Episode Title: Unmasking What Really Matters
Podcast: Unmasking the Heart for Change
Host: Tammy Winstead

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

As the year comes to a close and the holiday season surrounds us, this episode offers a gentle pause.

In Unmasking What Really Matters, Tammy reflects on a week that quietly shifted her perspective — reminding her of the importance of slowing down, being present, and investing our time where it truly counts.

This episode isn’t about doing more or striving harder. It’s about releasing the pressure of perfection, choosing connection over consumption, and remembering that the greatest gifts aren’t found in a checkout line.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, emotionally tired, or stretched thin this season, this conversation is an invitation to breathe, reflect, and reconnect with what matters most.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL HEAR:

• Why the holidays often come with expectations we never consciously agreed to
• How hustle culture shows up even during seasons meant for rest
• The difference between presence and presents
• Letting go of perfection and embracing what’s real
• Why time is our most precious resource
• How slowing down creates space for deeper connection
• A gentle reminder that you don’t have to do it all to matter

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Take a quiet moment and ask yourself:

• Who do I want to be truly present with this season?
• What moments do I want to remember a year from now?
• Where can I choose connection over obligation?

There are no right answers — only honest ones.

LOOKING AHEAD

Next week, we’ll continue this conversation by exploring the gift you give yourself when you choose to invest in you — not from a place of pressure or productivity, but from presence and purpose.

CLOSING REMINDER

What really matters has never been found in a checkout line.
It’s found in the moments we share.

Thank you for listening, for slowing down, and for being part of this heart-to-heart space.

Episode Title:
Unmasking Imposter Syndrome, Or Is It Something Else?

Host:
Tammy Winstead

Episode Description:
In this heart-to-heart solo episode, Tammy unpacks imposter syndrome through a more honest, human, and humble lens. Instead of talking about it only as “I’m not good enough,” she explores a lesser-named version: the kind that shows up when you’re finally meeting your true self — and you’re terrified to let her be seen.

Tammy shares her lived experience of being “the strong one,” “the funny one,” and “the one who holds everything together,” and how those roles quietly shaped her identity, her mental health, and her sense of worth.

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt like they’re faking it on the outside while something real is stirring underneath the surface.

In this episode, we explore:

• What imposter syndrome traditionally is and how it sounds in our thoughts
• The hidden version of imposter syndrome that’s really about identity unmasking
• How people-pleasing, emotional regulation, and “reading the room” can make us lose ourselves
• The role of resilience, humor, and being “the strong one” as both survival skills and masks
• Why authenticity can feel unsafe when you’ve spent years performing
• The difference between self-doubt and self-discovery
• Five practices Tammy is using to gently break free from imposter syndrome

Key Quotes:

• “What if the version of you you’ve been calling an imposter is actually the real you trying to break away from the mask?”
• “I wasn’t pretending to be someone better. I was pretending to be someone smaller.”
• “Authenticity doesn’t drain you. Pretending does.”
• “Sometimes imposter syndrome isn’t insecurity. It’s identity calling you forward.”

Reflection Question:

Before closing the episode, Tammy invites you to sit with one powerful question:

Use this question as a journaling prompt, a screensaver, or something you come back to as you slowly unmask who you really are.

Links & Resources:

• 🌐 Visit the website: www.unmaskingchange.com

• 📝 Sign up for the Unmasking Blog for deeper journaling prompts and reflections on imposter syndrome and identity - available on our website
• 🎧 Listen to more episodes of Unmasking the Heart for Change
• 💌 Want to be a guest and share your own story of growth, purpose, resilience, or unmasking?
  • Apply to be a guest via the form on the website (Guest Application link)

Connect:

• Follow along on social media: @UnmaskingChange
• Share this episode with a friend who’s quietly struggling with imposter syndrome or identity shifts
• Tag Tammy in your takeaways and let her know what part of the episode hit home for you

Title: Unmasking Why Taking the Mask Off is Essential for Our Mental Health

Episode Description:

In this deeply vulnerable episode of Unmasking the Heart for Change, Tammy opens up about one of the hardest seasons of her life — a time when depression, grief, empty-nesting, and isolation collided during the darkest months of the year.

She shares the story of an October hotel bathroom, the moment she told herself “enough is enough,” and how that night became the turning point between giving up and choosing to live differently.

This isn’t a polished, pretty version of mental health.

It’s raw, honest, faith-filled, and real.

Tammy invites you to look at the masks you’ve been wearing — the strong one, the fixer, the “I’m fine” performer — and gently consider what might change if you finally set them down.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why the darker months and holiday season can intensify our mental health struggles
• How years of pretending and people-pleasing contributed to Tammy’s depression
• The hotel bathroom moment where she drew a line “in concrete,” not sand
• What it really costs us to keep wearing the mask
• Why unmasking isn’t just symbolic — it’s a mental health necessity
• The power of telling the real, unpolished truth out loud
• How vulnerability becomes a permission slip and a lifeline for others
• The first tangible step Tammy took: buying a physical mask as a daily reminder
• Four practical steps that helped her begin healing after unmasking:
  • Listening and observing her emotions before reacting
  • Giving herself permission not to respond
  • Silently releasing “energy vampires” and staying true to her character
  • Protecting her peace at all costs through healthy boundaries

Reflection Question:

Journal it. Pray over it. If you feel safe, share it with someone you trust — or send it to Tammy. Your unmasking might be the encouragement someone else needs to start their own healing journey.

✨ Links & Resources

• Join the Facebook group: Unmasking Purpose
• Visit the website & join the mailing list: www.unmaskingchange.com
• Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform

✨ Connect with Tammy

Instagram: @unmaskingchange
Podcast: Unmasking the Heart for Change
Facebook Community: Unmasking Purpose

Episode: Unmasking Purpose: Stepping Into What’s Next

Episode Air Date: Monday – 11 AM CST
Podcast: Unmasking the Heart for Change
Host: Tammy Winstead

✨ Episode Overview

In this deeply personal and transformative episode, Tammy unpacks what it means to step into a new season of life — even when the shift feels unfamiliar, uncomfortable, or unclear.

“Unmasking Purpose” explores the transition between who you’ve been and who you’re becoming, and why 2026 is the year we collectively lean into purpose.

Tammy shares her own story from 2019, a season of unexpected redirection that opened the door to entrepreneurship and reshaped her understanding of purpose. She breaks down the signs you may be outgrowing an old version of yourself, what redirection really means, and how to navigate the hallway between endings and beginnings.

This episode is an invitation to walk boldly — or even shakily — into your next chapter.

✨ Inside This Episode:

• The moment when “nothing is wrong” but “nothing feels right”
• How discomfort is often the first signal of growth
• Why purpose begins with internal shifts, not external ones
• Tammy’s 2019 turning point and the lesson of redirection
• The three quiet signs you’re entering a new chapter
• Why 2026 is the Year of Unmasking Purpose
• The deeper conversations and bonus content coming next year
• How the new Facebook community Unmasking Purpose will guide listeners through their own journey
• A powerful reminder that you don’t have to step into purpose alone

✨ Key Takeaways

• Purpose unfolds in pieces — not as a fully formed plan
• Feeling misaligned isn’t failure; it’s transition
• Growth often sounds like discomfort before it feels like clarity
• You are not behind — you are being repositioned
• Walking into purpose doesn’t require perfection, only the next step
• You have a seat at every table Tammy sits at — and you’re invited to walk the journey alongside her

✨ Links & Resources

• Join the Facebook group: Unmasking Purpose
• Visit the website & join the mailing list: www.unmaskingchange.com
• Listen to Episode 17 — Unmasking the Power of One Word
• Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform

✨ Connect with Tammy

Instagram: @unmaskingchange
Podcast: Unmasking the Heart for Change
Facebook Community: Unmasking Purpose

Episode Title: Unmasking Purpose Through the Delta Leadership Academy

Episode Summary

In this deeply personal and long overdue episode, host Tammy Winstead pulls back the curtain on the transformational journey that reshaped her leadership, restored her voice, and sparked the creation of Unmasking the Heart for Change.

From childhood storytelling to walking away from the microphone for over a decade, Tammy shares the raw, unpolished truth about confidence, healing, purpose, and finding herself again through the Arkansas Delta Women’s Leadership Academy.

This episode dives into:

• The childhood “training ground” where Tammy first learned the power of storytelling
• The season of life that led her to walk away from the stage—and why she stayed away for 15 years
• The mentor who spoke life into her future long before she could see it
• The mindset shift that opened new doors without forcing them
• The lie she told herself that almost kept her out of the leadership program
• The lie others told her that she believed for far too long (“You’re too much…”)
• The moment a classmate spoke healing words that helped her reclaim her identity
• How emotional intelligence training reshaped her internal world
• The birth of the podcast as her leadership service project
• A reminder that sometimes you’re not “too much”—you were just in rooms that were too small

This episode also includes Tammy’s full graduation class remarks at the end, giving listeners a true glimpse of the heart, purpose, and power behind this life-changing program.

If you’ve ever wrestled with feeling unqualified, “too much,” not enough, or unsure whether you belong in bigger rooms—this episode is for you.

💛 Key Takeaways

• Your story is shaping you for the rooms you’re meant to stand in
• Emotions are data—don’t dismiss what rises
• “Too much” is often a sign your gifts were placed in small spaces
• Healing often begins when you stop forcing doors and start following nudges
• Confidence is built through showing up scared but willing
• Choosing yourself can change everything
• Leadership isn’t about performing—it’s about unmasking and growing
• 
  

📌 Leadership Program Registration

The NEA Regional Leadership Accelerator Academy is now accepting applications.
Registration closes Friday 11/21/25 at 5PM CST!

If this episode stirred something in you… it may be your time.

🔗 Apply Here: NEA Regional Leadership Accelerator Academy

What you need to apply:

• Resume
• Professional Reference Letter
• Personal Reference Letter

Next year, the program expands to include both women and men, opening new doors for more leaders across the Delta to grow.

✨ Episode Quote

“You’re not too much. You were just in rooms that were too small.”

🔗 Connect With Us

🧡 If This Episode Spoke to You…

Please consider:

• Leaving a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review
• Sharing this episode with a friend
• Posting your biggest takeaway using #UnmaskingChange
• Tagging Tammy in your thoughts + reflections

Your voice helps encourage others to unmask theirs.

Episode Summary:
In this heart-opening episode of Unmasking the Heart for Change, host Tammy Winstead sits down with Lauryn Tacker, Vice President of Ag for Autism, to explore how agriculture and advocacy are coming together to transform lives across rural Arkansas.

From funding communication iPads that give nonverbal children a voice, to creating sensory-friendly classrooms and community events that unite families, Ag for Autism is sowing seeds of change and compassion where they’re needed most.

Lauryn shares her personal journey as a mom raising a child with autism — the challenges, the triumphs, and the “why” behind her mission to ensure that no family feels left behind just because of where they live. Together, Tammy and Lauryn unmask how community, faith, and determination can turn acres of farmland into fields of hope. 🌻

Listen in to hear:
💚 How Ag for Autism grew from three ag companies into a community-wide movement
💚 Lauryn’s story of motherhood, advocacy, and faith through her son’s autism journey
💚 The life-changing moment when a sister said, “I can’t wait to talk to my sister for the first time”
💚 The power of sensory rooms, iPads, and inclusive events in small towns
💚 What’s next for Ag for Autism — including a podcast, safety partnerships, and expansion into rural

Delta communities

Connect with Ag for Autism:
🌐 Website: agforautism.org
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/AgForAutism

Connect with Tammy:
🎧 Unmasking the Heart for Change Podcast
💬 Facebook + Instagram: @UnmaskingChange

Quote from the Episode:

Empowering Tomorrow: The Launch of the Blytheville Youth Council

Description:
In this heartfelt episode of Unmasking the Heart for Change, host Tammy Winstead unveils a powerful new initiative — The Blytheville Youth Council, a collaborative program designed to inspire, equip, guide, and mentor the next generation of leaders in partnership with Mayor Melisa Logan and the Daddy Lacy Project.

As Blytheville stands at a pivotal moment in its story, the Youth Council represents more than a program — it’s a movement to give our young people a voice, connect them with mentors, and bridge the gap between youth passion and city purpose.

Tammy shares how the vision came to life, the mission and structure behind the council, and how local mentors and businesses can get involved. From civic engagement to hands-on leadership development, the Blytheville Youth Council is preparing students to lead, serve, and transform their community — one heart-to-heart at a time.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How the idea for the Blytheville Youth Council began
• The four pillars that define its mission: Empower, Equip, Guide, Mentor
• What makes mentorship the heartbeat of this program
• Examples of youth-driven project ideas
• How local leaders, mentors, and businesses can help empower tomorrow

Key Quote:
“Legacy isn’t what we leave for people — it’s what we leave in them.”

Call to Action:
💖 Interested in becoming a mentor or supporter?
Click for the Mentor Application
Click for the Blytheville Youth Council Application

Donate:
CashApp: $Daddylacyproject1
PayPal: daddylacyproject22@gmail.com

Click here to learn more about The Daddy Lacy Project

Episode Title: Unmasking the Bruises - Healing After the Hurt with Author & Advocate Brandie Maddox

Guest: Brandie Maddox, HR Leader • Trauma Survivor • Community Advocate • Author of After the Bruises Fade

Host: Tammy Winstead
Podcast: Unmasking the Heart for Change
Theme: Domestic Violence Awareness & Healing

Episode Summary:
In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Tammy sits down with Brandie Maddox, a trauma survivor and HR professional whose courage to speak out has inspired countless others to begin their healing journeys. Through her book After the Bruises Fade, Brandi opens up about surviving abuse, reclaiming her voice, and learning that healing doesn’t begin with perfection—it begins with honesty.

Together, Tammy and Brandie explore what it means to rebuild after trauma, the myths surrounding healing, and how compassion and leadership rooted in humanity can shift entire workplace cultures. This episode will move you, challenge you, and remind you that silence doesn’t bring peace—truth does.

Key Takeaways:
💜 Healing isn’t linear—it’s layered, uncomfortable, and deeply human.
💜 Real strength is allowing yourself to break, feel, rest, and rebuild.
💜 Forgiveness isn’t the finish line—it’s a daily choice toward peace.
💜 Leadership rooted in empathy and authenticity changes lives.
💜 Sometimes the most powerful gift we can give is our presence.

Mentioned in this Episode:

• After the Bruises Fade by Brandie Maddox
• Families in Transition (Domestic Violence Shelter)
• Workforce Development Board – creating opportunities for healing and purpose
• ACE Scores (Adverse Childhood Experiences)
• Employee Assistance Programs and mental health in the workplace

Connect with Brandi:
📚 Order After the Bruises Fade

🏡 Support Families in Transition — domestic violence shelter

Connect with the Show:
💬 Facebook & Instagram: @UnmaskingChange

🎙 Share your story or apply to be a guest → Guest Application
⭐ Don’t forget to subscribe, rate & review — every share helps another heart find us.