Unconventional Leaders

David Francisco is a singer-songwriter whose life changed dramatically after a devastating cycling accident left him paralyzed just weeks after moving to Nashville to pursue music full-time. What followed was a years-long journey of rehabilitation, resilience, faith, and rediscovering what it means to build a meaningful life when everything you planned is suddenly taken away. In this conversation,...

Kristen LaValley is a writer, speaker, and author whose work explores the intersection of faith, trauma, and belonging. Through her books, courses, and online community, she creates space for honest conversations about spiritual struggle, mental health, identity, and what it means to rebuild a life after certainty falls apart. In this conversation, we explore the relationship between healing and s...

Stone Stafford spent more than two decades in the music industry as an artist, songwriter, producer, and trusted advisor to creators with big dreams and even bigger ambitions. But what drew me to Stone’s work wasn't his résumé…it was his philosophy of "quietly taking over." In this conversation, we explore the tension between impact and attention, why meaningful work often requires stepping away f...

Ana Urban is an ADHD coach, educator, and creator who helps people better understand their minds and build lives that work with their brains instead of against them. After being diagnosed with ADHD at nineteen, Ana spent years navigating procrastination, perfectionism, shame, and self-worth struggles before discovering a more sustainable approach to growth and personal transformation. In this conv...

Mattie Jo Cowsert is a New York-based actor, author, and storyteller whose work explores the stories we inherit (and what happens when they no longer fit). Raised in a conservative evangelical home near Branson, Missouri, where her father was a pastor, Mattie Jo spent years untangling the narratives she was handed about faith, sexuality, identity, relationships, and what it means to live a meaning...

Ciarra Jones , known online as The Gardening Theologian, blends theology, ecology, and storytelling to help people untangle inherited beliefs and cultivate a more liberated, life-giving spirituality. Drawing from her experiences in Pentecostal Christianity, academia, queerness, and gardening, Ciarra explores how systems of power shape the way we understand God, identity, belonging, and collective...

Jeremy Steele creates space for folks recovering from religious trauma to rediscover ritual, spirituality, and connection on their own terms. An ordained pastor and creator of the “Not Church” community, Jeremy works with skeptics and spiritual outsiders searching for connection without rigid dogma or fear-based theology. In this episode, Jeremy and Heather explore the psychology behind ritual, th...

Erik Ireland is known online as “your queer mountain grandpa,” where he shares stories and mindfulness practices for folks who want a little more peace and purpose. I got to sit down with him to talk about his new book, Awaken Your Myth, where he moves beneath surface-level self-improvement into identity, shadow, and the deeper forces shaping what we create. In this conversation, you’ll hear about...

In this conversation, Keith Giles and Nish Dubashia explore the emerging idea of quantum theology, where modern physics, ancient mysticism, and religious tradition begin to overlap. They rethink what Jesus meant, they confront fear-based beliefs about salvation, they ask whether reality itself is interconnected in ways we can barely comprehend, and this episode stretches the boundaries of how we u...

Cyndi Zaweski is an award-winning journalist, storytelling marketer, and entrepreneur. A little over six months ago, she made a bold move: she stopped posting on social media (yes, as a digital entrepreneur) . What happened next? Her sales jumped 176%. In this episode, she breaks down how it’s even possible…how leaning into search and her background in SEO drove consistent traffic to her offers. W...

Joshua Coburn is a marketer, creator, and storyteller…but if you ask him what he does, his answer is simple: he makes people’s lives better. Joshua shares how years of success, setbacks, and personal battles reshaped his understanding of confidence, purpose, and what actually matters. From learning that confidence is earned through adversity, to navigating the tension between strength and empathy,...

Jesi Stracham is an entrepreneur, speaker, and advocate who, after surviving a near-fatal motorcycle accident and paralysis, discovered the power of resilience, faith, and authentic self-expression. From a life-threatening injury and near-death experiences to writing her book Power in the Roll and founding the Wheel With Me Foundation, Jesi’s journey is about transforming trauma into purpose, hono...

Anthony Trucks is a former professional football player turned speaker, author, and transformational coach. Known for his “Dark Work” and “Identity Shift” frameworks, Anthony helps people overcome limiting beliefs, trauma, and past experiences to step into higher levels of performance. After growing up in foster care, navigating abuse, losing his NFL career to injury, and rebuilding his life from...

Shannan Martin is the bestselling author of Counterweights, Start with Hello, and The Ministry of Ordinary Places, as well as the voice behind the popular Substack…The Soup. A self-described wannabe gardener, news geek, justice-seeker, and thrift store enthusiast, Shannan writes about the intersection of faith, everyday life, and community. In this conversation, Shannan explores the concept of “co...

Joe Zimmerman is a stand-up comedian whose resume includes The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon , Conan , Last Comic Standing , and his own Comedy Central Half Hour special. His first one-hour special, Cult Classic , directed by Nate Bargatze, was called “One of the best specials of the year” by The Comedy Bureau . In this conversation, Joe shares what it really takes to build a creative career,...

Patrick Murphy is a somatic coach for high-achievers who feel stuck in anxiety, perfectionism, and overwhelm. Today, he shares how unresolved trauma shows up in our bodies and why mindset work alone isn’t enough. We also talk about healing generational trauma and why experiencing anger can be a sign of healing. WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady TOPICS FROM THIS EPISO...

Brian Nietzel says he's always known two things about himself. One, Jesus is his hero. And two, he is gay. At one point, his faith and sexuality felt divided, because he didn’t just want God’s tolerance—he wanted His blessing. Today, Brian shares his journey of rediscovering the heart of Jesus and knowing in his bones that God’s got him and the LGBTQ+ community. Coming out didn’t take his faith aw...

At just 12 years old, Collier Landry testified against his father in one of Ohio’s most publicized trials following the murder of his mother. His film A Murder in Mansfield became part of his healing and opened conversations about the lasting impact of violence on families, communities, and survivors. In this conversation, we explore authenticity in storytelling, the tension between public curiosi...

Kyle Cease had the sold-out shows, the Comedy Central specials, and the external success… but knew something was missing. Instead of doubling down on performance, he walked away from chasing more and began doing deeper work…work that would eventually shift the entire direction of his life. Today, Kyle has worked with over 15,000 people around the world, helping them dissolve fear, release old woun...

To reach the “next level” in our lives, we often have to break generational patterns, become beginners again, and learn how to make decisions from a place of certainty (not permission). This week, we’re joined by Bishop Kevin Foreman, known as “The People’s Bishop”. A pastor, entrepreneur, and mentor, he lives at the intersection of faith, leadership, and personal transformation. In this conversat...

What if the thing you have been trying to hide is the exact thing that gives you work power? In this episode, I sit down with Jon Giganti , executive coach, speaker, and author of With Intention . Jon gets honest about what held him back, from athletics and family chaos to depression and numbing, and the long road back to presence and purpose. Together, we unpack a tension I know many of you feel,...

Building an online community isn’t about platforms or posting more…it’s about intention. In this episode, I’m joined by entrepreneur and Community Market Fit author Lucas Bean to break down what actually turns an audience into a real community, including the three essentials every strong community needs. We unpack what people get wrong about online communities, what modern creators can learn from...

Pastor Kimberly Bulgin is the author of The Sisters Stay Dropping Gems and the founder of The House of Women . She helps faith-filled women unlearn harmful theology so they can reclaim their bodies, desires, and agency…without shame. In this episode, we talk about sensuality as a God-given gift and how to rebuild a spiritual life rooted in freedom instead of fear. From modesty culture, to pleasure...

Jeremy Steele helps people healing from religious trauma find spiritual beliefs and practices that actually work for them. A deep skeptic and ordained pastor, he leads an online community offering spiritual care to people who may never walk back into a church building, yet still crave meaning, purpose, and transcendence. In this episode, Jeremy unpacks what it means to be a “practitioner of Christ...

If you’ve set the same goals over and over and still feel stuck, this is for you. In this episode, we explore why your results start with your identity, not your systems, and how creating an alter ego can help you access a bolder, more capable version of yourself. Because sometimes the person you need to become is already inside you, you just need a doorway to step into them. WATCH EPISODES ON YOU...