Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Welcome to The Upside Down Podcast — a feel-good show about creativity, kindness, and seeing the world a little differently. Inspired by Alyssa’s debut children’s book, Ethan & the Upside Down Sandwich, each episode dives into stories that celebrate individuality, imagination, and the courage to be yourself.
Join Alyssa — photographer, author, mom, and community theater heart — as she chats with artists, teachers, and everyday dreamers about how they turn their “upside-down” moments into something beautiful. Through laughter, storytelling, and heartfelt conversation, this podcast reminds us that the best ingredient in life (and sandwiches) is kindness. 💛
Whether you’re a parent, creative, educator, or just someone who believes in the power of being uniquely you — pull up a chair and stay awhile. You’re in for something special.
Every late night rewrite that I'm literally still working on, every doubt filled email, every time I thought, who am I to write a book and why would I think that this book would ever go anywhere? God doesn't call the already qualified. He qualifies the called. Welcome to the Upside Down podcast, where we laugh through the chaos and learn through the differences. I am your host, Alyssa Burks, mom, author, former teacher, photographer, and believer in the magic of stories.
Alyssa Burks:This is a space for parents, teachers, families, professionals, anyone to celebrate what makes us unique, find encouragement in the messy moments, and discover the lessons hidden in everyday life. From parenting to teaching to inclusion and autism awareness and the arts, we're here to remind you that life doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful. So grab your coffee, settle in, and let's dive in together. Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the Upside Down podcast.
Alyssa Burks:I am Alyssa Burks, and today I'm going to tell you a story about a sandwich. Not just any sandwich, though this one's pretty unforgettable, but about seeing the world differently. There's this picture that's burned into my mind. It's peanut butter dripping down small little hands, a slice of bread clinging to the wrong side, and my son looking at me like, Hey mom, look what I did. I meant to do this.
Alyssa Burks:That moment, the creativity and the chaos and the pure four year old energy and confidence turned into this children's book called Ethan and the Inside Out Sandwich. But honestly, it's not just for kids. It's for every grown up who's ever felt a little misunderstood, a little different, maybe even a little upside down in the world. So, grab your coffee, grab your energy drink, grab your tea. Maybe it's a half eaten granola bar in your van console if that's all you got.
Alyssa Burks:And let's talk about where this story came from and why I believe that it matters. So if you're a mom, you know that your kitchen sometimes becomes like a laboratory of sorts. It's syrup on spaghetti and ketchup on literally everything and somehow peanut butter on the outside of an actual sandwich. Ethan, well not Ethan, the real boy, Zeke, who is my son, who Ethan is based on, was on a mission that day. He said he wanted to taste the best part of the sandwich first and so he just flipped it, just turned his lunch upside down like it was no big deal.
Alyssa Burks:And instead of correcting him, I just stood there and thought, there's a sermon in there somewhere. Because that's motherhood. That's parenthood. Right? Half of our lessons come sticky and unexpected.
Alyssa Burks:That night I could barely sleep. I just I couldn't shake the image of him with that upside down sandwich from my mind. And the next morning I started to jot down different titles and I came to Ethan and the Upside Down Sandwich. I had no idea that it would evolve into the inside out sandwich, and I definitely had no idea that it would lead to me talking to you here on the internet about faith and creativity and courage. But that's how God works.
Alyssa Burks:He hides these big callings and tiny messes. Fast forward a couple years and this quirky little idea became a full manuscript. A book about a little boy who makes something strange and proudly owns it. Only to realize that that's what makes him special. Sound familiar?
Alyssa Burks:Because that's all of us. So, a few days ago, I visited the Nineeleven Memorial in New York City. It's one of those places that shifts the air inside of you. I stood there watching people from every background, every language, every walk of life moving quietly together. For a moment, no one was arguing, no one was divided.
Alyssa Burks:We were all just human. And then it hit me. That's really what Ethan and the Inside Out Sandwich is about. It's about remembering that beneath all the layers, we're the same peanut butter, pickles, all. When I started writing this children's book, I thought that I was creating something lighthearted.
Alyssa Burks:But standing there at the memorial, I realized it's deeper. The message we give our kids to accept differences, to celebrate what makes them different, to celebrate what makes people unique, that's the same message that adults desperately need to hear and understand. I don't think I'm the only one who feels that we as humans have forgotten how to see each other with curiosity instead of criticism. That trip reminded me, storytelling is sacred work. It's how we heal, it's how we teach, and it's how we connect.
Alyssa Burks:Sometimes people will say things like, So it's just a cute kid's story. And I smile because, yeah, it is cute. I mean, are pickles and peanut butter, but underneath it's a mirror for grown ups, too. Ethan's sandwich may look messy, but it's an act of courage. He's saying, This feels right to me.
Alyssa Burks:Even if it doesn't look right to you, even if it feels weird to you, it's right for me. How many times have we lost that kind of confidence as adults? We hide our creativity because someone raised an eyebrow in fourth grade. We tone down our joy so we don't seem too much. That being different isn't a flaw.
Alyssa Burks:It's evidence that God used a different paintbrush on literally each and every one of us. When I talk to other parents or teachers, I tell them, you know, kids learn inclusion from exactly what we model. If we show them that unique equals valuable, they will grow up unafraid to stand out, unafraid to be different, unafraid to be themselves. And that's really what I want the inside out sandwich to be about. I want it to spark those conversations that say, Hey, you don't have to fit the mold to belong at the table.
Alyssa Burks:Let's talk about Ramsey for a moment, my illustrator and my former student. This girl is pure talent. She's autistic proudly and she brings the most vibrant perspective to the pages of my book. The colors that she sees, the way that she composes scenes, it's art that sings about difference in the very best way. Working with her has been this constant reminder that inclusion isn't something that we write about, it's something that we live.
Alyssa Burks:We have exchanged photos of our favorite times at Disney. We've shared with each other Halloween costumes that we're doing for my kids and then for herself this year. And you know, it's like that's how you know you're in a good creative partnership. You can share normal life and not let differences keep you from enjoying each other. Every single spread of the book has this tiny Easter egg in it.
Alyssa Burks:A hint of inside outness. Shirts, socks, sandwich layers. Every detail whispering the same truth. What makes us opposite sometimes makes us fit. Here's the thing that I've learned through every late night rewrite that I'm literally still working on.
Alyssa Burks:Every doubt filled email. Every time I thought, Who am I to write a book? And why would I think that this book would ever go anywhere? God doesn't call the already qualified. He qualifies the called.
Alyssa Burks:I can't tell you how many times I have whispered to myself or in a prayer, Okay, Lord, if this is what you really want me to do, please just open the door. And somehow he did. An illustrator appeared, a community formed, and then an agent reached out with thoughtful feedback and it felt like confirmation to me. If you're listening to this right now and you've got a little spark of something that you've been too scared to start, maybe it's not a book. Maybe it's a business.
Alyssa Burks:Maybe it's forgiving yourself. This is your nudge. It doesn't have to look like everyone else's version to be worth doing. Sometimes your peanut butter belongs on the outside. If you've been nodding along and thinking, I want to be part of this, here's how you can help bring Ethan's story to life.
Alyssa Burks:Head on over to my Kickstarter campaign and hit that Notify Me on Launch button. It's free. It takes literal seconds, and it helps this project reach more readers who really need to hear its message. When you follow the campaign, you're telling publishers, Hey, this story matters, and I believe in it. And that means the world, not only to me but to every kid who's ever felt a little inside out.
Alyssa Burks:So now I want to talk about something even stickier trusting the process. There were months when I thought that this would never happen, that this book would never come to fruition. I would sit with my notebook and feel like the words were dried up. My inner critic was loud and that voice that says, You're not qualified. No one cares.
Alyssa Burks:And maybe this is just a cute mom thing and that's it. But every single time, something tiny would nudge me forward. It could be a comment from a friend, a little note from someone who said, I listened to your podcast today and it made me cry, or even a random bible verse that just felt written for me. One night I actually prayed, Lord, if you're still in this, give me a sign that I'm not just chasing my own tail. And then the next day a message pinged and it was an invitation to revise my manuscript.
Alyssa Burks:It wasn't an instant yes, and it still isn't an instant yes, but it's been a gentle keep going. And that's the thing about faith. Sometimes God doesn't give us the whole map. He just gives us the right next step. Motherhood will humble you faster than anything else on earth.
Alyssa Burks:You can write a children's book about patience and then immediately lose yours trying to get shoes on tiny feet. But the thing is, is that that's where the best stories are born in the middle of the everyday chaos. When I look at Ethan's sandwich, I see a metaphor for the way that we parent. A little messy, probably sticky, but full of heart. We keep showing up, even when it feels upside down.
Alyssa Burks:We never lose that love that we have for our kids through the weird phases and the loud phases and the I cut my own hair phases. And isn't that what grace looks like? Love that keeps showing up anyway. I think that's what God does with us too. For anyone listening who creates anything, words or art, a home, a classroom, please hear me.
Alyssa Burks:Your creativity really does matter. You don't have to be the most talented person in the room. You just have to be the one brave enough to start, to try. Every act of creation is an act of faith. It's saying, I can't see the outcome yet, but I'm trusting the spark was put here for a reason.
Alyssa Burks:So if you've been waiting for the inspiration or for the permission, this is it. Start the podcast. Write the book. Paint the chair. Bake the cake.
Alyssa Burks:And it may be a cake that no one asked you for because the world needs what you carry. When I stood at that memorial in New York, I remember thinking this is what unity feels like. It's quiet. It's sacred. It's not about agreement.
Alyssa Burks:It's about shared humanity. We were all together there. We're all walking miracles, stitched together by the grace of God and peanut butter fingerprints. The world feels divided right now, but I believe small acts of empathy still ripple out through the little cracks like light. And that's what my prayer and my hope for Ethan and the Inside Out sandwich has become.
Alyssa Burks:That it reminds people young or old that being different isn't the opposite of belonging it's often the doorway to it. Before we wrap up, let me invite you again to help bring this story into the world. Go to Kickstarter. I've got it linked down below. And click Notify Me on Launch.
Alyssa Burks:That's all you have to do. It's completely free, and it makes a huge difference. Your support would mean the absolute world to me and to all of the children in classrooms and in homes and maybe just sitting in their bed just kind of feeling a little bit different who need the story of Ethan to be reminded that being different is not wrong. It's something to be celebrated. When you do that, you're not just following a campaign.
Alyssa Burks:You are joining a movement. It's a movement that says kindness and inclusion and imagination still matter. If you've already followed, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you share it with one friend, your impact matters.
Alyssa Burks:You double the impact. This is how we make noise for good things. If you take anything from my chatty video today, I hope that it's this: You don't have to have it all together to be part of something beautiful. Sometimes the most meaningful things in life are a little bit crooked, sticky, and perfectly imperfect. That peanut butter on the wrong side of the bread, it's proof that creativity lives in the unexpected.
Alyssa Burks:So whether you're parenting or dreaming, maybe even grieving or just trying to find your next step, remember that the inside out moments are where the light typically gets in. May we learn to see each other with softer eyes, to celebrate what makes us different, and to believe that we're all still sitting at the same table, even if our sandwiches look nothing alike. Thank you for spending this time with me and for supporting Ethan and the Inside Out Sandwich. Until next time, I am Alyssa Berks and this has been the Upside Down Podcast. Thanks for joining me today on the Upside Down Podcast.
Alyssa Burks:I hope this conversation encouraged you to laugh a little more through the chaos and to see the beauty in our differences. If you loved what you heard, please hit subscribe, share this episode with a friend, and leave a review. It helps more families and teachers and people in general find us. Until next time, I am Alyssa Burks and remember the upside down moments are often where the magic happens.