Welcome back to Unmasking the Heart for Change. The space where we peel back the layers and lean into the truth that shape our lives. I'm your host, Tammy Winstead, and I'm so grateful you've chosen to spend this time with me today.
Before we dive into today's conversation, I want to pause and thank each and every one of you who have listened, shared, or even reached out about being a future guest. Just this past week, I've had several people from multiple states contact me about joining the show, and honestly, that blows me away.
We're setting up equipment now so that we can start recording those conversations virtually, and I can't wait to bring their powerful and inspiring stories in the weeks ahead. Honestly, I'm completely humbled by the ripple effect this podcast is already having, and we're only 12 weeks in. The feedback I've gotten from so many of you so far that these episodes feel raw, honest, and real. That's the highest compliment you could ever give me because that's exactly my heart. To create a space where truth and transformation meet and to unmask it, one heart to heart at a time.
And right now we're in a season of transition. Our podcast is growing and changing. Summer is beginning to fade. Students are back in school. Some have packed up and headed off to college, and all of us are adjusting to new routines, new responsibilities, and even new energy as the season shift.
Maybe you're feeling that shift right now too. Maybe your household just changed, your job looks different, or you're noticing your own routines feel heavier than they used to. If that's you friend, you're in the right place, because today's conversation is about more than just seasonal change. It's about the heart shifts we all go through, and whether your shift feels exciting, heavy, or somewhere in between, you're not alone.
This space is for you in between places. That messy middle, where most of us actually live. We're about a month away from one of my absolute favorite times of the year fall. I love the energy it brings. Tailgates, oversized hoodies, crisp air, and finally being able to enjoy the outdoors without the constant hum of mosquitoes. For some of you, it's also fantasy football season where your draft picks might just aside your mood over the next few months.
But beyond the fun, these seasonal shifts mirror the transition we face in our lives. Some are chosen, some sneak in on us, and all of them carry lessons we're invited to uncover, and that's exactly where we're unmasking today, the shifts of life and how to navigate them with honesty, courage, and grace.
One of the reasons I included the word change in the name of my podcast is because it is one of the words I identify with most. I've always been the type to run toward it. While so many others shy away. For me, I need change. I crave it. Staying stuck in the same place, doing the same thing, feels like running on a hamster wheel, and that completely drains me.
When someone says, we're gonna change things up, I'm that one at the table who immediately perks up waiting with excitement to hear what's about to shift. Most of the time I've noticed I'm the only one with that reaction. But here's the truth. Change is the one constant we can always count on. Seasons change. Situations change and as a girl from the northeast corner of Arkansas, living surrounded by fields my whole life, I've had a front row seat to watch it happen over and over again.
Just the other day, I was driving past fields of corn and noticed the colors beginning to shift. I turned to my husband and said, "look at that. It's nature's way of saying, hold on, friend, things are about to change. It won't always be like this." For me that site wasn't just about crops. It was a reminder that hope is on the horizon. That change carries encouragement with it, even when life feels hard.
And here's the thing, nature never fights the shift. Trees don't clinging to their leaves when it's time to let them fall, they release them. Trusting that what comes next will be just as purposeful. What if we gave ourselves that same grace?
Friend, let's be honest. Some seasons of change are not easy. I think back to June of 2000, when grief entered my life in the heaviest way. My father passed away and that changed, rocked me. It's a loss. I still feel to this day. There are moments I just wish I could sit across the table from him and hear him crack a joke one more time. That would make everything feel lighter in my life. That just happens to be where I get my own tendency to sprinkle humor into heavy places because he taught me that sometimes laughter really is the best medicine.
Another shift that hit me hard was when my kids went off to college. For 23 years, my greatest role, my proudest role was being a mom. I immersed myself fully in it, and then one day I realized I had done my job so well that they were ready to spread their wings and fly. And as they did, I felt the ache of a job well done. Yes, friend, pride and grief, live side by side in me. And I had to unmask that truth. Sit with it. Learn to give both emotions the space they deserved, and it's not just personal change.
We're all feeling the bigger shifts around us, the economy's tightening, jobs disappearing families, trying to figure out how to survive the unknown. That's a hard road, and it requires not only resilience, but a strong support system, faith, and the courage to adapt to a world that doesn't stop changing.
And then there are the changes we never sign up for like health shifts. I found myself likely entering a new stage of life called perimenopause. As if menopause wasn't enough, right? Now they give us another one that we didn't ask for. I describe this stage as the one in life where I might just get my first felony. Sometimes I have to literally stop and stare at people reminding myself that prison time is not the vacation I'm looking for. But boy, it is tempting.
What I've learned through all these shifts is this. Protecting my peace matters. I no longer apologize for walking away from people, places, or things that disrupt my peace. I choose myself, and friend, I encourage you to do the same because here's what I've discovered. The hardest part of change isn't always the change itself. It's letting go of what's comfortable and stepping into the unknown. Friend, I promise you, I get it.
If you would've told me 12 weeks ago that people would be emailing me pitch podcast episodes or that I'd be video interviewing guests from other states, I would've laughed at you boxed all of this equipment up and quit before I ever got started. My plan was simple. Start a podcast, say the things on my heart, and assume nobody would really listen. And here we are, 12 weeks in, and this podcast has earned almost every badge our host platform offers except the one year mark. And we've officially been played in eight countries around the world.
Let me be completely honest with you. If you would've told me that at the beginning of all this. I would've never pressed record because I didn't start this podcast to be big. I started this podcast to be honest. To put my lessons out into the world in hopes that maybe someone else could hear from them without having to walk the same hard roads.
And that's really my mission in life. To give more than I take from it. To offer what life has taught me in all its mess and beauty, so that together we can unmask change, not as something to fear, but as something that shapes us. It grows us, and it reminds us of the strength we already carry. The truth is there's an emotional weight that comes with change. Every transition, whether it's one we choose or one that chooses us, brings layers of emotions that we don't always expect.
When my kids left home, I discovered something I didn't know before. That pride and grief can coexist. I was so proud of them. Excited to see them step into their own lives, but at the same time, I was grieving because for so long my identity was tied into being their mom. I showed up for them and their friends in the ways that I would've wanted someone to show up for me, and I'll always do that for them. When they left the silence in the house, it echoed differently and I realized just how much of me was wrapped up in being present for them.
That season of change, brought with it, hope for what was to come. Also fear about what my life would look like moving forward. It's safe to say that my internal control board has looked a lot like the one from the movie inside out, flashing with every emotion, every color, sometimes all at once. Joy, sadness, fear, anger, excitement, all flickering, like a strobe at the nightclub as I navigated the shifts happening around me.
Friend. If you've ever felt that way, please know you're not alone. It is completely okay to feel all of it. In fact, I encourage you to silence the voices of anyone who tries to tell you differently because here's the truth, we are human and with humanity comes a complex set of emotions that aren't meant to be neatly packaged or explained away.
What we can do is give ourselves grace. We can give ourself the space and permission to feel every single one of those emotions because it's long past time for you to show up for yourself in a way that honors the totality of who you are. Grace doesn't mean we rush through it or tie it up with a sweet little bow. Grace means we stop apologizing for feeling deeply, and we recognize that emotions are proof we are alive, awake, and paying attention.
And here's the reframe I want you to hold onto. Your emotions are not roadblocks. They're actually signals. They are the flashing lights on the dashboard that say, please pay attention. Something needs to shift. Too often we treat our emotions like inconveniences, and we push them away. When really they're our first clue that something in our lives is asking for change.
Think of your emotions, like friends showing up at your front door. Some bring laughter. Some bring tears. Some bring questions. They don't always come at convenient times, but they each carry a message worth listening to. When we welcome them inside, instead of slamming the door, we start to hear what our soul is really asking for.
So instead of silencing them, lean in, ask your emotions, what they're trying to tell you, because sometimes what feels like a breakdown is actually the breakthrough you've been looking for.
Now, I wanna take it a step deeper. You already know the one thing I attribute most of my personal growth to is journaling. That's the one thing I've done for over and over for many years. Allowing your emotions to be present in the room with you is so very powerful and absolutely liberating.
If you're listening with a notebook nearby, this is the perfect moment to pause and reflect. And if you're driving or on the go, just tuck these questions away and come back to them later.
I want you to ask yourself these questions. Number one, what emotions are present in me right now, and can I name them honestly without judgment? Number two, what season of life am I stepping out of and what season am I stepping into? Number three, where do pride and grief or even joy and fear coexist in my life right now? Number four, what signals have my emotions been trying to send me lately? And number five. What would it look like if I gave myself full permission to feel and honor those emotions?
And if you're feeling overwhelmed, just start small. Anchor yourself with one steady habit that carries you through this transition. Maybe it's your morning coffee ritual, a walk at sunset, or calling a trusted friend each week. Sometimes the smallest anchors can steady us in the biggest storm. Friend. Don't rush this process. Sit with it. Write it down, and if your answers feel messy, that's okay.
Healing, growth and change are never neat and tidy. Remember, one of the key points to this podcast is to talk about all the things that go on in that messy middle, but I promise on the other side of your honesty, you'll begin to find clarity. Remember, your emotions are not the enemy. They are the guides pointing you toward what needs your attention most.
And If journaling feels hard at first, try pairing it with something familiar. Light a candle. Sit outside where you can feel the breeze. Put your bare feet in the grass and ground. Sometimes the simplest practice reminds us that even while everything is shifting, the earth beneath us is still steady.
Before we wrap up today, I wanna leave you with a little challenge. I'm calling the shift challenge. For the next week, I want you to write down one word that captures the season you feel like you're in right now. Just one word and then beside it, write down one action you can take that supports that word.
So here's some examples. Maybe your word is healing and your action is carving out 10 quiet minutes for yourself each day.
Maybe your word is faith and your action is to read one scripture or affirmation each morning before you let the noise of the world in.
Maybe your word is growth and your action is saying yes to the opportunities that scare you a little, the one that stretches you outside your comfort zone. That's what I did with this podcast, and I'm so extremely thankful.
Or maybe your word is peace and your action is as simple as reading something uplifting before you check your phone each day.
Whatever it is, keep it simple, but be intentional with it. Let it guide you. Keep it close. Write it on a sticky note. Put it on your mirror, carry it in your journal. Just keep it in front of you this week. Friend, thank you so much for sitting with me today as I unmask the shifting transition of life and the motions that often come with that.
Remember, change always brings weight. It also carries hope. Emotions aren't roadblocks. They're signals, pride and grief, joy and fear. They can both coexist together and it's okay. And the hardest part of change isn't always the change itself. It's letting go of what's comfortable so you can step into what's next.
The unknown. When we honor the shifts, we see them differently. They aren't just endings. They're beginnings in disguise, and every beginning holds a chance for growth, for healing, and for unmasking a new part of who we are.
If today spoke to you, please share this with a friend, subscribe, and leave a review so more hearts can know they aren't walking this road alone.
Until next time, friend, keep leaning into the shifts, keep unmasking the change. And remember, change begins with end, and it starts one heart to heart at a time. See you next time guys. Thanks so much for being here. Bye.