This week we are for the very first time exploring the intersection between self-defense and personal development where Jennifer Cassetta joins me on the podcast! Right when I saw her on social media I was immediately drawn to her work, have since saved all of her videos on self-defense, and watch them periodically, on repeat. 

Jenn is the author of The Art of Badassery: Unleash Your Mojo With Wisdom of the Dojo (love the title!), where she talks about the lessons learned in martial arts and applies them to level up your mind, body and spirit. In her book and during our conversation, she teaches how to turn your setbacks into secret weapons.

She is also a nationally recognized speaker, empowerment coach, and self-defense expert. Equipped with her 3rd-degree black belt in HapKiDo, Master’s degree in Nutrition, and health coaching certification, she develops programming that helps people feel strong, safe, and powerful from the streets to the boardroom. 

We cover:

• Whether or not the popularity of true crime has helped or hurt us in terms of safety in our lives (7:09)
• Walking with power and purpose is one of the most important features of safety (8:45)
• What women should look for when they sign up for a self-defense class (13:54)
• Jennifer walks us through the chapters of her latest book including learning how to embrace the suck, bounce back, and find your roar (17:37)

http://andreaowen.com/472

We are switching gears on the podcast and entering our next theme all around self-care. This particular group of interviews is a mix of the many different ways to take care of someone very important in your life: YOU!  Paula Jenkins returns to the show to kick off the series with a conversation about how to bring more joy into our lives. 

Fittingly, Paula is on a mission to spread more joy in the world. She is a podcast producer and certified life coach, and the author of Jump Start Your Joy: Heart-Centered Ways to Find Joy in the Messy Middle.  

We cover:

• What Paula means when she talks about, "finding joy in the messy middle." (7:15)
• How following joy changed Paula’s life completely, after getting a diagnosis of post partum PTSD (12:28)
• What it looks like when someone chooses joy (20:29)
• Paula describes what it’s like being a trained labyrinth facilitator (what?!) (35:23)
• The different types of joy, including "Bed in a Bag" versions of joy and what they have to teach us (25:30)

http://andreaowen.com/471

Hello friend! 

As we round out the theme of spirituality and creativity, I’ve recorded a quick minisode on what it means to think critically about our spiritual beliefs. 

When you were young, were you given the opportunity to think critically about your beliefs? If you were handed beliefs (i.e., “this is just how things are around here, there are no other options”), do you feel grounded, safe, and solid in them? 

I round out the short episode with a website where you can take a quiz on what you believe in terms of “the spirit world”, and it will give you what religion you most closely align with. It’s fun :) 

Lastly, today, August 19th is the LAST DAY to join us for The Daring Way Retreat! Hop on over to the info page and/or message us to book a call with me to see if this is the right retreat and curriculum for you. 

http://andreaowen.com/470

Roxan McDonald joins me to share how spirituality can help with creative writing and how to live what she calls, “Spiritual AF” life. Roxan is another amazing human I found on TikTok and I am happy to share her work with you today! 

For those new to Roxan, she is a writer, workshop facilitator, podcaster, and coach who has dedicated herself to helping people find their voice both on the page and in their lives. She currently leads writing groups and personal development retreats, and co-teaches with Ellen Bass at Esalen Institute and 1440 Multiversity.

We cover:

• Roxan’s meaning of spirituality is aligning self with thoughts, actions, beliefs, and values (7:25)
• Writing as a spiritual practice and how it can help your creativity as a writer (14:25)
• The transformative and therapeutic nature of writing (25:13)
• What is at the core of the spiritual creative overlap (33:40)
• Roxann has a playlist of videos on TikTok about not being nice. She shares her thoughts about women being nice and what she means when she says “Polite protects predators.” (38:12)

http://andreaowen.com/469

*Before we jump into today’s episode, I want to remind you that we have a few spots left for The Daring Way retreat and that registration closes August 19th!*

Sarajane Case is on the show this week to talk about the enneagram and self-care. If you’ve heard people talk about enneagram or reference their enneagram type and were curious what it all means - this episode breaks it all down. We also explore how the enneagram encourages growth, discuss productivity, as well as, define some ways to honor your strengths. 

Sarajane is an author, podcaster, and speaker who uses the enneagram to help people find a creative balance between self-care and productivity. 

We cover:

• Enneagram: what it is, the nine types, and why it is important to know your type (4:43)
• How the enneagram encourages growth through curiosity and compassion vs. discipline and restriction (11:20)
• Rest: The true purpose of productivity is the path to rest not the opportunity to produce more (23:20)
• Why it’s important to have a loving, tender, and intimate relationship with yourself (27:37)
• Sarajane talks about “The honest method,” which helps you honor your strengths, explore your contribution to relationships, and so much more (30:38)

http://andreaowen.com/468

As we continue the podcast themed around spirituality and creativity, and I found myself moving furniture around in my living room, it made me think about my own creativity. Was I taking the time to be creative just for fun; outside of work? The answer was…not really! 

So, I recorded this minisode to chat about it with you, read a little bit of The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown, and challenge you to prioritize creativity this week. 

http://andreaowen.com/467

*Before we jump into today’s episode, I want to remind you that we have a few spots left for The Daring Way retreat and that registration closes August 19th!*

This week we are exploring deconstruction, creative expression, and spirituality with guest David Hayward. This is the first time we are covering topics like deconstruction and dogma on the show and I hope you find this episode informative and perhaps even a bit healing. 

After 30 years as a pastor, David left his ministry to focus on his work as the Naked Pastor (he’s not literally naked, well, you’ll see). He believes that questions are the answer to authentic growth. It’s why he uses words and images to challenge the status quo, deconstruct dogma, and offer hope for those who suffer under it.

We cover:

• Deconstruction: what it means, how it feels, and how you can have deconstruction in many areas of your life (5:54)
• What spiritual abuse looks like (11:38)
• The importance of accepting the fact that we are free and autonomous (18:46)
• Advice for those who are questioning their spiritual beliefs and/or living with dogmatic fear (31:30)
• David talks about using creative expression as a form of healing (36:00)

http://andreaowen.com/466