The Voice of Women Episodes

After 15 years trapped in the cycle of smoking addiction, Jessi discovered a powerful truth: smoking was never the real problem. Beneath the habit were unhealed wounds, unmet emotional needs, and a disconnect from her authentic self.

In this inspiring conversation, Jessi shares her personal journey of overcoming addiction through self-awareness, emotional healing, and inner transformation. Rather than focusing on willpower alone, she reveals how addressing the root cause of addiction can create lasting freedom and profound personal growth.

Today, Jessi is the author of Honour Your Heart, host of the You Can Quit Smoking Podcast, and a transformational coach helping people break free from smoking, self-sabotage, and limiting patterns. Her approach empowers others to reconnect with themselves, heal from within, and create meaningful, lasting change.

If you're struggling with smoking addiction, seeking emotional healing, or looking to transform your life from the inside out, this episode offers hope, practical wisdom, and a powerful reminder that true healing begins at the root.

Topics discussed: smoking cessation, addiction recovery, emotional healing, self-awareness, personal growth, mindset transformation, holistic wellness, trauma healing, self-discovery, and living authentically.

Leah Yard’s path into fashion was anything but traditional. Raised on a remote lighthouse island and leaving high school early, she spent years in entry-level jobs, feeling like she didn’t belong. It was through jewelry and personal style that she discovered a powerful shift—not just in how others perceived her, but in how she saw herself. Without formal training or industry connections, Leah built her Vancouver-based brand from the ground up, embracing slow fashion and creating timeless pieces using recycled materials. Today, she uses her journey to challenge the idea of a “right” path, advocating for confidence, individuality, and showing up—even when you feel like the least likely person in the room.

Laverne McKinnon is a coach and mentor who helps women navigate the moments when work becomes deeply personal—when careers shift, identities crack open, and life no longer looks the way it once did. After being fired early in her career, Laverne experienced firsthand the quiet grief that follows professional loss and reinvention. That experience, along with her own journey through infertility, adoption, single motherhood, and major life disruptions, shaped her understanding of what women often carry in silence. Today, she helps women process loss without shame, rebuild self-trust, and move forward with clarity and courage—without being defined by what they’ve been through. Her work is rooted in a simple truth: what we survive is not who we are, but it can shape who we become.

Jenna Ghisolfo rebuilt her life from the ground up—and turned survival into purpose. A domestic violence survivor who once relied on Section 8 housing, she is now the CEO of Housing Consultants of America, a national speaker, and United States of America Mrs. Arizona 2026. Through her journey, Jenna transforms lived experience into leadership, helping housing communities stay compliant, fill units faster, and move people off the streets. She uses her platform to advocate for safe housing, strong communities, and second chances—showing that even the darkest chapters can become the foundation for extraordinary impact.

Heather Hendrie is an award-winning storyteller and clinical counsellor who believes truth is most powerful when it’s told with both courage and laughter. Blending raw honesty, sharp humor, and deep compassion, she transforms lived experience into connection — the kind that makes people feel instantly seen and deeply understood.

As the visionary behind the Awfully Hilarious anthology series — including the Amazon #1 bestseller Awfully Hilarious Period Pieces — Heather has helped thousands of women reclaim their voices through stories that are bold, messy, and beautifully real. A two-time Canadian Book Club Award winner, her work invites vulnerability without shame and laughter without apology.

In recognition of Premenstrual Disorders Awareness Month, Heather’s work around PMDD is especially impactful. Her memoir, Where the Eff Is My Red Tent?, offers a deeply personal and validating look into the realities of living with PMDD — bringing language, relief, and visibility to an often misunderstood experience. You can explore it here: https://www.amazon.ca/Where-Eff-My-Red-Tent/dp/1773861859/

Whether on the page or in practice, Heather creates brave spaces where women are reminded they are not alone — and that the stories they were taught to hide may be the very ones that set them free.