Episode 18 - Empowering Women to Live Unapologetically with Julie Marty-Pearson: Mental Health, Pets, and Podcasting with Purpose

By Jessica Garrison

I’m so excited for everyone to listen to our newest guest, Julie Marty-Pearson. She has an abundance to share with us and her story is full of twists, turns, and triumphs. Julie describes herself as empathetic, authentic, empowering. 

Julie is the epitome of supporting women in living unapologetically. To get to where she is now, we have to delve into the past. When Julie was around 11 or 12 years old, she got really sick, and it took 6 months to figure out what was wrong with her. This caused her to miss a majority of her 7th grade year, which is a pivotal year in our upbringing. We see it now in children who missed out on school because of the pandemic, and we’re seeing the ramifications of just how impactful that time is in a child’s life. This caused her mental health to deteriorate, but she had pets to help her anxiety and depression. I adopted my first cat back in April, and she has changed my mental health immensely and only for the better. You hear that having pets can help a person’s mental health, but you don’t really know just how true it is until you experience it. 

She turned her love for animals into a podcast, The Story of My Pet Podcast. She took her passion and created a space for it that is also helpful to others. According to her website, “it is now a top 5% podcast focused on educating and advocating to help animals in need.” She didn’t know a lot of women like herself, but she was able to find a community of like-minded people through her podcast work. Julie is combining her career coaching background with her love for podcasts to help women get their own podcasts started. It’s an overwhelming experience, especially when you don’t know where to start. But Julie wants to hear more women share their voices and talk about their passions, so she helps to build that foundation. I love to hear when people who are already established offer their resources to other women just trying to figure it out. Similar to The Embracing Layers Network, we provide resources to those who need them most, and I think that’s what connects us so strongly with Julie. 

This community she found made her feel safe. She could hear from others and speak her truth without the fear of judgment. Her “why” is to create a space for women like her, and I think she’s done just that. She honors herself by living out her dreams, and this inspires others to do the exact same. However, the work is never truly done. There’s definitely not enough female voices in the media, especially in the world of podcasts. If you’re looking to dive into that experience, there’s no greater time like the present.

Ways to Engage: What are some topics you’d have your own podcast about? What are you so passionate or knowledgeable about that you could talk about for hours? Learn more about yourself and discover new passions.