Finding Beauty in Imperfection / Episode 0

In this episode of the Upside Down Podcast, host Alyssa Burks shares her journey of storytelling, motherhood, and the beauty found in chaos. She emphasizes the importance of community, connection, and embracing the messiness of life. Through personal anecdotes and reflections, Alyssa encourages listeners to find magic in their everyday experiences and to celebrate the unique moments that shape who we are.

Creators and Guests

Host

Alyssa Burks

Founder of The Upside Down Podcast & Author of Ethan and the Upside Down Sandwich

What is Upside Down?

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.

Alyssa: 00:00

I'm recording this in a room with a basket of dirty laundry and then another one of clean laundry right beside me. But, hey, that's real life.

Alyssa: 00:15

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. 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. 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.

Alyssa: 00:52

Okay, let's be honest. If you have reheated your coffee at least twice today and still forgot to drink it, welcome. You're my people. If your kid yelled, Mom! Right as you finally sat down to do something for yourself, Yep, still my people.

Alyssa: 01:17

And if you've ever looked around your house, saw the pile of laundry in the corner, the half empty juice boxes on the counter, and thought, you know what? At least everyone's alive. Then this space was made for you. I am Alyssa Birx, teacher turned mom turned creative turned chaos coordinator and now somehow podcast host. Welcome to the Upside Down podcast.

Alyssa: 01:52

You know, this podcast has been bouncing around in my head for a while. I've always loved stories, telling them, hearing them, watching them on TV, capturing them in photos. It's how I connect with people. But lately, my life has felt like one long behind the scenes bloopers reel Between raising two little boys, running a creative business, helping out in our local theater groups, and dreaming about this children's book that's about to launch, there are days that I swear I could star in a sitcom called Everything is Fine, probably. So I wanted to create a place where we can just be real about that.

Alyssa: 02:34

The beautiful, hilarious, completely upside down parts of life. Before I ever thought about microphones or editing software, I was a teacher the kind who stayed late decorating bulletin boards and cried happy tears when a student finally got it. Then came motherhood, which is basically teaching just with less pay, no planning period, and a whole lot more snacks. Somewhere between less than planned and diaper bags, I realized that I missed creating for myself. That's when the dream for my first children's book started to grow Ethan and the Upside Down Sandwich.

Alyssa: 03:17

It's not out yet. We're still in that exciting, terrifying, this is really happening plus still trying to finish the illustrations phase. But it's the project that pushed me to start this podcast. Because the heart behind that book is the same heart behind this show. The story was inspired by my son's imagination and the way that he looks at the world.

Alyssa: 03:40

He has this really beautiful way of seeing possibility in places that I would never notice. Tiny details, colors, and ideas that would make you stop and go, wow, why didn't I think of that? Watching him dream and create without fear of being different reminded me how important it is to celebrate the things that set us apart. And that's the whole message of my book, and really this podcast too, that there's beauty in being different, and we should never outgrow the wonder of seeing the world through curious eyes. I wanted to capture that in a way that kids and adults could both feel in stories, in conversations, in the everyday moments that usually don't make it to Instagram.

Alyssa: 04:27

That spark became the heartbeat of everything I've been working on. The book, this podcast, and really this whole entire season of life. Because it's not just about a story for kids. It's about reminding us grown ups that our differences are also our superpowers. We all have those upside down moments when life feels really messy, when we feel like the odd one out, when the plan completely flips.

Alyssa: 04:56

But sometimes that's just where the magic happens. So, that's what this podcast is a place to sit in the mess, laugh a little, learn a lot, and realize that we're not alone. Each week, I'll share stories from my life and talk with people who get it Other parents, artists, teachers, advocates, nurses, literacy professionals, professionals in almost every corner, people who are living through their own upside down chapters and still somehow finding beauty in all the chaos. Sometimes we're going to laugh until we cry, and sometimes we'll cry and then we will laugh because crying is our new cardio. Either way, we'll walk through it together.

Alyssa: 05:46

When I first started talking about this book online, I'll be honest, I had no clue what I was doing. I had just shared a few sketches, a little description, a video of myself talking about it, and my heart for it. And then comments and messages started showing up. Parents saying things like, My kid is so creative but sometimes the world doesn't get him. Or teachers writing, I wish I had a story like this when I was growing up.

Alyssa: 06:14

Every time I read one, I felt this little like tug, like, Okay, Alyssa, you're on the right track, because that's what this project is really about: connection. It's about people seeing a piece of themselves in a story or even each other. That's why I didn't want to stop with just a book. I wanted to build a space where we could keep having those conversations, where you and I could talk about raising kind kids and balancing work and family and finding joy and chaos. So here we are making a podcast in my home office with a microphone that I definitely had to YouTube how to set it up.

Alyssa: 06:58

Let's talk about balance or the myth of it. Between family life, my photography studio, and our local theater group, I have come to the conclusion that balance is less like a scale and more like juggling flaming marshmallows. Some days, everything feels smooth. And other days, I'm editing photos at 11PM, sometimes even overnight, replying to book emails and praying that the kids remember where they left their shoes for school tomorrow and what color they're supposed to wear because they're supposed to dress up for the fifteenth time this year. But here's what I've learned.

Alyssa: 07:34

Chaos doesn't mean failure. It usually just means you care a lot. And I think that's why I'm drawn to people who are juggling too. We may not all have it together, but we're doing meaningful things even if it looks messy. That is the energy I want this podcast to have.

Alyssa: 07:55

Like sitting down with friends who just get it. Like your best mom friend and you're talking over wine or coffee or just even just sitting there and watching your four kids run around like crazy like me and my best friend Sarah do. We're going to laugh about the ridiculous, cry over the real, and just remind each other that grace is free and we should probably use more of it. Something that has shaped me the most is the people around me. Because of our local community, through creative work, theater, markets, and schools, has taught me that everyone's story matters.

Alyssa: 08:31

Every single person you meet is carrying something joy, worry, purpose, pain, and sometimes all four in the same day. There's this magic that happens when people show up for each other, whether it's a friend helping you set up your booth at 7AM, a castmate handing you tissues backstage, or a client trusting you to photograph their brand new baby. Those tiny moments remind me why I love people so much. They're why I want this podcast to feel like a community more than a production. I don't even know how to make it sound like a production.

Alyssa: 09:09

I'm recording this in a room with a basket of dirty laundry and then another one of clean laundry right beside me. But hey, that's real life. This podcast is where real life belongs in all its imperfect, hilarious, and heartfelt glory. So what can you expect around here each week? Some episodes will be conversations with incredible guests like teachers and artists and parents and nurses and advocates people who are out there doing small things with really big heart.

Alyssa: 09:40

Other weeks, it'll be just me sharing a story or two from my own world, the photography studio, my book journey, motherhood, community events, basically whatever has been flipped upside down lately, which is pretty much everything all the time. We'll talk about kindness and creativity, inclusion, and how to love people well even when life is really loud. And hopefully, you'll leave every episode feeling seen, encouraged, and maybe a little less alone in your own chaos. So I want to tell you about a day. One of those classic completely upside down days.

Alyssa: 10:27

It started the way most of mine do with big plans, optimism, an energy drink. By noon, all three were gone. I was running late to a photo session, couldn't find a single matching sock for Clay. Zeke needed help with a school project involving glitter because, of course, and the dog decided to poop on the carpet in our living room. I remember standing there holding my camera bag covered in glitter, thinking this cannot be the life the magazines were talking about.

Alyssa: 11:00

But then we got in the car, turned on music, and something small shifted. Zeke started telling me about some funny story that he had and just from the back seat, full of characters and adventures and just wild imagination pouring out of him. And I realized this is the moment. Not the perfect schedule, not the checklist, not the polished photo that I'll post later. This right here in the chaos is where the magic hides.

Alyssa: 11:29

And that is what being upside down really means to me. It's hard to find beauty in the mess, laughter in the hard parts, and grace for ourselves when we drop the ball. Because we will drop the ball. Sometimes we'll drop all the balls and a few snacks too. But that doesn't mean that we're failing.

Alyssa: 11:50

It means we're living fully, deeply, wildly, imperfectly. I think somewhere along the way we all started believing that the goal was to hold everything together. But what if the goal is actually to be present while it's falling apart a little? That's where the best stories come from. That's where we learn.

Alyssa: 12:10

And that's where we connect. If you've ever looked around your life and thought, this isn't quite how I imagined it. Same, friend. But maybe it's better. Maybe the mess is where we discover what really matters.

Alyssa: 12:30

So as you listen each week, I hope this podcast feels like a soft place to land. A place where you can exhale, where you can be reminded that you're not behind, you're not doing it wrong, and you're definitely not the only one reheating your coffee at 3PM. You'll hear real conversations about motherhood, teaching, creativity, and kindness, but always through that same lens, the upside down moments that shape us into who we're meant to be. Because that's what I want for this community, to celebrate the weird, the wonderful, the imperfect, and the brave. So here we are, the start of something new, a little bit scary, a whole lot of messy, and honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Alyssa: 13:26

Thank you for pressing play, for being here from day one, and for letting me share this space with you. It means more than you will ever know. If you haven't already, go ahead and subscribe so you don't miss new episodes. They'll drop each week. You can also follow along on social media for behind the scenes peeks, updates on the book, and all the creative chaos happening in my life along the way.

Alyssa: 13:51

Until next time, guys. Take care of yourself. Give yourself some grace. And please remember, sometimes the best stories start when life turns a little upside down.

Alyssa: 14:17

Thanks for joining me today on the Upside Down podcast. 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 Melissa Berks, and remember, the upside down moments are often where the magic happens.