🎙 Episode 11: What’s Your Earth Tone?

In this solo reflection, I return to the roots of Earth Tones and the four pillars that God placed on my heart when this journey began: Survival, Passion, Service, and Love.

Each pillar has shaped not only this podcast but also my own story. They remind me that growth often blooms from hardship, that joy deepens through acts of service, and that love is what ties everything together.

This episode is an invitation to pause and reflect.

Ask yourself: What’s your Earth Tone?

Which pillar speaks to your journey right now?

If you feel called to share your story, testimony, or a moment in your life that connects to one of these pillars, I would love to hear from you. Whether you’re walking through survival, fueled by passion, serving from your heart, or rediscovering love, your voice belongs here.

You can share your story by filling out the Earth Tones Guest Intake Form here:👉 https://tr.ee/mYDFILIlg1

Together, we’re creating a tapestry of voices rooted in resilience, purpose, and faith!

Connect with Earth Tones

🎧 Listen & Share

📸 Instagram: @earthtones.podcast (https://www.instagram.com/earthtones.podcast)

🎥 YouTube: Earth Tones Podcast (https://youtube.com/@earthtonespodcast?si=iaNqp0NTcinV-82m)

🎵 TikTok: @earthtonespodcast (https://www.tiktok.com/@earthtonespodcast?_t=ZT-9096aitaM7q&_r=1)

In this episode, I sit down with my cousin Hannah Willow, a creative tree hugger, women’s advocate, and inspiring mother of three, based in Scotland. Hannah brings an imaginative spirit into everything she does: from seeking fairies in the forest to writing and illustrating children’s books that open portals into wonder. Together, we explore what winds of change mean in her life, how imagination and activism intersect, and the lessons she’s learned as both a mother and a dreamer.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• Hannah’s journey as a mother, women’s advocate, and creative

• The meaning of being a “tree hugger” (and why it matters more than it sounds)

• How imagination- fairies, forests, and wonder- fuels resilience and joy

• Her creative path as a children’s book author and illustrator

Resources & Links

• Follow Hannah on Instagram: @hannah.willow888 (https://www.instagram.com/hannah.willow888)

• Explore her art, writing, and advocacy: www.willowtreewishes.com

Connect with Earth Tones

• Instagram: @earthtones.podcast (https://www.instagram.com/earthtones.podcast)

• TikTok: @earthtonespodcast (https://www.tiktok.com/@earthtonespodcast)

• YouTube: Earth Tones Podcast (https://youtube.com/@earthtonespodcast)

In this conversation, we journey into the vibrant, messy, hopeful world of Uganda’s slums through the eyes of Twikirize Ronald. We talk about the intersection of chess and change, how culture is embedded in our identities without us even realizing it, and what it means to walk alongside communities with dignity. Ronald opens up about his founding of Galui Foundation, how he frames service with both heart and mind, and the systemic challenges he’s confronting daily.

You’ll hear stories that will stay with you: a child trekking miles, the contrast of dining tables vs. trench meals, the internal logic of poverty as identity, and the shift from pity to partnership in service. This is an invitation to feel, reflect, and act.

🗣️ Key Quotes & Highlights

• “Once it comes to your ears, eyes, heart, brain, it’s now in you. It’s now your responsibility.”

• “The tragedy of poverty is it allows you access to peep at what life could be but you’re so locked in a cage that you can’t access.”

• “Take care of the stomach but make sure you take care of the mind.”

• Stories of 10-year-olds walking miles, storms of judgment, and systems failing communities.

🔗 Links & Resources

Guest / Featured

• Twikirize Ronald — Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theeghettoduke

• Galui Foundation — Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/galuifound

Earth Tones Podcast

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthtones.podcast?igsh=MTdjc2VnZ2MwdjV0dA==

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@earthtonespodcast?_t=ZT-9096aitaM7q&_r=1

• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@earthtonespodcast?si=iaNqp0NTcinV-82m

In this week’s Earth Tones episode, we’re opening up a conversation that’s often left unspoken: domestic violence. My guest and dear friend, Kayli shares her story of marrying young, raising children, and walking through years of abuse—while navigating the silence that too often surrounds these experiences.

Together, we talk about:

• Why domestic violence is so difficult to speak about

• The hidden weight of cycles that keep women trapped

• Finding healing and hope after leaving an abusive marriage

• What it looks like to rebuild family and faith

• How she reunited with her high school sweetheart and began a new chapter of love and motherhood

This episode is for every woman who has lived through pain and wondered if joy could return. 🌿 There is life after survival, and there are seeds of healing waiting to be planted.

✨ Content note: This episode discusses domestic violence. Please listen with care.

🎧 Earth Tones is a space for stories of struggle, passion, service, and fulfillment — stories that help us reimagine what it means to be human, together.

🔗 Connect with Kayli here:

• Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/kaylirellez?igsh=aGpxbW41Zm0xbDBz

🔗 Connect with me here:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthtones.podcast?igsh=d21iYzR4aXgzMDRz&utm_source=qr

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@earthtonespodcast?_t=ZT-8yzwlxn0uFR&_r=1

• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@earthtonespodcast?si=6zo3sBz1dnY99wrL

#EarthTonesPodcast #PodcastLaunch #AbuseSurvivor #HumanStories #StoriesThatMatter #GlobalVoices #PodcastCommunity #NewPodcastAlert

Episode 6 · She Remembered So I Could Forget

In this episode of Earth Tones, we enter the tender and powerful story of a woman whose childhood carried both unbearable weight and remarkable resilience. Molested by her grandfather and raised in what looked like a “typical” Mormon family, she grew up learning how to survive by letting her younger self shield her from memories too heavy to hold. ❤️‍🩹

Her journey didn’t end there. She stepped into an unhealthy marriage, faced the unraveling of what she thought life should look like, and made the courageous choice to step out and create an authentic life of her own. Along the way, she did something few survivors ever imagine: she asked her abuser to contribute financially to her healing.

This conversation is about memory and protection, about the child within us who keeps vigil, and about the extraordinary courage it takes to reclaim your life and live it in truth. ✨ She remembered, so I could forget.

Follow Elisa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dream_traction?igsh=MWN5ODA1NzN3bTNzaQ==

🎧 Earth Tones is a space for stories of struggle, passion, service, and fulfillment — stories that help us reimagine what it means to be human, together.

🔗 Connect with me here:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthtones.podcast?igsh=d21iYzR4aXgzMDRz&utm_source=qr

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@earthtonespodcast?_t=ZT-8yzwlxn0uFR&_r=1

• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@earthtonespodcast?si=6zo3sBz1dnY99wrL

#EarthTonesPodcast #PodcastLaunch #HumanStories #StoriesThatMatter #AbuseSurvivor #GlobalVoices #PodcastCommunity #NewPodcastAlerT

What does it take to keep your faith when the world seems determined to break you?

In this powerful episode of Earth Tones, we hear the story of a man who spent 16 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit — including one full year locked down in maximum security for 23 hours a day. From the very first day behind bars, he dropped to his knees and prayed: “God, don’t let me grow bitter.”

And God answered.

Through every trial, injustice, and crushing reality of incarceration, he refused to bend to anger or despair. Instead, he stood firm in his Christian faith — a living testimony of resilience, forgiveness, and spiritual strength. His story is a reminder that even in the darkest places, light can break through.

If you’ve been searching for encouragement, renewal in your faith, or proof that God can carry you through any circumstance, this is the episode for you. This story wasn’t even supposed to launch today — but because of unforeseen changes, it’s here, now, for a reason. Maybe that reason is you.

✨ Listen in and let this testimony strengthen your walk with God.

✨ Share this episode with someone who needs hope today.

In this episode, I sit down again, with my co-founder of Allies to Refugees to continue exploring our journey supporting displaced communities. We reflect on our work in Afghanistan and Syria, sharing the challenges, obstacles, and moments of connection that shaped our understanding of what it means to stand alongside people navigating unimaginable hardships. Our conversations delve into the realities refugees face and how those experiences have profoundly impacted our approach to advocacy and action.

Our initiatives were not just about education- they were about offering dignity, opportunity, and hope in spaces that had been deeply affected by conflict and displacement. We discuss how even small interventions can ripple outward and how listening to the voices of those affected remains central to our work.

Beyond the projects themselves, we reflect on the prejudices and societal barriers that refugees and migrants face daily. From discrimination to systemic challenges, these experiences shape lives in ways that are often invisible to the outside world. We discuss what it takes for the global community to confront these biases, learn from these stories, and begin cultivating leadership that is grounded in empathy, accountability, and justice.

Finally, we share some of the personal takeaways from visiting these different areas of the world- the stories, moments, and lessons that continue to influence how we approach our work. And, as a special note, we close the episode with some very exciting news that we can’t wait to share, so stay tuned until the end!

👉 Donate to Bahaa here: https://gofund.me/e832c8c8

🎧 Earth Tones is a space for stories of struggle, passion, service, and fulfillment — stories that help us reimagine what it means to be human, together.

🔗 Connect with me here:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthtones.podcast?igsh=d21iYzR4aXgzMDRz&utm_source=qr

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@earthtonespodcast?_t=ZT-8yzwlxn0uFR&_r=1

• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@earthtonespodcast?si=6zo3sBz1dnY99wrL

#EarthTonesPodcast #PodcastLaunch #RefugeeVoices #HumanStories #StoriesThatMatter #Displacement #GlobalVoices #AnasAlSharif #PodcastCommunity #NewPodcastAlert