What's in a Name?

This episode answers two questions: what can a first name's meaning tell us about who we are, and how can friends and family truly help a parent who has lost a child. The first part looks at the origin, history, and symbolism of a name and why people often grow into a name's meaning. The second part is a candid conversation about grief ten months after losing a child, covering what helps, what hur...

What does your name mean, and does it affect who you become? This conversation looks at how a name’s meaning, origin story, and pronunciation can shape self-image, creativity, and the way other people treat you. It covers growing up with an uncommon name, learning to embrace it as an adult, and how names can affect hiring decisions. It also looks at why names change in the Bible. If you have an un...

A business systems analyst from Calgary, Alberta learns for the first time what the name Monica means and shares the story of how she got it. Born in China with the birth name Meng, she moved to Canada at age 12, and her parents picked Monica from a list of English names in the back of a dictionary, limited to names that started with M and that they could pronounce. Listeners will learn the Latin...

What does the name Melissa mean, and can a name's meaning influence who we become? In this conversation, an Indianapolis empty nester learns that her name comes from the Greek word for honeybee and reflects on how bee symbolism, including hard work, community, sweetness, and healthy boundaries, mirrors her persistent personality. She shares what it was like to be named after her aunt, why she spen...

A returning guest joins the show two years after his first appearance to talk about how the meaning of his name became a guiding value, and how that value carried him through the sudden loss of his wife. Listeners will learn why choosing a child's name with intention and sharing the story behind it can build a lasting sense of belonging, why grief cannot be rushed or scheduled, and what re-grievin...

Summary An HR leader with 20 years in the field discovers that his first name is Hebrew and means beloved, cherished, and dearly loved, and then works out what that meaning actually requires of him in practice. The conversation covers why so many people research their last name and never look up their first, how a passive meaning like beloved can be turned into an active daily standard, and what i...

Summary A professional speaker and entrepreneur who had never looked up his own first name finds out that it is Hebrew and means God has heard, then works through what that actually asks of him. The conversation covers what hearing means beyond sound, why he treats good listening as a standard for himself, and how the meaning reads as a reminder that people are not forgotten during hard stretches....

Summary An identity transformation coach who has studied handwriting analysis, graphology, and letterology for 15 years explains what she believes happens when a woman changes her last name. She describes losing her own outgoing personality over the year after she married, getting it back over the year after she took her maiden name again, and how that experience sent her looking for answers. She...

EPISODE DESCRIPTION Summary This is a one year follow up conversation with a returning guest who first learned that his name means blessed and well spoken. He explains what actually changed after that discovery: how he used the phrase well spoken as a practical tool to speak up after decades of shyness, how he stayed honest in a discouraging job search instead of telling hiring managers what they...

Refine your purpose and leadership skills by joining the Intentional Leadership Network:  https://www.intentionalleadernetwork.com/a/2148165226/4EW66BNT Follow Shana on Instagram: @rhymeswith__babynames EPISODE DESCRIPTION A baby name consultant and former tech manager talks through what a name actually does in real life: how much the dictionary meaning matters, why some parents cross a name...

EPISODE DESCRIPTION Most people know a one line definition of their name and never look further. This conversation goes past that. A guest who briefly went by her middle name in college talks through what it was like to answer to two different names, why one version of herself felt more outgoing than the other, and what actually drove that change. You will hear the fuller meaning behind a name usu...

EPISODE DESCRIPTION This episode follows one guest through the full process of tracing an uncommon name back to its origins and figuring out what, if anything, it says about her. If you have ever looked up your own name and found three or four conflicting definitions, or wondered why a name that no one can pronounce still feels like the right one, this conversation walks through it in detail. It c...

Summary This conversation looks at what happens when someone actually learns the meaning of their first name and then decides to live up to it. The guest, Greg Modd, an HR consultant and military veteran, explains how a name meaning watchful or vigilant lines up with a career built on anticipating risk, protecting people, and staying two steps ahead. Along the way the episode covers why so many pe...

This episode explores what it feels like to carry a name most people associate with the opposite gender, and how the meaning behind a name can shape identity, personality, and life direction. Through a conversation with a guest named Noah, a Canadian woman in HR technology, listeners learn why an uncommon name creates both connection and confusion, how the Hebrew meaning of rest, comfort, and rene...

This conversation explores how the meaning behind a first name can mirror and reinforce a person's identity, values, and way of moving through the world. The guest, whose name means resolute protector and strong-willed warrior, explains why that meaning fits him so precisely and how learning it confirmed traits he already lived by. Listeners will hear practical thinking on why pronouncing and unde...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jayma welcomes Sean back for a part 2 conversation, revisiting the meaning behind his name (Sean, "God is gracious," and Conrad, "brave counsel") and how it continues to shape his life and work as an executive coach.  Sean opens up about his roots as a fourth-generation pastor, his transition into leadership development, and how grace and bold...

Send us Fan Mail In this milestone episode of What's in a Name? , host Jayma sits down with her very first guest who shares her name, a fellow Jayma podcasting from Northwest Ohio.  A real estate agent, wife, mom, grandmother, and two-time cancer survivor, this Jayma opens up about her journey from disliking her name to embracing its meaning. Together they explore the name's biblical roo...

Send us Fan Mail Bonnie: Beauty, Words, and the Stories Names Carry What happens when you interview a fellow name lover who has built an entire aesthetic around the beauty of words? In this episode, Jayma sits down with Bonnie, a guest from Australia whose name means "beautiful" and "good," and whose passion for onomatology runs as deep as her own. A freelance copywriter for hi...

Send us Fan Mail This episode of What's in a Name? features a first for the show: a father-daughter duo, Shirah and Paul, joining me together from Wisconsin. Shirah unpacks how her Hebrew name means "poetic song", while Paul reveals the surprising tension between his first name Paul, meaning "small and humble," and his middle name Lothar, meaning "boastful warrior,&qu...

Send us Fan Mail What does your name say about who you are? In this episode, host Jayma sits down with Todd, an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and mental fitness coach from Akron, Ohio, to explore the meaning behind his name. Derived from Middle English, Todd means "fox" and carries qualities like intelligence, wit, adaptability, and curiosity. The two dig into how those traits show up i...

Send us Fan Mail What does your name actually mean, and does it fit who you are?  In this episode, Jayma sits down with her friend and colleague Cheridan to find out! Cheridan had no idea what her name meant before this conversation, and let's just say the reveal did not disappoint. A seeker. Bright. Untamed. Sound like anyone you know? Plus, Cheridan shares the wildly romantic story of how s...

Send us Fan Mail Your name is the first piece of your identity. And most of us have never thought twice about it. I sat down with Daithan — life coach, photographer, and founder of Future in Focus Coaching — for a conversation that honestly surprised me. Daithan's name means "fountain" in Hebrew. It can also mean life, purity, renewal, divine abundance. And when you look at the work...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jayma sits down with Rebecca , an HR consultant and career strategist, to explore the powerful meaning behind the name Rebecca —and how it beautifully mirrors her life and career as a connector. Together, they unpack the Hebrew roots of the name, uncovering themes of connection, strength, binding relationships, and leadership. Rebecca shares how discovering her na...

Send us Fan Mail ✨ The Power of a Name — and Why It Matters More Than We Think ✨ In this episode of my podcast, I had the privilege of sitting down with Mita Malik —a marketing and HR executive, author, and powerful storyteller—for an incredibly meaningful conversation about names, identity, and leadership. Mita shared the origin of her name and how her journey with her name has shaped her perso...

Send us Fan Mail In this special Part 2 episode, I’m joined once again by Steve , one of my earliest podcast guests, for a deeper and more reflective conversation on the meaning of names and the role they play in identity, respect, and connection. We explore why getting someone’s name right is far more than a courtesy—it’s a signal of care. Steve shares personal stories from both his professional...