The Brain BS™ Podcast

In this episode I introduce you to The Unity Shoppe which is an organization in Santa Barbara that helps those in need. I interview Angela Miller Beven who is the CEO of the organization about exactly what it is they do, how we can help them, and why she was inspired to leave advertising to do non-profit work. If you are local to SB and have been thinking about volunteering or getting involved, li...

There are times in life where we are thrown a curveball that takes us off track that challenges are mental, emotional, and physical well-being. This is all part of the human experience and definitely going to cause us some degree of suffering. How we deal with those distractions is where optional suffering comes into play. Optional suffering is when we resist what is happening to us, we start maki...

You know how you have been doing something you love for a long time and then realize that it's time for a change? That's what is happening to me! That's why I am taking a break from The Power of Community & Collaboration Podcast to figure out what the next chapter is going to look like for me in regard to my podcast, my community work, and how I spend my time on a daily basis. C...

In this episode, I speak with Master Certified Coach and published author  Karen C. L. Anderson. Karen primarily focuses her work on the complexities and challenges of the mother/daughter relationship. Listen, I think we an all agree that not all of us have a great relationship with our moms or with our adult daughters. What you might not realize though, is that it goes way further back and way de...

In this episode I speak with Pete Muller who is  a creative artist, an accomplished musician, a successful business man, AND the creator of the crossword puzzles for the Washington Post. Yes it does sound like Pete gets to enjoy a great life and have a lot of fun, but he also works hard and deals with his own fair share of Brain BS. In fact, we talk about imposter syndrome, the pitfalls of externa...

In this episode I talk about some of the questions coming up for me lately due to prolonged activity restrictions from a torn meniscus in my R knee.  Nothing like boredom and the lack of endorphins to get you contemplating and reflecting on what matters most in life. One of the primary questions popping up for me is do I have to have a business or be a professional to collaborate? I used to think...

In this episode I speak with my friend Karena Akhavein who is a podcaster, published author, and successful writing coach. We discuss her creative approach of using an alter ego in her writing career and what motivated her to do that. We chat about some of the Brain BS that comes up with choosing a career that relies on external validation and the vulnerability that comes with potential rejection....

In this episode I share a personal story about my own healthcare journey to demonstrate how approaching it with leadership energy is so important. I begin by sharing a negative experience I had with my primary doctor around cholesterol medicine that led me to lose faith in him and trigger me into worrying about strokes, heart attacks and cancer. It also led me to lose trust in the healthcare syste...

In this episode I speak with breath work coach, Reiki practitioner, and energy healer Brandy Keenan. Brandy is super passionate and exuberant in how she approaches her work which is infectious and inspiring. Listen and learn all the different ways you can modify breath work to accommodate your own individual needs and how beneficial it can be to your emotional, mental and physical health. I also w...

This week on the podcast I speak with independent artist Mitra Cline who is also the founder of Foreverbird Studio in Santa Barbara. I know the title of the episode is a mouthful, but I really want to highlight this concept of reciprocal relationships between artists and  community members. I wanted to record this conversation with Mitra to support her and her  upcoming show in Lompoc, because she...

In this episode I speak with community builder Avi Becker. Avi is a realtor with the Santa Barbara Group and they started the Support Santa Barbara Biz Online Facebook Group when Covid kept people from getting together. We talk about how the group is still going strong and what a great resource it is for the community.  We also discuss the importance of listening to our intuition even when it is p...

In this episode I speak with Sam Mefford who volunteered to participate in my first interview ever with a Trump supporter (I'm not one:) Sam was raised in California, but now lives in Utah and I actually think that comes across in the thoughtful and holistic way he contemplates everything.  I wanted to do an episode with him to demonstrate that some of the people who voted for President Trump...

In this episode, I speak with coach Hallie Avolio. Hallie believes it's time for us to live our F yes life and she knows how to help us achieve that.  In our conversation we talk about the downfalls of people-pleasing and hiding who we actually are, because it keeps us from creating and manifesting the life we truly desire. Hallie and I also talk about the need to take action and move through...

In this episode I am going to explain to you why you want to schedule that colonoscopy, share important considerations around the timing of the procedure, and give you clear and specific tips that will reduce needless suffering when you finally start to do the prep that you have been dreading. Anybody who knows me knows I believe that mind management and leadership energy is essential for success...

In this episode I speak with LMFT, certified Taropist, and EFT practitioner Cecily Longo. I met Cecily when I was speaking at the annual Women SCORE event last fall immediately after entering the room. She told me what she does and I said how would you like to do a little tapping on me now to help me calm my nerves before speaking. She took me up on that and I ended up feeling pretty calm and self...

In this episode I speak with a friend of mine, Kirsten Ellis, about her personal and painful experience fleeing the Pacific Palisades fire (PPF). Kirsten has spent her entire life in the  beautiful community of the Palisades and is now trying to come to terms with that fact that it was completely decimated and no longer exists as she knew it. We also explore the mindset of native Californian'...

In this episode I speak with former corporate consultant turned Human Design Coach, Alexandra Cole. We talk about how Human Design has improved our daily lives and the quality of our relationships with others in a comprehensive and compelling way. So if you are feeling challenged and overwhelmed with your right life now, this may be just what you need to move forward. That being said though, you d...

In this episode I speak with Bee Boeser who is an author, a public speaker, and still a force at the age of 87yo! When Bee realized historians left her husband's name and his work from  the historical records of small pox eradication in Africa, she took it upon herself to gather all the information she needed to write a memoir of the time her family spent there and the challenges they faced....

In this episode I share strategies for navigating the frenzy of social media these days. There is so much fear, anger and negativity throughout almost every thread I read. We must learn how to manage our minds effectively so we can stay in leadership energy and have a ripple effect on the people around us. I also talk about a podcast I recently listened to called the Hidden Brain. They did a Welln...

Hello:) I'm so happy to be back after a 6 week break from the podcast and my community work. In this episode I share why I needed the break, why I think leadership energy is so  important, and what I want the podcast to focus on moving forward. Oh ya, I also changed the name from The Power of Community & Collaboration in Santa Barbara Podcast to The Power of Community & Collaboration...

In this episode I explain why I am taking a break from publishing the podcast until February of 2025. I also share a process that I use to evaluate experiences (in this case the year of 2024) that helped me to identify what went wrong, what went well, and what I might do differently next year. This is a great tool for promoting self-awareness that you can use too. Consider it my holiday gift to yo...

In this episode I speak with the lead singer of Billy Nation, which is a Billy Joel Tribute band. I came across Adam Shapiro when he performed with his band at the Lobero. There were a lot of empty seats in the theater and it got me thinking about all the Brain BS that must come with being a performer. So I looked for him after the show and invited him to come on the podcast to be interviewed. It...

In this episode I speak with Tara Wright who I met when I went to serve lunches for the homeless at the FARO Center. She works there and is what they call a success story, because she managed to work her way through many challenges to become the successful, sober, and inspired person that she is today. Listen to this episode to hear her story and how it has led to her coaching other people facing...

In this episode I share with you some tips that will help you to manage your mind and expectations around the holiday season. We have been programmed to believe that the Holiday Season is a wonderful time of year that is full of joy, love, and laughter. The truth is, that's Brain BS™ for many people and that conditioning can cause a great deal of pain. So if you are struggling this holiday se...

In this episode, I speak with Barry Shoer who is the President, CEO and Director of the Sanctuary Centers of Santa Barbara. Barry shares his own personal story of why he has been inspired to devote his life to taking care of the mentally ill . We also discuss how the Sanctuary Centers started and that the stigma attached to mental illness is unfortunately still alive and well today. Barry's b...