podcasting - who knew we could do it?
Podcasting (Mindful Mavens) for the past 2 + years with my friend, Anja, has been a wonderful and humbling experience. Anja is a massage therapist, owner of Facilitated Wellness in Boulder and an amazing human. She is also an avid gardener, crafter, potter, former stage actor, and loves to share inspiring quotes. We have worked together for 13 years at Facilitated Wellness and noticed early on that our conversations tended to consistently inspire and intrigue us, serving ourselves and our clients by exploring relevant topics with lenses of compassion, humor, and wellbeing. With that frame of mind at the forefront, when we each considered launching a podcast, combining our efforts felt like a natural extension of our “water cooler conversations” we had been having for many years. We decided to give it a go.
We laugh (at ourselves) a lot on the podcast, we talk about subjects that are health and wellness oriented (most of the time) and occasionally veer into bread making, delighting in cat antics, and uplifting/positive-psychology-influenced rants. What we don’t tend to discuss is politics. It’s challenging to live in this world of strong opinions, varied versions of truth and reporting, and so many important issues, perspectives, interpretations, and approaches to this journey of being human. That does not mean we have no opinions about happenings in the world nor are we in denial about the big issues. We both love people, love this Earth we live on, and care deeply about the wellbeing of all beings. Yet we choose to focus on the little details of being alive that have been supportive of our own day-to-day experiences with the hope that our conversations and our interviews with others are equally supportive to our listeners. There is plenty of intense news out there, but at the Mindful Mavens we try to be “mindful” of the ways we can contribute with uplift, encouragement, normalizing of the healing journey after an injury or life challenge, and just showing up with a nod toward our mutual belief in the basic goodness in the average Josephine or Joe.
Recording each week in the little sound studio at Made Life Creative in Boulder is a bit surreal because we are just two simple humans who decided to “do a thing” and then somehow keep it going, 130 episodes and counting. We marvel that most podcasters don’t make it past episode 6. Lucky for us we have enjoyed our collective tendency toward curiosity, kindness, and the capacity to popcorn around different topics. We discuss books, podcasts, people, movies, (and once in a while a composite/anonymous client or friend’s story) that have made a difference in our lives, in our thinking and observing and appreciating of what is possible and what is worthy of reconsidering. We have also had several guests on the show, discussing everything from mindfulness, medical aid in dying, the books they have authored, and/or ways they show up that encourage us to be brave and/or adventurous in this big, beautiful world.
If you are wanting to “do a thing” and you wonder how or why or when, maybe allow yourself to be influenced by the brilliant Nike (Greek goddess of Victory) add campaign and JUST DO IT. And if you want to talk with someone about your blocks and hesitations, therapy and coaching are a great way to support yourself on your journey.
Also, finding a friend who is smarter than you, willing to navigate the logistics, and show up with incredible kindness and a sense of humor as you learn the ropes, is recommended. Thanks, Anja!
