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Some conversations find their way back to us exactly when we need them most. Recorded nearly a year ago during a season of major life transitions, this discussion resurfaced at a time when conversations around grief, emotional healing, layoffs, identity shifts, and resilience feel more relevant than ever.

Speaker, storyteller, and author Diandra Ford-Wing shares the deeply personal journey that began after the unexpected death of her mother — a loss that led her to step away from her corporate career and enter what she describes as a “sacred pause.” In the stillness of grief, journaling became a lifeline and eventually transformed into her debut book, Red Bird.

Through emotional honesty and storytelling, Diandra reflects on losing her aunt in The Gambia, witnessing how unresolved grief shaped generations of women in her family, and learning how emotional pain silently follows us into our relationships, careers, leadership, and everyday lives. The conversation explores grief in midlife, workplace grief, emotional wellness for women, burnout, generational trauma, and the courage required to rebuild your identity after unexpected loss.

Since this conversation was recorded, Deandra has experienced another major transition after being impacted by recent tech layoffs. Today, she has launched Diandra Speaks, where she helps colleges, corporations, and nonprofit organizations understand how grief and emotional loss show up in the workplace and throughout life.

In this episode we discuss:

• grief and bereavement
• emotional healing after loss
• midlife identity shifts
• career transitions and layoffs
• burnout and emotional overwhelm
• workplace grief and emotional resilience
• healing through journaling and storytelling

If you are navigating any form of grief, this is a conversation of healing for you.

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Explore your emotions and uncover what drives your behavior?

Book a free discovery call today. In 20 minutes you’ll learn and practice simple steps you can take to begin your transformation process.

Connect with LaShonda

Email: lashonda@anewlifestorycoaching.com

Website: https://www.anewlifestorycoaching.com/

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Connect with Diandra

Website: www.diandraspeaks.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/diandrafordwing

IG: www.instagram.com/diandrafordwing

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Connect with LaShonda

Email: lashonda@anewlifestorycoaching.com

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What if the version of you that everyone knows… is actually a role you were assigned in childhood?

For years, you may have followed a script—being the strong one, the quiet one, the responsible one—letting that identity define how you show up in the world. But what happens when you start to question it? When you get curious about who you are beyond the role?

In this episode, LaShonda Walker guides you through the powerful journey of unbecoming—releasing the identities, expectations, and survival patterns that no longer align with who you are today.

You’ll learn how to begin rewriting your story by understanding the different parts of yourself, reconnecting with your truth, and trusting the adult version of you to lead with clarity and intention.

This episode is for you if you’re ready to:

• Let go of performance-based identity
• Stop living on autopilot and start choosing consciously
• Rebuild trust with yourself and your decisions
• Step into a more aligned, authentic version of who you are

LaShonda shares practical guidance, reflection prompts, and powerful affirmations to support your journey of self-discovery, emotional healing, and personal growth—so you can feel grounded in the version of yourself you are becoming.

In this episode:

• How childhood roles shape your identity and behavior
• Releasing the pressure to perform and please
• Learning to trust yourself and your inner voice
• Creating a personal power statement rooted in truth

Affirmation to carry with you:
I release who I had to be, and I trust who I am becoming.

WORK WITH LASHONDA

Explore your emotions and uncover what drives your behavior?

Book a free discovery call today. In 20 minutes you’ll learn and practice simple steps you can take to begin your transformation process.

Connect with LaShonda

Email: lashonda@anewlifestorycoaching.com

Website: https://www.anewlifestorycoaching.com/

Join newsletter: https://www.anewlifestorycoaching.com/newsletter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anewlifestorycoaching

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anewlifestorycoach

Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/bfuvfvi7hc

Produced by Wowow Podcasts

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Connect with LaShonda

Email: lashonda@anewlifestorycoaching.com

Join newsletter: https://www.anewlifestorycoaching.com/newsletter

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Life has a way of reminding you that there are still things stuck in you. In this episode LaShonda shares an unscripted reflection on how unconscious beliefs shape our decisions, relationships, and self-worth—especially in midlife. After noticing herself repeatedly rejecting a new opportunity and feeling a physical “block,” she unpacks how hidden beliefs formed in childhood can quietly run the show.

In this emotional wellness episode, she guides listeners on how using the Adult Chair Model can help explain how younger versions of ourselves influence present-day reactions, triggers, comparison, and self-sabotage. She offers practical insight into recognizing these patterns and reclaiming control with intention and awareness.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, questioned your worth, or struggled with self-doubt, this episode will help you identify and shift the unconscious stories holding you back.

💫 In this episode:

• What unconscious beliefs are and how they impact your daily life
• How childhood experiences shape adult behavior and emotional patterns
• The Adult Chair Model explained for personal growth and healing
• How to identify and challenge limiting beliefs and negative self-talk
• Three simple steps to rewire unproductive beliefs and create emotional freedom

This episode is for women in midlife seeking emotional healing, mindset shifts, and deeper self-awareness.

WORK WITH LASHONDA

Explore your emotions and uncover what drives your behavior?

Book a free discovery call today. In 20 minutes you’ll learn and practice simple steps you can take to begin your transformation process.

Connect with LaShonda

Email: lashonda@anewlifestorycoaching.com

Website: https://www.anewlifestorycoaching.com/

Join newsletter: https://www.anewlifestorycoaching.com/newsletter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anewlifestorycoaching

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anewlifestorycoach

Produced by Wowow Podcasts

Support the show

Connect with LaShonda

Email: lashonda@anewlifestorycoaching.com

Join newsletter: https://www.anewlifestorycoaching.com/newsletter

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