Stirring The Plot

The Art of Storytelling

Two espresso martinis. One manifesto. Five fingers. One truth: you are the author. Today on Stirring the Plot Podcast, your host Dayna J. Francois sits down with Raejean Alcala (@raejeanalcala) to unpack the power of storytelling, not just as art, but as transformation. Together, the duo breaks down The Power of Five, Raejean’s transformative framework that explores how storytelling rewires your brain, your body, and your life. Awareness, Courage, Expression, Wholeness, and Ownership - this episode dives into the science, soul, and sacred mess of sharing your story out loud. We’re talking the science of being seen, the alchemy of being heard, and how owning your story is the first step to reclaiming your life. Journals open. Mic on. Plot stirred. SHOW NOTES: 💌 SEND ME YOUR STORIES HERE! 💌 Email - Stirringtheplotpodsubmissions@gmail.com SOCIALS! Stirring the Plot Podcast Instagram/TikTok - @Stirringtheplotpod Stirring the Plot Podcast Twitter - @Stirringtheplot Dayna's Instagram/TikTok/Twitter - @Daynajfrancois Raejean's Instagram - @Raejeanalcala Check out Raejean's Podcast: Let Shift Happen - streaming on Spotify and Podbean Stream Raejean's song Breath of Mine [https://soundcloud.com/an0mally/breath-of-mine?ref=clipboard&p=i&c=1&si=F6848792829E41B59D6F3FCA9E02684A&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing&fbclid=PAVERFWAMsMd5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABp8e9hRQZqrxPvMzGk1EaJQNY1F0YlhOg-Xcz88pyg-d5Qd79Dypkvn0hAOYF_aem_rYKYfd4M_SXNRNC9v2VKcA]! If you liked listening, make sure you subscribe to my podcast! Don’t forget to rate and share it with your friends! And make sure that you tune in weekly, because I'm gay, I'm hot, and if there is one thing about me...I'm gonna stir the plot.

26 Lessons for 26 Years

Twenty-six years. Twenty-six lessons. Today on Stirring the Plot Podcast, your host Dayna J. Francois sits down to unpack 26 lessons she learned so that hopefully, you won't have to. Some came dressed in glitter and lipstick stains, others arrived barefoot with heartbreak, silence, and mascara running down the bathroom sink. This birthday episode is Dayna's love letter to every version of herself who thought she wouldn’t make it here, and a roast of the chaos that tried to stop her. From friendship breakups to surprise kisses, champagne highs to gut-punch lows, Dayna is counting down 26 lessons for 26 years. And because you know her... Lesson 26 will always be this: everything is for the plot. If life insists on giving us drama, we might as well make it cinematic. So, grab a slice of birthday cake, pour yourself an espressos martini, and let’s stir the plot because it's Dayna's birthday! 💌 Share your own dating horror stories: stirringtheplotpodsubmissions@gmail.com [stirringtheplotpodsubmissions@gmail.com] SHOW NOTES: SEND ME YOUR STORIES HERE! Email - Stirringtheplotpodsubmissions@gmail.com [Stirringtheplotpodsubmissions@gmail.com] SOCIALS! Stirring the Plot Podcast Instagram/TikTok- @Stirringtheplotpod Stirring the Plot Podcast Twitter - @Stirringtheplot Dayna's Instagram/TikTok/Twitter -@Daynajfrancois If you liked listening, make sure you subscribe to my podcast! Don't forget to rate and share it with your friends! And make sure that you tune in weekly, because I'm gay, I'm hot, and if there is one thing about me...l'm gonna stir the plot.

Holy Ghosts & Growing Pains

We grew up with worship music in our lungs and guilt stitched into our skin. Today on Stirring the Plot Podcast, your host Dayna J. Francois sits down with longtime friend Megan Neumann, someone who’s known Dayna through awkward middle school youth group phases, purity culture, and the quiet pressure to be the “perfect” church girl. Together, the duo unpack the holy ghosts that raised them, the guilt that followed them, and the grace they’ve finally learned to give themselves. In Episode 17, Dayna and Megan unpack growing up in a predominantly white, conservative church, navigating Puerto Rican identity, hiding poverty, purity culture, sex, shame, and the freedom that came with leaving it all behind. This one is for the church kids who stopped apologizing, the ones who learned that holiness isn’t about hiding your heart... it’s about finding it. This conversation is tender, unfiltered, and long overdue. And if you’ve ever wrestled with who you were told to be versus who you actually are… I hope you find yourself in it. Pour yourself an espresso martini, grab your therapy notes, and settle in while we stir the plot with Megan. SHOW NOTES: 💌 SEND ME YOUR STORIES HERE! 💌 Email - Stirringtheplotpodsubmissions@gmail.com SOCIALS! Stirring the Plot Podcast Instagram/TikTok - @Stirringtheplotpod Stirring the Plot Podcast Twitter - @Stirringtheplot Dayna's Instagram/TikTok/Twitter - @Daynajfrancois Megan's Instagram - @neumann_megan Birdie's Instagram - @birdiegirlphx If you liked listening, make sure you subscribe to my podcast! Don’t forget to rate and share it with your friends! And make sure that you tune in weekly, because I'm gay, I'm hot, and if there is one thing about me...I'm gonna stir the plot.

NeuroSpice and Everything Nice

Brains, beauty, and a little bit of spice. Quasia came to stir it up. Today on Stirring the Plot Podcast, your host Dayna J. Francois sits down with the brilliant mind behind @neurospicetea, [https://www.instagram.com/neurospicetea/?igsh=MWF4NnFucHFlbnVvZA%253D%253D#] the one and only Tequasia, for a conversation that’s as raw as it is revolutionary. Episode 16 is a love letter to unmasking, taking up space, and being brave enough to live in your truth. From unmasking as a neurodivergent Black queer woman to navigating love, friendship, and self-expression, Quasia takes us on a journey that feels like church, therapy, and happy hour all in one. Together, we unpack the layers of identity: gender, race, queerness, and neurodivergence, and what it means to stop shrinking for the comfort of others. The tea is hot, the truth is spicier, and this episode is everything nice. Quasia and I go way back, but this convo? It’s next level. In episode 16, we unpack the story behind Quasia’s neurodivergent platform, @neurospicetea [https://www.instagram.com/neurospicetea/?igsh=MWF4NnFucHFlbnVvZA%253D%253D#], what unmasking looks like in real time, the intersections of queerness, creativity, and identity. All while having a candid conversation about taking up space and choosing joy. Pour yourself an espresso martini and settle in while we stir the plot with Tequasia. SHOW NOTES: 💌 SEND ME YOUR STORIES HERE! 💌 Email - Stirringtheplotpodsubmissions@gmail.com SOCIALS! Stirring the Plot Podcast Instagram/TikTok - @Stirringtheplotpod Stirring the Plot Podcast Twitter - @Stirringtheplot Dayna's Instagram/TikTok/Twitter - @Daynajfrancois Tequasia's Instagram - @_quanos Follow Neuro Spice Tea on Instagram - @neurospicetea If you liked listening, make sure you subscribe to my podcast! Don’t forget to rate and share it with your friends! And make sure that you tune in weekly, because I'm gay, I'm hot, and if there is one thing about me...I'm gonna stir the plot.

Do U-Haul Lesbians Even Signal Before They Merge?

A sapphic speedrun. A bonnet. A salmon dinner. What started as a nail date turned into an unsolicited love confession and a 15-hour lesbian hostage situation. Today on Stirring the Plot Podcast, your host Dayna J. Francois sits down to tell the unhinged story of Insta Wife, a misadventure in queer dating that started with nail polish and ended with emotional whiplash. From bonnet sleepovers to salmon dinners and the illusion of instant intimacy, Dayna is unpacking the U-Haul lesbian stereotype and asking: what does it really mean when someone brings softness… but forgets boundaries? In Episode 15, Dayna dives into queer intimacy, emotional urgency, U-Haul culture, and the myth of instant connection. Sometimes it’s not romance... it’s projection. Sometimes softness is a weapon. And sometimes the story isn’t about love… it’s about the red flag you ignored for content. This one is personal. And funny. And poetic. And chaotic. Just the way we like it. So light a candle. Pour a glass. Let’s stir the plot. 💌 Share your own U-Haul horror stories: stirringtheplotpodsubmissions@gmail.com [stirringtheplotpodsubmissions@gmail.com] SHOW NOTES: SEND ME YOUR STORIES HERE! Email - Stirringtheplotpodsubmissions@gmail.com SOCIALS! Stirring the Plot Podcast Instagram/TikTok - @Stirringtheplotpod Stirring the Plot Podcast Twitter - @Stirringtheplot Dayna's Instagram/TikTok/Twitter - @Daynajfrancois If you liked listening, make sure you subscribe to my podcast! Don’t forget to rate and share it with your friends! And make sure that you tune in weekly, because I'm gay, I'm hot, and if there is one thing about me...I'm gonna stir the plot.