Unspoken Lives Podcast
Unspoken Lives Podcast shares extraordinary stories from everyday people, highlighting resilience, personal growth, and inspiring life lessons. Tune in for real conversations that uncover the moments that often go unseen.Â
Ep 053: 42 Years Lost: A Father and Daughter's Emotional Reunion | Millie & Albert, Part 2
Send us Fan Mail
What happens when everything you've believed about your life turns out to be wrong?
Millie spent 42 years believing her father had abandoned her. Albert spent those same years unaware that his daughter was alive. Their emotional reunion in Peru finally brought them together, but it also opened the door to decades of unanswered questions, lost time, and difficult emotions.
In Part 2, Millie shares what it was like to return home after meeting her father and begin processing the truth. She opens up about the grief of losing 42 years together...
Ep 052: The Lie That Kept a Father and Daughter Apart for 42 Years | Millie & Albert, Part 1
Send us Fan Mail
For 42 years, Millie believed her biological father never wanted her. Meanwhile, her father, Albert, had spent decades believing the child he lost had never been born.
At just 12 years old, Millie discovered that the man she had grown up calling Dad wasn't her biological father. She was told her real father didn't want daughters, and she carried that belief into adulthood. Thousands of miles away in Peru, Albert had spent years searching for Millie's mother, unaware that his daughter was growing up in the United States.
Their lives continued...
Ep 051: My Unspoken Story: After 50 Episodes, It's My Turn | Kelsey Billingsley
Send us Fan Mail
After 50 episodes of asking others to share their stories, I'm finding out just how difficult it can be to sit on the other side of the microphone.
This week, my husband Kyle takes over as host of Unspoken Lives Podcast, and I'm the guest.
We talk about why I started this podcast, what I've learned from the people I've interviewed, and how my faith has shaped the person I am today. I also share a deeply personal part of my childhood that I once believed I would never tell...
Ep 050: Her Biological Father Never Knew She Existed | Melody Wilson, Part 2
Send us Fan Mail
For six months, Melody Wilson knew the name of her biological father but wasn’t ready to contact him. She had imagined just about every way it could go wrong. Then, before she ever made a move, a message appeared in her 23andMe account from Dennis, one of the unexpected DNA matches from Part 1.
Dennis was her biological uncle, and things moved quickly from there. He called his brother Jimmy and told him he had a daughter he never knew existed. Jimmy’s reaction was nothing like Melody had prepared herself for...
Ep 049: A DNA Test Revealed a Family She Never Knew | Melody Wilson, Part 1
Send us Fan Mail
Melody Wilson took a 23andMe test expecting to learn a little more about her ancestry. Nearly a year later, she logged back in and noticed something she had completely missed the first time: two names she had never seen before, both sharing about 25% of her DNA, roughly the same amount she shared with her own brother.
Naturally, Melody started digging. One search led to another, then another. Late-night research, family trees and an obituary started connecting dots she never knew existed. Suddenly, a Christmas-gift DNA test was pointing toward an entire...
Ep 048: First Brush Your Teeth: The Power of the Next Small Step | Lisa Espinoza, Part 2
Send us Fan Mail
 Lisa Espinoza made a commitment to write every day for the year following the loss of her 25-year-old son, Chandler. What began as a way to process her grief and honor her son eventually became her book, First, Brush Your Teeth: Grief and Hope in Real Time, and helped Lisa put words to something she had already been learning to live: the power of taking the next small step.
Lisa shares why she wanted her writing to show grief as it really was, including the first Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving and Chr...
Ep 047: What Would Honor Chandler? Grieving the Loss of a Child | Lisa Espinoza, Part 1
Send us Fan Mail
Lisa Espinoza’s life changed when her 25-year-old son, Chandler, was struck by a car while riding his bike to work. Eighteen days later, Lisa stood beside his hospital bed, held his hand, and watched him take his last breath.Â
Lisa shares who Chandler was beyond the tragedy that took his life and what it has meant to grieve the loss of a child while learning how to keep living. She opens up about the unpredictable nature of grief, why she no longer believes grief follows a linear path, and what she...
Ep 046: Finding Love After Losing Love | Ryon Harms, Part 2
Send us Fan Mail
After losing his wife, Laurie, Ryon Harms became a young widower and single father trying to figure out what life after loss was supposed to look like.
Ryon had spent ten years building a life with Laurie, loving her through an extraordinarily difficult illness and eventually becoming a father to their daughter, Sky. Losing Laurie meant grieving the person he loved while also learning how to navigate a future he never expected to face without her. Ryon shares the complicated emotions that followed her death, raising Sky as a single father...
Ep 045: They Were Given Two Years. They Built a Life Anyway. | Ryon Harms, Part 1
Send us Fan Mail
What does it look like to build a life with someone when you know tomorrow isn't guaranteed?
Ryon Harms and Laurie were young and in love when a medical crisis changed everything. After years of unexplained swelling and debilitating pain, Laurie’s scans eventually made their way to a doctor at Harvard, who told her family that she had essentially been walking around with a broken neck.Â
Ryon left his life in San Francisco and drove through the night to be by her side. After a nearly 14-hour surgery to...
Ep 044: He Could Only Save Two Children | Isaac Melber, Part 2
Send us Fan Mail
Thirteen years after leaving Ethiopia, Isaac Melber returned to the country and family he had never stopped thinking about.
The journey brought him back to the village where he was born, to family members he hadn't seen since childhood, and to the graves of the parents he lost so young. He had spent years wondering about the life and people he left behind. Now, he was finally able to ask questions and hear pieces of his own story he had never known.
One of those answers would completely change...
Ep 043: “Isaac, Follow Me”: His Dream of the Man in White | Isaac Melber, Part 1
Send us Fan Mail
Isaac Melber was born in a remote village in Ethiopia. After losing both of his parents at a young age, he was placed in an orphanage and eventually adopted by a family in the United States.
At five years old, Isaac was suddenly living in a new country, learning a new language and trying to understand a life that looked nothing like the one he had left behind. He was loved by his new family, but that didn't mean the transition was easy. Isaac shares the anger and questions he carried...
Ep 042: Why Community Matters More Than Opportunity | Jordan Bartlett, Part 2
Send us Fan Mail
What happens when you give someone an opportunity, but they don't have the support or community they need to navigate everything that comes with it?
In this episode, Jordan Bartlett shares what years of working alongside current and former foster youth have taught him about resilience, asking for help, and why opportunity alone isn't always enough. He shares the story of a young man who rode his bike four hours to work each way, only to lose his job after falling asleep during a shift, and what Jordan learned when he...
Ep 041: A Stranger Said, "I'm Your Sister" | Jordan Bartlett, Part 1
Send us Fan Mail
Jordan Bartlett was adopted when he was very young and raised by two loving parents, knowing little about the biological family he came from. Then, at 19 years old, a young woman he had never met walked up to him and said three words that would eventually change the direction of his life:
“I’m your sister.”
In Part 1 of this conversation, Jordan shares what it was like to discover a sibling he never knew, how they slowly began building a relationship, and what he learned about the very d...
Ep 040: The Calling You Think You Missed May Still Be Waiting | Holiday Zimmerman, Part 2
Send us Fan Mail
Have you ever wondered if you missed what God was calling you to do?
If you've been questioning your next step, wondering if it's too late, or searching for direction, this conversation is a reminder that God isn't finished with your story.
Maybe fear got in the way. Maybe life took an unexpected turn. Or maybe you simply said no because you didn't feel ready.
In Part 2, Holiday Zimmerman shares why she believes God is far more patient and gracious than we often imagine. From walking through...
Ep 039: I Said No Four Times...Until God Brought It Back | Holiday Zimmerman, Part 1
Send us Fan Mail
What if the opportunities you're resisting are the very ones God is using to shape your purpose?
After the unexpected loss of her father and a season of deep depression, Holiday Zimmerman wasn't looking to start a nonprofit. In fact, when opportunity after opportunity landed in front of her, she kept saying no.
Four times.
Every time she said no, the opportunity came back.
Today, Holiday serves as CEO of The Hub OC, a nonprofit that partners with churches, schools, cities, and volunteers...
Ep 038: Stop Chasing the People Who Don't Choose You | Tayler Meade, Part 2
Send us Fan Mail
What if the answer isn't finding the right people? What if it's finding your identity in the right place?
In Part 2, Tayler Meade shares how her relationship with Jesus transformed the way she viewed loneliness, friendships, and belonging. She explains why people can never fill a God-sized gap, why healing often takes time, and how learning to trust God's plan gave her the freedom to stop chasing the approval of others.
This conversation is a reminder that while rejection may be part of your story, it doesn't...
Ep 037: Why Wasn't I Invited? The Hurt We Don't Talk About | Tayler Meade, Part 1
Send us Fan Mail
Have you ever wondered why certain moments of rejection stay with you long after they've happened?
In Part 1 of this conversation, Tayler Meade shares the personal experience that inspired her book, A Note to the One Left Walking in the Grass. What began with the pain of feeling left out eventually became a journey of discovering where true identity and belonging are found.
Together, we talk about loneliness, people-pleasing, the pressure to fit in, and how experiences from childhood, high school, and adulthood can quietly shape the way we...
Ep 036: It Ends With Me - Breaking Generational Curses | Lonni Asher, Part 2
Send us Fan Mail
As a child, Lonni Asher survived war, piracy, abuse, and trauma.
But survival wasn't the end of her story.
In Part 2 of this conversation, Lonni shares what happened after the crisis was over. She opens up about the years of emotional pain she carried, the multiple suicide attempts that nearly ended her life, and the difficult journey from survival to healing.
She also shares the story of receiving a stage-four cervical cancer diagnosis, the prayers that followed, and the miraculous healing that forever deepened her faith.
<...Ep 035: A Refugee Boat, Seven Pirate Attacks, and a Promise to God | Lonni Asher, Part 1
Send us Fan Mail
Born in Vietnam, Lonni Asher's story begins with a desperate escape.
As a young child, Lonni and her family fled Vietnam on an overcrowded fishing boat in search of freedom. During their journey, they encountered pirate ships multiple times, endured extreme hunger and thirst, and faced moments that should have ended in tragedy.
In Part 1 of this conversation, Lonni shares the incredible story of surviving seven pirate encounters, her mother's desperate prayers to a God she did not yet know, and the moments she now believes revealed God's hand...
Ep 034: From Iran to America: When Jesus Changed Everything | Lily Ricci, Part 2
Send us Fan Mail
Born and raised in Tehran, Iran, Lily Ricci's journey brought her from Iran to Germany and eventually to the United States, where cultural expectations and family circumstances led her into a marriage she never wanted. After years of manipulation, abuse, and hopelessness, Lily found herself searching for answers she could no longer find on her own.
In Part 2 of this conversation, Lily shares the moment everything changed. What began as a search for answers became a powerful spiritual awakening that transformed her faith, gave her the courage to pursue freedom, and...
Ep 033: From Iran to America: An Arranged Marriage and a Search for Hope | Lily Ricci, Part 1
Send us Fan Mail
Born and raised in Tehran, Iran, Lily Ricci grew up in a loving family surrounded by strong family bonds and cultural traditions. At the same time, she lived in a society where opportunities and expectations for women were very different than they were for men.
When financial hardship forced her family to leave everything behind and start over in Germany, the life she had always known disappeared almost overnight.
At sixteen, Lily found herself navigating a new country, a new language, and a new identity. Just two years later...
Ep 032: I Thought Something Was Wrong With Me | Kendall Mariah, Part 2
Send us Fan Mail
In part two of this conversation, Kendall Mariah shares the deeply personal journey that eventually led to her autism diagnosis as an adult.
Kendall opens up about growing up feeling different, struggling socially while excelling academically, and spending years masking parts of herself without fully understanding why.
She speaks candidly about high-masking autism in women, ADHD, sensory struggles, shame, identity, and the emotional weight of constantly feeling misunderstood. Kendall also vulnerably shares experiences surrounding purity culture, sexual assault, and the pressure many people feel to hide parts of themselves...
Ep 031: The Questions I Was Never Supposed to Ask | Kendall Mariah, Part 1
Send us Fan Mail
What happens when faith no longer feels simple?
In this conversation, Kendall Mariah opens up about the tension of deeply loving God while struggling with parts of Christian culture that often leave little room for honesty, grief, mental health struggles, or difficult questions.
Kendall shares how infertility, anxiety, internal conflict, and years of wrestling quietly with her own thoughts pushed her into asking deeper questions about faith, identity, and what it really means to follow Jesus.
Together, we talk about church hurt, political division within Christianity, deconstruction...
Ep 030: Your Story Wasn’t for You | Malaysia Harrell, Part 2
Send us Fan Mail
In Part 2 of this conversation, Malaysia Harrell shares how her healing journey, faith, and spiritual growth inspired the work she does today helping other women step into alignment and purpose.
Malaysia opens up about writing her book, God Has My Six, and the realization that her story was meant to encourage and impact others walking through their own difficult seasons. She also reflects on the lessons she learned through adversity, the importance of surrender, and how she now helps women reconnect with themselves and their calling.
Throughout the...
Ep 029: The Near-Death Experience That Changed Everything | Malaysia Harrell, Part 1
Send us Fan Mail
Malaysia Harrell is a Board-Certified Psychotherapist, Spiritual Transformation Coach, Author of God Has My Six, Award-Winning Entrepreneur, Founder of the Align Success Academy, and Founder and President of the Malaysia Harrell Foundation.
In Part 1 of this conversation, Malaysia shares the experiences that shaped her journey, including childhood adversity, military service, and the near-death medical experience that completely changed the way she viewed success, purpose, faith, and healing.
She reflects on the pressure many people feel to keep pushing forward while carrying challenges privately, and how her life experiences ultimately...
Ep 028: Finding Purpose in the Pain | Jacqueline Diaz-Fontana, Part 2
Send us Fan Mail
Content Note: This episode includes discussion of suicide.
Part 2 continues Jacqueline’s story, moving into what came after the loss.
She shares what those months really looked like, the anger, the grief, and the weight of unanswered questions. The parts people don’t always see or talk about.
After months of carrying that weight, she reached a breaking point.
Jacqueline opens up about the moment she prayed for the first time again, and how that moment shifted something in her. What followed was a cl...
Ep 027: Losing Her Son, Erick | Jacqueline Diaz-Fontana, Part 1
Send us Fan Mail
Content Note: This episode includes discussion of suicide.
This is a heavy conversation. Jacqueline opens up about a topic that isn’t often talked about, but needs to be.
She shares about her son, Erick, who she lost to suicide in 2017. Not just what happened, but who he was, what their relationship looked like, and what it’s like to live with the kind of loss that changes everything.
There are questions that come with this kind of grief. Questions about what was missed, what coul...
Ep 026: Promise Me You’ll Keep Him Loved and Safe | Gina Litvack, Part 2
Send us Fan Mail
This is Part 2 of Gina Litvack’s story. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet, I recommend starting there.
After years of being told no while pursuing adoption as a single woman, Gina finally stepped into the life she had been hoping for.
In this episode, Gina shares what happened next.
From the moment everything shifted, to navigating those first few days as a new mom, to bringing her son home, this part of her story captures the reality behind the moment she had waited so long...
Ep 025: She Was Told No Seven Times | Gina Litvack, Part 1
Send us Fan Mail
Gina Litvack always knew she wanted to be a mom.
What she didn’t expect was being told no seven different times while pursuing adoption as a single woman.
Still, she refused to give up.
In Part 1, Gina shares the years of rejection, waiting, and perseverance that came before her life changed forever. But beyond her story itself, Gina brings a perspective and joy that is impossible not to walk away inspired by.
In this episode, Gina shares:
Why she chose to pu...Ep 024: What Happened After Everything Changed | Nolan Thomas, Part 2
Send us Fan Mail
This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. If you haven’t listened to Part 1, start there.
After being told he was cancer-free, Nolan Thomas began planning what life would look like next.
Everything changed again.
His cancer returned and progressed to Stage 4.
What followed was not just another round of treatment, but a complete shift in mindset, identity, and faith.
In Part 2, Nolan shares what it looks like to keep going in the middle of uncertainty, how his perspective has changed, and why he...
Ep 023: 21, Healthy, and Diagnosed with Cancer | Nolan Thomas, Part 1
Send us Fan Mail
At 21 years old, Nolan Thomas was active, healthy, and focused on his future.
Cancer was not even a consideration.
When symptoms started, he did what most people would do and went to the hospital. His age and overall appearance of good health led medical staff to turn him away more than once before he finally received answers.Â
Those answers changed everything.
In Part 1, Nolan shares what it looked like to go from a normal life to a life-altering diagnosis almost overnight, along with the physical a...
Ep 022: From Fear to Freedom - Leaving an Abusive Relationship | Natalie Mika, Part 2
Send us Fan Mail
This episode is part two of a two-part conversation.
After recognizing the danger she and her son were facing, Natalie made the difficult decision to step away from an abusive situation and begin rebuilding. The path forward was not simple. Legal challenges, uncertainty, and fear were still very real parts of the journey.
Natalie reflects on the moments where her faith carried her through some of the most difficult days, especially while navigating the legal process and learning how to rebuild a life that felt safe again.
...
Ep 021: From Fear to Freedom - Leaving an Abusive Relationship | Natalie Mika, Part 1
Send us Fan Mail
This episode discusses domestic abuse. Listener discretion is advised.
In this episode of Unspoken Lives, Natalie Mika shares a chapter of her life she kept hidden for years.
From the outside, life looked normal. She was raising her son, working, and showing up every day like everything was fine. But behind closed doors, Natalie was living through an abusive relationship that slowly escalated from emotional and verbal abuse into something far more dangerous. Like many women in similar situations, shame and isolation kept her silent for a long time...
Ep 020: How a Tiny Heart Rewrote Our Story | Susan Mazzella, Part 2
Send us Fan Mail
Content warning: This episode contains discussion of child loss and grief.
After a medical crisis that began just minutes after her son’s birth, Susan and her husband faced months of uncertainty that would ultimately lead to profound loss.
In this episode, we move beyond the hospital room and into the long and often unseen road of grief.
Susan reflects on what it meant to return home and continue living while carrying heartbreak. She shares how she grieved not only her son, but the future sh...
Ep 019: How a Tiny Heart Rewrote Our Story | Susan Mazzella, Part 1
Send us Fan Mail
Content warning: This episode contains discussion of infant medical trauma and child loss.
At 20 weeks pregnant, Susan and her husband learned their baby boy had a serious heart defect. They were given a plan and a path forward. Surgery would take place shortly after birth, and while the diagnosis was overwhelming, there was direction and preparation.
What they could not foresee was how quickly that path would change.
Just 45 minutes after Tommy was born, a nurse rushed into their hospital room with urgent news. In...
Ep 018: Don’t Lose Yourself - Infertility and Identity | Shelley Stephan, Part 2
Send us Fan Mail
Content note: This episode includes discussion of infertility and miscarriage. Please listen with care if this topic is tender for you.
In Part 2 of this conversation, Shelley shares what happened beneath the surface. The grief. The anger. The wrestling with faith. The questions she never imagined asking.
After years of infertility and pregnancy loss, Shelley reached a point where the pain felt consuming. In this episode, she speaks honestly about what it looked like to wrestle with God, sit in disappointment, and slowly rebuild her sense of...
Ep 017: Don’t Lose Yourself - Infertility and Identity | Shelley Stephan: Part 1
Send us Fan Mail
Gentle Content Note: This episode includes discussion of infertility, miscarriage, and pregnancy loss. If this topic is tender for you, please listen with care.
Shelley never imagined infertility would become one of the defining chapters of her life. What began as hope for a growing family turned into years of trying to conceive, fertility treatments, miscarriage, and emotional heartbreak. In part one of this conversation, she shares the real and often unspoken experience of infertility, including the isolation, the pressure, the perfectionism, and the desire to control what feels...
Ep 016: Becoming the Glue | Laura Thielemann, Part 2
Send us Fan Mail
In part two of Laura Thielemann’s story, the conversation continues into career, leadership, and the values that have guided her forward.
Laura shares how she built a successful career in healthcare administration through determination, consistency, and a belief that if she committed fully, she would find a way forward. She reflects on how her mindset, rooted in perseverance and self-belief, shaped her professional growth even when she didn’t start out knowing exactly where the path would lead.
Throughout the conversation, Laura speaks to the importance of growth acro...
Ep 015: Becoming the Glue | Laura Thielemann, Part 1
Send us Fan Mail
Laura Thielemann was born and raised in Lima, Peru, where she spent much of her childhood being raised by her grandparents while her mother worked in the United States to build a future for their family. It was a childhood rooted in love, tradition, and the steady presence of family who helped shape Laura’s sense of belonging.
At twelve years old, Laura moved to the U.S. and reunited with her mother after years apart. She entered a completely new culture and had to slowly find her footing in a pl...
Ep 014: When the Fast Life Slows Down | Brandon, Part 2
Send us Fan Mail
In part two of Brandon’s story, he returns to share the pieces he wasn’t ready to say out loud the first time we talked.
After living a fast, dangerous life shaped by drugs, violence, loyalty, and loss, Brandon reflects on the moments that followed. The realities of prison, the people he lost along the way, and what it looks like to rebuild life at a slower pace after everything he once knew came to a stop.
This conversation goes deeper into faith, identity, anger, patience, and the ment...
