081 - When a Song Becomes a Mirror

This week’s episode came together in one of my favorite ways. Quietly. Unexpectedly. In the middle of an ordinary morning.

I had committed to recording weekly, and once I said that out loud, my brain clearly took the assignment seriously. By Monday morning, I already knew what I wanted to talk about. All because of a song that came on while my son was making breakfast.

I hadn’t heard Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield in years. Standing in the kitchen, listening to those lyrics, I felt like the song was reflecting my own life back to me. The idea that we are unwritten. That tomorrow is undefined. That the pen is in our hands.

That moment tied together so many things I’ve been talking about lately. Intentional living. Personal responsibility. Choosing how we act and react. Letting go of old scripts that no longer fit.

I share how that song connects to the book I’m writing, Unscripted Becoming. A story about breaking up with expectations placed on me by family, culture, church, and even my past self. I also reflect on what it means to allow mistakes, to learn through failure, and why growth almost always happens when things do not go according to plan.

Along the way, I revisit a moment from my daughter’s childhood that completely reframed how I think about failure. I talk about how our reactions today are often shaped by experiences from much earlier in life. I even wander into a long-held story about horses, fear, and how understanding changes everything.

This episode is really about agency. About recognizing that life circumstances will happen, but how we respond is always within our control. The story is still being written, and we get to choose the next line.

If this episode resonated with you, I would truly love to hear your thoughts. If you want to talk about any of this, you can email me at stephanie@stephanieravenscraft.com. I would be honored to hold that space and have that conversation with you.

Until next time, live your life on purpose.