Encore Episode: She Chose to Go Back

Part two of my conversation with Tiffany Baker Larnicol picks up where part one left off, and it is the harder half of the story. Tiffany talks about choosing to go back to a place most people spend their whole lives trying to leave, and what home actually means once you have seen what she has seen.

In this episode, Tiffany walks through what it was like living in Dubai when the missile and drone strikes began this year, the night she and her husband decided to evacuate with two hours' notice, crossing the Oman border alone as an American woman, and the decision that brought her back to Dubai on her own, weeks later, to stay.

Guest — Tiffany Baker Larnicol:

• Instagram: @tiffanybakerlarnicol
• Timestamps:
  00:01 Why we're revisiting this conversation
  01:13 Welcome to StorySessions
  01:29 Why Dubai, and what surprised her most
  10:09 Fast forward to February 28th
  12:11 The first alert: "take shelter"
  16:10 Evacuating her husband's team from Saudi
  17:38 Trying and failing to reach the State Department
  20:18 Her birthday, and the sound of her husband's voice
  22:36 The drone that wasn't intercepted
  23:52 "That's it, we're leaving"
  24:16 Two hours to pack "like you're never coming back"
  28:30 Crossing the Oman border alone
  32:13 Five weeks in Paris, then choosing to go back
  35:02 "This is not how the story's gonna end"
  41:45 What she has learned about the people around her
  45:05 The biggest lesson: "just be present and listen"
  47:13 What's next

  If this conversation moves you, share it. That is how StorySessions, the Podcast grows.

  Listen and follow StorySessions™, the Podcast:
  www.storysession.live/podcast
  www.storysessionsthepodcast.riverside.com
  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StorySessionsthePodcast
  Social: @storysessionsthepodcast

  My book, Who Do You Think You Are?
  Direct from the publisher: https://books.by/w-brand-publishing#who-do-you-think-you-are
  Amazon: https://a.co/d/0etzONCV

  Follow me: @lauralynauthor

This episode is a deeply personal reflection on one woman’s experience witnessing her daughter’s wedding dress journey, and how it illuminated her own transitions, mortality, and growth. It’s a raw, honest look at how we change as we watch others step into new chapters of life—and how those moments shape us for the future.

In this episode:

• The emotional power of shopping for a wedding dress and the symbolism of generational heritage
• The moment of realization, watching her daughter try on dresses, and seeing herself in her
• The transformation from bride to mother of the bride and the shift in identity
• Reflections on mortality, approaching 57, and the fleeting nature of time
• The significance of doors opening and closing in life’s ongoing stories
• How watching loved ones change can help us define who we are going forward
• The importance of sharing your own stories and reflections to foster connection and growth

Timestamps:

00:00 - Opening and personal context of the episode
01:25 - The significance of sharing stories and life lessons
02:11 - A trip to Florida to help find her daughter’s wedding dress
03:52 - Exploring generational heirlooms and nostalgia in wedding dresses
04:40 - The emotional experience in the dress shops and expressing self
05:34 - Watching her daughter in the wedding dress, feeling her transformation
06:47 - The mirror moment and recognizing her own past as a bride
08:14 - Transitioning from the bride to the mother of the bride
09:05 - Contemplating mortality and the passing of time
10:34 - Facing the reality of aging and new roles
11:18 - The metaphor of doors opening and closing in life
12:21 - Reflecting on witnessing loved ones begin new chapters
13:53 - How stories evolve and our lives are forever intertwined with change
14:49 - Inviting listeners to reflect on their own transformational moments
15:34 - An open call for stories and reflections from the audience
16:51 - Expressing gratitude and encouraging sharing and community
17:21 - Final encouragement: Your story matters

Resources & Links:

• StorySessions.live — Join the community and explore more episodes
• Book: Who Do You Think You Are? by Laura Lyn Donahue — Dive deeper into the themes of identity and transformation

Connect with Laura Lyn Donahue:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Remember:

Your story isn’t finished. Every chapter, every shift, every farewell and new beginning shapes who we are meant to become. Share your story—because it matters.

JuLee Brand has spent three decades helping people find their voice--first through graphic design and television, then as the founder of W. Brand Publishing, and now through StorySessions Live.

In this conversation, Laura Lyn sits down with her longtime friend and publisher to talk about the difference between traditional, hybrid, and independent publishing, why JuLee built a company around the conviction that stories deserve to exist, and the deeply personal loss that inspired StorySessions Live, a conversation-based way to capture stories for people who don't think of themselves as writers.

They talk about accessibility, memory care, veterans who never told their stories, and what it really means to listen. Because as JuLee says, "stories matter" isn't just a tagline, it's the whole mission.

Connect with JuLee Brand:

• W Brand Publishing: wbrandpublishing.com
• StorySessions Live: storysessions.live
• StorySessions Live podcast page: storysessions.live/podcast
• W Brand Publishing social: @wbrandpub
• StorySessions Live social: @storysessions_live

In Part 2 of my conversation with lifelong friend Tiffany Baker Larnicol, we pick up where the world got complicated.

After nearly a decade of calling Dubai home, a city she once said she would never live in, Tiffany found herself in the middle of a regional conflict she couldn't fully process in real time. Nightly missile alerts. Rattling windows. A drone passing her apartment window in broad daylight on her birthday. And a husband telling her she had two hours to pack like she was never coming back.

But this isn't just a story about leaving. It's about what happened when she got angry enough to return.

Tiffany shares what it felt like to be an American in a war zone with no clear lifeline from her own government, to drive through the oldest Emirate in silence wondering what comes next, and to cross the border into Oman with a US passport and a bag full of medication during Ramadan. And then, five weeks later, to choose to fly back alone.

This episode holds grief, clarity, cultural humility, and one of the most honest reflections on humanity, belonging, and what it means to stay that I've ever been part of.

• 00:00 — Welcome back: picking up the story in Dubai
• 00:16 — From Paris to the Middle East: why Dubai after the ISIS attacks
• 01:39 — Life under the National Guard in Paris: the weight of constant surveillance
• 02:26 — The unexpected move: Airbus, the Middle East, and a counterintuitive decision
• 03:34 — Arriving in Dubai: first impressions, culture shock, and adjusting to the heat
• 05:33 — Nine years in: how her understanding of the region deepened
• 09:16 — The Islamic Jesus and the surprising similarities she discovered
• 12:51 — What studying history can teach us about why things are the way they are
• 14:01 — "A sticky moment in history": February 28th and the first alerts
• 16:40 — What "take shelter" means when you've never expected to need it
• 17:31 — Her husband's calm — and why he knew the interception system would hold
• 18:27 — Nightly alerts, the airport under fire, and the US government's silence
• 21:44 — Trying to reach the State Department for a week
• 24:00 — Her birthday. A drone. A ball of fire. And the decision to leave.
• 27:35 — Two hours to pack like you're never coming back
• 29:20 — The drive through Alain and Oman: COVID in a war zone
• 32:16 — The Oman border crossing: a US passport, a white dress, and "woman medicine"
• 35:34 — Paris. Five weeks. And then anger.
• 36:30 — Why she chose to return alone
• 39:00 — The discomfort of having privilege enough to leave
• 44:06 — What she's learned from workers across 200 nationalities living side by side
• 48:10 — Just be present. Just listen. Just be an open heart.
• 50:18 — The photo of the Strait of Hormuz and the beauty beneath the conflict
• 51:57 — Closing reflection: stories that recalibrate us

• @storysessionspodcast
• @lauralyn_author
• @tiffanybakerlarnicol
• @wbrandpub
• @storysessions_live

Some friendships begin before we're old enough to remember, and those are often the ones that carry the most truth.

This week, I'm joined by my lifelong friend Tiffany Baker Larnicol, known to those who've loved her longest as Tiffy, for a rich, wide-ranging conversation about a life fully and bravely lived.

Tiffy grew up alongside me in Nashville, and from those early days together — including a Nashville Magazine cover with Santa in 1974 — she went on to build a remarkable career in international modeling, living and working in Japan, Europe, and now Dubai.

In Part 1 of our two-part conversation, Tiffy shares what it was like to leave the comfort of a "boutique" Nashville for the precision and beauty of Japanese culture, the early lessons that shaped her career, and how, looking back now, she recognizes just how protected she was during an era when so many young women were not.

We also talk about finding your voice, the freedom that comes with age and experience, and how living across cultures reshapes who you are.

This one is personal, warm, and full of wisdom. I think you'll love her as much as I do.

Part 2 drops next week.

Tiffany: @tiffanybakerlarnicol

Follow StorySessions at www.storysessionspodcast.riverside.com

KEY WORDS: StorySessions, memoir, women's stories, international living, modeling, Japan, Paris, Dubai, Gen X women, finding your voice, friendship, human trafficking awareness, cultural immersion, Laura Lyn Donahue, Tiffany Baker Larnicol

What does it mean to watch someone you love begin something you've already lived? This week, host Laura Lyn steps away from the guest chair to share a personal story — a weekend in St. Augustine with her youngest daughter Eliza, shopping for a wedding dress.

What unfolded was part joy, part déjà vu, and part quiet reckoning with time, identity, and the chapters that quietly close as new ones open. Short, personal, and thought-provoking.

📩 Share your story: lauralyn@storysessions.live

🎙 Learn more: StorySessions.live

He's back — and he came bearing good news. Phil Madeira, 35-year Nashville veteran, multi-instrumentalist in Emmylou Harris's band, songwriter, painter, and author, returns to StorySessions™ for a bonus update episode that delivers on every front.

Since his original episode — one of our top-rated conversations — Phil has been everywhere. He successfully Kickstarted three projects at once: two albums (The Millionth Mile and More Miles) and a memoir. He's returned from Emmylou Harris's farewell European tour, including a sold-out night at the Royal Albert Hall, dinner with friends near Jimmy Page's house, and a gin and tonic with Downton Abbey's Elizabeth McGovern. He ran his annual Mercyland songwriter workshop in Gorey, Ireland, and is gearing up for his American Mercyland in July.

And his memoir? Summer of Gone — a title given to him, unexpectedly, by someone who didn't even mean it as a gift — arrives in October 2026.

This episode is a reunion, a celebration, and a preview of more Phil to come. If you haven't heard his original episode, stay tuned — we replay it in full. If you have, welcome back to a conversation that always goes somewhere worth going.

About This Episode

This is a bonus update episode. Don Donahue opens with an intro, Phil delivers a personal update, and the original StorySessions™ interview with Phil replays in full — one of our most beloved conversations to date.

In This Update, Phil Shares:

• His successful Kickstarter for two vinyl albums and a memoir — goal: $45,000
• Life on the road with Emmylou Harris — her European farewell tour, Royal Albert Hall, Liverpool, Amsterdam
• The 4th annual Mercyland songwriter workshop in Gorey, Ireland — and a flying shoe
• What it takes to run a successful Kickstarter (hint: it's not passive)
• His memoir Summer of Gone — the title's origin, the publisher, and the October 2026 release
• His upcoming July Mercyland Nashville workshop (open to attendees)

• Phil Madeira website: www.philmadeira.net
• Mercyland Nashville workshop (July 12, 2026) — contact Phil directly via his website
• Summer of Gone — W Brand Publishing, October 2026
• StorySessions™ all episodes + links: www.storysessionsthepodcast.riverside.com
• Primary site: storysessions.live

Melissa Lewis spent 25 years teaching middle school, raising her family, and pouring herself into other people's kids. Then, at 51, she did something most people in her season of life wouldn't dare — she went back to school, earned her master's in marriage and family therapy, and opened her own counseling practice in Franklin, Tennessee.

But the story underneath that story is the one worth hearing.

In this conversation, Melissa and Laura Lyn — friends of 25+ years who raised their kids side by side — talk about what it actually costs to reinvent yourself, the voices that tell you not to, and the grief that can arrive right alongside your greatest new beginning. Melissa shares what she's learning in the counseling room, why she hands every new client a snail, and what she wants anyone in the middle of a hard season to know: change is always possible, and hope starts right now.

Topics covered: second acts and reinvention | self-care across generations | going back to school at 51 | loss, grief, and "brutally beautiful" moments | Brainspotting for trauma | loneliness as a universal theme | the courage to stop people-pleasing | finding hope in the last third

Guest contact: melissalewiscounseling.com | melissa@melissalewiscounseling.com | Franklin, TN | 615.210.7724