The Refreshing Period (A Follow Up)

When Life Starts Making Sense Again

This one is short and sweet. I stopped by the closet to share something that felt too good not to say out loud. Things are starting to connect, my health, my vision, my creative direction, and it feels like I can finally see the roadmap. I also got into something that genuinely blew my mind from 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think about how we assume everyone sees the world the way we do, and how that is just simply not true. Come sit with me for a few minutes. It felt like a good day and I wanted to share it with you. --- **Show Notes:** In this episode I talk about: • What it feels like when the dots finally start connecting • Health updates and feeling clearer mentally • How I visualize information in my mind like a connected map • The naive belief phenomenon from 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think • Why your perspective is never the only perspective Follow along @mysistersclosetpod Check out My Inner Mind at myinnermind.halliewho.com 💜

Slowing Down to Speed Up

This is episode marks six months of My Sister’s Closet, and I wanted to be honest with you about where I’m at. I’m talking about something called “giver burnout,” a term I came across on Reddit, and asking myself the hard question, am I actually living the intentional life I keep talking about, or just talking about it? I share why I’m stepping away from the podcast for the month of July, not because I’m done, but because I want to actually go live the things I’ve been teaching. I’ll be back in August with more, including the start of a brand new series, and a conversation that’s going to include the men in our lives too, because this was never just about sisterhood. It’s about all of us. Show Notes: In this episode I talk about: • Six months of My Sister’s Closet and what I’ve learned • What “giver burnout” is and why I related to it • Asking myself if I actually practice what I preach • Measuring a good life by presence, not production • Why I’m taking a Christmas in July break for the month of July • What’s coming in August, including a series on what sisterhood is not and conversations that include the men in our lives Taking July to rest, live, and process. Back in August. 💜 Follow along @mysistersclosetpod Check out My Inner Mind at myinnermind.halliewho.com

The Other Side of Adoption

Adoption isn’t always the fairy tale we make it out to be. In this episode I’m closing out the adoption conversation – for now – by getting honest about the parts people don’t talk about. The kids who get returned. The homes that are worse than where they came from. The 15,000 children who age out of foster care every year with no family, no home, and nowhere to go.   I’m sharing some hard stats, a story that has stayed with me since high school, and what it really feels like to be pushed into a life you didn’t choose. This one is heavy but it needed to be said. And if you’ve lived any part of this story – as an adoptee, a foster kid, or someone who loves one – I see you.   💜 Resources mentioned: Second Shift Birmingham (secondshiftbirmingham.org)

Being Other: My Story on Adoption, Race, and Never Fitting the Mold

This week I’m going deeper into my adoption story, specifically what it felt like growing up biracial in a blended family where I never quite fit one box. I talk about being homeschooled, being a preacher’s kid, having a stutter, and constantly being asked “but who are your real parents.” I share some hard memories, including being asked to leave rooms so others could tell racist jokes, and a painful moment on a mission trip where I finally felt like I belonged. This episode is raw, it’s personal, and it’s about what it means to stay true to yourself even when you spend your whole life being told you don’t fit anywhere. Sisters, if you’ve ever felt like the chameleon in the room, this one’s for you. Show Notes: In this episode I talk about: • Growing up adopted, biracial, homeschooled, and a preacher’s kid • Being told “that’s not your real family” as a child • Switching between social groups just to feel like I belonged • A painful memory from church and from a mission trip • What my siblings taught me about never changing who I am to fit in • Why being “other” actually became a gift Follow along @mysistersclosetpod Check out My Inner Mind at myinnermind.halliewho.com 💜

My Adoption Story

Hallie opens her closet — literally — and shares something she’s never fully talked about on the podcast before. Her adoption story. She was three months old when she joined the Hootin household, the fourth of what would eventually be eight kids — none of them biological siblings, none of them looking alike, all of them family. She talks about growing up biracial in a predominantly white Christian home, the questions strangers asked out loud, the disorienting moments of not fitting in anywhere, and why she’s always known she was different — and been okay with that. This one is warm, funny in places, and deeply personal. In this episode: — Being adopted at three months old and what her parents always told her — Growing up as the fourth of eight kids with every kind of background and story — The questions strangers asked — and still ask — about her real family — What it felt like to be other in every room she walked into — Her brother with fetal alcohol syndrome and what that meant for the family — The Cheetah Girls, sorority sisters, and what it means to be proud of where you came from — Why her dad’s words to the caseworker still mean everything to her