Today’s Quixote is someone who embodies transformation and truth. Iona Rudisill is an author, a podcast host of IonaSpeaks about Soaring Courageously, and an executive life and health coach.

Through her work, she helps people reclaim their voice, stand in their power, and transform pain into purpose.

In this episode, we will explore what it means to defend your self-justice, live in alignment with your truth, and lead a life rooted in healing and wholeness.

Iona (i-o-na) Rudisill is the #1 bestselling co-author of Phenomenal Women Who Boss Up and CEO of Iona R. Rudisill, LLC. She empowers high-achieving leaders in publicservice, experiencing burnout, to find a healthy balance in their lives.

Iona has been a lifelong leader in the public sector, a survivor of a traumatic brain injury, and is thriving through her experiences with burnout. For three decades, Iona guided teams across the country that provided support to youth and families who had survived traumatic experiences. In 2018, she received a Governor’s Citation for advocating againsthuman trafficking in Maryland.

These intense roles stimulated Iona, but also led to her burnout. She launched her business to build a community for other executives to explore their vulnerability and power as a strength. She partners with women across the globe, creating a positive ripple effect for their families and communities.

She overcomes chronic pain by embodying a sense of worthiness. She uses these principles to guide high-achieving leaders in finding healing, clarity, and purpose. Rooted in her Shinnecock Indian heritage, she embraces the principle of Mamoweenene (We Move Together). This ancestral principle drives her to unite with others in breaking barriers and cultivating a legacy of strength, resilience, and triumph.

Education

Iona received her master’s degree in social work from Columbia University and her bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation education from Pennsylvania State University. She is presently enrolled in the #1 Health Coaching Certification Program in the world (Institute for Integrative Nutrition), class of 2025.

Website https://ionarrudisill.com/

Social Media LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/iona-r-rudisill-0699a94 Facebook https://facebook.com/iona.r.rudisill Instagram https://instagram.com/ionaspks_soaringcourageously YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@IonaRRudisill Substack https://substack.com/@irr2022?Buzzsprouts https://ionaspeaksaboutdefendingselfjustice.buzzsprout.com/

https://ionaspeaksaboutsoaringcourageously.buzzsprout.com

Scheduling Appointments FREE Discovery Call ttps://ionarrudisill.janeapp.com/#/discovery-call Initial Health Assessment Podcast Recording

Welcome to Quixotic Heights, where voices rise, stories inspire, and creativity takes center stage. I’m thrilled to welcome a guest whose voice resonates far beyond the opera stage.

Shirley Wang is not only an acclaimed opera singer but also a dynamic speaker, best-selling author, and dedicated educator. She moves hearts with her music, empowers minds through her words, and uplifts others with her mission-driven work.

In this episode, we explore the intersections of art and identity, performance and purpose, and how Shirley found her voice — and helps others find theirs. Whether you’re a fan of opera, a lover of stories, or a seeker of inspiration, this conversation is for you.

Shirley Wang is an award-winning operatic soprano, pianist,conductor, international bestselling author, entrepreneur, host, expert instructor, illustrator, and children's Chinese curriculum creator. She has performed across the US, including Carnegie Hall. In 2020, she launched an interview series, All Around Classical, featuring performing artists, composers, writers, dancers, actors, directors, and others who bring the world more color. It is rapidly gaining viewership and critical acclaim. You can find it on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and as a podcast on all major podcastdistribution platforms. It is rapidly gaining viewership and critical acclaim.

In addition, she founded Simple Gifts Music Studio, Brillante Music Institute and Oxygen Strategic Partners, offering musical performances, education programs, keynote concerts and musical consultation services.

A native of Taipei, Taiwan, Shirley Xiao-Ling Wang is a graduate of the University of Southern California. She was a semi-finalist in the Premier International Opera Competition in New York (2022) and was a finalist in the International Opera Singer’s Competition of Chinese Heritage. She was a soloist in the Chinese Rising Stars Concert at Carnegie Hall.

As an operatic soprano, Ms. Wang has performed with Nickel City Opera West, Orlando Opera, Orlando Philharmonic, Central Florida Lyric Opera, First Coast Opera, Celestial Opera, Intimate Opera, and USC Opera Studio. Her operatic roles include Cio-Cio San, Aida, the Countess, Fiordiligi, Mrs. Alice Ford, Violetta, Mimi, Tosca, Liu, Nedda, Marguerite, Gretel, and Laetitia.

As a recitalist, Ms. Wang has been heard in California, Washington, Idaho, Boston, Long Island, and Florida. Notably, since 2016, she has created over 30 multi-media storytelling-based concerts in Central Florida and New York City.

She is currently on the roster of George Martynuk, Artist Management of New York.

https://linktr.ee/ShirleyWang

Today’s Quixote is someone who embodies courage, humor, and raw honesty—Shelley Malicote Stutchman, the author of the powerful and hilariously titled book, Peek-a-Boob: Uncovering Breast Cancer.

Shelley will take us on her deeply personal journey through diagnosis, treatment, and recovery—but she does it with a disarming sense of humor and a fierce refusal to let cancer steal her joy. Her story is not only about surviving, but about reclaiming identity, body image, and voice.

Whether you’ve faced breast cancer, know someone who has, or just need a reminder of the resilience of thehuman spirit, this conversation will move you—and maybe even make you laugh.

Shelley Malicote Stutchman, the author of the acclaimed,award-winning book PEEK-A-BOOB: Surviving Breast Cancer, is not just a survivor but also a passionate advocate.

She contributes regularly to CAREGIVER Magazine and is a Board-Certified Patient Advocate. Shelley also reports for the Edmond Way and Guthrie News Leader newspapers.

Before her writing career, Shelley was a marketing director for Epworth at Home, Home Health, and Hospice. Her book, published in October 2024, has received the prestigious National Gold Non-Fiction Writers’ Association Award, the Quill Hawk Publishing Best Indie Choice Award, and several local accolades. In recognition of her journey, Shelley was honored with The Honorable Eileen Echols Inspired Award for 2025 in Oklahoma City. A firm believer in the power of romance at any age, Shelley married her husband at sixty-seven years old while going through breast cancer treatments and surgeries. Her husband, known as Cameraman, was also recognized with the Susan G. Komen Pink Tie Guy Award in 2023. As an author, speaker, and devoted wife, Shelley embodies her motto: “Cancer Teaches You How to Live” and “Life Begins at Seventy.”

https://shelleymalicotestutchman.localservicebiz.com/home

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shelley.malicotestutchman

Email: Medicarejetsetters@gmail.com

TikTok: @shelley4007

Today on Quixotic Heights, we welcome Mark McCraw—a proud Oklahoman, internationally published children’s book author, and a disabled veteran of the United States Air Force. With a life marked by service, imagination, and resilience, Mark brings powerful stories to young readers worldwide.

Mark McCraw is a former Elementary School Teacher, Air Force and Air Force Reserve Disabled Veteran, Adjunct Professor, Day Care Teacher, Pastor, Migrant Head Start Teacher, Corrections Officer, and Non-Profit Executive. His favorite hobbies are writing children’s books, genealogy, and traveling.

His education includes an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice, a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology, a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education, a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, and two years of Doctoral work in Education.

Mark has written 12+ award-winning children’s books with more in the works. He has spoken at conferences, schools, and events all over the world.

https://www.facebook.com/mark.mccraw.3

www.markmccraw.com

https://www.amazon.com/author/quickdraw_m

Today on the Quixotic Heights show, we’re joined by a true storytelling chameleon—Susan Kite. With thirteen books under her belt, she’s mastered genres from science fiction to whimsical children’s tall tales and even penned stories in the world of Zorro. Whether she’s crafting distant galaxies, playful animal adventures, or historical sword fights, Susan brings imagination, heart, and a deep love for storytelling to everything she writes. In this conversation, we’ll explorewhat it means to write across genres, how she keeps the creative spark alive, and what she’s learned from a lifetime of literary adventures. Get ready to be inspired!Susan Kite has been writing for over thirty years, beginning with fan-fiction. A visit to the Mission San Luis Rey in 2001 became the catalyst to write her first novel, My House of Dreams. She has written science fiction, fantasy, tall tales, and historical fiction. Bold Venture Press published the author’s three Zorro novels: The Outward Journey, The Forbidden Country, and The Deadly Homecoming, along with several Zorro short stories. Voyage of the Sea Dragon; Into the Dream World is the author’s entry into sea-based science fiction.

She worked in school libraries for 35 years. Now retired, Ms. Kite lives in Yukon, Oklahoma.

https://bookscape.net/

https://www.facebook.com/susankitesbooks

https://www.instagram.com/susanleekite

https://www.youtube.com/@susankite2842

https://firstbookscape.blogspot.com/