Unconventional Leaders
Join Heather Parady each week for a spiritual and quirky take on storytelling. Each week: tactical tips, behind-the-scenes with creators, and reflections on how the stories we tell shape culture, humanity, and our spiritual lives.
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Make What You Want to FREAKIN' MAKE | The Solo Episode
<p>If you’ve ever caught yourself asking, “What should I make? What will work?” — this is for you. Somewhere along the way, many of us stopped creating from curiosity and started creating for approval. In this episode, we talk about what it means to return to that raw, honest place... to stop chasing trends and start trusting your own instincts again. Because the world doesn’t need another copy. It needs you.</p><p>TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:</p>The danger of creating from “what works” instead of what’s realHow fear of being seen dulls creative expressionWhy your truest work will...
Question Everything (& Still Stand for Something) | Glenn Lundy
<p>Glenn Lundy and I shouldn’t be friends. He’s a Republican who trains and consults sales leaders in automotive; I’m a creative who cried in bed the day Trump was inaugurated. We sit on opposite sides of almost everything…and we’re still great friends.</p><p>I asked Glenn to give a behind-the-scenes look at how we keep a real friendship in a divided world and to wrestle with the hardest question facing communicators today: How do you stand firmly in your beliefs while staying open to people who think completely differently? We go there…from Flat Earth d...
A Powerful Reframe for Your Fear of Being Seen | The Solo Episode
<p>If you’ve ever worried that sharing your voice is “selfish” or ego-driven, this is for you. Today, we explore how your story, your perspective, and your courage to speak might be the lifeline someone else needs. Because access to new ideas can change an entire life — and your voice may be the bridge someone has been praying for.</p><p>TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:</p>Why using your voice isn’t ego — it’s generosityThe power of exposure and how other creators changed my lifeWhat happens when you stop hiding and start serving with your story<br/><p>CONNECT WITH H...
Should Creators CLONE Themselves? | Jim Carter III
<p>Jim Carter III is an AI strategist to the world’s top creators, helping creators and thought leaders build digital clones…AI versions of themselves trained on their own words, teachings, and philosophies. He’s spent over two years demystifying AI through his weekly newsletter, making complex tech accessible to entrepreneurs who want to work smarter without losing their human touch.</p><p>In this episode, Jim explains how digital clones actually work, why AI isn’t as scary as we think, and how technology can amplify (not replace) human creativity. From discussing the emotional weight of potentially cloning his late...
3 Best Books for Content Creators | The Solo Episode
<p>If you’re tired of chasing tactics and hacks, and you want to create from a deeper place — this is for you. In this episode, we explore books that don’t just teach you how to grow an audience… but how to stay rooted in your purpose as a creator. Because your work isn’t just content — it’s contribution, stewardship, and devotion to the ideas that choose you.</p><p>WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady </p><p>TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:</p>Books to help you build discipline and stay inspiredWhy creativity isn’t just skill — it’s...
Package Your Expertise so People Actually Listen | Mike Roderick
<p>You can be talented… and still be ignored.</p><p>Mike Roderick helps creators and thought leaders package their ideas so people actually get it. A former Broadway producer turned thought-leadership consultant, Mike knows how to position your work so it truly gets seen.</p><p>In this conversation, we explore what it really takes to have your work recognized…without shouting, performing, or pretending. You’ll learn how to package your message with integrity, build real relationships that open doors, and share your ideas in ways that genuinely move people.</p><p>WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtub...
Feel Stuck? Try This | The Solo Episode
<p>If you’ve been feeling stuck, unclear, or like you’re spinning your wheels — this is for you. What if feeling “stuck” isn’t a sign to push harder, but an invitation to go deeper? </p><p>In this episode, we talk about why slowing down and sinking beneath the surface might be the most powerful way to move forward. Because truth, clarity, and direction don’t live out there somewhere — they live within you.</p><p>TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:</p>Why “stuckness” is actually a call to go deeperThe illusion of speed and the power of slowing downHow to protect t...
How to Enter a FLOW State | Steven Puri
<p>Steven Puri walked away from blockbuster films and high-level studio roles to follow a deeper calling: helping people make the work they were truly meant to create.</p><p>After producing effects for Oscar-winners like Braveheart and running projects at Fox and DreamWorks, he saw how distraction had become the biggest thing standing between people and their most important work. So he founded The Sukha…a company built to help people reclaim their focus and actually finish what matters.</p><p>In this episode, Steven unpacks the science behind flow states—those stretches of time where distractions fall away and...
The Obstacle is the Freakin' Way | The Solo Episode
<p>If you’ve been wrestling with something that feels like a disadvantage — the thing that makes you feel behind, limited, or not enough — this is for you. What if the very thing you’ve been trying to hide or overcome is actually your greatest creative gift? What if your so-called “limitations” are divine boundaries designed to help you create something no one else can?</p><p>TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:</p>How to reframe your disadvantage as creative fuelWhy limits can actually expand what’s possibleTurning what holds you back into the reason you move forward<br/><p>CONNECT WITH HEATHER:<...
How to use SLOW Storytelling | Meg Hood (Meg’s Tea Room)
<p>Meg Hood creates content that feels like a warm cup of tea in a chaotic digital world. As the voice behind Meg's Tea Room, she's built a community around slow storytelling, tenderness, and the courage to question everything she was taught. Her approach to content creation isn't about catching attention, it's about genuine connection.</p><p>In this conversation, Meg reveals how slowing down became her strategy, why she strips away unnecessary intros to get straight to the heart, and how she creates space for real connection in a world obsessed with speed.</p><p>TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:<...
