After high school, I thought I knew exactly where life was headed. Instead, I found myself juggling college, multiple jobs, searching for a church where I belonged, and discovering that the career I planned wasn't the one I ended up with. In this episode, I share the unexpected turns that shaped my early adult years and the lessons I learned along the way.

A listener's question about one of my teenage adventures sent me down memory lane. In this episode, I share stories involving unexpected visits from the police, getting stuck in a swamp, car accidents, traffic tickets, a suspended license, and the painful lesson I learned from a motorcycle exhaust. Looking back now, these are the kinds of stories that make me laugh—most of the time.

It's been a while since I've talked about my dad, mostly because there never seemed to be much to say. In this episode, I share the memories I do have—from flowers for the garden and card games to hunting trips, forgotten promises, and trying to understand the quiet role he played in my childhood.

Sometimes the people who shape us the most aren't the ones who speak the loudest.

Content Note: This episode contains discussion of depression, suicide, and family loss. Please listen with care.

My senior year was different. For a while, it actually felt like my mom and I were getting along. But that didn't mean life suddenly became easy.

In this episode, I share what graduation day was really like, the rumors spread about me at church, why I moved in with my aunt, and how my mom's own insecurities nearly damaged that relationship too.

Sometimes leaving home is the beginning of finding yourself—but it doesn't mean you've left the chaos behind.

Thank you for listening and for continuing this journey with me.

It's been a little while since my last episode, so thank you for sticking with me. I'm glad you're here. Between traveling abroad and getting back into the swing of things, this episode took a little longer than I had planned to share.

In this episode, I share a few stories I haven't talked about before, including Mother's Day, growing up, and some of the little moments that have stayed with me all these years.

Looking back now, I'm realizing that some of the smallest memories have had the biggest impact on who I became.

In this episode, I continue talking about how my childhood trauma affected my relationships as a young adult and into adulthood.

I share the story of my first engagement, some of the warning signs I ignored, and how badly I wanted to be loved, chosen, and accepted; even when deep down something didn’t feel right.

I also talk about how much I let other people influence my decisions back then, including relationships, church, and even major life choices I still think about today.

And apparently Alfred the traveling lizard makes another appearance too. 🦎

Sometimes life does not slow down long enough for us to catch our breath.

This week brought grief, unexpected travel, studying abroad, moving preparations, technical difficulties, and more twists and turns than I could have planned for.

I originally intended to release a very different Episode 14 than this one, however life had other plans once again.

So instead, this episode became something more real and unfiltered.

In this conversation, I talk about grief, healing, chaos, resilience, and what it means to keep moving forward even when life keeps throwing curveballs our way.

I also share a little about where I am currently in the world, why episodes may look a little different over the next few weeks, and why I still wanted to show up and talk to you anyway.

And truly… thank you. I recently passed 100 listeners, and I cannot fully express how much that means to me!

Thank you for being here with me through all of it.

~ Wilma Dunn

In this episode, I talk about my teenage years and early relationships, and what I thought love was at the time.

I share personal experiences where I allowed things I didn’t truly want because I was afraid of being rejected or not liked. I also talk about an on-and-off relationship that lasted for years, and friendships that hurt me more than once.

Looking back now, I can see how what I went through as a child shaped the way I handled relationships, boundaries, and my own self-worth.

This is part of understanding those patterns and learning how to change them. I’ll continue this in the next episode.

Listener note: This episode includes sensitive and personal topics.