Podcasts about feminine collective

What does it take to keep your voice—and your purpose—strong through every season of life? In this episode of Unstoppable Mindset, I sit down with my friend Bill Ratner, one of Hollywood's most recognized voice actors, best known as Flint from GI Joe. Bill's voice has carried him through radio, animation, and narration, but what stands out most is how he's used that same voice to serve others through storytelling, teaching, and grief counseling. Together, we explore the heart behind his work—from bringing animated heroes to life to standing on The Moth stage and helping people find healing through poetry. Bill shares lessons from his own journey, including losing both parents early, finding family in unexpected places, and discovering how creative expression can rebuild what life breaks down. We also reflect on 9/11, preparedness, and the quiet confidence that comes from trusting your training—whether you're a first responder, a performer, or just navigating the unknown. This conversation isn't just about performance; it's about presence. It's about using your story, your craft, and your compassion to keep moving forward—unstoppable, one voice at a time. Highlights: 00:31 – Hear the Flint voice and what it takes to bring animated characters to life. 06:57 – Learn why an uneven college path still led to a lifelong acting career. 11:50 – Understand how GI Joe became a team and a toy phenomenon that shaped culture. 15:58 – See how comics and cartoons boosted classroom literacy when used well. 17:06 – Pick up simple ways parents can spark reading through shared stories. 19:29 – Discover how early, honest conversations about death can model resilience. 24:09 – Learn to critique ads and media like a pro to sharpen your own performance. 36:19 – Follow the pivot from radio to voiceover and why specialization pays. 47:48 – Hear practical editing approaches and accessible tools that keep shows tight. 49:38 – Learn how The Moth builds storytelling chops through timed, judged practice. 55:21 – See how poetry—and poetry therapy—support grief work with students. 59:39 – Take notes on memoir writing, emotional management, and one-person shows. About the Guest: Bill Ratner is one of America's best known voice actors and author of poetry collections Lamenting While Doing Laps in the Lake (Slow Lightning Lit 2024,) Fear of Fish (Alien Buddha Press 2021,) To Decorate a Casket (Finishing Line Press 2021,) and the non-fiction book Parenting For The Digital Age: The Truth Behind Media's Effect On Children and What To Do About It (Familius Books 2014.) He is a 9-time winner of the Moth StorySLAM, 2-time winner of Best of The Hollywood Fringe Extension Award for Solo Performance, Best of the Net Poetry Nominee 2023 (Lascaux Review,) and New Millennium "America One Year From Now" Writing Award Finalist. His writing appears in Best Small Fictions 2021 (Sonder Press,) Missouri Review (audio,) Baltimore Review, Chiron Review, Feminine Collective, and other journals. He is the voice of "Flint" in the TV cartoon G.I. Joe, "Donnell Udina" in the computer game Mass Effect, the voice of Air Disasters on Smithsonian Channel, NewsNation, and network TV affiliates across the country. He is a committee chair for his union, SAG-AFTRA, teaches Voiceovers for SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Media Awareness for Los Angeles Unified School District, and is a trained grief counsellor. Member: Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild-AFTRA, National Storytelling Network • https://billratner.com • @billratner Ways to connect with Bill: https://soundcloud.com/bill-ratner https://www.instagram.com/billratner/ https://twitter.com/billratner https://www.threads.net/@billratner https://billratner.tumblr.com https://www.youtube.com/@billratner/videos https://www.facebook.com/billratner.voiceover.author https://bsky.app/profile/bilorat.bsky.social About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well on a gracious hello to you, wherever you may be, I am your host. Mike hingson, and you are listening to unstoppable mindset. Today, we get to have a voice actor, person, Bill Ratner, who you want to know who Bill Radnor is, go back and watch the old GI Joe cartoons and listen to the voice of Flint.   Bill Ratner ** 01:42 All right. Lady Jay, you better get your battle gear on, because Cobra is on their way. And I can't bring up the Lacher threat weapon system. We got to get out of here. Yo, Joe,   Michael Hingson ** 01:52 there you go. I rest my case Well, Bill, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Bill Ratner ** 02:00 We can't rest now. Michael, we've just begun. No, we've just begun.   Michael Hingson ** 02:04 We got to keep going here. Well, I'm really glad that you're here. Bill is another person who we inveigled to get on unstoppable mindset with the help of Walden Hughes. And so that means we can talk about Walden all we want today. Bill just saying, oh goodness. And I got a lot to say. Let me tell you perfect, perfect. Bring it on. So we are really grateful to Walden, although I hope he's not listening. We don't want to give him a big head. But no, seriously, we're really grateful. Ah, good point.   Bill Ratner ** 02:38 But his posture, oddly enough, is perfect.   Michael Hingson ** 02:40 Well, there you go. What do you do? He practiced. Well, anyway, we're glad you're here. Tell us about the early bill, growing up and all that stuff. It's always fun to start a good beginning.   Bill Ratner ** 02:54 Well, I was a very lucky little boy. I was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1947 to two lovely people, professionals, both with master's degree out at University of Chicago. My mother was a social worker. My father had an MBA in business. He was managing editor of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. So I had the joy of living in a better home and living in a garden.   Michael Hingson ** 03:21 My mother. How long were you in Des Moines?   Bill Ratner ** 03:24 Five and a half years left before my sixth birthday. My dad got a fancy job at an ad agency in Minneapolis, and had a big brother named Pete and big handsome, curly haired boy with green eyes. And moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and was was brought up there.   Michael Hingson ** 03:45 Wow. So you went to school there and and chased the girls and all that stuff.   Bill Ratner ** 03:54 I went to school there at Blake School for Boys in Hopkins, Minnesota. Couldn't chase the girls day school, but the girls we are allowed to dance with certainly not chase. Michael was at woodhue dancing school, the Northrop girls from Northrop girls school and the Blake boys were put together in eighth grade and taught the Cha Cha Cha, the waltz, the Charleston, and we danced together, and the girls wore white gloves, and we sniffed their perfume, and we all learned how to be lovers when we were 45   Michael Hingson ** 04:37 There you are. Well, as long as you learned at some point, that's a good start.   Bill Ratner ** 04:44 It's a weird generation. Michael,   Michael Hingson ** 04:46 I've been to Des Moines before. I was born in Chicago, but moved out to California when I was five, but I did some work with the National Federation of the Blind in the mid 19. 1970s 1976 into 1978 so spent time at the Iowa Commission for the Blind in Des Moines, which became a top agency for the Blind in well, the late 50s into the to the 60s and so on. So   Bill Ratner ** 05:15 both my parents are from Chicago. My father from the south side of Chicago, 44th and Kenzie, which was a Irish, Polish, Italian, Jewish, Ukrainian neighborhood. And my mother from Glencoe, which was a middle class suburb above Northwestern University in Evanston.   Michael Hingson ** 05:34 I Where were you born? 57th and union, north, south side, no, South   Bill Ratner ** 05:42 57th union is that? Is that west of Kenzie?   Michael Hingson ** 05:46 You know, I don't remember the geography well enough to know, but I know that it was, I think, Mount Sinai Hospital where I was born. But it was, it's, it's, it's a pretty tough neighborhood today. So I understand,   Bill Ratner ** 06:00 yeah, yeah, my it was tough, then it's tough now,   Michael Hingson ** 06:03 yeah, I think it's tougher, supposedly, than it was. But we lived there for five years, and then we we moved to California, and I remember some things about Chicago. I remember walking down to the local candy store most days, and had no problem doing that. My parents were told they should shut me away at a home somewhere, because no blind child could ever grow up to amount to anything. And my parents said, You guys are you're totally wrong. And they brought me up with that attitude. So, you   Bill Ratner ** 06:32 know who said that the school says school so that   Michael Hingson ** 06:35 doctors doctors when they discovered I was blind with the   Bill Ratner ** 06:38 kid, goodness gracious, horrified.   Michael Hingson ** 06:44 Well, my parents said absolutely not, and they brought me up, and they actually worked with other parents of premature kids who became blind, and when kindergarten started in for us in in the age of four, they actually had a special kindergarten class for blind kids at the Perry School, which is where I went. And so I did that for a year, learn braille and some other things. Then we moved to California, but yeah, and I go back to Chicago every so often. And when I do nowadays, they I one of my favorite places to migrate in Chicago is Garrett Popcorn.   Bill Ratner ** 07:21 Ah, yes, with caramel corn, regular corn, the   Michael Hingson ** 07:25 Chicago blend, which is a mixture, yeah, the Chicago blend is cheese corn, well, as it is with caramel corn, and they put much other mozzarella on it as well. It's really good.   Bill Ratner ** 07:39 Yeah, so we're on the air. Michael, what do you call your what do you call your program? Here I am your new friend, and I can't even announce your program because I don't know   Michael Hingson ** 07:48 the name, unstoppable mindset. This   Bill Ratner ** 07:51 is unstoppable mindset.   Michael Hingson ** 07:56 We're back. Well, we're back already. We're fast. So you, you, you moved off elsewhere, out of Des Moines and all that. And where did you go to college?   Bill Ratner ** 08:09 Well, this is like, why did you this is, this is a bit like talking about the Vietnam War. Looking back on my college career is like looking back on the Vietnam War series, a series of delusions and defeats. By the time I the time i for college, by the time I was applying for college, I was an orphan, orphan, having been born to fabulous parents who died too young of natural causes. So my grades in high school were my mediocre. I couldn't get into the Ivy Leagues. I got into the big 10 schools. My stepmother said, you're going to Michigan State in East Lansing because your cousin Eddie became a successful realtor. And Michigan State was known as mu u it was the most successful, largest agriculture college and university in the country. Kids from South Asia, China, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, South America all over the world came to Michigan State to study agricultural sciences, children of rich farmers all over the world and middle class farmers all over the world, and a huge police science department. Part of the campus was fenced off, and the young cadets, 1819, 20 years old, would practice on the rest of the student body, uniformed with hats and all right, excuse me, young man, we're just going to get some pizza at eight o'clock on Friday night. Stand against your car. Hands in your car. I said, Are you guys practicing again? Shut up and spread your legs. So that was that was Michigan State, and even though both my parents had master's degrees, I just found all the diversions available in the 1960s to be too interesting, and was not invited. Return after my sophomore year, and in order to flunk out of a big 10 University, and they're fine universities, all of them, you have to be either really determined or not so smart, not really capable of doing that level of study in undergraduate school. And I'd like to think that I was determined. I used to show up for my exams with a little blue book, and the only thing I would write is due to lack of knowledge, I am unable to complete this exam, sign Bill ranter and get up early and hand it in and go off. And so what was, what was left for a young man like that was the theater I'd seen the great Zero Mostel when I was 14 years old and on stage live, he looked just like my father, and he was funny, and if I Were a rich man, and that's the grade zero must tell. Yeah, and it took about five, no, it took about six, seven years to percolate inside my bread and my brain. In high school, I didn't want to do theater. The cheerleaders and guys who I had didn't happen to be friends with or doing theater. I took my girlfriends to see plays, but when I was 21 I started acting, and I've been an actor ever since. I'm a committee chair on the screen actors guild in Hollywood and Screen Actors Guild AFTRA, and work as a voice actor and collect my pensions and God bless the union.   Michael Hingson ** 11:44 Well, hey, as long as it works and you're making progress, you know you're still with it, right?   Bill Ratner ** 11:53 That's the that's the point. There's no accounting for taste in my business. Michael, you work for a few different broadcast entities at my age. And it's, you know, it's younger people. It's 18 to 3418 years to 34 years old is the ideal demographic for advertisers, Ford, Motor Company, Dove soap, Betty, Crocker, cake mixes and cereals, every conceivable product that sold online or sold on television and radio. This is my this is my meat, and I don't work for religion. However, if a religious organization calls, I call and say, I I'm not, not qualified or not have my divinity degree in order to sell your church to the public?   Michael Hingson ** 12:46 Yeah, yeah. Well, I, I can understand that. But you, you obviously do a lot, and as we talked about, you were Flint and GI Joe, which is kind of cool.   Bill Ratner ** 13:01 Flynn GI Joe was very cool. Hasbro Corporation, which was based in Providence, Rhode Island, had a huge success with GI Joe, the figure. The figure was about 11 and a half inches tall, like a Barbie, and was at first, was introduced to the public after the Korean War. There is a comic book that was that was also published about GI Joe. He was an individual figure. He was a figure, a sort of mythic cartoon figure during World War Two, GI Joe, generic American soldier, fighting man and but the Vietnam war dragged on for a long time, and the American buying public or buying kids toys got tired of GI Joe, got tired of a military figure in their household and stopped buying. And when Nixon ended the Vietnam War, or allotted to finish in 1974 Hasbro was in the tank. It's got its stock was cheap, and executives are getting nervous. And then came the Great George Lucas in Star Wars, who shrank all these action figures down from 11 and a half inches to three and a half inches, and went to China and had Chinese game and toy makers make Star Wars toys, and began to earn billions and billions dollars. And so Hasbro said, let's turn GI Joe into into a team. And the team began with flint and Lady J and Scarlett and Duke and Destro and cover commander, and grew to 85 different characters, because Hasbro and the toy maker partners could create 85 different sets of toys and action figures. So I was actor in this show and had a good time, and also a purveyor of a billion dollar industry of American toys. And the good news about these toys is I was at a conference where we signed autographs the voice actors, and we have supper with fans and so on. And I was sitting next to a 30 year old kid and his parents. And this kid was so knowledgeable about pop culture and every conceivable children's show and animated show that had ever been on the screen or on television. I turned to his mother and sort of being a wise acre, said, So ma'am, how do you feel about your 30 year old still playing with GI Joe action figures? And she said, Well, he and I both teach English in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania school system, and last year, the literacy level of my ninth graders was 50% 50% of those kids could not read in ninth grade. So I asked the principal if I could borrow my son's GI Joe, action figures, comic books and VHS tapes, recordings of the shows from TV. And he said, Sure, whatever you want to try. And so she did, and she played the video tapes, and these kids were thrilled. They'd never seen a GI Joe cartoon in class before. Passed out the comic books, let him read comics. And then she said, Okay, you guys. And passed out notebooks and pens and pencils, and said, I want you guys to make up some some shows, some GI Joe shows. And so they said, Yeah, we're ready. All right, Cobra, you better get into the barber shop, because the barber bill is no longer there and the fire engines are in the way. And wait a minute, there's a dog in the street. And so they're making this up, using their imagination, doing their schoolwork, by coming up with scenarios, imaginary fam fan fiction for GI Joe and she raised the literacy level in her classroom by 50% that year, by the end of that year, so, so that was the only story that I've ever heard about the sort of the efficacy of GI Joe, other than, you know, kids play with them. Do they? Are they shooting each other all the time? I certainly hope not. I hope not. Are they using the action figures? Do they strip their guns off and put them in a little, you know, stub over by the side and and have them do physical battle with each other, or have them hump the woods, or have them climb the stairs, or have them search the trees. Who knows what kids do? Same with same with girls and and Barbies. Barbie has been a source of fun and creativity for lots of girls, and the source of of worry and bother to a lot of parents as   Michael Hingson ** 17:54 well. Well, at the same time, though, when kids start to react and relate to some of these things. It's, it's pretty cool. I mean, look what's happened with the whole Harry Potter movement and craze. Harry Potter has probably done more in the last 20 or 25 years to promote reading for kids than most anything else, and   Bill Ratner ** 18:17 that's because it's such a good series of books. I read them to my daughters, yeah. And the quality of writing. She was a brilliant writer, not only just the stories and the storytelling, which is fun to watch in the movies, and you know, it's great for a parent to read. If there are any parents listening, I don't care how old your kids are. I don't care if they're 15. Offer to read to them. The 15 year old might, of course, say mom, but anybody younger than that might say either, all right, fine, which is, which means you better do it or read, read a book. To me, sure, it's fun for the parent, fun for the kid, and it makes the child a completely different kind of thinker and worker and earner.   Michael Hingson ** 19:05 Well, also the people who they got to read the books for the recordings Stephen Fry and in the US here, Jim Dale did such an incredible job as well. I've, I've read the whole Harry Potter series more than once, because I just enjoy them, and I enjoy listening to the the voices. They do such a good job. Yeah. And of course, for me, one of the interesting stories that I know about Jim Dale reading Harry Potter was since it was published by Scholastic he was actually scheduled to do a reading from one of the Harry from the new Harry Potter book that was coming out in 2001 on September 11, he was going to be at Scholastic reading. And of course, that didn't happen because of of everything that did occur. So I don't know whether I'm. I'm assuming at some point a little bit later, he did, but still he was scheduled to be there and read. But it they are there. They've done so much to help promote reading, and a lot of those kinds of cartoons and so on. Have done some of that, which is, which is pretty good. So it's good to, you know, to see that continue to happen. Well, so you've written several books on poetry and so on, and I know that you you've mentioned more than once grief and loss. How come those words keep coming up?   Bill Ratner ** 20:40 Well, I had an unusual childhood. Again. I mentioned earlier how, what a lucky kid I was. My parents were happy, educated, good people, not abusers. You know, I don't have a I don't have horror stories to tell about my mother or my father, until my mother grew sick with breast cancer and and it took about a year and a half or two years to die when I was seven years old. The good news is, because she was a sensitive, educated social worker, as she was actually dying, she arranged a death counseling session with me and my older brother and the Unitarian minister who was also a death counselor, and whom she was seeing to talk about, you know, what it was like to be dying of breast cancer with two young kids. And at this session, which was sort of surprised me, I was second grade, came home from school. In the living room was my mother and my brother looking a little nervous, and Dr Carl storm from the Unitarian Church, and she said, you know, Dr storm from church, but he's also my therapist. And we talk about my illness and how I feel, and we talk about how much I love you boys, and talk about how I worry about Daddy. And this is what one does when one is in crisis. That was a moment that was not traumatic for me. It's a moment I recalled hundreds of times, and one that has been a guiding light through my life. My mother's death was very difficult for my older brother, who was 13 who grew up in World War Two without without my father, it was just him and my mother when he was off in the Pacific fighting in World War Two. And then I was born after the war. And the loss of a mother in a family is like the bottom dropping out of a family. But luckily, my dad met a woman he worked with a highly placed advertising executive, which was unusual for a female in the 1950s and she became our stepmother a year later, and we had some very lovely, warm family years with her extended family and our extended family and all of us together until my brother got sick, came down with kidney disease a couple of years before kidney dialysis was invented, and a couple of years before kidney transplants were done, died at 19. Had been the captain of the swimming team at our high school, but did a year in college out in California and died on Halloween of 1960 my father was 51 years old. His eldest son had died. He had lost his wife six years earlier. He was working too hard in the advertising industry, successful man and dropped out of a heart attack 14th birthday. Gosh, I found him unconscious on the floor of our master bathroom in our house. So my life changed. I My life has taught me many, many things. It's taught me how the defense system works in trauma. It's taught me the resilience of a child. It's taught me the kindness of strangers. It's taught me the sadness of loss.   Michael Hingson ** 24:09 Well, you, you seem to come through all of it pretty well. Well, thank you. A question behind that, just an observation, but, but you do seem to, you know, obviously, cope with all of it and do pretty well. So you, you've always liked to be involved in acting and so on. How did you actually end up deciding to be a voice actor?   Bill Ratner ** 24:39 Well, my dad, after he was managing editor of Better Homes and Gardens magazine in Des Moines for Meredith publishing, got offered a fancy job as executive vice president of the flower and mix division for Campbell within advertising and later at General Mills Corporation. From Betty Crocker brand, and would bring me to work all the time, and would sit with me, and we'd watch the wonderful old westerns that were on prime time television, rawhide and Gunsmoke and the Virginian and sure   Michael Hingson ** 25:15 and all those. Yeah, during   Bill Ratner ** 25:17 the commercials, my father would make fun of the commercials. Oh, look at that guy. And number one, son, that's lousy acting. Number two, listen to that copy. It's the dumbest ad copy I've ever seen. The jingles and and then he would say, No, that's a good commercial, right there. And he wasn't always negative. He would he was just a good critic of advertising. So at a very young age, starting, you know, when we watch television, I think the first television ever, he bought us when I was five years old, I was around one of the most educated, active, funny, animated television critics I could hope to have in my life as a 56789, 1011, 12 year old. And so when I was 12, I became one of the founding members of the Brotherhood of radio stations with my friends John Waterhouse and John Barstow and Steve gray and Bill Connors in South Minneapolis. I named my five watt night kit am transmitter after my sixth grade teacher, Bob close this is wclo stereo radio. And when I was in sixth grade, I built myself a switch box, and I had a turntable and I had an intercom, and I wired my house for sound, as did all the other boys in the in the B, O, R, S, and that's brotherhood of radio stations. And we were guests on each other's shows, and we were obsessed, and we would go to the shopping malls whenever a local DJ was making an appearance and torture him and ask him dumb questions and listen obsessively to American am radio. And at the time for am radio, not FM like today, or internet on your little radio tuner, all the big old grandma and grandpa radios, the wooden ones, were AM, for amplitude modulated. You could get stations at night, once the sun went down and the later it got, the ionosphere would lift and the am radio signals would bounce higher and farther. And in Minneapolis, at age six and seven, I was able to to listen to stations out of Mexico and Texas and Chicago, and was absolutely fascinated with with what was being put out. And I would, I would switch my brother when I was about eight years old, gave me a transistor radio, which I hid under my bed covers. And at night, would turn on and listen for, who knows, hours at a time, and just tuning the dial and tuning the dial from country to rock and roll to hit parade to news to commercials to to agric agriculture reports to cow crossings in Kansas and grain harvesting and cheese making in Wisconsin, and on and on and on that made up the great medium of radio that was handing its power and its business over to television, just as I was growing As a child. Fast, fascinating transition   Michael Hingson ** 28:18 and well, but as it was transitioning, how did that affect you?   Bill Ratner ** 28:26 It made television the romantic, exciting, dynamic medium. It made radio seem a little limited and antiquated, and although I listened for environment and wasn't able to drag a television set under my covers. Yeah, and television became memorable with with everything from actual world war two battle footage being shown because there wasn't enough programming to 1930s Warner Brothers gangster movies with James Cagney, Edward G   Michael Hingson ** 29:01 Robinson and yeah   Bill Ratner ** 29:02 to all the sitcoms, Leave It to Beaver and television cartoons and on and on and on. And the most memorable elements to me were the personalities, and some of whom were invisible. Five years old, I was watching a Kids program after school, after kindergarten. We'll be back with more funny puppets, marionettes after this message and the first words that came on from an invisible voice of this D baritone voice, this commercial message will be 60 seconds long, Chrysler Dodge for 1954 blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I watched hypnotized, hypnotized as a 1953 dodge drove across the screen with a happy family of four waving out the window. And at the end of the commercial, I ran into the kitchen said, Mom, mom, I know what a minute. Is, and it was said, it had suddenly come into my brain in one of those very rare and memorable moments in a person's life where your brain actually speaks to you in its own private language and says, Here is something very new and very true, that 60 seconds is in fact a minute. When someone says, See you in five minutes, they mean five times that, five times as long as that. Chrysler commercial, five times 60. That's 300 seconds. And she said, Did you learn it that that on T in kindergarten? And I said, No, I learned it from kangaroo Bob on TV, his announcer, oh, kangaroo Bob, no, but this guy was invisible. And so at five years of age, I was aware of the existence of the practice of the sound, of the magic of the seemingly unlimited access to facts, figures, products, brand names that these voices had and would say on the air in This sort of majestic, patriarchal way,   Michael Hingson ** 31:21 and just think 20 years later, then you had James Earl Jones,   Bill Ratner ** 31:26 the great dame. James Earl Jones, father was a star on stage at that time the 1950s James Earl Jones came of age in the 60s and became Broadway and off Broadway star.   Michael Hingson ** 31:38 I got to see him in Othello. He was playing Othello. What a powerful performance. It was   Bill Ratner ** 31:43 wonderful performer. Yeah, yeah. I got to see him as Big Daddy in Canada, Hot Tin Roof, ah, live and in person, he got front row seats for me and my family.   Michael Hingson ** 31:53 Yeah, we weren't in the front row, but we saw it. We saw it on on Broadway,   Bill Ratner ** 31:58 the closest I ever got to James Earl Jones. He and I had the same voice over agent, woman named Rita vinari of southern Barth and benare company. And I came into the agency to audition for Doritos, and I hear this magnificent voice coming from behind a closed voiceover booth, saying, with a with a Spanish accent, Doritos. I thought that's James Earl Jones. Why is he saying burritos? And he came out, and he bowed to me, nodded and smiled, and I said, hello and and the agent probably in the booth and shut the door. And she said, I said, that was James Earl Jones. What a voice. What she said, Oh, he's such a nice man. And she said, but I couldn't. I was too embarrassed. I was too afraid to stop him from saying, Doritos. And it turns out he didn't get the gig. So it is some other voice actor got it because he didn't say, had he said Doritos with the agent froze it froze up. That was as close as I ever got to did you get the gig? Oh goodness no,   Michael Hingson ** 33:01 no, you didn't, huh? Oh, well, well, yeah. I mean, it was a very, it was, it was wonderful. It was James Earl Jones and Christopher Plummer played Iago. Oh, goodness, oh, I know. What a what a combination. Well, so you, you did a lot of voiceover stuff. What did you do regarding radio moving forward? Or did you just go completely out of that and you were in TV? Or did you have any opportunity   Bill Ratner ** 33:33 for me to go back at age 15, my brother and father, who were big supporters of my radio. My dad would read my W, C, l, o, newsletter and need an initial, an excellent journalism son and my brother would bring his teenage friends up. He'd play the elderly brothers, man, you got an Elvis record, and I did. And you know, they were, they were big supporters for me as a 13 year old, but when I turned 14, and had lost my brother and my father, I lost my enthusiasm and put all of my radio equipment in a box intended to play with it later. Never, ever, ever did again. And when I was about 30 years old and I'd done years of acting in the theater, having a great time doing fun plays and small theaters in Minneapolis and South Dakota and and Oakland, California and San Francisco. I needed money, so I looked in the want ads and saw a job for telephone sales, and I thought, Well, I used to love the telephone. I used to make phony phone calls to people all the time. Used to call funeral homes. Hi Carson, funeral I help you. Yes, I'm calling to tell you that you have a you have a dark green slate tile. Roof, isn't that correct? Yes. Well, there's, there's a corpse on your roof. Lady for goodness sake, bring it down and we laugh and we record it and and so I thought, Well, gee, I used to have a lot of fun with the phone. And so I called the number of telephone sales and got hired to sell magazine subscriptions and dinner tickets to Union dinners and all kinds of things. And then I saw a new job at a radio station, suburban radio station out in Walnut Creek, California, a lovely Metro BART train ride. And so I got on the BART train, rode out there and walked in for the interview, and was told I was going to be selling small advertising packages on radio for the station on the phone. And so I called barber shops and beauty shops and gas stations in the area, and one guy picked up the phone and said, Wait a minute, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Are you on the radio right now? And I said, No, I'm just I'm in the sales room. Well, maybe you should be. And he slams the phone on me. He didn't want to talk to me anymore. It wasn't interested in buying advertising. I thought, gee. And I told somebody at the station, and they said, Well, you want to be in the radio? And he went, Yeah, I was on the radio when I was 13. And it just so happened that an older fellow was retiring from the 10am to 2pm slot. K I S King, kiss 99 and KD FM, Pittsburgh, California. And it was a beautiful music station. It was a music station. Remember, old enough will remember music that used to play in elevators that was like violin music, the Percy faith orchestra playing a Rolling Stone song here in the elevator. Yes, well, that's exactly what we played. And it would have been harder to get a job at the local rock stations because, you know, they were popular places. And so I applied for the job, and   Michael Hingson ** 37:06 could have lost your voice a lot sooner, and it would have been a lot harder if you had had to do Wolfman Jack. But that's another story.   Bill Ratner ** 37:13 Yeah, I used to listen to Wolf Man Jack. I worked in a studio in Hollywood. He became a studio. Yeah, big time.   Michael Hingson ** 37:22 Anyway, so you you got to work at the muzack station, got   Bill Ratner ** 37:27 to work at the muzack station, and I was moving to Los Angeles to go to a bigger market, to attempt to penetrate a bigger broadcast market. And one of the sales guys, a very nice guy named Ralph pizzella said, Well, when you get to La you should study with a friend of mine down to pie Troy, he teaches voiceovers. I said, What are voice overs? He said, You know that CVS Pharmacy commercial just carted up and did 75 tags, available in San Fernando, available in San Clemente, available in Los Angeles, available in Pasadena. And I said, Yeah. He said, Well, you didn't get paid any extra. You got paid your $165 a week. The guy who did that commercial for the ad agency got paid probably 300 bucks, plus extra for the tags, that's voiceovers. And I thought, why? There's an idea, what a concept. So he gave me the name and number of old friend acquaintance of his who he'd known in radio, named Don DiPietro, alias Johnny rabbit, who worked for the Dick Clark organization, had a big rock and roll station there. He'd come to LA was doing voiceovers and teaching voiceover classes in a little second story storefront out of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. So I signed up for his class, and he was an experienced guy, and he liked me, and we all had fun, and I realized I was beginning to study like an actor at 1818, who goes to New York or goes to Los Angeles or Chicago or Atlanta or St Louis to act in the big theaters, and starts acting classes and realizes, oh my goodness, these people are truly professionals. I don't know how to do what they do. And so for six years, I took voice over classes, probably 4050, nights a year, and from disc jockeys, from ex show hosts, from actors, from animated cartoon voices, and put enough time in to get a degree in neurology in medical school. And worked my way up in radio in Los Angeles and had a morning show, a lovely show with a wonderful news man named Phil Reed, and we talked about things and reviewed movies and and played a lot of music. And then I realized, wait a minute, I'm earning three times the money in voiceovers as I am on the radio, and I have to get up at 430 in the morning to be on the radio. Uh, and a wonderful guy who was Johnny Carson's staff announcer named Jack angel said, You're not still on radio, are you? And I said, Well, yeah, I'm working in the morning. And Ka big, get out of there. Man, quit. Quit. And I thought, well, how can I quit? I've always wanted to be a radio announcer. And then there was another wonderful guy on the old am station, kmpc, sweet Dick Whittington. Whittington, right? And he said at a seminar that I went to at a union voice over training class, when you wake up at four in the morning and you swing your legs over the bed and your shoes hit the floor, and you put your head in your hands, and you say to yourself, I don't want to do this anymore. That's when you quit radio. Well, that hadn't happened to me. I was just getting up early to write some comedy segments and on and on and on, and then I was driving around town all day doing auditions and rented an ex girlfriend's second bedroom so that I could nap by myself during the day, when I had an hour in and I would as I would fall asleep, I'd picture myself every single day I'm in a dark voiceover studio, a microphone Is before me, a music stand is before the microphone, and on it is a piece of paper with advertising copy on it. On the other side of the large piece of glass of the recording booth are three individuals, my employers, I begin to read, and somehow the text leaps off the page, streams into my eyes, letter for letter, word for word, into a part of my back brain that I don't understand and can't describe. It is processed in my semi conscious mind with the help of voice over training and hope and faith, and comes out my mouth, goes into the microphone, is recorded in the digital recorder, and those three men, like little monkeys, lean forward and say, Wow, how do you do that? That was my daily creative visualization. Michael, that was my daily fantasy. And I had learned that from from Dale Carnegie, and I had learned that from Olympic athletes on NBC TV in the 60s and 70s, when the announcer would say, this young man you're seeing practicing his high jump is actually standing there. He's standing stationary, and the bouncing of the head is he's actually rehearsing in his mind running and running and leaping over the seven feet two inch bar and falling into the sawdust. And now he's doing it again, and you could just barely see the man nodding his head on camera at the exact rhythm that he would be running the 25 yards toward the high bar and leaping, and he raised his head up during the imaginary lead that he was visualizing, and then he actually jumped the seven foot two inches. That's how I learned about creative visualization from NBC sports on TV.   Michael Hingson ** 43:23 Channel Four in Los Angeles. There you go. Well, so you you broke into voice over, and that's what you did.   Bill Ratner ** 43:38 That's what I did, darn it, I ain't stopping now, there's a wonderful old actor named Bill Irwin. There two Bill Irwin's one is a younger actor in his 50s or 60s, a brilliant actor from Broadway to film and TV. There's an older William Irwin. They also named Bill Irwin, who's probably in his 90s now. And I went to a premiere of a film, and he was always showing up in these films as The senile stock broker who answers the phone upside down, or the senile board member who always asks inappropriate questions. And I went up to him and I said, you know, I see you in everything, man. I'm 85 years old. Some friends and associates of mine tell me I should slow down. I only got cast in movies and TV when I was 65 I ain't slowing down. If I tried to slow down at 85 I'd have to stop That's my philosophy. My hero is the great Don Pardo, the late great   Michael Hingson ** 44:42 for Saturday Night Live and Jeopardy   Bill Ratner ** 44:45 lives starring Bill Murray, Gilder Radner, and   Michael Hingson ** 44:49 he died for Jeopardy before that,   Bill Ratner ** 44:52 yeah, died at 92 with I picture him, whether it probably not, with a microphone and. His hand in his in his soundproof booth, in his in his garage, and I believe he lived in Arizona, although the show was aired and taped in New York, New York, right where he worked for for decades as a successful announcer. So that's the story.   Michael Hingson ** 45:16 Michael. Well, you know, I miss, very frankly, some of the the the days of radio back in the 60s and 70s and so on. We had, in LA what you mentioned, Dick Whittington, Dick whittinghill on kmpc, Gary Owens, you know, so many people who were such wonderful announcers and doing some wonderful things, and radio just isn't the same anymore. It's gone. It's   Bill Ratner ** 45:47 gone to Tiktok and YouTube. And the truth is, I'm not gonna whine about Tiktok or YouTube, because some of the most creative moments on camera are being done on Tiktok and YouTube by young quote influencers who hire themselves out to advertisers, everything from lipstick. You know,   Speaker 1 ** 46:09 when I went to a party last night was just wild and but this makeup look, watch me apply this lip remover and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, no, I have no lip.   Bill Ratner ** 46:20 You know, these are the people with the voices. These are the new voices. And then, of course, the faces. And so I would really advise before, before people who, in fact, use the internet. If you use the internet, you can't complain if you use the internet, if you go to Facebook or Instagram, or you get collect your email or Google, this or that, which most of us do, it's handy. You can't complain about tick tock, tick tock, tick tock. You can't complain about tick tock or YouTube, because it's what the younger generation is using, and it's what the younger generation advertisers and advertising executives and creators and musicians and actors are using to parade before us, as Gary Owens did, as Marlon Brando did, as Sarah Bernhardt did in the 19 so as all as you do, Michael, you're a parader. You're the head of the parade. You've been in on your own float for years. I read your your bio. I don't even know why you want to waste a minute talking to me for goodness sakes.   Michael Hingson ** 47:26 You know, the one thing about podcasts that I like over radio, and I did radio at kuci for seven years when I was in school, what I really like about podcasts is they're not and this is also would be true for Tiktok and YouTube. Primarily Tiktok, I would would say it isn't as structured. So if we don't finish in 60 minutes, and we finish in 61 minutes, no one's gonna shoot us.   Bill Ratner ** 47:53 Well, I beg to differ with you. Now. I'm gonna start a fight with you. Michael, yeah, we need conflict in this script. Is that it The Tick Tock is very structured. Six. No,   Michael Hingson ** 48:03 no, I understand that. I'm talking about podcasts,   Bill Ratner ** 48:07 though, but there's a problem. We gotta Tone It Up. We gotta pick it up. We gotta there's a lot of and I listen to what are otherwise really bright, wonderful personalities on screen, celebrities who have podcasts and the car sucks, and then I had meatballs for dinner, haha. And you know what my wife said? Why? You know? And there's just too much of that. And,   Michael Hingson ** 48:32 oh, I understand, yeah. I mean, it's like, like anything, but I'm just saying that's one of the reasons I love podcasting. So it's my way of continuing what I used to do in radio and having a lot of fun doing it   Bill Ratner ** 48:43 all right, let me ask you. Let me ask you a technical and editorial question. Let me ask you an artistic question. An artist, can you edit this podcast? Yeah. Are you? Do you plan to Nope.   Michael Hingson ** 48:56 I think conversations are conversations, but there is a but, I mean,   Bill Ratner ** 49:01 there have been starts and stops and I answer a question, and there's a long pause, and then, yeah, we can do you edit that stuff   Michael Hingson ** 49:08 out. We do, we do, edit some of that out. And I have somebody that that that does a lot of it, because I'm doing more podcasts, and also I travel and speak, but I can edit. There's a program called Reaper, which is really a very sophisticated   Bill Ratner ** 49:26 close up spaces. You   Michael Hingson ** 49:28 can close up spaces with it, yes, but the neat thing about Reaper is that somebody has written scripts to make it incredibly accessible for blind people using screen readers.   Bill Ratner ** 49:40 What does it do? What does it do? Give me the elevator pitch.   Michael Hingson ** 49:46 You've seen some of the the programs that people use, like computer vision and other things to do editing of videos and so on. Yeah.   Bill Ratner ** 49:55 Yeah. Even Apple. Apple edit. What is it called? Apple? Garage Band. No, that's audio. What's that   Michael Hingson ** 50:03 audio? Oh,   Bill Ratner ** 50:06 quick time is quick   Michael Hingson ** 50:07 time. But whether it's video or audio, the point is that Reaper allows me to do all of that. I can edit audio. I can insert, I can remove pauses. I can do anything with Reaper that anyone else can do editing audio, because it's been made completely accessible.   Bill Ratner ** 50:27 That's great. That's good. That's nice. Oh, it is. It's cool.   Michael Hingson ** 50:31 So so if I want, I can edit this and just have my questions and then silence when you're talking.   Bill Ratner ** 50:38 That might be best. Ladies and gentlemen, here's Bill Ratner,   Michael Hingson ** 50:46 yep, exactly, exactly. Now you have won the moth stories. Slam, what? Tell me about my story. Slam, you've won it nine times.   Bill Ratner ** 51:00 The Moth was started by a writer, a novelist who had lived in the South and moved to New York City, successful novelist named George Dawes green. And the inception of the moth, which many people listening are familiar with from the Moth Radio Hour. It was, I believe, either late 90s or early 2000s when he'd been in New York for a while and was was publishing as a fiction writer, and threw a party, and decided, instead of going to one of these dumb, boring parties or the same drinks being served and same cigarettes being smoked out in the veranda and the same orders. I'm going to ask people to bring a five minute story, a personal story, nature, a true story. You don't have to have one to get into the party, but I encourage you to. And so you know, the 3040, 50 people showed up, many of whom had stories, and they had a few drinks, and they had hors d'oeuvres. And then he said, Okay, ladies and gentlemen, take your seats. It's time for and then I picked names out of a hat, and person after person after person stood up in a very unusual setting, which was almost never done at parties. You How often do you see that happen? Suddenly, the room falls silent, and someone with permission being having been asked by the host to tell a personal story, some funny, some tragic, some complex, some embarrassing, some racy, some wild, some action filled. And afterward, the feedback he got from his friends was, this is the most amazing experience I've ever had in my life. And someone said, you need to do this. And he said, Well, you people left a lot of cigarette butts and beer cans around my apartment. And they said, well, let's do it at a coffee shop. Let's do it at a church basement. So slowly but surely, the moth storytelling, story slams, which were designed after the old poetry slams in the 50s and 60s, where they were judged contests like, like a dance contest. Everybody's familiar with dance contests? Well, there were, then came poetry contests with people singing and, you know, and singing and really energetically, really reading. There then came storytelling contests with people standing on a stage before a silent audience, telling a hopefully interesting, riveting story, beginning middle, end in five minutes. And so a coffee house was found. A monthly calendar was set up. Then came the internet. Then it was so popular standing room only that they had to open yet another and another, and today, some 20 years later, 20 some years later, from Austin, Texas to San Francisco, California to Minneapolis, Minnesota to New York City to Los Angeles. There are moth story slams available on online for you to schedule yourself to go live and in person at the moth.org as in the moth with wings. Friend of mine, I was in New York. He said, You can't believe it. This writer guy, a writer friend of mine who I had read, kind of an avant garde, strange, funny writer was was hosting something called the moth in New York, and we were texting each other. He said, Well, I want to go. The theme was show business. I was going to talk to my Uncle Bobby, who was the bell boy. And I Love Lucy. I'll tell a story. And I texted him that day. He said, Oh man, I'm so sorry. I had the day wrong. It's next week. Next week, I'm going to be back home. And so he said, Well, I think there's a moth in Los Angeles. So about 15 years ago, I searched it down and what? Went to a small Korean barbecue that had a tiny little stage that originally was for Korean musicians, and it was now being used for everything from stand up comedy to evenings of rock and roll to now moth storytelling once a month. And I think the theme was first time. And so I got up and told a silly story and didn't win first prize. They have judges that volunteer judges a table of three judges scoring, you like, at a swim meet or a track beat or, you know, and our gymnastics meet. So this is all sort of familiar territory for everybody, except it's storytelling and not high jumping or pull ups. And I kept going back. I was addicted to it. I would write a story and I'd memorize it, and I'd show up and try to make it four minutes and 50 seconds and try to make it sound like I was really telling a story and not reading from a script. And wish I wasn't, because I would throw the script away, and I knew the stories well enough. And then they created a radio show. And then I began to win slams and compete in the grand slams. And then I started submitting these 750 word, you know, two and a half page stories. Literary magazines got a few published and found a whole new way to spend my time and not make much   Michael Hingson ** 56:25 money. Then you went into poetry.   Bill Ratner ** 56:29 Then I got so bored with my prose writing that I took a poetry course from a wonderful guy in LA called Jack grapes, who had been an actor and a football player and come to Hollywood and did some TV, episodics and and some some episodic TV, and taught poetry. It was a poet in the schools, and I took his class of adults and got a poem published. And thought, wait a minute, these aren't even 750 words. They're like 75 words. I mean, you could write a 10,000 word poem if you want, but some people have, yeah, and it was complex, and there was so much to read and so much to learn and so much that was interesting and odd. And a daughter of a friend of mine is a poet, said, Mommy, are you going to read me one of those little word movies before I go to sleep?   Michael Hingson ** 57:23 A little word movie, word movie out of the   Bill Ratner ** 57:27 mouths of babes. Yeah, and so, so and I perform. You know, last night, I was in Orange County at a organization called ugly mug Cafe, and a bunch of us poets read from an anthology that was published, and we sold our books, and heard other young poets who were absolutely marvelous and and it's, you know, it's not for everybody, but it's one of the things I do.   Michael Hingson ** 57:54 Well, you sent me pictures of book covers, so they're going to be in the show notes. And I hope people will will go out and get them   Bill Ratner ** 58:01 cool. One of the one of the things that I did with poetry, in addition to wanting to get published and wanting to read before people, is wanting to see if there is a way. Because poetry was, was very satisfying, emotionally to me, intellectually very challenging and satisfying at times. And emotionally challenging and very satisfying at times, writing about things personal, writing about nature, writing about friends, writing about stories that I received some training from the National Association for poetry therapy. Poetry therapy is being used like art therapy, right? And have conducted some sessions and and participated in many and ended up working with eighth graders of kids who had lost someone to death in the past year of their lives. This is before covid in the public schools in Los Angeles. And so there's a lot of that kind of work that is being done by constable people, by writers, by poets, by playwrights,   Michael Hingson ** 59:09 and you became a grief counselor,   Bill Ratner ** 59:13 yes, and don't do that full time, because I do voiceovers full time, right? Write poetry and a grand. Am an active grandparent, but I do the occasional poetry session around around grief poetry.   Michael Hingson ** 59:31 So you're a grandparent, so you've had kids and all that. Yes, sir, well, that's is your wife still with us? Yes?   Bill Ratner ** 59:40 Oh, great, yeah, she's an artist and an art educator. Well, that   Michael Hingson ** 59:46 so the two of you can criticize each other's works, then, just   Bill Ratner ** 59:52 saying, we're actually pretty kind to each other. I Yeah, we have a lot of we have a lot of outside criticism. Them. So, yeah, you don't need to do it internally. We don't rely on it. What do you think of this although, although, more than occasionally, each of us will say, What do you think of this poem, honey? Or what do you think of this painting, honey? And my the favorite, favorite thing that my wife says that always thrills me and makes me very happy to be with her is, I'll come down and she's beginning a new work of a new piece of art for an exhibition somewhere. I'll say, what? Tell me about what's, what's going on with that, and she'll go, you know, I have no idea, but it'll tell me what to do.   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:33 Yeah, it's, it's like a lot of authors talk about the fact that their characters write the stories right, which, which makes a lot of sense. So with all that you've done, are you writing a memoir? By any chance, I   Bill Ratner ** 1:00:46 am writing a memoir, and writing has been interesting. I've been doing it for many years. I got it was my graduate thesis from University of California Riverside Palm Desert.   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:57 My wife was a UC Riverside graduate. Oh, hi. Well, they   Bill Ratner ** 1:01:01 have a low residency program where you go for 10 days in January, 10 days in June. The rest of it's online, which a lot of universities are doing, low residency programs for people who work and I got an MFA in creative writing nonfiction, had a book called parenting for the digital age, the truth about media's effect on children. And was halfway through it, the publisher liked it, but they said you got to double the length. So I went back to school to try to figure out how to double the length. And was was able to do it, and decided to move on to personal memoir and personal storytelling, such as goes on at the moth but a little more personal than that. Some of the material that I was reading in the memoir section of a bookstore was very, very personal and was very helpful to read about people who've gone through particular issues in their childhood. Mine not being physical abuse or sexual abuse, mine being death and loss, which is different. And so that became a focus of my graduate thesis, and many people were urging me to write a memoir. Someone said, you need to do a one man show. So I entered the Hollywood fringe and did a one man show and got good reviews and had a good time and did another one man show the next year and and so on. So But writing memoir as anybody knows, and they're probably listeners who are either taking memoir courses online or who may be actively writing memoirs or short memoir pieces, as everybody knows it, can put you through moods from absolutely ecstatic, oh my gosh, I got this done. I got this story told, and someone liked it, to oh my gosh, I'm so depressed I don't understand why. Oh, wait a minute, I was writing about such and such today. Yeah. So that's the challenge for the memoir is for the personal storyteller, it's also, you know, and it's more of a challenge than it is for the reader, unless it's bad writing and the reader can't stand that. For me as a reader, I'm fascinated by people's difficult stories, if they're well   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:24 told well, I know that when in 2002 I was advised to write a book about the World Trade Center experiences and all, and it took eight years to kind of pull it all together. And then I met a woman who actually I collaborated with, Susie Florey, and we wrote thunder dog. And her agent became my agent, who loved the proposal that we sent and actually got a contract within a week. So thunder dog came out in 2011 was a New York Times bestseller, and very blessed by that, and we're working toward the day that it will become a movie still, but it'll happen. And then I wrote a children's version of it, well, not a children's version of the book, but a children's book about me growing up in Roselle, growing up the guide dog who was with me in the World Trade Center, and that's been on Amazon. We self published it. Then last year, we published a new book called Live like a guide dog, which is all about controlling fear and teaching people lessons that I learned prior to September 11. That helped me focus and remain calm.   Bill Ratner ** 1:04:23 What happened to you on September 11,   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:27 I was in the World Trade Center. I worked on the 78th floor of Tower One.   Bill Ratner ** 1:04:32 And what happened? I mean, what happened to you?   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:36 Um, nothing that day. I mean, well, I got out. How did you get out? Down the stairs? That was the only way to go. So, so the real story is not doing it, but why it worked. And the real issue is that I spent a lot of time when I first went into the World Trade Center, learning all I could about what to do in an emergency, talking to police, port authorities. Security people, emergency preparedness people, and also just walking around the world trade center and learning the whole place, because I ran an office for a company, and I wasn't going to rely on someone else to, like, lead me around if we're going to go to lunch somewhere and take people out before we negotiated contracts. So I needed to know all of that, and I learned all I could, also realizing that if there ever was an emergency, I might be the only one in the office, or we might be in an area where people couldn't read the signs to know what to do anyway. And so I had to take the responsibility of learning all that, which I did. And then when the planes hit 18 floors above us on the other side of the building, we get we had some guests in the office. Got them out, and then another colleague, who was in from our corporate office, and I and my guide dog, Roselle, went to the stairs, and we started down. And   Bill Ratner ** 1:05:54 so, so what floor did the plane strike?   Michael Hingson ** 1:05:58 It struck and the NOR and the North Tower, between floors 93 and 99 so I just say 96 okay, and you were 20 floors down, 78 floors 78 so we were 18 floors below, and   Bill Ratner ** 1:06:09 at the moment of impact, what did you think?   Michael Hingson ** 1:06:13 Had no idea we heard a muffled kind of explosion, because the plane hit on the other side of the building, 18 floors above us. There was no way to know what was going on. Did you feel? Did you feel? Oh, the building literally tipped, probably about 20 feet. It kept tipping. And then we actually said goodbye to each other, and then the building came back upright. And then we went,   Bill Ratner ** 1:06:34 really you so you thought you were going to die?   Michael Hingson ** 1:06:38 David, my colleague who was with me, as I said, he was from our California office, and he was there to help with some seminars we were going to be doing. We actually were saying goodbye to each other because we thought we were about to take a 78 floor plunge to the street, when the building stopped tipping and it came back. Designed to do that by the architect. It was designed to do that, which is the point, the point.   Bill Ratner ** 1:07:02 Goodness, gracious. And then did you know how to get to the stairway?   Michael Hingson ** 1:07:04 Oh, absolutely. And did you do it with your friend? Yeah, the first thing we did, the first thing we did is I got him to get we had some guests, and I said, get him to the stairs. Don't let him take the elevators, because I knew he had seen fire above us, but that's all we knew. And but I said, don't take the elevators. Don't let them take elevators. Get them to the stairs and then come back and we'll leave. So he did all that, and then he came back, and we went to the stairs and started down.   Bill Ratner ** 1:07:33 Wow. Could you smell anything?   Michael Hingson ** 1:07:36 We smelled burning jet fuel fumes on the way down. And that's how we figured out an airplane must have hit the building, but we had no idea what happened. We didn't know what happened until the until both towers had collapsed, and I actually talked to my wife, and she's the one who told us how to aircraft have been crashed into the towers, one into the Pentagon, and a fourth, at that time, was still missing over Pennsylvania. Wow. So you'll have to go pick up a copy of thunder dog. Goodness. Good. Thunder dog. The name of the book is Thunder dog, and the book I wrote last year is called Live like a guide dog. It's le

I caught up with local singer-songwriter, Ynana Rose as she gears up for her single release party this Friday, May 9 at Sonic Milk Studios in Cambria. We've followed Ynana's story for about 6 years now and have seen and heard so much genuine humanness from her along the way. With her personal, heartfelt lyricism and the wonderful arrangements behind them, Ynana Rose has brought such beautiful music to our local scene picking up some New Times Music Awards along the way. In the past few years, she's been heading up a local artist support and idea sharing group known as The Feminine Collective. (IG: @thefemininecollectiveslo). Ynana has given so much of herself to our community. Give a little back and grab a ticket for her release party! Enjoy this new, very intimate cover of Fleetwood Mac's 1975 hit, Landslide and lots of other gems from her catalog. It's going to be a performance to remember with Yana backed by a group of amazing musicians, including her son Luca on piano. He's also featured on this new track with his own piano arrangement adding such a special layer to an overall amazing recording produced by Rob Vermuelen of Robbo Music. Tickets available here: my805tix.com/e/ynanarosesonicmilk Watch the Landslide music video made at Sonic Milk Studios with film making by Kyle & Carlos Plummer of SuperImage, Ltd. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOricDpNYh0 All things Yana Rose here: ynanarose.com #YnanaRose #Landslide #LocalLove

Transforming Pain into Poetry: A Discussion on Suicide, Hope, and Healing   In this emotionally rich episode of the Suicide Zen Forgiveness podcast, host Elaine Lindsay sits down with poet Icess Fernandez Roja to discuss her debut poetry collection, 'The Opposite of Breathing is Cement.' The collection explores themes of identity, love, mental illness, and suicide. Icess shares her personal journey of overcoming suicidal ideation and how it led to writing poetry as a means of healing and reaching out to others experiencing similar struggles. The conversation delves into the importance of breaking the stigma surrounding mental health and suicide, providing support for those in need, and the power of finding and sharing hope through creative expression. The episode highlights the significance of talking about mental health openly and using one's experiences to help others feel less alone. Icess's story is a testament to the strength found in vulnerability and the transformative potential of art in navigating the darkest of times.   00:00 Introducing Icess Fernandez Roja and Her Poetry on Mental Health 00:42 The Mission of Suicide Zen Forgiveness Podcast 01:25 A Deep Dive into Identity, Suicide, and Healing Through Poetry 08:29 The Journey from Darkness to Diagnosis 14:59 Finding Hope and Purpose Through Sharing and Connection 20:40 The Power of Kindness and Community in Healing 24:12 Using Art to Open Conversations on Mental Health 27:11 Revolutionizing Customer Service: A Personal Touch 28:23 The Power of Genuine Compliments 29:54 Breaking the Cycle of Robotic Interactions 30:50 The Impact of Positive Feedback 31:13 A Lesson in Kindness from a UPS Driver 33:06 Sharing a Poignant Poem 37:59 Navigating Depression and Suicide Ideation 40:15 Preemptive Measures Against Depression 48:11 Finding Hope in the Smallest Things 49:47 Concluding Thoughts and Gratitude Summary Icess Fernandez Rojas is a highly acclaimed international writer, Houston educator, and former journalist. Her debut poetry collection, "The Opposite of Breathing is Cement: Poetry and Prose," delves into the intricacies of life, touching on themes of healing, identity, love, and mental illness. A graduate of Goddard College's MFA program, Rojas's work has earned international recognition, gracing the pages of prestigious literary journals such as Queen Mobs Lit Journal, Poetry 24, PANK Magazine, Rabble Lit, Minerva Rising Literary Journal, and the Feminine Collective's anthology, "Notes from Humanity." Her compelling Houston-based story, "Happy Hunting," found a place in the esteemed "Houston Noir" anthology. Her latest work is called: "The Opposite of Breathing is Cement: Poetry and Prose" and is available in bookstores and online now. Notably, Rojas's nonfiction and memoir pieces have left an indelible mark in publications like Dear Hope, NBCNews.com, HuffPost, and the Guardian. Her exceptional contributions to the literary world have garnered her numerous accolades, including the Owl of Minerva Award, and she is celebrated as an alum of the VONA/Voices of Our Nation Arts Foundation, a Dos Brujas Workshop alum, a Kimbilio Fellow, and a member of the illustrious Yale Writers' Workshop. Website links: https://icessfernandez.com/ And the book links: Barnes and Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144308727?ean=9798218280390   Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Opposite-Breathing-Cement-Poetry-Prose/dp/B0CMC722QG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=2IZGWDNJ15SV1&keywords=the+opposite+of+breathing+is+cement%3A+poetry+%26+prose&qid=1699935853&sprefix=%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-1    Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-opposite-of-breathing-is-cement-poetry-prose-icess-fernandez-rojas/20765841

Transforming Pain into Poetry: A Discussion on Suicide, Hope, and Healing   In this emotionally rich episode of the Suicide Zen Forgiveness podcast, host Elaine Lindsay sits down with poet Icess Fernandez Roja to discuss her debut poetry collection, 'The Opposite of Breathing is Cement.' The collection explores themes of identity, love, mental illness, and suicide. Icess shares her personal journey of overcoming suicidal ideation and how it led to writing poetry as a means of healing and reaching out to others experiencing similar struggles. The conversation delves into the importance of breaking the stigma surrounding mental health and suicide, providing support for those in need, and the power of finding and sharing hope through creative expression. The episode highlights the significance of talking about mental health openly and using one's experiences to help others feel less alone. Icess's story is a testament to the strength found in vulnerability and the transformative potential of art in navigating the darkest of times.   00:00 Introducing Icess Fernandez Roja and Her Poetry on Mental Health 00:42 The Mission of Suicide Zen Forgiveness Podcast 01:25 A Deep Dive into Identity, Suicide, and Healing Through Poetry 08:29 The Journey from Darkness to Diagnosis 14:59 Finding Hope and Purpose Through Sharing and Connection 20:40 The Power of Kindness and Community in Healing 24:12 Using Art to Open Conversations on Mental Health 27:11 Revolutionizing Customer Service: A Personal Touch 28:23 The Power of Genuine Compliments 29:54 Breaking the Cycle of Robotic Interactions 30:50 The Impact of Positive Feedback 31:13 A Lesson in Kindness from a UPS Driver 33:06 Sharing a Poignant Poem 37:59 Navigating Depression and Suicide Ideation 40:15 Preemptive Measures Against Depression 48:11 Finding Hope in the Smallest Things 49:47 Concluding Thoughts and Gratitude Summary Icess Fernandez Rojas is a highly acclaimed international writer, Houston educator, and former journalist. Her debut poetry collection, "The Opposite of Breathing is Cement: Poetry and Prose," delves into the intricacies of life, touching on themes of healing, identity, love, and mental illness. A graduate of Goddard College's MFA program, Rojas's work has earned international recognition, gracing the pages of prestigious literary journals such as Queen Mobs Lit Journal, Poetry 24, PANK Magazine, Rabble Lit, Minerva Rising Literary Journal, and the Feminine Collective's anthology, "Notes from Humanity." Her compelling Houston-based story, "Happy Hunting," found a place in the esteemed "Houston Noir" anthology. Her latest work is called: "The Opposite of Breathing is Cement: Poetry and Prose" and is available in bookstores and online now. Notably, Rojas's nonfiction and memoir pieces have left an indelible mark in publications like Dear Hope, NBCNews.com, HuffPost, and the Guardian. Her exceptional contributions to the literary world have garnered her numerous accolades, including the Owl of Minerva Award, and she is celebrated as an alum of the VONA/Voices of Our Nation Arts Foundation, a Dos Brujas Workshop alum, a Kimbilio Fellow, and a member of the illustrious Yale Writers' Workshop. Website links: https://icessfernandez.com/ And the book links: Barnes and Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144308727?ean=9798218280390   Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Opposite-Breathing-Cement-Poetry-Prose/dp/B0CMC722QG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=2IZGWDNJ15SV1&keywords=the+opposite+of+breathing+is+cement%3A+poetry+%26+prose&qid=1699935853&sprefix=%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-1    Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-opposite-of-breathing-is-cement-poetry-prose-icess-fernandez-rojas/20765841

We have a HOT episode for you today, as we discuss something that feels rampant in the feminine collective right now. The feminine collective is up against a lot right now with romantic relationships. As a sisterhood collective, we're having challenges finding aligned romantic partners, men that truly rise to meet us where we are at. Have you ever felt like a powerhouse in your career but found yourself disempowered in love? We see you. We feel you. And we're not shying away from the tough conversations about the gap between our deep ideals and standards of divine union and the stark truths of modern dating (Tinder anyone?).There is major tension happening right now between men and women. We feel that the feminine collective is evolving at a much more rapid rate than the masculine collective, leaving us wondering where we are going to meet a man that will rise to meet us. A man that will empower, lead with his heart, be the sacred masculine container to our divine feminine desires. As spiritual women, we can also become mystified by what feels like (or is) a "spiritual connection" in the beginning of a relationship, and we end up hurt as it progresses, feeling misled by not only the man we've been dating, but also by our own intuition. In our heart-to-heart, we circle around the beacon of self-love, illuminating its crucial role in attracting a love that fulfills and uplifts. We muse on the delicate dance of HOLDING our standards while remaining open to the deeper,  meaningful connections that pave the way to truly divine partnerships.You don't want to miss this episode if you are a single woman. Join us to feel like you're in on our chit-chat, while feeling supported, seen, and heard. WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR DATING STORIES! Share them with us on social- IG @mindfullymoody_ and TikTok @mindfullymoodyhttps://www.mindfully-moody.com/ for more info on us.Free resource on How to heal your self doubt here

https://kimberlygarrettbrown.com/ KIMBERLY GARRETT BROWN is Publisher and Executive Editor of Minerva Rising Press. Her work has appeared in Black Lives Have Always Mattered: A Collection of Essays, Poems and Personal Narratives, The Feminine Collective, Compass Literary Magazine, Today's Chicago Woman, Chicago Tribune, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. Her first novel, Cora's Kitchen, was published by Inanna Publications in September 2022. It was a finalist in the 2018 William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition and the 2016 Louise Meriwether First Book Prize. She earned her MFA at Goddard College. She currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida. #KimberlyGarrettBrown #CorasKitchen VOX VOMITUS: Sometimes, it's not what goes right in the writing process, it's what goes horribly wrong. Host Jennifer Anne Gordon, award-winning gothic horror novelist and Co-Host Allison Martine, award-winning contemporary romance and speculative fiction novelist have taken on the top and emerging new authors of the day, including Josh Malerman (BIRDBOX, PEARL), Paul Tremblay (THE PALLBEARERS CLUB, SURVIVOR SONG), May Cobb (MY SUMMER DARLINGS, THE HUNTING WIVES), Amanda Jayatissa (MY SWEET GIRL), Carol Goodman (THE STRANGER BEHIND YOU), Meghan Collins (THE FAMILY PLOT), and dozens more in the last year alone. Pantsers, plotters, and those in between have talked everything from the “vomit draft” to the publishing process, dream-cast movies that are already getting made, and celebrated wins as the author-guests continue to shine all over the globe. www.jenniferannegordon.com www.afictionalhubbard.com https://www.facebook.com/VoxVomituspodcast https://twitter.com/VoxVomitus #voxvomitus #voxvomituspodcast #authorswhopodcast #authors #authorlife #authorsoninstagram #authorsinterviewingauthors #livevideopodcast #livepodcast #bookstagram #liveauthorinterview #voxvomituslivevideopodcast #Jennifergordon --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/voxvomitus/support

Wayne Bornholdt reads his poem, "Recipe," and Susan Shea reads her poems, "Poet's Tea" and "The Good Portion." Wayne Bornholdt is a poet and retired bookseller. He has degrees in philosophy and theological studies. He lives in West Michigan with his wife and two Golden Retrievers. Susan Shea is a retired school psychologist, born in New York City, now living in a forest in Pennsylvania. Since she has returned to writing poetry this year, her poems have been accepted in a few dozen publications, including Avalon Literary Review, Ekstasis, Feminine Collective, and Across the Margin. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/vita-poetica/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/vita-poetica/support

Sara Easterly is an award-winning author and essayist. Her latest book, Adoption Unfiltered (Rowman & Littlefield, Dec 2023), is a collaboration with birth parent Kelsey Vander Vliet Ranyard and adoptive parent Lori Holden. Her spiritual memoir, Searching for Mom, won a 2020 Illumination Book Award gold medal, among many others. Sara's adoption-focused articles and essays have been published by Psychology Today, Dear Adoption, Feminine Collective, Her View from Home, Red Letter Christians, and Severance Magazine, to name a few. Sara is Founder of Adoptee Voices and previously led one of the largest chapters of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI), where she was recognized as SCBWI Member of the Year. She is a trained facilitator and staff member with the Neufeld Institute.Sara resides outside of Seattle with her husband, two daughters, and a menagerie of rescued fur-babies. As an adoptee, she has a passion for helping others understand the often-misunderstood hearts of adopted children.Find her online at https://saraeasterly.com/ https://adoptee-voices.com/Adoption Unfiltered: Revelations from Adoptees, Birth parents, Adoptive Parents, and Allies available on Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Adoption-Unfiltered-Revelations-Adoptees-Adoptive/dp/1538174693/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3CEMXIV5XIDQL&keywords=adoption+unfiltered&qid=1706624058&sprefix=%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-1Searching For Mom: A Memoir available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Searching-Mom-Memoir-Sara-Easterly/dp/0578601958/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3T8RJV7GXFQAK&keywords=searching+for+mom+sara+easterly&qid=1706624112&sprefix=sara+easter%2Caps%2C113&sr=8-1Music by Corey Quinn

DIVINE FEMININE COLLECTIVE has made much more progress than realized. Ready to meet in the middle --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/harmonioushearts/message

A new Krush Lounge is podcasting now at Krush925.com! We're ready to warm your heart with some meaningful local songwriting and a peak into The Feminine Collective featuring Ynana Rose, Natalie Haskins, Holly Ann Lewis and Mae Bronski. The Feminine Collective is Central Coast community at it's best. They're a group of local artists meeting once a month to share stories, business practices, uplift each other and most importantly, share in the joy of music. Follow @thefemininecollectiveslo on Instagram. Special shout out to Monte Schaller and the team at The Siren for supporting local songwriters, hosting An Evening of Stories & Songs with The Feminine Collective! Join them The Siren in Morro Bay, Sunday 2/18, 6-9pm, no cover, $10 suggested donation. #LocalLove #TheFeminineCollectiveSLO

What helps you heal? Other people's perspectives continues to be a huge catalyst on my healing journey. Whether it's validating our feelings or showing us something new, we heal. Their truths can shift our truth. Insights from others in the adoption constellation can be particularly potent. This episode brings you not one, but three perspectives so listen in and let their healing insights and highlights from their new book, heal you.Adoption Unfiltered is presented by adoptee Sara Easterly, birth parent Kelsey Vander Vliet Ranyard, and adoptive parent Lori Holden. Collectively, we bring 75 years of lived experience relating to adoption, and we span the Millennial, Gen X, and Baby Boomer generations. We understand the history, challenges, and trends experienced by people living in adoption and the broader adoption constellation, and we are recognized throughout the adoption community as thought leaders, influencers, and bridge-builders.Sara Easterly is an award-winning author of books and essays. Her memoir, Searching for Mom, won a gold medal in the Illumination Book Awards, among several other honors. Her adoption-focused articles, essays, and book reviews have been published by Psychology Today, Dear Adoption, Severance Magazine, Feminine Collective, Godspace, Her View from Home, and Englewood Review of Books, to name a few.Sara is founder of Adoptee Voices and previously led one of the largest chapters of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators, where she was recognized as SCBWI Member of the Year. She is on staff with the Neufeld Institute, where she supports the Adoption & Foster Care cohort of the Reaching Troubled Kids course, spearheads the Kid-Lit Book Club, and oversees the Neufeld Institute Children's Book List. Additionally, Sara brings 20+ years of experience as a publicist and event planner orchestrating book tours, launch campaigns, and large-scale events.Link Instagram Facebook TwitterKelsey Vander Vliet Ranyard spent several years working in the adoption field, most notably working on public policy issues impacting all adoption-triad members. Kelsey has played a part in the success of state legislation and has tirelessly advocated for current federal legislation. She's a birth mother who is passionate about raising the standards in adoption to better serve the children, mothers, and families affected by family separation.Adoption has been a monumental part of her entire life: Kelsey is the daughter and granddaughter of adoptees. She can often be found fervently and frequently demanding, “How do we fix this?” She is also a co-host of the first-ever birth-mom podcast,Twisted Sisterhood.Link Instagram SpotifyLori Holden, a veteran parent of two newly-minted young adults, writes at LavenderLuz.com and hosts the podcast Adoption: The Long View. She's the author of the acclaimed book The Open-Hearted Way to Open Adoption: Helping Your Child Grow Up Whole (recommended by People magazine in 2021), written with her daughter's birth mom. Her book is featured on adoption-agency required-reading lists across the country. She has keynoted and presented at adoption conferences around the US, and her work has appeared in magazines such as Parenting and Adoptive Families. In 2018, she was honored as an Angel in Adoption® by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI), nominated by Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado.Link Instagram Facebook Twitter Spotifyhttps://adoptionunfiltered.com/

Briony Goodsell is a sacred birth keeper, postpartum doula, feminine yoga teacher and womb medicine woman as well as a devoted mama. She supports women in embodying our divine feminine power, reconnecting to our wombs, our cycles, and our own sacredness through feminine earth wisdom. In this episode we dive into the feminine rites of passage, including menarche (first bleed) to explore WHY this is a sacred initiation that needs to be observed, honoured and celebrated with intention and respect. We talk about: ➳ Briony's own initiation into the divine feminine, through experiencing an eating disorder, challenges in conception + miscarriage, and her journey to coming home to her body and into the work she does now ➳ We talk about what the feminine rites of passage ARE ➳ And in particular we circle back to Menarche, our first bleed. ➳ We talk about WHY this is such a pivotal time in a girl's transition into woman ➳ Including the stories we learn and conditioning that we receive ➳ We talk about some of the seemingly inconsequential things that can impact our menarche ➳ We chat about what an empowered menarche might look and feel like - how we can create this, not just for ourselves, but for future generations ➳ We talk about the importance of the Maiden archetype and why it holds power and magick that is ESSENTIAL in our journey, and some of the ways the Maiden is disregarded or denigrated in our culture ➳ We talk about the repercussions of NOT experiencing a lovingly supported menarche, so what happens when a girl is NOT lovingly and respectfully guided into her feminine power upon her first bleed —  and how this shows up at the alter of birth and pregnancy (and our transition into Mother, whether you physically give birth or not). ➳ We talk about the importance of connecting to other women, especially our elder, wise women, the magas and crones. ☾ Plus so much more ☾ EPISODE RESOURCES Jane Hardwicke Collings Burning Woman by Lucy H Pearce Women Who Run With the Wolves by Dr Clarissa Pinkola Estes «««« ⎊ »»»» CONNECT WITH BRIONY On Instagram @sacredfemininecollective Over on her website CONNECT WITH RACHEL ⁠Download my FREE Womb Clearing Guide⁠ ⁠Follow me on Instagram⁠ ⁠Work with me⁠ «««« ⎊ »»»» COSMIC WEAVINGS - FREE MONTH (MARCH ONLY) Your map and compass to the new/full moon, monthly energies and seasonal celebrations. Use code FREEMONTH to jump inside and access all the content for free. Code expires 31/3/23. Sign up to Cosmic Weavings here!  «««« ⎊ »»»» THE GROUNDED FEMININE MENTORSHIP Apply now for 1:1 coaching Limiting spaces available. «««« ⎊ »»»» Rate + review on Apple Podcasts to support the show even further! I'll send you a special thank you gift (one of my guided meditations!) if you screenshot and send me your review! Simply send your pic to hello@rachelhodgens.com OR dm it to me on instagram @therachelhodgens Remember to share this episode with a friend, loved one or on social media to spread to love ♥︎

Cora's Kitchen by Kimberly Garrett Brown (Inanna Publications 2022) is a striking novel told in letters, journal entries, and a series of stories written by an educated young Black mother, wife, and librarian. Cora, who works at Harlem's 135th Street library, reads a powerful poem by the young Langston Hughes, who begins to offer advice about her own writing. She's awakened to thoughts about society and the role of women, prejudice, and the plight of Black women. Cora is ambitious, but loyal, and stepping in to help a family member leads to a series of events that could destroy her life. She's ultimately surprised to find herself longing to be back in her tiny apartment cooking for her own family, raising her kids, and working in the library stacks. The experience gives her the fortitude to plunge ahead as a writer. KIMBERLY GARRETT BROWN is Publisher and Executive Editor of Minerva Rising Press. Her work has appeared in Black Lives Have Always Mattered: A Collection of Essays, Poems and Personal Narratives, The Feminine Collective, Compass Literary Magazine, Today's Chicago Woman, Chicago Tribune, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. Her first novel, Cora's Kitchen, was published by Inanna Publications in September 2022. It was a finalist in the 2018 William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition and the 2016 Louise Meriwether First Book Prize. She earned her MFA in creative writing at Goddard College. When she's not writing, Brown loves taking pictures, painting, and drawing. She has three adult children and currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida, with her husband and pampered Shih Tzu. G.P. Gottlieb is the author of the Whipped and Sipped Mystery Series and a prolific baker of healthful breads and pastries. Please contact her through her website (GPGottlieb.com). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Cora's Kitchen by Kimberly Garrett Brown (Inanna Publications 2022) is a striking novel told in letters, journal entries, and a series of stories written by an educated young Black mother, wife, and librarian. Cora, who works at Harlem's 135th Street library, reads a powerful poem by the young Langston Hughes, who begins to offer advice about her own writing. She's awakened to thoughts about society and the role of women, prejudice, and the plight of Black women. Cora is ambitious, but loyal, and stepping in to help a family member leads to a series of events that could destroy her life. She's ultimately surprised to find herself longing to be back in her tiny apartment cooking for her own family, raising her kids, and working in the library stacks. The experience gives her the fortitude to plunge ahead as a writer. KIMBERLY GARRETT BROWN is Publisher and Executive Editor of Minerva Rising Press. Her work has appeared in Black Lives Have Always Mattered: A Collection of Essays, Poems and Personal Narratives, The Feminine Collective, Compass Literary Magazine, Today's Chicago Woman, Chicago Tribune, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. Her first novel, Cora's Kitchen, was published by Inanna Publications in September 2022. It was a finalist in the 2018 William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition and the 2016 Louise Meriwether First Book Prize. She earned her MFA in creative writing at Goddard College. When she's not writing, Brown loves taking pictures, painting, and drawing. She has three adult children and currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida, with her husband and pampered Shih Tzu. G.P. Gottlieb is the author of the Whipped and Sipped Mystery Series and a prolific baker of healthful breads and pastries. Please contact her through her website (GPGottlieb.com). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

Cora's Kitchen by Kimberly Garrett Brown (Inanna Publications 2022) is a striking novel told in letters, journal entries, and a series of stories written by an educated young Black mother, wife, and librarian. Cora, who works at Harlem's 135th Street library, reads a powerful poem by the young Langston Hughes, who begins to offer advice about her own writing. She's awakened to thoughts about society and the role of women, prejudice, and the plight of Black women. Cora is ambitious, but loyal, and stepping in to help a family member leads to a series of events that could destroy her life. She's ultimately surprised to find herself longing to be back in her tiny apartment cooking for her own family, raising her kids, and working in the library stacks. The experience gives her the fortitude to plunge ahead as a writer. KIMBERLY GARRETT BROWN is Publisher and Executive Editor of Minerva Rising Press. Her work has appeared in Black Lives Have Always Mattered: A Collection of Essays, Poems and Personal Narratives, The Feminine Collective, Compass Literary Magazine, Today's Chicago Woman, Chicago Tribune, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. Her first novel, Cora's Kitchen, was published by Inanna Publications in September 2022. It was a finalist in the 2018 William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition and the 2016 Louise Meriwether First Book Prize. She earned her MFA in creative writing at Goddard College. When she's not writing, Brown loves taking pictures, painting, and drawing. She has three adult children and currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida, with her husband and pampered Shih Tzu. G.P. Gottlieb is the author of the Whipped and Sipped Mystery Series and a prolific baker of healthful breads and pastries. Please contact her through her website (GPGottlieb.com). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/historical-fiction

Here we are, the final episode of the “That Girl” series! I can't believe it! Today I want to talk more about atmospheres and really dive into all the difference it can make in your life and in your conversations. If you are a part of my blog community, then you probably read last Sunday about how I took my daughter out of state to design school. Side note, if you aren't a part of my blog community, make sure you subscribe at https://www.amandaferguson.org. The reason why my husband and I took my daughter out of state to design school, was we discovered she was just too advanced  for her current school and needed a change in atmosphere. She needed to be in the right community to flourish. If you've read my Woman, Arise book available at https://www.womanarisethebook.com, then you know I talk about the difference of how I grieved my mother's passing and my miscarriage. It was community - grieving with the right people made all the difference. As adults, I think we underestimate the power of community. I'e watched my children on their first day of school find a friend. Our nature is to desire  community for bonding and when we stop craving that, usually its because of offense or anger. So, I want to share three things that will help you find the right community:1.{3:48} Atmospheres are important. Being in the right atmosphere can replenish and refresh you. If you are in the wrong atmosphere, it can drain you and suck the life out you. Taking my daughter out of state introduced her to a new atmosphere that refreshed her and was a place where she could grow. If you aren't growing in your atmomosphere, then something in you is dying because we are made to flourish. What type of atmosphere are you in now?  
2.{5:35} What conversations are you entertaining? Conversations around beauty, your life, God's design and your visions are life giving conversations. Conversations of gossip, unforgiveness and bitterness only produce chaos. Conversations you entertain, will be what you produce in your life. Ask yourself this: are the conversations you are having life giving, energizing and healing to you? In that new atmosphere my daughter was in, I noticed she was having different conversations with the other girls who had been there before. They were teaching her new things. Feminine Collective is just like that and it's not my community our community. It's for us women who want to live for Jesus.  
It was amazing to see how quickly my daughter adapted and lit up during those conversations. When you see other women tearing each other down, I want you to be a part of the solution that says, “Why are you tearing down someone that you don't know?” I've seen some of my closets friend ripped to shreds over false opinions online. Be the type of woman with a different conversation. Every person who tries to attack you when you are putting your best foot forward, don't let that get to you.3. {12:04} Future planning. Where there is no vision the people perish. One thing I noticed, was that all the girls were sharing with each other what they would make in the future. Some said they would design wedding dresses or anniversary dresses and my daughter said she will even make me a birthday dress. The point is they were all submersed in the vision for their future. My thought is this: I cannot bond over the past, I'm not there anymore. Last thing, you were not made to be a loner, you were made to be in community. That's something that me and over a hundred ladies are building in Feminine Woman Collective and I want you to be a part of it. Registration officially closes tonight, so make sure to visit http://femininewomancollective.com to join vibrant community of women encouraging women.   Scriptures:Proverbs 29:18

Today I have so much more than just an interview for you as I speak with one of my first mentors early on, Ali Brown. This episode with Ali is really two women coming together to catch up and talk about feminine entrepreneurship, creation energy, what we see in the world right now, and the challenges that so many of us are facing as we live our Beautiful Soul-Led Life. However, despite these challenges, you'll hear about the massive amounts of opportunities that exist for each and every one of us today! Ali Brown is the Founder + CEO of the women's business empowerment company We Lead and is one of the most recognized entrepreneur coaches in the world, having built a coaching + consulting enterprise that ranked in the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies in the U.S. In 2020 she launched The Trust: the new, premier global network for women entrepreneurs generating 7- and 8-figure revenues.  She has been named one of Forbes' Women to Watch, one of EY's Winning Women Entrepreneurs, and an entrepreneur delegate for the United Nations Foundation's Global Accelerator. Ali was also featured on the ABC hit primetime show Secret Millionaire. She has over 250,000 followers via her sites, social media channels, and Glambition® Radio show on iTunes. Ali's coaching and mentorship has been featured on CNN and many other major media outlets. She was named by Entrepreneur Magazine as having one of the ‘Top 10 Twitter Accounts Every Entrepreneur Should Be Following'. Ali is a frequent traveler, mom of twins and is currently based in Scottsdale, Arizona in the U.S.    Ali has done so many extraordinary things in this industry, and I had so much fun connecting with with her. One of the things I respect so much about Ali is that she put herself out there in the industry when it was first getting started, in a room full of men I must add, and she's allowed herself to be really visible and bold.  She's hilarious and so powerful in what she is doing right now, and as you get to know Ali, you'll learn more about the amazing things she is bringing to the world. As you listen to this episode I invite you to really feel inside yourself as a woman, and see the opportunity to have powerful, gorgeous conversations with other women. See their beauty, see their truth, and no longer feel that old dynamic of being triggered, competitive, or any of the things that so many of us have experienced inside of the Feminine Collective.  If this episode with Ali resonated with you, we'd love it if you would let us know your biggest takeaway from our conversation by tagging us, @elegantfemme1and @alibrownofficial. You can also check out Ali's high level mastermind at www.jointhetrust.org.  Want to feel beautiful, organized and graceful while traveling this summer? You can get our Elegant Summer Travel Guide by going to https://elegantfemme.com/TravelGuide/. If you have a question that you would like answered on an upcoming episode, you can go to https://elegantfemme.com/podcast and click on “Have Une Question” on the right hand side of the page.  

Today we're tapping into the overall energy of the feminine collective when it comes to matters of the heart and what might be needing healing during this retrograde.

I felt so called to pull a card for the divine feminine collective for this weeks episode- I pulled from the Rebecca Campbell, Work Your Light Oracle. This year is your year... its our year.. Its a year where we peel back the juicy layers and experience not only the flow and ease of leaning back and receiving all we have been working for but also being deeply present with the dark energy of the feminine as well. The delicious feeling of feeling it all, honouring the beautiful mess of every part of our beings so we can co-create with the universe from an aligned place. This year we take back our power This year we surrender Want to go deeper into this work? Join us on January 29th @ 11:00 a.m. MST for She Receives! A 90 (ish) Min workshop for the woman who's ready to co-create with the universe, surrender and receive a life beyond your wildest dreams. Tickets here

When she rises, you rise too. Welcome to the Rising Feminine Collective. In this bite-size trailer, your host Nina introduces herself - she talks about her background, why she is uniquely qualified to be your guide in this realm, and what you can expect from this first podcast season. Thank you for being here! Learn more about Nina and her work here. Hosted and Created by Nina Petruzzo. Graphic Design, Editing and Mixing by Alex Lee-Ammons and For The Love Media.

Patricia Thrushart has published three books of poetry, Little Girl Against The Wall, Yin and Yang, and Sanctity: Poems from Northern Appalachia. Her work appears regularly in The Watershed Journal, a regional literary magazine of Northwestern Pennsylvania, and on the website North/South Appalachia. Her poems have been published in Tiny Seed, Clarion University's Tobeco, The Avocet, Still Point Arts Quarterly, The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Bridge Literary Arts Journal, Feminine Collective, Curating Alexandria, High Shelf Press, and The Northern Appalachia Review. Several of her poems have won awards from both the Pennsylvania Poetry Society and the National Federation of State Poetry Societies. Her first narrative nonfiction book, Cursed: The Life and Tragic Death of Marion Alsobrook Stahlman, will be published in October 2021, by Adelaide Books of New York.

The incredible Michelle Maslin-Taylor holds the space for day 9 of the Everyday Goddess Revolution Takeover on Wellbeing Radio to celebrate women worldwide.More about Today's Goddess Michelle Maslin-TaylorMichelle is a yoga teacher, reiki practitioner, intuitive coach and co-author of Amazon bestseller, The Divine Power of The Feminine Collective. Having overcome depression, negative body image and low self esteem with the power of yoga and personal development, she is dedicated to empowering women worldwide to manage their physical and mental wellness with a personalised holistic toolkit. Thank you to the incredible The Mysteries Gone for the fantastic song created especially for the Everday Goddess Revolution. Theme Song: EDGR by https://www.themysteriesgone.com

Solo moms do not always choose to raise children solo. But we are great of making lemonade with the lemons life hands us. Lizbeth Meredith shares her story of enduring domestic abuse. She also suffered in anguished when her ex kidnapped their two young daughters and took them to another country. Thankfully, all that is behind now. Currently, Lizbeth Meredith is an author, speaker, and online teacher based in Alaska. Her work has appeared in Sunlight Press, Feminine Collective, and A Girls Guide to Travelling Alone by Gemma Thompson. She's a former domestic violence advocate and is retiring from a career in probation. Her memoir, Pieces of Me:Rescuing My Kidnapped Daughters is currently optioned for television. To connect with Lizbeth, find her at http://lameredith.to/ (lameredith.to) sign up fornewsletter, or reach out on Twitter@LizbethMeredith or on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/lizbethmeredithfan/ (https://www.facebook.com/lizbethmeredithfan/). Join moms from around the world as we take a break and connect on https://aw18c9c6.aweb.page/p/fdd26e5b-eb49-4cd6-9fcc-8a8df7d05fec (SoloMoms! Talk (Virtual) Connect Lunch Break). Click the link to RSVP. Support the show by becoming a patron. https://www.patreon.com/solomomstalk?fan_landing=true (Click to donate.) Thanks. https://solomoms-talk.com/solomoms-talk-podcast/ (SoloMoms! Talk website) Support this podcast

The stereotype of the starving artist still pervades the social conscious, but creatives know it’s more complex than that: you work to feed yourself, family, and the art. The question becomes, “How much time can I dedicate to my craft and pay rent?” Artists have navigated this question in many ways but deciding to go full-time with their creative practice is a big leap for many. Others work full-time jobs to pay the bills and work on their art around that fact. Both bring their own pros and cons. We will have two guests to offer their experiences in navigating their creative practices around the question of going full-time with their art. Icess Fernandez Rojas is an educator, writer, podcaster, and a former journalist. She is a graduate of Goddard College's MFA program. Her work has been internationally published in Queen Mobs Lit Journal, Poetry 24, Rabble Lit, Minerva Rising Literary Journal, and the Feminine Collective's anthology Notes from Humanity. Her Houston-based story, “Happy Hunting”, was recently published in the Houston Noir anthology. Her podcast, Dear Reader, is based on the popular blog of the same name. Her nonfiction/memoir work has appeared in Dear Hope, NBCNews.com, HuffPost and the Guardian. She is a recipient of the Owl of Minerva Award, a VONA/Voices of Our Nation Arts Foundation alum, a Dos Brujas Workshop alum, and a Kimbilio Fellow. She's currently working on her first novel and finishing her memoir, Problematic. Follow her on Twitter: @Icess and at her website: http://icessfernandez.com.Justin Garcia is a time architect, influenced by the timeless connection between art and science studied by Da Vinci. His lifelong fascination with aging and how change occurs over time led him to undergo a deep self-psychoanalysis through the abstraction of his first seven series spanning over a decade. All Garcia’s earlier works are pieces of a larger puzzle. To analyze, document, and assemble this puzzle, he took two years away from the art scene, several months of which he spent isolated in central Mexico. There, he mapped and constructed a theoretical model that captures the intersection of experience, awareness, and control across time and subject matter (Humanity’s Sustainable Infinite). In late 2015, he announced the completion and publication of his first book, One Ton Goldfish: In Search of the Tangible Dream, a retrospective of his seven series in which Garcia’s personal truth carried some universal meaning that lead to the creation of his theoretical model and latest works. Since, Garcia has been featured at the Venice Biennale, Art Basel, Seattle art fair, and Florence Biennale, which honored the centennial of Da Vinci. There was a guest lecture on art and science, and awarded the Medici medal for his exhibition.Intro music: "Ike is Gone" by Nick Gaitan.Support the show (https://fresharts.org/about-fresh-arts/friends-of-fresh-arts/)

Welcome back friends! I took a little hiatus from recording but I'm back with an episode I actually recorded in January with Heidi Stevens founder of the Feminine Collective. She's a speaker, mentor and host of several women's group. In this episode we talk all about the art of manifesting and calling in the life you want.  This episode was recorded before COVID19 hit but the material in this episode is still very applicable for today! If you like this episode please rate and review it on iTunes and share on Instagram #surebabepodcast. With grace and gumption, Chrissy 

Today we're so lucky to have the incredible Heidi Stevens on the podcast! Heidi is not only a successful female entrepreneur, having had a career in real estate, she is also an amazing mentor and the founder of The Feminine Collective, helping women from all walks of life empower themselves and become successful entrepreneurs. With Heidi, we talk about how she found success and continues to be her best self, and go over the tips she has for women to find their fire and radiate their energy and uniqueness in their work, including: Staying in the flow as an entrepreneur Cultivating YOUR perfect routine ensuring your success Aligning Higher to find your passion and attract success Working Hard vs. Working with Passion Embracing your true self and showing it in your work It was a pleasure to have Heidi on the show! Her sage advice has empowered women all over the world and will undoubtedly continue to as she continues her mentorship.  We have a Facebook group, and we want YOU to join! Grab your adaptogenic lattes and palo santo and head to our Facebook group:  “Get The Glowdown Podcast Babes”. This is a group for health oriented goddesses to freely discuss anything that their hearts desire pertaining to health and wellness. Head to the page and introduce yourself!   Follow Get the Glowdown on Instagram Follow Sloane on Instagram  Follow Anna on Instagram   Follow Heidi on Instagram Check out Heidi’s website

A statement from Elizabeth:  "During this pandemic and isolation, I think we need joy, fun and music in our lives. Creating a piece that incorporated sound, rhythm, and humor I thought would be a welcome distraction right now." Elizabeth Kirkpatrick-Vrenios' award winning chapbook, Special Delivery, was published in 2016. She has poems published in various anthologies and journals including Stories of Music, The Poeming Pigeon, Love Notes from Humanity, Stories of Music, the American Journal of Poetry, and she has been published in such journals as Clementine, Cumberland River Review, The Feminine Collective, The Kentucky Review, Unsplendid, Edison Literary review, Passager, NILVX, Unsplendid. She is a Professor Emerita from American University, artistic director of the Redwoods Opera in Mendocino, California, a member of international Who's Who of Musicians, and is past National President of the National Opera Association. She has spent much of her life performing as a singing artist across Europe and the United States. She lives in Mendocino, CA.  Redwoodsoperaworkshop.org   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Created during a time of quarantine in the global Coronavirus pandemic, A Moment Of Your Time's mission is to provide a space for expression, collaboration, community and solidarity. In this time of isolation, we may have to be apart but let's create together.  Created by CurtCo Media Concept by Jenny Curtis Theme music by Chris Porter Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we're having a conversation with Heidi Stevens who is a speaker, mentor and host of women empowerment events and online experiences. She’s the founder of the Feminine Collective and Soul of Business Podcast. Heidi has mentored hundreds of women through her programs, and inspired thousands through her online platforms. The mission of The Feminine Collective is to inspire the modern women to expand their consciousness, deepen in their connection to self and others and experience more freedom, alignment and overflow in their lives. In this episode we discuss: *Jess’s experience working with Heidi via her group coaching program and private business coaching sessions. How Heidi helped her to step into her confidence as a coach, charge the rates she was worthy of and find her ideal clients. *Heidi’s journey from working in real estate which was a male dominated industry and how burnout and a health crisis ignited a desire to go on her personal & spiritual development journey *What it means to give yourself permission to prosper - the importance of following your intuition, taking inspired action, putting the blinders on, showing up authentically to co-create a life and business better than you think is possible. *Her degree in spiritual psychology and how it led her to discover what it meant to be more in her feminine and eventually start her passion based business coaching entrepreneurial women * Why consuming low vibrational food and content can have an impact on your productivity and confidence levels *How to align with your business model and rates so you can feel confident in what you’re offering * PLUS Some of her favorite client testimonials! RESOURCES Heidi’s Website Heidi’s Instagram The Feminine Collective here Heidi’s Podcast on iTunes CONNECT WITH US Shoot us an email! Solo2.0podcast@gmail.com Send us a DM! Solo 2.0 Podcast on @SOLO2.0PODCAST Follow Rye on Instagram @ryeburch and Jess @bodyblissbyjess

Lizbeth Meredith is an author and speaker based in Alaska whose work has appeared in Sunlight Press, Feminine Collective, and A Girls Guide to Travelling Alone by Gemma Thompson. Her memoir, Pieces of Me: Rescuing My Kidnapped Daughters is currently optioned for televison. Join us on the Authors Alley on March 18th at 1pmET/10amPT and anytime after in archive on #WoMRadio. To connect with Lizbeth, find her at lameredith.com and sign up for newsletter, or reach out on Twitter@LizbethMeredith or on Facebook@lizbethmeredithfan. Thank you sponsors Safety Bags, Inc and StadiumBags.com and we continue to shine a light on the mission of No Such Thing as a Bully.  Thanks to Smith Sisters Bluegrass for our theme song She is You! Please connect with #WoMMediaNetwork on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For info on becoming a guest or a sponsor, email dori@wordofmomradio.com #WordofMom ~ Sharing the wisdom of women, in business and in life!

THANK YOU for joining me for episode 441 of HiPPiE WiTCH : Magick For A New Age. - Visit The Feminine Collective online to hear more from Heidi Stevens. - CHECK OUT :Heidi Stevens on Instagram.  - TO LiSTEN : an intro to The Inner Temple of Hippie Witch. - JOiN ME on Patreonfor the Inner Temple of Hippie Witch! + Be sure to pick up a FREE copy of my eBook HiPPiE WiTCH : Peace, Love & All That Good Sh!t. MUCH LOVE -xo peace... Joanna DeVoe

In this episode you'll hear: The new changes that are coming very soon, and the shifts we've already began implementing. This season of transition and deepening in my own process with my soul's work.  The clarity that has come through over the last few weeks and what to expect through the beginning of summer: We are shifting the name of the podcast to The Feminine Collective with Heidi Stevens. We will be featuring soulful guests, and introducing new topics around relationships and parenting.  Mentorship will now be exclusively through The Collective Mastermind - our next group will be starting March 1! We will be continuing to offer local events in LA introducing new partnerships and experiences!  AND save the date for The Feminine Collective Festival on Sunday, June 7th in Topanga!  We are here to serve. We are here to hold the container for women and give you the permission to co-create your life, deepen in your mindfulness practices and ultimately live in alignment, freedom and overflow.  Come say hello on IG and let me know you listened to this episode! @heidistevens

This week, on Arm Cast: Dead Sexy Podcast, host Armand Rosamilia has a personal one-on-one interview with Paula R. Hilton, a writer who explores the ways deeply flawed people can still be forces for good. Her fiction, essays, and poetry have appeared on the Feminine Collective, Dear Damsels, and NPR’s This I Believe websites, as well as in a number of literary journals, including The Sunlight Press, The Tulane Review, Smoky Blue Literary and Arts Magazine, Writing In A Woman’s Voice, Kalliope and Ellipsis. Hilton’s debut novel, Little Miss Chaos, received the Kirkus star for books of exceptional merit. She’s currently working with editor, Lynn Skapyak Harlin, on At Any Given Second, her first collection of poetry.

Today we had the honor of talking to Heidi Stevens and OH MAN was this a good one! We talk about how this journey we're all on is a constant one, listening to your intuition, and how vulnerability and curiosity change the game in business AND relationships! -------- Heidi Stevens is the founder of The Feminine Collective and The Soul of Business Podcast, who has personally mentored hundreds of women through her programs and live events. She believes that at the core, we are all on a spiritual journey and that our deepest desire is to experience joy, prosperity, and abundance in our lives. Heidi is a mom of two little ones living with her husband in Los Angeles. Connect with Heidi: @heidistevens

In this episode I share:    ✺ 2 rituals to start now to round out this year on a high note.    ✺ Why you should come to completion with 2019 and face the lessons you learned.    ✺ Clear instructions on intentional processes that you can do to pull from 2019 all that is there for you.    ✺ How to use the extra quiet moments of the holidays to incubate, reflect, heal and ring out every last bitt of 2019 thats available to us.  Don't forget to screenshot this episode, share it to your Insta Stories, and tag me @heidistevens    To learn more check out my website:  To apply for The Feminine Collective: https://heidistevensinc.typeform.com/to/TqHLoB To apply for The Collective Mastermind: https://www.heidistevens.co    

Heidi StevensFounder of The Feminine Collective and The Soul of Business Podcasthttps://www.heidistevens.co/Kristy VailKristy is a Life Strategy Coach. She works with sensitive, introverted and creative women to live lighter, leverage their strengths and transform the way they show up in the world. Kristy is also the host of the podcast Connected with Kristy Vail which has been featured multiple times on the iTunes New & Noteworthy list in three sections - Spirituality, Business + Health. The show focuses on conscious conversations about entrepreneurship, creativity and personal development.Learn more about Kristy here.Resources mentioned:The Feminine Collective + December 13, 2019 Event in LA!Learn more about HeidiCathy Heller’s Podcast - Don’t Keep Your Day JobPodcast & Website Credit:Portrait Photography of Kristy by Christine PienaarIntro & outro music is Girl by Text Me Records / LeviatheWe’d love to hear from you - connect with us on Social Media!Heidi's InstagramThe Feminine Collective’s InstagramKristy’s Instagram

Earlier in the year I set a clear intention that I wanted to become more visible and participate in more speaking engagements. In October there was so much action taken in my world and naturally some lessons learned. In this episode I share with you BTS of: Our very first Feminine Collective live experience The 5 night spiritual retreat I attended in Toas, NM. The Empowered Entrepreneur 2-day live event at my home. Speaking at the Almost 30 Tour in DC and my anniversary with my husband at Two Bunch Palms.

An interview with Heidi Stevens -The Founder of The Feminine Collective and The Soul of Business Podcast *Motherhood *Parenting differently than your parents *Traumatic birth *Your child's spiritual journey Heid has an intro offer to join the next TFC live experience for $45 https://thefemininecollective.co/45/ Join AVENUE MAMA to join our virtual and in life events www.avenuemama.com

Welcome to The Modern Alchemist where we merge strategy with human consciousness to help you live your definition of Abundance and Success.  I'm your host, Loren Trlin – the Modern Alchemist.  Joining me on today's episode is Heidi Stevens. She is the founder of The Feminine Collective as well as The Mindfulness Business Accelerator and has been working with soulful ... Read More The post Finding Your Balanced Self with Heidi Stevens appeared first on Loren Trlin.

I got the download this morning that this message needed to be shared so here it is available for you about an hour after recording it! This is a reminder for all of us, to fill up our tanks first. This is how we become our best selves and our able to give to the world, co-create with spirit and manifest a business and life better than we dream of. It’s all available to you.  There are still 8 spots to join The Feminine Collective in-person experience in Los Angeles on Thursday, 10/10! To buy your $45 ticket:https://thefemininecollective.co/45   Visit my Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/heidistevens/ Visit my Website: https://heidistevens.co  

What does it mean to build a business from a place of empathy? In today's episode we hear from my dear friend Cathy Heller and find out just how she built her empire this way.   After making a multi six figure living with her music, Cathy started a music agency and then began teaching other artists to grow their own careers. Two weeks after her third daughter was born, she started her top ranked podcast Don’t Keep your Day Job and is releasing her first book, under the same name, next month!   Listen in as we give you a behind the scenes of our ongoing peer-led mastermind, her new book, and how to build and grow your business. We drop in and discuss the importance of creating a clear offer based on your client's needs, how you should start before you have all the steps and so much more!   You're not going to want to miss this episode!   Only a few days left to join the Feminine Collective 10/10 in person experience in Los Angeles.  Secure your spot here: thefemininecollective.co/45 Visit my Instagram: instagram.com/heidistevens Visit my Website: heidistevens.co To find Cathy: Visit her Instagram: instagram.com/cathy.heller To pre-order her new book: dontkeepyourdayjob.com/book

What I want to share with you today is what I heard on Monday at the Rosh Hashana service. It was so much of what I say but in it's own way, and I hope that you can feel the energy that is running through me right now. Don't forget to screenshot this episode, share it in your Insta stories, and tag me!  Only a few days left to join the Feminine Collective 10/10 Live Experience.  Secure your spot here: thefemininecollective.co/45/ Visit my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidistevens/ Visit my Website: https://heidistevens.co/

Today I share with you a quick episode to answer a question I’ve been getting a lot recently: “what is the difference between The Empowered Entrepreneur 2-day live event and The Feminine Collective live experience?” Listen in and discover what they are all about and which one you should go to! I share with you some real after effects, massive transformation and awakenings my clients have experienced after leaving these types of events. Both have very different vibes and will be different experiences, can't wait for you to join. Don't forget to screenshot this episode, share it in your Insta stories, and tag us!  The Empowered Entrepreneur Oct 23-24 Live Event: https://heidistevens.lpages.co/liveevent/ The Feminine Collective 10/10 In-Person Experience: https://thefemininecollective.co/45/   Visit my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidistevens/ Visit my Website: https://heidistevens.co/

In today's episode I decided to to do things a little differently by taking you on my morning walk to talk about the journey I've been on since the launch of The Feminine Collective. Let this serve as a reminder to give yourself permission to just be you and truly ask yourself what feels fun, what feels easy and what feels good? Don't forget to screenshot this episode, share it to your Insta stories, and tag me!  

Have you been feeling stuck or lost in your business? In life? In today's episode we talk about the feminine energy. I walk you through different strategies to find your feminine energy so you feel energized, stress free, and empowered! Don't forget to enroll in the Feminine Collective to gain even more support, insight, and collaboration. Thanks for listening! Tomorrow's the last day to enroll in The Feminine Collective as a founding member! Apply here: https://thefemininecollective.co/join/ Visit my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidistevens/ Visit my Website: https://heidistevens.co/

In today's episode I share with you how you can integrate feminine energy into your business to help grow your business. I share with you how the inner work in yourself can help with the outward work-- your business. I give you more details on what you will get when joining The Feminine Collective. Don't forget tomorrow is the last day to enroll in the feminine collective! If you are a women entrepreneur who wants to learn more about using both the feminine and masculine energies and using them to grow your business, have more joy, connect with a community, and mentorship from me then this Collective is for you! Can't wait to see you in the Collective! Thanks for Listening! Tomorrow's the last day to enroll in The Feminine Collective as a founding member! Apply here: https://thefemininecollective.co/join/ Visit my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidistevens/ Visit my Website: https://heidistevens.co/

In today's episode, I take you through a guided meditation to help you receive clarity on the next steps you should take in your business and in life. I also give you three questions to ask yourself to help you reflect and encourage you to be more in your feminine. Don't forget to enroll in The Feminine Collective! Thanks for Listening! Tomorrow's the last day to enroll in The Feminine Collective as a founding member! Apply here: https://thefemininecollective.co/join/ Visit my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidistevens/ Visit my Website: https://heidistevens.co/

You have heard a lot about The Feminine Collective, but have you been wondering what you might get when you join this group of powerful and supportive women? Listen to today's episode as I share with you why I started the feminine collective, how you can be a part of The Feminine Collective, and what you will get access to when you join this community. I can't wait to see you in the group! Thanks for listening! The Feminine Collective is now open for enrollment: https://thefemininecollective.co/join/ Visit my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidistevens/ Visit my Website: https://heidistevens.co/  

Have you ever thought of taking a step back, finding a slower-paced lifestyle, and ultimately finding a happier life? In today's episode, we listen to Brandy Salazar share how she was able to rebuild her marriage, find joy, pivot her business to be more rewarding, and gain her life back. Thanks for listening! The Feminine Collective is now open for enrollment: https://thefemininecollective.co/join/ You can also find me on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidistevens/ Website: https://heidistevens.co/ Want to know more about Brandy Salazar? Visit her website: https://legendarycouples.com/ Visit her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary.couples/

Have you ever wanted to create a community for your business? In today's episode I share with you why it is important to use in-person events to grow your business in a more personable approach. Listen in as I share with you how to gather people, create a community, what to do during the event. I also share where to go, if you want to join a community. Don't forget to sign-up for the 3-day challenge and join the Feminine Collective Facebook group. Can't wait to see you there! Thanks for listening! Sign up for the 3-day challenge here: https://thefemininecollective.co/challenge/ Join the Feminine Collective Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thefemininecollective/ Join the waitlist for The Feminine Collective here: https://thefemininecollective.co/

In today's episode I give you a behind the scenes look into our Sonoma Retreat. Listen in as I share what I learned on this trip and why it is so important to connect and collaborate with women that can push and challenge you. Don't forget to sign up for the 3-day challenge and join The Feminine Collective. Can't wait to see you in the group! Thanks for listening! Sign up for the 3-day challenge here: https://thefemininecollective.co/challenge/ Join the Feminine Collective Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thefemininecollective/ Join the waitlist for The Feminine Collective here: https://thefemininecollective.co/

Have you ever wanted to do something in your business, but other's told you not to or that it was a bad idea? In today's episode, I share with you the reasons why I started The Feminine Collective even though many told me it was a bad idea. My hope is that this episode will give you the courage to start something in your business, even if someone is telling you not to! Thanks for listening! Sign up for the 3-day challenge here: https://thefemininecollective.co/challenge/ Join the Feminine Collective Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thefemininecollective/ Join the waitlist for The Feminine Collective here: https://thefemininecollective.co/

Have you ever wondered what collaboration is and the benefits it could bring to your business? In today's episode, Amy Tangerine, the award-winning crafter, author, and designer tells us her story of how collaboration sky-rocketed her scrapbooking business! Thanks for Listening! Join the Feminine Collective Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thefemininecollective/ Join the waitlist for The Feminine Collective here: https://thefemininecollective.co/   Family Secrets Book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553374982/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=heidistevensi-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0553374982&linkId=918e88df02195d614828562de64bfdae   Want to know more about Amy Tangerine? Visit her website: http://www.amytangerine.com/ Visit her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amytangerine/

Have you ever wondered why you are feeling mentally exhausted? Have you ever felt you needed someone to give you permission to do something that would benefit you? In today's episode I share my thoughts on why you need to give yourself permission to do something that relaxes you and excites you, so that you and your business flourish! Thanks for Listening! Join the Feminine Collective Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thefemininecollective/ Join the waitlist for The Feminine Collective here: https://thefemininecollective.co/ Visit my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidistevens/ Visit my Website: https://heidistevens.co/

In today's episode, I share personal ups and downs in my business journey. Listen in as I talk about how to surrender to trust, instead of forcing things to happen. I give you three points about Spirit to give you encouragement with how to surrender. Thanks for listening! Join the Feminine Collective Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thefemininecollective/ Join the waitlist for The Feminine Collective here: https://thefemininecollective.co/ Visit my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidistevens/ Visit my Website: https://heidistevens.co/

Do you feel like you are always battling the clock and running out of time to do things? Do you feel you don't really enjoy the things you are doing? Today, we talk about three ways to reevaluate what you are doing, so you can better manage your energy and start doing things that you really enjoy. Thanks for Listening! Join the Feminine Collective Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thefemininecollective/ Join the waitlist for The Feminine Collective here: https://thefemininecollective.co/ Visit my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidistevens/ Visit my website: https://heidistevens.co/ Learn more about Gay Hendrick's book "The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level" : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061735361/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0061735361&linkCode=as2&tag=heidistevensi-20&linkId=433c290b07ae474d82fc824b6c803307

What is holding you back from taking action in your business? Today, we talk about three reasons why you need to get into action with your business. We talk about why you need to go after the business you desire to have.    Join the Feminine Collective Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thefemininecollective/ Join the waitlist for The Feminine Collective here: https://thefemininecollective.co/  Get more Information Here:   My website: https://heidistevens.co/  My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidistevens/  Thanks for listening! 

In this pod cast PixieQueen TAROT & Temperance work together to give guidance to the divine feminine energy in divine masculines & divine feminines in the collective. This episodes topic is life purpose.

Lizbeth Meredith is the author of Pieces of Me: Rescuing My Kidnapped Daughters, a 2017 IPPY silver medalist. Her work has appeared in Sunlight Press and Feminine Collective. Now working as a probation officer in Alaska, her now grown daughters live nearby. https://lameredith.com/  "Pieces of Me: Rescuing My Kidnapped Daughters" Amazon link: smarturl.it/PiecesOfMeLM Audiobook: http://www.vibrancepress.com/  Fun essay: http://www.herstoriesproject.com/2018/05/conscious-unhovering/

Today we have an awesome nomination as our guest! I always love it when things like this work out, and I just have to thank Jessica Ribera for being so willing and open to jump into our conversation so blindly. Jonny, a former bandmate of mine, nominated Jessica Ribera for today's episode. She and I talk about the moments we share while dealing with our respective pains and losses. Jessica lost her ballet career. I lost my career as a cellist. Today we both find ourselves using the word writer as a self-descriptor. Before you go and think this is gonna be a sob fest of an episode, it's not. Jessica and I both retain our emotional sobriety today, however we do talk about the moments we denied our lack of emotional sobriety and instead tried to numb or deny the pain we were so vividly fighting to feel. We talk about writing. We talk about being honest. We talk about career-ending injuries. We talk about gaining, losing, and regaining our vision for the possibility. Y'all. This is such a good, honest, discussion. Thank you Jonny for nominating Jessica Ribera to join the Bare Naked Bravery community. On that note, if you have someone you'd like to nominate for the show - go for it! You can visit barenakedbravery.com/be-our-guest and submit your person right now. We ONLY feature guests who've been nominated on the show. We do this because it keeps things real and it keeps us talking about the resonant bravery we see all around us. If you're curious about what resonant bravery is, go read my book (available on Amazon right now in all formats!) I talk alllll about resonant bravery in the first third of the book. If you're listening to this episode now and haven't read the book yet, there's a good chance that you should go get yourself a copy. Okay, back to Jessica Ribera. You're gonna love her. Her writing has been featured on Scary Mommy, The Mighty, and Feminine Collective. She's a business school grad, doula, mom, and soooo much more. Most of all she's real. and like we say later in the conversation, even though her pain is uniquely hers, pain is pain and we've all experienced the dull ache of some version of it. Sharing it together can make it more manageable. Please enjoy my brand new friend Jessica Ribera!   Brave Takeaway Beyond your free Bravery Bundle (which is always available at barenakedbravery.com) your Brave Take-Away from today's show is to pop into the Bare Naked Bravery Community facebook group and share your "hiding under the desk" moment. What was it? When did you know you needed to make a change? What was that change? We'd love to hear all about it AND your favorite parts of today's Bare Naked Bravery. You can find Jessica Ribera and myself on facebook, twitter, instagram, and more. Go ahead and tag us so we can cheer you on and see what you're up to. More About Jessica Ribera At 17, Jessica moved from Texas to Seattle all by my big self to dance at the Pacific Northwest Ballet. 3 years later a stage accident changed her plans. Fighting her way back to the belief that her creative efforts matter and that she STILL is a dancer and creator in spite of a career-ending injury has been the central lens for her learning, personal development, and (most crucially!) desire to love and empower others for the past 13 years. She's been a dancer, business school graduate, art advocate and curator, board member, mother, doula, chronically ill person, and whatever else, but she's really only ever trying to find new ways to be truthful, useful, and kind. Writing, once only a coping mechanism, finally asserted itself as new passion and goal, though learning to call herself "writer" has required her to face her fear of giving herself to an art form again. The loss of ballet was terrible, but in her writing she sees that the gains might, MIGHT, just have been worth it. She's currently shaping a memoir of her time as a dancer, the loss, and the ongoing recovery. Her writing has appeared on Scary Mommy, The Mighty, and Feminine Collective, but all the good stuff is at jeskybera.com. Keep in Touch with Jessica Ribera http://www.jeskybera.com/https://www.instagram.com/jeskybera/ https://twitter.com/jeskybera Keep in Touch with Emily Ann Peterson http://emilyannpeterson.comhttp://instagram.com/emilyannpete http://facebook.com/emilyannpeterson http://twitter.com/emilyapeterson Credits If you're diggin' the music in today's episode, that's because it's brought to you by my friends at Music Box Licensing, a premier creative music agency dedicated to finding and crafting unique soundtracks. To find out more about all the artists, musicians, and other sponsors of the show, please visit barenakedbravery.com/sponsors 3 Ways You Can Support the Bravery! Leave a review on iTunes We would LOVE it if you'd leave a podcast rating or review on iTunes.   Simply click here to get started >>> http://bit.ly/bnbrr Share this episode with a friend If you have a friend who might really love/need to hear this episode, what are you waiting for?! Email, text, fb message, snail mail - all great options! Become a Patron of Bare Naked Bravery Every patron gets awesome goodies, super early advance links to Emily Ann's new songs & releases, and so much more! $1 Monthly$3 Monthly$5 Monthly$10 Monthly$15 Monthly$25 Monthly$100 Monthly I'm looking forward to being with you next week. We have some great things in store for you! Until then I have one message for you. It's this: Be yourself. Be vulnerable. Be brave. Because the world needs more of your Bare Naked Bravery.

Ricky and I talk about panic, Verizon, New York area codes, things you just don't say like "Manhattan" or "the subway and how to be nice to people when you don't actually know how because you're from New York. Ricky is so much fun! Follow him @RickyFDefino on Twitter and https://www.richarddefino.com/ "My name is Richard De Fino. I'm a 33 year old writer and columnist living in Buffalo, NY. I was born and raised in the Bronx NY and had my fair share of unfortunate events throughout my childhood. My goal here is to use my written words as my own personal therapy and through that, I hope that my past and current struggles will resonate with my readers and make them feel less alone. When I am not writing, I enjoy spending time with my wife Andrea, our dog Zeke, and cat BeBe. I am a Columnist for Feminine Collective and a serialized writer for Channillo.com. I've also been published in Buffalo Black Book, Two Cities Review, Purple Pig Lit and forthcoming in Nameless Digest in the spring of 2018 and Chickpea Magazine forthcoming in the Spring of 2018. " https://www.richarddefino.com/

John Michael Antonio of The Feminine Collective shares his wisdom and experiences as a male feminist.  Hear more about his "Women Who Inspire" series and why we all benifit from gender equality.  This program is a production of http://www.butteamericaradio.org/ and underwritten by Purse for the People

Please join Marsha Casper Cook on Thursday August 3 at 4EST 3CST 2MT 1PST when her special guest will be Rachel Thompson. Rachel Thompson is the author of the award-winning, bestselling Broken Places (one of IndieReader’s “Best of 2015” top books and 2015 Honorable Mention Winner in both the Los Angeles and the San Francisco Book Festivals), and the bestselling, multi-award-winning Broken Pieces, as well as two additional humor books, A Walk In The Snark and Mancode: Exposed. She recently released her first business book, the BadRedhead Media 30-Day Book Marketing Challenge, to stellar reviews. She is thrilled to be included in Feminine Collective’s two anthologies, Love Notes From Humanity: The Lust, Love & Loss Collection and Raw and Unfiltered Vol 1: Selected Essays and Poems on Relationships with Self and Others. Rachel also owns BadRedhead Media, creating effective social media and book marketing campaigns for authors. Her articles appear regularly in The Huffington Post, Feminine Collective, IndieReader.com, The Verbs on Medium, Vocal Media, Mogul.com, and several other publications. Connect with Rachel at RachelintheOC.com or BadRedheadMedia.com. It's going to be a terrific show.  

cole Lyons is a force of nature disguised as a writer, a social activist, a voice for the downtrodden, and a powerful poet with a delicate touch. She is a published author and poet featured in the books Feminine Collective’s RAW&UNFILTERED VOL I, Love Notes From Humanity; The Lust, Love, & Loss Collection, and Stigma Fighters Anthology Volume One. Her essays and poetry have also been featured in Sudden Denouement Literary Collective, The Mighty, The OCH Literary Society, Anti-Heroin Chic, Sidereal Catalyst, and OTV Magazine. With an official release date of April 18, 2017, HUSH, her first collection of poetry is available for preorder now in the FC bookstore: HERE Nicole was inducted into The Mental health Writer’s Guild in 2015 for her work on The Lithium Chronicles, Psych Central, The Mighty, and the International Bipolar Foundation. Nicole is a speaker and event coordinator with a Canadian nonprofit that focuses on suicide awareness and prevention in children and teens, and she lives a good life in beautiful British Columbia with her brilliant daughters an amazing husband. From a sunny porch in downtown BHV, Nicole is enjoying a glass of wine, and working on her second collection of poetry. Follow her on Twitter @LithChronicles

H.M. Jones is the award-winning author of Monochrome, a NIEA and B.R.A.G Medallion dark fantasy about depression, motherhood, and self-worth. She is also a mental health blogger, featured on HuffPost Women, Stigma Fighters, Feminine Collective and other wonderful sites. Her fiction writing ranges from poetry to science fiction and anywhere in between. In her real-life time, she is the mother of two children, three chickens, one mutt and one chubby cat. She is also the wife of Mr. Jones, who is her rock. You can find out more about her on twitter @HMJonesWrites and www.hmjones.net.

Heidi Stevens is the founder of The Feminine Collective, speaker, mentor & host of women's empowerment events. She has personally mentored hundreds of women through her programs and inspires thousands through her online platform. The mission of The Feminine Collective is to inspire the modern women to expand their consciousness, deepen their connection to self and others, and experience more freedom, alignment and overflow in their lives. Heidi is a mom of two little ones living with her husband in Los Angeles.In this episode of The Uncensored Empath:What it means for the modern woman to expand her consciousnessHow to begin raising your vibration & why consistency is keyTuning into your intuition and bypassing your egoHeidi’s journey of bringing in abundanceBalancing the masculine & feminine in your businessThis show is supported by:BetterHelp | Visit trybetterhelp.com/uncensoredempath for 10% off your first month of private online counseling.Follow Heidi:IG: @heidistevens ; @thefemininecollective_Website: heidistevens.co TFC Festival Page: heidistevens.co/the-feminine-collectiveThis show is produced by Soulfire Productions