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