Unwritten with Steph

Send us Fan Mail How I became a photographer — and the question that started it all: am I worth it? In this episode of Unwritten, I share my honest origin story: buying my first camera while pregnant, building a photography business through divorce and single motherhood, learning marketing and SEO the hard way, and finally learning to charge what I'm worth. If you've ever wanted to start...

Send us Fan Mail "It wasn't a failure. It was an experience." This week on Unwritten I'm sitting down with Lacey Steffes — a self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur who's built Spa Serenity, Pause Facial Bar, Gateway Powersports, and a dirt drag series that grew from 800 people to 8,000 in about two years. We get into what it actually takes to keep going. Why failure isn'...

Send us Fan Mail Some of the hardest seasons of our lives are the ones that force us to root the fastest. This week on Soulful Sunday, Steph talks about the plant that grows out of solid rock — and why your toughest circumstances might be building your resilience, not breaking you. She unpacks the difference between holding onto old stories as wounds versus using them as fuel, why fear-based think...

Send us Fan Mail Happy July 3rd. This morning I sat with the birds and my journal and remembered something I'd forgotten: the importance of filling my own cup first. This episode is a real one. I get into the reality we see versus the reality we feel, and why so many of us are running a program we inherited: the same job, the same house, the same everything, because sameness feels safe. I tal...

Send us Fan Mail The minute you register that LLC, the wolves come for the fresh meat. In this episode, Steph sits down with her bestie Shannon Hill — calling in from her morning commute — to talk about all the stuff nobody warns you about when you start a business. They get into which tools are actually worth your money and which subscriptions to cancel, why you should always own your own domains...

Send us Fan Mail I'm sharing the real, unscripted stories behind my own healing journey — leaving a marriage, a life, and a version of myself that no longer fit, one honest conversation at a time. No script, no perfect answers, just what it actually looks like to decide I deserve more. Here is the author: https://daniellelaporte.com/ Support the show https://www.stephshanks.com https://www.in...

Send us Fan Mail A Sunday morning soul session — just me this time. No guest, no agenda. It starts with a $13 dog toy and a money spiral, and opens into something deeper: what happens when I let my higher self take the wheel. Through two meditations, I trace a money block back to the 16-year-old girl who became a mom too soon — and find an image that ties it all together: a child reaching for an i...

Send us Fan Mail Support the show https://www.stephshanks.com https://www.instagram.com/unwrittenwithsteph https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephshanks/ https://www.youtube.com/@stephshanks https://www.tiktok.com/@stephshanks?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc https://www.facebook.com/stephshanksphotography Support the show https://www.stephshanks.com https://www.instagram.com/unwrittenwithsteph htt...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Harmony Ryan is a board-certified family medicine and obesity medicine physician, and owner of Harmony Medical Aesthetics in Verona, WI. After over a decade in corporate healthcare, she made the leap to build something on her own terms — a welcoming, non-intimidating space where women can get real support for aesthetics, weight management, and hormonal wellness. In this episod...

Send us Fan Mail Raise Your Frequency with Dennim Daniels What if the anxiety you can't shake, the tension you carry in your shoulders, or the physical symptoms your doctor can't explain are actually stored emotions living in your body? In this episode, I sit down with Dennim Daniels, founder of Green Light Healing, to talk about emotion code and body code — two energy healing modalities...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Tes Jordens didn't leave traditional medicine to do less — she left to finally do it right. In this conversation with Stephanie, she breaks down everything midlife women deserve to know about their bodies, their hormones, and their power to choose. Warm, real, and zero overwhelm. This is what owning your wellness actually looks like. Ready to work with her?  Visit 1 988we...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Angela Hanley has been a chiropractor in Baraboo for 26 years, and she's seen the same pattern over and over: women walking into her office convinced their bodies have betrayed them. In this conversation, we talk about why your nervous system is running the show, what happens when you're stuck in fight-or-flight for years, and how women are taught to mistrust the one...

Send us Fan Mail When was the last time you sent out a price and felt sick to your stomach? In this episode, I sit down with business coach Laura Hulleman to talk about the one thing that stops most of us from building sustainable businesses: charging what we're actually worth. Laura helped me get over my own pricing fears, and in this conversation, we dig into why so many coaches, consultant...

Send us Fan Mail What if instead of fighting your anxiety, perfectionism, or that voice that says you're not good enough, you could actually befriend them? Tina Hallis introduces us to Internal Family Systems—a framework that says all those "difficult" parts of you are actually just trying to help. We dive into why positive thinking sometimes backfires, how to recognize when your pa...

Send us Fan Mail What's Really Happening with Dr. Tesa Jordens You've been told you're fine. Your labs came back normal. But you're not sleeping. Your anxiety is through the roof. Your body doesn't feel like yours anymore. And no one is listening. Dr. Tesa Jordens knows why: menopause wasn't taught in medical school. She's a physician who left "big box medic...

Send us Fan Mail Dena Frisch has watched countless businesses rise and fall over her 20-year career in media. The ones that survive? They build trust, stay consistent, and show up for their audience — even when the platforms keep changing. In this episode, Dena shares what separates brands that become institutions from ones that fade away, why Brava's Women in Business focus transformed every...

Send us Fan Mail In this deeply honest conversation, Steph sits down with Christie Bemis—psychotherapist, somatic sex educator, and relationship coach—to explore one of the most taboo topics in the Midwest: sex and eroticism. Christie shares her personal journey from feeling "broken" during menopause to discovering her own erotic aliveness, and how that transformation impacted every area...

Send us Fan Mail Betsy returns for her second episode to talk about what really happens when you turn 45—starting with that surprise box in the mail and her eye-opening colonoscopy experience (spoiler: "virtual" doesn't mean what you think it means). But this conversation goes so much deeper. We discuss why health screenings matter, the women who shaped us as business owners (shouto...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when women stop waiting for permission and just get outside? In this episode, I sit down with Dineo Dowd—hiker, author, and women's empowerment guide—to talk about finding freedom on the trail, building sisterhood in nature, and why showing up for yourself doesn't have to be that serious. From growing up in South Africa where she wasn't allowed in natio...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Stephanie sits down with Francesca, a New York-trained makeup artist with 35+ years of experience and a gift for helping women feel beautiful in the skin they’re in. Together they explore the truth about beauty as an inside-out energy, why confidence shifts as we age, and how professional hair and makeup can elevate not just your photos — but your sense of self. T...

Send us Fan Mail Courtney Feigl lives between Plain and Sauk City, raises Texas Longhorns, and has built Green Pastures Cattle Co. into a 76K-follower community—all while battling the voice in her head that says she's not good enough. In this raw conversation, Stephanie and Courtney talk about imposter syndrome, the weird psychology of social media engagement, and why "just okay" is...

Send us Fan Mail What if the holidays didn't have to be something you just survive? In this episode, Stephanie sits down with Lacey Steffes, owner of Spa Serenity in downtown Baraboo, to talk about creating a holiday season that actually brings you joy. They dive into the real struggles of the season - from old family dynamics and unhealthy coping mechanisms to the pressure of meeting everyon...

Send us Fan Mail In this deeply honest episode of Unwritten , I sit down with my friend Jessica Summers — an author, speaker, and coach who has turned her own pain into purpose. We talk about the things most people avoid: shame, silence, trauma, and the stories we were told to hide. Jessica opens up about her journey through survival, healing, and reclaiming her voice after years of being told she...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I’m joined by marketing & branding expert Shauna Thayer , founder of Bloom Creative , for a conversation about what it really means to rebuild your life from the inside out. Shauna spent years in corporate marketing—successful on paper, but craving more time, more freedom, and more connection with her family. Instead of walking away overnight, she did somethin...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Unwritten with Steph , I sit down with filmmaker Wendy Schneider to explore the nearly two-decade journey of creating the documentary Angels of Dirt . The film tells the story of Charlotte Cain and the powerful world of female motorcycle racing — a story of courage, creativity, and connection. Wendy shares how Angels of Dirt became a spiritual and emotional expe...