Welcome to Week One of the Out Loud 21 Challenge with your host, Leyah Sunshine. This week is all about self-awareness and personal growth — tuning in, checking in, and being real with yourself.

 Here’s your 7-day challenge lineup:
1️⃣ Daily Check-In – Write or record how you really feel today, no filters.
2️⃣ Trigger Tracker – Notice one thing that irritates you today and explore why.
3️⃣ Truth Mirror – Say out loud one thing you’ve been avoiding admitting to yourself.
4️⃣ Self-Love Snapshot – Take a photo of yourself feeling comfortable, not perfect.
5️⃣ Gratitude Twist – Name three things you love about your own personality.
6️⃣ Boundary Audit – Identify one area where you need stronger boundaries.
7️⃣ Music Therapy – Play a song that matches your mood and reflect on it.

📲 Share your journey using #OutLoud21 and follow along on all platforms: @sunshineproject2.0 and Out Loud & In Progress. This week is about starting with you. Let’s get real, grow, and do it together — out loud and in progress. 🌞✨

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/out-loud-and-in-progress--6675328/support.

🌞 This is Out Loud & In Progress with L. Sunshine. 

✨ Let’s keep the conversation going — follow Out Loud & In Progress on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

✨ Want to support the podcast? Tap into Patreon – L. Sunshine After Dark or Spreaker Podcast Support
✨ Connect with me personally — follow Leyah Sunshine:

• 🎥 TikTok: @sunshineproject2.0
• 📸 Instagram: @sunshineproject2.0
• ▶️ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@sunshinetwo.0

In this episode of Out Loud and In Progress, host L Sunshine explores the profound impact of social media on our lives, from shaping our self-worth to influencing our relationships and how we cope with grief. She discusses the algorithm's role in curating our online experiences, the importance of mindful posting, and the need to take control of our digital presence. Leyah also highlights the positive aspects of social media, such as community building and reconnecting with loved ones, while emphasizing the importance of protecting our mental health in the digital age.

Takeaways

• The algorithm knows you better than some friends.
• Social media shapes our moods and choices.
• It's easy to forget you're comparing behind the scenes.
• Social media changes how we deal with disagreements.
• We have to be careful about what we post.
• Likes can turn into a measuring stick for self-worth.
• Social media has its blessings too.
• You can find people who get you and support you.
• Pause before you post, especially with sensitive topics.
• Protect your mind, protect your peace.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/out-loud-and-in-progress--6675328/support.

🌞 This is Out Loud & In Progress with L. Sunshine. 

✨ Let’s keep the conversation going — follow Out Loud & In Progress on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

✨ Want to support the podcast? Tap into Patreon – L. Sunshine After Dark or Spreaker Podcast Support
✨ Connect with me personally — follow Leyah Sunshine:

• 🎥 TikTok: @sunshineproject2.0
• 📸 Instagram: @sunshineproject2.0
• ▶️ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@sunshinetwo.0

✨ The Out Loud 21 Challenge ✨ 

Leyah Sunshine announces something new and exciting — the Out Loud 21 Challenge! Starting September 1st, this 21-day journey is all about connection, growth, and real talk. For three weeks, Leyah will post 7 weekly actions designed to help us check in with ourselves, build stronger connections, and keep moving forward — Out Loud and in Progress. 

👉 How to join:

• Follow Out Loud & In Progress on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
• Complete each week’s 7 prompts
• Share your journey using #OutLoud21

This isn’t just a challenge — it’s a community doing the work together. Will you take the challenge? 🌞✨

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/out-loud-and-in-progress--6675328/support.

🌞 This is Out Loud & In Progress with L. Sunshine. 

✨ Let’s keep the conversation going — follow Out Loud & In Progress on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

✨ Want to support the podcast? Tap into Patreon – L. Sunshine After Dark or Spreaker Podcast Support
✨ Connect with me personally — follow Leyah Sunshine:

• 🎥 TikTok: @sunshineproject2.0
• 📸 Instagram: @sunshineproject2.0
• ▶️ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@sunshinetwo.0

Getting a new heart isn’t the end of the story, it’s just the beginning of a whole new chapter. In this episode, my husband Kelvin and I open up about the realities of life after transplant that don’t always make it into the medical brochures: the emotional rollercoaster, the daily adjustments, the gratitude mixed with grief, and the strength it takes to carry both survival and identity in the same body. This is more than a medical journey, it’s a human one. Tune in as we share the lessons, challenges, and raw truths of living with a new heart but the same soul. 

Subscribe on Patreon for L Sunshine After Dark
This is where we dim the lights, pour the drinks, and talk about all the things I can’t always say in public. This is a safe, no-judgment space where we laugh, get deep, and maybe spill a little tea.I’m so glad you’re here… now let’s go there — After Dark. 💋

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/out-loud-and-in-progress--6675328/support.

Sometimes control feels like safety.
We try to manage every detail—of our relationships, our friendships, our jobs, even our kids—thinking it will keep us from getting hurt or make everything “turn out right.”
But the truth? That constant need to control can leave you drained, disconnected, and living in survival mode. In this episode of Out Loud and In Progress, I’m opening up about:

• Why control is often just fear dressed up as “help”
• How over-controlling shows up beyond love—at work, in friendships, and in parenting
• My own journey of letting go of the “I can do it better” mindset
• How stepping back can actually build trust, connection, and growth
• Practical ways to loosen your grip without losing yourself

If you’ve been carrying the weight of trying to hold everything together, this conversation is your reminder: you can say less, trust more, and protect your peace without shutting down your heart. 🎧 Press play and let’s talk about the power of letting go. Follow the podcast on Instagram and Facebbok: @outloudandinprogressShare your thoughts using #OutLoudAndInProgress

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/out-loud-and-in-progress--6675328/support.

🎧 Episode: Where My Friends At?
Grown-Up Friendships, the Struggle to Keep Them, and Why It Feels So Lonely Sometimes Let’s talk about it — friendship in adulthood is not giving what it used to. Between careers, caregiving, burnout, and changing values, many of us are wondering… where are our people? In this episode of Out Loud and In Progress, we’re naming the real reasons adult friendships are so hard to find — and even harder to keep. Whether you’re missing your crew, trying to find your people, or figuring out how to be a better friend in this season of life, this one’s for you. Tap in and let’s talk real. Because grown-up friendship is hard… but it’s still sacred.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/out-loud-and-in-progress--6675328/support.

In this episode, I’m joined by the one and only Tee Diamond to unpack a question that hits deep in so many relationships—are you really listening, or just waiting for your turn to talk? We’re getting real about what active listening actually looks like, how we’ve fumbled it (yes, us too), and what it means to create space where both people feel heard, not just responded to. From miscommunication to defensiveness, and learning how to pause instead of pounce—we cover it all with honesty and a little laughter. Whether you’re trying to level up your communication in friendships, relationships, or family dynamics, this episode might just help you shift from reacting to truly understanding. Tune in. Let’s grow… Out Loud and In Progress.

Ever try to open up to someone and they immediately jump into fix-it mode? Sometimes, the most powerful thing we can offer our loved ones isn’t advice or a solution, it’s presence. In this episode, we’re talking about what it really means to hold space for someone, to be a soft place for them to land when the world feels too heavy. I share personal insights and real-life moments that show the difference between being handled and being held. This one’s for the folks who crave emotional safety… and for the ones who want to learn how to offer it better. Let’s normalize care that feels like connection, not control.

Welcome to Out Loud & In Progress with L. Sunshine. A space where truth meets tenderness, and healing isn’t hidden behind a filter. In this first episode, L. Sunshine opens the mic and her heart to share the journey that brought her here, the moment that sparked this podcast, and the deep need for a space like this. This isn’t a show about perfection—it’s about real life, real love, real loss, and all the layered moments in between. Whether you’re navigating grief, growing through heartbreak, or just trying to find your footing in a world that won’t slow down, this space is for you. No pretending. No polish. Just honesty, softness, and bold beginnings. So pull up a seat, bring your whole self, and take a breath. This is where we begin.

Get to know your host L. Sunshine as we kick off Out Loud & In Progress. Here’s what the podcast is all about, what inspired it, and why we’re doing the work—out loud.