The Discoball Tour

Next to being a writer, the biggest dream of my life is to shine a light on other women—to give them a platform, and to amplify their voices.

Before I could hold the space for others and hand the mic over to them, I had to claim my own story. So, for a year and a half, while I worked full-time, I got up early every morning, stayed up late every night, and took entire weekends to complete the first draft of my memoir, Beyond the Wall. Once I was done, I realized that I had not just written my story—I had written myself into myself.

Then in the summer of 2024, my job ended. Barbara, my spiritual mom of almost twenty years, died. And I was at home and alone—a divorced, middle-aged, fully self-supporting bad ass with nowhere to go, and no idea what to do next.

So, I made a clean spot. In October 2024, I decided to publish The Stories That Sparkle on Substack. Then, in early 2025, I started recording other women’s stories (and some of my own). And in May 2025, I launched The Stories That Sparkle Podcast.

After a lifetime of silencing myself, I used my voice, for myself, out loud.

With each new I thing I did, I got scared. Each time, I felt ill-equipped. Each time, I had a list of reasons why I could do not do it. And then I did it anyway.

That’s when the voice inside me (and of those around me) urged me to leave my sunroom, head out, and visit more women I know (or had yet to meet) where they live, and record their stories in person.

But how would I, middle-aged and out-of-work, pull this off as a self-funded, one-woman audio-visual department? How would I afford a van or the equipment? Who would film and edit along the way? There was no way I could do this.

The voice inside of me would not go away. If anything, it got louder. And louder.

And then I thought, if not now, when? And if not me, who? So, with the idea of a plan and a route, I threw the things I needed into the car I have, mounted a camera to the dashboard, and drove off. And over thirty days, my dream to connect with my community and record more women’s stories became a reality.

The Discoball Tour is a passion project that I talked and thought about for almost five years (maybe…no, definitely, longer).

Storytelling builds CommUNITY.

The Discoball Tour is the continuation of the journey I started at the end of my memoir, Beyond the Wall. Only now, along with telling more of my own story, I create an even bigger space for even more stories. Stories that hold the complexities of spirituality, trusting yourself, and listening to your inner voice. Stories that, in one way or another, center around community (or the struggle to find one). And stories that reflect our different ways to embody who we are. My goal is to keep growing this safe place for women to share, with me, with themselves, and with each other, to bring light into dark places, generate a feeling of belonging, and ensure that one person out there knows they are not alone.

The Discoball Tour is not just about turning my dream to drive across the country into a reality. It is a real world manifestation of a far-reaching community—on and offline—built through storytelling.

From a reader, listener and subscriber—

“Hella, your Stories That Sparkle tour has been an amazing journey for all of those who have been with you in person and thru the posts and podcasts. You have created an amazing community as you traveled across country. Thank you.”

Click here find the writing I posted or recorded during the Discoball Tour, along with the podcast episodes I recorded and the docu-series I filmed of the behind the scenes.

The Discoball Tour Docu-Series

In September 2025, when I left Virginia and embarked on the Disco Ball Tour, (or as I also like to call it, “Oprah on Wheels”), I followed a big, circular (more like oblong) route with stops in Nashville, Memphis, Dallas, Santa Fe, Denver, Lincoln, Des Moines, Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland.

During my drive, I posted a daily Reel to my Instagram to share, in real time, my personal journey, some of the people I met along the way, and the vastness of this country—the rolling hills, plains, high desert, Rocky mountains, cornfields, and lakes. Separately, I also filmed my thoughts and feelings with a second camera, in daily journal entries, and audio voice recordings. All that has become the Discoball Tour Docu-Series.

The series is an exploration of vulnerability, grief, joy, and intergenerational healing (I come from a family of broken hearts—we all have heart disease). It opens with me packing up my car after finding out my brother in Germany has just had a major heart attack. In the very first episode, I unburden my heart and let myself cry about it all—losing my mother during heart surgery, my father’s heart problems, and my brother having triple bypass surgery—as I cross state lines in my car on my tour.

Each episode releases as a companion piece to the podcast episodes I recorded on the tour. In each in each city, in each conversation and therefore in each episode, my voice in this video format gets more confident—as I do the thing, I get better at doing the thing.

So, I invite you to subscribe to my Substack or my YouTube channel and follow not only the road trip but also my creative evolution.