Episode 74: Documenting Your Life & Choosing Your Word of The Year with Amy Parker
In this episode of Couragemakers, Amy Parker shares all about choosing her word for the year, what she has learned during the year and some really helpful practical tips to set your own intentions for your year.
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ABOUT
Amy is an in-house copywriter and general creative, who enjoys documenting her life (but not necessarily publishing it!), decorating things with washi and stickers, and generally finding little ways to make the world more joyful. She shares memory-keeping and planner-related posts on Instagram at @happypostbox and sells printable planner stickers in an Etsy shop of the same name (which started a couple of years ago when she couldn’t find any stickers for her planner of choice, the Passion Planner). For the last year she’s been living by her first ever ‘word of the year’ – ‘joy’ – and would absolutely encourage anyone else to give it a try, too.
TOPICS
- Getting honest with yourself and choosing your word of the year based on what you need instead of what you feel you should be doing
- The little things that bring Amy joy
- Capturing real life versus what makes us look good
- What Amy’s year of joy taught her
- Treating your future self as a different person
RESOURCES
ABOUT MEG &
THAT HUMMINGBIRD LIFE
When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free Sunday pep Talks to my wonderful Couragemakers community or working 1:1 with clients, I'm usually covered in paint and thinking of imaginative ways of hide my would-be dog from my landlord.
I’m Meg and I’m the host of Couragemakers and founder of That Hummingbird Life. I’m an INFJ creative and multipassionate who has a bit of a notebook and post-it note obsession, loves foot-stomping country music and likes her hot chocolate with way too much chocolate.
I started Couragemakers because I wanted to create a platform for passionate and unconventional women to have honest conversations and to share their stories, struggles and dreams. The intention behind this podcast is to inspire and encourage creative and mission-driven women to live a wholehearted life and follow the beat of their drum.
RELATED EPISODES:
Episode 75: Challenging the Sh*t That Holds You Back with Andrea Owen
In this episode, we’re really challenging the myth that everyone has their shit together. Andrea shares her journey to reaching rock bottom and working her way back out, as well as her family origin story and how you explore your own.
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ABOUT
Andrea Owen is an author, mentor, and certified life coach who helps high-achieving women let go of perfectionism, control, and isolation and choosing courage and confidence instead. She has helped thousands of women manage their inner-critic to create loving connections and live their most kick-ass life. She is the proud author of 52 Ways to Live a Kick-Ass Life and How To Stop Feeling Like Shit and the host of Your Kick Ass Life Podcast. When she’s not juggling her full coaching practice or hosting retreats, Andrea is busy competing in triathlons, chasing her 10-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter or making out with her husband, Jason. She is also a retired roller derby player having skated under the name “Veronica Vain”.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Youtube |
TOPICS
- Showing your human side and that you no one has their shit together
- You don’t have to share everything with everyone
- Bearing the weight and the pain of your own story
- The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” Alice Walker
The opportunities that open when we leave our planned path
- Creating a bullshit filter and the importance of saying no
- How heartbreak has led Megan to a completely different path with new experiences
RESOURCES
ABOUT MEG &
THAT HUMMINGBIRD LIFE
When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free Sunday pep Talks to my wonderful Couragemakers community or working 1:1 with clients, I'm usually covered in paint and thinking of imaginative ways of hide my would-be dog from my landlord.
I’m Meg and I’m the host of Couragemakers and founder of That Hummingbird Life. I’m an INFJ creative and multipassionate who has a bit of a notebook and post-it note obsession, loves foot-stomping country music and likes her hot chocolate with way too much chocolate.
I started Couragemakers because I wanted to create a platform for passionate and unconventional women to have honest conversations and to share their stories, struggles and dreams. The intention behind this podcast is to inspire and encourage creative and mission-driven women to live a wholehearted life and follow the beat of their drum.
RELATED EPISODES:
Episode 76: Being A Story Collector with Maggie Minor
This week I’m chatting to Maggie Minor. Maggie is multi-passionate entrepreneur, sculptor, print-maker, room designer, blogger and author. In this episode, we really dive into the power of women’s stories and women’s art, the stories we tell ourselves and the importance of what we surround ourselves with and what messages they send to us.
Listen on your browser now:
ABOUT
Maggie is multi-passionate entrepreneur, sculptor, print-maker, room designer, blogger and author….but it’s all tied together into one vision. Maggie wants to help people make their spaces align with how they want to feel and their future goals. I grew up in North Carolina as the daughter of a woman contractor (one of two in the entire state) constantly dreaming about designing homes and traveling the world. In college she spent a life-changing semester in England, which lead to working at the New Yorker magazine and attending graduate school in Australia. This in turn led to 12 years as a Peace Corps volunteer and humanitarian worker. Maggie loves to travel, meet other multi-passionate entrepreneurs, be near water, and being creative.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest
TOPICS
- Maggie’s ‘Do you give a shit?’ test
- Sharing your story and realising that your story is interesting
- Exploring our dark places – that’s often where we find the truest things about ourselves
- Retro feminism and the importance of women’s art
- Viewing your home as a 3D vision board
RESOURCES
ABOUT MEG &
THAT HUMMINGBIRD LIFE
When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free Sunday pep Talks to my wonderful Couragemakers community or working 1:1 with clients, I'm usually covered in paint and thinking of imaginative ways of hide my would-be dog from my landlord.
I’m Meg and I’m the host of Couragemakers and founder of That Hummingbird Life. I’m an INFJ creative and multipassionate who has a bit of a notebook and post-it note obsession, loves foot-stomping country music and likes her hot chocolate with way too much chocolate.
I started Couragemakers because I wanted to create a platform for passionate and unconventional women to have honest conversations and to share their stories, struggles and dreams. The intention behind this podcast is to inspire and encourage creative and mission-driven women to live a wholehearted life and follow the beat of their drum.
RELATED EPISODES:
Episode 77: #MeToo & Being a Truth Teller with Hazel Katherine Larkin
In this episode we really dive into Hazel’s story. Hazel shares the realities and the struggles of being a truthteller, her experiences of recovery and therapy and how she learned there is no overnight magical transformation, but instead there are lots of small magical steps.
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ABOUT
Hazel Katherine Larkin is a mother, writer, teacher, activist, actor, and academic. Her daughters are 13 & 15, of mixed Irish and Indian heritage, and inspire her to be the best version of herself. Hazel has written for stage, screen and publication in Ireland, Singapore, Malaysia, and Dubai, and her memoir Gullible Travels was published at the end of 2015. She has designed and delivered workshops for women and children in a variety of disciplines including personal development, language arts, mental wellness and recovery, and sexuality and consent. She has also devised the first series of workshops ever available in Ireland for midwives and birthworkers around the provision of trauma-informed support for women who have survived sexual abuse. Hazel is a survivor of child sexual abuse, and she writes and speaks about this, and has devised a series of lectures for medical students around the long-term effects of child sexual abuse. Her first loves – Story-telling and Theatre – inform the production and performance all her work. Hazel is currently a PhD candidate researching transgenerational trauma, with particular regard to sexual abuse. Hazel also works with an agency for single parents in Ireland, influencing opinion and policy, and is also a founding member of MAM – Mothers Artists Makers
TOPICS
- Being a truthteller and being honest and authentic at all times
- How living on hope is like living the smell of bread when you’re starving
- How it’s enough to draw strength from other people coming forward, nodding your head
- Empirical truth vs perception
RESOURCES
- ‘Needlework’ by Deirdre O’Sullivan
- ‘The Body Keeps The Score’ by Bessel Van Der Kolk
- ‘A Child Inside: Understanding, healing and freedom following childhood abuse and trauma’ by Sharon Shaw
- ‘Gullible Travels’ by Hazel Katherine Larkin
- #CSAQT Survivor Twitter Chat 8pm Mondays BST
- National Helplines & Websites
ABOUT MEG &
THAT HUMMINGBIRD LIFE
When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free Sunday pep Talks to my wonderful Couragemakers community or working 1:1 with clients, I'm usually covered in paint and thinking of imaginative ways of hide my would-be dog from my landlord.
I’m Meg and I’m the host of Couragemakers and founder of That Hummingbird Life. I’m an INFJ creative and multipassionate who has a bit of a notebook and post-it note obsession, loves foot-stomping country music and likes her hot chocolate with way too much chocolate.
I started Couragemakers because I wanted to create a platform for passionate and unconventional women to have honest conversations and to share their stories, struggles and dreams. The intention behind this podcast is to inspire and encourage creative and mission-driven women to live a wholehearted life and follow the beat of their drum.
RELATED EPISODES:
Episode 78: Being Multi-Passionate & Shining Bright with Christina Thatcher
In this week’s episode, we’re really diving deep into what it means to be a multi-passionate and Christina is sharing her story of having a multi-passionate career that really weaves her interests and her passions together.
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ABOUT
Christina Thatcher is a writer, teacher and researcher who believes that reading transforms us, writing drives social change and doing both benefits the world. Christina grew up in America but has made a happy home in Wales with her husband, Rich, and cat, Miso. She is a part-time teacher and PhD student at Cardiff University where she studies how creative writing can impact the lives of people bereaved by addiction. Christina keeps busy off campus too as the Poetry Editor for The Cardiff Review and as a freelance workshop facilitator and festival coordinator. Christina was shortlisted for the Bare Fiction Debut Poetry Collection Competition in 2015 and was a winner in the Terry Hetherington Award for Young Writers in 2016. Christina’s poetry and short stories have featured in a number of publications including The London Magazine, Planet Magazine, Acumen and The Interpreter’s House. Her first collection, More than you were, was published by Parthian Books in 2017.
Website | Book | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook |
TOPICS
- Christina’s thematically similar work and her experience of building a body of work and letting go of the need to have a linear narrative
- Christina’s experience of writing and publishing her debut experience, her book tour and experience of running death writing workshops
- The importance of planning rest weekends, restorative self care and a great metaphor for work/life balance
ABOUT MEG &
THAT HUMMINGBIRD LIFE
When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free Sunday pep Talks to my wonderful Couragemakers community or working 1:1 with clients, I'm usually covered in paint and thinking of imaginative ways of hide my would-be dog from my landlord.
I’m Meg and I’m the host of Couragemakers and founder of That Hummingbird Life. I’m an INFJ creative and multipassionate who has a bit of a notebook and post-it note obsession, loves foot-stomping country music and likes her hot chocolate with way too much chocolate.
I started Couragemakers because I wanted to create a platform for passionate and unconventional women to have honest conversations and to share their stories, struggles and dreams. The intention behind this podcast is to inspire and encourage creative and mission-driven women to live a wholehearted life and follow the beat of their drum.
RELATED EPISODES:
Episode 81: Having The Courage To Be Real with Jessica Brauer
In this episode we’re really diving into what it means to live a courageous life, own your story and get really honest about how things are for you.
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ABOUT
Jessica is a brunch-loving, wine-drinking, introvert with a passion for storytelling, feeling all the feels, and big, crazy dreams. She is one of the three-part team behind Enkindle, a lifestyle company devoted to empowering women to live their authentic, unique life with their hearts on fire. By day she works closely with businesses and organizations on building partnerships, uplifting one another, and championing for success as a coach and manager for communications and outreach in Laramie, Wyoming. Whether putting pen to paper on the Enkindle blog or cheering for a struggling, local entrepreneur, she’s a firm believer in the power of a like-minded tribe, starting before you’re ready, and healing every bad day with tacos.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
TOPICS
- The importance of being listened to
- The loneliness that comes with feeling like everything has to be perfect and struggling alone
- Not needing to fit yourself into a box to make other people happy
- Getting really honest when someone asks you how you’re doing
RESOURCES
ABOUT MEG &
THAT HUMMINGBIRD LIFE
When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free Sunday pep Talks to my wonderful Couragemakers community or working 1:1 with clients, I'm usually covered in paint and thinking of imaginative ways of hide my would-be dog from my landlord.
I’m Meg and I’m the host of Couragemakers and founder of That Hummingbird Life. I’m an INFJ creative and multipassionate who has a bit of a notebook and post-it note obsession, loves foot-stomping country music and likes her hot chocolate with way too much chocolate.
I started Couragemakers because I wanted to create a platform for passionate and unconventional women to have honest conversations and to share their stories, struggles and dreams. The intention behind this podcast is to inspire and encourage creative and mission-driven women to live a wholehearted life and follow the beat of their drum.
RELATED EPISODES:
Episode 82: Creativity, Money & The Myth of The Starving Artist with Kerstin Pressler
In this episode we’re diving into the myth of being a starving artist. We’re talking all about the intersection between creativity and making money, and have a really honest conversation about what that looks like.
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ABOUT
Keratin Pressler is a fine artist, who lives between the borders of Germany and the Netherlands and has been living the creative life for nearly a decade. Through The Sparkling Creative, Kerstin is a mentor to visual creatives who strive to live their creative passion without suffering financially and seek to combine their creative passion with entrepreneurialism. You can usually find her in her studio, where she’s creating new artworks daily.When she’s not working on one of her artworks or taking care of her amazing creative clients, she’s out and about exploring nature with her son and husband.What is making Kerstin extremely happy right now is having time to experiment with new pens and papers.
Website | The Sparkling Creative Podcast | The Sparkling Creative Community | Instagram
TOPICS
- Figuring out what you want versus what you think you should want
- The power of consistency
- Kerstin’s work debunking the myth of the starving artist
RESOURCES
ABOUT MEG &
THAT HUMMINGBIRD LIFE
When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free Sunday pep Talks to my wonderful Couragemakers community or working 1:1 with clients, I'm usually covered in paint and thinking of imaginative ways of hide my would-be dog from my landlord.
I’m Meg and I’m the host of Couragemakers and founder of That Hummingbird Life. I’m an INFJ creative and multipassionate who has a bit of a notebook and post-it note obsession, loves foot-stomping country music and likes her hot chocolate with way too much chocolate.
I started Couragemakers because I wanted to create a platform for passionate and unconventional women to have honest conversations and to share their stories, struggles and dreams. The intention behind this podcast is to inspire and encourage creative and mission-driven women to live a wholehearted life and follow the beat of their drum.
RELATED EPISODES:
Episode 83: Going Behind The Scenes with Meg Kissack
The Couragemakers Podcast turns two this year! To celebrate, wonderful past guest Katie Snyder interviewed me and we went right behind the scenes of Couragemakers!
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ABOUT
Couragemakers turns 2 today! And as a birthday special, past guest, the wonderful Katie Snyder is interviewing me! We talk struggles, money, creativity and some serious vulnerability!
To listen to last year’s birthday episode with Mr. Meg, click here!
You can listen to Katie’s episode here!
And to find out all about Couragemaker’s Patreon page, go here :)
THANK YOU for being the most wonderful community I could ever ask for.
ABOUT MEG &
THAT HUMMINGBIRD LIFE
When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free Sunday pep Talks to my wonderful Couragemakers community or working 1:1 with clients, I'm usually covered in paint and thinking of imaginative ways of hide my would-be dog from my landlord.
I’m Meg and I’m the host of Couragemakers and founder of That Hummingbird Life. I’m an INFJ creative and multipassionate who has a bit of a notebook and post-it note obsession, loves foot-stomping country music and likes her hot chocolate with way too much chocolate.
I started Couragemakers because I wanted to create a platform for passionate and unconventional women to have honest conversations and to share their stories, struggles and dreams. The intention behind this podcast is to inspire and encourage creative and mission-driven women to live a wholehearted life and follow the beat of their drum.
RELATED EPISODES:
Episode 84: Supporting Women Rising with Jessie Harold
This week I’m talking to the lovely Jessie Harold! Jessie is the creator and community catalyst behind Nalumana Women’s Wellness. She has academic degrees in Neuroscience and Health Promotion, and is a certified life coach from the Centre for Applied Neuroscience, and a certified birth doula.
Listen on your browser now:
ABOUT
Jessie Harrold is the creator and community catalyst behind Nalumana Women’s Wellness. She has academic degrees in Neuroscience and Health Promotion, and is a certified life coach from the Centre for Applied Neuroscience, and a certified birth doula. She works with women one-to-one, leads reWILD adventure retreats, seasonal women’s circles, and runs two online programs, all with the aim of supporting women to navigate life transitions in a way that brings them closer to who they are, what matters most, and what’s possible. Also a writer, Jessie has had work published in Misadventures Magazine, International Doula Magazine, Huffington Post, and Inspired Coach Magazine. She is the mother of two wee kids, and lives in a little oceanfront cottage on the east coast of Canada.
Website | Twitter | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram
TOPICS
- Having a multi-passionate career
- Being uncompromising and having patience
- The importance of addressing our privileges
- The courage of playing the long game
- Rising up as women
RESOURCES
ABOUT MEG &
THAT HUMMINGBIRD LIFE
When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free Sunday pep Talks to my wonderful Couragemakers community or working 1:1 with clients, I'm usually covered in paint and thinking of imaginative ways of hide my would-be dog from my landlord.
I’m Meg and I’m the host of Couragemakers and founder of That Hummingbird Life. I’m an INFJ creative and multipassionate who has a bit of a notebook and post-it note obsession, loves foot-stomping country music and likes her hot chocolate with way too much chocolate.
I started Couragemakers because I wanted to create a platform for passionate and unconventional women to have honest conversations and to share their stories, struggles and dreams. The intention behind this podcast is to inspire and encourage creative and mission-driven women to live a wholehearted life and follow the beat of their drum.
RELATED EPISODES:
Episode 85: Life As A Process with Anabel Roque Rodríguez
This week I am so excited to have Anabel Roque Rodríguez back on the show! Anabel is an independent art historian, curator, and writer based currently in Switzerland. She has curated exhibitions in Ecuador, Munich, and Switzerland and works in art education formats at Art Karlsruhe or Art Basel, as well as in the institutional museum sector.
Listen on your browser now:
ABOUT
Anabel Roque Rodríguez is an independent art historian, curator, and writer based currently in Switzerland. She has curated exhibitions in Ecuador, Munich, and Switzerland and works in art education formats at Art Karlsruhe or Art Basel, as well as in the institutional museum sector. Her writing around exhibitions and musings on the art world are published nationally and internationally.
She is currently involved in a long-term project on “Art as Labour,” in which she deals with the working conditions in the art world, the myth of the poor artist, success and development of the artist into a creative entrepreneur.
If not somewhere in the art world, you will find her appreciating a big cup of coffee and hiking (Anabel hiked 2200 Km in summer 2016!)
Website | Blog| Success In The Arts Interviews | Newsletter | Twitter |Instagram
TOPICS
- Nourishing your ambition with self care,
- The connotations power and money have and how we can self-sabotage as creatives
- The importance of becoming your own best negotiator.
- Viewing creative work as labour
- What Anabel has learned from a year and a half of conducting success in the arts interviews with women
- The importance of empathy in our creative work.
RESOURCES
ABOUT MEG &
THAT HUMMINGBIRD LIFE
When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free Sunday pep Talks to my wonderful Couragemakers community or working 1:1 with clients, I'm usually covered in paint and thinking of imaginative ways of hide my would-be dog from my landlord.
I’m Meg and I’m the host of Couragemakers and founder of That Hummingbird Life. I’m an INFJ creative and multipassionate who has a bit of a notebook and post-it note obsession, loves foot-stomping country music and likes her hot chocolate with way too much chocolate.
I started Couragemakers because I wanted to create a platform for passionate and unconventional women to have honest conversations and to share their stories, struggles and dreams. The intention behind this podcast is to inspire and encourage creative and mission-driven women to live a wholehearted life and follow the beat of their drum.
RELATED EPISODES:
Episode 86: Rebuilding Your Identity & Creating a Lifestyle of Bravery with Emily Ann Peterson
For today’s show, I’m chatting to Emily Ann Peterson. Emily is a is a singer-songwriter, creative consultant, and author of Bare Naked Bravery: How to Be Creatively Courageous and host of the Bare Naked Bravery Podcast.
Listen on your browser now:
ABOUT
Emily is a is a singer-songwriter, creative consultant, and author of Bare Naked Bravery: How to Be Creatively Courageous and host of the Bare Naked Bravery Podcast. Emily writes for people who struggle to remember what hope feels like and sings to those who yearn for something secret. She speaks to those who are done being bored and crave all things beautiful, strong, sacred, and sensual. Her goal is to inspire a global resonance and magnanimous community through the marriage of art and whole-person development.
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Podcast |
TOPICS
Emily shares her story of being diagnosed with a degenerative neurological hand tremor, which forever altered her two-decade livelihood as a cellist/cello teacher.
The 12 ingredients of bravery
- The difference between actively processing and wallowing
RESOURCES
- Kimberly’s experience of living with depression since she can remember
- How Kimberly has learned to be comfortable with how you feel about something
- The importance of listening to your gut feeling
- how employers can have a massive impact on how you are able to manage your mental health
- Kimberly’s advocacy work – Hourglass Mental Health
ABOUT MEG &
THAT HUMMINGBIRD LIFE
When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free Sunday pep Talks to my wonderful Couragemakers community or working 1:1 with clients, I'm usually covered in paint and thinking of imaginative ways of hide my would-be dog from my landlord.
I’m Meg and I’m the host of Couragemakers and founder of That Hummingbird Life. I’m an INFJ creative and multipassionate who has a bit of a notebook and post-it note obsession, loves foot-stomping country music and likes her hot chocolate with way too much chocolate.
I started Couragemakers because I wanted to create a platform for passionate and unconventional women to have honest conversations and to share their stories, struggles and dreams. The intention behind this podcast is to inspire and encourage creative and mission-driven women to live a wholehearted life and follow the beat of their drum.
RELATED EPISODES:
Episode 87: Choosing Bravely + Giving Yourself Permission with Heather Vickery
In today’s episode, I’m chatting to the fantastic Heather Vickery.
In this episode we’re really diving into what it means to give yourself permission, making more time for your creativity and choosing bravely, so if you need a good dollop of courage, this one’s for you!
Listen on your browser now:
ABOUT
Heather Vickery is an award-winning entrepreneur, business owner, and transformational life and business coach and works with people to help build an authentic and meaningful life and design their own roadmap for balance and success. A mother of four, Heather’s world turned upside down after a major life transformation and divorce, and suddenly, she had the freedom to be her most authentic self. She discovered that this same authenticity empowered her with the confidence she needed to repair, rebuild, and reach her life’s vision and goals. Today, Heather leverages her entrepreneurial skills and expertise to coach individuals towards greater personal and professional fulfillment.A strong believer in strengthening her community, Heather also serves as the school board president for The Children’s School and as Vice President on the Board of Directors for the About Face Theatre, Chicago’s premiere LGBTQ theatre. She is obsessed with Hamilton loves to travel.
Website | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Facebook | Podcast
TOPICS
Heather shares her journey of being an entrepreneur for 23 years, her drive and passion for social justice and her experience of coming out to herself, her then-spouse and her wider friends and family.
The opportunities that open when we leave our planned path
- How planning and systems can be helpful to creatives (despite how much we resist them!) and why multi-tasking is bullshit
- Working from pain points instead of expectations
RESOURCES
ABOUT MEG &
THAT HUMMINGBIRD LIFE
When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free Sunday pep Talks to my wonderful Couragemakers community or working 1:1 with clients, I'm usually covered in paint and thinking of imaginative ways of hide my would-be dog from my landlord.
I’m Meg and I’m the host of Couragemakers and founder of That Hummingbird Life. I’m an INFJ creative and multipassionate who has a bit of a notebook and post-it note obsession, loves foot-stomping country music and likes her hot chocolate with way too much chocolate.
I started Couragemakers because I wanted to create a platform for passionate and unconventional women to have honest conversations and to share their stories, struggles and dreams. The intention behind this podcast is to inspire and encourage creative and mission-driven women to live a wholehearted life and follow the beat of their drum.