Nothing Pretty Podcast with Dr. Raquel

Have you ever felt almost guilty telling God, “I think I want something different,” because you remember praying so hard for the life you have now? That’s a tender place to be. You remember what it took to get here. You love the people who knew you then. And lately, when you let yourself dream a little, you picture something else.
 
A lot of people first knew Medinah Monroe through a microphone. I met her on a trip with Elizabeth Gilbert, and I’ve thanked God for crossing our paths ever since. On this episode of Nothing Pretty, Medinah talks about giving herself room to find out who else she might be. We talk about the ache of needing space from a friend you love. She takes me from worshipping with her father to finding her own words for God while trying to make it in real estate. “God, I need a win.” I felt that one.
 
If you’re beginning again at an age when you thought you’d have more answers, I hope you hear Medinah when she says, “Both versions of me are still here.” You get to love the woman who got you this far. You get to be curious about who else you could be. And for whatever it’s worth, I’m praying you get your win, too.

How do you keep believing in yourself when your life doesn’t match your vision? In Episode 8, I’m answering a listener letter about big dreams, self-doubt, and staying committed before you see the results. Then we get personal: my toxic trait, what I’m unlearning, and my non-negotiables in love, work, faith, and peace. The girls asked for FaceTime energy. Let’s get into it.

By our 30s, weren’t we supposed to feel more certain by now?
In this episode, Dr. Raquel sits down with her girls Brittany and Kiara to talk about the lives they thought they would have, the timelines they have had to release, and the truth nobody likes to admit: most of us are figuring it out as we go.
They unpack feeling behind, navigating unexpected transitions, getting freer with age, and learning to build a future that may look different from the original dream—but can still be beautiful.
They also explore the gift and complexity of female friendship: the emotions women do not always name, the grace we struggle to give, and the friends who keep us grounded when the plot stops plotting.
This episode is for anyone who feels grown, hopeful, slightly confused, and deeply grateful for the group chat carrying them through it all.

Why does everything feel heavier at night?
 
In Episode 6 of The Nothing Pretty Podcast, Dr. Raquel unpacks sleep anxiety, nighttime spiraling, and the one thing so many people get wrong when their mind starts racing: you are not meant to solve your whole life when your brain and body are exhausted.
 
For anyone who can hold it together during the day, but falls apart once the lights go off, this episode offers a compassionate and practical way to interrupt the spiral. Raquel breaks down why your thoughts can feel more urgent, dramatic, and convincing at night, and why the goal is not to force clarity, but to create safety.
 
Through three simple rules, this episode gives listeners a real-life framework for quieting anxious thought loops without shaming themselves for having them.
 
This episode is for anyone who has ever laid in bed replaying conversations, questioning their life, worrying about tomorrow, or mistaking exhaustion for truth.

What does it really cost to live the life you prayed for?
 
In Episode 5 of The Nothing Pretty Podcast, Dr. Raquel sits down with Tobi Gadison: actor, performance coach, CEO, and above all, a servant-leader with a rare gift for seeing the greatness in people before they can fully see it in themselves.
 
Tobi has helped artists, speakers, and visionaries step into rooms that demand more of them, not by teaching them how to perform, but by helping them uncover the courage, discipline, and truth already within. In this deeply moving conversation, he and Raquel unpack the hidden cost of achieving your dreams, why God is often working in the smallest details, and how the process becomes the tuition you pay to prove that this is truly the life you want.
 
This episode is for anyone who has been asking for more while also wrestling with the discomfort of becoming the person who can carry it.
 
Listeners will leave with:
 
• A new understanding of why the process is not punishment, but preparation• Clarity on the sacrifices, discipline, and surrender required to pursue the life you say you want• A deeper faith that God is present in the details, delays, and development you may be tempted to overlook
 
Episode 5, “The Process Is the Price: What It Really Costs to Live the Life You Prayed For,” is a powerful reminder that dreams are not only received. They are stewarded.

You know what to do… so why do you keep doing the same thing?
If you’ve ever felt like you’re living the same lesson on repeat—same habits, same reactions, same outcomes—this episode is for you.
Because breaking a pattern isn’t loud or dramatic.It’s quiet. It’s uncomfortable. And it happens in the moments no one sees.
In this episode of Nothing Pretty, I’m sharing 3 simple habits that help you interrupt the cycle in real time:
The 10-Second Pause — to stop reacting on autopilotThe One-Question Morning Rule — to take back control of your dayThe 60-Second Night Check-In — to build awareness without shame
This isn’t about becoming a new person overnight. It’s about making one different decision… at the moment it matters.

Feeling behind can sound like a fact, but most of the time it’s just pressure in a very convincing outfit.
 
In this episode of Nothing Pretty, Dr. Raquel unpacks the quiet panic of watching everyone else seem to move faster, achieve more, and figure life out while you’re still trying to make sense of your own next step. From career and money to relationships, clarity, and purpose, this is a conversation for anyone who has been measuring their life against everyone else’s timeline.
 
Through honest reflection and grounded coaching, Dr. Raquel shares five powerful things to tell yourself when comparison gets loud: reminders to come back to process, perspective, self-trust, and a definition of success that actually fits your life.
 
This episode is not about rushing yourself or pretending everything feels okay. It’s about interrupting the spiral, honoring what this season is teaching you, and remembering that slow does not mean stuck.
 
If you’ve been feeling late, lost, or like life forgot your address, this one is for you.

We talk a lot about reinvention — but we don’t talk enough about the patterns we carry into every new beginning.
 
In this episode of Nothing Pretty, Dr. Raquel Hammonds is joined by Rachel LaForce for a vulnerable, witty, and grounded conversation about accidental sobriety, self-defeating loops, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. Together, they unpack humor as armor, intuition in the loudest era, and what it really costs to choose yourself when the old patterns stop working.
 
This isn’t a conversation about having it all figured out. It’s about telling the truth in the messy middle, building self-trust one moment at a time, and realizing that healing doesn’t have to look pretty to be real.
 
If you’ve been feeling stuck, behind, or caught in the same cycle — this episode is an invitation to pause, listen closer, and take your next brave step.

In Episode 1 of Nothing Pretty, I sit down with listeners to introduce myself, the rebrand, and the heart of this podcast, but more importantly, we talk about what it actually means to be IN PROCESS.  
We unpack why nothing is wasted, why every season of digging and rebuilding is shaping something greater, and why the messy middle isn’t a flaw in the story, it is the story. This conversation reframes becoming as something we all move through, not something reserved for the “successful” or the “figured out.”
If you’ve been feeling stuck, uncertain, or in between versions of yourself, this episode is an invitation to stop, listen, and see your own process differently.