The Couragemakers Podcast | Encouragement, Inspiration & Rebel Rousing for Mission Driven Doers, Makers & Shakers |

Hello wonderful Couragemakers and welcome to episode 91 of The Couragemakers Podcast! This week it's just me and you as I have a solo mid year review special for you today. So we're halfway through 2018. I don't know about you but it simultaneously feels like it's flown by and like we've been living in 2018 for about a century. It feels like 2017 was a lifetime ago, but at the same time, I can't believe it's June! For today's episode I thought it would be a great opportunity to just stop, pause and reflect for a minute. We're approaching the halfway through the year mark, and I thought this would be a great opportunity to take stock, see what's working for you, what could be improved and imagine what you would like the rest of the year to be like. So grab a notepad and pen, get ready to get honest and compassionate with yourself and let's reflect on the year so far and put some plans into place to make the next six months really work for you! You can listen to today's episode here! About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and weekly pep talks to fellow couragemakers (join the party here!) or working one to one with fellow creatives and multi-passionates, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to episode 90 of The Couragemakers Podcast! For this week's episode, I'm talking with Lucy Brand. Lucy Brand is an Intuitive Business Coach & Speaker supporting women entrepreneurs to know they ARE enough and can fearlessly achieve their wildest dreams and desires in business and life. Lucy combines her digital marketing experience with energy work & Shamanic healing to address your inner game of mindset & energetic alignment with outta game business strategies. Lucy lives in Brighton in the UK and is a massive Dungeons and Dragons fan, can be found attending moon circles, practising yoga with the hubby, cooking up a storm in the kitchen or visiting the sea. In this episode, we dive into intuition and how it has played a huge role in Lucy's life and her business, how life becomes so much more colourful when we are ready to and are able to show up as our entire selves and the journey Lucy has been on to get to that place. We also talk about how Lucy's life has changed since she started asking for help, how some of the biggest lies we tell are the ones we tell ourselves and the transformative powers of forgiveness. A heads up that during this episode we talk about sexual assault, so if you feel this might trigger you, I suggest only listening up to the twenty minute mark. During the episode, Lucy shares a story she has only shared once before and I love how she really shares the behind-the-scenes aspect of what it takes to share your story and her advice for anyone who feels compelled to share their story. I love how happen Lucy is to get open in order to help other women tell their stories and know they are not alone and they are loved. I got so much out of this episode and I know you will too. Enjoy the show! About Guest: Lucy Brand is an Intuitive Business Coach & Speaker supporting women entrepreneurs to know they ARE enough and can fearlessly achieve their wildest dreams and desires in business and life. Lucy combines her digital marketing experience with energy work & Shamanic healing to address your inner game of mindset & energetic alignment with outta game business strategies. Lucy lives in Brighton in the UK and is a massive Dungeons and Dragons fan, can be found attending moon circles, practising yoga with the hubby, cooking up a storm in the kitchen or visiting the sea. Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn Things We Talked About: Intuition and how it plays a part of Lucy's life and business How being your authentic self is where the magic happens Lucy's experience of sharing her story for the first time and her advice for sharing your story Home of the biggest lies are the ones we tell ourselves The importance of forgiveness and forgiving yourself for how you treat yourself How Lucy's life has changed since she started asking for help Resources Mentioned: JK Rowling & Oprah Winfrey interview Oprah Winfrey and Tina Turner interview Tony Robbins Documentary Ho'oponopono Joe Vitale Youtube video About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers (join the party here!) or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to another episode of The Couragemakers Podcast! This week I have the joy of talking with Sally Pewhairangi. Sally is a New Zealand librarian who helps other librarians be the best they can be, particularly with things digital. Sally share her 20+ years library experience and wants to share what she has learned help librarians improve their digital practice through her website TheLibraryBoss.com. The Library Boss takes a holistic approach to digital literacy; something that is often overlooked by many libraries, programmes, workshops and courses. Sally loves Watching international tv series with subtitles (mostly crime) and will always choose summer over winter. In this episode, Sally shares her journey of becoming an entrepreneurial librarian, her wonderful weekly experiments I think we could all learn a thing or two from and how enthusiasm, curiosity and strengths play a huge part of Sally's life. We really dive into how under-rated excitement is, the idea of being the best you already are - which I love and we also debunk a myth or two about librarianship along the way! We also talk about risk taking and how subjective risk is, what helps Sally take action and trying things for the sake of trying new things and not worrying about failure. If you often find yourself over-thinking, struggle to take risks or you're a multi-passionate who wants to find new ways of doing things, this episode is for you! I absolutely love Sally's strengths-based approach to life, and I loved our conversation. This is the perfect episode if you're experiencing the Self Doubt Wobbles and I know you're going to get so much out of this episode. So enjoy the show! About Sally Sally Pewhairangi doesn't have any magic beans or secret sauce. But she does have 20+ years library experience and wants to share what she has learned to help librarians improve their digital practice through her website TheLibraryBoss.com. The Library Boss takes a holistic approach to digital literacy; something that is often overlooked by many libraries, programmes, workshops and courses. People get stuck on the tech skills and the shiny new things, and forget about the person who needs to learn those skills and use those shiny new things. You might think it sounds a bit woo-woo. But Sally's not a woo-woo kind of person. She's an optimistic, creative problem-solving kind of person who questions everything, and then gets on and does stuff to find out what works best. Website | Twitter | LinkedIn Things We Talked About Breaking the stereotypes of librarianship Tying new things for the sake of trying things, not always worrying about failure The courage it takes to do something differently and the confidence to generate new ideas About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello, hello Couragemakers and welcome to episode 88 of The Couragemakers Podcast! It is so nice to be back into the rhythm of things! Since we moved I'm really starting to realise how important habits and rhythms are to me and am loving going for daily walks and have got into a really natural rhythm with writing snarky posts on Medium every day as part of Elle Luna's 100 Day Project. I wanted to share that with you because I know sometimes we know there's something we could add to our lives that would change our day, and I just want to say if I can do it, you can do it to! So this might be something to have a think about as you listen to this week's episode! For this week's episode I'm talking to Nicole Liloia. Nicole is a former social worker turned accidental entrepreneur. After suffering severe burnout in the non-profit world and refusing to ever return to a 9-5, she took time to travel and volunteer in South America. She started her first business in 2013 and has been helping women stop wasting time and start making more money since then. Nicole provides strategy + mentorship to women entrepreneurs who want to scale their business and income through multiple income streams. Nicole loves spending time with her nephews, Apothic wine, and never misses a Taco Tuesday. During our conversation, we're diving into Nicole's journey of leaving the world of therapy and social work and starting her own business. We really dive how women can support fellow women to leave the comfort zone, the problems with automatic thinking and going after things when you want them, not just when you need them. Nicole shares great tips on how to set goals, we dive into money stories and what happens when we give ourselves permission to go big. If you struggle with setting goals, are sick of comparing yourself to others or you know it's time to play big and get out of your comfort zone but find the idea of it terrifying, this episode is for you! Have a wonderful day, Couragemakers, enjoy the show and remember: everything changes when you believe you matter. About Nicole Nicole Liloia provides strategy + mentorship to women entrepreneurs who want to scale their business and income through multiple income streams. After suffering severe burnout in the non-profit world and refusing to ever return to a 9-5, she took time to travel and volunteer in South America. She started her first business in 2013 and has been helping women stop wasting time and start making more money since then. Nicole got her master's in Social Work at Columbia University and has written for Forbes, Huffington Post, and MindBodyGreen. She's obsessed with entrepreneurship, women becoming wealthy, Apothic wine, and never misses a Taco Tuesday. Website | Instagram | Batch Like A Boss Cheat Sheet| Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn What We Talked About How Nicole went from being a former therapist and social worker to a business strategist How women have it so much harder when it comes to working for ourselves Allowing yourself to set goals, and how to set goals About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello Couragemakers! It is SO good to be back after an unplanned break! So much has changed since the last episode! I'm now living in Liverpool with Mr. Meg and we are loving building the life we want, spending more time in nature and I am obsessed with our new apartment. I also lost my wonderful Granddad who passed away at the beginning of May I'm looking forward to sharing about his life with you in future episodes - he has been a huge inspiration in my life. I'm think i'm going to start referring to him as the OM - the original multi-passionate! So, we're back, Monday episodes are back for good and I'm looking forward to working on some solo series and fun stuff to! For 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! During our conversation 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. We dive into what it means to live outside your comfort zone, the difference between goals and commitments and the work Heather has done about boundaries - and why they make her so giddy! I love the conversation we had and the work Heather does with creatives to create more time and permission for their creative work. As a self-confessed type A, I can completely relate to the struggles of resisting systems and processes but also knowing I need them in order to do my best work, and I love Heather's work around this. This is a fantastically practical episode and if you struggle with giving yourself permission, staying stuck in your comfort zone or know that there's a bit change you want to make, this episode is for you. I absolutely loved chatting with Heather and am so excited about her recently launched podcast The Brave Files! I'm looking forward to chatting with Heather again as I'm going to be a guest on The Brave Files, and I can't wait to share another one of our conversations! You're going to need a notepad and pen for this one! Enjoy the show! About Heather 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 What We Talked About 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 Links/Resources 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 About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to episode 86 of The Couragemakers Podcast! A quick update before we get into today's show, there's going to be no Couragemakers episode next week as it's a bank holiday here in the UK and me and Mr. Meg are moving to Liverpool! Things have been more than slightly chaotic lately and I'm looking forward to getting back to weekly episodes every Monday! So, 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. 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. In this episode, 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. Emily shares how this shifted her identity and caused her to become really curious about what bravery is. We dive into the difference between actively processing and wallowing, how Emily has carved what she calls her 'buffet of self employment' and Emily's 12 ingredients of bravery. We have a great conversation about the subjectivity of bravery and comparing our bravery to someone else's bravery, the grieving process that encompasses a huge change in our identity and what has helped Emily in her journey. This is a fantastic episode for anyone going through a period of transition, re-thinking their identity and for anyone for needs a dose of bare naked bravery. I love how Emily describes her lifestyle of bravery, and I think this episode will get you thinking about how you can start to design your own! Enjoy the show! About Emily: 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 | Pinterest | Things We Talked About: 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 About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers (join the party here!) or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to episode 85 of The Couragemakers Podcast. 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. 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 appeared back on episode 8 of The Couragemakers Podcast two years ago, and since our conversation, we have become wonderful friends. Lately we've been talking a lot about about money as creatives, scarification and we thought it would be a great idea to record a conversation about just that! In this episode we dive into the notion of nourishing your ambition with self care, the connotations power and money have and how we can self-sabotage as creatives and talk about the importance of becoming your own best negotiator. We dive into creative work as labour, what Anabel has learned from a year and a half of conducting success in the arts interviews with women and the importance of empathy in our creative work. This is such a fantastic practical episode, and I love how much Anabel was willing to share her own process with us, from her practice of kindness and gentleness towards herself, the one question that has been really important to her lately and her fantastic reflection system she has built for herself. This conversation is a fantastic reminder that we're all a work in process and that we all get to define success for ourselves. Anabel has evolved so much of my thinking around what it means to make a living as a creative and success as a creative and I know you're going to get so much out of this episode! Enjoy the show! About Anabel 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 Things We Talked About 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 Mentioned The Art of Asking – Amanda Palmer The Ten Year Big Picture – Debbie Millman Insight Timer Yoga with Adriene Radical Empathy in Museums Lisa Jacobs – Marketing Creativity Ash Ambirge About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers (join the party here!) or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello Couragemakers and a very Happy International Women's Day to you! Thank you so much for your birthday love last week and your wonderful support! We are now over HALF WAY to meeting the first goal on Patreon which is weekly solo shows! I'm blown away on a daily basis by this community, so thank you, thank you, thank you This week's episode is coming to you late courtesy of a stomach bug, but I couldn't be more thrilled to release this episode on International Women's Day! 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. 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.During our conversation, we're really diving into what it means to build a multi-passionate career and find the umbrella theme of your work, the authenticity behind the momentum of women rising and how isolating it can feel bucking society's trends. Jessie shares her journey of finding a way of putting her passions under one roof, aligning her life with her values and the courage that comes with playing the long game. We have a great discussion about external expectations, not needing to achieve something to justify our existence and the glamorisation of big leaps and the tiny steps Jessie has taken along the way. This is a fantastic episode for all multi-passionate and creative women who are looking to find the theme behind their body of work, for any woman who is going through any life transition and a fantastic reminder to be uncompromising and have patience. Here's to rising up as women, unapologetically, intentionally and unashamedly! Enjoy today's show wonderful women! About Jessie 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 Things We Talked About: being uncompromising and having patience the importance of addressing our privileges the courage of playing the long game rising up as women Resources Mentioned: Renaissance Business - Puttylike Emilie Wapnick - Puttylike Robert Keegan (stages of adult self) The Dance of the Dissident Daughter - Susan Monk Kidd Rise Sister Rise - Rebecca Campbell If Women Rose Rooted - Sharon Blackie Elizabeth Gilbert talk on not chasing your passions About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers (join the party here!) or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

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.

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to episode 82 of The Courgemakers Podcast! Before we dive into this week's wonderful episode, I want to let you know that Couragemakers turns 2 this week and there is going to be a very special behind the scenes episode on Wednesday where past guest, the lovely Katie Snyder is interviewing me! I think you're going to love the birthday special and I'm excited to share it with you! For this week's episode, I'm talking with Kerstin Pressler. Kerstin 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. 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. Kerstin shares her story, from choosing to go to art school and business school at the same time, what helps her stay focused and disciplined to get her work done as a creative and the behind the scenes of how she runs her business. We dive into figuring out what you want versus what you think you should want, some practical tips around vision boards and journalling and how looking after yourself is a key part of running a business. We talk about how Kerstin has fallen in love with the business side of her creative business, some books she recommends as well as how the myth of the starving artist is a choice and we have the ability to merge creativity and money without sacrificing our values. I think it's fair to say that as creatives, talking about money can often feel weird and awkward, and this is a wonderful way to really start having that honest conversation with ourselves and remind ourselves that sustaining ourselves through our work isn't selfish. As Kerstin says, we each have magic fairy dust as creatives that only we can give, and sharing that with the world is a great thing! This is going to be a great episode for the any one thinking about making money through their art, any one who runs a business and anyone who really wants a great behind the scenes glimpse at what it takes to run a creative business! Enjoy the show! About Guest: Kerstin 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 Things We Talked About: 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 Mentioned: B School - Marie Forleo Emily Henderson Tiffany Pratt Inc Books Marie Forleo YouTube About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers (join the party here!) or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to episode 79 of The Couragemakers Podcast! Before we dive into this week's episode, I just want to remind you that Get Shit Done! Brigade starts this Thursday, 15th February and I would love for you to join us. Get Shit Done! Brigade is the Ultimate 30 Day Accountability Coaching & Encouragement Community. From encouragement parades and accountability buddies to check-in days and 1:1 coaching, it's about an epic 30 days of action where we feel the fear and do it anyway. If you want to bring your projects into life, brainstorm ideas with a group of like-minded couragemakers and get a gentle kick up the bum to focus on the work that matters the most, then this might just be the thing for you! I Like I say on every episode of Couragemakers, building the life you want and putting stuff in the world takes a boatload of courage, but you don't have to do it alone. Join the brigade and allow yourself to receive the support and encouragement you so often reserve for other people and let's get shit done together! Now, onto today's episode! This week I'm chatting to the lovely Jessica Brauer. 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. 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. We have a great conversation about how we like to think we can handle everything ourselves, but how asking for help can be a sign of strength. We talk about the loneliness that comes with feeling like everything has to be perfect when we're struggling alone and how we can start to dismantle that online. We really tear down some of the bullshit about instagram perfect lives, aspirational branding and believing everyone has their shit together and talk about what happens when you start to share your real life We also dive into the importance of celebrating your small wins, not needing to fit into boxes to make other people happy and the things we gain when we stop people pleasing and start saying no. Jessica is a breath of fresh air and she has some fantastic advice for when when the pressure to have a perfect life sinks in. If you ever struggle with endlessly scrolling online, comparing yourself to other people and wondering if you're the only one who hasn't got their shit together (spoiler alert: that's definitely not the case!), you're going to get so much out of this episode! Enjoy the show! About Jessica: 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 Things We Talked About: 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 Mentioned: Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Brene Brown Female Lifestyle Empowerment Brand - Kelly Diels Why You Must Do What You Love - Barbara Sher About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When

On this episode of Couragemakers, to celebrate the launch of the Get Shit Done! Brigade, we're diving into 20 ways to Get Shit Done! To get all of the links from today's show and to read the transcript on the blog, click here. To find out more about Get Shit Done! Brigade, visit here! About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers (join the party here!) or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

On this week's first solo Couragemakers episode of 2018, I'm making an announcement and a commitment to you, my lovely Courage-making audience! Keep your eyes peeled for the special 21 Ways To Get Shit Done! episode of Couragemakers coming out tomorrow, and if you want to find out more about the brigade, click here!

Before we begin this week's episode, I want to share something that will be right up your street if you crave a community with like-minded women, want accountability, and need some motivation and cheerleading. Get Shit Done! Brigade is the ultimate online community, coaching and accountability experience and kicks off on 15 February. The brigade is a 30-day online experience where we collectively seriously get shit done. Together we wade through the mud of creative resistance, encourage the shit out of each other and work on the things we've been putting off, for let's face it, WAY too long. You can find out more about the brigade and sign up here. For this week's episode, I am speaking to the absolutely inspiring Christina Thatcher. Christina 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. 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. Christina shares her insatiable desire to learn and what she has learned about generosity and kindness through so many of the community projects she has done, and really putting your skills and strengths out there into the world. We talk about Christina's experience of writing her debut poetry collection which explores what it means to lose a father to addiction and live on, her experience of meeting people at her book tour and starting a conversation about grief and how sharing our own stories can make radical change in the world. Christina also shares fantastic tips, advice and lessons on how to thrive when you are balancing lots of projects and roles (including a great musical metaphor) and the importance of restorative self care and the notion of rest weekends. I am in awe of all of the work Christina does, how she shows up in the world and what an impact she makes. I love Christina's honesty in sharing her journey, own struggles and lessons of finding a work life balance while being a pillar in her community and how much joy and enthusiasm she has for life. Christina's attitude to life is contagious and I know you're going to absolutely love this episode! So, enjoy today's show! About Guest: 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 | LinkedIn Things We Talked About: 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 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

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to episode 77 of The Couragemakers Podcast! I want to begin this episode with a trigger warning. In this episode, we discuss childhood sexual abuse and very briefly suicide. The most important thing is for you to take care of you, so if you need to skip this episode, please do. This week, I had the absolute privilege of interviewing Hazel Katherine Larkin. 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 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. Hazel shares how being a truthteller has been imperative in sharing her own experiences of surviving childhood sexual abuse, great wisdom about telling the truth in stages and the importance of empirical truth. We dive into the nuances of the #MeToo movement: how we have the choice whether we disclose and to who, how it is enough to draw strength from nodding your head with other people coming forward and the importance of believing yourself when it's hard. As Hazel says, one of the most isolating things about sexual abuse is feeling like you're the only one. This episode is a reminder that you are not alone. Hazel shares advice on what to do if you've never disclosed or talked about your experiences and want to start dealing with them, fantastic advice on choosing a counsellor/therapist who works for you and some book suggestions which I've added at the end of this episode. Hazel is a true gift to the world and I am so happy this conversation exists in the world. Hazel says in this episode that her job as a human being is to be the most useful human being she can be and this episode is testament to that. About Hazel: 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 Blog | Twitter | Memoir Things We Talked About: 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 Mentioned: '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

Hello Couragemakers, and welcome to episode 76 of The Couragemakers Podcast! This week I'm chatting to Maggie Minor. Maggie is multi-passionate entrepreneur, sculptor, print-maker, room designer, blogger and author….and 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. Maggie 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. 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. We explore how as women we're taught not to be whole on purpose, what happens when you realise your stories are important, and Maggie's life as a story collector. We also have a great conversation about how to get through hard periods in your life where it feels like you're wading through mud, and the things you learn along the way. There is so much I love about this episode - from Maggie's 'Do You Give A Shit Test' to the way Maggie is so open about what she admires about herself and how interesting her own story is. I know you're going to love this episode as much as I loved our conversation! Enjoy the show! About Maggie: 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 Things We Talked About: 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 Mentioned: Bethany Webster - The Mother Wound The Desire Map - Danielle La Porte Marie Diamond Martha Beck - How to design your home for maximum happiness The Power of Unpopular - Erika Napoletano About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers (join the party here!) or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to episode 75 of The Couragemakers Podcast! This week I'm delighted to be joined by Andrea Owen. Andrea is an author, mentor, and certified life coach who helps high-achieving women let go of perfectionism, control, and isolation and choose 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". 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. We dive into listening to your intuition, the importance defining our values has in our lives, and we challenge the zero fucks mentality and faux positive Pinterest quotes. We also have great conversations about how we get in our own way and what we can do it about it - from people pleasing and numbing out, to isolation and perfectionism. Andrea and I had so much fun during our conversation, and it's just so refreshing to talk about embracing what makes us human and really debunking the fact that no one has their shit together, and we're all paddling like hell underneath! Enjoy the show! About Andrea 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 | Things We Talked About 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 Resources Mentioned: How To Stop Feeling Like Shit - Andrea Owen Codependent No More - Melody Beattie How to find a great therapist and how to get the most out of therapy - Your Kick-Ass Life Podcast About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers (join the party here!) or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

We're back! Happy New Year Couragemakers, I can't tell you how happy I am to be back! If you've been listening for a while, you might have noticed that Couragemakers has been on hiatus since October. The end of last year was a hard one, I lost one of Grandmothers and had a health scare (luckily everything is okay). Taking a break felt incredibly scary - but it was a great reminder that the world doesn't end when you need to take time for yourself and there's no shame in needing time for yourself! So, as I mentioned, Couragemakers is back to its usual Monday schedule! I have fantastic interviews lined up which I know you're going to love, and I couldn't be happier to start the new year off with this wonderful conversation with Amy Parker! Amy is an in-house copywriter and general creative who loves making a mess, 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 is the woman behind HappyPostBox and shares memory-keeping and planner-related posts on Instagram and sells printable planner stickers in her Easy shop. 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. In this episode, Amy 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 We're really dive into starting your year without pressure, how to use your creativity to record life without getting lost in the act of recording your life, perfectionism and liberating our inner people pleaser and treating your future self as a different person. One of the things I love the most about this episode, apart from the fact that both of our cheeks were aching from laughing and smiling during our conversation, is Amy's flexible approach to using a word to guide your year. I love how she sees it as a lens rather than something which you can use to create a rigid plan. I really admire Amy's honesty in sharing the bumps in the road of her Year Of Joy are it's really refreshing to see that her journey wasn't linear, and that you don't have to do it right, or in a certain way. I hope this episode helps take the pressure off and helps you to add more joy to your own life. Here's to a Hopeful, Inspired and Creative New Year! And remember, if you're listening to this episode further along the year, you can start your own Word of The Year journey any time! Now, onto the show! About Amy 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. Etsy | Instagram Things We Talked About: 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 Mentioned: Oneword365 The Life Changing Magic Of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo magic of tidying up The Miracle Morning - Hal Elrod 1 Second Everyday Day App Gretchen Rubin Podcast - four tendencies The Curse of Lovely - Jacqui Marson The Passion Planner Planning Instagram Hashtags: #plannercommunity / #plannergirls About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many st

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to episode 72 of The Couragemakers Podcast! This week I'm chatting to the wonderful mental health blogger Melissa Boyle. Melissa, or Mel as she likes to be known, is a social media executive, the blogger behind Geek Magnifique and the creator of Honey Bee cards - a card range specifically designed to give comfort and reassurance to people who struggle with their mental health. Mel is based in Bournemouth UK and is an unstoppable cat-cuddler who is also partial to the occasional dog. Mel strongly believes that mental health needs to be an honest and open conversation. She is all about breaking down those walls and stamping out stigma, which is why Mel blogs about her own struggles and the experiences she's had. Mel hope that by sharing her journey she can help others to feel less alone. In this episode, Mel and I really dive headfirst into our own mental health experiences. We have a really open discussion about what it's like to struggle with OCD from a young age and Mel shares her journey of seeking support and how it has helped her. Mel shares fantastic advice about reaching out and asking for help, how to maintain friendships when you struggle with your mental health and how to share your struggles and your experiences with others. We talk about the importance of mental health online communities, sharing your good and your bad days honestly and authentically online and and how being a passive observe in supportive online communities can make you feel less alone. We also dive into the importance of looking after ourselves and re-fuelling, setting boundaries and how it only takes one person to open up and create a safe environment. One of the many things I love about this episode, is hearing all about how Mel started sharing about her mental health. The idea of sharing our experiences with others can feel terrifying and overwhelming and we really dive into how you don't need to go from zero to a hundred, how you get to choose who you share with and who to walk away from, and how to make mental health part of the conversation. If you struggle with your mental health, I know you're going to get so much out of this conversation. There aren't enough really honest conversations about mental health and I love what Mel is doing to end the stigma and create an environment where we feel safe to share instead of ashamed and like we have to keep our experiences hidden. Here's to doing things our own way, looking after ourselves and knowing that we're not alone. Enjoy the show! About Mel Melissa Boyle or Mel as she likes to be known, is a social media executive, the blogger behind Geek Magnifique and the creator of Honey Bee cards - a card range specifically designed to give comfort and reassurance to people who struggle with their mental health. Mel is based in Bournemouth UK and is an unstoppable cat-cuddler who is also partial to the occasional dog. Mel strongly believes that mental health needs to be an honest and open conversation. She is all about breaking down those walls and stamping out stigma, which is why Mel blogs about her own struggles and the experiences she's had. Mel hope that by sharing her journey she can help others to feel less alone. Blog | Twitter | Honey Bee Cards | Things We Talked About Our shared experience of struggling with OCD from a young age Sharing openly about mental health - going against the grain and being public about it Advice for people who struggle with their mental health and maintaining friendships Resources Mental Health First Aid Samaritans About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello Courgemakers and welcome to episode 71 of The Couragemakers Podcast. Before we dive into this week's episode, I want to share with you something pretty epic I've been working on lately. So, as you might know from previous episodes where I've shared parts of my story, a big catalyst in my story has been burning out and leaving the nonprofit and activist world. Since leaving that world, I feel like I've been on a huge journey of finding work that sustains me, brings me joy and changes the world at the same time. While I've learned so much during that journey, the biggest [something] that I've come to believe is that we're all capable of finding work we love, that aligns with our values and makes the world a brighter place. And the most important part of that lesson? We each have work that only we can do. In the past couple of years, I've been doing a lot of reflecting. My background is in community development work, activism, one to one client work and working to develop world-changing projects. And I absolutely loved the foundations of that work. I loved working on a grassroots level, I loved bringing projects to life and working with the people behind them, and I loved seeing dreams become reality. But somewhere along the line, the depth of my frustrations specifically with the sector and the internal structures completely blinded me to the parts I loved. And the strangest part was, that the work that I loved? It's never stopped. Whether it's the work I do here on Couragemakers to encourage and rebel-rouse you to do the work you love and find a life you love, the back and forth emails with lovely listeners who are trying to find a way to do the work only they can do, or the massive reams of blog posts, weekly newsletters and heart warming conversations I have - it's become all too clear to see that that work never ended. And I don't think the activist in me will ever go away, even if it is now different than marching on the front lines! So, there's been a question floating around in my head. I wondered: is there a way of properly combining the parts of the work I loved and excelled at, with That Hummingbird Life and Couragemakers? But the base of my question was this: What is the work only I can do, that really sets me on fire? The answer came a couple of years ago, sat in a coffee shop. And it was a pretty bloody obvious answer: how about helping multi-passionate, creatives and fellow dreamers to do the work that only they can do? And that work only they can do? Well, that's their epic shit. Since being in that coffee shop, sketching out the basics of what would become The Epic Shit Sessions, they've developed into a series of sessions designed to help you on every stage of your dream chasing journey. They are now four standalone mentoring/coaching sessions for multi-passionate doers, makers and world shakers who want to want to get their shit rolling, make it happen and generally just get shit done. Basically, taking you from from Ahh I'm drowning under post-it notes, to holy shit I can do it They include a 90 minute brainstorming session to develop and refine your ideas and take you from overwhelmed to shut-the-front-door excitement (aptly named Get Shit Rolling) a 1:1 month long experience for turning your project into an action plan so you can walk away with your creative roadmap called Make Shit Happen and an email accountability service, which will give you the gentle kick up the arse you need to get your show on the road ,which helps you, as the name suggests, Get Shit Done! Oh, and also possibly my favouritely named one 'Fuck This Shit', a 90 minute session designed for creatives with no fucks left to give, to drag your enthusiasm back from its gap year and focus on what really matters and how you can do your work in a way that lights you up as well. Think part coaching, part mentoring and part cheerleading without the cheesy pom-poms, but with the music. Behind the scenes I've been working with clients on these sessions since May and now I'm so excited to officially bring them out into the world! So, just wanted to let you know the latest in my mission to stop dreamshitters and get you doing the work that matters! You can find out more about the sessions by going to thathummingbirdlife.com/epicshit. Now onto today's show! This week I'm thrilled to share with you my conversation with Lara Heacock. I was introduced to Lara by the lovely Jo Casey who's been a previous guest on Couragemakers. I've long been a fan of Lara's work over on the online magazine Kind Over Matter and it's fair to say that we bonded not only over our aligned values but also our shared love of goats! Lara Heacock is an Executive Life Coach based in suburban Philadelphia and She brings a 15 year background in recruiting and leadership, an MBA and a life coaching certification, as well as her experience running an online business. Lara is passionate about empowering professionals to feel more confident, achieve goals and en

Hello and welcome to the last Couragemakers episode of September! I don't know about you, but for me, September is a real back to school kind of month and I love planning and putting things in motion. Behind the scenes I've been working on The Epic Shit Sessions: a series of four stand alone coaching and mentoring sessions for creatives and multi-passionates. They're designed to help you put the work only you can do in the world, and to help you along every stage of the creative journey. I'll be sharing more about them next week, but just wanted to share what I've been up to! What about you? What have you been working on this September? Email me: [email protected] and let me know! Now, onto this week's episode! This week, I'm chatting with the lovely Kaite Welsh. Kaite is an author, critic and journalist. Her work has appeared in various publications from The Times Literary Supplement to Cosmopolitan and she covers LGBT issues for the Daily Telegraph. She is also Books Editor of DIVA. Her short fiction, featuring roller derby, Greek myths and ghosts, has been published in several anthologies and she guest lectures on Creative Writing at universities around the UK. Kaite lives in Edinburgh with her wife, three cats and a lot of books. Kaite is a a devoted aunt, would-be mother, amateur gardener and someone who is trying to define herself by things other than her job and her bylines. In this episode we're diving into how Kaite created her own multi-strand multipassionate career, the process of writing her debut novel and lots and lots of practical things you can do right now to help make decisions, get organised and chase your dreams. We have great conversations about future tripping, the value of self reflection and the friction between who you want to be versus who you actually are. We also chat about spoon theory, mental health, the creative process and arranging your priorities when you have a multi-passionate career. This episode as Kaite would say, is the perfect combination of strategy and woo and I can't tell you how refreshing it is to really get behind the scenes with someone who has intentionally designed a multi-passionate career that fulfils and sustains her. If you're a multi-passionate person who dreams of finding a way to combine your loves to create a life you love, this is the perfect episode for you. Here's to multi-strand careers, relieving the pressure of needing to be a shinier version of ourselves and getting clear on what success means to you! About Kaite Kaite Welsh is an author, critic and journalist. Her work has appeared in various publications from The Times Literary Supplement to Cosmopolitan and she covers LGBT issues for the Daily Telegraph. She is also Books Editor of DIVA. Her short fiction, featuring roller derby, Greek myths and ghosts, has been published in several anthologies and she guest lectures on Creative Writing at universities around the UK. Kaite lives in Edinburgh with her wife, three cats and a lot of books. Kaite is a a devoted aunt, would-be mother, amateur gardener and someone who is trying to define herself by things other than her job and her bylines. Website | The Wages of Sin | Twitter | | Facebook Things We Talked About Kaite's multi-strand career of creativity, supporting other creatives and promoting other people's art Not needing or feeling you need to be a shiny polished version of yourself Becoming aware of your work cycles and energy cycles Mentioned Passion Planner Heroine Training (Xandra Burns) – Passion Planner Tour Sunday Reminders – That Hummingbird Life Get Bullish – Work Life Balance Jen Carrington – Living & Working In Seasons Morning Pages The Creative Introvert Podcast – Getting Shit Done When About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to episode 69 of The Couragemakers Podcast! It is so good to be back to our weekly rhythm, and I have so many wonderful episodes I can't wait to share with you! This week I'm delighted to share with you my wonderful conversation with Zoë Dearborn. Zoë is a creativity teacher, art coach, expressive arts therapist, writer, performer & artist. She holds a Master's in Counseling Psychology and Expressive Arts Therapy and her life's work is developing and teaching her Life As Art philosophy and methodology through her classroom laboratories, writing, songs, drawing, dance, video & design. She is deeply committed to helping humans awaken to their deepest potential and highest purpose and inspiring artists to make their most meaningful and authentic work. Brooklyn born and bred, she now lives off the grid in a homemade desert homestead in Baja, Mexico with her husband and 8 year old son. Zoë's greatest loves include: quirky art rock, dance of all varieties, comedy, improvisation, social practice art, fashion & graphic design, true deep stories, sad songs, mythology & Jungian psychology, children's books, Fisher Price toys, tarot, embracing duality, inspiring documentaries, the open sky, wildflowers, hugs, creative collaborations and elegant theories that connect everything in the universe. In this week's episode, Zoë is sharing her many stories, from growing up wanting to be an actress, starting a rock band, living off the grid and a really important Excel spreadsheet that brought everything full circle. We're talking all about having grit and using rejection as fuel to keep going, how dream chasing happens in cycles and how our dreams grow, develop and change over time, and the importance of connecting to yourself. We're also diving into the power of pursuing secret dreams, replacing passive habits with creative actions and the different phases of creativity. Zoë is a great storyteller, and her open-ness to talk about every stage of her journey is so refreshing and inspiring. This is a great episode to encourage you on your own dream chasing journey, to help you remember your own values and who you are, and to remind you that you get to define yourself as who you want and you don't have to put yourself in a box that society dictates. Enjoy the show! About Zoë Zoë Dearborn is a creativity teacher, art coach, expressive arts therapist, writer, performer & artist. She holds a Master's in Counseling Psychology and Expressive Arts Therapy and her life's work is developing and teaching her Life As Art philosophy and methodology through her classroom laboratories, writing, songs, drawing, dance, video & design. She is deeply committed to helping humans awaken to their deepest potential and highest purpose and inspiring artists to make their most meaningful and authentic work. Brooklyn born and bred, she now lives off the grid in a homemade desert homestead in Baja, Mexico with her husband and 8 year old son. Zoë's greatest loves include: quirky art rock, dance of all varieties, comedy, improvisation, social practice art, fashion & graphic design, true deep stories, sad songs, mythology & Jungian psychology, children's books, Fisher Price toys, tarot, embracing duality, inspiring documentaries, the open sky, wildflowers, hugs, creative collaborations and elegant theories that connect everything in the universe. Website | Online Creative Intensive – October | Instagram | Twitter | Things We Talked About Remembering our own values and who we are The tools of our arts is about communication of human expression Why we need to have an ego - a way of negotiating with the world Being all of ourselves and not cramming ourselves into one identity Resources Mentioned The Happiness Project - Gretchen Rubin Camping Video About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have

Hello Couragemakers and welcome back to The Couragemakers Podcast! It's so good to be back after a summer break! If you've missed Couragemakers during the break, rest assured that the podcast is back and I'll be bringing you ridiculously honest conversations with couragemakers all over the world every Monday. And if you're new here – welcome! If you want a good dose of encouragement and rebel-rousing, real conversations with real people and you want to spend some time in the company of bullshit-free women and great storytelling, you're in the right place! This week I'm so excited to be sharing my conversation with Lea Rice. Lea Rice is the siren-haired, stiletto-clad lady behind Lea Rice Communications. Based in London, Lea is a Digital Marketing Specialist dedicated to changing lives in big and small ways through digital media. Lea does this through working with organisations and individuals to unleash their offerings and find their voice online. Lea spends her time mostly working at her business but also planning how to make her way back into burlesque dancing, wandering around Hampstead in a daydream and watching endless episodes of only Fools and Horses. In this episode, we really getting into the nitty gritty of the hard choices we have to make when chasing our dreams and looking after ourselves and the importance of the stories we don't hear about all the time. Lea shares her journey, from working in a youth charity, co-founding an online magazine and podcast, Unsorry, with an editorial team of thirty women, performing burlesque and starting her own digital marketing business. During our conversation, we're really diving into the trenches and opening the discussion of workplace bullying, and the real behind the scenes of making really difficult decisions. We discuss the pain of having to make a leap in order to save your own life, learning to trust the process, and the importance of sharing the hard bits. We also dive into the importance of seemingly crazy ideas, we flip the normal self care narrative and how ultimately sometimes it takes the hardest days of your life to get to the best ones. When I first discovered podcasts, I was feeling really stuck. I listened on my way to work, and gradually by surrounding myself with people who were living life on their own terms, I came to see that there was more to life and I had options. In all honesty, I wish I'd had this episode when I was going through some shit, to see that you have more power than you know, and life can really change. This episode is going to be food for your soul if you're stuck in a situation that is sucking the soul out of you and you want to know you're not alone. Heads up that in this episode there is a passing reference to suicidal thoughts and assault, so look after yourself. My wish is that this episode gives you hope and helps you to start taking those seemingly batshit ideas and pipe dreams seriously. Enjoy the show! About Lea Lea is a Digital Marketing Specialist dedicated to changing lives in big and small ways through digital media. Lea does this through working with organisations and individuals to unleash their offerings and find their voice online. Lea spends her time mostly working at her business but also planning how to make her way back into burlesque dancing, wandering around Hampstead in a daydream and watching endless episodes of only Fools and Horses. Website | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Facebook Things We Talked About The long term impacts of being in a bad workplace environment We're really diving into the trenches and opening the discussion of workplace bullying, and the real behind the scenes of making really difficult decisions. The importance of seemingly crazy ideas Resources Mentioned The Blurt Foundation Sam Sparrow Unsorry Podcast Unsorry Magazine Get Rich Lucky Bitch – Denise Duffield Thomas The Freelancers Lifestyle Facebook Group Team Two Bees Learning Hive Emma Cossey – Freelance Lifestyle About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to episode 67 of The Couragemakers Podcast! Before we dive into this week's episode, I wanted to let you know that Couragemakers is going to be taking a short break over the summer. Couragemakers will be back on September 4th, and I'm already excited to share the amazing episodes that are lined up! There might be some spontaneous solo shows released over the summer, so keep your eyes peeled! Over the summer, I'll taking a break, sorting out various health issues which have really been draining me and spending lots of time with Mr. Meg! Rest assured, that Couragemakers is absolutely going nowhere! Now, onto today's show! This week, I'm happy to share my conversation with Lily Calfee. Lily describes herself as a foodie, health nut, and journal scribbler who lives in Denver, Colorado. Lily is a baker-turned-nutritionist, a control freak-turned-intuitive eater, and manages her own private practice coaching women who want to experience more freedom and ease with food and their bodies. In this episode, Lily shares her journey, from being a creative and going to art school to opening a bakery and later becoming a nutritionist and using creativity to redirect self criticism and as a way to help people with their health. We really dive into the relationship between creativity and self respect, setting intentions instead of goals and the importance of how we speak to ourselves in our head. We have a great conversation about the problem with the word deserving and really explore how our economy runs off of women believing they are not enough, so it is an act of radical bravery to claim your own worth AND want to make a bigger impact. Just to give a quick heads up that a very brief reference to sexual assault is mentioned during this episode around the six minute mark. I love how Lily blends art, creativity, food and health and I loved hearing her own creative journey and how it has led her to where she is today. Creativity can be such a tool for change and this conversation is a great reminder to explore ways to use your creativity to heal yourself. Enjoy the show and see you in September! About Lily Lily is a creative health coach and describes herself as a foodie, health nut, and journal scribbler who lives in Denver, Colorado. Lily is a baker-turned-nutritionist, a control freak-turned-intuitive eater, and manages her own private practice coaching women who want to experience more freedom and ease with food and their bodies. Website | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Facebook Things We Talked About Lily's journey, from being an artist to creative a bakery in rural Vermont, then finding nutrition and working as a women's creative health coach The importance of how we speak to ourselves The problem with the word deserving How looking after yourself is radical About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello lovely Couragemakers, and welcome to episode 66 of The Couragemakers Podcast! This week I'm excited to be sharing my conversation with Mary Ann Clements. Mary Ann is founder of Jijaze: a community supporting women to replenish and take care of themselves as they work to change the world. She is also the co-host of the Change Making Women podcast with Ziada Abeid; A Tanzanian broadcaster. Originally trained as an anthropologist she has many years experience in International Development as a leader and grant maker. She's also a storyteller, podcaster, writer, connector, #nia teacher, action learning facilitator and shadow work coach. She co-founded both The Story Party and the Red Tent Directory. Her work is all about bringing women together to make big change happen in the world. In this episode, Mary Ann shares her journey as a change making woman, from her background in the international development and women's sector, to burning out and creating a community for change making women. We really dive into how self care and self replenishment needs to be sustainable, how working harder doesn't mean working better, and how you can change the world without exhausting yourself, and how in fact, that's counter-productive. We debunk a lot of myths win the episode, including taking your self worth out of your usefulness and productivity, giving yourself permission to spend your resources on yourself and flipping this narrative that self care has to be earned. We also have a great conversation about the change-making world, systemic inequality and patriarchy and how we don't all have the same starting line. I love Mary Ann's mission, and I find her views on making a difference and playing the long game so refreshing in a world that glorifies burnout and working to exhaustion as a badge of honour, and that success comes quickly. This episode is a great reminder that it's okay to use some of your resources on you, in fact, the world would be a better place if you did. It's also a much needed reminder that building things that have a very real impact and have a sustainable structure take time to build, and that's okay. I know you're going to love this one! Enjoy the show! About Mary Ann is founder of Jijaze: a community supporting women to replenish and take care of themselves as they work to change the world and co-host of the Change Making Women podcast with Ziada Abeid a Tanzanian broadcaster. Originally trained as an anthropologist she has many years experience in International Development as a leader and grant maker. She's also a storyteller, podcaster, writer, connector, #nia teacher, action learning facilitator and shadow work coach. She co-founded both The Story Party and the Red Tent Directory. Her work is all about bringing women together to make big change happen in the world. Website | Podcast | Twitter | | Facebook Group Things We Talked About What Mary Ann does to light herself up Taking your self worth out of your usefulness and productivity, and giving yourself permission to spend your resources on yourself How sometimes we need more resilience and commitment to ourselves than we ever thought possible About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello Couragemakers! This week I'm chatting to the joy that is Rachel Shillcock. Rachel is an award-winning designer + photographer hailing from Manchester, UK. Rachel runs Rachilli, an online creative studio dedicated to helping creative entrepreneurs build more powerful brands + businesses, aligned with their values + purpose. Rachel is a fellow INFJ and a proud geek, obsessed with all things designy, patterns, and her two dogs, Storm and Jasper. In this episode, we're really diving into the topic of stepping out as your authentic self. Rachel shares her journey from starting her own web design business to using her values to make decisions and create a life that works for her. We discuss the power of focusing on our strengths, how we can create our own self validation and our own ideas of success, as well as how we can stop comparing ourselves to others and own what makes us unique. Rachel shares how her life has changed since opening up about her chronic illness and taking her mask off, her definition of what changing the world means and how authenticity and excitement are huge parts of her journey. In this episode we really focus on living and working in accordance to your values. Rachel shares how she found her values, uses them as lens to make decisions, and fantastic advice on how to find your own values. This is such a fun, practical episode, and I love how Rachel shares her behind the scenes and her process of finding things that work for her. This is a great episode for anyone who is tempted to take their own mask off and needs a bit of courage, for anyone who struggles with self doubt and wants a new way of viewing their work, and for anyone who strives to be more authentic in all that they do. I had so much fun chatting to Rachel, we seriously got the giggles before the show, and I'm just really excited to share our conversation! Enjoy the sho About Rachel is an award-winning designer + photographer hailing from Manchester, UK. Rachel runs Rachilli, an online creative studio dedicated to helping creative entrepreneurs build more powerful brands + businesses, aligned with their values + purpose. She helps entrepreneurs find flow + consistency in their creative business, through visual branding, purposeful web design, and powerful brand strategy. Rachel is a fellow INFJ and a proud geek, obsessed with all things designy, patterns, and her two dogs, Storm and Jasper. Website | Twitter | Instagram | Creative Market | Products Things We Talked About How Rachel's life started to change when she started to be more open How Rachel integrates her values with her everyday life and uses them as a decision making tool Rachel's experience of opening up about her chronic illness and taking off her mask Changing the world and the ripple effect Resources Calm app Macklemore – "Freedom is acknowledging the mask you have on and possessing the strength to take it off" Mary Ann Radmacher – "Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow." About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to episode 64 of The Couragemakers Podcast! I am so excited about this week's podcast episode and I'm so happy to share with you my conversation with Deb Dane. Deb is a New York City girl who married an English man and settled in Australia. Along with 14 house moves they have found their way to life with two teen daughters and two female rescue dogs. After 20 years away from creative pursuits Deb started dipping her toes back in, and had a creative reawakening and reconnected to her creativity. Deb writes on her blog Inner Compass Designs about following your own path in life, taking care of your own needs and living an authentic life. She is passionate about helping women give themselves permission to follow their heart and intuition, know their own power and self-worth, and know that they are never alone. Her art, wall hangings and jewelry all bring these ideas to life so you have reminders of your story and your journey to where you want to go and who you want to be. In this episode, Deb shares her journey of reconnecting to her creativity after twenty years and many sliding door moments that have led her to where she is now. We dive into so many great topics in this episode. We debunk a lot of creative myths, from doing what gives you pleasure vs what you're good at, the myth that anything you do has to have a return in financial investment, and this idea that we alone struggle with feeling like a fraud. Deb shares the really great community art challenges that brought her back to her creativity, why we should take care of ourselves first as opposed to doing it only if we have some extra time, and the psychological elements of owning a creative business. We have great conversations about future tripping, the links between creativity and expectations and how we probably all need to plan a little less! I am so happy to be sharing this conversation, because I think it touches on so many of the struggles so many of us face as creative women who want to leave their mark. I absolutely love Deb's approach to creativity, her honesty in what behind the scenes often looks like for creatives and I love how her passion and compassion shines through all she does. I know you're going to love this episode! Enjoy the show! About Deb Dane is a New York City girl who married an English man and settled in Australia. Along with 14 house moves they have found their way to life with two teen daughters and two female rescue dogs. She writes on her blog Inner Compass Designs about following your own path in life, taking care of your own needs and living an authentic life. She is passionate about helping women give themselves permission to follow their heart and intuition, know their own power and self-worth, and know that they are never alone. Her art, wall hangings and jewelry all bring these ideas to life so you have reminders of your story and your journey to where you want to go and who you want to be, Website | Instagram | Newsletter Things We Talked About Deb's journey to reawaken her creativity after twenty years Creating for the sake of enjoyment and pleasure The time it takes to make a creative business profitable and taking the pressure off your art Giving yourself permission to walk your own path Resources Mentioned Elizabeth Gilbert Jessica Brogan's International Card Deck Swap Index Card a Day Project (ICAD) About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to episode 63 of The Couragemakers Podcast! This week, I am so overjoyed to share with you my conversation with Zee Southcombe. Zee is a children's author, illustrator & fine artist who approaches all her work with vigour and imagination. Zee works to promote other artists, especially young creatives, through collaboration, workshops, encouragement, and publishing opportunities. When not making stuff, Zee can be found with a cup of tea and a good book, planning her next creative adventure, or out for a walk in the beautiful forests of Aotearoa. In this episode, Zee shares her journey, from teaching, to making a huge personal decision to start writing and choose her creativity. We talk about the importance of giving yourself permission, how fear and self doubt affects every creative, even the ones you couldn't imagine struggling with self doubt, how creativity can help your mental health and the power of making your work deep and personal. We have great discussions about creativity and making a difference in the world, the importance of little big moments and taking a more strengths based approach to life. Zee shares how she takes the pressure off her work, how she's learned to deal with comparing herself to others, and the importance of boundaries when putting yourself out there. Zee has fantastic advice for anyone wanting to put themselves out there, and great practical wisdom for anyone who has creative dreams but feels held back by fear and self doubt. This episode is fantastic for all creatives, no matter where you are on your creative journey. I think there is such a need in the world for really honest discussions about putting yourself out there and overcoming self doubt, and I'm so happy to add this one to the mix! Enjoy the show! About Zee Zee is a children's author, illustrator & fine artist who approaches all her work with vigour and imagination. Zee works to promote other artists, especially young creatives, through collaboration, workshops, encouragement, and publishing opportunities. When not making stuff, Zee can be found with a cup of tea and a good book, planning her next creative adventure, or out for a walk in the beautiful forests of Aotearoa. Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Shop Things We Talked About Zee's decision to become a writer and be creative The importance of feeling like you're making a difference How being open about her creativity has helped Zee's mental health What gives Zee the courage to put herself out there Zee's advice for anyone who has creative dreams but feel held back by fear and self doubt. About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello Couragemakers! It's so good to be back after a week's break, and I know you're going to love this episode! This week I'm chatting with Nikki Sinay Torres. Nikki is a certified Kaizen Muse Creativity Coach, US Army Master Resilience Trainer, Army wife and former FRG leader, mom of two teenage girls with Cystic Fibrosis, self-employed mural artist, and Main Muse at Serendipity Creative Coaching Services. Nikki describes herself as a blend of Lucille Ball, Frida Khalo, a Mermaid and Mr. Bean, which I think you'll agree, is very accurate. Nikki runs creative resilience workshops and retreats, and The Unsinkable Creative Society Art Camp for teen girls in North Carolina, as well as working one to one online with creatives. During this episode, Nikki shares her journey from being the weird girl in school, to the mother of two daughters with cystic fibrosis, a self employed mural artist and creative resilience coach. We really dive into how creativity has helped Nikki deal with everything life throws her, how she gives herself permission to react to situations and how creativity helps us to slow down and problem solve. We talk about how important it is to find your strengths and focus on them, dealing with the reality of things versus our expectations and how getting creative is one of the five scientifically proven things you can do to calm yourself. At the end of the episode, Nikki shares a fantastic exercise you can use to help build you creative resilience and I know it's one I'm going to be using time and time again! This episode is a fantastic and much needed reminder for all of us creatives, that creativity is important, that it's anything but frivolous and essential to both our wellbeing and the world. I know you're going to love Nikky's storytelling and sense of humour! Enjoy the show! About Nikki Nikki Sinay Torres. is a certified Kaizen Muse Creativity Coach, US Army Master Resilience Trainer, Army wife and former FRG leader, mom of two teenage girls with Cystic Fibrosis, self-employed mural artist, and Main Muse at Serendipity Creative Coaching Services. Nikki runs creative resilience workshops and retreats, and The Unsinkable Creative Society Art Camp for teen girls in North Carolina, as well as working one to one online with creatives. Nikki describes herself as a blend of Lucille Ball, Frida Khalo, a Mermaid and Mr. Bean, which I think you'll agree, is very accurate. Nikki has a very exclusive offer of a 30 minute coaching session for Couragemakers, for $25. To take advantage of her offer, you can find Nikki's email below: Email | Facebook | Things We Talked About Nikki's journey, from being the weird girl in school, to the mother of two daughters with cystic fibrosis, self employed mural artist and creative resilience coach The importance of art in the healing process How creativity can help us slow down and problem solve A fantastic exercise to help you build your creative resilience. Resources Mentioned The Nine Modern Day Muses and the Body Guard by Jill Badonsky Kaizen Muse About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello and welcome to episode 61 of The Couragemakers Podcast! This week I'm chatting to Michelle Madrid-Branch and we're really diving into claiming our own identities and owning our stories. Michelle is an author, speaker, life wellness coach, and global advocate for women and children, living in Santa Barbara, CA, with her husband, children , three dogs and a bunny. Michelle advocates on behalf of women and children who are marginalized and left feeling isolated in our society. Michelle is happiest when using her life journey in an effort to serve others and help others rise up from their pain. She is currently in the process of writing her fourth book. In this episode, Michelle shares her journey, from being born in the UK and placed in the foster care system to being adopted by an American family and learning to untangle labels she had been given and finding her own identity. We really explore the power of owning your story, moving beyond past stories that keep us stuck and changing our lens so we can start to reclaim our lives. Michelle shares what inspires her to work with and advocate on behalf of children without families and the lessons she has learned along the way. She also shares how she has found that every one of us is uniquely qualified to bring something positive into the world, and invites listeners to explore their own unique strengths and gifts. We also have a great conversation about how forgiveness can free us and take us out of our own prisons and how sustainability is key when it comes to building a life you love. This episode is a great reminder that you do have the courage to find your own identity, and to own that identity because no one can give it to you. I loved hearing Michelle's story and how openly she shares about how she found the courage to find the magic in the mess and be who she is. I know you're going to love this episode. Enjoy the show! About Michelle Michelle is an author, speaker, life wellness coach, and global advocate for women and children. She is the author of Adoption Means Love: Triumph of the Heart, The Tummy Mummy, and Mascara Moments: Embracing the Woman in the Mirror. Michelle lives in Santa Barbara, CA, with her husband, children , three dogs and a bunny. Michelle advocates on behalf of women and children who are marginalized and left feeling isolated in our society. Michelle is happiest when using her life journey in an effort to serve others and help others rise up from their pain. She is currently in the process of writing her fourth book. Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Things We Talked About What Michelle has learned since she has realised her unique strengths and has started to bring them to the world How Michele found the courage to own who she is The beauty of imperfection and the miracles from the mess Resources Mentioned Tony Robbins Mascara Moments About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to another wonderful episode of The Couragemakers Podcast! This week I'm so happy to share with you my conversation with Rebecca Thering. Originally from Wisconsin, USA, Rebecca has lived in Spain, South Korea, and most recently France. She's a fan of snail mailing, writing, taking wander walks, slow travel, creating, unplugging, minimalism, and enjoying everyday moments. Taking life a moment at a time, she's following her personal compass and the light of Alexandra Franzen and Candace Rose Rardon to see where she ends up next! In this episode, Rebecca shares her story, from living abroad teaching english to her personal sabbatical and creating a personal compass. In this episode were really dive into what it means to live by your values, how to leave your mark and the importance of thanking people who have made an impact on you. We have great conversations about bringing more humanity to the internet, disconnecting and taking time to reflect as well as the power of following your curiosity. It's also full of much needed reminders to all of us – to take the time to thank people who have made a difference to our lives, to catch the small moments and to remember that we will never know the full extent of the impact that we make or who we're inspiring. I had so much fun chatting to Rebecca and I know you're going to get so much out of this episode. Rebecca has so many stories and so much practical advice and I know her real life examples will help you add more intention and courage into your own life. Be sure to check out Rebecca's free printable How To Make A Personal Compass zine to make your own personal compass! (Link is in the show notes) We'd love to see what's on yours! Here's to being messy, imperfect and complicated humans! Enjoy the show! About Rebecca Originally from Wisconsin, USA, Rebecca Thering has lived in Spain, South Korea, and most recently France. She's a fan of snail mailing, writing, taking wander walks, slow travel, creating, unplugging, minimalism, and enjoying everyday moments. Taking life a moment at a time, she's following her personal compass and the light of Alexandra Franzen and Candace Rose Rardon to see where she ends up next! Blog | Medium | Twitter Things We Talked About The importance of thanking people, and how being thanked can make a huge difference Disconnecting and giving yourself more head space Living with intention and capturing the small moments Rebecca's take on changing the world and leaving your mark – it's all in the small things! Resources Mentioned How To Make A Personal Compass Moment Catcher Oh No She Madridn't Personal Compass Rebecca's Atheist coming out story Alexandra Franzen HelpX Wwoof International About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello there and welcome to episode 59 of The Couragemakers Podcast! This week, I'm excited to share my conversation with Eva Jannotta. Eva is a social media marketing entrepreneur in Washington, DC and founder of Simply Put Strategies. Her mission is to use social media to create and nurture relationships between brands and their fans by telling the brand story and featuring new products – with an emphasis on supporting sustainable clothing brands. Eva loves to read novels, listen to oldies music, cook, and organize stuff. She is an aspiring minimalist and zero-waste-er. In this episode, Eva shares her entrepreneurial journey, how she deals with uncertainty and the paradox of both striving for newness and adventure as well as a routine. We really dive into what it means to work online, how we sometimes wish we could be card-carrying adults and how we can start turning our shoulds into coulds. We have a great discussion about how we 'perform' work and the pressure we put on ourselves, how moving forwards and often feel like we're moving backwards and how to turn down the noise online. This is a great episode if you struggle to deal with the busy-ness and noise of the online world, if you need a reminder that you have all the answers you need inside you and if you want to find a way to enjoy your work more. I love the theme of self compassion that runs through Eva's work and her general approach to life. Eva has great advice for anyone starting to put themselves out there, and how intuition can pay a huge part in doing that. I know you're going to love this one! Enjoy the show! About Eva Eva Jannotta is a social media marketing entrepreneur in Washington, DC and founder of Simply Put Strategies. Her mission is to use social media to create and nurture relationships between brands and their fans by telling the brand story and featuring new products – with an emphasis on supporting sustainable clothing brands. Eva loves to read novels, listen to oldies music, cook, and organize stuff. She is an aspiring minimalist and zero-waste-er. Website | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Instagram Things We Talked About Listening to your intuition and the importance of having time to think The power of turning your shoulds instead of coulds How moving forwards can sometimes feeling like you're moving backwards How we don't need advice, we know what to do Resources Mentioned Sarah Dale Brené Brown – The Power of Vulnerability About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to episode 58 of The Couragemakers Podcast! This week I'm thrilled to share with you my wonderfully honest conversation with Jo Casey. Jo Casey is a certified coach, speaker, trainer and coach mentor. In addition to being British, Jo is slightly nerdy and allergic to the marketing bullshit in the coaching industry. Jo specializes in helping coaches do the self-development work needed to thrive in the online world, get more clients and build sustainable, honest businesses - all without resorting to the darks arts or sleazy marketing tactics. Jo's patronus would be Lesley Knope and Maya Angelou, Stephen Fry, Trevor Noah, Caitlin Moran and Tina Fey are among the many guests Jo would invite to her fantasy dinner party. This episode is all about undoing the messy reality of being a woman and all the challenges that come with being visible and putting yourself out there. Jo shares her journey from being the first in her family to go to university, burning out in the workplace, being a coach for the past 17 year and bringing politics and feminism into her business. We really dive into what it means to show up as a woman, and how we can break free from what Jo calls feminine conditioning - this notion that we have to keep ourselves small and play the part of the good woman. We have so many great discussions about digging your heels in and demanding better as women, the courage it takes to bring your big picture and politics into the work you do and how we are all creating ripples without even knowing it. We also talk about what it means to be genuinely authentic online and how sharing your struggles can be a source of inspiration. This episode is essential listening for every woman looking to stop apologising for the fact she exists, for every woman who wants to embrace the messier, complicated bits of life and for every woman who is sick of the bullshit. Jo is a huge source of inspiration to me - she has been a great mentor to me and it was so good to sit down and really put the world to rights. Enjoy the show! About Jo Jo Casey is a certified coach, speaker, trainer and coach mentor. In addition to being British, slightly nerdy and allergic to the marketing bullsh*t in the coaching industry, she's certain that succeeding as female entrepreneurs means violating every single message that's been poured into us about what it means to be a 'good' woman. Jo specializes in helping coaches do that self-development and unlearning work, get more clients and build sustainable, honest businesses without resorting to the darks arts or sleazy marketing tactics. Jo's patronus would be Lesley Knope and Maya Angelou, Stephen Fry, Trevor Noah, Caitlin Moran and Tina Fey are among the many guests Jo would invite to her fantasy dinner party. Website | Podcast | Twitter | Things We Talked About Jo's journey of becoming a coach How we can all advocate for showing the messier sides of bit of human The 4 things you need for a sustainable business Bringing feminism and politics into your work and your message Resources Mentioned Your Kickass Life - Andrea Owen How To Be a Woman - Caitlin Moran Gary Vaynerchuk About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello and welcome to Episode 57 of The Couragemakers Podcast! This week, it is my pleasure to have a good chat with Emily Scott. Emily is a storyteller and artist. She writes paranormal fantasy fiction featuring rebellious protagonists dedicated to knocking down their boundaries. Like any good California girl, she loves the beach and believes she should have been born a mermaid. In this episode, Emily shares her creative process, from how she began writing as a child purely as a way to communicate and be understood, to how she writes, finding inspiration and plots her novel. We really dive into coming to terms with your own natural process, honouring the way you do things and turning down the noise of what everyone else thinks you should be doing. We have a great chat about the relationship between money and art, and how we can view art as something we need to support instead of expecting it to support us. We also dive into what Emily calls re-writing her realities - examining different parts of your life and what you think you should be doing, compared to what would work for you and how important this is. Emily shares an excellent practical exercise for anyone who struggles with people pleasing and saying yes to themselves. This is a wonderfully honest and practical episode and essential listening for any creative struggling to give themselves permission to do it their own way, and for anyone who needs to say a huge yes to themselves for once. Emily is a joy to chat to and I'm so excited to share our conversation. Enjoy the show! About Emily Emily Scott is a storyteller and artist. She writes paranormal fantasy fiction featuring rebellious protagonists dedicated to knocking down their boundaries. Like any good California girl, she loves the beach and believes she should have been born a mermaid. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram Things we talked about Emily's journey of becoming an author The issue of passion vs money and being willing to support art instead of asking art to support you Saying yes to yourself and putting boundaries in place A great exercise to start seeing what saying yes to you would look like Things mentioned during today's show Big Magic - Elizabeth Gilbert About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello and welcome to episode 56 of The Couragemakers Podcast. I'm so happy to be back with another solo episode of Couragemakers! I'm in the process of planning how these episodes can become a regular thing alongside the regular interviews, so stay tuned! As for now, they're going to be pretty spontaneous and on the fly! This week, I'm diving into the myth of reinventing yourself. I'm sharing my own stories of falling into the trap and what I learned along the way. It can be so tempting, and it's so understandable to want at times to be a whole new version of you, but in this episode, I'm diving into why you're enough just the way you are. Things Talked About During This Episode: How I completely missed the irony of Mean Girls aged 13 Why you can't just take yourself out of your story The problem with chasing mythical versions of yourself About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to episode 55 of The Couragemakers Podcast! This week, I couldn't be more excited to share with you this episode with Monica Wisdom Tyson Monica is a St Louis woman and describes herself as an analog girl in a digital world. She is a Chief Storyteller and Visibility Strategist, teaching the elements of a great story and ways to amplify a story to communities and believes that your story is power. Generation X and a self confessed Trekkie, Monica loves live music, long conversations and travelling around the world meeting people where they are. During this episode, Monica really honestly shares her story, from dealing with a difficult childhood, struggling with depression, going on a spiritual journey, travelling the world and her various different careers including being a cosmetologist, interviewing celebrities and director of operations for several magazines. We really dive into the genius of imagination, being careful about what you feel your soul and how naps are seriously underrated. We talk about embracing the darkness as well as the light, being still and just how important our dreams are. This episode is great source of inspiration if you're dealing with dreamshitters, if you're struggling to engage in a positive way in a space of chaos and if you need the courage to own and share your story. It's also a great episode if you need reminding of just how much power you do have. Monica is the living definition of what it means to really own your story and release yourself from shame and start living your life. There will be laughter and there will be tears, and I know you're going to get so much from this beautiful episode. Enjoy the show! About Monica Monica is a St Louis woman and describes herself as an analog girl in a digital world. She is a Chief Storyteller and Visibility Strategist, teaching the elements of a great story and ways to amplify a story to communities and believes that your story is power. Monica believes storytelling is as essential to our lives as breathing. It is how we learn, grow and evolve. Stories have shaped every part of our growth whether it is a song, book or the wisdom of our elders. We are cultivated by stories through our listening and our learning. Stories not only connect us with our audience but release the vulnerability within ourselves. Generation X and a self confessed Trekkie, Monica loves live music, long conversations and travelling around the world meeting people where they are. Website | Instagram | Periscope | Facebook Things We Talked About Monica's story and how she has learned to accept and share her story The importance of being careful about how we feed our soul How we forget to dream because we are living other people's versions of us and how we were told how to live our life What happened when Monica shared her story – even the parts she felt shame about – with a close friend Resources Mentioned Thrive – Arianna Huffington Dr. Caroline Fuqua The Power Woman Success Society About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello and welcome to episode 54 of The Couragemakers Podcast. This week I'm so excited to be sharing with you the very first solo episode of The Couragemakers Podcast! I'm looking forward to releasing them on a regular basis but rest assured - the Monday interviews aren't going anywhere! On that note, Couragemakers is taking a very short break next week and will be back on 17th with a beautiful episode I know you're going to love! This week I'm diving into one of my favourite topics: creative resistance. I'm going to be sharing what obsessing over successful creative's routines taught me (spoiler alert - not a lot!) and how you already have so much of what you need inside you! I hope you enjoy this solo episode of Couragemakers! I'd love to know what you think of this format and any questions/topics you'd like me to cover! Let me know on Twitter or via email: meg [at] thathummingbirdlife.com Have a wonderfully creative and inspiring week and see you soon! Questions Asked During Today's Show What time of the day do you feel more inspired? What do you feel the urge to do? It doesn't have to make sense What motivates you? Why do you want to do the work/create what you want? Do you like typing or handwriting ideas? Do you work better with music? Does the environment make a difference to you? If so, what helps? What's one thing you can do this week to turn down the noise and do the work? About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to episode 53 of The Couragemakers Podcast! This week I'm so excited to share such a practical episode with the joy that is Melissa Steginus. Melissa is a self-care advocate and coach with a lifelong desire to promote self-empowerment. A woman of many curiosities, she's constantly seeking new ways to blend her background in social work with her interest in entrepreneurship and teaching. She's spent the past five years exploring roles in counseling, behavioural therapy, business operations, teaching yoga, network facilitation, magazine coordination, and more Melissa is working on her first book, Self-Care Action Plan: A Practical Guide to Personal Growth, and when she's not at her keyboard, you can find Melissa hiking, climbing, daydreaming of dogs, and exploring her home on the Canadian west coast. In this episode, we're really getting down to the nitty gritty of self care - why we need it, how to make it consistent and how self care and courage overlap. Melissa shares how a question someone asked her while in South Africa changed everything, what she has learned about self care while travelling and how routines are the backbone to a life of intention. We have a really great discussion about how routines can be something that we want to turn away from and rebel against as multipassionates and creatives but ultimately how they help us really chase our dreams. We also talk about consuming content online, turning down the bullshit and focusing on action instead. This is such a fantastic, practical episode and I find Melissa's take on self care so refreshing. Self care can often be a pretty fluffy topic, leaving you with no idea how to start working on yourself, but this episode proves the opposite of that can definitely be true! You're going to want to take notes on this one! Enjoy the show! About Melissa Melissa Steginus is a self-care advocate and coach with a lifelong desire to promote self-empowerment. A woman of many curiosities, she's constantly seeking new ways to blend her background in social work with her interest in entrepreneurship and teaching. She's spent the past five years exploring roles in counseling, behavioural therapy, business operations, teaching yoga, network facilitation, magazine coordination, and more! Throughout this constant ebb and flow, her purpose has remained the same: help others live fulfilling lives rooted in self-care and meaningful growth. She's thrilled to be working on her first book, Self-Care Action Plan: A Practical Guide to Personal Growth, which centers on breaking down buzzwords and cliches to create purposeful, long-lasting action. When she's not at her keyboard, you can find Melissa hiking, climbing, daydreaming of dogs, and exploring her home on the Canadian west coast Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram Things We Talked About Melissa's journey to becoming more creative and how self care came to be a huge part of her life The importance of taking action when you consume content online How important routines are for creatives and multipassionates, even though we like to resist them Taking the world off your shoulders and becoming human About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello lovely Couragemakers and welcome to episode 52 of The Couragemakers Podcast! This week I have a fantastic episode for you, but before we get started, I just wanted to share a bit of Couragemakers news! Next week I'm going to be releasing the first ever Couragemakers solo episode. I've been wanting to do solo episodes for a while now, and I'm so excited to be bringing them to the world. They're going to be short and sweet 10-15 minute practical episodes that I know you're going to really love. If you have any topic ideas of questions you'd like me to answer, send me an email: [email protected] and you may well see a solo show come out on that very thing very soon! Now, onto today's show. This week I'm interviewing the lovely Fran Day. Fran is a theoretical physicist at Oxford and a stand-up comedian. Her research involves using X-ray telescope observations to search for signals from new particles. Fran's comedy tackles topics ranging from science to feminism. She performs around the UK and last August took her solo show, Physics Fan Fiction, to the Edinburgh Fringe. Fran loves creativity and communication in all forms - from the lab to the stage. I mean, wow. In this episode, Fran shares her journey of combining science and comedy, how and why she started stand up comedy and the lessons she's learned along the way. We really dive deep into how Fran has combined two seemingly polar opposite passions, the logistics of how she makes time for both and how to mange being a multi-passionate person. We have so many great conversations in this episode, from how Fran uses a pretty scientific approach to overcoming setbacks, how she has come to own all of the different aspects of herself and recognise how they fit together, to how Fran embraces uninstagrammable self care. Oh and we also talk about making money from passions as well! I know you're going to love this episode - Fran is so honest and practical and this is the perfect episode for multi-passionates who are wondering how on earth to make time for their passions, wondering how they can creatively combine them, and for anyone needing a reminder that life is pretty fucking exciting because you get to choose how you present yourself and do things only you can do. I know you're going to love this one, so enjoy the show! About Fran Fran Day is a theoretical physicist at Oxford and a stand-up comedian. Her research involves using X-ray telescope observations to search for signals from new particles. Fran's comedy tackles topics ranging from science to feminism. She performs around the UK and last August took her solo show, Physics Fan Fiction, to the Edinburgh Fringe. Fran loves creativity and communication in all forms - from the lab to the stage. Website | Twitter Things We Talked About How Fran made the decision to become a stand up comedian How you can make time for your passions, and how you can combine then The relationship between passions and money Fran's screen-free Sundays Resources Giving What We Can Science Oxford PBH Free Fringe Edinburgh Fringe Festival About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to episode 51 of The Couragemakers Podcast! This week I am delighted to share with you my conversation with Katie Snyder. Katie is a unconventional creative who is based in Atlanta. She oversees and runs her photography business she started at 18, while on the road, tour managing indie electronic band, Paper Lights. Katie is the owner of Wildfire Company, which was created to help musicians and other artists in a variety of facets, including management, booking, and social media. She enjoys teaching and mentoring about creativity and is currently working on her first book on this topic. In this episode, Katie shares her journey from starting her photography business at the age of 18 and how she decided to start over and pursue different passions as a thirty something. Katie gets really vulnerable about her creative adventures and how she keeps herself inspired, how lonely the experience of being a trailblazer can be, and taking creative leaps of faith. I absolutely loved hearing all about Katie's life, how she finds time to write her book on the road, and how much honesty she has in sharing her journey. I really enjoyed chatting about the non-glamorous side of things that sound very glamorous and how much guts it takes to go against the status quo even when no one around you gets it. If you often feel alone in creating your own path, if you want to feel really inspired to take your own risks and if you want to hear the very real adventures of a trailblazer, this is absolutely the episode for you! Enjoy the show! About Katie Katie Snyder has owned & operated a photography business since she was 18 years old. During this time, she has been responsible for documenting hundreds of events and humanitarian projects around the world. She now oversees and runs this business from the road, while tour managing indie electronic band, Paper Lights. She also owns The Wildfire Company, which was created to help musicians and other artists in a variety of facets, including management, booking, and social media. She enjoys teaching and mentoring about creativity and is currently working on her first book on this topic. Follow her journey on the road in #RudolphtheRedAdventureVan Email | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Things We Talked About How Katie started a photography business when she was 18 and how she made it her livelihood What Katie's life looks like out on the road, managing and touring with Paper Lights How Katie keeps herself inspired and keeps self doubt away Katie's beliefs about creativity Resources Paper Lights: on Instagram About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello there and welcome to episode 50 of Couragemakers! This week I'm chatting to the lovely Nicki Rochead. Nicki is the founder of The Magpie Maker, is a a Blue Peter Girl, Craftaholic & Creative Magpie who lives just outside of Winchester in the UK. She believes that creativity is essential to living a whole-hearted, healthy life, but for many adults it's a much-neglected and intimidating skill. The Magpie Maker provides craft activities for adults that generate confident creativity in easy and inspirational steps This week we're really diving deep into creativity, which is one of my favourite topics and I know you'll be itching to make something by the end of the show! In this episode, Nicki shares her creative journey, from working as a teacher to starting her own business; creating wonderful spaces for people to practice craft and learn new skills. Nicki shares how creativity has played such a huge role in helping her manage her depression and anxiety, the insecurities we often face when putting our work online and how to create a space in your life for creative daily practice. We really debunk the myth that creativity is only for certain people, dive into how our own self doubt plays a part in making us doubt our own creativity, and Nicki shares some great practical advice for anyone wanting to add more creativity into their life. I absolutely love what Nicki is doing, and how open she is about the links between creativity and mental health. Nicki shares some really practical stuff for anyone who also struggles with their mental health and wants to start making space for creativity to help them. This is a great episode if you're creatively blocked or thinking about starting a creative project but can't drum up the courage, if you're also a maker and want a behind the scenes look at the life of a creative business owner, and is fantastic inspiration for just giving it a go and showing up. I know you're going to love this episode just as much as I do! Enjoy the show! About Nicki believes that creativity is essential to living a whole-hearted, healthy life, but for many adults it's a much-neglected and intimidating skill. The Magpie Maker provides craft activities for adults that generate confident creativity in easy and inspirational steps. Customers then take this approach and apply it to their own situations. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Things We Talked About The renaissance inspiration behind Magpie Maker Nicki's journey from being a burnt out teacher to living a life of creativity How creativity has helped Nicki with her depression and anxiety Nicki's advice for creating space for daily creativity Resources The Renaissance Soul by Margaret Lobenstine The Handmade Fair Brene Brown Paper Panda About Meg & That Hummingbird Life 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to episode 49 of The Couragemakers Podcast! This week I'm talking to the wonderful, inspiring and hilarious Vana Feliciano. Vana Feliciano a pint size poet, painter, podcaster and planeteer. Deeply obsessed with alliteration and all things cerulean blue, she is the founder of The Quiet Brave, a lifestyle community for the consciously courageous and Quiet Brave Radio a podcast that explores the practice of being a conscious woman. Vana believes in community over criticism and that fumbles and fuck ups are essential to building a fairy tale life. In this episode, Vana shares pivotal moments in her journey which led her to creating a movement for conscious women making courageous journeys called The Quiet Brave. She shares how getting in a car crash led her to question how she wanted to live her life and do something more, and how her life changed as a result. We really dive into how the most powerful thing we have is this moment right now, the importance of slowing down and using your experiences not to lecture, but to give people an alternative. This is a fantastic episode for anyone wanting to make the world a brighter place, for creative business owners or aspiring creative business owners who want to find an alternative to hustling and appearing perfect, and for anyone who struggles with future tripping and wants to start living more in the moment. Vana is a fantastic storyteller and I know you won't help but get caught up in her life story and feel like you're right there with her. One thing in particular Vana said has stuck with me ever since we recorded this episode, which is: who do you show up as when no one is watching. I know you're going to feel seriously inspired by the end of this episode. Be sure to check out her podcast The Quiet Brave Radio which launches next week - her pre-launch episode already gives me the tingles! Enjoy the show! About Vana Vana Feliciano a pint size poet, painter, podcaster and planeteer. Deeply obsessed with alliteration and all things cerulean blue, she is the founder of The Quiet Brave, a lifestyle community for the consciously courageous and Quiet Brave Radio a podcast that explores the practice of being a conscious woman. She believes in community over criticism and that fumbles and fuck ups are essential to building a fairy tale life. Website | Podcast | Instagram Things we talked about Vana's multipassionate journey from ballerina, public relations, health coach and time management coach. How being in huge car crash changed everything for Vana in an instant How learning about climate change led to a huge shift in Vana's life Vana's advice for anyone wanting to live more in the moment Resources Texas Style Camp B School Quiet Brave Radio About Meg & That Hummingbird Life '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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way!

Hello Couragemakers! It is SO good to be back, I've missed you all! So much has happened in the last 3 weeks - That Hummingbird Life has been completely relaunched as the online home for creatives, multi-passionates and couragemakers who want to own, live and share their stories. I'm so excited with this direction - it's something I've been feeling for the past couple of years but have only been able to really put into words since starting Couragemakers! Be sure to check out the new site - it's full of bullshit-free resources, a really fun blog archive where I may or may not have got a bit carried away with gifs and just loads of really cool shit I think you're going to love. But focusing now on this week's episode. For the anniversary episode, I wanted to do something a bit different and go a bit more behind the scenes, so the tables have been turned and Mr. Meg is interviewing me for my own episode. So without further ado, I'm going to pass you over to Mr. Meg! Hello and welcome to this week's episode of Couragemakers. I'm Mr Meg, aka Jack. This week things have been shaken up a bit, and the special guest is none other than Meg herself. During this episode I sit down with Meg and dive more into her story, the journey of Couragemakers and That Hummingbird Life so far and the reality of owning, sharing and living your story. We discuss the importance of sharing your story, everyday courage, reclaiming the word selfish and much more. I also ask Meg who she'd like to play her in a documentary of her life! As for me, I've learnt that it's a lot more difficult to interview someone than you may think, especially when it's your own bloody fiance. But on a more serious note, I remember when Meg pitched the idea of her podcast to me, with the idea of telling stories of everyday courage, I felt like she'd struck gold. The stories of people that may not yet have been told, that need to be heard was one that struck a chord with us. It's bizarre and fantastic to be here a year on, in a strange meta situation, me interviewing her for her own podcast. I hope you enjoy the interview, and learn a lot more about Meg and the way that brain of hers thinks. Meg always likes to suggest you grab a tea or a hot chocolate, but I'm more of a coffee man myself, so go with whatever takes your fancy today, and enjoy the show! Things we talked about during the show: A behind the scenes look at Couragemakers so far and the inspiration behind the podcast The importance of sharing your story and practical advice on starting to share your story Why everyday courage is so important and resonates so much Reclaiming the word selfish and standing up for yourself as a woman Who Meg would like to play her in the documentary of her life About Meg & The Couragemakers Podcast Meg is 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. When I'm not recording episodes, writing bullshit-free, very vulnerable and encouraging Sunday emails to fellow couragemakers or making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life. THL is the online home for unconventional creatives and multipassionates who want to show up unapologetically and intentionally as who they are, and really own, live and share their many stories. It's made for couragemakers who have so much great shit to give the world and want to leave their mark but have too much self doubt standing in the way! That Hummingbird Life | Twitter

Hello Couragemakers, and welcome to episode 47 of The Couragemakers Podcast! Before we begin this week, I just wanted to let you know that the podcast is going to be taking a 3 week hiatus, while I completely revamp That Hummingbird Life and get 2017's episodes up and running! I am so excited for the guests that I have already booked for this year and we have some real corkers coming up! If you fancy yourself as a guest, you can apply online by visiting thathummingbirdlife.com/apply. Couragemakers will be back on the 27th February with a special first year anniversary episode which I'm still slightly shitting myself about! Roles are going to be reversed as Mr. Meg is going to be interviewing me for my own Couragemakers episode. I have absolutely no idea what he has planned but if you have any questions you'd like me to answer, please send an email to [email protected] (and if you put Mr. Meg in the subject line, i promise not to look!) I might be putting some solo episodes out between now and then, but if not, now is a great opportunity to look through the past episodes and uncover some real gems and rediscover some old favourites! Whew. Now onto today's show. This week I'm speaking to Heather Jabornik. Heather is an East Coast writer, hope-raiser, and dream chaser based in Southern California. Heather is the founder of Hiya Tootsie!, and fragrance line Candy Ass. Heather is a lover of spoken word poetry, rock and roll, glitter, and gunmetal and a self confessed fangirl of Tom Waits. In this episode, Heather shares her journey, from working as a missionary in the porn industry to founding a website and perfume that inspires women to go after their dreams. She shares her journey from reaching complete burnout, to finding work that sustains her own wellbeing as well as other people's. We dive into the vulnerability of putting yourself in the public eye, how we can sometimes hide behind our need to help others and how stepping into fear changes everything. This is a great episode if you're looking to find work that breathes life into yourself, not just other people and if you have or are experiencing burnout and want to start building a different life to yourself. It's also a great episode if you're scared of putting yourself out there as a work in progress but want to do it anyway. Heather is really open about her own experiences of burnout and the boundaries she had to create to live a life that felt good to her. I loved hearing about the power of going back to our own creativity and how Heather is working to help other women follow their dreams too! Enjoy the show! About Heather Heather Jabornik is an East Coast writer, hope-raiser, and dream chaser based in SoCal. She is the founder of Hiya Tootsie!, a platform for badass dream chasing broads, and Candy Ass, a fragrance line that reminds those badass dream chasers to GO KICK SOME ASS! You can connect with Heather here: Website | Candy Ass | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Things we talked about during today's show Heather's journey from working as a missionary to founding Hiya Tootsie and creating Candy Ass How we tend to keep our dreams smaller as women The fear of putting yourself into the world Vulnerability and sharing your process in public view Heather's burnout journey Books/Resources etc mentioned during today's show Daring Greatly - Brené Brown Rising Strong - Brené Brown On Blogging: A Decade Later - Gala Darling Find out more and download the Couragemakers Manifesto here If you have any question about today's episode, any comments or would like to be a guest on Couragemakers, get in touch: [email protected] About Meg & That Hummingbird Life I'm Meg and I'm the host of Couragemakers and founder of That Hummingbird Life. I started this podcast 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. When I'm not recording episodes and making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life, sending free bullshit free reminders to hundreds of women every Sunday and helping my clients build brands they love as a graphic designer. That Hummingbird Life | Twitter | Pinterest |

Hello Couragemakers, and welcome to episode 46 of The Couragemakers Podcast! I can't tell you how excited I am to share this episode! This week, I'm speaking to The Gratefulist founder, Wendy de Jong. Wendy is a recovering perfectionist from the Netherlands, and she's on a mission to help fellow soul-connected yet stressed-out creatives embrace their perfectly imperfect selves. She's a book-oholic, a homemade pizza aficionado, and driving around in her bright red convertible car is her latest guilty pleasure. In this episode, we're diving really deep into the topic of perfectionism. Wendy shares her experiences, growing up a straight A student, struggling with being a people pleaser and how it led to her becoming stressed out and reaching rock bottom. And how learning to practice gratitude helped a whole new world open up and let Wendy take control of her life. We talk about the stories we tell ourselves and how they often work to keep us small, the dangers of relying on outside validation and how your world really does start to change when you make the daily choice to start showing up in the world. Wendy has fantastic advice for anyone struggling with perfectionism, gives us a behind the scenes look at her own practices and is a real shero for anyone looking to work on their own perfectionism - no matter how comfortable or addictive it feels. I love the work Wendy is doing over on her website The Gratefulist and I loved hearing more about what inspired her to start it and how her own relationship with perfectionism has changed. If you struggle with people pleasing, being a perfectionist and if the negative voice in your head feels like it's stuck on repeat, you're going to get so much out of this episode. I love how open and vulnerably Wendy shares her journey so to help other people with their own journey, and this episode is a real act of courage. Enjoy the show! About Wendy Wendy de Jong is a recovering perfectionist on a mission to help fellow soul-connected yet stressed-out creatives embrace their perfectly imperfect selves. She's a book-oholic, a homemade pizza aficionado, and driving around in her bright red convertible car is her latest guilty pleasure. You can connect with Wendy here: Website | Online Community | Twitter | Instagram | The #perfectionismproblems series | Things we talked about during today's show Debunking myths that surround perfectionism and how perfectionism isn't real How practicing gratitude has changed Wendy's life What inspired Wendy to start The Gratefulist The dangers of relying on outside validation Wendy's advice for anyone struggling with perfectionism Books/Resources etc mentioned during today's show Daring Greatly - Brené Brown Quiet Revolution - Susan Cain The #perfectionistproblems series Find out more and download the Couragemakers Manifesto here If you have any question about today's episode, any comments or would like to be a guest on Couragemakers, get in touch: [email protected] About Meg & That Hummingbird Life I'm Meg and I'm the host of Couragemakers and founder of That Hummingbird Life. I started this podcast 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. When I'm not recording episodes and making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life, sending free bullshit free reminders to hundreds of women every Sunday and helping my clients build brands they love as a graphic designer. That Hummingbird Life | Twitter | Pinterest |

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to episode 45 of Couragemakers! This week I'm talking to the wonderfully honest Meaghan Gallant. Meaghan is a holistic health coach, freelance writer, and virtual assistant. She is the creator behind Invoking Joy, an anti-thesis to the diet industry because she believes feeling GREAT doesn't have to be hard and it certainly doesn't have anything to do with the number on the scale. When she's not in front of a screen you can find her on a yoga mat, scribbling in her planner or with her nose stuck in a book. In this episode, we're talking really openly, honestly and vulnerably about depression and struggling with your mental health. Meaghan shares her journey of training to be a health coach while struggling with depression, how she manages her depression and the blame we put on ourselves when we try something new and it doesn't work. We talk about how the online world is great at showing the good things, and the glittery part of self improving, but not so great at showing failure that doesn't come with a happy ending, or the messy and complicated parts of working through your shit. We dive into how euphoric happiness isn't sustainable, how trusting her intuition has led Meaghan to a life with more possibilities that works for her and Meaghan shares fantastic advice for anyone listening to struggles with their mental health and finding their light. This episode is a great reminder that it's not your obligation to shrink or fit into other people's boxes, and that there really is hope even if you don't feel it right now. I've been excited to put this episode out for a while now because it's one of the most honest and hopeful discussions about depression that I have seen online. Meaghan's honesty is really refreshing, and I don't think there will be a dry eye in the house by the end of the episode. As someone who struggles with depression, I find this episode so hopeful, so healing and it's a great reminder that you're not alone and you can find your own light. ABOUT MEAGHAN Meaghan is a holistic health coach, freelance writer, and virtual assistant. She created Invoking Joy to be an anti-thesis to the diet industry because feeling GREAT doesn't have to be hard and it certainly doesn't have anything to do with the number on the scale. When she's not in front of a screen you can find her on a yoga mat, scribbling in her planner or with her nose stuck in a book. You can connect with Meaghan here: Invoking Joy | Website | Instagram | Twitter THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT DURING TODAY'S SHOW Meaghan's journey to becoming a health coach, and how she does things differently Meaghan's experience of struggling with depression How we blame ourselves when easy solutions don't work instead of looking at the cause Meaghan's advice for people listening who struggle with their mental health and finding the light BOOKS/RESOURCES MENTIONED ON TODAY'S SHOW Sarah Wilson - I Quit Sugar FIND OUT MORE AND DOWNLOAD THE COURAGEMAKERS MANIFESTO HERE If you have any question about today's episode, any comments or would like to be a guest on Couragemakers, get in touch: [email protected] ABOUT MEG & THAT HUMMINGBIRD LIFE I'm Meg and I'm the host of Couragemakers and founder of That Hummingbird Life. I started this podcast 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. When I'm not recording episodes and making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life, sending free self care checks ins to hundreds of women every Sunday and helping my clients build brands they love as a graphic designer. I've just come back from a 3 month road trip of the US with Mr. Meg and the future looks exciting!

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to episode 44 of Couragemakers! This week I'm talking all things feminism, mental health and body acceptance with Rose Marie Gold. Rose is the the founder of Body Image Guru and is an activist for Fat Acceptance, Health At Every Size and Intersectional Body Image Education. She lives in Seattle, Washington and graduated with a bachelors in Marriage and Family Counselling, Psychology and Gender Studies from Central Washington. In this episode, Rose shares her journey from being told by people she loved and teachers that she would never pass high school, to graduating with a bachelors, and how she came to embrace her experiences and founded Body Image Guru. We get vulnerable about what it is to experience life as fat people, how we're not always taken seriously as women, and what you can do to develop your own confidence and have a better relationship with your body. We dive into the topic of spoon theory and chronic pain, how Rose practices self care, and how her own relationship with her body has changed since starting Body Image Guru. Also, a quick heads up that this episode briefly mentions sexual assault and self harm. I really love the work Rose is doing, and it's so necessary in the world. This episode really reminds me of the quote: In a society that profits from your self doubt, liking yourself is a rebellious act' and I think this episode and Rose's work go a long way in starting that rebellion and reminding you that you're not alone. About Rose Rose Marie Gold, aka "The Body Image Guru", is the founder and creator of BodyImageGuru.com. She is an activist for Fat Acceptance, Health At Every Size & Intersectional Body Image Education. She graduated with her Bachelors in Marriage and Family Counseling, Psychology and Gender Studies from Central Washington and lives in Seattle, WA. Rose runs a ground breaking website dedicated to body image resources and articles she has been encouraging radical changes in body image for over half a decade.​ She has most recently been interviewed by Choose Life Warrior on her youtube series, Amrie Defrates of Defrates Nutrition and as a plus size model on reality show The Fashion Hero. You can connect with Rose here: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Things we talked about during today's show How Rose came to start Body Image Guru and what she has learned working with women on their bodies The reality of life as a fat woman How communities can be instrumental in realising that we're not alone and no matter what we're experiencing, someone else has too. Books/Resources etc mentioned during today's show Bad Feminist - Rozane Gay Find out more and download the Couragemakers Manifesto here If you have any question about today's episode, any comments or would like to be a guest on Couragemakers, get in touch: [email protected] About Meg & That Hummingbird Life I'm Meg and I'm the host of Couragemakers and founder of That Hummingbird Life. I started this podcast 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. When I'm not recording episodes and making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life, sending free self care checks ins to hundreds of women every Sunday and helping my clients build brands they love as a graphic designer.. That Hummingbird Life | Twitter | Pinterest |

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to the first episode of 2017! So, I have a huge love hate relationship with the start of the new year. I love getting out new notebooks and writing down my dreams but I hate the bullshit around feeling like we have to change everything about who we are. And that s why I'm so excited to share my episode with Elin Lööw. Elin is a writer and artist who set out to face her creative fears in 2016 with her Fear Year project. A project I absolutely adore, and I know you'll be inspired to do by the end of this episode. Elin now helps fellow creatives find the courage to go after their dreams too. Elin is a self confessed twenty-something creative weirdo living and she lives Sweden with her boyfriend Petrus and our two cats Pysen and Alice. In this episode, we really dive into Elin's creative journey - from being a freely creative child to losing track of her creativity when she felt she had to be the best and how she came to embrace her creativity again. We have a really honest conversation about many of the struggles creatives face, from self doubt and fear to joy and trust. Elin shares the inspiration behind her Fear Year project - a project to identify, challenge and work on her fears in 2016. She shares what her project looked like in practice and fantastic advice for anyone wanting to start their own Fear Year. We really explore how Elin's way of measuring her creative successes has changed, how her creative process has evolved and how Elin's Fear Year really explored the connection between creativity and bravery. We talk about how important identity is to our creativity, how important it is to bring what we want to the world, not just what other people want and just how lethal combination of pressure and perfectionism is to our creativity. This episode is perfect if you're a creative and you're looking to get more brave with your creativity in 2017, if you feel creatively blocked and are desperately in need of some inspiration, and if you're intrigued about the idea of the Fear Year and want to start your own! Elin has so much practical advice for fellow creatives who feel scared to start or continue and really helpful and compassionate advice for anyone looking to get back to their creativity! Elin's episode is the perfect start to 2017 and I hope you get as much out of our conversation as I did! Be sure to listen all the way to the end to hear an update on Elin's Fear Year! You can read Elin's update on her blog here. Enjoy the show! About Elin Elin Lööw is a writer and artist who set out to face her creative fears in 2016. Now she helps fellow creatives find the courage to go after their dreams too! She is a self confessed twenty-something creative weirdo living in Sweden with her boyfriend Petrus and our two cats Pysen and Alice. You can connect with Elin here: Website | Fear Year Project | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest Things we talked about during today's show How perfectionism and pressure stopped Elin creating and how she learned to re-discover her creativity The good things that hide behind your fears Elin's Fear Year - a year long project to tackle her creative fears Advice for if you want to get back to your own creativity and start your own Fear Yer, Books/Resources etc mentioned during today's show Linchpin - Seth Godin Find out more and download the Couragemakers Manifesto here If you have any question about today's episode, any comments or would like to be a guest on Couragemakers, get in touch: [email protected] About Meg & That Hummingbird Life I'm Meg and I'm the host of Couragemakers and founder of That Hummingbird Life. I started this podcast 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. When I'm not recording episodes and making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life, sending free self care checks ins to hundreds of women every Sunday and helping my clients build brands they love as a graphic designer. I'm currently on a 3 month road trip of the US with Mr. Meg but normally based in the UK. That Hummingbird Life | Twitter | Pinterest |

Hello Couragemakers and welcome to the last episode of 2016! Next week we're taking a short one week break for the holidays, and then we're back on January 2nd with a corker on an episode to start the new year on a great foot! This week I have a fascinating interview for you, with forensic psychologist Julia Langley. Julia is from the UK and in her spare time, can be often found on her sofa watching YouTube videos to distract her from the impending doom of handing in her PhD thesis, doing the occasional yoga class, and writing In this episode, Julia shares her journey to becoming a forensic psychologist, by the way of studying drama, running workshops in a women's prison and being a support worker for people who struggle with drug and alcohol addiction. We really get into how to look after yourself when you spend a lot of time supporting other people, tangible ways to avoid burnout and finding a lifestyle that makes you thrive and how tricky and scary it is redefining relationships in our personal lives to they work for us. We really dive deep into the topic of boundaries and creating honest and healthy relationships in our lives, the parallels between how we help other people and our own lives, and just how important it is to figure out what kind of a person we are. I loved chatting about the crossovers between mental health and the arts, how multipotentiality is changing the way we think about the future and practical ways we can top ourselves up after giving so much of ourselves to the world. This is a fantastic episode if a lot of your life is dedicated to helping people, if you have a tendency to put other people's needs in front of your own and if you struggle with imposter syndrome. Julia shares great advice for establishing boundaries with the people in your life, and the scary issue of redefining relationships when they're feeling toxic. I absolutely love this episode and how open and honest Julia is about her journey. I love how she shares her learning curves along the way and how she is so open about her own challenges when it comes to feeling responsibility over other people. Julie's journey is really inspiring and it's so great to hear how she's balanced putting great shit into the world while looking after herself at the same time. I know this episode is a much needed one, so enjoy the show! About Julia Julia is currently training to be a forensic psychologist. In her spare time, she is often found on her sofa watching YouTube videos to distract her from the impending doom of handing in her PhD thesis, doing the occasional yoga class, and writing. Julia is very mindful of the balance between maintaining privacy due to her work, and voicing her opinions on subjects that she's passionate about. You can connect with Julia here: Blog | Email | Instagram Things we talked about during today's show Burnout in the giving professions- and the balance between your responsibility for someone else and their responsibility for themselves The fear and vulnerability of creating boundaries Julia shares her journey to becoming a forensic psychologist, by the way of studying drama, running workshops in a women's prison and being a support worker for people who struggle with drug and alcohol addiction. The importance of listening to yourself and using the support around you Books/Resources etc mentioned during today's show Six Pillars of Self Esteem - Nathaniel Brandon Find out more and download the Couragemakers Manifesto here If you have any question about today's episode, any comments or would like to be a guest on Couragemakers, get in touch: [email protected] About Meg & That Hummingbird Life I'm Meg and I'm the host of Couragemakers and founder of That Hummingbird Life. I started this podcast 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. When I'm not recording episodes and making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life, sending free self care checks ins to hundreds of women every Sunday and helping my clients build brands they love as a graphic designer. I'm currently on a 3 month road trip of the US with Mr. Meg but normally based in the UK. That Hummingbird Life | Twitter | Pinterest |

Hello lovely Couragemakers! This week I'm speaking with the wonderful Simi Botic. Simi is a corporate attorney-turned-health-coach and she helps women nourish and nurture their bodies and lives, so they can live FULLY. Simi is obsessed with coffee, beach vacations, and the 90s and is passionate about helping women get un-stuck! In this episode, Simi shares her journey, from being a corporate attorney believing she was made to be a box ticker, to finding work that lights her up and brings to much joy to her life. I loved getting to know more about the work Simi does, and chatting about how to give yourself validation and appreciation if you work for yourself. In today's show, we really dive deep into choosing yourself and giving yourself permission to explore the things that make you happy. We have so many great conversations about saying no, being brave and reevaluating where you're at and following the things that you think might make you happy even if you have no idea where they'll lead. We also explore importance of boredom, the glorification of busyness and how giving ourselves space to get to know ourselves is one of the most important things we can do. This episode is such a powerful reminder that we have so much to offer the world in terms of our ideas, our passions and our insights and our lives would change so much if we started saying yes to ourselves. This is a fantastic, practical episode and Simi has so much great advice for anyone struggling with how to say now and people who struggle with being a people pleaser. I loved chatting to Simi and our conversation put a massive smile on my face. Simi is so honest and her story is so relatable and I know you're going to get a lot from today's episode. Enjoy the show! About Simi Simi Botic is obsessed with coffee, beach vacations, and the 90s. A corporate attorney-turned-health-coach, she helps women nourish and nurture their bodies and lives, so they can live FULLY! Simi is passionate about helping women get un-stuck, ditch diets, reconnect with their internal voice, and discover their powerful intuition — in both their body and life. You can connect with Simi here: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Free Breaking Up With Binges Video Series Things we talked about during today's show Simi's journey from being an attorney working in corporate healthcare to becoming a coach helping women live life to the full How there's no such thing as failure, only feedback The importance of having hard conversations with yourself about the kind of life you want to live The ripple effects of honouring yourself Giving yourself permission to explore things for your own happiness Find out more and download the Couragemakers Manifesto here If you have any question about today's episode, any comments or would like to be a guest on Couragemakers, get in touch: [email protected] About Meg & That Hummingbird Life I'm Meg and I'm the host of Couragemakers and founder of That Hummingbird Life. I started this podcast 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. When I'm not recording episodes and making new friends with the wonderful guests, you can find me working on all manners of magic over at That Hummingbird Life, sending free self care checks ins to hundreds of women every Sunday and helping my clients build brands they love as a graphic designer. That Hummingbird Life | Twitter | Pinterest |