Podcasts about Lightness

Have you ever lost the joy in your creative work — that sense of fun you had when you were starting out, before the admin and the algorithms drained it away? How do mid-career creatives get it back, and what can a four-year-old teach us about play? Austin Kleon talks about productive procrastination, silly rituals, the case for paper reference books in an AI world, and how his newsletter went from a marketing cost to the day job that keeps the lights on. In the intro, Does social media still sell books? [Self-Publishing with ALLi]; Trial by algorithm [The Bookseller]; Publishing's AI Hypocrisy Problem [The New Publishing Standard]; ALLi AI survey for authors; Brave New Bookshelf Podcast, and Pics from signing at BookVault. Today's show is sponsored by ProWritingAid, writing and editing software that goes way beyond just grammar and typo checking. With its detailed reports on how to improve your writing and integration with writing software, ProWritingAid will help you improve your book before you send it to an editor, agent or publisher. Check it out for free or get 15% off the premium edition at www.ProWritingAid.com/joanna This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Austin Kleon is the New York Times and international bestselling author of nonfiction books, including Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work!, and Keep Going, as well as an artist, professional speaker, and poet. His latest book is Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. Show Notes Why Austin wrote Don't Call It Art now, and what his kids taught him about creative joy Productive procrastination, silly rituals, and treating writing like Lego Comedy as a philosophical position, and giving yourself permission to be bad in private Sharing process in the algorithm era, and why your whole life is the process Bibliomancy, paper reference books, and what AI can't give you that a dictionary can Style, the Taco Bell distinctiveness rule, and how Austin's newsletter became his day job You can find Austin at AustinKleon.com. Transcript of the interview with Austin Kleon Jo: Austin Kleon is the New York Times and international bestselling author of nonfiction books, including Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work!, and Keep Going, as well as an artist, professional speaker, and poet. His latest book is Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again. So welcome back to the show, Austin. Austin: Thank you for having me back. It's nice to talk to you again. Jo: You were on the show in March 2020, and at the time, your book was Keep Going, which was prescient considering the pandemic and politics. So I wondered, why this book, Don't Call It Art, now? Was this something you see in the creative community or your own life that made you want to write this book? Austin: Keep Going is a book about what happens when the world goes crazy around you and you're still trying to do your creative work. This is a book about what happens when inside has bottomed out. Keep Going is a book about the world bottoming out, and you're worried that your own creative work is going to bottom out too. How do you keep pushing through and keep making stuff? This book, to me, is about what happens when you bottom out inside—when you've lost that love and feeling for the thing that you wanted to do, and you're just not connecting with it in the way that you used to or the way that you want to. How do you get back? How do you return to that sense of joy and wonder and fun that we have when we're starting out? And for me, it was being around my little kids that taught me how to tap into that. My kids were natural—they didn't have any creative hangups. I would spend all day talking to people who had creative hangups, and then I'd get back in the house, and I'd just be around these beings who didn't have any of them. It was really instructive. I felt like, if I could bottle the energy of my kids when they were about four years old and try to put it in a book, I think it could really help a lot of the people that I run into, and the people with the kinds of problems I hear from. Jo: You mentioned bottoming out. How do people know when they've hit that point? Austin: You just don't want to do it anymore. You're kind of like, “This just isn't giving me back what it used to.” When we start with our creative work, that's the thing that juices us. We come away from it feeling full up. I think you hit a certain point where you start to feel drained after it. Or maybe you don't feel drained by the thing itself that you're doing—maybe it's all the stuff around it, which is more often the case. For example, if you're a mid-career writer like me, who's been publishing books for 16 years now, I still really like writing. I still really like drawing. I still really like cutting and pasting and putting things together. It's the admin around the work—the emails, the meetings, the running-a-business part of it—that's super draining for me, and that stuff can start to bleed over into the creative work. So it's really important for me to make sure that I'm having some playtime, some R&D, some research and development time, to make sure it's not just all business. When you take the thing that you love and you turn it into the thing that you make a living from, you can really run into a lot of problems. Jo: I'm at 20 years, so I know exactly what you're saying, and a lot of listeners are the same. We love writing books, but it's all the stuff that goes around it. So for those of us who do this for money as well as passion, what are some practical ways to have more fun with our creativity? Austin: Something I learned from my kids is that you really are your most creative when you're supposed to be doing something else. So one of the things I use a lot in the studio is productive procrastination. Whatever I'm supposed to be working on, I start another little project, and that's my little naughty fun time. When I first come into the studio, I try to do something that I'm not supposed to be doing—something that I won't have much to show for. That could be making one of my blackout poems. That could be making a collage in my notebook. It could also be sitting here. I have a bass in the studio now, so I can practise my bass guitar. Sometimes I'll do that for the first 15 minutes just to get in that headspace of, “Hey, what's it like to do something just for yourself? Just because you want to do it?” The juice that you get from that little naughty “I'm going to do what I'm not supposed to be doing right now” thing, that carries into the rest of the day. It's like a nice start to things. Jo: Do you think that play could be something different to what we make our money with? For me, writing novels and stories is great fun in one way, but it's also what I then publish and make money on. So writing stories is more serious, I guess, than playing with Lego or something. Austin: Right. So the trick is, how can you make writing your stories like playing with Lego? That's kind of been my whole career. I hate staring at Microsoft Word and that blinking cursor, taunting you like, “Come on, what have you got?” A lot of my creative life has been about trying to make it more playful, trying to make it feel more like a game. That's how I came up with my blackout poems. I take an article from The New York Times and I black it out until it only has a few words left behind. It sort of looks like if the CIA did haiku, for some people listening. That was one little exercise. Then weirdly, that side thing that I thought was just play, just fun—that turned into my first book. So then it's, okay, what else can I mess around with and play with? I do a lot of collage work in the studio, and I rarely actually use that for any of the books. Sometimes I use it for my newsletter to illustrate the newsletter. But it's always about trying to figure out, how can I make writing a game? How can I make it more playful? There are different things that I do to make it feel more playful. One of them's really stupid. I really believe in silly rituals because I think silliness is really powerful. People talk about their daily rituals—Mason Currey has that great book, Daily Rituals: How Artists Work. When I was reading that book, I realised it was really the silly stuff that I really liked. There was, I think it was Balzac counting out coffee beans or something before he got to write. Or Steinbeck sharpening 12 pencils or something goofy like that. So one of the things I like to do before I write is that I have these cigarette pencils. They're pencils that look like cigarettes in the studio. I put one in my mouth before I start writing, and I pretend to be some old '40s writer on a typewriter. I like doing goofy stuff in the studio because I think when you do goofy stuff—stuff that you'd be embarrassed if anyone else saw it—it gets you in that playful state. Jo: It's interesting. In your book, you have a section that says, “Don't take things too seriously.” For many of us, we write memoir for example, and that is very close to us. It's like the deepest expression of what we want to say in the world. It feels very serious. So how can we hold things more lightly and not take things so seriously? Austin: For me, comedy is actually a philosophical position. What I mean by that is, I think a lot of people set out with a tragic model of creative work. They think, “Oh, I have this special gift,” or, “I have this thing that I really need to do, and I need to put it out into the world, and I need to make the world look more like I want it to look.” They have this idea that, “Through blood and sweat and tears, I'm going to see this thing through, and I'm going to push it into the world, and I'm going to have my way.” I think there's another way of working where it's more like, “I'm just a normal person trying to play with my environment, and take my experiences and put them into something interesting. So I'm going to play and use my wits, and we're going to see what we come up with.” Those really are two modes of life. The pandemic taught me that it was really when we were keeping our sense of humour, when we were having a laugh and keeping our egos in check around the house and just acknowledging how goofy we all were and how ridiculous the situation was, that seemed to be when we were really thriving. Versus, “Well, we're in this tough situation. We've got to make it into what we want it to be.” That felt really bad. But when we cruised along and we were just improvisational, when we went at things with a kind of lightness, that worked. There's a great Italo Calvino essay about lightness in Six Memos for the Next Millennium. Lightness is really underrated. Even when we're going about heavy work, having a sense of lightness and play with it just makes the work better. That's a philosophical position of mine. I aspire to comedy. I aspire to a comic outlook on life. I'm just a creature with a body who's going to die, and I'm fundamentally ridiculous. Life is pretty absurd. You just make the best of it. Jo: There's certainly some truth there. Staying on a similar theme, you have a chapter in the book on permission to be bad. Many of the listeners also have your book Show Your Work, and it shaped many of us into sharing our work in progress. It feels quite dangerous now, in a world where judgment is much louder than it maybe was when you wrote Show Your Work. So tell us a bit about permission to be bad versus should we keep some of this private? Austin: Permission to be bad is about the making part of things. It's the private part. It's permission to be bad when you're in private, when you're actually doing the work. Show Your Work is a book about what you do after you've done the work, or while you're doing the work. It was never about putting up a webcam and running a 24/7 feed. It was more like, hey, what are the ways that I can connect with the kind of audience I can build while I'm making the work itself? So the way I see permission to be bad is, you really have to give yourself permission when you're not sharing, when you're off screen, to really be as bad as you want to be. It doesn't necessarily mean quality-wise. I think it also means letting yourself write stuff that you would never say on social media. Letting yourself read stuff that you wouldn't admit you were reading on social media. Letting yourself listen to stuff. Letting yourself really be that unfiltered, unhinged, private person that you want to be. Then when it comes to sharing, you put some time in between that input time, that making time, and the sharing time, and then you share what you think is going to be useful or helpful or interesting to other people. Jo: I think you wrote that book before TikTok, and how fast people are moving. Do you think people need to slow down a bit in what they share, maybe? Austin: I don't know. I obviously had a lot more faith in social media back then. I use all the principles from Show Your Work in my newsletter. Newsletters are very much the new kind of great thing. They're doing a lot of the work that social media used to do, in that you're still able to have this direct connection with the people that you're trying to reach. The big problem with social media now is that it's all algorithmically tuned, where the people that are following you don't see the stuff that you're doing most of the time. What you have to do now, if you want the people who are following you to see your stuff on social media, is you have to make stuff that the algorithm likes. That's a whole different thing. As far as the Show Your Work principle—which is share your process as much as your product—that carries over to any platform. In my newsletter every Friday, I share a list of 10 things that were going on behind the scenes here. It might have been what I was watching on TV, what I listened to, a new pen I was trying out, or something like that. The Friday newsletter is almost always process stuff. When I talk about process, my definition is actually very broad. For a lot of people, it's drafting, editing, whatever. For me, the process is the whole life. The process is almost everything except the finished thing. A writer's life is 24/7. My friends who have real jobs really are like, “What do you do all day?” And I'm like, “Well, what do you mean?” They're like, “Well, I see you out on your bike ride.” I'm like, “Yes, when you see me out on a bike ride, I'm thinking through something half the time.” If I'm watching TV, I'm thinking, “Hey, would this be good in the newsletter?” I'm never off. My whole life—everything is copy, as Nora Ephron said. That's part of the job. It's very hard to turn off. So I see the whole life as process, and the question becomes, what little bits and pieces of that life and that process can you share with people while you're making the things that you hope to sell them later? Right now, I'm in a cycle where I'm selling this book, but all these people have showed up because I've shared my process every week for the past seven years since I put out a book. Jo: It's funny you say that. I was at the dentist yesterday, and— My dentist literally asked me, “So where do you get all your ideas?” This is a common question for all of us, right? And it just becomes so hard to explain that to people who don't walk around in the world just constantly getting ideas. Austin: I can't believe I'm going to tell this story. I was getting my vasectomy after my second kid, and I was talking to this doctor just before the operation. He said, “So what do you do for a living?” I said, “I'm a writer.” He said, “Oh, that must be cool. You get to use your brain.” And I said, “That's everything that you want your doctor to say.” I was going to say, “Please use your brain,” before he's about to cut into you. He said, “Oh, no, no. What I mean is, I know what I'm going to do every day for the next 10 years.” He knew exactly what his day was going to look like. He said, “You have to use your brain. You've got to figure out new stuff.” I was like, “Oh, that's really interesting.” That's the trade-off, right? He's got the job security. He knows what he's going to do. Every writer has a moment where they have to talk to a normal person about what you do. Jo: I was going to say, I'm married to one. Austin: Now, my wife, on the other hand, grew up the daughter of a writer, so she knows exactly what it's like. Nothing ever phases her. She's totally used to it. She's used to me staring off into space, completely checking out of a conversation. She's used to me using lines on her that I'm going to put in a piece later. She's used to the whole rigmarole. It's very handy. I've been very lucky in that sense. Jo: Coming back to the book, you talk about your use of bibliomancy for inspiration. Since we're talking about that, tell us about it. I think all the book people listening will be happy. Austin: I'm a person who still keeps a dictionary nearby—a paper dictionary. I keep a big old American Heritage. It's just a big, thick book. When I really don't have any ideas, I will turn at random to the dictionary, close my eyes, stick my finger down the page, open my eyes, and just see what I come up with. Sometimes just that act will give me an idea. I also do that with books. I'll go around the studio, pick up a book, flip to a random page, and just see what it says there, or read an old piece of marginalia that I've left in a book. I believe deeply in the power of bibliomancy, and I think it's a case for paper books. I'm one of those people that still really believes in reference books. I've started collecting more and more of them. I have an old, big dictionary that's always open on my desk, and I look up words. I learned from John McPhee, the writer, that you should look up words that you think you know. That was the first time I'd ever heard anyone say that. So I look up words that I think I know. Instead of reaching for a thesaurus when I need a different word, I actually just look up the definition of the word that I already have. That's another McPhee tip. The other thing that happened that I thought was really interesting is, I got a Roget's for the first time—a thesaurus. I don't think most people know what an actual thesaurus is. Most people think of a thesaurus as a synonym finder, and that's not actually what a thesaurus is at all. A thesaurus is more like an encyclopaedia, weirdly. You look up things based on big concepts, and then it gives you a bunch of words to look up later. It's a very strange thing. It's not what most people think it is. I have a couple of editions of Roget's in here. I like the really old Roget's from the 1900s because they actually have opposing ideas facing each other on the page. Do you have an old-school Roget's? Have you ever looked through one? Jo: I don't have one now, but I certainly grew up with them. I was literally just thinking, I wonder if there are ones for Americans and ones for British people, because so often we say different things and mean different things. I always hear Americans say, “Oh, that's a doozy,” or something, and it means the complete opposite thing here. Austin: Like if you say “fanny pack” over there. That means something very different than it means here, right? Chips or fries, that kind of stuff. So I wonder if there are different ones for different cultural references. Jo: I don't know. Austin: As people, with ChatGPT and all these LLMs and stuff, people are like, “Why would you ever pick up a paper reference book?” And I'm like, “I actually like the friction.” I like having to move in space and go over to my dictionary. I like flipping the pages. I like having to scan a page for the word I'm looking for, because— This marvellous thing happens when you're looking for the word, where you bump into all these other words. If you're a word nerd, you get to start thinking about the root of the word—oh, why is this word next to this word? Well, it's because they share the same root. Then you're going down all these fun rabbit holes. The thing that I'm trying to do as a writer and a creative person is, I'm trying to get to the thing that I didn't know I was looking for. The thing that people misunderstand about AI, I think personally, is that it's a great tool if you know what you're looking for. If you're like, “Find me this thing. I want exactly this. I want to see a picture of a dog wearing a king's costume,” or some crap like that, then it can spit that picture out for you. Or, “I want to know what happened on this day,” and whatever. It can do that. But that's not actually what I'm doing most of the time when I'm writing or making something. I start with an idea, but what really happens—the magic of writing and the magic of making stuff in general—is when you discover something that you didn't even know you were headed for. That's the real magic for me. Sometimes I have an idea and I want to articulate it for people, but more often than not, there's something that bothers me or something that I want to talk about, and I sit down and write, and I figure out what it is that I actually have to say and what I actually think. Every writer really knows this, and that's why the dictionary, stuff like that, those are ways of training you to get in that discovery mode. “Well, let me—oh, I bumped into this. I went looking for this one thing and then I ran into this other thing.” That's why I love the library. I don't know what system you use over there, but you look for one book in the Dewey Decimal System over here, and then, okay, here's all these other weird books next to it. Then you end up with three other books other than the one that you were looking for. That's the magic. To me, that's the magic of creative work, discovering what you didn't know you were looking for. That was particularly important for me when I was writing this book because we discovered that my wife has a condition called aphantasia. It's very rare in the population, about 2 to 3% of people. There's probably some people listening to this right now who are like, “What is this? Tell me.” Jo: Aphantasia actually more common in the creative industries. Austin: Yes. What it is, is that you don't see—when I say close your eyes and picture an apple, you don't actually see the apple in your head. You can think about an apple and the qualities of an apple, but you don't actually see it. Some people, and it's a matter of degree—some people like me, I can close my eyes, I can tell you what the apple looks like, I can tell you what colour it is, I can tell you where the shading is. Someone like my wife doesn't see the apple. She can tell you what an apple is. It's really interesting because she has a degree in architecture, which is known as a very visual field. But the thing you discover about aphantasia is, it doesn't keep people from becoming artists. In fact, it's the opposite. Someone like Ed Catmull, who co-founded Pixar, writes about it in his book, and so many of the great animators at Pixar are actually aphantasics. The reason is that they learned that they had to draw in order to see things. When you don't have a picture in your head of what you want something to look like, things appear in the drawing, and you find things that you couldn't even picture. A lot of writers actually are aphantasics. John Green discovered recently that he has aphantasia. It turns out that it's a superpower for writers, because if you don't have a picture in your head, then you don't have to translate that picture into words. A lot of writers talk about thinking in radio, like they have a constant narrator. My wife—she's probably going to kill me for talking about her this much—when she describes it to me, she's like, “Oh, it's like a radio in my head. I'm constantly hearing a voice, and it's a narrator.” I was like, “Holy shit, that would be really helpful to me.” I don't have anything like that in my head. I read Mrs Dalloway for the first time, and I gave it to her and I said, “You've got to read this book. I think this must be what it's like in your head.” And she said, “Oh my God, it is.” Part of the thing that I took away from that experience—this is a long-winded way of getting here—is that I take a lot of inspiration from people with this condition. Most of the people I know in the arts or the creative fields, they set out with this grand vision, and then they start working on the thing and it's nothing like what they had in their head, and they get really depressed: “This isn't what I had in mind.” Whereas if you set out without a picture in your head, and you just start manipulating things and you see what appears, that's more of the comic mode I was talking about earlier. What would happen if we just sat down with our materials and we started playing and we saw what appeared on the page? What if we started typing and saw what appeared, and then we played with that? That's the kind of joy. That's more like how kids operate. Kids are better at that. They're better at reacting to what's actually in front of them, instead of having these grandiose visions about what they're trying to achieve. Jo: Just coming back on the longevity of a creative career. Your books are very distinctive. You have a very distinctive visual style, your handwriting and the way the books are done. I wondered if another part of the ennui, perhaps, or the draining of the later career is that we get trapped into doing something that feels like it looks the same. Or we have a voice, and we're happy in that voice, but sometimes we want to do something completely different. For authors, we have different names. I write under two different names, and that helps. But equally— How do you define author voice, and do you ever feel like doing something completely different to your normal style? Austin: Style, in a lot of ways, is self-plagiarism. Style is the repeated things that we notice in people's work. Hitchcock talked about this in films. Wes Anderson is someone like that—Wes Anderson has a style. I'm sure that he gets really sick of it too sometimes, but you also can't help it in some ways. I thought a lot about this because people worry about style so much. A lot of the time, what we call style is what Adrian Tomine one time said: “Style is just the distance between what's in my head and what comes out of my hand.” I really like that definition. With this book, I was trying to think, “Okay, if I do another book in this series, how can I push things a little bit?” And then I was reading this article about Taco Bell. You guys have Taco Bell over there, don't you? Do you have Taco Bell? Jo: No. Austin: So Taco Bell, for people who don't know, is this American Mexican chain, and they have tacos and burritos and stuff like that. They're well known for making these really insane… it's so American, this company. They make a taco with a Doritos as a shell. Doritos are crisps, I guess. Jo: Yes, we have Doritos. Austin: Okay. I spent time in England, I just don't remember if I ate Doritos when I was in England. Anyway, I was reading this article about Taco Bell. It was really funny. They have an innovation kitchen at Taco Bell, and they have a rule about new products. The rule is called the distinctiveness rule, and the rule is: you can change the flavour or you can change the taste, or you can change the form, but you can't change both at the same time. I got really obsessed with this concept because I thought, “Well, this could be kind of interesting.” If you're someone who's had success and you're known for something, this presents an interesting thing. You could do a complete break and do something completely new, or you could try the distinctiveness rule. Okay, well, what if I play with this idea of taste versus form? What if I change the taste and keep the form? So the idea for Don't Call It Art was, what if I do another one of these books, but the taste is more like if my kids made it? It had the texture of kids' art, it had lots of scribbles in it, it was loose and messy. That was kind of the idea. The actual book ended up being more like the other books. It ended up looking like an Austin Kleon book, because I just can't help that. The thing you said about having multiple names that you write under, that's kind of what I do with the newsletter. I think of the newsletter as very different from the books. The newsletter is this twice-weekly thing where I can be a little bit more of myself. In the books, I'm this very helpful, happy version of myself. It's me, but it's me on my best day. I'm really helpful and interesting for you. The newsletter is still a highlight reel in a sense, but it's a little bit more of my weird everything-I'm-into. It's more of the unclipped version of me. The newsletter becomes a place where I can do a lot of the weird stuff that's much different from the books. I have these little projects going all the time. Sometimes I'll make a bunch of prints and put them online. Sometimes I'll make a bunch of zines on a topic I haven't covered in the book. Sometimes I'll do a mixtape. As someone who's interested in a lot of different forms and genres and just different modes of output, having something like a newsletter has been really creatively fruitful for me. It's kept me from getting too bottomed out with the books because the books do a certain thing for the reader, and as much as I'd love to do a book that was radically different, I also think I've been given a real gift with the form of my books, in that I kind of own the way that they feel and look. There aren't a lot of books that look like those books and feel like those books, and so I like playing with that form. It would be hard to get rid of it now. The pseudonym for me is kind of like the newsletter in a sense. The newsletter is a little bit more of where I get to be wild and wacky. Then the books are a little bit more of a chiselled thing. Jo: The books are perfect examples of the form, as you say, but it's interesting about the newsletter. You mentioned at the beginning that we can be drained by the admin around the work. For many people listening, a newsletter becomes admin. So how does the newsletter fit into your business? The books are traditionally published, they're very professional. How do you have your independent side, and how does all of that work together in your business? Austin: Thank you for asking that question. I run the whole show at the newsletter. The newsletter is just me, and then my wife edits it, and no one else is involved. I don't have an assistant. I don't have a team. It is just me, and that's why I love it. I control everything. I pick who gets in there. I pick everything. I love that. I grew up watching David Letterman over here, and Letterman had a nightly show, and I always thought that was killer. I thought, “Man, what a fun job. You have a show every night where you have a new guest, and you have all these wacky things going on.” It was like a variety show. I always thought that would be really fun, so the newsletter is my version of that. I started the newsletter in 2013, and it was just a Friday newsletter. It quickly became a list of 10 things I thought were worth sharing. I had a friend, Hugh MacLeod, who was like, “Hey, I have a newsletter. It's bigger than any conference you've ever gone to.” He was talking about South by Southwest here in Austin. He's like, “I have a newsletter now, and it's bigger than South by Southwest.” Jo: Oh, I remember him. Austin: He would say, “Every time I have a new print, I put it out, and there's a button, and then they buy it.” He was like, “You've got to get it. This newsletter thing is killer.” This was in 2011 or something. Jo: Yes, I still have his books. Blogging in Your Underwear or something. Austin: Totally. So Hugh's a whole different story, but I was just like, “Oh, I should really get a newsletter.” Letterman always had a top 10 list on his show. I just always thought a 10 list was really fun. And of course the books are lists of 10 too. So it just worked to have a weekly list of 10. It felt good, and it felt like an infinitely repeatable format. What I'm looking for as a creative person is an infinitely repeatable format that can go on and on and on and be new every time. So the list of 10 is something that people know the form of. It goes back to the Taco Bell thing. They know the form, but they're not sure what's going to go inside. They know it's going to be a burrito, but they don't know what's going to be in the burrito, and that's the exciting part. The newsletter, business-wise, was always a marketing cost for about the first eight years of its existence. I paid MailChimp to send it out. Then in about 2021, when I hadn't done a book for a while, my agent said, “You know, you should really think about doing a paid tier of your newsletter.” And this is to his credit, because he doesn't make anything off the newsletter. He said, “There's this thing called Substack now that makes that really easy.” So we moved to Substack in 2021 in October, and I started doing a Tuesday edition of the newsletter that was just for paid people. That grew enough that it's gone from a marketing cost to something that's almost—it's not quite as much as I make on my books, but it's close. And to be candid, my books sell pretty well. So suddenly the newsletter has become this really healthy income stream. The newsletter to me is actually the day job now. The newsletter is what really keeps the lights on. It's also the perfect mix. It's the day job, it's the thing that keeps income coming in on a regular basis, but it's also the thing I like to do the most. I'm not like a traditional writer who likes to just get lost in their book and take years and years and go away. I'm someone who loves to be doing a lot of different things. The newsletter is a perfect format for me. I'm talking myself into not quitting, actually. It's funny. It's gone from this thing that was a marketing cost to now it's a significant part of our income. That journey—such a bad word, journey—that trip has been very interesting. It's been really cool. But I'm also just lucky. I've been really lucky, and I think part of my thing is, I'm always just trying not to squander my luck. Jo: Well, the book is fantastic, and I know people are going to love it. And the newsletter, of course. So tell us— Where can people find you and your books and newsletter online? Austin: The easiest thing to do is to just go to AustinKleon.com, and that has links to everything—the books, the newsletter. I do actually keep an old-school blog still. I'm one of the few people that still maintains their blog and keeps it up to date. I'm hedging my bets because I think in the end everything will come back to a self-hosted website. I think in the end everyone's going to just go back to their little websites, or at least I hope so. Jo: Well, that was great, Austin. Thanks so much. Austin: Oh, thank you. The post Don't Call It Art: Rediscovering Creative Joy With Austin Kleon first appeared on The Creative Penn.

In this episode, Heather shares a powerful shift in how to approach marketing: treating your business like a series of experiments. Instead of trying to "get it right" or expecting immediate results, she walks you through how to think like a scientist—testing, learning, and refining over time.  Key Takeaways: Marketing is a series of experiments—not a one-time solution. Every action gives you data to improve your next move. The goal isn't immediate success—it's better experimentation. Each attempt gets you closer to what works. Most experiments will fail—and that's normal. Expecting failure removes disappointment and keeps you moving. "Nothing is working" is a false conclusion. There is no shortage of ideas—only a shortage of continued experimentation. You're not playing to win—you're playing to improve. Growth comes from practice, not perfection. Your future success depends on your current challenges. Struggle is building the skills you'll need at the next level. Your brain will create problems either way. You might as well choose meaningful ones that move you forward. Detachment improves results. When you stop needing it to work, you show up with more ease and confidence. Simple actions create momentum. Talking to people, following up, and showing up consistently matter more than complex strategies. Lightness wins. A curious, experimental mindset leads to better results than pressure and overthinking. Nothing is working… or you just stopped experimenting too soon. What if failure isn't the problem—but the path? The photographers who win are the ones who keep testing, not the ones who get it right. If you've been feeling stuck, discouraged, or like nothing is working, this episode will help you reframe your approach and take action with more confidence and less pressure. How to Support the Podcast: Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts. Please like, share, and leave a review. If you like the content, please share with your friends by posting on social media so that we can reach and impact more people. Join our next free coaching workshop: www.getcoachedbyheather.com Connect: Heather Lahtinen: Website, Facebook, Instagram 

Under the Scorpio Full Moon, an uplifting and passionate energy is here to support you in reconnecting with life from a softer, more open place. This meditation guides you into grounding and expansion, helping you release heaviness and return to a natural sense of balance within. From this space, a deeper appreciation begins to rise, for life, for yourself, and for the beauty already present in each moment. A gentle awakening into gratitude, lightness, and quiet joy. Embrace the change, embrace your purpose. Press play, breathe deep, and expand into the most beautiful version of you Full Moon Love Maria Pod music- Steen Thottrup - Balearic Bliss - Delux version -More music by Steen Thottrup at https://open.spotify.com/artist/6tPMvCqpjXjP9Iezu41j3E?si=TSCZPuvJR2uc6JoMZBdvZQ Meditation music Moby LA1 MARIA RINNÉ – ACTIVATE AND IGNITE YOUR HEART – Life Force Energy Guide & Writer www.mariarinne.com https://linktr.ee/mariarinneenergy

Hello, Beautiful...I'm so grateful you're here with me. Feeling disconnected from joy or stuck in routine? This morning meditation helps you slow down, tune in, and notice the small moments of joy around you.

When grace is received, it often feels like a lifting, a release from heaviness long carried. Something shifts within, as though the gravity of the soul has changed.‍ The rabbinic tradition gives language to this transformation. “Great is repentance, for it can transform even deliberate sins into merits” (Yoma 86b). What once weighed us down can, through grace, become the very ground of renewal.‍

Hello, Beautiful...I'm so grateful you're here with me. Starting your day feeling rushed or tense? This morning meditation is designed to help you slow down, soften resistance, and flow into your day with ease and calm.

Hello, Beautiful...I'm so grateful you're here with me. Feeling weighed down by worry or overthinking first thing in the morning? This calming guided meditation helps you release anxious thoughts, lighten your emotional load, and reconnect with a sense of ease. ☀️✨ Through gentle breathing and mindfulness, you'll quiet your mind, reduce stress, and move into your day feeling lighter, calmer, and more in control. Love,

Ajahn Brahm gives a simple but profound talk on how to stop taking ourselves so seriously, stop getting dragged down in negativity, stop worrying about fixing problems, stop measuring and controlling, stop putting ourselves in prisons, and simply putting things down to find contentment right where we are, the only place where beauty and joy can unfold. This is part of a series of teachings for a retreat led by Ajahn Brahm & Ajahn Canda in the UK on 23rd June 2025. Teaching retrieved from Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yXEHv55yGg&t=745s Ajahn Brahm is the Spiritual Adviser of Anukampa Bhikkhuni Project. Donations to Anukampa are welcome, please visit https://anukampaproject.org/donate/ Support us on https://ko-fi.com/thebuddhistsocietyofwa BSWA teachings are available from: BSWA Teachings BSWA Podcast Channel BSWA DeeperDhamma Podbean Channel BSWA YouTube

Send us Fan MailWelcome to Country Proud Living "Where Nurturing Spaces Empower Your Life and Everyday Feels a Little More Like Home."  Spring has a way of making us crave lightness—in our homes and in ourselves. In this episode, LoriLynn shares simple, designer-approved ways to help your space breathe again (without spending money). If your home feels “heavy” from winter layers, full surfaces, or a busy season of life, take a listen.What you'll learn; Why a beautiful home can still feel emotionally heavy How to create “light and airy” through release, flow, and seasonal rotation Free design tools that work fast: rearranging, opening sight lines, clearing one surface How a calmer home supports a calmer nervous system—especially in busy caregiving seasons  Why simplifying doesn't mean “cold” (lightness ≠ minimalism) Try this (simple action) Pick one room and do 1–2 gentle shifts: open a window, swap a heavy textile for a lighter one, clear a surface, move a chair toward natural light, or remove one item that reflects an older season of you. Then pause and notice how you feel.   Episode timeline

In this episode, Marsha is joined by Renee and Meghan for a powerful conversation on what it truly means to hold space during deeply transformative experiences.Together, they reflect on their recent Heart-Wired live event and the intentional energy required to create a room where real connection, trust, and growth can happen.This conversation goes beyond logistics or strategy — it speaks to the unseen role of leadership in these spaces. The emotional presence, the awareness, and the responsibility of creating safety for others to open, share, and transform.Renee, Meghan, and Marsha share personal insights and behind-the-scenes moments from leading the event, highlighting both the challenges and the beauty of guiding women through powerful breakthroughs.They explore how transformation doesn't happen by accident; it is created through intention, trust, and the collective energy of the room. This episode is a reminder of the power of community and what becomes possible when women come together in a space designed for truth, connection, and expansion.Chapters:[01:26] - The Role of a Sacred Space Holder[13:54] - The Importance of Lightness in Transformative Spaces[17:41] - Embracing Vulnerability and Authenticity[21:59] - The Power of Trust and Heartwired Leadership[32:56] - Cultivating Transformative Spaces[42:20] - Reflections on the Event Experience[46:31] - Celebrating Milestones: The 1000th EpisodeConnect with Renee:IG: https://www.instagram.com/reneewalkerwellnessPodcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5gp3TjmlypHP7dLSUdNDJZConnect with Meg:IG: https://www.instagram.com/themeghanweirPodcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4g2lcNjE3G3jltpgHgjQWt?si=e59cfdc25a864addJoin us for Heart-Wired CEO Live 2026: https://www.heart-wiredceo.com/liveMarsha Vanwynsberghe — NLP Storytelling Trainer, OUTSPOKEN NLP Coaching Certification, Author, Speaker, and PodcasterUnbothered Entrepreneur Masterclass (for the Podcast Listeners): https://www.marshavanw.com/unbothered-entrepreneur-masterclass-podcastUnbothered Mind Podcast https://www.marshavanw.com/unbotheredmindpodcastDownload FREE “You Are Supported” Hypnosis and Subliminal Bundle HERE Join the next cohort of OUTSPOKEN NLP Coaching Certification (kick-off in March 2025) HERELearn more about changing the Stories We Tell Ourselves Digital Program HERE. Use Code PODCAST to receive 20% off. Code FASTACTION20Tap the “Follow” button never to miss a show, and if you love the show, please feel free to tag me on social media, share it with a friend, or leave me a rating and review. This helps the show grow!Website: www.marshavanw.comConnect on IG. Click HERESubscribe on YouTube. Click HEREMentioned in this episode:UNBOTHERED Mastermind: https://www.marshavanw.com/unbothered-entrepreneur-presale

This is a companion podcast for this morning's mantra. Somewhere beneath the responsibilities and routines, the child in us still wants to explore. Today's meditation is an invitation to approach the day with curiosity and lightness — and discover how play can turn pressure into joy. Your Morning Mantra: I invite play and lightness into my day. Jennifer Cray is a life coach, meditation teacher and yoga teacher for Living Lit Up, based in Brisbane. You can deepen your meditation practices with her on Insight Timer. Insight TimerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Somewhere beneath the responsibilities and routines, the child in us still wants to explore. Today's meditation is an invitation to approach the day with curiosity and lightness — and discover how play can turn pressure into joy. Your Morning Mantra: I invite play and lightness into my day. Jennifer Cray is a life coach, meditation teacher and yoga teacher for Living Lit Up, based in Brisbane. You can deepen your meditation practices with her on Insight Timer. Insight TimerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Find Your Leadership Confidence Podcast Host: Vicki Noethling Returning Guest: Ray Martin Episode Title: Ten Guiding Principles What if leadership wasn't about doing more—but about being more present, intentional, and aligned? In this powerful return conversation, Vicki Noethling welcomes back Ray Martin, aka The Daily Explorer—entrepreneur, award-winning business leader, mindfulness teacher, and torchbearer for greater human consciousness. Ray's work bridges leadership, mindfulness, and authentic living, empowering people to lead with clarity, compassion, and purpose. In this episode, Ray unpacks his Ten Guiding Principles—a practical and deeply human framework for leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers who want to live and lead with intention while creating meaningful impact in the world. Together, Vicki and Ray explore how presence, self-trust, connection, and well-being are not “soft skills,” but essential leadership practices in today's fast-paced, high-pressure world. In this conversation, you'll hear: Why Ray is deeply passionate about conscious leadership and authentic living A high-level overview of his Ten Guiding Principles How Presence transforms decision-making and leadership influence Why Self-Acceptance is foundational to confidence and growth The power of Non-Attachment and Self-Trust in navigating uncertainty How Wisdom, Lightness, and Minimalism create clarity and focus Why Connection and Contribution are critical for fulfillment and impact How Health and Well-Being underpin sustainable leadership success This episode is an invitation to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with what truly matters—so you can lead with confidence, purpose, and joy.

Weekly sermons and study guides.

Weekly sermons and study guides.

Weekly sermons and study guides.

Hello Beautiful, I'm so grateful you're here with me.

Please find the links mentioned in this episode below.The AfterGlow Coaching program here.My 1:1 Coaching for men here.

David shares the torch of how humor and laughter gets us through our darkest and heaviest times. Short and sweet. Just like him.

A conversation about living through a "fun filter." What does it looks like to let joy, ease, and alignment guide our decisions instead of obligation, striving, or outdated beliefs? A special co-released episode with Dr. Melissa Parsons, fellow retired pediatrician, coach, and kindred spirit.  Together, we reflect on our own transitions out of pediatrics, how we've redefined success, and the freedom that comes when we allow ourselves to change, grow, and choose what lights us up. We also share honest moments about parenting adult children, reimagining purpose, and how sometimes the most meaningful transformations begin when we stop pushing and start listening. If you've been wondering what gets to be "enough," this episode offers a gentler compass. In this episode, we explore: What a "fun filter" is (and what it isn't) Redefining success after leaving a long-held identity Why we don't have to earn rest, joy, or white space How change can be a sign of being fully alive Letting alignment and impact coexist Pearls of Wisdom Choosing what's fun is not frivolous and can be freeing. You don't have to earn rest, white space, or joy. Change doesn't make you flighty because it means you're alive. Fun and impact can coexist. "Enough" isn't a milestone; it's a mindset. Reflection Questions: What currently feels fun, easy, or light in your life? Where might you be holding onto old definitions of "success" or "productivity"? What might open up if you trusted fun as a valid reason to say yes—or no? Resources & Links: Enjoy these Mindful Yoga Classes about Fun Playfulness + Connection + Flow = Fun Mindful Yoga with Jessie Mahoney Breathe in Fun, Lightness, and Love. Exhale Stress and Anxiety. Mindful Yoga to Explore Ease. Coaching: www.jessiemahoneymd.com/coaching Retreats: www.jessiemahoneymd.com/retreats Speaking/Workshops: www.jessiemahoneymd.com/speaking Dr. Melissa Parsons: melissaparsonscoaching.com Listen to Melissa's podcast, Your Favorite You: www.melissaparsonscoaching.com/podcast Melissa Parsons, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician, who practiced in Columbus, Ohio for 22 years, retiring in 2021. She became interested in coaching in 2017, recognizing that she liked her life, but she did not love it, and could not figure out why. Coaching helped her create a life she never dreamed possible. Melissa started her business, Melissa Parsons Coaching, in May 2020, and she has not looked back since, except to help other amazing women learn to love themselves and their lives, too! Melissa hosts a popular podcast called Your Favorite You,. She runs a group coaching program by the same name for small groups of women looking to become their favorite versions of themselves, often by treating themselves as they would a best friend.  Disclaimer: Nothing shared on the Healing Medicine Podcast is medical advice.  

FREE RESOURCE:  Try our Cyclical Nourishment Guide: https://rebeltribe.thrivecart.com/cyclical-living-nutrition/ In this heartfelt conversation, Dr. Beverly Huang shares her personal journey of being diagnosed with breast cancer, emphasizing the importance of advocacy, awareness, and understanding breast density.  She discusses the emotional challenges of her diagnosis, the significance of community support, and the need for women to take charge of their health by understanding their risk factors.  The conversation highlights the necessity of open communication with loved ones and the power of sharing knowledge to empower others. Dr. Huang's insights serve as a reminder of the importance of self-advocacy in healthcare and the impact of connection during difficult times. Tyrer- Cuzick Risk Assessment Calculator: HERE Ontario Breast Screening Program at 1-800-668-9304   Takeaways Beverly emphasizes the importance of sharing her story to empower other women. Advocacy for one's health is crucial, especially in navigating medical systems. Understanding breast density is vital for assessing risk factors for breast cancer. Women should not hesitate to self-refer for mammograms when necessary. Emotional processing of a cancer diagnosis can include anger and acceptance. Community support plays a significant role in coping with health challenges. Open conversations with loved ones about health issues can alleviate fears. Women often feel the need to buffer others' emotions during their own health crises. Self-advocacy in healthcare is essential for receiving appropriate care. The absence of connection can lead to feelings of isolation during health struggles.   Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Personal Connection 02:27 Beverly's Diagnosis and Its Impact 04:05 Advocacy for Women's Health 06:27 The Importance of Mammograms 09:21 Understanding Breast Density and Risk Factors 11:51 Navigating the Healthcare System 14:15 The Tyroacusic Breast Cancer Risk Assessment 16:51 Personal Stories and Realizations 19:37 Processing the Diagnosis 22:22 Emotional Responses and Support 26:34 Understanding Grief and Anger 28:07 Finding Peace in the Journey 30:04 The Gift of Time and Preparation 31:27 Choosing Love Over Fear 34:41 The Power of Connection 38:48 Navigating Conversations Around Illness 51:05 Navigating Personal Pain and Collective Suffering 54:05 Communicating Health Challenges with Loved Ones 56:59 The Importance of Humor and Lightness in Serious Times 01:01:28 Understanding Breast Density and Health Advocacy 01:07:34 The Need for Informed Healthcare Decisions 01:11:56 Empowerment Through Knowledge and Community Support   Stay Wild. Connect with Dr. Beverly Huang on INSTAGRAM Connect with Dr. Michelle Peris on INSTAGRAM FREE RESOURCE:  Click the link and see if the SHED METABOLIC RESET PROGRAM is a good fit for you!  This episode is brought to you by: www.MichellePeris.com Ready to reclaim your Wild? JOIN THE WAITLIST Learn more about The Poppy Clinic: www.poppyclinic.com Is Naturopathic Medicine for you: LEARN MORE HERE Take our HORMONE QUIZ Are you a clinician looking for more impact? START HERE

Relationships can feel heavy when responsibility, pressure, and emotional labor fall on one person. This episode explores why lightness often returns not through effort, but when identity and relationship finally come back into alignment.There's a moment many people notice quietly, almost cautiously:their relationship feels lighter.Not because they tried harder.Not because something dramatic changed.But because they stopped carrying what was never meant to be held alone.In this episode, we explore what happens in relationships when over-functioning loosens and identity begins to match how you relate. Many high-capacity, deeply responsible people learned early on that effort equals love—and that staying ahead of problems is how connection stays intact. Over time, that pattern can create pressure, emotional fatigue, and a subtle sense of misalignment, even in relationships that “work.”This conversation names a different experience: when tension clears faster, conversations don't linger in your body, and you recover more quickly after hard moments—not because conflict disappeared, but because your nervous system no longer has to compensate for the relationship.This is what Renewed Momentum feels like in Identity-Level Recalibration.Not urgency. Not intensity.Believability.Rather than another mindset shift or communication strategy, ILR addresses the root level—where identity precedes behavior. When who you are and how you relate finally align, ease becomes information. Lightness becomes evidence. And commitment no longer requires collapse.This episode is an orientation, not a prescription. It offers language for recognizing when alignment is already working—so you don't rush past it, explain it away, or brace for it to disappear.Today's Micro Recalibration:Notice where your relationship feels lighter simply because you stopped over-carrying. Not because you disengaged or cared less, but because responsibility is finally being shared. Let that ease be information worth trusting.Explore Identity-Level Recalibration→ Join the next Friday Recalibration Live experience → Take your listening deeper! Subscribe to The Weekly Recalibration Companion to receive reflections and extensions to each week's podcast episodes. → Follow Julie Holly on LinkedIn for more recalibration insights → Schedule a conversation with Julie to see if The Recalibration is a fit for you → Download the Misalignment Audit → Subscribe to the weekly newsletter → Books to read (Tidy categories on Amazon- I've read/listened to each recommended title.) → One link to all things

Highlighting the fact that humans spend 30% of their waking hours in conversation, McKay Christensen explores the often overlooked reality that talking is a skill rather than a mere natural instinct. He argues that like running or computer coding, conversation can be practiced, improved, and mastered to produce deeper influence and success. McKay uses Alison Brooks' "TALK" (Topics, Asking, Levity, Kindness) to show how conversation shapes our world. He also explores Brené Brown's focus on connection, Dr. Wendy Levinson's link between talk and malpractice claims, and John Gottman's marriage "bids." From NASA's planning to Terry Gross' questions, join McKay here today to learn why kindness drives success better than aptitude, and discover the mechanics of social interaction.Main Themes:Communication is a disciplined skill that can be refined through intentional practice and feedback.High-quality conversation can be a matter of life, death, or legal liability in high-stakes environments.Preparing a few small topics beforehand reduces anxiety and allows for more authentic engagement.Long-term relationship success depends on recognizing and responding to small "bids" for connection.Curious follow-up questions are the strongest predictors of trust and likability.Lightness and self-deprecating humor foster a safe dialogue environment and team resilience.Authentic kindness is a more powerful predictor of professional success than technical aptitude.Top 10 Quotes:"Conversation is at the heart of human experience.""Like running, computer coding, or speaking a second language, it can be practiced, improved, and mastered.""They had a better practice because they had better conversation skills.""Preparation frees your mind to listen and engage more authentically in the conversation.""Preparation doesn't make the conversation mechanical. It allows the human connection to flourish.""Asking demonstrates curiosity and attention. It signals, 'I hear you; I want to understand.'""Conversation is a rhythm, not a Q&A session.""Positive kindness heavily correlates to predicting a salesperson's success, even more than aptitude."Show Links:Open Your Eyes with McKay Christensen

Join Mark and Jenny Langley as they delve into the art of finding softness in horses and why softness is different from lightness. Listen to understand why softness is the ultimate goal that riders seek; with specific tips to help a hard eyed horse become softer. To ask Mark your question join his Online Membership - more info here

Remember what awaits you in glory! -------- Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible.     Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org   Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/hypnosis-and-relaxation-sound-therapy9715/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Hidden Lightness with Jimmy Hinton – Christmas arrives wrapped in grief as sudden loss collides with sacred tradition. In the shadow of tragedy, reflection reveals a deeper meaning of the season—one rooted in hope, presence, and love. Amid sorrow, compassion rises, reminding us that light still appears in shared pain, human connection, and the choice to love boldly when life feels fragile...

The Hidden Lightness with Jimmy Hinton – This quiet generosity is the hidden lightness so desperately needed during Christmas—a season that can feel heavy with division, consumerism, and despair. It's a reminder that goodness doesn't need to be loud to be real. I've heard dozens of stories of families being given life-changing gifts in the past few weeks. This is happening all over America...

S11E8 - In this season finale, we'll end on a lighter note by examining how joy can be discovered in the smallest of moments, how lightness can be a conscious posture, and how gratitude and joy feed each other. Joy always felt too superficial until I discovered the way it allows me to expand in the dark. Join me as we wrap up Season 11 by discovering joy, lightness, and play in our everyday lives. 

We are in the darkest time of the year right now. If that feels depressing, this week's episodes on Self-Care Daily will help you turn inward, rest more, and find a way to celebrate. Now is the time to light candles and fireplaces, sing songs, and gather with the people you love. It will remind you that even in darkness there is light! Tune in to begin.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

MUST WATCH on Spotify, YouTube, or BoldEncounters.TV. These pros FACES and BODY LANGUAGE are nearly EVERYTHING and brilliant!Confidence grows fastest when play is allowed:“Humor reveals truth before defensiveness can rise.”“Lightness clears the room for real communication.”“Laughter gives teams a shortcut to psychological safety.”Practical creativity & cooperation expands when leaders...A live improv session to improve teamwork—four performers, two leaders, and zero scripts—turns an interview into a working demo of team trust, timing, and better communication. This is improv inserted as a management tool, seen in real time and explained with precision.Holly MandelFounder of iMergence. Groundlings alum and seasoned improv instructor. Coach to Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, & by Will Ferrell & Lisa Kudrow. Known for unlocking cooperation with playful spontaneity. See: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-mandel.Brian PalermoWorking actor with credits including Modern Family, Will & Grace, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Veteran improv performer and communication trainer. Known for audience connection and fast-listening skill. Translates comedic flow into practical leadership behavior. See: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-palermo-improvtrainingforcommunicationskills/.James WilsonMed-tech sales leader and dear friend of Mark with natural storytelling presence. Steady, grounded, and sincere collaborator. Balances humor with warmth. Anchors group energy with calm comedy. See: linkedin.com/in/james-wilson-3869827.Liz CoinActor, writer, and corporate facilitator. Blends precision and play in leadership workshops. Known for adaptive thinking and warm, sharp timing. Helps teams shift from rigid to responsive communication. See: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-coin/.Sarah HicksImproviser and performance coach who has worked with Jeff Goldblum & in the revival of Gypsy with Patti LuPone. Expert in emotional awareness and group facilitation. Combines behavioral insight with creative technique. Brings clarity, attention, and surprising comedic instinct. See: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-hicks-corporate/.Inside This EpisodeWhat happens when an improv ensemble brings its full toolkit into a leadership conversation? They demonstrate it—live, unrehearsed, and with explosive clarity. Holly Mandel returns with the iMergence team—Liz Coin, Sarah Hicks, Brian Palermo, and Mark's close friend, med-tech leader, James Wilson. Together they show humor reveals valves for tension, resets communication, and makes collaboration safer. This episode blends laughter with insight, turning improv into a masterclass on presence, timing, and trust for any leader willing to loosen the grip and lead with play.Go Deeper — Premium ActionPremium action at the end turns the group's live improvisation into a framework leaders can apply immediately. Learn how to harness lightness to clear tension, develop timing without performing, and use strategic spontaneity to unlock stronger trust. This segment breaks each improv principle into a simple behavioral pattern you can practice daily.Listen + ConnectiMergence: https://www.imergence.comMark S. Cook: BoldEncounters.TV / WindfallPartners.com.Moments to RevisitA spontaneous moment that reveals trust before words do. The exercise that exposes communication habits in under 10 seconds. Why timing and expression, not content, carry more influence. The ensemble's final insight on humor as a leadership lever.Chapters — Free Episode (6)0:00 Welcome and setup3:40 Introducing the iMergence ensemble9:15 First improv exercise and early leadership insight16:22 How play exposes communication patterns24:50 Translating improv principles to real teams32:40 Final takeaways before the premium executionFinal ThoughtWhen leaders allow play, communication opens—and people open with it. Humor isn't the opposite of professionalism; it's the catalyst for clarity, courage, and connection.

In this episode, the angels invite us to “unpack the suitcase” and clear what weighs us down. They highlight two truths: 1) Releasing old burdens frees our energy, and 2) Keeping only what supports us strengthens our path. This matters because carrying emotional baggage blocks clarity, joy, and spiritual momentum. The angels guide us toward lightness, renewal, and deeper inner peace.What if your guides for the guided meditation had no idea where Spirit was going to be leading them? Join Dr. Ruth Anderson and Teri Angel as they explore a spirit-inspired and spirit-led meditation. Enjoy the journey with them as they open their hearts, minds, and awareness to whatever the learning might be. Join us in this alternate form of meditation. What message is waiting for you? Nope, this is not your Mama's meditation.Teri Angel is an International Peace Ambassador and the founder of the nonprofit corporation, Angelspeakers Inc. Teri is an angel messenger, spiritual coach and teacher, and energy healer. She has been communicating with angels her entire life. Teri is currently on a Peace On Earth Tour, spreading the message of peace throughout the country. She can be reached at www.angelspeakers.comDr. Ruth Anderson, the founder of Enlightened World Network, is a Reverend of the Church of Inner Light. She is an author, producer, and a conduit for the Spiritual Divinity sharing their teachings in an authentic and open matter. Her desire is for others to know oneness with the spiritual divinity, Divine Mother, and the archangels and to know divine love as she has been able to experience it.Enlightened World Network is your guide to inspirational online programs about the spiritual divinity, angels, energy work, chakras, past lives, or soul. Learn about spiritually transformative authors, musicians and healers. From motivational learning to inner guidance, you will find the best program for you.Enlightened World Network is now available on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Podbean, Spotify, and Amazon Music.Check out EWN's website featuring over 200 spirit-inspired lightworkers specializing in meditation, energy work and angel channelingwww.enlightenedworld.onlinePlease consider donating to support the work of the EWN https://www.paypal.me/EnlightenedWorld.Enjoy inspirational and educational shows at http://www.youtube.com/c/EnlightenedWorldNetworkTo sign up for a newsletter to stay up on EWN programs and events, sign up here:https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/FBoFQef/web

In this podcast episode, fangirl Jillian and her husband Tyler recap Maxton Hall Season 2 Episode 5 “Deceptive Lightness" - the most dramatic episode yet! From Mortimer's explosive return and the shocking phone reveal to Ruby's Oxford dreams being threatened, this episode is packed with twists, romance, and our favorite themed event yet. We unpack James' family chaos, Percy's backstory hints, the scholarship fallout, and the magical Midsummer Night's Dream party.Buy our merch: ⁠https://www.etsy.com/shop/PreviouslyOnTeenTV⁠Follow Previously On Teen TV on Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/previouslyon_teentv/Follow Previously On Teen TV on TikTok: ⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@previouslyon_teentv⁠⁠Subscribe to our YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe2lgvvZGKMrQ8v24FmDdWQ?sub_confirmation=1⁠

This episode explores how a horse's lightness can quietly fade long after the "preschool" stage—and how that process often begins in the smallest, most overlooked moments of handling. Using Baby Whisper's first haltering lessons as a lens, Stacy shows how early experiences with pressure and release shape a horse's lifelong feel, and how similar patterns appear in mature horses that have learned to lean or resist. Key takeaways: – Lightness isn't something added later—it's created, or lost, from the very first moments of contact – Horses become heavy when we stop noticing where release actually happens – Even two pounds of unnoticed pressure on a lead rope can reshape a horse's expectations – True refinement begins by returning to the body, not the halter This episode examines how lightness develops—and how it disappears—through the rider's timing, awareness, and feel. Whether you're leading, riding, or refining, it reveals why every conversation with your horse begins with how you release.

Feeling pulled between structure and creativity? Logic and compassion? Involvement and detachment? Serious and Lightness? In this episode, ICF Master Certified Coach Jayshree Kirtane offers a vivid metaphor - orange flames and purple flowers - to reframe these tensions as complementary forces rather than either-or choices. We dive into exploring how we as coaches can support our clients or people to integrate polarities in a way that aligns with their truth. This conversation shares how integration can unlock wiser decisions, create deeper impact, and more joyful lives.

I dive into Pinnacle Frequency — the art of starting at the ultimate vision rather than climbing to it step by step. Most people approach their goals linearly, believing the pinnacle is the reward at the end of effort. But when you operate from the Pinnacle from the start, joy, synchronicity, and high-frequency manifestation flow naturally.We explore the spiritual mechanics behind Lightness of Being, the Black Hole of Becoming, and the journey to $10M Consciousness — where authenticity dissolves masks, opens the heart, and aligns your nervous system to quantum-level creation. I share personal stories of effortless manifestations, the role of coherence in the biofield, and how generosity, community, and enthusiasm amplify the frequency of wealth.Whether you're looking to expand your manifestation capacity, understand the energetics of high-level money, or activate the joy of creation, this episode offers a field-aligned transmission for women ready to quantum leap beyond the linear path.Key Takeaways:Why the Pinnacle is not the destination, but the starting point for manifestation.How operating from the Pinnacle invokes synchronicity and accelerates results.The concept of the Black Hole of Becoming and why collapse precedes lightness.Understanding Lightness of Being as coherence of frequency, nervous system, and heart.How authenticity dissolves the mask and frees creative energy.The energetics of $10M consciousness: safety, generosity, and effortless manifestation.The role of enthusiasm and community in attracting abundance and alignment.Who this episode is for:Women breaking through $1M+, ready to embody the frequency of $10M+, dissolve limiting patterns, and step fully into their Pinnacle vision.Resources & Links:Learn more about working with me at the Crystalline Mastermind for women moving to $10M+ consciousness.Follow me on jessfenton.substack.com for ongoing insights on high-frequency manifestation.www.goinward.co.ukwww.instagram.com/goinwardjess@goinward.co.uk

Velo Senior Tech Editor Josh Ross has been testing the second-generation Aethos and explains what's changed and how it performs out on the road. We also talk about that kinda mostly hidden cable routing, the advances in FEA software that allow more grams to be shaved, and the new Roval Alpinist CLX III wheels that use thermoplastic spokes with titanium ends. Fancy.  Josh also compares the just-released Aethos to the previous version that we had at the Velo Field Test, and Levy forces him to decide between the Specialized and Scott Addict RC.

Welcome back to another episode of the Pelvic Power Podcast!Healing doesn't always move in a straight line. In this episode, I share my own vulnerable story of emotions bubbling up in class, and why allowing yourself to feel can be just as important as movement and breath. You'll learn how to find lightness even on the hard days, and why small, gentle steps still count as progress.Healing isn't linear: 2 steps forward, 1 step back is still progressHow emotions like laughter and tears shift energy in the bodyThe importance of not apologizing for your emotionsSimple daily practices that support pelvic pain reliefRomanticizing healing + introducing the October Pelvic Relief Bingo Card... and so much more!Download your free October Pelvic Relief Bingo Card and start making pelvic healing a little more cozy—and a lot more doable.Enjoy this episode

For episode 285, Actress/Director/Author, Terri Hanauer returns with a mesmerizing sample reading from her debut novel, The Lightness of Rain! Be sure to check out the links below to find and follow Terri including our interview from last week. Terri Hanauer website The Lightness of Rain Amazon link Episode 284: Interview with Terri Find Jason's books on Amazon and don't forget to follow him for new book alerts! Contact the show via email at samplechapterpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode of Widow Wisdom and Wealth, Donna interviews Marie Alessi, who shares her journey into widowhood and how she has navigated the complexities of raising two boys while dealing with profound loss. Marie discusses her mission, her books, and her TED Talk, emphasizing her unique approach to leading through grief with joy. Marie recounts pivotal moments, including a crucial conversation with her late husband, the emotional struggles following his sudden death, and the support that helped her find a new purpose. Now a bestselling author, keynote speaker, and grief coach, Marie offers inspiration on embracing joy in the face of grief. The episode highlights Marie's upcoming speaking engagement at the Sydney Opera House and provides insights into her movement, Loving Life After Loss.   00:00 Introduction to Marie Alessi 01:13 Marie Alessi's Background and Personal Loss 03:17 The Pivotal Conversation and Its Impact 06:15 Practical Steps and Challenges Post-Loss 10:25 Marie Alessi's Career and Mission 11:28 The Early Days of Grief 19:08 Turning Grief into Empowerment 23:52 Creating a Movement: Loving Life After Loss 27:47 Conclusion and Future Endeavors   Connect with Marie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-alessi https://www.facebook.com/MarieAlessiPublicFigure https://www.mariealessi.com/     Connect with Donna:

This short meditation uses imagery of golden light to soften tension, release heaviness, and bring a sense of calm ease. As you breathe with the light, you'll be guided to gently set down worries and invite in lightness, clarity, and peace.My live-guided meditations are designed for groups to breathe together, let go together, and then find the way back to peace together, with the benefit of feeling more focused and calm. When you join our groups, you share a positive energy that makes it easier to stay centered and relaxed. This shared experience can make your meditation feel stronger and more connected, one gentle step at a time.Rise Above Stress and Anxiety on MeetupThursdays, 8:00 PM MST.Rise Above Stress and Anxiety on MeetupSaturdays, 9:30 AM MST.Sunday Night Surrender on MeetupSundays, 7:15 PM MST.For more support with anxiety, join our community on Facebook.Alto Cirrus Technologies produces this event.Music: Distant LightHosted on Acast. For more information, visit Acast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Premium! Ready for an ad-free meditation experience? Join Premium now and get every episode from ALL of our podcasts completely ad-free now! Just a few clicks makes it easy for you to listen on your favorite podcast player.  Become a PREMIUM member today by going to --> https://WomensMeditationNetwork.com/premium Close your eyes, love.And take a long, deep breath in. Feel the air fill your lungs, stretching the edges of your ribs, expanding the space within you.Hold it for a moment, feeling its fullness, its presence.And then, let it go. Exhale completely, releasing all that feels tight, heavy, or small. PAUSE… Now, take another deep breath.But this time, as you inhale, imagine you are breathing in pure, open space.Breathe in the vastness of the sky, the endless horizon, the infinite beyond.And as you exhale, let go of any boundaries you have placed around yourself.Let go of the feeling of being contained, limited, or held back. PAUSE… You were never meant to be small.You were never meant to fit neatly inside the constraints of worry, expectation, or fear.You are expansive.You are limitless.You are the open sky. Join our Premium Sleep for Women Channel on Apple Podcasts and get ALL 5 of our Sleep podcasts completely ad-free! Join Premium now on Apple here --> https://bit.ly/sleepforwomen  Join our Premium Meditation for Kids Channel on Apple Podcasts and get ALL 5 of our Kids podcasts completely ad-free! Join Premium now on Apple here → https://bit.ly/meditationforkidsapple Hey, I'm so glad you're taking the time to be with us today. My team and I are dedicated to making sure you have all the meditations you need throughout all the seasons of your life.  If there's a meditation you desire, but can't find, email us at Katie Krimitsos to make a request. We'd love to create what you want!  Namaste, Beautiful,

Episode 284 takes us to Santa Monica for a delightful discussion with Actress, Director, and now, Author, Terri Hanauer! In this interview, we dive deep into topics like writing for healing, being able to take/use critique, finding yourself within your writing and characters, finding inspiration in unexpected places, and so many more topics! We also dive into her debut novel, The lightness of Rain, available now! Terri Hanauer website The Lightness of Rain Amazon link Get a Clue Murder Mystery Event (Facebook link) Contact the show via email at samplechapterpodcast@gmail.com

Join Premium! Ready for an ad-free meditation experience? Join Premium now and get every episode from ALL of our podcasts completely ad-free now! Just a few clicks makes it easy for you to listen on your favorite podcast player.  Become a PREMIUM member today by going to --> https://WomensMeditationNetwork.com/premium Take a breath in…And imagine it sweeping through you like a breeze.Clearing.Opening.Softening. PAUSE You've carried a lot lately—Maybe not in one heavy moment,But in a thousand tiny ways. PAUSE A cluttered mind.A held breath.A shoulder that forgot how to drop. Join our Premium Sleep for Women Channel on Apple Podcasts and get ALL 5 of our Sleep podcasts completely ad-free! Join Premium now on Apple here --> https://bit.ly/sleepforwomen  Join our Premium Meditation for Kids Channel on Apple Podcasts and get ALL 5 of our Kids podcasts completely ad-free! Join Premium now on Apple here → https://bit.ly/meditationforkidsapple Hey, I'm so glad you're taking the time to be with us today. My team and I are dedicated to making sure you have all the meditations you need throughout all the seasons of your life.  If there's a meditation you desire, but can't find, email us at Katie Krimitsos to make a request. We'd love to create what you want!  Namaste, Beautiful,

This week's chat started with… no questions! But that didn't stop us from diving deep into some really meaningful (and practical!) topics.In this episode, we talk about:My takeaways from riding with Steffen this weekA brilliant quote from Christine TraurigWhy lateral suppleness must come before longitudinal – and how that shows up in the saddleLoose shoulders, hips, where tension might be coming fromAnd, most importantly, taking a moment to appreciate the people who support us in our horse journey. Please post below with #grateful, and let me know who you are most grateful for in your riding journeyWe also shared an update on upcoming events, 30 Days to Round is coming in September and our upcoming Independent Seat webinar is on August 10th.Happy Riding,AmeliaPS. Check out my Contact and Connection Quiz here!

Join Premium! Ready for an ad-free meditation experience? Join Premium now and get every episode from ALL of our podcasts completely ad-free now! Just a few clicks makes it easy for you to listen on your favorite podcast player.  Become a PREMIUM member today by going to --> https://WomensMeditationNetwork.com/premium Join our Premium Sleep for Women Channel on Apple Podcasts and get ALL 5 of our Sleep podcasts completely ad-free! Join Premium now on Apple here --> https://bit.ly/sleepforwomen  Join our Premium Meditation for Kids Channel on Apple Podcasts and get ALL 5 of our Kids podcasts completely ad-free! Join Premium now on Apple here → https://bit.ly/meditationforkidsapple Hey, I'm so glad you're taking the time to be with us today. My team and I are dedicated to making sure you have all the meditations you need throughout all the seasons of your life.  If there's a meditation you desire, but can't find, email us at Katie Krimitsos to make a request. We'd love to create what you want!  Namaste, Beautiful,

In the June Four Cornerstones Power Hour Tips Show Kimberly discusses the importance of entering the month with intention, embracing seasonal changes, and understanding Ayurvedic principles for summer wellness. She emphasizes the significance of nutrition, body movement, emotional well-being, and spiritual growth, encouraging listeners to let the light in and cultivate a holistic lifestyle. Chapters00:00 Introduction to the Feel Good Podcast Power Hour01:54 Embracing Seasonal Changes and Intentions06:09 Understanding Ayurvedic Principles for Summer12:08 The Importance of Food and Nutrition20:04 Body Movement and Exercise Adjustments27:01 Emotional Well-being and Lightness in Summer33:47 Spiritual Growth and Letting the Light InSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We meet artist Chris Levine, a British contemporary artist renowned for his pioneering work with light and lasers. His innovative approach transcends traditional mediums, integrating technology and spirituality to create immersive art installations that challenge and expand human perception. Levine's multidisciplinary practice encompasses installation, photography, performance, fashion, music, and design. He employs lasers and sound frequencies to craft environments that engage viewers on both sensory and contemplative levels. This synthesis of technology and art positions Levine's work within a broader historical context, aligning with movements that seek to transcend the physical and delve into the metaphysical.A seminal piece in Levine's portfolio is "Lightness of Being" (2004), a holographic portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. This work has been lauded for its spiritual depth and technical mastery, with the National Portrait Gallery describing it as "the most evocative image of a royal by any artist." The portrait captures the ethereal quality of light and presence, reflecting Levine's ability to merge artistic expression with technological innovation. Beyond portraiture, Levine has engaged in numerous projects that bridge various artistic disciplines. In 2012, the artist partnered with Anohni and the Johnsons for their "Swanlight" performance at Radio City Music Hall, commissioned by the MoMA, New York, integrating laser with musical performance and creating a multisensory experience. Levine's site-specific large scale installations have pushed the boundaries of light art, taking diverse settings from the historic Durham Cathedral to the contemporary landscape of Hobart, Tasmania. Aligned with the traditions of public art inspiring communities, Levine's works make immersive art accessible to broader audiences. In 2021, Levine's exhibition at Houghton Hall, 528 Hz Love Frequency, featured "Molecule of Light," a monumental 25-meter-high sculpture that transformed the landscape and cemented his innovative approach to light art. This installation not only showcased the artist's technical prowess but also his ability to harmonize art with architectural space, creating a dialogue between the artwork and its environment. Through his multidisciplinary practice, Levine continues to explore the infinite possibilities of light in art, contributing to the ongoing dialogue on the intersection of technology, spirituality, and visual expression. His work stands as a testament to the transformative power of art, inviting viewers to experience the world through a lens of heightened awareness.Follow @ChrisLevine on InstagramVisit: https://chrislevine.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's episode offers you a meditation. You will sit down, close your eyes, deepen your breath, and arrive into the present moment. What is happening here? Do you feel tension? Lightness? Both in different places? As you settle your nervous system, it will give you the opportunity to truly listen. Tune in to begin. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This talk was given by Gil Fronsdal on 2025.03.11 at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA. ******* Video of this talk is available at: https://youtube.com/live/we8SHperSMA. ******* For more talks like this, visit AudioDharma.org ******* If you have enjoyed this talk, please consider supporting AudioDharma with a donation at https://www.audiodharma.org/donate/. ******* This talk is licensed by a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License