This Naked Voice

If Trust was easy, we wouldn't be talking about it.  Why is trusting so difficult?  Burt Gershater is an inspiring, nationally recognized life coach, speaker, and trainer who sparks powerful changes in people's lives. For 45+ years, Burt has worked with corporate CEOs, company managers, nonprofit executives and teams, professionals from many different industries, and top collegiate and world-class athletes. In this episode he makes the case for leaning into trust, both of the personal and spiritual kind, even as I push back occassionally, challenging him as to why it doesn't often "make sense" to do so.  Find more from Burt at www.BurtGershater.comFind more from this podcast at www.thisnakedvoice.comAnd on IG and TikTok @thisnakedvoiceSupport the show

In the US, we think "freedom" is about choices.  And, it partly is.  But true freedom is about so much more.  It's about being free from our engrained patterns of responses to the external world.  From our sense of identity.  Free to consistently explore, change and evolve who we are, without feeling tied to old thoughts, behaviours and beliefs.  That can be easier said than done, but the groundwork to help us do so can be laid early on, during our education.I sit down with Wade Cavin, a dedicated and brilliant Waldorf Educator, to ask him what our education system is missing at its root, why that's important, how we might approach our education differently, for our children and for ourselves as adults, and why it might be beneficial to do so.He also speaks to why it's so important for humans of all ages to cultivate awareness of their intuition, imagination, their interests, and desires, because those are the signs that direct them on how to live their life.  This was an incredibly enlightening conversation for me... even more so on the second listen as I was editing it.  I hope you enjoy it.  www.thisnakedvoice.com@thisnakedvoiceSupport the show

"The art of creative living is not the execution of some intentional program for life, but a natural, evolving expression."It's no secret humans have not been the best stewards of nature in the last 150 years or so.  What are the cultural beliefs that have allowed us to be so callous in our behaviours?  Spoiler alert: It's not as simple as ignorance and greed.  It's much deeper and more nuanced.  If we want to move more in alignment with the Way of the Artist, how can we begin to explore our own beliefs about nature, stay open to the lessons it holds for us, and in the process, transform our relationship to it for our continued evolution as individuals and as a culture?  Support the show

What does it mean to be an "Artist of Life"?  Not just a painter or musician kind of artist, but someone who shows up with the qualities, mindset and behaviours of an artist in every aspect of your life?  What the hell does that even mean?  How does our modern world discourage us from stepping into our potential roles as artists? This episode dives into how shifting our mindset to approaching our day-to-day as Artists of Life could have a profound impact on not just us as individuals, but on the broader culture as well.  But first, we must transform our relationships with some other significant areas of life.  Support the show

What do women find attractive, and/or what do they seek when evaluating men as potential partners?  How might a changing world have shifted this over the last many decades?  If at all? I put up a poll on my social media account last year on the topic and got a pretty forceful response... so much so that my friend and fellow coach, Casey Sedlack, invited me to have a conversation about it, to take a deeper dive. I talk about a lot of my limiting beliefs around relationships in this episode.  This conversation was helpful for me to get a better understanding of my own unconscious beliefs that I've been holding for a long time, and allowed me to explore them with someone I trust.  Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg here.  I'm curious to know what your thoughts are on this topic and this conversation.Send your thoughts to info@thisnakedvoice.com and follow on IG @thisnakedvoice https://www.instagram.com/thisnakedvoice/Find more of Casey at:https://www.caseysedlackcoaching.comhttps://www.instagram.com/casey.sedlack.coaching/Support the show (https://paypal.me/JoeyCardella?locale.x=en_US)

"There are a thousand right choices, and all of them are wrong.""Everything is a risk... once you realize that it's all a risk, then you minimize your risk."I must say, there are some wonderful and memorable moments in this talk I have with Dale Bates - a retired architect and urban designer whose focus for the majority of his career was on healthy design - architecture that supports human health.  Dale has also been an unexpected mentor in my life for the past 8 years.  Dale speaks to what being an architect and artist has taught him on his own human journey - about making decisions, and letting go of the illusion of security.  We speak about embracing risk and its relationship to our feelings about death.  Last but not least we speak about how to live in good relationship each day with our fear and anxiety - revealing how doing so can inform the quality of our own behaviour and life.   www.thisnakedvoice.comIG: @thisnakedvoiceSupport the show (https://paypal.me/JoeyCardella?locale.x=en_US)

How do Masculine & Feminine values shape our culture around work and life in general?  How do you define Masculine & Feminine?  Do you get down with Carl Jung and his badass self?  This episode attempts to define leisure in my own words, as well as explain why I believe it's important.  I do this through exploring  masculine and feminine value structures - Doing vs Being, in a nutshell - and linking them to the way our culture thinks about work, and as a consequence, how we approach life.  I touch upon Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, I have an excerpt from the Indian guru Sadhguru, and bring in the history of science and empiricism as a potential source for our overwhelming reliance upon the masculine. I welcome your feedback and comments.  Please direct them to info@thisnakedvoice.comIG: @thisnakedvoicewww.thisnakedvoice.com Support the show (https://paypal.me/JoeyCardella?locale.x=en_US)

If you could take a pill to instantly learn anything you wanted, would you take that pill:A) Every time you had to learn something?B) Some of the times you had to learn something?C) Never?Why or why not?  What things would you take the pill for and what would you not take it for?  I continue my discussion with Prof. Eugene Matusov of the University of Delaware about the importance of leisure and its connection to education and our existence as humans.He references an Isaac Asimov story that was the inspiration for an impromptu study he did as to how people would choose to learn for themselves over time.  Support the show (https://paypal.me/JoeyCardella?locale.x=en_US)

Why is leisure important?  How might we see evidence of the lack of genuine leisure impacting us in our education systems and beyond?  This is part 1 of 2 of my conversation with Professor Eugene Matusov - he wrote a book called "Envisioning Education in a Post-Work Leisure Based Society".  Professor Matusov (or, Eugene, as I know him) is one of the most unique and out of the box thinkers I was fortunate to encounter as a student at the University of Delaware.  Though I was never in his class, I consider myself a perpetual student of his.  We get a small taste of his fascinating upbringing in the Soviet Union, and hear how he consistently rubbed up against a culture and society that didn't know how to handle someone who existed as uniquely in the world as he did.  We speak about the connection between leisure and education, about fake vs genuine leisure, Plato vs Aristotle,  and the necessity of Freedom - and how to define that idea more specifically so that we may transcend ourselves and self-actualize.  Support the show (https://paypal.me/JoeyCardella?locale.x=en_US)

It's easy to be a critic.  It's easy to tear things down.  It's much harder to be a creator - to have a vision of what can be and build things up.  What makes the difference between a cultural critic and a cultural creator?  Why is it even important to draw a distinction?  I speak to the intention and energies behind these two ways of being, how to shift from critic to creator, and why it's necessary more than ever.  Support the show (https://paypal.me/JoeyCardella?locale.x=en_US)

This episode was a treat for me, as I got schooled in flurry of fascinating information about the hidden wonders and the power of breathing.  I speak with Andy Sabatier - Doctor of Physical Therapy and founder of Academy West, which applies a physical therapy approach to changing breathing mechanics to improve people's quality of life - based out of Bend, Oregon.  https://www.academywestperformance.com/He's also been a dear friend of mine for the past decade.  "Andy Sabatier has spent years working in the ICU with patients whose breathing is compromised for a variety of life-altering reasons. Based on the success of focused breathing evaluation, education, and intervention in the ICU, Academy West was founded to apply these principles to a greater population. Teaching and facilitating the use of breathing strategies then incorporating elements of strength and endurance training allow all populations across various levels of activity to benefit. No matter our age or activity level, we are all trying to perform better in one way or another, and it starts and ends with how to breathe."I guarantee you'll learn something in this episode.  And hopefully, start paying a lot closer attention to your breathing, and how it impacts you, throughout the day.  I know this conversation made a difference for me in my life.  Even if it's only that I never say the phrase "breathwork" again.  (At least not in front of Andy)www.thisnakedvoice.comIG: thisnakedvoiceSupport the show (https://paypal.me/JoeyCardella?locale.x=en_US)

This first episode back of the year is a solo episode beginning to explore the question of "What does it mean to make a life worth living?" based on the incredible book called Zen and the Art of Making a Living.This introduction explores the unconscious myth that underlies our culture in the United States, and likely much of the western world - the myth of The Little King.  How does this myth influence the way we choose our jobs and careers?  How does it influence how we set our life goals?  How does it influence how we define success, happiness and fulfillment?And what do clocks have to do with any of it?   www.thisnakedvoice.comIG: thisnakedvoiceSupport the show (https://paypal.me/JoeyCardella?locale.x=en_US)

Divorce, Eviction, a Father’s Death - sometimes it feel like it’s more than the kitchen sink that life is throwing your way. In Part 2 of my conversation with Erikk G., we talk about how these events contributed to him isolating from the very people who cared for him most, right at a time when those relationships were what he most needed. That includes our relationship. We talk about how shame, guilt and feelings of self-doubt have gotten in the way of our friendship countless times over the years, and throughout the conversation we find ways to share about how to move through them all. There are some friendships worth fighting for, and sometimes that means holding my loved ones accountable for their destructive actions. Erikk has always been worth fighting for to me.Who is it in your life that is worth fighting for, and holding to their best self?Support the show (https://paypal.me/JoeyCardella?locale.x=en_US)

These next two episodes feature Erikk G. - Professor of Philosophy, podcast host of "The Relentless Picnic", and my best friend since 7th grade. This first part is an introduction to Erikk, and is a small glimpse into the nature of our relationship. Erikk is the type of friend who I have always called to explore emerging ideas, thoughts and feelings with, because I knew I would always be met with an open mind, open heart, and genuine personal reflection from him. He has always been someone who has seen and approached the world differently, and he taught me to do so too. And he always did it in a way that was not only thought provoking and meaningful, but damn funny too. He has an incredible eye for pointing out the absurd. This conversation is meant to set the stage for the next episode (Episode 11), where we dive deeper into the tougher parts of a 20+ year friendship. We talk about how personal interpretations of life events and limiting beliefs about ourselves can get in the way of even our closest and most trusted relationships. I hope this first episode intrigues you, and I look forward to having you back for Part 2. Support the show (https://paypal.me/JoeyCardella?locale.x=en_US)

I welcome back Zach Herbert of St. Terrible for a deeper dive into conversation of a more personal nature. We talk about the death of a friend of his from years ago... how that death has influenced his art, his life, his growth and learning. We talk about the grieving process and what grief offers us when we engage in it fully. We also speak to the nature of vulnerability and the difficult nature of balancing how and what to share as artists - in a public vs private setting. How much do I want to share, and for whose benefit? Lastly, we ask the question:If you knew that when you died, all the art you created were to disappear with you... would you still create it? Find more of Zach at www.stterrible.comFind more from the podcast at www.thisnakedvoice.comAnd follow us on instagram - @thisnakedvoiceSupport the show (https://paypal.me/JoeyCardella?locale.x=en_US)

Death, Discovery & MagicAlexandra Becker-Black is a watercolor artist based in Portland, Oregon. That may sound boring, but this ain't your Grandmother's tea-time kinda watercolor... Alex has made a name for herself with her incredible large scale realistic portraits and renderings, done in a medium that is notoriously unforgiving of even the slightest mistake. We speak a lot in this episode about Death and the prominent role it has played as a theme in her work and her life the last many years, and even more so since the recent passing of her father late in 2019. In diving into the realm of Death, with all the pain, fear and grief that comes along with it, we find there is much richness, magic and beauty waiting to be uncovered. And we get to have fun in the process as well. After all, we can't always be locking ourselves in the basement to paint and sing our hearts out. There's a lot of life out there. See some of Alex's work at her website: http://www.alexandrabeckerblack.com/More of this podcast: www.thisnakedvoice.comResources on Death, Dying and the Afterlife that I've found useful: https://integrallife.com/okay-im-dead/The Denial of Death - Ernest BeckerLecture by Rudolf Steiner - The Moment of Death and the Period ThereafterMore Rudolf Steiner quotes on Death from various writings and lecturesSupport the show (https://paypal.me/JoeyCardella?locale.x=en_US)

Tara Mangini is one half of the supremely talented and sought out home design duo known as Jersey Ice Cream Co. For years, she and her partner, Percy Bright would move into old homes and hotels for months at a time, remaking and remodeling them in their signature style. They have been featured in the NY Times, GQ, Architectural Digest, Elle, and countless design blogs such as Remodelista, Apartment Therapy, and Design Sponge. I have been fortunate to know Tara since our days at the University of Delaware, where we were close friends because of our time together in our a cappella group, The Deltones. In this episode, Tara shares about how she never really saw "success" coming, and how she still battles limiting beliefs even after what most would consider a pretty damn successful early career.I also challenge Tara in her story about how her life has unfolded thus far, asking her to look beyond giving external events all the credit, seeing if she can take responsibility and claim the truth about herself for how well her professional creative career has turned out so far. And we talk about miracles and fishing and freedom too. See more of Tara (and Percy)'s work at www.jerseyicecreamco.com More from This Naked Voice at www.thisnakedvoice.comSupport the show (https://paypal.me/JoeyCardella?locale.x=en_US)

There is a poem by Rumi called "The Guest House" that has always touched me deeply. It has offered me comfort and perspective throughout my adult life, and I found myself coming back to it recently when I was feeling deep in sorrow, in fear, and feeling extra lonely. This episode is a personal look at my most recent unexpected swing down into some tough emotional terrain. It's also an invitation to look at how emotions can cycle through us as humans, and how we might be able to loosen any judgements we might attach to them as we experience them. Support the show (https://paypal.me/JoeyCardella?locale.x=en_US)

SORNE is an enigma. A true polymath in the highest sense of the word. A multi-disciplinary, award-winning, prolific visual artist, musician, actor and filmmaker, boasting an unparalleled vocal range with perfect pitch. He brings listeners to tears with his angelic falsetto, and churns crowds into a writhing frenzy with his other-worldly sound.That doesn't mean getting to where he is has been easy, or he hasn't had things thrown at him on stage in the process. This episode is a bit of a deep dive into the "Why" the journey of being an artist is worth the trip, if at all. What can inform us on our path, and how can we let as much information in to guide us, while letting go of control as to how we end up expressing those ideas and feelings that want to come out? How can living a creative life help us live, and not just survive? Also, what's your legacy?Find more of Sorne at:www.sorne.comMore from Joey and this podcast at:www.thisnakedvoice.comSupport the show (https://paypal.me/JoeyCardella?locale.x=en_US)

"That's what made it worth it... and that's why it's one of the most successful projects I've had, because it's continuing on - not about the photography, not about the art, but about creating a space to talk about it." -Amanda StellingAmanda Stelling is a photographer and athlete based out of Ketchum, Idaho. She reached out to me to share about a traumatic experience she went through during her sophomore year of college, and how a creative project, a photography editorial, helped her process what had happened and find her voice to tell her story. And in the sharing of her creative project, she unexpectedly found a community of support in the process. Never underestimate the power of art to help heal and bring people together. www.amandastelling.comwww.thisnakedvoice.comSupport the show (https://paypal.me/JoeyCardella?locale.x=en_US)

I believe that if we are to really understand how vulnerability can benefit our own personal growth, then we need to do more than just talk about it academically, we need to actually experience it, emotionally. I realize that if I want to create a space where others will be willing to be vulnerable and share what's truly going on for them in their lives, then I need to demonstrate that I am also willing to go there and do just that. I admit I'm a little hesitant to release this episode because of some of the fears and self doubt I confess to, in it. But I guess that's the whole point of this exercise. To be willing to show my imperfections and to push past my comfort zones in the pursuit of growth, discovery, and healing. Nate is someone I consider to be a true brother in my life. How to sum up that sort of relationship is in such a short space is a ludicrous task, but here it is: Nate and I were assigned to be freshman year roommates at the University of Delaware back in 2002. He has been one of my closest friends ever since then, even though for much of the past decade, we have lived very separate lives in many different ways. This conversation with Nate did not go as I had anticipated. (Thank goodness.)What was intended to be a heady discussion about music and creativity ended up being a raw and heartfelt conversation that helped shift a fundamental belief I had been holding on to for most of my adult life. All music from this episode is original music either by Nate, myself, or the two of us together. To hear more of Nate's old music, check out www.natehall.comThis episode is a special one for me. I hope you get even half as much out of it as I have.www.thisnakedvoice.comSupport the show (https://paypal.me/JoeyCardella?locale.x=en_US)

I know I said the audio quality wasn't the best on this episode, but the original upload was actually unreasonably terrible - worse than I knew due to an uploading technical glitch. However, it's fixed now! Good learning for me for the future. On to this episode....Harlan Whitman is a jack of all trades and master of many. He is the founder of OOAK (One Of A Kind) Forge, which makes knives, slingshots, pizza slayers (Say whaaaat? You just have to see them - they're awesome), and is a venue where he dreams up new beautiful, functional and durable products built to last. Harlan's work outside of OOAK Forge has spanned media such as building and making furniture, instruments, jewelry, gravity bikes, large scale sculptures, swords, and he has helped create props, puppets and animatronics for massive events such as the Olympics, the Super Bowl, and for well known performing artists on stage. I sat down with Harlan to talk about what experiences have formed the way he approaches his art and his life as an artist. He shares about the differences between creating art for art’s sake and creating art to make a living, as well as what qualities young artists may want to focus on while moving forward with their careers in the current landscape of social media marketing and constant judgment from the haters and trolls. Check out Harlan's work on his instagram and webpage:https://www.instagram.com/ooakforge/https://www.ooakforge.com/More about the podcast on: www.thisnakedvoice.comSupport the show (https://paypal.me/JoeyCardella?locale.x=en_US)

Zach Herbert is a musician and performance artist based out of Boise, Idaho. He is the creator of St. Terrible and the Gospel of Nothingness. Ranging from the beautiful to the bizarre, his work is eclectic and ever changing in its sound, form and presentation. This episode is Part 1 of a series of conversations Zach and I had around the topics of creativity, art, and vulnerability - how they all influence our personal growth and help us understand ourselves better. We also talk about how by engaging in the creative process, we might even be able to learn to be more human, whatever that means.Find more of Zach at:www.stterrible.comhttps://stterrible.bandcamp.com/Support the show (https://paypal.me/JoeyCardella?locale.x=en_US)

This is the first episode of This Naked Voice - an introduction to your host, Joey (that's me), and a gentle scraping of the surface of what I intend this podcast to be about.I'm a Personal Coach, a photographer, and a life long musician. What are you being called to do in your life? I don't know that any of us will ever have more universal permission to "take a break" from our regularly scheduled lives to be able ask this and other hard questions of ourselves. So how might we start (or continue) down the path of connecting with the deepest parts of ourselves, and how might we even have some fun in the process? What if we are able to not only deepen our connection with ourselves but our connection with others as well? What might have to be stripped away for me to understand [and ideally, love] who I am? This podcast will be dedicated to conversations exploring:Creativity - How is the creative process approached from artists and creative individuals in different fields at different stages of their lives? What has it allowed them to discover and uncover about themselves in the process? Connection - How might we enter into deeper relationships with ourselves and others? What are the doorways to meaningful and ideally, lasting connection? Vulnerability - My own experience is that vulnerability is a key element to more consistent access to my creative process, the pathway to a deeper understanding of myself, as well as the gateway to more meaningful connection with others. That may seem obvious, but if true, it's still not necessarily easy to drop into. So how can we access vulnerability more universally? What must shift for us internally as individuals and externally for us as a society? I hope to be able to create a space where my guests will be courageous enough to step into their vulnerability to share about both their experiences with the creative process and how they approach their lives in general, as well as what inspires them and what they fear. But this podcast is not intended to be pigeonholed to be just about the arts or artists. Art/Creativity is one of my most well traveled paths of self discovery, but it's not the only one. If the end goal is a deeper understanding of self, then I intend to continue down the rabbit hole and see where it leads - exploring topics of personal growth with thinkers, feelers and willers who cross my path who are also dedicated to the process and the journey.My ultimate goals are to create something memorable with my guests, to continue to challenge myself and others to learn more about ourselves, and share meaningful connections while we are still here. So here we go.Support the show (https://paypal.me/JoeyCardella?locale.x=en_US)