I spent a lot of years trying to grow up.

Trying to move on. Trying to reinvent myself. Trying to become the version of me that had it all figured out.

But the older I got, the more I realized the stories I was trying hardest to outgrow were the ones still shaping everything.

Like We Were Never Kids is a narrative podcast and original music series where I tell those stories out loud.

Across four decades, twenty episodes, and twenty original songs, I’m going back through childhood, grief, family, trauma, ambition, caregiving, first dreams, big losses, Nashville years, Michigan years, and all the moments that made me who I am — whether I wanted them to or not.

Some episodes are heavy. Some are funny. Some are uncomfortable. Most are all three.

Along the way, you’ll meet my family, hear the people who helped raise me, sit in basement conversations, listen to original songs written for each story, and hopefully remember pieces of your own life too.

Because this isn’t really about nostalgia.

It’s about recognition.

And maybe if we stop pretending we were never kids, we can finally understand the adults we became.

I’ll go first.

Before every chapter of Like We Were Never Kids, I want to spend a few minutes here first.

This isnt' the story.

It's the conversation before the story.

In this first "Before We Go There", I want to share why this project finally had to exist, why I stopped waiting for the perfect moment, and why I've come to believe that maybe life wasn't interrupting the story...

Maybe life was the story all along.

We also talk about where this series begins, why Episode One is called Sunset Chaser, and one small content note before you listen.

Pull up a chair.

Let's go there.

A new episode and original song every 1st Tuesday of the month, with a new "Before We Go There" released the day before. Come back the next week (every 2nd Tuesday) for a new "Basement B-Side" - an after episode conversation for connection.

Episode One begins with the why.Why this project.

Why this story. Why this song.

And why one extraordinary woman changed the trajectory of my life.

In "Sunset Chaser," I open the first chapter of Like We Were Never Kids with a story about grief, memory, mentorship, and the beauty we learn to chase before we even have language for loss.

This episode is about the people who shape us, the stories we carry, and the ways love continues to guide us long after someone is gone.

A gentle note: This episode contains conversations about grief, loss, and illness. Please take care of yourself as you listen.

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/album/4rFBfcrtvOuY844CCkuRpF?si=zgM0NpB0Rte-3qlPeQ9-Bw

Apple Music:

https://music.apple.com/us/album/sunset-chaser-single/6782677425

Amazon Music:

https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0H64CKZSN?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_azUtuxCi4Ca0vELIAiWCZ8Sak&trackAsin=B0H647HJXZ

New episodes every Tuesday.

Like We Were Never Kids is a narrative podcast and original music series created, written, and hosted by Raye Williams.

Visit RayeWilliams.com for episodes, music, videos, and more.