Art Creativity & Wellbeing

Today we discuss mechanisms for choosing our mindset, especially during challenging times. In this episode I introduce a question that’s been really helpful for me: “What would help me return to center after witnessing all of this?” This question helps me recognize when I’m trying to control circumstances beyond what I can actually control, and bring my focus instead to centering practices, like d...

Today I am here with Kathryn Nicolai , creator of the wonderful sleep podcast Nothing Much Happens , the amazing mindfulness podcast First This , and the lively and delightful podcast Stories from the Village of Nothing Much . Kathryn'new book, On the Street Where You Live , comes out next month, in July 2026. Here is her Instagram , a great place to see what’s going on with Kathryn and her creati...

A reflective one today. I am getting to be a facilitator at the Rebels for Peace Summer Internship Program , and in this episode I give you a little bit of what I'll be bringing to them. Questions for reflection: 1. What do I like, what do I enjoy doing? 2. What's an example of a time that I showed courage, even just a tiny amount? 3. How is this thing that sucks, a gift? I'd love to hear – drop m...

I'm excited to bring you today's deep, beautiful, very warm and loving conversation. Today's guest, Mheena Bhasin , is a violist, mother of two and Pleasure Activist living in Noe Valley, San Francisco. Her work centers the arts as a vital part of civic life and community wellbeing. Mheena feels deep gratitude for her life, her family and her community. She has co-created a concert series with her...

I’ve been on retreat, and I learned lots.. sharing with you today. Here’s what the Zoom Summary had to say about today’s episode, I think it’s pretty spot-on. Kay shared her experience taking a week-long digital detox, disconnecting from the internet entirely to immerse herself in a retreat-like experience reminiscent of 1987. During this time, she discovered how frequently she relied on the inter...

May has been a wild ride! I take you into it today. Also, THERE ARE SOME SWEARS.. fyi :) Nuts and Bolts * Read about – and play along at – the Days of Creation 2026 game (that this episode is about) by clicking here . * Here is June’s workshop signup link , and you can find out more about it here * I’m offering online workshops throughout 2026, and an in-person retreat here in Maine in September -...

I am soooo excited to bring you this conversation, a Roundtable with the Rebels for Peace leaders! Here’s how Zoom summarized the conversation… In this Roundtable, Rebels for Peace Prince Jimmar , Logan Griggs-Mitchell , Devlin Chestang and Melina Navarette explored the concept of peace and its impact on their personal and professional lives, sharing their experiences before and after joining the...

Today I’m speaking with Melina Navarrete , Lead Facilitator, Lead Bilingual Facilitator, and Lead Trainer for Rebels for Peace . I am SO excited to share this one with you! Here is how Zoom summarized our conversation, I think it did a pretty good job.. Melina shared her personal mental health journey, including struggles with depression and anxiety during high school, hospitalizations, and how sh...

Get ready for a quickie meditation today! I take you to your very own beautiful deserted island, and we spend the majority of this episode exploring there. If you'd like to explore some more, you are cordially invited to this Monday's workshop, That Time You Found Yourself on a Deserted Island : In a lovely spot on the island you’re hanging out on, you find a letter that the Universe wrote to you....

As we go through this magical series of conversations with the leaders of the Rebels for Peace, I just keep feeling more and more inspired… Hope you enjoy this one! Here’s the Zoom summary… In this heartfelt conversation, Kay interviewed Devlin Chestang , the Lead Youth Facilitator at Rebels for Peace , about his personal journey and his work with young people in Chicago. Devlin shared his challen...

Hello lovely, I challenged myself to a short and sweet episode that shares what feels true for me in this moment. I hope it finds you well

WHAT a conversation we get to experience today! Rebels for Peace Co-Founder and Executive Director Prince Jimmar joins me to share deeply about his own journey, and how connected his journey is with the beautiful organization he now leads. Growing up, Prince felt cast into roles that were the opposite of how he knew himself to be. Hearing him share about breaking free of those roles, it becomes cl...

I'm so excited to bring you this conversation with Logan Griggs-Mitchell , Lead Facilitator and Program Coordinator of Rebels for Peace, a youth-led nonprofit on Chicago's South Side. The Rebels for Peace support kids to "let their environment be a product of them,” rather than feeling like they're stuck being a product of their environment. Over the coming weeks we'll get to spend time with sever...

Once I began reflecting on the verbs that got me into trouble as a kid, I got curious about two things: First, how might these verbs show me myself as I am now? And second, what are your verbs? Zoom Summary: In this episode of Art, Creativity, and Wellbeing, Kay Lock Kolp discussed the concept of identifying and examining "verbs" as a way to understand behavior, curiosity, and interests. Drawing f...

What an interesting podcasting experiment, to return to the same subject matter once each month and see what shows up. March was a wild ride, in the way that whitewater rafting is. See below for links that come up today, and the invitations I'm offering now. Also, click here - my homepage in Substack - for the portrait I painted of Jesse, at the Butterhorn Bakery in Frisco, Colorado, last week. Yo...

3 A’s Framework for Aliveness Kay discussed the final portion of a series on aliveness, focusing on the “3 A’s” framework which includes awareness, acceptance, and agency. She explained how agency represents growth that continues beyond these stages, creating a spiral of ongoing development and self-understanding. Kay mentioned that the podcast, which has over 470 episodes, is approaching its 11th...

In Part 3 of our series on feeling Alive, we explore the second of the three A's: Acceptance. Hope you enjoy this one! Zoom Summary: The Three A’s to Feeling Alive Kay discussed the second installment of a series focusing on the three A’s to feel alive, following awareness with acceptance. Kay emphasized the importance of personalization in learning, encouraging participants to engage with the con...

A quick announcement!! See more here: https://kaylockkolp.com/events Summary (via Zoom :) Maine Camp Retreat Invitation Kay announced an invitation to join a main camp retreat in September, describing it as a combination of camp and retreat experience designed to help people connect with friends and find restoration. She shared personal experiences about how camp had positively impacted her life d...

Today, we’re focusing in on one of the 3 A’s that are helpful in feeling alive, Awareness. Hope you enjoy this one! Find the diagram here if for example you are in your favorite podcast app, and it doesn’t support images. Thanks for being here. See you for part three next week! Kay Nuts & Bolts In-Person Retreat! Stay tuned for more info on the epic Fall Frolic (so-named by one potential retreat-g...

We are starting something new today, a series on feeling alive! Today's question: What makes you feel alive? I'll see you next week for the next part of our series. Here is the very fun Venn diagram that I reference today: Find it here if for example you are in your favorite podcast app, and it doesn't support images. Thanks for being here. See you for part two next week! Kay Nuts & Bolts Dreamers...

What an interesting podcasting experiment, to return to the same subject matter once each month and see what shows up. I see progress with strengthening my muscles of staying with what's aligned, and of remembering that I can give my body feelings of safety and love, no matter the environment that I find myself in. Also - I am hosting an in-person retreat on a beautiful lake here in Maine in Septe...

This conversation reset my perspective in a most helpful way. Today's guest, Historian Alnoor Dhanani, shares about human curiosity and ingenuity over millennia, and all across the globe. One of my favorite things about the conversation is how he speaks of ancient times in the present tense. I hope you enjoy this uplifting and elevating conversation is much as I did. Nuts & Bolts Questions and Tho...

My Brain & Me Workshop : I am co-facilitating a Roundtable along with today's guest! She is wonderful coach and very dear colleague Sarah Juniper , and our roundtable is about making peace with our internal operating system. This feels important now, more than ever. Click here to read more about the Roundtable, taking place on Saturday 28 February. Welcome to a conversation that I hope you really...

Here we are at the finale to this series on Cultivating a Positive Money Mindset! Today we bring the ideas we’ve been discussing together and I share two tiny steps that you can take – and keep taking over time – that are super helpful in cultivating this mindset. So open up the notes app on your phone or find yourself a journal, grab a cup of tea and your favorite blanket, and let’s hop in! Impor...

If you’d like to feel some hope and know that you are among people who, like ourselves, are searching for solutions that support everyone, this is your conversation. Ashland, Massachusetts Chief of Police Cara Rossi spent a wonderful hour talking with me today, and I'm so excited to bring you our conversation. Shared with lots of gratitude to Cara – and to you for listening and for sharing your qu...