made me realize women needed a space to tell their real storiesWhy I never fully loved the name Life Conversations with a Twist — and what finally made me let it goThe months-long rebrand process that pushed me to get clear on my mission, my values, and who I'm really doing this forHow the name Her Story Unscripted came together — and the quiet, powerful reason the word "unscripted" felt so rightWhere I'm headed with this podcast, what you can expect going forward, and why I believe women sharing their true stories is one of the most powerful things we can doEpisode Highlights• 0:00 – The moment that started it all — women and their unscripted stories• 0:28 – Welcome to Her Story Unscripted — the new brand intro• 0:55 – Heather kicks off the launch episode• 1:19 – Introducing the rebrand from Life Conversations with a Twist• 1:56 – Five years in hospitality and the conversations that wouldn't leave her• 3:55 – Why women's stories needed a space — the heart behind the podcast• 5:06 – How Life Conversations with a Twist was born• 5:36 – 200+ episodes, 160 women, and what kept Heather going• 7:14 – The Connection Hive, Set & Strike, and finding what truly fuels her soul• 10:02 – The decision to rip the band-aid and start fresh• 11:21 – Naming a podcast — why it had to be perfect• 12:03 – The moment Her Story Unscripted clicked• 13:09 – Why "unscripted" matters — women, silence, and permission to be real• 15:01 – What's coming — new look, new energy, big goals• 17:17 – Thank you, and what you can do to help this podcast grow• 19:20 – Solo episodes, Heather's personal story, and what's ahead• 22:09 – Final thoughts — see you next ThursdayMeet Your Host: Heather Nelson is the host of Her Story Unscripted and founder of The Connection Hive, a business strategy and community brand rooted in the belief that real connection changes everything. A connector by nature and a storyteller at heart, Heather has spent over 25 years in the hospitality industry — and more than five years creating a space for women to share honest, unscripted conversations about life, growth, and the experiences that have shaped who they are. She lives in Sonoma County, California, where she's raising a blended, biracial family, running two businesses, and podcasting with her whole heart.Connect with Heather: WebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedInYoutubeSupport the show