Nicole Antoinette is the host of the Real Talk Radio podcast, where people come together to talk about the wonderful mess of being human.

A recovering self-help addict and former goal-setting coach, Nicole’s mission is to help people get to the heart of what’s true without judgement, and to explore how we can use grit and grace to close the gap between what we say we want and what we actually do.

I loved talking with her about her decision to hike more than 400 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail last year, how she successfully started a meditation practice after years of wanting to, the value of doing hard things, and what it really takes to create lasting change.

 

In this episode we talk about:

• Recovering from “self-help addiction”

• How Nicole has successfully started a meditation practice after years of wanting to

• What really helps us to make a change

• Nicole’s decision to hike more than 400 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail last year

• What she hoped to get out of the experience versus what she got out of it

• The value of doing hard things

• How Nicole’s mindset and approach to self-care changed as a result of her hike

• Dealing with the identity component of making a change

 

Links mentioned:

 

• Headspace

• Nicole Antoinette on Pain, Self Reliance, and Completing a 460-Mile Solo Backpacking Trip

• TGGC #80: Taking a humane approach to personal growth with Sarah Kathleen Peck

 

Where to find Nicole:

• Website

• Twitter

• Instagram

Bernadette Pleasant is the creator of Femme, a fusion of sensual movement, dance, meditation, creative visualization and celebration of the feminine form.

Femme! as designed, creates sacred, safe spaces for women to explore their femininity; to move in sensual ways, to explore and release emotions, to alter or release beliefs about themselves and to unapologetically love their bodies!

Bernadette was such a fun person to talk with. We dove into why people live “half-assed emotional lives” (and how to stop), the power of drumming and how it helps us to reach other levels of our psyche, and the wisdom we can access through our bodies.

 

In this episode we talk about:

• Bernadette’s own journey that led to the evolution of the Femme movement practice

• What to expect when you attend a Femme class

• Why we begin living “half-assed emotional lives” and how to stop

• The power of drumming and how it helps us to reach other levels of our psyche

• The wisdom we can access through our bodies

 

Links mentioned:

• Emotional tour playlists

 

Where to find Bernadette:

• Website

• Facebook

• Instagram

Lady Lu of the Wolves, aka Lulu Brud Zsebe, is an actress on Pretty Little Liars and the wild woman behind the brand OF THE WOLVES.

She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and pup.

In her free time she's probably playing with plants, re-designing homes or running around in the desert.

I loved talking to Lulu about her connection to wolves, how she balances the competing demands of Hollywood acting and her more spiritual work, separating your sense of self-worth from your work, and making conscious decisions as a consumer.

 

 

In this episode we talk about:

• Lulu’s connection to wolves

• The storytelling philosophy behind her business, Of the Wolves

• The lessons she learned from interviewing many makers for her website

• How she balances the competing demands of Hollywood acting and her more spiritual work

• Separating your sense of self-worth from your work

• Balancing and protecting your energy in a busy city

• Standing up for your political beliefs within this really difficult climate

• Conscious consumerism and making informed decisions about what you buy

 

Links mentioned:

• Women Who Run With The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes

• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

• The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

• This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein

 

Where to find Lulu:

• Website

• Instagram

Clare Barry is a Londoner, writer and founder of Urban Curiosity - a creativity and wellness company that helps busy people slow down and see things differently. Clare writes about creativity and human connection in a digital world and London in the real one. She leads international retreats and Urban Curiosity Walkshops in her hometown; these two-hour sessions are are part digital detox, part creativity class - on foot.

By changing her lifestyle after experiencing burn out, Clare fell back in love with London and found solace within the hustle and bustle of the big city. I loved talking to her about ideas for navigating a busy, overwhelming city in a slower, more mindful way, being mindful of when and how we use our smartphones, and periods of consuming information vs. periods of creation.

 

 

In this episode we discuss:

• How rediscovering her passion for creative expression, chronic pain, and grief ultimately led Clare to transform her life
• The changes that Clare made that led to her falling back in love with London
• Ideas for navigating a busy, overwhelming city in a slower, more mindful way
• Being mindful of when and how we use our smartphones
• Being in periods of consuming information vs. periods of creation
• Learning the rules so that we can decide when we want to break them

Where to find Clare:

• Website
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook

Kirsten Hale is a trauma-informed herbalist and witch working to unspell the patterns of personal and collective trauma.

She talks regularly to plants, makes potions and serves her kitties.

She lives on the colonized territories of the Multnomah, Clackamas and other indigenous peoples in Portland, OR with two cats and a crow.

In this episode we talk about what trauma really is, the link between trauma and anti-oppression work, the role that herbs can play in addressing anxiety, and trauma and beginning your own relationship with herbs.

 

In this episode we talk about:

• What it means to be a trauma-informed herbalist
• Taking a client-led approach to healing/helping work
• Understanding what trauma actually is
• The link between trauma and anti-oppression work
• The role that herbs can play in addressing anxiety and trauma
• Kirsten’s journey to becoming a herbalist
• Whether we need to consult with a trained herbalist or can begin experimenting with herbalism ourselves

 

Links mentioned:

• Sean Donahue

Where to find Kirsten:

• Website
• Facebook
• Instagram

Shivani Seth is a South Asian American queer woman and the child of 1st generation immigrants from India.

She’s a long-time writer, but a new publisher. I loved her article, Healing is Valuable Work and that’s the very topic we dive into in this episode.

We chat about how she restructured her life after burn out, how we can come to be more generous with our definition of “work,” and the cultural beliefs we have to undo in order to see the true value of taking care of ourselves.

 

 

In this episode we talk about:

• Exploring the connection between caffeine and anxiety
• The impact of warming foods and drinks on our bodies
• Shivani’s experience of burn out and how she restructured her life as a result
• Her transition out of social work and into freelance writing
• The Rest for Resistance project
• Creating a more generous and inclusive definition of “work”
• Self-care as a deposit in “the bank"

 

Links mentioned: 

• The First 40 Days by Heng Ou
• The Chronicles of Elantra by Michelle Sagara
• Rest for Resistance
• Healing is Valuable Work 
• How to Take Care of Yourself When You Have Depression

Veronica Yanhs is on a mission to empower women to unapologetically live their lives through kink and BDSM.

To her, kink and BDSM are vessels that take people on a transformative journey to become their most confident, empowered, and enlightened self. 

She sat down to chat with me about the basics of what BDSM and kink are, what it looks like for her to live in a 24/7 dominant/submissive lifestyle, the myths about BDSM that she’d like to dispel, and the transformative power of BDSM and kink.

 

 

In this episode we talk about:

• Veronica’s journey with BDSM and kink (which began at age 4) and how it led to her business Desires Laid Bare
• The basics of what BDSM is
• What kink means and whether or not everyone is at least a little bit kinky
• What it looks like to live in a 24/7 dominant/submissive lifestyle
• Where Veronica’s desire to be submissive comes from and what it looks like in her relationship
• Myths about BDSM that she’d like to dispel
• The transformative power of BDSM and kink
• Veronica’s advice for dipping your toes into BDSM and kink

 

Links mentioned:

• For the Potion Master’s Amusement 
• The Insta Pot

 

Where to find Veronica:

• Website
• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Twitter

Nicola Salmon is a fertility coach, acupuncturist and naturopath.

She was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome at 16 and told she would never have children.

She made small tweaks to her health whilst she was training as an acupuncturist and having babies was easy for her.

She’s passionate about helping other women get pregnant just as easily.

We talk about what acupuncture is and how it works, the power of knowing our cycles, the myths that are perpetuated around fat and fertility, and a whole lot of other goodness.

 

In this episode we talk about:

• The systems Nicola has in place in order to run her business with young children at home
• Her journey of being diagnosed with PCOS and thinking she couldn’t have children to conceiving naturally and eventually helping women with their fertility
• How understanding our cycles can empower us when it comes to conceiving but also in planning our lives more generally
• What acupuncture is and how it works
• The myths that are perpetuated around fat and fertility
• Why feeling comfortable in your own skin can help improve your fertility
• Nicola’s advice to anyone who is struggling to conceive right now

 

Links mentioned:

• Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom is Wrong and What You Really Need to Know by Emily Oster
• Here and Now app
• Think Up app
• Lucky Bitch app
• Nurture Fertility Journal

Where to find Nicola:

• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

Kait Fowlie is a Toronto-based writer who is interested in wellness and the writing process.

Kait and I talk about balancing a day job and creative projects without working all the time, diving deep into journaling as tool for healing, and using archetypes to understand your present mindset and situation.

 

 

In this episode we talk about:

• Balancing a day job and creative projects without working all of the time
• Kait’s decision to transition into a day job after being a freelancer
• Making space for her writing during the evenings
• Kait’s journey with journalling
• Using journalling to understand where you are in your life
• Tips for going deeper with your journalling practice
• Managing anxiety with journalling
• Using archetypes to understand your present mindset and situation

 

Links mentioned:

• Sacred Contracts by Carolyn Mysse 
• Memories, Dreams, and Reflections by Carl Jung
• Kelly Anne Maddox
• The Herbal Tarot
• Autostraddle
• The Kickass Witch
• The Hoodwitch
• 2 Dope Queens

Where to find Kait:

• Website
• Twitter
• Instagram

Kerrin Smith is the founder of Cool & Thoughtful, an initiative to shift social values from hyper-individualism to empathy by redefining cool as generosity rather than rebellion.

I’m completely obsesesed with this concept!

We had the most amazing conversation with Kerrin about how meditation can help us process our feelings, blending action & faith when it comes to reaching our goals, and what it looks like (and feels like) to redefine cool for ourselves.

 

In this episode we talk about:

• Kerrin’s exploration of interfaith work and how it led to her meditation practice
• How meditation can help us feel, process, and learn from our emotions
• Blending action and faith when it comes to reaching our goals
• Where Kerrin draws her faith from
• The Cool & Thoughtful project she has created aimed at imagining what the world look like if we understood "cool" as generosity instead of rebellion
• Kerrin’s personal journey from the traditional definition of cool to redefining it as empathetic and thoughtful
• Practices for exploring the idea of cool and thoughtful in your own life

 

Links mentioned:

• Living Beautifully by Pema Chodron
• Elizabeth Gilbert’s talk on creative genius

 

Where to find Kerrin:

• Website
• Facebook
• Instagram

Today’s episode is a special FAQ episode with me again! It’s the last episode before I go on maternity leave but don’t worry - I’ve pre-recorded interviews and we’ll just be switching to publishing them every other week rather than weekly. I’ll be back to recording in the autumn. I’m talking about finding your girl gang, managing your anxiety, moving to a new city, why I haven’t been writing for the past month, what I’ve learned from pregnancy and a lot more.

In this episode I talk about:

• The biggest lesson pregnancy has taught me
• My experience of body image during pregnancy and how I’ve coped with body image issues in the past
• Find community in my new city
• Managing the stress of moving
• Taking your sense of home with you wherever you go
• The practices I find the most grounding when I’m overwhelmed
• How I deal with anxiety
• The process of creating community online
• Putting yourself out there, even when you’re scared shitless and don’t feel ready
• Why I haven’t been writing for the past month
• Meeting new friends and finding your girl gang
• Whether I think it’s appropriate to call grown women “girls”
• Finding a balance between being ambitious and being gentle with yourself
• Creating intimacy with myself and with my husband
• The thing I’ve found most surprising about pregnancy
• What I feel I need as I step into motherhood

Thank you so much to everyone who sent in questions; I had so much fun answering them!

 

Links mentioned:

• The Sassy SHE Oracle 
• The Secret To Transforming Anxiety Is Telling Yourself You Want To Have It
• The Lively Show