My Story

Hi, I'm Frances Hammond, host of The Unexpected Detour ❤️ Podcast.

If there's one thing I've learned, it's that life rarely follows the path we expect.

For many years, I built a career in banking while balancing the responsibilities of family, relationships, and everyday life. Like many people, I had plans for how I thought my life would unfold. But life had other ideas.

Over the years, I have walked through seasons of loss, grief, disappointment, addiction within my family, caregiving, illness, and personal transformation. Some of those experiences brought me to my knees. Others taught me strength I didn't know I possessed.

One of the most significant detours came in 2017 when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The journey through treatment challenged me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Yet it also revealed something powerful: even in our most difficult moments, hope can still be found.

Throughout every detour, my faith became my anchor.

I discovered that healing is not always about returning to who you once were. Sometimes healing is about becoming someone new—someone wiser, stronger, and more compassionate because of what you've endured.

That realization inspired me to create The Unexpected Detour ❤️ Podcast.

This podcast is a space for honest conversations about life's twists and turns. Together, we explore stories of faith, resilience, healing, personal growth, survivorship, relationships, identity, and the lessons we learn when life doesn't go according to plan.

My goal is simple: to remind people that they are not alone.

No matter what road you're traveling, no matter what challenge you're facing, there is purpose in the journey. Sometimes, the very detour we never wanted becomes the path that teaches us who we truly are.

Thank you for being here.

Thank you for walking this road with me.

Because in life, detours are inevitable—but they do not have to define us.

— Frances Hammond
Host, The Unexpected Detour ❤️ Podcast