In Heels with Keni Silva Named 2026 Signal Awards Finalist in Self-Improvement & Self-Help

The recognition honors the show’s inaugural episode, an intimate conversation between Keni Silva and her daughter Alexis, whose story helped inspire the series.

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, September 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In Heels with Keni Silva has been named a 2026 Signal Awards finalist in Self-Improvement & Self-Help for its inaugural episode, “Turning Survival into Music, Mission & Miracles: A Mother-Daughter Conversation with Alexis Silva“, featuring host Keni Silva’s daughter, singer-songwriter and philanthropist Alexis Silva.

The recognition marks a significant milestone for the series, but for Silva, the episode carries a meaning that reaches far beyond its place as the show’s first installment.

At just fourteen years old, Alexis faced a life-threatening adrenal tumor that required a complex seven-hour surgery. In the episode, mother and daughter revisit that chapter from two perspectives: Alexis as the teenager living through it, and Silva as the mother navigating one of the most frightening and uncertain periods of their family’s life.

Alexis ultimately transformed the experience into purpose, channeling what she had lived through into music, advocacy and philanthropy. Her journey also became part of the inspiration behind In Heels itself.

“Watching Alexis go through something that could have completely changed the direction of her life, and then seeing what she chose to do with that experience, stayed with me,” Silva said. “I kept thinking about how many people overcome something and then do something with it. They build something, help someone else, find a new purpose or become a different version of themselves. I wanted those voices to be heard. That became the heart of In Heels.”

The decision to have Alexis open the series was intentional long before filming began.

In August 2025, during a family trip to Greece, Silva sat down with her children for a conversation about fears and overcoming them. When they turned the question to their mother, Silva shared a fear of her own: pursuing her dream of creating a talk show while making sure her children never felt that building it came at the expense of being present for them.

“My biggest fear wasn’t failing,” Silva recalled. “I told them, ‘I’m starting this talk show. It’s my dream, and I know it’s going to take a lot of work. My biggest fear is that you’re going to feel like I’m not giving you enough time.’”

Alexis’s response stayed with her.

“She told me, ‘Mom, if you just spend one hour a day with us talking, that’s enough. We’re going to support you.’ I remember telling her that I wanted her there at the beginning with me because she was part of my journey — and, in so many ways, her story was part of why In Heels existed in the first place.”

When filming began in October, Silva kept that promise. Alexis became the first guest to sit across from her on the In Heels set.

The resulting conversation established many of the themes that would come to define the series: resilience, identity, family, purpose and what people choose to do after an experience changes the course of their lives.

When Silva entered In Heels into the Signal Awards in April 2026, she deliberately chose that first episode.

“Of all the episodes I could have submitted, I wanted it to be Alexis’s,” Silva said. “Yes, In Heels is my dream, but my children have been beside me through the process of building it. I wanted Alexis to be the first guest, and I wanted this episode to represent what the show was created to do — give people a place to talk about what they have lived through, what they learned from it and what they chose to do next.”

Since its launch, In Heels with Keni Silva has featured candid conversations with notable guests including Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Mohamed Hadid, Gretchen Rossi, Garry Lineham, Dr. Daniel Pompa and Dr. Nadine Macaluso, alongside experts and leaders across wellness, mental health, relationships, business, philanthropy and personal transformation.

The recognition places In Heels with Keni Silva among the broader field of 2026 Signal Awards finalists, which this year includes acclaimed creators and hosts such as Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Jon Stewart, Amy Poehler and Anderson Cooper. Finalists represent the season’s top-scoring podcasts as determined by the Signal Awards Judging Academy.

When Silva received the news that In Heels had been named a finalist, Alexis was the first person she sent it to.

“She said, ‘Oh my God, I’m so proud of you. I love you.’ And I said, ‘We did it. We did it together,’” Silva recalled. “Because that’s really how I feel. It may have started as my dream, but this has never been a journey I’ve taken alone.”

The Signal Awards announced its 2026 finalists on September 29, with all finalists automatically entered into the Listener’s Choice public voting campaign. Voting remains open through October 15, with Gold, Silver, Bronze and Listener’s Choice winners scheduled to be announced October 20.

About In Heels with Keni Silva

In Heels with Keni Silva is a conversation series created and hosted by Keni Silva exploring resilience, reinvention and the experiences that change the course of people’s lives. Through candid conversations with notable voices, experts, entrepreneurs, advocates and individuals with extraordinary personal stories, the series examines what happens after life challenges the version of ourselves we thought we knew — and how people find purpose, strength and identity on the other side.

In Heels with Keni Silva is available across major podcast and video platforms.

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