Raised by Women: A Storytelling Podcast

Her Mother Raised Her to Stand on Her Own with Chantal Kur

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2398413/fan_mail/new] What do the women who raised us leave behind in us? In this episode of Raised by Women, I sit down with Chantal Kur, a divorce and family law mediator from South Africa, for a thoughtful conversation about grief, independence, resilience, and the values passed through generations of women. Chantal shares what it meant to be raised by a strong mother and grandmother, how losing her mother changed the course of her life, and why that loss deepened her commitment to helping others through some of life’s hardest transitions. We talk about self-reliance, intuition, family legacy, emotional strength, and the kind of wisdom that isn’t learned in textbooks—but through life itself. This episode is for anyone navigating change, carrying the influence of the women before them, or learning how pain can become purpose. Sometimes the greatest inheritance is not money or status. It’s strength, values, and the ability to keep going. To connect with Chantal, visit her following sites: * Website: https://divorcemediations.co.za/ [https://divorcemediations.co.za/] * FB: https://www.facebook.com/DivorceMediations [https://www.facebook.com/DivorceMediations] * IG: https://www.instagram.com/divorcemediations/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/divorcemediations/?hl=en] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chantalkur [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chantalkur] If this conversation stirred something in you, join the Inner Circle a private space for listeners and guests to stay connected and continue the reflection beyond the show www.willijahdawson.com/innercircle [http://www.willijahdawson.com/innercircle]

The Grandmother Who Saved Her: Cherry Fargo on Trauma, Healing & Legacy

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2398413/fan_mail/new] What happens when the women who raise us become the very people who help save us? In this deeply moving episode of Raised by Women, I sit down with Cherry Fargo to talk about surviving childhood abuse, the grandmother who changed the course of her life, and the long journey of healing that followed. Cherry shares what it was like to live in silence and fear as a child, how her grandmother stepped in to protect her, and how years later she had to face the deeper emotional wounds trauma left behind. We also talk about: * the strength of women across generations * the impact of childhood trauma on identity * grief, faith, and loss * breaking family cycles * healing shame and fear * turning pain into purpose Cheri also opens up about losing multiple loved ones, navigating grief while rebuilding her own life, and how her personal healing journey eventually led her to help other women walk toward hope and restoration. This is a conversation about resilience, legacy, and what it means to become the safe place you once needed. 🎧 Listen / watch for a deeply honest conversation about healing, family, and the women who carry us forward. To connect with Cherry, visit * Website: https://beingremade.org [https://beingremade.org] * Book a 20 minute discovery call: https://app.paperbell.com/checkout/packages/184458 [https://app.paperbell.com/checkout/packages/184458] * IG: https://www.instagram.com/beingremade/ [https://www.instagram.com/beingremade/] * FB: https://www.facebook.com/BeingRemade/ [https://www.facebook.com/BeingRemade/] If this conversation stirred something in you, join the Inner Circle a private space for listeners and guests to stay connected and continue the reflection beyond the show www.willijahdawson.com/innercircle [http://www.willijahdawson.com/innercircle]

Spiritual Awakening, Ancestral Healing & Finding Purpose After Pain with Taylor Wilson

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2398413/fan_mail/new] What happens when life pushes you into an experience you can’t explain and no one around you understands? In this episode, Taylor shares her powerful story of spiritual awakening that began during a deeply vulnerable time in her life. After struggling with trauma, low self-confidence, and feeling misunderstood by traditional systems, she began a journey of healing that led her to mentorship, nervous system work, intuitive development, and a deeper understanding of ancestral patterns. We explore how pain can become purpose, the importance of safe community, and why many women today are being called to reclaim their voice, their energy, and their connection to something greater. This conversation is a reflection on courage, healing, and the quiet ways our lineage and lived experiences shape how we live and lead. If you are navigating change, seeking meaning, or learning to trust yourself again, this episode is for you. To connect with Taylor * Website: https://www.tayloralagna.com/ [https://www.tayloralagna.com/] * IG: https://www.instagram.com/thetaylored_spirit/ [https://www.instagram.com/thetaylored_spirit/] * Feelings and needs inquiry - Gift: https://www.tayloralagna.com/gift [https://www.tayloralagna.com/gift] If this conversation stirred something in you, join the Inner Circle a private space for listeners and guests to stay connected and continue the reflection beyond the show www.willijahdawson.com/innercircle [http://www.willijahdawson.com/innercircle]

She Forgot How to Feel Joy Then She Changed Her Life with Tina Hoang

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2398413/fan_mail/new] She stopped pleasing everyone and found joy again What happens when you stop living to meet expectations and start living to feel alive? In this heartfelt conversation, Tina shares her journey from people-pleasing and cultural pressure to rediscovering joy, playfulness, and personal freedom. Raised in a Vietnamese immigrant family shaped by survival and sacrifice, she reflects on how generational patterns influenced her relationships, self-worth, and leadership style. After a pivotal breakup just before the pandemic, Tina began a gradual process of self-reclamation. Through journaling, emotional awareness, and courageous daily choices, she shifted from feeling disconnected from her life to genuinely loving the person she is becoming. Together, we explore the deeper leadership lessons hidden inside healing work how reclaiming joy can change how we lead, how we relate to others, and how we shape the legacy we carry forward. This episode is a reminder that growth doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like small acts of play, choosing yourself, and giving permission to live more freely. Listen if you are navigating identity shifts, life transitions, or the quiet work of becoming. To connect with Tina: * Websites: https://linktr.ee/tinaohoang [https://linktr.ee/tinaohoang] * IG: https://www.instagram.com/playfully.unrestricted/ [https://www.instagram.com/playfully.unrestricted/] * FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091289967922 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091289967922] If this conversation stirred something in you, join the Inner Circle a private space for listeners and guests to stay connected and continue the reflection beyond the show www.willijahdawson.com/innercircle [http://www.willijahdawson.com/innercircle]

Raised in a cult and choosing to raise my kids differently with Luna Westish

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2398413/fan_mail/new] What happens when you realize the beliefs, patterns, and survival instincts that shaped your life were never truly yours to begin with? In this episode, I’m joined by Luna, writer and author of Meet Me at the Ruins, for a powerful conversation about growing up in a high-control religious environment, the long road of unconditioning, and what it means to rebuild identity after trauma. Luna shares how discovering the public history of the group she was raised in changed the way she understood her childhood, her family, and herself. We talk about consent, agency, boundaries, parenting after harm, and the layered work of deciding what parts of you are rooted in truth and what parts were formed through fear, control, or survival. This conversation is honest, thoughtful, and deeply human. It explores what healing can look like when there are no simple answers, no neat endings, and no perfect way to parent, recover, or move forward. It is also a conversation about legacy: how we choose not to pass certain patterns on, how we repair in real time, and how we learn to live with more integrity in our bodies, relationships, and homes. If you’ve ever had to question the systems that raised you, untangle inherited beliefs, or choose a different path for the next generation, this episode will stay with you. In this episode, we explore: * growing up in a high-control religious environment * family estrangement and the cost of naming harm * parenting with consent and gentle boundaries * healing through research, writing, and reflection * body autonomy, identity, and inherited patterns * what it means to build a different legacy To connect with Luna: * FB: https://www.facebook.com/lunawestish [https://www.facebook.com/lunawestish] * IG: https://www.instagram.com/lunawestish/ [https://www.instagram.com/lunawestish/] * TikTok: **Luna Westish (@lunawestish) [https://www.tiktok.com/@lunawestish]** * Luna’s Book: https://bookshop.org/a/115025/9798986371665 [https://bookshop.org/a/115025/9798986371665] * Recommended book: The body is not an apology https://bookshop.org/a/115025/9781523090990 [https://bookshop.org/a/115025/9781523090990] * Suggested books on cults: https://bookshop.org/shop/lunawestish [https://bookshop.org/shop/lunawestish] If this conversation stirred something in you, join the Inner Circle a private space for listeners and guests to stay connected and continue the reflection beyond the show www.willijahdawson.com/innercircle [http://www.willijahdawson.com/innercircle]