Find Your Voice, Speak Your Truth: Recent Episodes
Elissa Weinzimmer
Want to find your voice and speak your truth? Join voice and presence coach Elissa Weinzimmer and her guests to explore having a healthy, confident, authentic voice so that you can express yourself fully and communicate effectively with others. More information, including how to join the Voice Body Connection Membership Community, is at www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
Fall is ending. 2021 is ending. The podcast season is ending. (The pandemic does not seem to be ending.) And our resident astrologer Virginia Rosenberg is back on the podcast to share about many things of note going on in the cosmos. The big highlights: there’s Pluto/Venus conjunction in Capricorn this month, a Venus Retrograde, and Saturn and Uranus are directly square again too. If all this sounds like mumbo-jumbo - but you’re curious - Virginia explains it with incredible clarity. The basic idea is that our life as we’ve known it is ending. And it’s time to sow seeds for something new. Sending you so much love and an air kiss on this last episode before my sabbatical.
What does harmony mean to you? For me, it’s about living in alignment with and acceptance of all that’s going on. In this last solo episode of the season, I share how - slowly but surely - over the past six months I’ve started really listening to the voice inside of me that’s letting me know I need a big break. I’ll explain my plans to take a sabbatical and reflect on the uncertainty of not knowing what comes next. Here’s what I can trust: I know that by taking this step, I’m living in harmony with my inner truth. This episode is a vulnerable share and a pep talk to encourage you to do the same.
In 2012, Harper Spero learned she had a tumor in her lungs the size of a golf ball. After her subsequent surgery and that transformational experience, Harper began taking radically good care of herself. This included changing her health routines, and also starting her own business so she could be in charge of her work habits. When the pandemic hit, Harper became outspoken about her experience as an immunocompromised person, and the importance of making personal decisions that support the collective. In this heartfelt episode, Harper shares her story and speaks to the resistance many feel about getting vaccines and wearing masks. We may not like having to take these measures, but they’re the way we look out for each other.
When he was 23 years old, Coss Marte was removed from the streets of the Lower East Side and sentenced to 7 years in prison. In jail, Coss quickly learned that he was in extremely poor health. So he started working out in his cell and in the prison yard. Soon other inmates joined him. Then, an organization called Defy Ventures showed up at the facility and helped him learn how to turn his passion for fitness into a business venture. When Coss was released, he returned to the Lower East Side and opened CONBODY, a prison-style Bootcamp. Coss’ story is an incredible journey of grit and redemption and highlights the importance of caring for our body and our voice.
One day this fall, I was scrolling through my Instagram feed, when I saw a post from my friend Josh. It was a screenshot of Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s response to President Biden’s mask mandate. Gov. Abbott wrote “Biden’s vaccine mandate is an assault on private businesses” and below in the caption Josh wrote “I DO NOT comply.” My first thought was “Eesh, I need to unfollow my friend Josh.” But as my finger moved to hover over the button my second thought was: “Elissa Weinzimmer... you’ve got one person in your feed who’s not in your silo of agreement. This is an actual chance to practice Conversation Culture.” In his comment, Josh had also said that he really wanted responses, especially from people who disagreed. So I took him at his word and instead of unfollowing, I commented. A real conversation ensued, and now we’ve brought that conversation to this podcast. Thank you so much Josh Trent, CEO of Wellness Force, for opening your heart to speak with me in a way that most of us avoid. Josh and I agree that these conversations - that really hearing each other - are the keys to creating change in our world. We hope this conversation is helpful to you, and if it ignites something that you want to share please reach out to either or both of us... we genuinely want to hear from you.
When you think of the word resistance, what comes up for you? My guess is that you (and most of us) think of resistance as something bad; as something to be avoided. But let’s ask a different question: What is resistance good for? I would argue that resistance - which I’ll define as the experience of feeling pressure between ourselves and something outside of us - is good for helping us understand and define who we are. In this solo episode that sets the month’s theme, join me to do a somatic experiment around the feeling of resistance, and explore why it can indeed be a very useful experience.
Tiffany Yu is on a mission to elevate disability pride. Through the work of her social enterprise Diversability, as well as her social media platforms, speaking, and writing, Tiffany is working not just to lift the stigma about disability, but to celebrate it. In this episode, Tiffany shares her own disability origin story, and together we discuss what it would look like to go from living in a supremacist society (where a certain way of being is the “right” way to be”) to truly living the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. And it’s not as pie-in-the-sky impossible as you might think… sometimes it just involves stepping up to cut someone’s steak.
Sean Brennan is my friend and collaborator, an incredible musician, and the editor of this podcast. And today I’m bringing him in front of the mic to share with us about his creative process. A lot of us have been taught that being creative and making art requires diligence and routine. Sean’s here to argue that routine can often be the enemy of creativity. So instead, what can you do today to mix things up? To change your perspective? I’ll say, this is all stuff I really needed to hear! And for a special treat, listen all the way to the end of the episode and you’ll get to hear the latest song from his band Strange Weather.
Virginia Rosenberg is back for her quarterly visit as the resident astrologer of the Find Your Voice, Speak Your Truth podcast. This episode comes to you in the middle of Mercury Retrograde, and also includes a discussion of the major 2021 transit of Saturn square Uranus, plus entering the Age of Air. These major movements in the sky lead us to ask: How do we achieve balance during this time? How do we take care of both ourselves and others? How do we allow independence and interdependence to co-exist? Join us to explore and prepare for the coming season.
When you hear the word ‘balance,’ what do you think of? Work-life balance? Balancing on one leg? Balancing your checkbook? Welcome back to a new season of the podcast... this month our theme is Balance, and in this episode, I want to encourage you to examine your understanding of that idea. You may think balance is a fixed, perfect center point that you have to strive for. But in reality, balance is dynamic and spacious. And falling or failing are important parts of continuing to find balance. We’re living in a world where a new normal is unfolding, and it’s important to examine our idea of what it means to be in balance.
Today’s episode continues to document my journey to understand the Israel-Palestine conflict. I’m so lucky to be talking with my best friend Dani, who lives in Israel, and with whom I had a disagreement last month. You may remember hearing me mention that I re-posted a meme about the Israel-Palestine conflict on Instagram, and that a friend texted me saying she wanted to explain the implications of my post. That friend was Dani, and that experience was hard for us both. In this episode, you’ll hear us share how we worked through the conflict together and how we’re now supporting each other in deepening our relationship to our Jewish identities.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
Sunday, June 20th is the summer solstice, and our resident astrologer Virginia Rosenberg is back on the podcast. It continues to be a time of epic proportions in the cosmos… just to start we are coming out of an eclipse season and Mercury has been in retrograde once again. If you feel like life is one big swirl, or like the stories upon which you’ve built your life aren’t relevant anymore, you’re not alone. In fact, as Virginia shares in this episode, it’s written in the stars. Tune in and we’ll speak of basking in the glow of the height of summer, while also being easy and compassionate with ourselves during this time of profound transition.
Tracy Alexander was working as a news reporter in her home country, Australia, when she got a call about a job in Israel. Excited for the opportunity to help shape a more conscious narrative in one of the most contentious regions of the planet, she accepted the job. But four years later Tracy found herself leaving the news altogether, disheartened by the fear that the media was perpetuating. Now she is a meditation teacher and Integrated Alignment Coach, still living in Israel and helping people do deep healing work. In this powerful and important episode - where I myself have multiple “aha” moments in my education about the Middle East - Tracy helps us understand the narrative layer of the conflict better, and also how to relax our nervous systems so we can practice true compassion.
As a Jewish American, the past few weeks of strife in the Middle East have brought to the surface feelings of confusion that I have never taken the time to sort through. In the wake of all of it, I find myself doing research about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that I was never willing to do before, and making stumbles along the way. I share my story today in the spirit of modeling what it’s like to speak our truth through the messiness and confusion, and how to have compassion for it all. Please tune in to this episode, and next week’s as well, to hear how my understanding, emotions, and opinions are evolving.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
Eric Toda has an impressive resume: He is currently the Global Head of Social Marketing at Facebook. He has been a leader at Nike, Snapchat, Gap, and Airbnb. Recently he penned a viral op-ed for Ad Week imploring advocacy for the Asian American community. And also very importantly, Eric was one of the boys who attended my Bat Mitzvah in 1998. In this very special episode of the podcast - one that holds the award for being the episode I’ve cried through most - I speak with my childhood friend about how we can use technology to unite or divide us, how we can speak up against injustice, and how we can nurture ourselves by maintaining our connections with the people who have shaped who we are.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
What is the story within you that needs to be told? June Kaewsith, also known as Jumakae, can help you find it. And here’s why it’s important to do that: there’s immense healing possible when we are in tune with our own stories, and also the stories of our ancestors. Stories allow a deeper level of understanding. And as Jumakae points out in this episode, so many of the things we focus on in our lives are transient. We can’t take money to our graves, but we can leave a legacy through the stories we tell, and the stories others tell of us.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
Sophie Sunwoo is a true entrepreneur. When she was a punk-rock college kid, she got annoyed with buying band t-shirts that didn’t look good on women. So she started a business and accidentally struck gold. After exiting, she next moved into running a social impact organization fixing broken water systems in Cameroon and India. Most recently, Sophia has become the founder of Ascent Strategy, working with women entrepreneurs to grow their start-ups. In addition to this incredible resume, one of my favorite things about Sophia is how authentically she communicates and models having a clear, strong “brand voice.” In today’s episode, Sophia openly shares her personal journey and offers incredible nuggets of wisdom for how to find your voice as an entrepreneur, and share your vision with the world.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
As we’re emerging from lockdown, we’ll be experiencing a newfound sense of connection to each other after a prolonged period of disconnection. How do we navigate this? How do we find ways to more authentically connect to each other in our workplaces and beyond? In this episode, I share a Body-Mind Centering framework that helps us understand the importance of establishing safety and comfort before we can genuinely connect to and bond with each other. We have the opportunity create a new paradigm if we’re willing to do the work to truly show up and connect.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
Ko Im knows self-love. She knows it because she practices it. She knows it because she writes about it. And she knows it because she’s worked hard to cultivate it. In this episode, Ko shares how recent events affecting the AAPI community have led her to speak up and out - namely in an OpEd for Newsweek - and at the same time have required her to dig deeper than ever to access her own worthiness. Self-love is a product of our own personal work, but it’s also a reflection of the communities we grow up in and surround ourselves with. No matter the amount of work involved, it’s worth it to cultivate self-love. Because as Ko reminds us, the world will be a better place when we all have a greater awareness of our innate worthiness.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
Danellia Arechiga is a birth and post-partum doula, and a vocal liberation guide. This gives her a deep understanding of the canals at both ends of the body. It also means she’s intimately familiar with how important it is to find freedom, whether you’re birthing a child or your voice. In this episode, Danellia shares how connecting to our own innate worthiness is the key to finding that freedom, and how communing with our ancestors can help us return home to ourselves.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
Bret Shuford grew up as a gay kid in southeast Texas who knew he wanted to be on Broadway. Suffice it to say, he didn’t have a lot of local examples of adults living the lifestyle he imagined for himself. But now today as a successful Broadway actor and one half of the popular Instagram account Broadway Husbands, Bret is the example he always wished he’d had. And a huge part of his work is also as the Broadway Life Coach, teaching fellow creatives how to market themselves effectively. In this episode you’ll learn how to overcome imposter syndrome and be a true influencer - and also what Disneyland can teach you about how to share your magic!
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
When I was 18 years old I was a freshman at the University of Southern California and I went to get my very first STD test. The doctor I saw was George Tyndall, and I had an interaction with him that I never forgot. In 2018, news broke that Dr. Tyndall was accused of a decades-long string of misconduct. I tentatively entered the legal case against him, unsure if my story was worthy of being included. The lawyers assured me they wanted every story and every voice. The case has now reached a settlement, and USC will pay $1.1 billion in total to the thousands of people whom Dr. Tyndall harassed and abused during his tenure at the USC Health Center. Through this all, I’ve learned an enormous lesson about worthiness. Society transforms when we share our stories and speak our truth.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
The spring equinox has arrived once again, and our resident astrologer Virginia Rosenberg is back to help us interpret this moment in time. If you feel like you’ve been underwater or like you’re coming out of a long hibernation, these feelings make sense according to the cosmos. But now energy is picking up. So Virginia encourages us to ask ourselves: Where is my pulse quickening? Where do I feel excitement? We also discuss how 2021 is going to be a year of major transition. As the year unfolds before us, we’ll need to toggle between honoring the structures we’ve built that have gotten us to this moment, but also making way for what’s new that wants to be birthed into life.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
Spring is springing, and a feeling of rebirth is in the air. And yet at the same time, we’re at the one-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic. So as we pick back up with the Find Your Voice, Speak Your Truth podcast, I want to discuss the portal we’ve been moving through for the past year and consider what it’s going to feel like to emerge into a new world. It’s uncomfortable to be in the waiting process before we know what that new world is really going to look like. And it’s uncomfortable to feel as exhausted and depleted as so many of us do right now (me!). So, can we actually rest? Can we wait and trust that the rebound will come that allows us to take action without pushing? After all, remember: flowers don’t push.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
There’s a change of age happening, y’all. The current movements of celestial bodies in the sky are of epic proportions. As in, never-before-seen-and-will-never-be-seen-again-in-our-lifetimes proportions. And after the 2020 we’ve had, I think you get that this is all a very big deal. So, in this last episode of the season, our resident astrologer Virginia Rosenberg is back to help us make sense of it all. Join us to put a cap on this wild year and vision how we’ll find our voice and speak our truth in the future.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
In this last solo episode of 2020, grab a piece of paper and a pen because it’s time to reflect. In what ways have you expanded in 2020? What did you think your life was going to look like at the end of this year? What does it look like in reality? Expansion means growing beyond the limits of what we can currently imagine. And in 2020 we’ve learned more than ever what it means to expand.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
There are tons of effective communication models out there. Keven Brahim Kaddi has studied and facilitates many of them. As a longtime friend and collaborator of mine (we produced a new musical together in Los Angeles in 2010), I was thrilled when Keven reached out after reading my Conversation Culture article. He affirmed how much the model I created converges with other models. In this episode, Keven will talk us through some of the shared wisdom of effective communication, and how we can put it into action in our lives.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
I met Jim St. Germain on a bus in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Immediately I realized I had a lot to learn from his inspiring story and his knowledge of American history. This episode is a history lesson, indeed. I relish the way Jim challenges me and calls my thinking to task in this conversation. So often we choose to talk to people with whom we can simply go back and forth in a “bubble of agreement.” This episode is not that. It’s a real conversation about the real America. We talk about race and class and America’s true history. We expound about Amy Cooper and Harvey Weinstein. We interrupt each other and our nervous systems get charged. Real conversation is messy my friends, but that’s no reason not to dive in. Join us.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
It’s 2020 and we are polarized. If it wasn’t already obvious, this election has made it completely evident that we are split in two in the so-called United States of America. “Cancel Culture” is a prime example of our polarization, and it’s reinforcing our divisions. What can we replace it with? I suggest: Conversation Culture. In this solo episode I’ll share the four steps that I believe can help us come back together in conversation: 1) Start with your own body, 2) Get curious and listen, 3) Picture you’re on the same team, and 4) When all else fails, be kind. Join me in promoting #ConversationCulture… let’s go viral with a message of love.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
This past summer I was supposed to have been in Sydney, Australia at the Voice and Speech Trainers Association conference, presenting a workshop called “Coaching the Voice of Our Times” with my colleague Thea May. Suffice it to say, that didn’t happen. Good news though: Thea and I have put the content in today’s podcast episode! This conversation blew my mind and I think it will blow yours too. Thea and I agree: in our modern era, the pathway to liberation is through our voice. Join us as we discuss how to get there. You’ll learn about the three layers of truth, why safety is so important for effective conversation, and how connecting to your gut can allow your voice and power to flow.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
RaRa 4 Reform was leading an outdoor, socially-distanced political town hall at Ft. Greene Park in Brooklyn a few weeks ago. I stumbled upon it while on a walk and paused to listen, and my ears perked up when I heard her say “You know I speak my truth.” And so now she’s here with me on the podcast! Listen as RaRa shares about the current landscape of injustice in New York City and the need for reform in this metropolis and through the USA and the globe. We’re living in silos where people in the same city can be immersed in vastly different realities, and receive extremely different treatment - especially by the police. It’s time to stand up for the next level of justice and reform.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
How do we show up bravely and compassionately for conversations about race? In this episode, leadership and storytelling coach Christina Blacken returns to the podcast to dive into this extremely important topic. A few recommendations for white allies: Listen. Remember you don’t have to take up space. Ask open-ended questions that don’t make assumptions, and do your research before you show up. It makes sense that we’ve been nervous to have multi-racial conversations about racism, and anxious to call Grandma out for her unacceptable comments. But it’s time to sharpen our vocabulary and to have these conversations. This is true freedom of speech, and the future of our human race depends on it.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
What does freedom mean to you? This month on the podcast, our theme is Freedom. And as an American I should know something about that, right? After all, the United States of America purports to be a country founded on this ideal. What I’ve come to realize is that in practice, the brand of freedom we tout in the USA is basically “I do what I want.” That’s not a freedom that uplifts others. We must step out of this zero-sum game and into the reality that true individual freedom elevates the collective. We’ll explore these ideas in this episode and throughout the month with our guests.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
Anu Bhardwaj has completed undergraduate, masters, and MBA degrees on three continents. She has trekked across Asia studying indiginous remedies for HIV. Her expertise ranges from medicine to business to cryptocurrency, and her network is extensive. And when all is said and done - after all this life experience - the work she deems most important is to promote investing in women. As the CEO of Women Investing in Women, Anu is developing a platform to reach women and girls in developing countries with education and inspiration. How? By making podcasts accessible on their “dumb phones.” Tune in to hear what’s possible when you think big...
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
The world has shifted and suddenly we're all constantly on camera - presenting in meetings, teaching online, and even just having ‘parties’ with our friends. If you’re finding all this camera time nerve wracking - or if you’re avoiding these situations as much as possible - you are not alone. Today’s special podcast episode is the audio of my free masterclass “Why We Freak Out On Camera, and How To Solve It.” You’ll learn why it's totally natural for your nervous system to go into fight or flight mode when you're staring at a camera lens (or a blinking red dot, or yourself...), and I’ll share how you can re-train your psyche, body, and soul to speak with confidence so you can share your message with the world.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
Astrology knew it before we did: 2020 is wild. And as we round out towards the end of the year, we are facing some of the most mythic-level, stressful astrological movements we’ve ever seen in modern times. So our resident astrologer Virginia Rosenberg is back with her guidance and wisdom. The big takeaways? To re-connect to each other, co-regulate, and work as a team. To practice listening and real dialogue. And to remember that our spiritual practice right now is to use our voice and to un-censor ourselves. If you are here on the planet right now, you’re part of the transition team for this changing of the ages. And you’re here for a reason… your voice matters.
Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
Who is in your network? What is a network anyway? We humans have needs for closeness, intimacy, connection, communication, expression, touch, love... And so many of us on the planet have been living in a way that does not help us meet those needs. Maybe this crazy pandemic time, painful as it is, is also a gift that’s helping us evaluate what’s most important. A network is like a circuit… when it’s complete, it lights us up. In this solo episode, we’ll explore how we can build a sustainable, thriving, abundant network that provides us with everything we need.
Listen now, and for show notes and to join the Voice Body Connection Membership Community visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
One day in 2014, Kaitlin June got summoned to the bedside of a friend recovering from surgery in order to give an impromptu singing lesson. Now, Kaitlin had never given a singing lesson before and didn’t feel super confident about doing so… after a childhood of traditional voice lessons, they had spent years as a birth doula and an expressive arts healer. But give the lesson they did, and at the end this friend said: “Kaitlin, this is what you were born to do.” And now Kaitlin June is known as the Voice Doula, helping individuals give birth to their voice and their truth. In this super special episode with one of my favorite fellow voice coaches, Kaitlin shares why our voice is our most powerful tool for action. And they also lead me through a throat chakra clearing (get ready to hear me make some really strange sounds!) and share a song of their own called “To The Unborn.”
Listen now, and for show notes and to join the Voice Body Connection Membership Community visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
Have you heard of Human Design? It’s a system for self-understanding that combines the chakras, astrology, the Chinese I Ching, the tree of life in Kabbalah, and metaphysics. Meet Elyse Preston, a Human Design expert and the founder of Be More Connected. As we’re exploring our theme of action this month, Elyse will share why there’s no single right way for human beings to act. In fact, according to Human Design each unique energy type has a different blueprint for how to take action and when to pause. And when you’re familiar with your individual pattern, you can know yourself, love yourself, trust yourself, and be yourself better. Get ready for an amazing crash course with a powerful and loving healer!
Listen now, and for show notes and to join the Voice Body Connection Membership Community visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
The week after George Floyd was killed, Griffin Matthews posted a video on his instagram feed speaking up about his personal experience with Broadway being racist. The video went viral and the conversation about racism in the American theatre exploded. See, though you may recognize Griffin as D’Unte on the television show Dear White People, he’s also the creator of an auto-biographical documentary musical called Witness Uganda. And my friends, I can tell you that Witness Uganda is an astonishing piece of art. I know because, starting in 2010, I was Griffin’s assistant on the show. What’s been heartbreaking is that over its years of development, Witness Uganda got derailed due to what can only really be called white-washing. In this episode, Griffin Matthews tells the story of his experience developing Witness Uganda and shares why art can be the most powerful form of activism.
Listen now, and for show notes and to join the Voice Body Connection Membership Community visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
The Bhagavad Gita say “established in being, perform action.” Nike says “just do it.” What do these messages mean? How are we as human beings meant to take action? This month on the podcast we’ll explore action as a theme. In this solo episode, we’ll turn to yogic knowledge to discuss impact. We’ll explore polyvagal theory as a lens for understanding “right” action. And we’ll discuss how this knowledge can help us change and dismantle systems that are oppressive and irrelevant.
Listen now, and for show notes and info on the Voice Body Connection Membership Community visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
Kellie Wagner is the CEO and Founder of Collective, a diversity, equity, and inclusion lab. Two months ago Kellie and I were chatting as the pandemic had just descended, and I asked if companies were reaching out to utilize Collective’s resources. Kellie said it was crickets. And then the world changed again - George Floyd was killed and the Black Lives Matter movement surged - and now she’s been deluged with more inquiries than in the history of the whole company. In this powerful episode, Kellie shares why active anti-racism is crucial in the workplace and at home, and why trust is a key ingredient, and what allies can do to act consistently with true solidarity.
Listen now, and for show notes and info on the Voice Body Connection Membership Community visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
This is a big moment in human history. Our resident astrologer, Virginia Rosenberg, is back to help us understand how our earthly bodies are interacting with the movements of the celestial bodies. Astrologers have known for a long time that 2020 was going to be big, and we’re in the thick of it. As we approach the summer solstice, we’re also in the midst of eclipse season. And over the course of the year we’re making a big transition from Capricorn to Aquarian energy. We’ll talk about what all that means, both for us personally and as a collective. And we’ll dive into the importance of actively educating ourselves about anti-racism and how to use astrology as a tool for social justice.
Listen now, and for show notes and info on the Voice Body Connection Membership Community visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
Meet Abel Yares. He’s been a psycho-somatic therapist, a cognitive neuro-scientist, a massage therapist, and a dancer. He was born in the Philippines, grew up in New Jersey, moved to New York City, and now lives in Portugal. These days, he helps individuals expand their consciousness with intuitive channeling. And in this episode of the podcast, Abel channels what we need to hear as a collective during this intense moment of history. What is it that we need right now? A little bit of faith. ✨
Listen now, and for show notes and info on the Voice Body Connection Membership Community visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
Now more than ever, we all need working trust-o-meters. After all there’s some real shit going down on this planet, and we need to know who we can rely on.
In this significant solo episode - which marks my 35th birthday, the one year anniversary of this podcast, and the unveiling of the podcast’s brand new name - I share what I’ve come to understand about trust. We’ll do an energy body meditation to help you protect yourself inside a loving cocoon, and I’ll explain how I’ve learned to converse with and calm down my inner child. Plus I'll address how those of us who are white can educate ourselves about white supremacy, so that we can live in a world where humans trust each other more deeply.
Listen now, and for show notes and info on the Voice Body Connection Membership Community visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.
According to countless experts, the climate change emergency is the greatest threat of our era. The issue though, is that this problem is of such enormous magnitude that our individual nervous systems have trouble processing and treating it like an emergency. Today on the podcast you’ll meet Dominic MacCormack, an expert on land use and water resources. Dominic’s answer to how to address climate change? With storytelling. With our voices. Dominic offers that it’s crucial that we share our visions with each other about the world we want to live in. Only through raising our voices can we take action as a collective to create a new story.
Listen now, and for show notes and info on the Speak Your Truth Membership Community visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
Our economy is currently breaking down. And while that’s scary, it’s also an opportunity. So let’s ask: how and what do we want to rebuild? Meet Mira Megs Lathrop, the Finanseer. Mira believes that we can go beyond building a sustainable economy and create one that is regenerative. By mirroring nature and living in a paradigm of abundance, we can transcend the extractive practices that no longer work for us economically or ecologically and innovate to a system that functions in right relationship. Mira offers clear steps you can take to make a difference, like breaking up with your bank and taking a leap into the quantum field.
Listen now, and for show notes and info on the Speak Your Truth Membership Community visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
How much thought do you give to the clothing you put on your body? To the books that are on your shelf? To the everyday objects that surround you? Everything you own tells a story. And specifically, the way you accumulate things reveals your relationship to scarcity or abundance, and therefore shows how sustainably you’re living. In today’s podcast episode, meet Gabriella D’Italia. She’s an artist and a coach helping people restore sacred balance with their everyday things through holistic styling and more. Gabriella has changed my life, and I think hearing this conversation might change yours too. It’s like next level Marie Kondo… get ready.
Listen now, and for show notes and info on the Speak Your Truth Membership Community visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
Now more than ever a conversation about sustainability is crucial. But what truly does it mean to be sustainable? Current economic models would have us believe that never-ending upward growth is the name of the game. But nature teaches us something different: that there is an endless cycle of creation, maintenance, and destruction. How can we embrace the way nature sustains itself - through cycles - in order to vision a new way of being? How can we envision a new approach to our bodies, our material belongings, our financial resources, and planet earth? In today’s episode, I share my deepest thoughts about what it really means to embrace sustainability.
Listen now, and for show notes and info on the Speak Your Truth Membership Community visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
On August 17, 2019, Obi Ndefo was loading organic groceries into the trunk of his car on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles when a drunk driver swerved and hit his body directly from behind. He miraculously survived the collision, but had to have both his legs amputated just above the knee. As an actor and a yoga teacher, this sudden trauma completely changed Obi’s life. But he’s made a remarkable recovery, as a result of the ability to soften and accept, and also to strengthen his body and spirit. Now, as we all struggle with the challenge of a worldwide pandemic, Obi offers his voice to share how to accept the things we cannot change.
Listen now, and for show notes and info on the Speak Your Truth Membership Community visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
In September 2016, two and a half year old Penelope Grace Deely died of meningitis within 36 hours of getting sick. For Penny’s mother, Genevieve Deely, it was the greatest tragedy that could have ever occurred. Over the course of time, though, Genevieve took her grief and turned it into profound healing. To the great inspiration of all those around her - including me - Gen continuously shared her words and her voice, eventually publishing a book called “The Birth of Hope.” Now, during the coronavirus pandemic, we are experiencing an immense collective tragedy. As many human souls are exiting planet earth, I welcome Gen’s voice here on the podcast to bring us comfort, and to help us understand how to move through our grief and loss to a place of deep love.
Listen now, and for show notes and info on the Speak Your Truth Membership Community visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
We’re living in a new time. And that calls for a conversation about time. Meet Omboy Rome: cosmic hip hop artist, sound healer, and practitioner of the Mayan Dreamspell (the Mayan calendar). In this galactic conversation, Rome and I discuss how this difficult moment in our history can actually be a portal to live and inhabit time differently. Plus you’ll get to hear some of Rome’s music too. Now is the moment to cultivate stillness, acceptance, and harmony with planet earth. We are not going back to normal. Everything we do with our time is art, and this is our chance to recreate our way of being.
Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
What about this moment do you think needs to be different? My guess is that there’s a lot you would change about your life and the world right now. But remember what the Buddha said… resisting reality only leads to suffering. This month’s theme on the podcast is acceptance, and in today’s solo episode we’ll explore why being able to accept the circumstances of our lives is a spiritual act. I’ll share how to stop wasting your energy trying not to feel the things that you’re feeling. And I’ll sing you a song I wrote that will help you remember how to navigate your thoughts differently (it might get stuck in your head… #sorrynotsorry, or maybe even #yourewelcome).
Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
Jack Dempsey is a software engineer with a penchant for self-improvement. A few years ago our paths crossed, and I shared an early version of the How To Speak Your Truth process with him. Like any good geek, Jack decided he would create a tool to help him remember to use the process. So he built a text-based app, and a few weeks later I cried over my sushi when he showed it to me. In this episode, Jack and I discuss why it may be weird - but it’s actually super practical - to pay attention to the sensations in your body. And we explore how technology can be a powerful tool for growth, especially in this difficult time.
Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to get the app and join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
Across the world, people are quarantined in their homes to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. In an unprecedented moment like this, it’s crucial that we give ourselves the opportunity to understand and express our truth. Today, I welcome Sara Dahan onto the How To Speak Your Truth podcast. Sara is a trained epidemiologist and an expert in public health, community, and loneliness. (Talk about a person designed to help us in this moment!) In this episode, Sara explains how we can practice social distancing while still taking care of our mental health. And in case you get pulled into a rabbit hole of watching the news or reading scary articles, Sara and I will give you the tools to step away and engage in self care instead. Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
Thank goodness it’s time to have our resident astrologer Virginia Rosenberg back on the podcast. We are living in unprecedented times, and now more than ever we can gain support from our awareness of the planets and the stars. In this episode, Virginia explains the movements currently happening in the sky, and how we can interpret the meaning and significance of the coronavirus pandemic. I feel such comfort hearing the wisdom that Virginia shares, and only feel more strongly about the conviction upon which all my work is based: your voice and your truth matters. Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
In the 1970’s, a man named Noel Burch was working at a company called Gordon Training International teaching something called “The Four Stages of Competence.” He created this innovative model to describe how humans learn new things, and over the years psychologists and many others have continued to share it. When I was first introduced to it a decade ago, it completely blew my mind. What I love about it most is that we learn that the first step to changing anything is awareness. How true this is… we cannot change anything about ourselves until we recognize it first. So in this solo episode kicking off our month about Awareness, I’ll talk you through what I call the Unconscious Competence model and share why it’s so important to have compassion for the things we notice about ourselves and others. Plus, just for kicks (and because it was relevant) I’ll share how to speak your truth about your menstrual cycle! Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in my life is the importance of giving myself the space and permission to rest. After all, I was (and we are) taught to glorify hard work and busy-ness. But if we want to live a life that is in alignment with our truth, the most spiritual thing we can do is rest when we need to. In this solo episode, I’ll introduce a concept called yielding and share exercises to help you embody it. Yielding - which, is a term from Body-Mind Centering - is a process of finding the support to rest, and of trusting that new energy will arise when we do so. Having made it to the other side of January 2020, here’s my radical call to non-action for all of us: let’s spend February yielding and resting, and trust that is the perfect thing to (non-)do. Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
My friend Lotus Sky is a musical channel and shamanic guide who helps people access and share their voices. In the year that we’ve known each other, Lotus Sky and I have bonded over our shared desire to support others in their free expression, but we’ve also opened up to each other about our own personal vocal struggles. So as we continue to discuss growth and our voices on the podcast this month, it was a no-brainer to have Lotus Sky come on and share her story. You’ll hear how this incredible healer of a human lost her voice for three full months, and found a way to heal herself and find even deeper resonance than she had before. This episode is a spiritual journey! Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
Dr. Reena Gupta is a laryngologist, meaning that she’s an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor who specializes in the care of the professional voice. What makes her unique among her colleagues is that she combines her western medical training with a holistic and integrative approach to vocal health. Now, as she’s going through a major period of growth and opening up her own practice, Dr. Gupta shares about both the science and art of the voice. Prepare to have your limiting beliefs busted in this episode… Yes, your mental health can affect your voice! And yes, speaking your truth makes a difference when it comes to being able to speak and sing with strength and ease! Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
When Melanie Tapson started experiencing vocal challenges as a young performer, no doctor or specialist could explain to her what was going on. It took a decade before someone finally gave her the answer, and that was: it’s just tension. Now, as a speech-language pathologist specializing in voice care - and, lucky for me, as the resident speech pathologist in my Release Your Voice course! - Melanie helps her clients understand and move through their voice challenges. In this episode, you’ll hear Melanie’s astounding and heart wrenching story about how she’s grown throughout her journey, and I’m pretty sure you’ll understand why I LOVE collaborating and co-teaching with this glorious human. Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
I didn’t mark my calendar for November and December of 2019 with the to-do: “Re-surface and process my vocal trauma.” But that’s what happened. For the past couple months I’ve been riding waves of memory, joy, and grief as I’ve come to understand so much more about why and how I lost my voice at age 21. In this first episode of 2020, I’ll share the up-to-date version of the story. You’ll learn why my Dad found me crying in my childhood bedroom on Thanksgiving Day, and how I found myself finishing a song I started writing 25 years ago. As we transition from one decade to the next, it’s a powerful time to be asking: in what ways am I committing to my growth? Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
Emily Fletcher has taught 20,000 people worldwide to meditate, and I am very honored to have been one of the first. I met Emily back in 2011 when we were both starting our businesses, and since then I’ve been lucky to have her teaching, wisdom, and friendship in my life. In this final episode of 2019, join Emily and I as we talk deeply about the most foundational practice either of us has ever committed to: meditation. Emily shares why the barriers you think are keeping you from being a “good meditator” are possible to overcome, and speaks vulnerably about her own personal process with speaking her truth. Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
This Saturday is the winter solstice, the shortest day of our year. So our resident astrologer Virginia Rosenberg is back on the podcast to help us look back on 2019, look ahead to 2020, and reflect on the power of this moment in time. In order to speak our truth during this season, we must be vulnerable. Yet it’s also crucial that we honor the progress we’ve made in this past year and celebrate our accomplishments. Even if we’re “not where we want to be” yet, everything is unfolding in perfect time. Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
My dear friend Maya Light is back on the podcast! Since the theme is Commitment this month, I knew all of you would want to hear more juicy stuff about relationships, etc. So I thought to myself: Who’s another ex I can ask to be on the show? Can I ask my therapist?? And then after laughing for awhile, I realized that giving you a window into my deep, daily musings with Maya would be the most open and vulnerable thing I could offer. As an event producer, DJ, energy worker, and writer, Maya brings a deep, embodied approach to the topic of relating. And she and I geek out almost every day, talking about attachment, healthy relating, and moving beyond co-dependence. In this episode you’ll get to hear us share some of our personal journaling on the topics of safety, comfort, bonding, curiosity, capacity, availability, and desire. Plus we’ll read you our red-yellow-green light list for what we seek in our relationships! Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
Holy shamoly, friends. I spilled my guts and shared my truth in this episode. In fact, this is the most vulnerable storytelling I’ve ever shared publicly. I chose the theme Commitment this month because it’s been my personal theme for 2019. And boy oh boy, I have spent the year understanding what it means to make a commitment. In this episode I share openly about the things I’ve been letting go of (hint: this has to do with habits around money and love), the new choices and behaviors I’ve been committing to, and the story of the day my life changed. Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
I met Paul Peglar in college when we were in “rival” a cappella groups across Los Angeles. Over the years we’ve come in and out of each others’ daily lives and communities. And today I’m connected to Paul through one of my most central communities: the artist collective called ECHT that Paul founded here in Brooklyn, New York. Paul’s superpower is bringing artists together in unique live experiences, and bridging the gap between artist and audience. In this extra special Thanksgiving episode, Paul shares how to find your people no matter where you are, and why joining together for creative expression is so important. Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community (the doors are now open until this Saturday November 30th!), visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
After Mary Clavieres gave birth to her daughter via C-section, she learned that there was nowhere to buy more pairs of the postpartum mesh underwear the hospital had given her. So what did she do? She started a company called Brief Transitions. As she built that business, she learned that being a mom-entrepreneur could be very isolating. So what did she do? She started a community called the Transitions Collective. Today on the podcast, I welcome my client and friend Mary Clavieres. Mary shares her wisdom about how the most successful communities (and businesses!) arise from the needs of those who create them, and gets into the nitty gritty of how to organize a group of people effectively. Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
According to Kevin Huynh, co-author of “Get Together,” a community is a group of people who come together over what they care about. And community is a super important aspect of being human. After all, we’re social creatures who derive inspiration, support, and a sense of belonging from our communities. So what do you care about? In this episode, Kevin shares the personal history that led him to stop pursuing engineering and focus on community building full-time. Plus we get meta: Kevin actually gives me a coaching session on the development of the Speak Your Truth Membership Community (... which you can currently join - doors open until November 30th!) Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
What does community mean to you? As we head into winter in the northern hemisphere, there’s a natural movement towards warmth, connection, and togetherness. But does surrounding yourself with other humans constitute being in community? I’ve asked myself this question repeatedly in the past decade as I’ve moved from Los Angeles to Edmonton to New York City to Tulsa, and back to New York. As we explore November’s theme Community in this first podcast of the month, I share about my “introversion experiment” (I’m an extrovert by nature) and the discoveries I’ve made about isolation and togetherness. I’ve come to believe that community is not just about finding others who share things in common, but even more so about the quality of my interactions with those people and my ability to bring my whole self into to them. Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community (for which the doors are now open until November 30th!), visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
In honor of Halloween we’re going behind the veil... and into my lesson with my singing teacher Stephanie Rooker. I didn’t take singing lessons for twelve years after I lost my voice. For one thing, I felt estranged from my voice, but I also wasn’t interested in studying technique. What I wanted was to set my voice free. And then I found Stephanie: a singer, a teacher, a sound healer, and a holder of sacred space. What Stephanie has taught me is music medicine - how to sing my shadow - and that process is bringing my voice back to life. So join us for this truly special episode where we share our stories, and - YES - sing for you. And that includes our “ugly duet.” Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
It would have been remiss to explore the theme of shadow this month and not bring in a Jungian psychoanalyst. So you’re in for a treat everyone… meet Sherene Vismaya. Before I ever got personally connected to Sherene, her book “Surviving Saturn’s Return” was my bible as I was approaching age 30. Sherene is a psychoanalyst, an astrologer, a tarot reader, a movement teacher, and a woman of extreme wisdom. I learned so much hearing her share about how we can approach and slowly uncover our shadow. In fact, I was so comfortable with her that I wound up sharing some very vulnerable things about my own personal relationships. If you’re on a journey to bring your unconscious up to the light, this is an episode for you. Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
It is with great reverence and gratitude that I welcome my tarot reader to the podcast, a Blind Oracle. If you’re not familiar with the tarot, it’s a very special deck of cards used to offer reflections on our lived human experience. Often thought of as an occult practice, tarot is in fact a beautiful way to bring to light what’s in the shadow. In this episode we discuss how the tarot deck helps us access and speak our truth, and we pull two draws of cards: one for me personally and one for our collective. When I listened back to the edit of this episode two weeks after we recorded it I though “Ohhhh wow... Leave it to the magic tarot to tell us what we need to hear!!” This is one not to be missed. Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
Here’s some shadow medicine for us all... in this week’s episode of the How To Speak Your Truth podcast I am incredibly honored to be speaking to Rochelle Schieck, founder of Qoya (and extra special guest, her son Desmond!). Qoya is a feminine movement practice based on the premise that through movement we remember our essence. Having danced Qoya for four years, I can say that one of my very favorite parts of a class is to dance the shadow side of the theme. In this episode, Rochelle shares why the shadow is so important and offers a simple movement practice that can help you answer a tough question by going beyond your brain. We also both open up about catching ourself acting in particular ways we don’t like, and how looking at that behavior has helped us grow into more of who we want to be. Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
As fall arrives in the northern hemisphere, the theme we’ll be exploring this month on the podcast is Shadow. When we unconsciously reject our shadow, we cannot show up in our lives fully and authentically. There is medicine in the shadow. So in this solo episode to kick off October, I’ll share stories and reflections about my process of integrating my own shadow. In particular, I’ll share a spontaneous experience I had channeling my matrilineal grandmothers and asking them to release me from an unspoken family agreement. Plus for the very first time on this podcast (though likely not the last!), I’ll sing you a song I wrote on my harmonium. Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
Today’s podcast topic is one of the nearest and dearest to my heart: your voice. So it is an honor that on this episode you’ll be hearing the deeply resonant and soulful voice of my colleague Lynn Singer. In her decades of studying and teaching acting and voicework in New York City, Lynn has worked with some of the greatest personalities in the world. But though she’s learned with some of the best, Lynn’s approach to voice training is fully and uniquely her own. Listen as Lynn shares about how truth comes from vulnerability and why accessing our emotional life is crucial, whether we’re performing or speaking to our loved ones. PLUS Lynn will reveal the actor Richard Burton’s 3 Secrets of Language - the vocal techniques that catapulted him to fame. Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
Our astrologer Virginia Rosenberg is back in honor of the fall equinox (in the northern hemisphere… and spring in the southern!). Now you may ask: Why is there a resident astrologer on the How To Speak Your Truth podcast? Because knowledge of celestial bodies can teach us so much about our own embodied experience on earth. The story in the sky right now is helping us understand the emotional weights we need to release. Especially as we enter Libra season - a time of exploring relationships and balance - it’s important to let our emotions move and be expressed. Dive into today’s episode to learn more about the wisdom the planets have to offer us during this equinox season... Listen now, and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
Meet Briel, my life “wifey.” We grew up together attending theatre camp and synagogue, and now we’ve been friends for 25 years. It hasn’t always been easy… we’ve mostly lived long distances apart, we’ve had our fights (we’ll tell you about the one that happened in wine country), and in many ways we’re two very different people. But over and over through the years, we’ve continued to commit to being best friends. In this week’s episode, “About friendship,” we’ll dive into why it’s so important to be fully authentic with the people closest to you, and how friends are the family that you choose. And Briel and I will do our best not to blow out your eardrums with our laughter and singing, especially as we retell the story of how things went a little bit awry when we dedicated a song to her brother at his Bar Mitzvah. Listen now… and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
In preparation for recording the solo episode on this month’s theme, Authenticity, I looked up hashtag #authenticity on instagram. The feed was hilarious - a slew of Jeeps and Nikes. Fair enough... in today’s social media and influencer culture, authenticity can be co-opted by anyone who wants to lay claim to it. But that doesn’t mean the concept is tainted. Being authentic is real and it matters. In episode 12, I share stories of how my grad school mentors tried to talk me out of discussing truth in my thesis, and why letting myself have a bad day has been an important part of my authenticity practice. I also open up about how I’m transforming my business by stepping into my full authentic voice, and how I’m responding to the haters sending me mean emails because they don’t think I should change. Listen now… and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
When adults used to ask Alex Batdorf what she wanted to be when she grew up, she’d say: “I’m going to rule the world.” I think she wasn’t wrong... this queen is powerful. Alex is a serial entrepreneur, a business strategy coach, and a sought after speaker who helps women entrepreneurs scale their businesses to $1 million. Why? Because when women have the capacity to build highly successful businesses, the entire economy changes. And that’s the change Alex wants to see in the world. In this episode, About getting sh!t done, Alex and I talk about the importance of showing up to do the work to follow your dreams. Hard work doesn’t mean you can abandon self care, and it’s certainly not without its hardships (Alex shares some real struggles of her own). But when you prioritize making your desires a reality, everyone around you can rise with you. Listen now… and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
I had the absolute pleasure of sitting directly across from my soul sister Chocolako (yes, on my microphone in Brooklyn!) to record this episode about passion. Choc is an inspiring yoga teacher and wise soul who describes herself as a “spirited glomad with African roots and a rainbow heart.” Since meeting in Bali two years ago, Choc and I have spent hours discussing our hopes, dreams, and passions in life. In the episode you’ll hear Choc share about the importance of finding passion inside your own being rather than seeking it externally. And together we came up with this concept: True desire is a compass turning you in the direction you’re meant to go, and passion is the rocket fuel that catapults you forward. Learn more about how to “turn and turn on” - and our thoughts about passion and sex, of course - in this week’s episode. Listen now… and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
This week, I am deeply honored to be bringing you the voice of Jeff Kober on the How To Speak Your Truth podcast. Jeff is a meditation teacher and one of my greatest mentors. In this episode we talk about the Vedic definitions of truth and desire, and the question of how to find fulfillment in our lives (hint: no seeking required). After the conversation I thought to myself: “Well, Jeff answered our big question… we understand what truth is now, so I suppose I can stop recording episodes of this show!” All jokes aside, this episode is a profound download on the nature of consciousness and the truth of our being. Join us to experience the fulfillment that you already are. Listen now… and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
This may prove to be one of the most nerve-wracking episodes to record ever. That’s for two reasons: 1) I make a full declaration of why I identify as polyamorous and 2) I recorded it live with my Speak Your Truth Membership Community (which I’ll be doing for all future solo episodes!).
August’s theme is Desire. In the episode I start by sharing the ancient Vedic perspective that true desire is not created by our ego, but rather sent by universal consciousness in order to direct us where we’re meant to go. I also share how this understanding of desire led me to the decision to practice non-monogamy in my romantic relationships. Making the choice to identify as poly has been life-changing for me. It’s allowed me to step beyond the assumed social constructs of how a relationship “should” go and follow my true desires. If all this sounds wacky or confronting or terribly taboo to you… well then I invite you to listen and see what you think! For more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
Meet Chris Davis. We used to date. Now we don’t, but we’re really good friends. And we were able to make that transition smoothly because we’re free to speak our truth with each other. In this episode you’ll hear our dating story, which includes meeting on Bumble, going on a first date at a minor league baseball game, and saying “I love you” in the first week of knowing each other. Chris and I get super honest about how we’ve navigated our connection, and share the difficult, truthful things we’ve said to each other over the course of time that have helped us grow. I am so grateful to have Chris in my life, and I’m honored to get to share some of the lessons we’ve learned together with you. Listen now… and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
How do you cultivate meaningful bonds in your relationships? This week I’m joined by Maya Light, one of my closest friends. Maya and I are on a journey to replace co-dependency with co-regulation. In the episode we discuss methods for creating supported relationships, knowing where your boundaries for receiving are, and the human need for closeness. We also look at attachment theory and how your early bonds can shape your relationship style in adulthood, as well as finding a balance between your personal needs and the needs of those with whom you are connecting. Maya is my daily voice-memo check in buddy (we explain in the episode), and now you all are going to get to hear some of what we share about everyday! Listen now… and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
Are you able to speak your truth with your family? Episode 5 is really special, y’all. And that’s because in this episode I speak with my own father, Steven Weinzimmer. Families often have blurred boundaries around purpose, responsibility and expectations, and my family is certainly no different. But the powerful thing is that we’re finally able to talk about it. My dad shares stories from his youth that range from romantic to tragic. We touch on shame and guilt and trauma, and how parents often put pressure on their children so they can have opportunities and experiences that they weren’t able to. We get super personal in here, but the bottom line is that my dad and I both believe that when we open up and start to see the full picture of our lineage, we can have compassion for the shortcomings of our ancestors while also celebrating the ways in which we’ve survived and thrived. Listen now… and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
Do you have challenges protecting your independence and creating boundaries? (Um hi, me too!) In honor of 4th of July in the U.S., I’m kicking off this month with a solo episode about independence and boundaries. Moving forward every month of the podcast will have a theme, so this is our theme for the rest of July. In this episode I share some of my own struggles with creating clear boundaries, as well as my journey back to myself after a tough break-up. I also talk about one of my favorite ideas: honoring our boundaries as if they were the semi-permeable membrane of a cell. You’ll hear about “holding your own energy” as you access the world around you, what it means to be securely attached, and the Buddhist gates of speech. I’m sharing this information because I think it’s an incredibly important place to start in identifying our truth. It’s only once we are truly in touch with ourselves that we can you find the freedom to express and speak our truth.
Listen now… and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
I was thrilled (and terrified, and all the things) to talk to my friend and money coach Ashley Feinstein Gerstley, founder of the Fiscal Femme, for Episode 3 of the podcast. Money is one of my greatest areas of challenge, and over the past three years Ashley has helped me do some very raw, deep, honest work around it. So in this episode, I come clean about how I’ve behaved in the past and we talk about how to come into right relationship and live your truth with your money. Ashley also shares why it’s so important to break the taboo of talking about money so we can clear feelings of shame and guilt and start to realize that treating our money (aka our resources) with kindness is a radical act of self-love. We also somehow wound up talking about trading a trellis for a cow, which I can only hope makes sense in context. Get ready to feel empowered by your finances... this episode is powerful.
Listen now… and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
In Episode 2 of the How To Speak Your Truth podcast, you’ll meet my friend and our resident astrologer for the podcast, Virginia Rosenberg. Virginia will be joining us once each season on the solstice and equinoxes, and we recorded this episode on Monday June 17 right after the height of the full moon in Sagittarius. In the conversation, Virginia introduces us to some basic concepts of astrology including how it can bring us into better touch with nature and the elements and can be a tool to get in touch with the energy of right now. Her truth - my truth - our belief - is that everything happening on our planet and in the sky matters. I think astrology is an incredibly powerful tool for speaking our truth and social change… so if you’re ready for an incredible primer (or another dive) into the world of the celestial realms, tune in!
Listen now… and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
It couldn’t be more perfect that the first guest on the How To Speak Your Truth podcast is my coach and dear friend, Christina Blacken. Christina is a professional badass and storyteller… through her storytelling platform and consultancy, The New Quo, she works with individuals and organizations to help them share their stories with more confidence and clarity. This episode is REAL - Christina shares stories about how she stood up to a terrible idea at her workplace (oof, it was bad!), how she maintained her integrity in the face of a degrading experience with her favorite high school teacher, and how she’s found power by sharing her “trampoline story”: a story that sounds fun, but is actually about experiencing discrimination growing up in Utah. Plus we talk about the difference between your story and society’s stories and how to differentiate them. Your story matters, and Christina Blacken is here to get you laughing and gasping while she tells you why, when, and how to share it.
Listen now… and for more information on the podcast and how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.
In this intro episode to the podcast, which I recorded on May 26, 2019 (my 34th birthday!), I get super personal with my story about losing my voice and how I became a voice coach. Plus I talk you through the How To Speak Your Truth framework. Of course, this first episode wouldn’t be complete without stepping up on my soapbox to share why I think speaking your truth matters so much in our world. I’m so honored you’re here, welcome! For more information, including how to join the Speak Your Truth Membership Community, visit www.howtospeakyourtruth.com.