The Waystation

Lie down, get yourself cozy, and listen to this episode before you nap. Don't think you need to nap? Trust me, you do. We all do. Quit hustlin' and start listenin' as our host rants on (and on) about the never-ending-ness of life.   If you are enjoying spending time with us in The Waystation, please consider becoming an official Fellow Traveler on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewaystationpod   Go behind the scenes on The Waystation's social media pages: www.linkedin.com/showcase/the-waystation-podcast/ www.facebook.com/TheWaystationPod/ www.instagram.com/thewaystationpod/   And take a tour of The Waystation on our website at: www.thewaystationpod.com   As always, you can pull up a chair, grab a drink, and spend some time with us in The Waystation on: YouTube: https://bit.ly/waystationyoutube Apple: https://bit.ly/waystationapple Spotify: https://bit.ly/waystationspotify   Till next time, fellow travelers – I hope you were able to relate!

Diving deeper after last week's episode, I explore just one of the ways my anger has been directed inward– by dieting. A little less heated, a little more contemplative. I hope, fellow travelers, you can relate. -- If you are enjoying spending time with us in The Waystation, please consider becoming an official Fellow Traveler on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewaystationpod   Go behind the scenes on The Waystation's social media pages: www.linkedin.com/showcase/the-waystation-podcast/  www.facebook.com/TheWaystationPod/  www.instagram.com/thewaystationpod/   And take a tour of The Waystation on our website at: www.thewaystationpod.com

Another bonus episode before Season 3 launches in October. This one got a little... feisty? Charged up? OK, so it was angry. Rageful. NOT OK. I hope you can relate, fellow travelers.   If you are enjoying spending time with us in The Waystation, please consider becoming an official Fellow Traveler on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewaystationpod

Don't be scared, fellow travelers! We will be back with all new episodes in just EIGHT WEEKS. But before then, some super special content will be coming your way on the regular, in between seasons. And if you dig this podcast, please consider becoming an official fellow traveler at www.patreon.com/thewaystationpod  

Brace yourselves, fellow travelers, this is the last episode of Season 2! We know, we know… you will miss us...but we really think this final episode will sustain you till Season 3. Sit back, relax, and be inspired as we share tales of reinvention, something that our guests have done over and over again in their lives. Join career coach Mrinalini Gadkari, poet Scott James, and life and engagement coach Zia Hassan for this season finale hurrah!

We're all one big happy family here in The Waystation today when Digital Health and Life Sciences leader Shefali Shah in NJ, coach Suzanne Culberg in Australia, and founder of Oh The Stories We Tell Chris Templeton in Napa, CA join us to discuss the oh-so-complicated dynamics of family– both families of origin and the ones we create. Fellow travelers, I think you will relate ;-)

Never give up! Never give in! Except when doing so might lead to a better life. And that's what we're going to talk about in The Waystation today with actor and Army Veteran Dion Flynn, full-time nomad and travel blogger Julie Rose, and author and analyst Jeremy Goldman. Definitely some things that make you go “hmm” up in here, so pull up a chair, fellow travelers– you don't want to miss this!

Visiting us today in The Waystation are LA-based venture investor and entrepreneur Shane Kelly, Texas-born musician and realtor So Brown, and designer and cartoonist from Rhode Island, David Langton. They talk about the boxes they were each put into, and the ways they broke themselves out of them. It's both a thought-provoking and eye-opening conversation, if we do say so ourselves.

**CONTENT WARNING** This episode contains a discussion of sexual assault  If you need support, please talk to someone.  You can reach out to the National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via phone and online chat.   Today we're joined in The Waystation by author and entrepreneur Tasha Wilson, podcast host Breanne Smith, and author and speaker Megan Feldman Bettencourt to discuss forgiveness. This episode, fellow travelers, is profound AF. We talk about generational trauma, what resentment and forgiveness does to the body, and what it looks like to break the cycles of our upbringing. 

Who doesn't love to hear stories of the STRANGE kind? I know we here at The Waystation do! Pull up a chair, grab a drink, and join mindfulness facilitator, Jessica Arbour and consultant and writer, Jeremy Hurewitz as we recount some random weird 'ish that's gone down in our lives. Yes, it's stranger than Stranger Things up in here today… because it's alllll true.

**CONTENT WARNING** This episode contains discussions about loss and miscarriage. If you need support, please talk to someone. You can reach out to the National Crisis Hotline at (800) 273-8255 available 24/7. Take care of yourselves, fellow travelers. Not the most light-hearted of topics in The Waystation today, but despite talking about grief, we still manage to have quite a few laughs (the way our deceased loved ones would have wanted us to). Join us as comedian and podcast host Jordon Ferber, playwright and performer Vanessa Shealy, and bereavement doula Arden Cartrette, talk about their unique grieving processes, the uncommon ways they found support, and how they managed to find the humor in it all.

Food, glorious food! It's all about the great stuff one puts in their stomach here in The Waystation today, from foods of other cultures and the world to the glories of a peanut butter sandwich. No talk here about how food affects our physical health or climate change—just the times it's nurtured a connection with people and fed life and the soul— with food and travel influencer, Caitlin Sakdalan in NYC and strategist and coach, Emily Cornell in Santo Domingo, DR.

I'm sure you hear the saying all the time: Life is in the journey, not the destination. But what does that actually mean? Our guests today, Gail Baral, Aimee DeBaun, and Keith Byam, give us tips on how to listen to one's heart and the sound of that inner voice. They share how they've discovered that chasing success isn't all that's in a day's work, but it truly comes from welcoming the bumps in the journey of life with open arms and curiosity. Enjoy the ride, fellow travelers!

Creaking body parts, graying eyebrows, time pressures, and family pressure… We talk about all things aging in The Waystation today: our relationship to aging, our changing needs as we age, healthy aging despite periods of declining health, and how our community directly impacts the way we feel about the aging process. And we're not just talking with the older adults today, but with people ranging from the age of 25 to 55, all with homes in the NYC area: Gabriella Concepcion in Brooklyn, Mary Vetting on the Upper West Side, and Gregory Halpen in Washington Heights.

How many examples do we have in our lives where asking for help has been oh-so-hard? My browser is full of questions seeking help on numerous things, but asking for help from a person in my life? No way! But we have two willing volunteers who are going to talk about asking for assistance—and all the icky sticky stuff that comes with it—here in The Waystation: trainer and consultant Beth Granger, and founder of #HATNOTHATE®, Shira E. Blumenthal. Thanks for stepping up, fellow travelers!

And we're back! What better way to celebrate National Teachers' Day than to discuss the teachers in our lives that have had a profound impact on us, both the ones in human form and the not-so-human form. Join us as integrative family physician Dr. Kaushal B. Nanavati and motivational speaker and author Jacqueline Shaulis to explore the many people, texts, and parts of the body (YEP!) that have been and continue to be sources of insight and wisdom for both of them. We hope you can relate!

Season 2 is coming and we have a special announcement for our fellow travelers. Listen up—you don't want to miss this!

Check out this recap of Season 1, with the funniest, most heartfelt and profound moments from our guests. A great way to catch up before the premiere of Season 2 in May!

It's our final episode of the season and if we've learned anything these past few pandemic years (all 87 of them), it's that we could all use a little faith. Come sit with us in The Waystation today as Carissa in NYC, Hayelz in Canada, and Rob in Austin, TX take us for a ride on The Faith Train, Destination: Anywhere.

To gear up for Valentine's Day, we're talking about relationships in The Waystation… ooh la la! Join Jeanne in Portland, Josh in LA, and Sarah in NYC as they recount tales of dating and marriage. There will be woe, some duds, lots of therapy, and dare I say, even a little hope?

**CONTENT WARNING** This episode contains a discussion of sexual assault  If you need support, please talk to someone.  You can reach out to the National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via phone and online chat. Don't be afraid, but two badass women are joining us in The Waystation today! In today's episode, Emily and Dani share their deepest fears: being too big, being too small, being a woman, and of course, raccoons.

**CONTENT WARNING** This episode contains a discussion of sexual assault  If you need support, please talk to someone.  You can reach out to the National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via phone and online chat. The Waystation feels like a family today and we invite you to be a part of it! Join a single mom with an adopted daughter in New Jersey, a dad to a blended family of 6 kiddos in Oregon, and a critical care worker in Vermont who is content with being an aunt as we explore the ever-complicated decisions when it comes to parenting.

What do you do when the fear of failure is so great that it gets in the way of finding what truly makes you happy? Let's discuss in our Waystation, fellow travelers, with former soccer player and a budding SFX artist. They'll recount their tales of transforming failure from sometimes foe to lifelong friend.

It's all warm and gooey in The Waystation today as we explore home sweet home through the lens of a 3rd Culture Kid, a country gal living in the big city, and a student who fled from combat to study in Paris. We'll travel all over the world in this episode, only to find that home is not a place but a feeling you can take with you, anywhere.

What do a singer/songwriter, an intrapeneur, and an avid equestrian do when confronted with isolation? Well, they all meet in The Waystation to get through it together, of course! Tune into this episode as we address the productive role isolation can play in your life, and how checking in with a friend can quite literally save their life.

A communication coach in New York, a project manager in Kansas, and a “Movement Maker” from Louisiana join us in The Waystation to examine the consequences of leaning in too much - both at work and in their relationships. They share lessons they've learned on how to lean out, focus on self-care, and pass the responsibility baton to others.

**CONTENT WARNING** This episode contains discussion of violence and suicidal ideation throughout. If you need support, please talk to someone. You can reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via phone and online chat. A former Marine and ex-con from Panema, a student studying in Nigeria, and a singer-songwriter-swimmer in LA all walk into The Waystation. Find out how they relate on their journeys towards forging resilience.

Travelling through The Waystation today are former Ukranian Easter Egg and current pillow designer Jane Pollak in NYC, Columbian-American poet TAK Erzingher in Switzerland, and marketing consultant/classic car enthusiast Tim Schuh raised in the Midwest. Listen to how they each formed (and are still forming) their identities, unpacking who they were told they should be and who they really are, and how they each found their tribes.

A filmmaker in Vermont and a single mom in Texas join us today in The Waystation to share their sometimes “toxic relationships with control.” They discuss what they've discovered one can control vs. what they can't and the difference between a human being and a human doing. We also channel the spirit of the great Leslie Knope.

WARNING: This episode contains a discussion of mental illness and suicidal ideation. If you need support, please reach out to the National Alliance on Mental Illness at ​​800.950.6264. Stop me if you've heard this one: A Queer Latina activist from NYC, a Black CEO and author from DC, and a white therapist from Idaho all walk into The Waystation. What do they have in common? Find out as they share their mental health journeys and learn where they (and you) can find some common ground.

The Waystation is a podcast produced by Pioneering Collective, wherein every episode, we explore first-person stories, each told on a common theme but sourced from vastly diverse perspectives. We'll introduce you to people whose lives are seemingly different than yours… or are they? Through these stories, you may even find that you and me and he and she and they and them are more alike than sometimes we're willing to admit. Plus, why not share a few laughs and tears, and be entertained along the way to wherever you're going? Our goal with The Waystation is to provide you with a not-so-subtle reality check that YOU… are not alone.