Dear Sunny

Tessa is joined by author and advocate Kimberly Blackburn. Kimberly shares her story of abuse, deceit, and trauma - how it all began and how she broke the cycle. After stifling her voice and story for years and years, the Universe said ‘it’s time’ by seating her on a plan next to a woman who worked for a major publishing company. Her story spilled out which led her on a new chapter of healing and helping others do the same. In her ...

This week Tessa shares the story of how she ended up in jail on Valentines Day several years ago. This experience was also the first time she heard the word narcissist and taught her several lessons - jail isn’t always like the movies, we are capable of a lot more than we think (especially when our feet are to the flames), family is everything, and you have so much to be grateful for. To round out the episode, Tessa has her mom, Va...

This week Tessa is joined by the founders of Girls Mentorship, Jill and Mary. Back in August of 2020, Jill and Mary had a moment of reflection wondering “what would our younger selves have achieved if they had the personal growth tools we have now?” Everywhere they looked, they saw young girls grappling with confidence issues, battling negative self-talk, wrestling with poor self-image, and navigating the tricky waters of anxiety a...

This week Tessa is joined by Lindsey Schwartz of Powerhouse Women. Lindsey is an entrepreneur, investor, top podcast host, and the founder of Powerhouse Women where she is fiercely committed to supporting other women through mentorship, group events, and community building. She mentors women and girls of all ages—from high achieving entrepreneurs to high school students. After seeing numerous women in her life stop short of pursuin...

In this episode, I’m joined by clothing and style analyst, Risa Kostis. When Risa set out to create a styling business, she had no idea that it would revolve way more around the people than the articles of clothing or the latest handbag trends. Risa’s true purpose in life is to help women build confidence through her ability to authentically coach them on how to dress and the work she does through not only her style consulting but ...

This week on Dear Sunny I’m joined by Licensed Professional Counselor and Life Coach Irene Jacobs to discuss the complex topic of trauma bonds in toxic relationships. Irene has over 15 years of experience as a therapist serving couples, families, and individuals and specializes in sex addiction, love addiction, relationship and intimacy issues, anxiety, depression, complex trauma, addiction, chemical dependency, victims of domestic...

This week on Dear Sunny, I share a captivating conversation with Carly Gilleland. Carly is an inspiring storyteller and founder of The Good Vibe Media as well as a mother, daughter, sister, and community builder just to name a few of her titles. After graduating from CSU Long Beach in 2011 with a degree in Film and Media Studies and Minors in Marketing and Journalism, Carly knew she wanted to build a business telling stories that i...

This week I’m hosting my first guest! She’s a mentor, mother, wife, friend, entrepreneur, mindset coach, spin instructor, podcast host and walking living breathing ray of sunshine, Brittny King. Brittny helps high achieving women lean into their careers, work less, play more, and celebrate success along the way. She herself has felt stuck, uninspired, and devitalized but through self-reflection and inner work has made it to the oth...

Welcome back to the Dear Sunny Podcast! 

In this episode Tessa is sharing all about the dark world of toxic relationships as well as how to recognize, understand, and begin to heal from them. She dives deeper into her personal journey with toxic relationships in hopes that if you are or have experienced a toxic relationship(s) you can hopefully feel less alone and be positively impacted in your own healing and recovery.

Tessa candidl...

Trigger Warning 

This episode discusses challenging subjects, including eating disorders, domestic violence, planned miscarriage and addiction to prescription drugs. If you find these themes uncomfortable, it's recommended to skip this episode or listen with caution while prioritizing your emotional well-being. Remember, seeking support from a mental health professional is always an option if you need assistance processing thes...