Her Side of the Stories is a cinematic long-form podcast about extraordinary women — and the lives that made them who they are.
Hosted by Asal Zara and filmed in the forests of Ibiza, each conversation goes beyond what happened to explore what was happening inside her while life was happening outside.
Childhood. Family. Love. Ambition. Identity. Loss. Success. Shame. Reinvention. The contradictions we rarely hear once the public story has been polished.
Guests range from globally recognised women to extraordinary people you may never have heard of.
The life doesn’t need to be relatable. The fe
Why do we keep saying yes when we're already exhausted? Why do we struggle to ask for help, hide what we really think, or worry so much about being judged? Sometimes, these behaviours come from fears we learned long before our lives changed. Please visit our website for more information: http://www.hersideofthestories.com (http://www.hersideofthestories.com/)
In this solo reflection, Asal Zara talks about the real fears behind our everyday decisions. The fear of failure is often a fear of humiliation, rejection, abandonment, or not feeling good enough. We might avoid speaking honestly, struggle to trust others, or keep everyone happy because those behaviours once helped us feel safe.
But what happens when we are still protecting ourselves from situations we no longer live in? Asal explores how childhood experiences shape our emotional patterns, why our bodies sometimes react to the present as though the past is happening again, and how we start recognising when an old fear influences a new decision.
In this episode:
• Why fear of failure is often about rejection or embarrassment
• How people-pleasing leaves us exhausted
• Why asking for help or trusting others feels difficult
• The fear of speaking honestly and being judged
• How childhood fears affect our adult relationships
• Why we sometimes feel unsafe even when our circumstances have changed
• Learning to question whether our fears are still protecting us
Her Side of the Stories is a cinematic long-form interview podcast exploring extraordinary women’s lives from the inside. Each episode explores the experiences, relationships, identities, turning points, and choices that shaped who they became.
Her Side of the Stories explores the inner lives behind the lives people see.
Her Voice. Her Truth. Her Side.
6 Oct 2026
She Spent Her Life Making Everyone Proud — Then Had to Live for Herself
What happens when something you worked hard for becomes difficult to celebrate because of how it makes someone you love feel?
In this episode of Her Side of the Stories, filmmaker Kelley Kali speaks with Asal Zara about success, relationships, self-worth, and the moment she realized she had been making herself smaller without even knowing it. Please visit our website for more information: http://www.hersideofthestories.com (http://www.hersideofthestories.com/)
Kelley talks about growing up in a mixed-race family, finding confidence through community, studying at Howard University and building a career in filmmaking. Her work eventually brought major achievements, including a Student Academy Award, but success also created unexpected tension in her marriage.
She describes feeling guilty for her own success and spending more time reassuring her partner than celebrating what she had achieved. Over time, Kelley realized she had started dimming her light to avoid making someone she loved feel uncomfortable. Kelley also talks about leaving a marriage that looked good from the outside, processing her emotions later, choosing joy, and refusing to let difficult experiences define her.
In this episode:
• Growing up in a mixed-race family
• Finding confidence through community
• Howard University and belonging
• Moving from archaeology into filmmaking
• Winning the Student Academy Award
• Losing her father and questioning her purpose
• Learning to celebrate herself
• Feeling guilty about success
• When success affects a relationship
• Realizing she had been dimming her light
• Choosing herself and ending her marriage
• Why pain does not have to become your identity
Kelley Kali is an award-winning filmmaker and director whose work includes Lalo’s House, I’m Fine (Thanks for Asking), Jagged Mind and Kemba. Her filmmaking focuses strongly on storytelling with social impact.
Her Side of the Stories is a cinematic long-form interview podcast exploring extraordinary women’s lives from the inside. Each episode explores the experiences, relationships, identities, turning points, and choices that shaped who they became.
Her Side of the Stories explores the inner lives behind the lives people see.
Her Voice. Her Truth. Her Side.
🔔𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬.
https://www.youtube.com/@hersideofthestoriesofficial/?sub_confirmation=1 (https://www.youtube.com/@hersideofthestoriesofficial/?sub_confirmation=1)
🔗 Stay Connected With Us.
Her Side of the Stories Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hersideofthestories (https://www.instagram.com/hersideofthestories)
Asal Zara Instagram: http://instagram.com/imasalzara/ (http://instagram.com/imasalzara/)
Asal Zara LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asal-zara-aa845766 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/asal-zara-aa845766)
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0NdDte4w6fgcuZZwZH1rpi?si=5u1ARRWURf2ynKa0n3Fe8g (https://open.spotify.com/show/0NdDte4w6fgcuZZwZH1rpi?si=5u1ARRWURf2ynKa0n3Fe8g)
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/her-side-of-the-stories/id1890695561 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/her-side-of-the-stories/id1890695561)
Website: http://www.hersideofthestories.com (http://www.hersideofthestories.com/)
4 Oct 2026
Why Your Mind Always Assumes the Worst
Someone does not reply. Your partner goes quiet. A meeting feels awkward. Within seconds, your mind has created an explanation, and somehow you are at the center of it. Please visit our website for more information: http://www.hersideofthestories.com (http://www.hersideofthestories.com/)
In this solo episode, Asal Zara talks about why we take things personally, how overthinking turns small moments into bigger stories, and why insecurity often changes the meaning we give to an event. The problem is not always what happened. Sometimes the pain comes from what we assume happened.
Asal explains why separating facts from assumptions matters, especially in relationships, work, and moments when we already feel unsure of ourselves. She also shares three simple questions that help create space between what happened and the story your mind has added.
In this episode:
• Why your mind fills in missing information
• Why we take other people's behavior personally
• How insecurity affects thinking
• Overthinking in relationships
• The difference between an event and the story we add to it
• Why words shape how we experience difficult moments
• How to separate facts from assumptions
• Three questions for more emotional self-awareness
Her Side of the Stories is a cinematic long-form interview podcast exploring extraordinary women’s lives from the inside. Each episode explores the experiences, relationships, identities, turning points, and choices that shaped who they became.
Her Side of the Stories explores the inner lives behind the lives people see.
Her Voice. Her Truth. Her Side.
🔔𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬.
https://www.youtube.com/@hersideofthestoriesofficial/?sub_confirmation=1 (https://www.youtube.com/@hersideofthestoriesofficial/?sub_confirmation=1)
🔗 Stay Connected With Us.
Her Side of the Stories Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hersideofthestories (https://www.instagram.com/hersideofthestories)
Asal Zara Instagram: http://instagram.com/imasalzara/ (http://instagram.com/imasalzara/)
Asal Zara LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asal-zara-aa845766 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/asal-zara-aa845766)
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0NdDte4w6fgcuZZwZH1rpi?si=5u1ARRWURf2ynKa0n3Fe8g (https://open.spotify.com/show/0NdDte4w6fgcuZZwZH1rpi?si=5u1ARRWURf2ynKa0n3Fe8g)
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/her-side-of-the-stories/id1890695561 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/her-side-of-the-stories/id1890695561)
Website: http://www.hersideofthestories.com (http://www.hersideofthestories.com/)
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