Unconventional Leaders

Hosted by Heather Parady

Business Entrepreneurship Education Religion SpiritualityInterviews guests

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Episodes

178

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

About the show

If you feel like the misfit, the one who thinks differently, or the one who never quite fit the mold, this show is here to help you take the parts of your story you once felt unsure about and turn them into your greatest advantage.

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60 recent

September 8, 202657 min

How to Communicate in a World That Doesn’t Listen | Nigel Darius

On Nigel Darius ’s IG bio, he says that he is “helping the world heal…with words.” As an artist, he uses storytelling and language to foster empathy, curiosity, and human connection. In his latest book, We Say Shalom , he looks at 40 words across 15 languages to uncover their meaning, deepening our experience and connection as humans. In this conversation, we explore the responsibility that comes with using your voice: how to communicate honestly while having respect for nuance, why we should never avoid discomfort if we really want to grow, and the dangers of when we stop listening to perspectives outside our own. Nigel shares why “agreeability does not lead to authenticity,” how artists can use their unique voice to reflect culture back to itself, and why every communicator should remember that within every word, there is a world. WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE: As a communicator, how do you get around the limitations of language? How to communicate truth without losing nuance How to develop a message with depth CONNECT WITH NIGEL DARIUS: Website: https://nigeldarius.com/ His book, ‘We Say Shalom’: https://a.co/d/08qXXBd0 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nigeldarius/ CONNECT WITH HEATHER: Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/179

September 1, 202647 min

How to Handle Criticism Without Losing Your Creativity | Doogie Horner

Doogie Horner is an accomplished author, illustrator, and stand-up comedian. Across each medium, he’s learned how to navigate the tension between making work you believe in and accepting when folks don’t get it. In this conversation, we discuss how to respect and develop your creative point of view without becoming closed off to feedback, why your “sketchbook should be a laboratory, not a gallery,” and how to stay enthusiastic when you can’t control how people respond. WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE: Looking at your work objectively and navigating criticism (and praise) Developing your point of view while staying open to growth Staying enthusiastic about your work when success isn’t guaranteed CONNECT WITH DOOGIE HORNER: Website: https://www.doogiehorner.com/comedy His book, ‘The Adventures of Invisible Boy’ : https://a.co/d/023ICvDa Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doogiehorner/ CONNECT WITH HEATHER: Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/178

August 4, 202657 min

TRIGGERED: This is what's happening | Catherine Plano

Catherine Plano is an executive coach, leadership expert, author, and host of The Catherine Plano Podcast. Drawing from psychology, emotional intelligence, and decades of coaching leaders, Catherine helps people understand the patterns, beliefs, and emotional reactions that quietly shape how they experience the world. In this conversation, we explore what our emotional triggers are actually trying to tell us, why curiosity is one of the most powerful tools for personal growth, and how the stories we carry influence the way we respond to conflict, relationships, and ourselves. Catherine shares practical ways to create space between reaction and response, challenge unconscious patterns, and better understand the inner narratives driving our behavior. WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE: What your emotional triggers are really trying to tell you How curiosity interrupts reactive thinking Why the stories you believe shape the life you experience CONNECT WITH CATHERINE PLANO: Website : https://www.catherineplano.com.au/ Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/catherineplano Listen to ‘The Catherine Plano Podcast’ : https://open.spotify.com/show/3H8vdgXprgfHf9wrSJnPbn CONNECT WITH HEATHER: Follow Heather on IG : https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ Access Full Show Notes Here : https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/177

July 28, 20261 hr 2 min

The Price of Being Misunderstood | Jeremy Jernigan

Jeremy Jernigan spent two decades in ministry, eventually leading a megachurch before walking away from the role that had defined his entire adult life. Today, through his book The Edge of the Inside, he helps people navigate the difficult space between who they've been and who they're becoming. In this conversation, we explore the psychology of identity loss, the hidden cost of bitterness, and why healing requires more than simply moving on. Jeremy shares what it took to let go of the need to defend himself, why becoming fully present to our pain is part of recovery, and how embracing the "death" of an old life can become the beginning of a more authentic one. WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE: How to move through bitterness without minimizing what happened Rebuilding your identity after losing the role that once defined you Being deeply misunderstood (while following your calling) CONNECT WITH JEREMY JERNIGAN: Order ‘The Edge of Inside’: https://www.jeremyjernigan.com/edge-of-the-inside CONNECT WITH HEATHER: Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/176

July 21, 20261 hr 6 min

Why He Walked Away From His U.S. Tour | Juno Award Winner Quique Escamilla

Quique Escamilla is a Mexican Mayan-Zapotec singer-songwriter, storyteller, and cultural advocate whose work explores identity, history, and the stories we choose to preserve. Drawing from his upbringing in Chiapas, Mexico, Quique creates music that invites people to look beyond headlines and rediscover the humanity behind the issues that shape our world. In this conversation, we explore how an artist's worldview is formed, the responsibility of creative work, and what it means to remain faithful to your convictions when it comes at a personal cost. Quique discusses curiosity as a creative discipline, why meaningful art often begins with asking better questions, and how music can preserve history, challenge assumptions, and help us see people (and ourselves) more clearly. WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE: How curiosity can become an artist's greatest creative tool Why staying true to your work sometimes means sacrificing opportunity How to create art that helps people see the world differently CONNECT WITH QUIQUE ESCAMILLA: Website: https://www.quiqueescamilla.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quique_escamilla/ CONNECT WITH HEATHER: Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/175

July 14, 202639 min

What Landscapes Teach Us About Storytelling | Professional Designer Tina Huffman

Tina Huffman is a landscape designer, educator, and viral content creator. After spending years building a successful marketing business, she returned to the work she felt most called to do: designing outdoor spaces that are both beautiful and intentional. Drawing from her background in horticulture, landscape architecture, and digital marketing, Tina believes great design begins long before choosing the right plants…it begins by understanding how people experience a space. In this conversation, we explore what landscape design can teach us about storytelling, creativity, and human behavior. Tina shares why every great design starts with intention, how creative constraints often produce better work, and the subtle psychological principles that shape the way we move through spaces, stories, and ideas. WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE: Why every creative project should begin with a feeling (not a rigid plan) The surprising psychology behind spaces that naturally draw people in How creative constraints lead to better storytelling, design, and ideas CONNECT WITH TINA HUFFMAN: Website: https://www.greenhousestudio.co Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenhousestudio.co/ CONNECT WITH HEATHER: Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/174

July 1, 202640 min

It Is Only Permanent | David Francisco

David Francisco is a singer-songwriter whose life changed dramatically after a devastating cycling accident left him paralyzed just weeks after moving to Nashville to pursue music full-time. What followed was a years-long journey of rehabilitation, resilience, faith, and rediscovering what it means to build a meaningful life when everything you planned is suddenly taken away. In this conversation, David and Heather explore identity, purpose, suffering, recovery, and the stories we tell ourselves about success. David shares how surviving a life-altering injury forced him to let go of certainty, why healing became about far more than learning to walk again, and how music, relationships, and faith helped him rebuild a life he never could have imagined. Together, they unpack the tension between ambition and acceptance, the power of choosing hope in the middle of loss, and what it means to find purpose when the future looks nothing like you expected. WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE: Why healing involves much more than physical recovery The role of faith, music, and relationships in navigating suffering Finding meaning, gratitude, and hope when life doesn't go according to plan CONNECT WITH DAVID FRANCISCO: Website: https://www.davidfranciscomusic.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidfranciscomusic Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/artist/1yOPhRMWrKLa3eUq42PzJg Listen to his new single, ‘it’s only permanent’ here : https://open.spotify.com/album/4dVwNuizrZh7gLfiv4dGWN?si=coSVcLtcQ9a0wB7ESZAeFw CONNECT WITH HEATHER: Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/173

June 23, 202645 min

Spiritual Trauma & Storytelling | Kristen LaValley

Kristen LaValley is a writer, speaker, and author whose work explores the intersection of faith, trauma, and belonging. Through her books, courses, and online community, she creates space for honest conversations about spiritual struggle, mental health, identity, and what it means to rebuild a life after certainty falls apart. In this conversation, we explore the relationship between healing and storytelling, the tension between vulnerability and boundaries, and how personal experiences shape the work we're called to create. Kristen shares why moving through anger is different than living from it, how to know which parts of your story belong to you, and why finding people who are genuinely happy to be with you can change everything. WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE: Writing for catharsis vs. writing for craft How to share your story without turning your pain into content Finding belonging after identity shifts and spiritual change CONNECT WITH KRISTEN LAVALLEY: Website: https://www.kristenlavalley.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristen.lavalley/ CONNECT WITH HEATHER: Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/172

June 18, 202642 min

Attention vs Impact | Stone Stafford

Stone Stafford spent more than two decades in the music industry as an artist, songwriter, producer, and trusted advisor to creators with big dreams and even bigger ambitions. But what drew me to Stone’s work wasn't his résumé…it was his philosophy of "quietly taking over." In this conversation, we explore the tension between impact and attention, why meaningful work often requires stepping away from the noise, and what it looks like to build something that truly matters without chasing the spotlight. WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE: Building quietly: Why you don't need to announce every move to make a meaningful impact Trending up vs. going deep: How creators can choose depth over dopamine without losing their audience Value over volume: Why a smaller, more engaged audience creates deeper impact CONNECT WITH STONE STAFFORD: Website: https://www.stonestafford.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stoneoo7/ CONNECT WITH HEATHER: Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/171

June 10, 20261 hr 3 min

Fantasy Self VS. Future Self | Ana Urban | ADHD + Mindset Coach

Ana Urban is an ADHD coach, educator, and creator who helps people better understand their minds and build lives that work with their brains instead of against them. After being diagnosed with ADHD at nineteen, Ana spent years navigating procrastination, perfectionism, shame, and self-worth struggles before discovering a more sustainable approach to growth and personal transformation. In this conversation, we explore one of the most thought-provoking ideas I've heard in a long time: the difference between your fantasy self and your future self. We talk about why so many people get trapped chasing an imaginary version of themselves, how perfectionism disguises itself as self-improvement, and why lasting change comes not from fixing yourself, but from learning to trust the person you're becoming. WATCH EPISODES ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE: The difference between your fantasy self and your future self How perfectionism and self-criticism keep us stuck Why small identity shifts create lasting transformation CONNECT WITH ANA URBAN: Website: https://www.anaurban.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adhd.untamed/ Untamed: https://www.anaurban.com/untamed CONNECT WITH HEATHER: Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/ Access Full Show Notes Here: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/170