What happens when a chef decides it’s time to tell his story?

In this episode of Messy on Purpose, I sit down with Roy Black—chef, podcast host of Sippin’ and Trippin’, and now first-time author—to talk about what it really looks like to turn your life into a book before you feel fully “ready.”

Roy opens up about:

• What inspired him to finally write his first book

• The emotional experiences from his life that shaped the story

• The writing process—what surprised him and what tested him

• The hidden costs of writing and publishing that nobody warns you about

• Why telling your story is as vulnerable as it is powerful

We also pull back the curtain on podcasting—the work, consistency, and discipline it actually takes to build and maintain a show people connect with. It’s not just hitting record; it’s showing up, again and again.

And of course, the conversation wouldn’t be complete without talking about food. Roy shares his long-term dream of launching his own food truck, what that vision looks like, and why some dreams take time to simmer before they’re ready to serve.

This episode is about:🔥 Creating before you feel qualified🔥 Betting on yourself without guarantees🔥 Turning life experience into legacy🔥 And learning that the mess is usually where the story starts

If you’ve ever thought about writing a book, starting a podcast, launching a food venture—or simply putting your story out into the world—this conversation will hit home.

Because sometimes the bravest thing you can do…
is start telling your story while you’re still living it.

What does it really take to make a fight scene look believable on screen?

In this episode of Messy on Purpose, I sit down with Anthony Giovanni Elias—martial arts expert, actor, and stunt professional—to break down the fascinating intersection of martial arts and film. From teaching actors how to move for the camera to understanding why the most realistic move isn’t always the right move on screen, Anthony gives a behind-the-scenes look at the craft that most audiences never think about.

We talk about:

• The difference between real martial arts and cinematic martial arts

• Why “correct” technique doesn’t always translate on film

• Training actors to sell impact, emotion, and story—not just strikes

• What it’s really like working in the film industry as a martial arts expert

• How choreography, angles, timing, and safety shape every fight scene

This episode gets even better when Lee Cummings joins the conversation—turning what started as a creative discussion into an unexpected bromance. Two filmmakers, two very different paths, one shared obsession with storytelling, film, and making things look damn good on camera.

What unfolds is a raw, nerdy, energetic conversation about:
🎬 Film sets and creative collaboration🥋 Action storytelling🎥 Why chaos often creates the best art🤝 How creative connection can turn strangers into lifelong collaborators

This episode is proof that some of the best conversations—and partnerships—happen when you bring passionate people into the same room and let the mess unfold.

If you love film, martial arts, behind-the-scenes industry talk, or creative energy that turns into something bigger—you don’t want to miss this one.

What if your turning point doesn’t look inspiring… but it saves your life?

In this deeply honest episode of Messy on Purpose, I sit down with Andreea Tanase, founder of Heal Thrive Prosper, to talk about what healing really looks like when you’ve lived in survival mode for most of your life.

Andreea shares her story of surviving childhood emotional abuse, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence—and how years of over-giving, people-pleasing, and staying quiet “to keep the peace” nearly cost her everything. In 2017, a violent episode landed her in the hospital, and that night became her turning point. Not a glamorous one. Not a polished one. But a real one.

From there, the journey was messy. Painfully messy.

We talk about:

• How survival patterns are formed—and why they repeat until we change them

• The cost of staying silent and abandoning yourself to feel safe

• Why healing takes real work, especially in your hardest moments

• Learning to rebuild self-worth after trauma

• Breaking cycles instead of reliving them

• Why you don’t need to be “healed enough” to choose more for yourself

Andreea explains how healing isn’t about becoming someone new—it’s about remembering who you were before the world taught you to forget. Through her work, she now helps high-functioning women step out of survival mode and reclaim self-worth as a non-negotiable birthright, not something that has to be earned.

This episode is a reminder that:
✨ Your healing won’t be linear✨ Your story doesn’t have to be pretty to be powerful✨ You don’t need permission to choose yourself✨ Small, imperfect, honest decisions can rebuild an entire life

If you’ve ever felt stuck in the same patterns, questioning why things keep repeating—or wondering if it’s too late to start over—this conversation will meet you exactly where you are.

Because sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is quietly choose yourself… one honest decision at a time.

What happens when you stop betraying your intuition — and finally act on what you know?

In this unapologetically bold episode of Messy on Purpose, I sit down with Leela Black, a powerhouse entrepreneur and advocate for women backing their inner knowing — even when it costs them comfort, approval, or relationships.

Leela shares the real, messy truth of her journey:

• Walking away from her mum, her church, and her in-laws

• Choosing herself when it felt terrifying

• Acting on intuition instead of waiting for permission

• Building a business rooted in resonance, truth, and self-trust

• Turning over $100K after walking away — and $1M in revenue years later

This isn’t a story about overnight success.
It’s about acting before the evidence shows up.

We talk about:

• Why intuition isn’t “woo” — it’s data

• How projections from others keep people small

• What resonance really means in business and life

• Speaking truth to yourself so you can speak it freely everywhere else

• Why confidence is built through action, not affirmation

• How going ALL IN gives others permission to rise too

Leela is bold, passionate, and refreshingly honest about the decisions that shaped her confidence and success. Her story is proof that when you stop outsourcing your truth and start acting on your knowing, everything expands — personally, professionally, and energetically.

This episode is a reminder:
✨ You don’t need more validation.
✨ You don’t need permission.
✨ You need to trust yourself — and move.

If you’ve been feeling the pull to go all in but fear has been louder than your intuition… this one’s for you.

Parenting doesn’t come with a guidebook — until it does.

In this powerful episode of Messy on Purpose, I sit down with Siah Fried, parent coach, health educator, and family wellness advocate, for an honest conversation about breaking generational patterns while raising children in real time.

Siah grew up in a family where eating disorders, dieting, overachieving, and self-criticism were normalized — across three generations. When she started seeing those same patterns show up in her own daughter, something clicked:
the cycle had to end with her.

This episode isn’t about perfect parenting.
It’s about honest parenting.

Together, we talk about:

• What it looks like to heal your own wounds while parenting

• How pressure, achievement culture, and body image issues quietly pass through generations

• Why awareness matters more than “doing everything right”

• How to shift from fear-based parenting into curiosity and connection

• Supporting kids’ mental health around food, body image, anxiety, and performance

• Letting go of perfection and choosing compassion — for your kids and yourself

With over 20 years of experience teaching health and nutrition in clinical and educational settings, Siah blends science and soul through her evidence-based Move FORWARD™ coaching framework, helping families create calmer, more connected homes — without the overwhelm.

This conversation normalizes the mess.
Because healing doesn’t mean getting it right every time — it means doing things intentionally, compassionately, and with awareness.

🔗 Connect with Siah Fried

🌐 Website: https://siahfriedcoaching.mykajabi.com/📧 Email: siah_fried@yahoo.com📸 Instagram: @siahfriedcoach

📅 Schedule a FREE 30-minute complimentary call:Find out how you can work together to support your family’s mental health and well-being.

📚 Siah’s Parenting Guidebooks

(Available on Amazon and her website — short, practical, and evidence-based)

📘 Redefining Success for Every Child: The Family, Flow & Fit Approach to Achieving Personal Best
A roadmap for raising resilient, whole human beings — not just achievers by society’s standards. This book helps families nurture balance, well-being, and personal growth aligned with their values.

📗 This Stops Now: Shattering the Pattern of Perfection, Pressure, and Parenting on Overdrive
A powerful companion guide that helps families step out of comparison and overachievement culture, offering practical activities and reflections to build connection, clarity, and calm.

💬 One parent shared:

“I had so many parenting books gathering dust on my shelf, but this one was totally different. It’s short, impactful, and incredibly practical. I started using the strategies immediately — and even other caregivers picked it up and started applying them too.”

Is AI killing creativity — or exposing just how creative we’ve always been?

In this episode of Messy on Purpose, I sit down with my friend Lee Cummings — film producer, director, videographer, and photographer — for an honest, grounded conversation about creativity in the age of AI.

There’s a lot of fear out there.
A lot of resistance.
And a lot of misunderstanding.

We break it all down.

Lee and I talk about how AI isn’t here to replace artists or creators, but to enhance ideas, expand creative capacity, and remove unnecessary friction in the creative process. When used intentionally, AI becomes a tool, not a threat — one that can help creatives experiment more freely, think bigger, and bring ideas to life faster than ever before.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why AI doesn’t make creativity “lazy” — it makes it more accessible

• How filmmakers, photographers, and creators can actually use AI ethically

• The difference between replacing creativity and amplifying it

• Why fear usually shows up right before innovation

• How tools have always evolved — and creativity evolves with them

• Why intention still matters more than technology

This isn’t hype.
It’s not doom-and-gloom either.

It’s a real conversation between two creatives who understand that art has always changed with the tools available — and AI is just the next one.

If you’re a creator, entrepreneur, artist, or someone feeling torn between curiosity and fear about AI… this episode will shift your perspective.

🎧 Creativity isn’t disappearing — it’s expanding.

What happens when the person who was supposed to protect you becomes the source of your deepest wounds?

In this week’s episode of Messy on Purpose, I’m joined by Mary Fields, a woman whose story is equal parts heartbreaking and incredibly inspiring. Mary grew up in extreme abuse, bounced between children’s shelters, and at just 12 years old, her mother left her alone in a house to raise herself.

Her childhood was chaos. Survival. Silence.
And yet—she didn’t stay there.

As an adult, Mary was diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), became a mother, and made a choice to break every generational pattern she grew up in. But nothing prepared her for the emotional storm that came two years ago when her father passed away, leaving her—his only next of kin—to handle everything.

Grief didn’t just bring pain.
It brought memories, truths, old wounds, and the voice of a very hurt inner child she had carried for decades.

Instead of letting it destroy her, Mary turned it into purpose.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What it’s like to be abandoned as a child and still grow up to lead with compassion

• The way grief can reopen childhood trauma — and how to navigate it

• Understanding DID and how it shaped her healing

• How becoming a mom gave her the strength to break generational cycles

• The moment she realized her story needed to become a book

• Why leading with kindness is the foundation of her healing, her motherhood, and her work

Mary’s story is raw, honest, and deeply human.
It’s a reminder that even the most painful beginnings can lead to the most beautiful transformations — and that kindness is not weakness. It’s courage.

If you’ve ever battled your past, struggled with grief, or tried to become the person you needed growing up… this episode will stay with you.

Connect with Mary:Author account - IG @authormaryfields Tiktok @authormaryfields Website: www.authormaryfields.comFor The Merry AssistantIG @merryassistantSubstack: https://substack.com/@authormaryfields

In this episode of Messy on Purpose, Tim shares how that breaking point led him to invest everything—literally—to understand his mind, his emotions, and ultimately, himself. From flying to America on a $10,000 loan to learn from Tony Robbins, to spending over $65,000 on mastery with leaders like Eckhart Tolle, Richard Bandler, and Blair Singer… Tim rebuilt who he was from the inside out.

Now he teaches men The Emotional Reset Method™—a powerful framework that helps them understand that emotions aren’t happening to them, they’re happening because of them… and they can be transformed.

We dive into:

• The moment he realized emotional strength isn’t weakness—it’s power

• Why so many men suffer silently and don’t know how to ask for help

• The tools that helped him overcome depression and panic attacks

• How men can rebuild themselves after heartbreak, loss, or failure

• What emotional intelligence looks like in real life—not theory

• His mission to help men stop living in numbness and start actually living again

This episode is raw, eye-opening, and absolutely necessary—whether you’re a man who’s struggling, someone who loves one, or someone who wants a deeper understanding of emotional healing.

If you’ve ever felt like you had to “handle it alone”… this conversation will remind you that you don’t.

Find Tim Here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theemotionalreset/