Off The Comma

In this episode, we talk to Brownell Landrum. She is creative, brilliant in light and an explorer of mysteries. Brownell comes to us (currently) from the United States.  Brownell tells us about living on the comma in life. As an explorer, Brownell finds herself repeatedly being prompted to take the next step and travel a new path. When presented with a “kick in the butt to get moving”, she followe...

In this episode, we talk to Bracha Goetz. She describes herself as insightful, joyful and grateful. Bracha comes to us from Israel.  Bracha tells us about sitting on a comma with food addiction. While appearing successful on the outside, her constant hunger and seeking brought great suffering that she tried to soothe through food. Bracha discovered that the hunger was real and represented an inten...

In this episode, we talk to Sean Parker. He is creative independent who doesn’t control perceptions of others. Sean lives in the United Kingdom.  Sean tells us about sitting on a comma after returning home to the UK from 10 years traveling in Istanbul. While seeking a return to the familiarity of home, Sean was confronted with the reality that his home place had changed over the 10 years he was aw...

In this episode, we talk to Aaron Burros. He is describes himself as a “running servant”who shows up, paces for others and pursues his passion. Aaron lives in the United States.  Aaron tells us about sitting on an 8 year long comma that started with finding a way to lose weight and regain his health. What started as an experiment with running and testing his limits, turned into the very thing that...

In this episode, our guest shares about her experience with suicide. If this is a sensitive topic for you, please consider this before listening.  In this episode, we talk to Maria Teresa Pratico-Swanson. She is a friend to all, authentic and someone people trust. Maria Teresa lives in the United States.  Maria Teresa tells us about sitting on a comma with forcing herself into a life that fundamen...

In this episode, we talk to Gessie Belizaire. She describes herself as a child of God, mother, and sister, who is “living on mission”. Gessie lives in the United States.  Gessie recounts the time when she was sitting on a comma with an unplanned pregnancy and the changes that would be unearthed in her life and her identity. She describes feeling stuck, trapped and confused as she navigated the emo...

In this episode, we talk to Risa August. She describes herself as genuine, kind and compassionate. Risa lives in the United States.  Risa tells us about sitting on a comma with a rare pituitary tumor and disorder called acromegaly . After 8 long years of deep knowing that something wasn’t right within her body, but not being able to find the answers, her diagnosis brought her validation, affirmati...

In this episode, we take a break from the interviews for a conversation about the power of listening. Over the last few years, I’ve learned a lot about listening and I’m seeing more and more how it shows up as a central them in my world. In this conversation, I talk about my experience with 3 of the skills that I have (and have seen) be most underused. Through these skills, I’ve been able to pract...

In this episode, we talk to Cameron Law He describes himself as being about love, service and empathy. Cameron lives in the United States.   Cameron tells us about sitting on a comma with a baseball dream. When beginning college with scholarships and the hopes of professional baseball, he was benched by an injury that changed the trajectory of the future he planned. Faced with shame and a sense of...

In this episode, we talk to Eric Tomme. He is objective, realistic and uses humor to bridge the gap between different people. Eric lives in the United States.  Eric tells us about sitting on a comma with procrastination. While pursuing a passion project that pushes boundaries of social norms for a good cause, Eric found himself sidetracked by profound changes in family relationships. As he focused...

In this episode, our guest shares references to suicide. If this is a sensitive topic for you, please consider this before listening.  In this episode, we talk to Angela Harvey. She describes herself as an unapologetic truth teller, her community’s keeper and “growthologist”. Angela lives in the United States.  Angela tells us about laying on a comma with self-isolation and self-discovery. After a...

In this episode, we talk to Flame Schoeder. She describes herself as wise and authentic. Flame lives in the United States.  Flame tells us about sitting on a comma as a young mother starting her own business. After living a life with invisible disabilities, Flame channeled her experience into a profession to help others with their suffering. While working through the challenges of uncertainty and...

#vulnerability #belonging #selfacceptance #trust #betrayal #abandonment #questioning #challengethenarrative #whocanloveme #rolemodel #detaching #rewritethebook #offthecomma In this episode, we talk to Stephen Horn. He describes himself as emotionally intelligent, resilient and compassionate. Stephen lives in the United States.  Stephen tells us about sitting on a comma with self-love and belonging...

In this episode, we talk to Gustavo Von Zeigler. He describes himself as a determined and hard-working teacher and a world traveler. Gustavo lives in Mexico.  Gustavo tells us about sitting on a comma with being self-employed. While building his business and growing his client base, he has built a habit of putting in extreme hours to remain competitive, accessible to students and achieve his goals...

In this episode, we talk to Natalia Levin. She describes herself as empathetic, passionate and insightful. Natalia lives in the United States.   Natalia tells us about sitting on a comma with work environments that lack empathy for the people who fuel the companies. While witnessing mistreatment and abuse in the work setting, she was pulled back to her own past, where she felt powerless in the fac...

In this episode, we talk to Steph Alston. She describes herself as a leader and a mover & shaker who is constantly reinventing herself. Steph lives in the United States.  Steph tells us about sitting on a comma with pushing past her comfort zone. When the pandemic hit in 2020, Steph experienced an abrupt halt in her work, livelihood and identity. Like many others during this time, she came fac...

In this episode, we talk to Katie Kanowsky. She is inspirational, nurturing and “loosely” strategic. Katie lives in the United States.  Katie tells us about sitting on a comma with choosing a path that best took care of her family’s needs. She found herself having to make a choice between her role as a mom and her chosen career path. As Katie sat on the comma, the universe decided to take action o...

In this episode, we talk to DJ Stipe. He is thoughtful, creative and versatile. DJ lives in the United States.  DJ tells us about sitting on a matrix of commas. During his early adulthood, he describes his life as “reckless” that involved alcohol, experimentation and the expression of a not-yet diagnosed bipolar disorder. After years of feeling like two different people, DJ’s path eventually broug...

In this episode, we talk to Reina Hosier. She is open, free-spirited, resilient and loyal. Reina lives in the United States.  Reina tells us about sitting on a series of commas with the freedom of choice in her life. Having been raised with expectations about gender roles and norms that boxed her in, she valued freedom, choice and voice in her life. After making a compromise about becoming a paren...

In this episode, we talk to Louisa Fryer. She describes herself as intuitive, spiritual, creative and productive. Louisa lives in the United Kingdom.  Louisa tells us about sitting on a comma with feelings of rejection and shame. After losing contact with her father, she found parts of herself splitting into two paths: “good me” and “reckless me”. While carrying self-doubt, shame and perfectionism...

In this episode, we talk to Janey Lee Grace. She is describes herself as enthusiastic, passionate, bossy (in a good way) and determined. Janey lives in the United Kingdom. Janey tells us about sitting on a comma with authenticity. As the “Queen of natural living”, she also maintained a relationship with alcohol that was holding her back and denying her authentic self. In her journey of discovery,...

In this episode, we talk to Trish Tucker-May. She describes herself as generous, inspirational and resilient. Trish is Australian and lives in the United Kingdom.  Trish tells us about a 7 year comma with getting her book written and published. Not only did the global pandemic interrupt her creative process with massive shifts to her life, but Trish also encountered an abuse of her trust in the pu...

In this episode, we talk to Julie New. She describes herself as kind, caring and empathetic. Julie lives in the United Kingdom. Julie tells us about “hovering” on a comma with the distribution of a book she’s written. She describes feeling frustrated and feeling like she’s wasted time. As she unpacks what’s holding her back, Julie uncovers how beliefs about money and the expectations of others hav...

In this episode, we take a break from the interviews for a catch up on the podcast and some of what Paul’s been noticing over the past year of interview and episodes.  When asked recently, “Is this podcast about telling your darkest secrets?”, it occurred to me that it can seem like that’s the case. However, this podcast is about people sharing stories of how they overcome challenges. Every guest...

In this episode, we talk to Christine Coulson. She is honest, understanding and witty. Christine lives in the UK.  Christine talks about sitting on a comma with her previous house that represented a container for disappointments, unmet expectations and limiting beliefs and self-image. While not seeing the comma she was sitting on, her challenges accumulated until she reached a breaking point. Chri...