Naked: With Janelle

In today’s Naked Note , I’m talking about the part of motherhood no one really prepares you for: watching your child become independent, and feeling the distance that comes with it. Letting go doesn’t mean you lose them. It means you lose the illusion that you get to keep them the way you’ve always known them. This one is about grief, love, and learning to release.

In Part 2 of my conversation with Lexi, we talk about what it really looks like to step into a life of your own—choosing love, choosing change, and choosing a future you didn’t see coming. Lexi shares how listening to her intuition led her to a country she never expected to call home… and into a joyful, simple beach life that fits her in the best way. We also talk openly about the awkwardness of a...

In this episode, Wendy shares how she went from a conventional life in Canada to a season of full-time travel and deep personal growth. When her husband was diagnosed with cancer, everything shifted. Wendy talks honestly about what it was like to let go of the script they thought they were supposed to follow, step into a nomadic life, and start asking, “What if we did this differently?” She also s...

In this US episode, Gregg and I open up about parenting through one of the hardest chapters of our story with Elli, what grounded us, what we’re proud of, and how it’s changed the way we show up as parents today. Elli joins us at the end to ask a few questions of her own, and it’s tender, honest, and very us. For anyone walking through a heavy season with someone they love, I hope this makes you f...

Last week, Elli shared her story. This week, I’m sharing mine — the view from the doorway as a mom watching her girl fade into the dark and trying not to be swallowed by fear in the process. In this Naked Notes episode, I talk honestly about the helplessness, the panic, the urge to fix, and the slow, painful work of learning to lead with patient love instead of anxious control. If you’re parenting...

(Content note: includes discussion of sexual abuse and trauma.) In this episode, I sit down with my sixteen-year-old daughter, Elli, to talk about something we don’t often hear directly from teenagers: what happens when fear takes over your life after trauma. Elli shares how being sexually abused changed the way her brain worked, how it made the world feel unsafe, and how she began to pull away fr...

In this solo episode, I’m sitting with the truth of feeling unmotivated lately. Sometimes we enter seasons where the drive fades and we start questioning why we do the things we do. For me, this week was a gentle reminder to come back to my heart and remember what’s real. I didn’t start writing or hosting this podcast for validation or metrics or to prove anything. I do it because it feels like th...

In this episode, Sarah Heath, a former pastor turned narrative strategist, opens up about what it really means to begin again. She shares how a season of burnout led her to step back from what she once knew and rebuild life from the inside out. Her work restoring her Airstream, Gidget, became a quiet metaphor for her own process, patching what was worn, honoring what could be saved, and creating s...

In this episode Gregg and Janelle tell the full story of how they became nomadic travellers, it's a story of loss, courage and an immense amount of change. Enjoy this Re-release. If Naked has felt like a conversation you want to stay part of, come join me on Patreon. You’ll get full written versions of The Naked Notes and extended episodes you can find them here https://www.patreon.com/c/Nakedwith...

In this episode, I talk about the small moments that make up a life, the firsts, the lasts, and everything in between. The ones that remind us we’re constantly growing, shifting, becoming. It’s a gentle reminder that every season, every ordinary day, is filled with tiny micro moments worth noticing. If Naked has felt like a conversation you want to stay part of, come join me on Patreon. You’ll get...

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Sarah Madigan to talk about loss, love, and what it means to really live in the present. Sarah shares her story with such honesty and grace, it’s one of those conversations that makes you stop and breathe a little deeper. She’s infectiously joyful, a light to everyone she meets, and she coaches people all over the world on how to live a life grounded in presen...

Ever opened your phone to look something up, only to find yourself an hour later, knee-deep in quotes, recipes, and strangers’ stories? This episode is a reflection on that quiet tug between inspiration and distraction. Between the life we’re watching and the one we’re actually living. It’s about the little box in our hands, the one that can connect us, numb us, or nudge us back toward what really...

Out of the hardest moments can come the greatest change. In this episode, Alan opens up about the moment a hospital stay forced him to face the reality of his health and sparked a radical transformation. From quitting smoking to making mental health a priority, Alan shares the hard truths, small victories, and ongoing challenges of choosing wellness every day. With honesty and courage, he reminds...

After more than twenty years together, we’ve learned that marriage isn’t about having it all figured out, it’s about learning, failing, forgiving, and choosing each other again. In this candid Q&A, we answer your questions about how we reconnect in busy seasons, keep the romance alive, navigate conflicts that never seem to end, balance acceptance with growth, and even what happens when love fe...

Fifty episodes in—and I can hardly believe it. What started as a simple act of courage, sharing pieces of my own story, has grown into something so much bigger: a space where honesty, vulnerability, and connection meet. In this episode, I look back on the voices that shaped me—like my grandmother’s tender stories—and reflect on what it has meant to show up week after week, not always knowing how t...

Becoming a mother sparked Elise Powers’ turn toward writing and gave her the courage to share her words publicly. She talks about the path to publishing her book, the courage it takes to write vulnerably, and the importance of authenticity in creative work. With honesty and heart, Elise reflects on balancing family and creativity, the emotional depth poetry uncovers, and the beauty of simple momen...

Joy isn’t only found in the big milestones—it’s in the small, ordinary, beautiful moments that make life feel full. In this episode, I reflect on the many ways joy shows up: in contagious laughter, quiet sips of coffee, messy pumpkin painting, and the silliness of my grandmother who embodied joy even in life’s hardest seasons. Joy is never far away—hidden in the rhythm of ordinary days, tucked int...

In this heartfelt episode, Janelle joins Shannon—a single mom and surrogate—for a conversation about the profound journey of surrogacy. Shannon shares openly about the emotional challenges, the rewarding connections formed with families, and the importance of breaking stigmas around surrogacy and motherhood. Together, they explore how these journeys shape not only parents but also children. Tune i...

In this episode, Gregg and I share both sides of a breaking point in my life — the unraveling I lived inside, and the love he quietly held from the outside. Two perspectives, one story of breakdown, awakening, and the kind of love that stays. If Naked has felt like a conversation you want to stay part of, come join me on Patreon. You’ll get full written versions of The Naked Notes and extended epi...

Every freckle, every laugh line, every scar — they’re proof of a life fully lived. In this episode, I explore the stories our bodies quietly carry: first steps, summer bike rides, winter chills, the weight of grief, the warmth of an embrace. It’s about noticing the small things, honoring the miles you’ve traveled, and remembering that this is the only home you’ll ever truly live in.

In this raw and heartfelt conversation, Glen opens up about his journey from decades in policing to a life centered around healing, connection, and nature. He shares candid reflections on the emotional weight of the job, his battle with addiction and PTSD, and the turning point that came through the love and insight of his partner. Together, we explore how policing has changed, the stigma around a...

I heard Elizabeth Gilbert talk about writing letters from Love. I tried it, let it go, and recently came back to it. This episode is about that return—and what it reminded me about the things we resist, the practices we forget, and how powerful it is to start again. If Naked has felt like a conversation you want to stay part of, come join me on Patreon. You’ll get full written versions of The Nake...

In this episode, Charlotte opens up about what it really means to trust yourself, especially when the path forward feels uncertain. She shares the moment she stopped waiting for permission, picked up her brush, and chose to create anyway. What followed was more than just art; it was a homecoming. This isn’t just a story about making something beautiful. It’s about the quiet power of listening to y...

This episode is the beginning of something new—every few weeks, my husband Gregg will be joining me here on the podcast for an honest, unedited conversation about the moments that shaped our life together. In this one, we go back to 2007. We had three kids under five, more bills than money, and a dream house that couldn’t hold the weight of what we were carrying. We were tired, disconnected, and q...

This was supposed to be the first episode of Us —a new kind of conversation between me and my husband of 26 years. In these episodes, we each write separately about a shared moment in our lives, then come together to read and reflect. But… our first recording didn’t go as planned. So instead, here’s a quick note from me about what we’re building with Us , why it matters to us, and how even when th...