Women Like Me Stories & Business

Send us Fan Mail She thought it was the flu. Then she woke up with a gut-level warning that would not let go: get to the hospital now. Holly Porter’s oxygen was at 63, her organs were shutting down, and what followed was a 70-day fight through COVID, ICU care, intubations, a tracheotomy, sepsis, and the kind of medical uncertainty that changes a person forever. In this powerful episode of Women Li...

Send us Fan Mail A beautiful website is not enough if your brand does not feel safe to be seen. In this powerful episode, Julie Fairhurst sits down with author and personal brand strategist Chanoa Inez to talk about inside-out personal branding, self-trust, visibility, grief, reinvention, and building a brand that feels deeply aligned. Chanoa shares why the most magnetic personal brands are not bu...

Send us Fan Mail A grandmother shows up in a vivid 2 a.m. dream with one urgent message: write our real family history before it disappears. That dream becomes the spark that sends Brigid Kennedy, a professional violinist, violin teacher, and longtime “behind the scenes” supporter of her husband’s academic career, into a completely new identity as a published author and storyteller. In this episod...

Send us Fan Mail Are you a first-time writer who wants to write your personal story but doesn’t know where to begin? In this short video, Julie Fairhurst shares three simple writing tips to help beginners start their true-life story with more clarity and confidence. You’ll learn how to create a timeline of important life events, look at your story as an observer instead of reliving every painful m...

Send us Fan Mail Change can flatten you even when you are “good at change.” One day, you are steady in your routines, and the next, you are facing a layoff, burnout, loss, a career pivot, or a life transition you did not ask for. Then the question hits hard: now what? In this episode of the Women Like Me Stories & Business Podcast, Julie Fairhurst sits down with Janine Lequay, Change Strategis...

Send us Fan Mail Midlife can feel like the moment the old rules stop working. The commute feels harder, confidence gets shakier, technology has moved on, and you may be carrying more than anyone can see. In this powerful episode of the Women Like Me Stories & Business Podcast, Julie Fairhurst sits down with Joy Foster, founder of Tech Pixies, to talk about midlife reinvention, confidence, neur...

Send us Fan Mail  “Ethical beauty begins with consent, care, and the courage to see the whole person.” — Rachel Leoni  In this episode of Women Like Me Stories & Business , Julie Fairhurst sits down with Rachel Leoni , founder of Vita Felice Medispa in New Westminster, British Columbia, for a powerful conversation about ethical esthetics, trauma-informed skincare, scar work, client safety, and...

Send us Fan Mail   “Money is not just a math problem. It is often a safety, identity, and self-worth pattern.” — Alma Tarelli  Your money habits might look like budgeting problems on the surface, but what if they are really identity and safety problems underneath? In this episode, Julie Fairhurst speaks with Alma Tarelli, a highly effective results mentor, accountant, and financial behavior strate...

Send us Fan Mail A single childhood moment can echo for decades, especially when it is tied to belonging. In this episode, Julie Fairhurst speaks with marketing strategist and Elevate Creative founder Elle Jimeno about adoption, bullying, shame, self-trust, boundaries, and the courage it takes to become visible in business. Elle shares the story of learning she was adopted through playground taunt...

Send us Fan Mail Scroll down to get your free gift! She was pregnant at 14, pushed out of school, and raised three kids as a single mom for 28 years. Julie Fairhurst’s life could have stayed locked inside that story , especially after years surrounded by abuse, addiction, and chaos, where survival mattered more than possibility. Instead, she made a decision that changes everything: the past can be...

Send us Fan Mail You can remember what happened without letting it run your life. In this short but powerful reflection, Julie Fairhurst shares a healing message about identity, emotional freedom, and what it really means to say: " You are not your story . If your mind keeps replaying old memories like a verdict, this message will help you pause, breathe, and begin to question the painful bel...

Send us Fan Mail She opened her doors, got her license, and then lockdown hit. One month later, the salon dream was gone — and so was the home it lived in. That kind of loss can shrink your world fast, but Calli Jensen chose a different path. Instead of giving up, she used that painful season as the spark to rethink how beauty, wellness, and service-based businesses grow when ads stop working, cus...

Send us Fan Mail  Women need women because there is a kind of understanding that happens before the full sentence is even spoken.  We need women who can sit beside us in the messy middle, celebrate us without jealousy, tell us the truth without cruelty, and remind us who we are when life makes us forget. Sisterhood gives us strength, softness, laughter, wisdom, and a safe place to land.  When one...

Send us Fan Mail Your website is either working as your storefront or it is sitting online like a locked door. We sit down with Lisa Blankert, founder of Lab Online Agency in Coquitlam, British Columbia, to get brutally clear on what actually makes a small business website perform: user experience, fast load times, conversion-focused design, and calls to action that make it easy for the right peop...

Send us Fan Mail A breast lump is easy to dismiss when life is already full — and that is exactly why this conversation matters. In this powerful episode, Julie Fairhurst speaks with Rangoli Gupta , founder of Inner Beauty Mastectomy Wear , about the moment she discovered a breast lump, told herself it was “probably nothing,” and later received a breast cancer diagnosis that changed everything. Ra...

Send us Fan Mail In this powerful interview, author Zee shares the deeply personal story behind her contribution to the Women Like Me book The Space Between Before and After . This is an honest conversation about childhood survival, family secrecy, generational trauma, grief, displacement, identity, and the long road to healing through writing. After the loss of both her parents, one core memory r...

Send us Fan Mail Tracy Emanuele loved woodworking as a child, but, like so many girls, she was told that working with tools and building with her hands was not meant for her. In this episode of Women Like Me Stories & Business , Tracy shares how she found her way back to the trades, discovered where she truly belonged, and built a life that finally felt right. We talk about the jobs that looke...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when control is disguised as care, concern, or good manners?  In this episode, Christina Ditchkofsky joins Julie Fairhurst for a powerful conversation about emotional abuse, coercive control, love bombing, childhood trauma, shame, and the slow erosion of self-trust. Christina is a nurse, author, and trauma-informed writing guide. She shares both lived experience and p...

Send us Fan Mail A doctor tells you that you have one year left to become a mother… and you hear it while your marriage is ending. That’s the reality Kelly-Erin Ketchen faced at just 27. In this deeply personal conversation, we explore what it means to stand in the space between heartbreak and becoming, and the courage it takes to choose yourself when everything is falling apart. Kelly-Erin shares...

Send us Fan Mail A lot of people think the hardest part of domestic violence is leaving. What if leaving is only the first step… and the next step is a cliff? In this powerful conversation, Kay Bohemier returns to share the reality behind the “90-day cliff” in emergency shelters and what happens when survivors of domestic violence leave abuse but still have nowhere safe to go. Kay opens up about w...

Send us Fan Mail A single moment can shape a lifetime… but it doesn’t have to define it. In this deeply human conversation, I sit down with Jenny Siddall, mom, creative, and performer from Nova Scotia, whose story moves from childhood trauma to a grounded, hard-won peace through art, music, writing, and play. Her philosophy is simple: keep running. Not to escape, but as proof that you made it, and...

Send us Fan Mail Your body isn’t broken. It’s speaking. The question is, are you listening? Fifteen years of daily pain changes a person, but what if the turning point isn’t another treatment… It's a new relationship with your body? In this powerful episode, I sit down with counselor and energy practitioner Amanda Meggait , who shares her journey through autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthrit...

Send us Fan Mail Peace can feel uncomfortable… even unsafe… when your life has been built in survival mode. In this powerful episode, Julie Fairhurst sits down with Colinda Laviolette, who shares her journey of healing as an Indigenous woman reconnecting with her roots, traditions, and community after trauma, addiction, and abuse. Colinda shares her journey into sobriety, the impact of motherhood,...

Send us Fan Mail Ever feel like you’re doing everything “right”… but something still feels off? In this powerful conversation, educator, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker Darlena Swan shares what happens when you stop chasing success and start asking a better question: what actually matters to me? We dive into burnout, anxiety, and the pressure women feel to be everything to everyone. You’ll...

Send us Fan Mail  What if getting laid off… was the exact moment your next level began?  And what if AI isn’t as complicated as you’ve been told?  A layoff can feel like the floor disappears. For Michelle Hamilton , it became a door opening, and that choice changed everything. After 30 years as an executive , Michelle stepped into artificial intelligence early, testing real-world use cases and lea...