A Conversation with Harper Bailey, a Powerful Storyteller Whose Memoir Charts a Path Towards Wholeness

A Conversation with Harper Bailey, a Powerful Storyteller Whose Memoir Charts a Path Towards Wholeness

From Becoming Your Best Version by Maria Leonard Olsen

March 20, 2026 · 28 min · Season 6 · Episode 12

About this episode

Harper A. Bailey shares her powerful journey of resilience and healing through her memoir.

Harper A. Bailey is the pen name of Dr. Tiosha Bailey, a Chicago native, public health leader and powerful storyteller who challenges the status quo. She manifests dreams through grief and creativity. She was the first Black woman to lead a prominent national women's healthcare nonprofit, where she prioritized health equity and amplified the voices of underserved communities. Her first book, It Was Her: A Memoir —featuring a foreword by renowned motivational speaker Lisa Nichols—invites readers into a deeply personal story shaped by loss, resilience and transformation. Through honest and compelling storytelling, Harper explores identity, healing and the courage it takes to reclaim your narrative. It Was Her is more than a memoir about endurance; it is a testament to the human spirit’s remarkable capacity to heal when we dare to listen to what truly calls us. Bailey’s voice offers a compelling invitation to anyone who has ever felt broken by life’s demands to discover resilience, extend forgiveness, and pursue renewal. It invites readers to lean into the uncomfortable, to find grace in the ordinary and to believe that the darkest chapters can become the prologue to a brighter…

People in this episode

Host: Maria Leonard Olsen

Guest: Harper A. Bailey

Topics covered

  • storytelling
  • memoir
  • health equity
  • resilience
  • identity
  • leadership

Keywords

  • memoir
  • resilience
  • health equity
  • storytelling
  • Black women
  • leadership
  • transformation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: national women's healthcare nonprofit

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