Turning Pain Into Purpose: Tracy Bonham and Nic Stone on Creative Courage

What happens when the story you've been told about yourself is no longer the story you want to live? I've been thinking a lot about the labels we inherit, the expectations we absorb, and the moments that invite us to rewrite our own narratives. And sometimes, the most powerful transformations begin when we stop asking for permission to be who we really are. For this special live episode of the Better Mindset Podcast, recorded at the Schermerhorn in Nashville, I sat down with two extraordinary creatives: two-time Grammy-nominated musician Tracy Bonham and #1 New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone. Tracy first captured widespread attention with her 1996 hit "Mother Mother," a song whose explosive chorus concealed a deeper struggle with speaking up and asking for help. Now, she's revisiting her relationship with anger, self-expression, and the power of helping others find their voices. Nic, the author of Dear Martin, Dear Justyce, Boom Town, Deja Forever, and many more books has built a career telling stories about people whose humanity is too often overlooked. She shares how her creative journey began, why representation matters, and what she's learned about forgiveness, courage, and creating without permission. Together, we explore what it means to transform our experiences into something meaningful, whether through music, literature, relationships, or the way we choose to live. If you've ever felt stuck inside someone else's definition of who you should be, this conversation is for you. In this episode, we explore: The labels others give us don't have to define us. Our environments shape the stories we tell about ourselves. Creative courage means making room for the whole human experience.