25-40. Gift of Another Year


Sara’s View of Life with Sara Troy, on air from October 7th

Well, when this show airs, I’ll have just turned seventy-one, the big 71, entering my seventh decade. It’s just a number, really, one that’s shaped more by attitude than years. Still, considering my father died at forty-five and others I’ve known have left this world far too early, I see each birthday as a privilege. I’ve survived another year, and I hope to see many more ahead.

As I look back across these seven decades, at all I’ve done, where I’ve been, what I’ve achieved, and even the “why did I do that” moments , I carry forward the good memories and leave the rest behind. Life is full, and I am blessed. My days are busy with podcasting, sharing extraordinary stories from around the world, and now, as a grandmother awaiting the birth of another grandchild, my heart is full of love and anticipation. Between the shows, the babies, and the books, my schedule is bursting, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Turning another year older only deepens my gratitude. I’ve signed a contract with the universe to keep doing this work for as long as I can see, hear, and talk, hopefully well into my nineties! The universe, of course, has its own plans, but I follow its guidance with joy. I’m proud of the books I’ve helped bring into the world — Our Forgotten Children, Liberate Your True Self, The Discovery of Self, and the next, Our Forgotten Seniors. Each one carries stories of wisdom, courage, and hope.

Age, I’ve learned, isn’t a decline; it’s an accumulation of knowledge, of grace, of purpose. The aches and pains come, but passion fuels me past them. I find inspiration in people in their sixties, seventies, eighties, even nineties, still living their dreams, still shining their light. They remind me that joy and purpose are the true youth elixirs.

So, don’t let age or limitations stop you. Share your story, your lessons, your laughter. Listen to your body, honor your energy, and live from the inside out. Let your wisdom serve others. Growing older is not something to fear, it’s something to celebrate. It’s a privilege to be here, to love, to create, to witness new generations rise, and to still have dreams that call us forward.

To everyone out there, whether it’s your birthday or simply another beautiful day, remember that every sunrise is a new birth, a new beginning. Live it fully, love it deeply, and keep sharing your light with the world.



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AMAZON


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RGC25-39. Fiona and Molly McIntosh. U Shape Us


Raising Our Gifted Children with Sara Troy and her guests Fiona & Molly McIntosh, on air from September 30th

U Shape Us: The power of imagination to turn ideas into friendships

So many of our children carry creative gifts that go unseen. I first noticed this with my daughter Molly, when we used a simple imagination game to help her make friends. From that moment grew U Shape Us—our mother–daughter social enterprise creating playful imagination games to spark creativity, connection, and belonging across generations. Each time a child shares an idea and sees it welcomed, it builds self-esteem and the deeper belief: “I am someone whose ideas matter. I am creative.” Parents, grandparents, and teachers often tell us they’ve discovered a new side of their children through these games, as ideas turn into friendships and voices are heard. At its heart, our message is simple: you belong where your ideas are welcomed.



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Molly and her mum Fiona McIntosh co-founded U Shape Us, a social enterprise based in Canberra, Australia using imagination games to build belonging. What began when Molly was just six years old—with a simple game that helped her make friends during a difficult time—has grown into games now reaching families, schools, and communities across the world. Today, Molly plays an active role in shaping and running the enterprise, bringing fresh creativity, lived experience, and the voice of a young person showing what it means to belong. Fiona, a solo mum with a background in human services, community development and inclusion, works alongside Molly to bring the games to life and share them widely. Together, they are proving how simple, playful ideas can ripple out to create lasting confidence, connection and community.

20 sec version : Fiona and her daughter Molly McIntosh are the co-founders of U Shape Us, a social enterprise from Canberra, Australia. What started when Molly was six years old as a simple game to help her make friends has now grown into imagination-based card games reaching families, schools, and communities around the world. Together, they’re proving how playful ideas can spark creativity, build confidence, and turn ideas into friendships.

www.ushapeus.com.au

www.instagram.com/ushape_us

www.linkedin.com/in/fiona-mcintosh-

facebook.com/ushapeus22

https://linktr.ee/ushapeus


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All of our shows/interviews are done by donation; if you enjoyed this show, please support us here with either a one-time donation or subscribe and support. Thank you. Please support Our Forgotten Seniors anthology and help to bring this book to awareness.


BB25-35. Donna Kunde. The Influencers Formula®


Building your business with Sara Troy and her guest Donna Kunde, on air from September 1st.

I spent over half a century as the lead role in my own silent film. I was raised to be seen and not heard, and along the way, I attracted some toxic relationships as a result. That experience shaped my mission: to help others break free from silence and step fully into their voice. I believe the world is already searching for you—your voice, your story, and the way only you can tell it. That’s why I help mission-driven podcasters, authors, and creators amplify their message and build sustainable businesses using the power of audio. Through strategic systems like the Podcast Profit System™, Influence Radio™ Network, and The Influencers Formula®, I guide experienced experts to stop hiding and start showing up with clarity, consistency, and confidence. If your voice is the story only you can tell, my mission is to help the right people hear it.



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Donna Kunde is the co-author of the internationally best-selling book The Influencers Formula® and founder of the Influence Radio™ Network. She began her journey as a professional musician in the U.S. Army, where she learned the discipline of performance and the power of connection through sound. For over half a century, she lived as the lead role in her own silent film—raised to be seen and not heard, often attracting toxic relationships as a result. That silence became the catalyst for her life’s work: helping others claim their voice and use it with purpose.

Along the way, Donna became a certified music therapist, integrative healing arts practitioner, and hypnotherapist—adding depth and compassion to her approach. In 2016, she joined the John Maxwell Team as a certified leadership coach, further sharpening her ability to guide others into influence and impact. Today, she helps entrepreneurs and creators turn podcasts into platforms that generate real results. Behind the microphone, she’s a grounded strategist and mentor with a heart for helping others be seen, be heard, and be easy to follow—without the hype or burnout. Off air, you’ll find her reflecting, writing, and living her message with the intention.

Free Gift: The Influence Matrix™ Workbook

A powerful tool to clarify your message, define your impact zones, and align your content with your business goals. Perfect for podcasters, authors, and creators ready to amplify their voice with intention.? https://www.thepodcastprofitplaybook.com/workbook


www.donnakunde.com

https://www.influenceradio.network

https://podcastprofitsystem.com

www.linkedin.com/in/donnakunde

www.linkedin.com/company/podcast-profit-system

www.linkedin.com/company/influence-radio-network

www.linkedin.com/company/the-influencers-formula


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All of our shows/interviews are done by donation; if you enjoyed this show, please support us here with either a one-time donation or subscribe and support. Thank you. Please support Our Forgotten Seniors anthology and help to bring this book to awareness.


SE25-35. Sue William Silverman’s Mercy of the Reader


Sensual Expression with Sara Troy and her guest Sue William Silverman, on air from September 2nd

The award-winning voice behind Love Sick:  One Woman’s Journey Through Sexual Addiction (which was adapted into a Lifetime movie) and How to Survive Death and Other Inconvenience now new book Selected Misdemeanors: Essays at the Mercy of the Reader, Sue Williams Silverman.

A master of metaphor and a longtime teacher of creative nonfiction, Silverman uses each essay in Selected Misdemeanors to reveal a kind of emotional misdemeanor—a misstep, a moment of contradiction, a wound we give ourselves while yearning for something more.

In this collection of flash nonfiction “misdemeanors,” she explores small yet shimmering moments where home and belonging weave themselves through life’s contradictions. The brevity of the flash form allows her to capture meaning with precision—each piece a distillation of memory, metaphor, and subtle irony. She chose this form for its ability to hold something so short yet resonant, a space where metaphor deepens the emotional truth and irony reveals the complexity of human experience. These stories often pivot on contradictions—those universal tensions we all contain—and invite readers to see themselves within them. As she says, “I never wanted to drink crème de menthe, I just wanted to admire it. Some things are better left imagined,” a line that reflects both the restraint and the richness at the heart of her storytelling.



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Silverman is best known for Love Sick: One Woman’s Journey Through Sexual Addiction, which was adapted into a Lifetime movie, and Because I Remember Terror, Father, I Remember You, winner of the AWP Award for Creative Nonfiction. Her previous book, How to Survive Death and Other Inconveniences, won the gold Foreword INDIE Book of the Year Award and the Clara Johnson Award for Women’s Literature. She is also the author of the craft book Acetylene Torch Songs: Writing True Stories to Ignite the Soul, which won the IPPY Silver Award and was a finalist for two Foreword INDIE Awards. 

Sue William Silverman is an award-winning author known for her fearless explorations of trauma, identity, and personal transformation. Her latest book, Selected Misdemeanors: Essays at the Mercy of the Reader, showcases her signature blend of lyricism, insight, and unflinching honesty. She co-chairs the MFA in Writing Program at Vermont College of Fine Arts and has appeared on The ViewAnderson Cooper 360, and PBS Books.


https://www.suewilliamsilverman.com

www.instagram.com/suewilliamsilverman/#

www.facebook.com/SueWilliamSilvermanAuthor

twitter.com/SueSilverman


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All of our shows/interviews are done by donation, if you enjoyed this show please support us here with either a one-time donation or subscribe and support, thank you. and please support Our Forgotten Children’s anthology and help to bring this book into production.


IG25-34. Laila Woozeer is  Not Quite White 


Ignite your heart and soul with Sara Troy and her guest  Laila Woozeer, on air from August 26th

Laila Woozeer, author of the memoir, Not Quite White. Neither here, nor there; neither one, nor the other. What does it feel like to be an indescribable shade somewhere in between? Can you even exist in a binary world that seems so black-and-white? Why is there no easy way to describe someone who is a Welsh-French-Scottish-American-Indian-Mauritian?
Laila Woozeer, a mixed-race 28-year-old London-born writer and musician, shares a personal story of growing up in a rural white village in North Wales. Laila takes readers on a funny, vivid, and profoundly moving journey of discovering one’s own identity and belonging through her travels between Mauritius, the US and the UK, to make sense of the world and one’s place within it. 



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This is the real-life story of Laila Woozeer trying desperately to understand how to exist, how to survive, and what it might mean to thrive. From childhood memories of self-discovery to an identity crisis of adolescence, to a misunderstood existence in adult life, Not Quite White charts Laila’s struggle to finally find a meaningful place in the world.

Laila Woozeer is a writer, musician, and performer, born and based in London. Laila’s work has been published in the GuardianMashable, and Stylist. Notable projects include producing and directing the award-winning contemporary music performance collective WOLF PACK and authoring the blog TAPE PARADE. Not Quite White is Laila’s first book.


www.lailawoozeer.com.  

https://www.facebook.com/lailawoozeer

https://www.instagram.com/lailawoozeer_

https://twitter.com/lailawoozeer

https://www.patreon.com/Lailawoozeer

https://open.spotify.com/playlist


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All of our shows/interviews are done by donation; if you enjoyed this show, please support us here with either a one-time donation or subscribe and support. Thank you. Please support Our Forgotten Seniors anthology and help to bring this book to awareness.