Uncorking a Story Podcast

Uncorking a Story

Hosted ByMike Carlon

Stories influence, teach and inspire us, but what about the storytellers who create them? Uncorking a Story profiles storytellers to uncover how their background and life experiences influence the stories they create. We learn what motivates them, their path to success, and what fuels them to keep creating. It all starts by asking one simple question, where does your story begin? Welcome to uncorking a story. All of the books promoted on Uncorking a Story can be viewed and purchased here: https://bookshop.org/shop/UncorkingaStory

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Healing, Class, and Coming Home with Leigh Shalloway

March 24, 2026 MPN Uncorking a Story 0 Comments
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“The story came out of me when it was supposed to come out of me—after living a whole life.” – Leigh Shalloway

In this episode of Uncorking a Story, Mike Carlon sits down with novelist and holistic care practitioner Leigh Shalloway to explore the long, winding journey behind her debut novel, Journey Back to You. From a third‑grade writing setback to decades of professional work in psychology, hospice care, and healing touch, Leigh shares how lived experience, perseverance, and compassion shaped both her voice as a writer and the emotional depth of her story. Together, they discuss class divides, family systems, grief, love, and what it truly means to come home to yourself.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Stories sometimes wait for us to be ready. Leigh’s novel emerged decades after its first seed was planted—only after life experience gave her the depth it required. 
  2. Resilience is one of a writer’s greatest characteristics. From harsh editorial feedback to vision loss and countless rewrites, perseverance made publication possible. 
  3. Fiction and psychology are deeply intertwined. Leigh’s background in counseling and school psychology informs her nuanced portrayal of family systems, trauma, and growth. 
  4. Class divides still shape American communities. Journey Back to You uses a Pennsylvania steel town to explore “haves” and “have-nots” with empathy and realism.
  5. Hospice work teaches us how to live. Bearing witness at the end of life deepened Leigh’s understanding of humanity, grief, and connection. 
  6. Publishing doesn’t have one right path. Leigh chose a hybrid publishing model to get her story into the world—and keep writing the next ones.
  7. Healing is both personal and communal. The novel’s central journey mirrors Leigh’s belief that growth happens through relationships, not in isolation. 

Buy Journey Back to You

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4rJ6sMr

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9798897470181

Connect with Leigh

Website: https://www.hilltownseries.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leighshalloway/

Connect with Mike

Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@uncorkingastory

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory

Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/

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#JourneyBackToYou #AuthorInterview #WomenWriters #HealingThroughStory #RomancePlus #WritingLife #DebutNovel #ClassAndCommunity

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