In this episode, James Layman and I dive into: 

• The through lines that connects each of us together
• The life-changing wisdom his mom shared with him 6 weeks before she passed 
• What we can all learn from kids, Costco sample attendants, and death
• Being present to the glimmers (the opposite of triggers) in our lives 
• The journey of loving the parts of yourself that you’re nervous for others to see and love 
• And how we can all chose to be true change makers in our sphere of influence

James Layman is the Director of the Association of Washington Student Leaders (AWSL) and serves on the Board of Directors for the National Association for Student Activities (NA4SA).  

He attended Eastern Washington University, focusing on Music Education, Psychology, and African-American History. He taught band and marching band throughout Spokane before joining the Association of Washington Student Leaders Team. 

He is a sought-after keynote speaker, curriculum writer, equity consultant, and program facilitator throughout Washington State and beyond.

RESOURCES

• Learn how I support youth through speaking and coaching at luccapetrucci.com/speaking.
• Connect with James on Instagram at @jsl122884
• Connect with me @lucca_petrucci on Instagram or TikTok.

This episode was produced by Lucca Petrucci and mixed and mastered by Joel Yoshonis.

How can each of us lead greater impact for good with our resources, access, and privilege? This is the question Miles Palacios and I get curious about in this episode.

We also dive into:

• The importance of investing in youth and amplifying their voices and lived experiences.
• Why do we do what we do?
• Does injustice have to be personal to change?
• How self-leadership is self-care.
• Reframing open door policy to an empty office policy
• And the importance of questioning the self.

Miles Palacios (he/him/his) is an Oregonian born and raised. His partner, Sophia, and him reside in Downtown Beaverton with their small family of two lovely cats. He comes from a big family of four siblings and two parents who both worked in the public sector — his father Marty was a public school educator and administrator while his mother Debbie worked for the City of McMinnville.

From childhood, his parents always expressed to his siblings and him the importance of building foundations — systems of support for those around us. As a result, much of his life, career, and purpose has revolved around creating foundations and platforms that amplify those who need to be seen and heard the most. 

He is the Executive Director of the Oregon Association of Student Councils and the Director of Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District.  

RESOURCES

• Standford University's research on belonging.
• Building a Bridge of Love: Be An Actionable Ally to the LGBTQIA+ Community Virtual Workshop on October 11.
• Learn more about my youth speaking on my website at luccapetrucci.com/speaking.
• Connect with Miles on Instagram at @miles_palacios93.
• Connect with me @lucca_petrucci on Instagram or TikTok.

This episode was produced by Lucca Petrucci and mixed and mastered by Joel Yoshonis.

In May of 2016, I graduated from Fresno State as a curious and nervous newly out gay man. 

7 years later, on Saturday, May 20th, 2023 I led the keynote address at Fresno State’s 10th Annual Rainbow Graduation as a confident queer human who has so much freaking love for the LGBTQIA+ community and belief in all that is possible for them in their lifetime. 

It was a dream come true to share my story and an important message about authenticity with nearly 200 undergrad and graduate LGBTQIA+ students, parents, families, professors, university leaders, city officials, and community members. 

I am so excited for you to experience this true full circle moment in this episode! 

Last December, I experienced the deepest depression of my life. In this solo episode, I share the small, slow, and challenging steps I took to move through sadness, anxiety, and apathy into hope, joy, and excitement for life again.

Today, 4 months later, I now know, I was experiencing the death of an older version of myself. I was shedding beliefs, ways of thinking and being, and opinions that no longer served me to create space in my life for my highest potential and more love and abundance. 

In our lifetime, we experience many cycles of life, death, and rebirth, just like a flower does through the seasons. This is a normal part of growing into the most authentic and expressed version of yourself. 

I talk about this topic because I really wish someone told me everything I express in this episode. It would have helped me move through one of the darkest moments in my life more easefully. 

RESOURCES

• Podcast: On Purpose with Jay Shetty featuring Meghan Trainor 
• Book: Heart Talk; Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life by Cleo Wade 
• Connect with me @lucca_petrucci on Instagram or TikTok.

This episode was produced by Lucca Petrucci and mixed and mastered by Joel Yoshonis.

My mentor, teacher, and friend Susanne Conrad and I have a conversation about the good, great, hard, and uncomfortable path to accessing more personal freedom and compassion in your life.  

We also discuss: 

• How to love yourself and also love those who've hurt you, and remain hopeful they can change
• How to envision a future for yourself when you feel hopeless
• Why vision work is life changing and how we're making it more accessible to all, especially our youth 

I share some of the earlier steps in my understanding of what was authentic about me and my process to accepting these parts of myself. There was lots of testing and trying, patience, and curiosity. I also talk about the very first time I kissed a boy. 

Susanne Conrad is the Founder of Lightyear Leadership and is one of the few global women leaders and entrepreneurs in the personal development and leadership space. She was the co-developer of lululemon's renowned leadership culture and served as Director of Possibility at lululemon from 2007-2017. Susanne has over 30 years of experience transforming tens of thousands of lives across the globe and revolutionizing culture at hundreds of organizations, including Toms, Kit and Ace, Earls Kitchen + Bar, and imagine1day.

Susanne trains, develops, and certifies leaders around the world. The Lightyear Leadership programs she leads alongside educational leadership programs in Mozambique and Ethiopia create a unified force for positive transformation among students, teachers, government ministers, and community leaders.

She’s a storyteller who will restore the things that make you peculiar and empower you to be who you came to be. She demonstrates powerful inner listening and has a deep connection to a higher power. Susanne sees the best in all people and their full potential, no matter their background or walk of life. She has the ability to challenge and gently coach people through hard things, and is an agenda-free champion for people's goals, vision, and success.

She is the author of Get There Now: Transform Yourself and The World Through Laughter, Listening and The Power of Choice. 

RESOURCES

• The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book)
• Lightyear Leadership's FREE Power My Future course 
• Connect with Susanne on Instagram at @susanne_conrad.
• Lightyear Leadership's Instagram: @lightyearleadership 
• Connect with me @lucca_petrucci on Instagram or TikTok.

This episode was produced by Lucca Petrucci and mixed and mastered by Joel Yoshonis.

This episode is with my college mentor, my amazing friend, and educator Mellissa Jessen-Hiser. We met when I was 19 at Fresno State, 11 years ago. We have a conversation about the power we each have to create affirming, nonjudgmental, and inclusive spaces wherever we go, especially for our youth. We also talk about the process of breaking the mold you were never meant to fit in and stepping into the freedom of who you truly are. 

Other topics we dive into are:

• The difference between listening to understand versus hearing to convince
• What the both/and life is and how to live into it to access more freedom and authenticity 
• Significant self-acceptance moments in our lives
• The fat liberation movement

Mellissa Jessen-Hiser has long been a storyteller, having written her first poem in a Hello Kitty diary in 1988. She earned an MFA in creative writing from Fresno State in 2020 where she focused on essaying about the things we inherit and the things we pass on. Mellissa is an educator, working as the Director of the Central Valley College Corps in the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning at Fresno State. Additionally, she holds an M.A. in international human rights from the University of Denver. Raised in Fresno, California, she lives there with her spouse, Darrin, and child, Samuel. 

RESOURCES

• CliftonStrengths Assessment 
• Standout Assessment 
• Activists and leaders Mellissa refers to: Sonalee (@thefatsextherapist), Sonya Renee Taylor (@sonyareneetaylor), Ericka Hart (@ihartericka)
• Connect with Mellissa on Instagram on @calimj. 
• Connect with me @lucca_petrucci on Instagram or TikTok.

This episode was produced by Lucca Petrucci and mixed and mastered by Joel Yoshonis.

Today, my friend Mark Fields and I have a very important and vulnerable conversation about pain, something we all experience in life. We talk about the understanding, resilience, freedom, and peace on the other side of pain if we choose to do the hard and intentional work of becoming aware of it, accepting it, and healing from it. 

We discuss the choice we have to heal from our childhood and adulthood pain, and to transform it into self-acceptance and love instead of transmitting it and hurting those we love.

We also dive into how to break the cycle of toxic masculinity in our family and how Mark intentionally chooses to be a parent through the lens of unconditional love. 

Mark’s life mission is to remind the world that we are really family and God is much bigger than we've been told in most American Churches. He has been a part of Christian Community Development Association organizations, Latino church-plants, Black megachurches, White megachurches, Parachurch ministries as well as foreign and domestic missions organizations.  He realized that there are many harmful understandings of God being communicated in the world. Many of the places people are going to encounter the peace and acceptance of God have become hallmarks of rejection, discrimination, and exile. 

Mark started The Kinship Collective to be a part of reminding the world that God is good, we are good and anything that doesn’t feel or point to that image-of-God-goodness is simply missing the point. He believes when we are oriented by these truths, we can experience the world as family in ways we’ve always wanted and needed.

Mark also enjoys speaking, success coaching, and DEI consulting. He has journeyed with his partner Caryn for 15 years, and they have 3 incredible daughters.  

Resources:

• Oprah's podcast Super Soul: Glennon Doyle: First the Pain, Then the Rising
• Yung Pueblo's book Clarity & Connection
• Connect with Mark on Instagram on @mark_fields and at thekinshipcollective.org.
• Connect with me @lucca_petrucci on Instagram or TikTok.

This episode was produced by Lucca Petrucci and mixed and mastered by Joel Yoshonis.

If you are ready to intentionally create the year you really want, this episode with my wonderful friend Alicia Wolfe is for you. 

The first hour is all about how we've bravely brought our biggest desires and dreams to life. We share practical ways to manifest the things you really want in your lives and how to move from self-doubt and letting limiting beliefs rule your world to truly believing in yourself and all that is possible in your life. 

The second part is all about core values. Alicia is the core value queen. Core values are your north star, your compass, your guiding principles that support you in making purposeful choices and confident decisions. In Alicia’s words, “They are the first step in living your life authentically.” In our chat, she helps me identify my 2023 core values and gives you space to do the same. 

Alicia is a mother of 2 daughters under 6, a wife, a coach, the Founder of Integrate Well, and a full-time world traveler.

This past July,her husband Chris and her decided to leave their jobs, sell their home and most of their things to embark on a year plus slow travel adventure around the world with their kids. “To make this possible, it took about 8 years to finally say YES to this long-term dream. It took courage and bravery to face uncertainty. It took a lot of grit and logistics to bring it to life. It took a lot of trust in the universe and ultimately in myself.”

We’re co-leading a virtual workshop for you on Monday, January 23, 2023 at 5pm PT titled Create The Year You Want. This 90-minute workshop will support you in making 2023 your most authentic and  fulfilling year yet. 

You’ll walk away with 4 things:

1. An authentic definition of what success means to you in 2023, free of obligation, expectations, judgment, or comparison.
2. Clarity in your core values
3. Tools & the structure to set authentic, bold, & practical goals that are in alignment with what you want in 2023.
4. The confidence to easefully put your values into practice to achieve your goals.

The investment is only $23. Register today at bit.ly/createtheyearyouwant.

Resources:

• Connect with Alicia on Instagram on @aliciawolfe and learn more about how she supports people and organizations as a coach, consultant, and speaker through Integrate Well. 
• Connect with me @lucca_petrucci on Instagram or TikTok.

This episode was produced by Lucca Petrucci and mixed and mastered by Joel Yoshonis.

Today, I have a conversation with my friend Matt Corker about living unapologetically yourself in all areas of your life. 

Matt opens up about his experience being a gay father and husband and how he had to become the queer role model and representation he needed to create a life he really wanted. He shares how he found the man of his dreams by following the 5 date rule for one whole year. We also talk about how vital it is to create healthy family boundaries with heterosexual family members if we want to living full expressed and free. 

Matt and I both have a deep calling to mentor the next generation of LGBQTIA+ humans and create a new future that truly benefits marginalized communities and all of humanity. We discuss the intentional steps we are taking to do this and how you can be a part of this movement with us.

Matt is a proud gay dad to his precious 2-year old Sasha with the love of his life Chad, his husband of 5 years. He’s an inspiring coach and is passionate about helping organizations succeed by developing vision-led leaders. Most recently he was the Chief Operating Officer of Smash + Tess, overseeing their operations, sales, and people teams. Matt holds a MBA from the Copenhagen Business School, is a 200 E-RYT yoga teacher, and is a two time lip-sync battle champion.  

Resources:

• Mark Groves video talking about belonging and authenticity: two universal needs all humans share.
• Lightyear Leadership’s FREE course Power My Future. This course will help you start imagining your future and moving toward it today.
• The two books Matt mentions — Velvet Rage: Overcoming the Pain of Growing Up Gay in a Straight Man's World and The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on Managing Your Business and Your Life.
• Connect with Matt on Instagram on @Matt_Corker and learn more about him at mattcorker.com.
• Connect with me @lucca_petrucci on Instagram or TikTok.

This episode was produced by Lucca Petrucci and mixed and mastered by Joel Yoshonis.

The theme of this episode is gratitude. I've been really going through it lately and find myself being stuck in worry many times a day. I realize that worry doesn't serve my highest potential and the big goals and dreams I have for myself. In this episode, I make a commitment to let go of worry and welcome in more gratitude and trust in my life. I reflect back on a time when I really wanted what I now have. I talk about a huge dream of mine that is now my reality. Sometimes when I am in go, go, go mode, I am not present to the amazing things I have right in front of me. I hope this episode helps you become present to the incredible things you've created for yourself in your life and grounds you in gratitude. 

People-pleasing is feeling overly concerned with pleasing others and earning their approval as a way to maintain relationships. It’s prioritizing others' reactions of what you do and say, and how you show up. It’s doing things because you fear rejection or want the approval of others in order to feel like you’re enough. 

Being a concerned and caring person is an important part of maintaining healthy relationships with loved ones. I believe the challenge arises when you are pursuing the happiness of others at the expense of your own emotional well-being and happiness. People-pleasers often hide their own needs, preferences, desires, and beliefs in order to accommodate other people. This can make it feel as if you are not living your life authentically and it may even leave you feeling as if you don’t know yourself at all. 

In this episode, my friend Kathryn Flashner and I dive into the concept of people-pleasing and how it has personally kept us disconnected from our authenticity and happiness in the past. 

We talk about the importance of honoring your authenticity and making it your first priority, instead of overriding it to please others and pursue their happiness. 

We also chat about how vital it is to give ourselves the space to actually define who we are, what we really want, and what makes us feel the most alive if we want to live a life of personal freedom, joy, and peace — and we give you space to do so in this episode if you choose. 

We share steps you can take today to stop people-pleasing, if you’re a recovering people pleaser like me.

Kathryn’s north star is storytelling, and she cares deeply about establishing real connections with each community she serves. She has recently relocated to Los Angeles and is the VP of Licensing at Hello Sunshine, a company whose mission is to change the narrative for women. Outside of this role, Kathryn is a meditation and yoga teacher, who sees immense opportunity to infuse mindfulness practices into our corporate settings. She is also an actor and hosts a podcast called The Truth Is, which is dedicated to building a world where we all feel safe and empowered to step into and speak our truth- at home, at work, and in all facets of our lives. 

Resources:

• Learn more about fight, flight, freeze, and fawn, our bodily reactions to stressful, frightening, or dangerous events, here.
• Listen to Kathryn's Podcast The Truth Is on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
• Connect with Kathryn on Instagram @kathrynflaschner or @thetruthis__podcast.
• Connect with me @lucca_petrucci on Instagram or TikTok.

This episode was produced by Lucca Petrucci and mixed and mastered by Joel Yoshonis.