The Quiet Voice We Ignore

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Have you ever known something? Felt it clearly somewhere deep and then talked yourself out of it. Convince yourself it was too much, too risky, too exposed. Most of us have. We have learned to distress the quietest voice in the room, which is often our own.

Meet Nicolette And Her Work

SPEAKER_02 0:28

Welcome back to Healthy Mind Healthy Life. I'm your host, Yusuf, and today I'm in conversation with Nicolette Halliday, five times best-selling author, founder of Inspired Hearts Publishing, host of the Radiant Reach podcast, and someone who has guided over hundred authors in finding the courage to share their stories with the world. Nicolette's own journey from virtual assistant to publisher was born from personal upheaval, and a work is deeply rooted in belief that stories are not just words, they are bridges that heal, connect, and open doors. Nicolette, so glad you are here.

SPEAKER_00 1:15

Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited for the conversation today.

SPEAKER_02 1:21

Perfect.

Divorce And Rebuilding Identity

SPEAKER_02 1:22

So I want to start with something personal to you. You've described your journey as being born from personal people without needing to go anywhere you're not ready to go. What was the moment you realized that life you were building on the outside did not quite match what was true on the inside?

SPEAKER_01 1:46

I think there's been several moments of that reckoning. I don't think that the evolution of our life is always linear. I think oftentimes we have these moments that kind of shake us or give us this new perspective. And at that moment we have a choice. One of the thing, one of the moments that stands out particularly is I, after my divorce, I was married for 24 years. And at in the transit transition of becoming a single mother and you know, during continuing on my entrepreneurial journey, really opening up to this idea of creating connection through understanding our story and our experience. Not just in my marriage, but in relationships with my family and in work situations to be palatable, to be accepted to people, and to really in the intention of creating an experience for them. And in that process, I was seeping, you know, my own identity and connection with myself.

SPEAKER_02 3:10

Selfress is something almost everyone says they want, but very few people actually have.

SPEAKER_01 4:23

So really being able to trust life, to trust that things are developing for us and to release the expectation of a specific outcome in that pursuit.

Fear Of Sharing A Vulnerable Book

SPEAKER_02 4:39

And you have shared that there was a time you froze that even after writing your story and getting it published, you couldn't bring yourself to share it. You knew it was brought, but you still held back. So can you help us and tell us what was happening in that moment?

SPEAKER_01 4:58

Yeah, I think I've had a few of these moments, but the most recent one was connected to my own solo book, which I just released at the beginning of March of this year, so 2026. And there was a moment where the book, the manuscript, was done. I was doing all the things, creating the cover, moving through the formatting, and still there was this pause of what is people, what are people gonna think of me when I share such vulnerable and really personal details? And really contending with that, facing it, and recognizing that it's really, it's not up to me how people receive it, that some people are going to feel a connection, they're gonna see their own story. Some people might feel you know, revolted or feel like I was overshearing and ultimately really surrendering that to their own experience and letting them receive it in the way that they're gonna receive it.

SPEAKER_03 6:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:10

What I find honest about that is the idea that choosing to fail felt safer than failing after giving it, giving everything, giving it, you know, after you've done everything writing a book, which is in itself is a very hard tiring and an effort that takes a lot from you. And even after all these efforts, it felt choosing to fail a little easier. And that is such a human thing. And I think a lot of people listening right now are living in that exact space, playing small because the alternative feels too exposed.

SPEAKER_00 6:51

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 6:53

I think it's interesting because there can be an equal amount of failure of failure and or fear of failure and fear of success in the same measure. What if this book opens doors and creates opportunities and does all of those things? It's all kind of combined in there with the uncertainty that might be on the other side of that. And, you know, humans are just, we aren't great with uncertainty. And learning to really be at peace with the level of uncertainty is what brings us back to our own self-trust and being able to maneuver through situations and decisions based on what we know is true for us.

SPEAKER_03 7:44

Yeah.

Intuition Without Certainty

SPEAKER_02 7:47

Intuition is something a lot of people talk about, but very few people trust in practice, especially when there's something at stake. So in your work with authors, people who are stepping into vulnerability by putting their stories into the world, what does it look like when someone is overriding their intuition?

SPEAKER_01 8:14

Well, I think this is something that happens in different areas of our lives, is we feel something in our body, for example, but we look for evidence to support what we're feeling instead of trusting that what we're feeling in our body is the evidence. So that is one of the things. And then I think just really understanding that we have an inner compass that we can either lean in towards or kind of be pulled away from. And when you anchor in that inner compass, I think one of the things that intuition is not is certainty. There is no certainty in trusting our intuition. There's no certainty in anything we do almost. We have an ability to kind of recognize patterns and see how these things are impacting our lives. And so it really boils down to those like micro moments of trusting and then making a choice to trust it. So I think in real life, what this means is when you feel something in your body, even if it's just a small thing that you trust it and you do the other thing because I or you follow the trust. I think how do I one of the things about building up a trusting or intuitive muscle is through trial and error, and we aren't going to really be able to fully be in our intuitive guidance without moving through that uncertainty.

What Vulnerability Actually Requires

SPEAKER_02 10:09

And vulnerability is a word that that gets used in a lot of wellness and personal growth spaces, but I think it often gets flattened into something easier than it really is. For someone who's genuinely sad with the fear of being seen, the real version, not the curated one, what does vulnerability actually ask of a person? Like what does it cost them? What does it, if any?

SPEAKER_01 10:41

I think what vulnerability asks of a person is to be seen in our truth, in our realness, beneath the facade, beneath the positioning. And interestingly enough, I think it can be a really slippery slope between being vulnerable and being performative. Because being sometimes we think being vulnerable means sharing the full story. But oftentimes, what vulnerability means is just meeting someone in the moment and just leaning in and holding space for them to also share their own truth without judgment. Vulnerability can mean pushing yourself to do something a little bit scary, but it also can mean making a hard choice to walk away from something that's not serving you. So being vulnerable is honoring ourselves in our truth.

SPEAKER_02 11:47

No, that's a that's a really profound threat because I think so many people are waiting to feel safe before they speak, not realizing that sometimes the speaking is what is what creates the safety. You know, the act of expression is itself is the part of healing.

SPEAKER_01 12:11

Yeah, absolutely. I think it's a practice, it's showing up and sharing a little bit more about ourselves, or it's sharing something personal, not in a way of like manipulating, but in a in a in a in the with the intention of connection, because so many of us have similar experiences. Most of us have experienced some level of heartbreak. Most of us have experienced some level of confusion or frustration. And the stories are actually a lot more connected. There's a lot more overlapping experiences in what we do than there's differences. And so being really honest about who we are and where we're at is kind of an invitation for other people to do that too.

Imposter Syndrome And Doing It Anyway

SPEAKER_02 13:21

And you blessed more than 50 works through inspired hearts. Across all of that, what's the most common thing that that stops someone from trusting themselves enough to go all the way? Like to actually publish, to actually be seen. And what does it take to move through it?

SPEAKER_01 13:45

I think the most common theme is self-sabotage and imposter syndrome. So really questioning who am I to share this? How is this even good enough? What are people gonna think about me once it goes through it and or once it's out in the world, you know? And really, the only way to overcome it is through it, is by doing it and trusting it. And then you realize, okay, that was scary, and I did it anyways. And look how it was received, look at the connections I made, look at the feedback I received, not all positive, but feedback. And it helped me feel like I could be brave even when things feel scary.

SPEAKER_02 14:42

I think that is one of the most important said on this show. Because I believe there are people listening right now who have been waiting for that particular kind of permission. And what you offered them is not just a strategy. Is it an invitation for them?

SPEAKER_01 15:07

Yeah. And I also model through doing it perfectly imperfect every single time. And I show people what's possible when you trust yourself, when you call in the support, both seen and unseen support that's always available to us, that you keep showing up for this dream, for this vision with the level of uncertainty that's always going to be there. And that you trust that this process is going to get you the opportunities, experiences, life lessons that it's meant to serve.

How To Work With Nicolette

SPEAKER_02 16:00

Nicolette, for people who want to connect with you or want to learn more about you or your work, where can they do that?

SPEAKER_01 16:09

They can go to my website, which I will, I think you will include in the show notes, hopefully. And so there's various ways to work with me through the writing process. And if you're just getting started and you're like, I have had this story, or I just went through this incredible experience, or I'm in the midst of going through a late major live transition that feels like documenting it is not only going to serve me, but is also going to be an opportunity for connection and you know, serving other people and seeing themselves in your story. Then the best place to start is with my book Blueprint activation, which is just an opportunity to get it all out of your head and kind of onto the page. We do it together, and you have a really easy method for moving through that process.

SPEAKER_02 17:05

Perfect. And like Nicolette said, all these links are in the show notes. So just go and check those out.

Final Message Your Story Matters

SPEAKER_02 17:12

Is there any last message that you want to leave us with?

SPEAKER_01 17:17

I just want to say thank you, Yossa, for creating this container for having these conversations, for bringing awareness to these really important emotional and mental and physical wellness, and how um bringing these kinds of conversations to people is shining a light and see kind of creating the world that you want to live in. And I really appreciate it. So thank you.

SPEAKER_02 17:48

Thank you so much. That means a lot to us. And Nicolet, thank you so much for spending this time with us. You know, the warmth, the nourish, the care, and the words that you bring to this conversation was exactly the right kind of things we want from the guest that happened. Everybody can teach how to stay strong or be strong or look strong, even though your mind is a ruckus. But you know, to actually be comfortable in that vulnerability, in that storm is something that we try, and uh you did exactly that. So thank you so much for that.

SPEAKER_01 18:38

Thank you. Thank you so much for seeing me in that light. And I hope for anyone who is considering the idea of vulnerability and sharing, especially sharing really personal things about your experience, that you find the courage in yourself to just get started and do it in small ways or a big way or whatever way you're feeling led to the most.

SPEAKER_02 19:04

Perfect. And to everyone listening, your story matters. The version of you that's been waiting to be honest, to be seen, to stop editing yourself down. That matters. We'll back soon with more conversation just like this. Take good care of yourselves always.