Thriving Between The Lines

In this footnote, we expand on one section of 'He's Just Not That Into You' relating to resetting one's standards when it comes to dating/relationships. We discuss some of our boundaries, the benefits of re-evaluating boundaries, and, most importantly, the kinds of behaviours which have us turning to potential romantic connections and saying, I'm Just Not That Into You! Se...

Transcript: Hello Thrivers! Life coach and personal development nuisance, Leslie Crudup Villagarcia here. And I’m officially wrapping up Season 1 of our podcast, which is something I really wanted to do before the end of 2024, but, as they say Life got in the way! As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m getting ready to move my family to Vietnam in a couple of weeks, so preparing for that has been an ab...

In this footnote, we reflect on our recent experience participating in a nude photoshoot with world-renowned artist Spencer Tunick! Over 5000 people here in Meanjin (Brisbane) took to the Story bridge in the early hours of the morning in a grand celebration of body diversity and LGBTQIA+ pride.  Also, Leslie finally saw Meka's new penis!  Check out Spencer's work here: https://www.instag...

Meka used to hate the movie Labyrinth. I know, can you believe that?? It took him YEARS to understand, as a trans person, what was behind that hate.  I think y'all might see where this is going 😆. Have a listen! Kindest regards, Leslie Crudup Villagarcia -Your No-Nonsense Life Coach- Send us Fan Mail linktr.ee/leslievcoaching - Get in touch with us and book a free intro. Life Coaching consul...

Strap on your Manolo Blahniks and pour yourself a Cosmopolitan, because we’re jetting back into the dating world circa 2004! On the latest episode of “Thriving Between the Lines” - the podcast examining personal development books through the lens of intersectionality, we do a cheeky little dive into one of the most influential dating books of the 2000s, He’s Just Not That Into You: the No Excuses...

How can we balance our energy levels to ensure our partners are being treated equitable? How can we prevent New Relationship Energy (NRE) from derailing our existing relationships? In this footnote, Meka explores these questions from the perspective of a person with chronically low energy levels. Send us Fan Mail linktr.ee/leslievcoaching - Get in touch with us and book a free intro. Life Coaching...

This footnote explores Meka's experience of one of the questions most frequently asked to polyamorous folks, 'But, don't you get jealous?' There are many ways to respond to jealousy and not every polyam person reacts to it in the same way. So what is our take on the subject? Listen and find out! Kindest regards, Leslie and Meka Send us Fan Mail linktr.ee/leslievcoaching - Get i...

The subject of polyamory often comes up in our book-specific episodes, as it is one of the lenses through which Meka and I experience the world. In personal development writing, especially where relationships are concerned, there is often an assumption that readers are both monogamous and cisgender/heterosexual (cishet).  Of course, WE know the truth! 😊 We are loud and proud about our queerness a...

In the latest episode of Thriving Between the Lines, Meka shares his powerful journey of self-discovery, courage, and embracing his true identity! Meka speaks very openly about his own experience transitioning from female to male and how it allowed him to finally see a future for himself.  With all the references we make to the lack of trans representation in personal development books, we figured...

In this footnote, Meka explores the main points from an article by Lori S. Katz Ph. D.   In the article, she offers 5 essential strategies for communication in the context of sexual trauma.  Read the full article below: https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/healing-from-sexual-trauma/202008/5-essential-strategies-for-effective-communication Send us Fan Mail linktr.ee/leslievcoaching - Get in tou...

In this Footnote, Leslie tells a story about how her ex weaponised non-violent communication against her.  Let this be a reminder that power imbalances need to be taken into consideration when recommending NVC as a mediation strategy! Otherwise, those with oppression in mind can use it to bolster their oppressive behaviours. Send us Fan Mail linktr.ee/leslievcoaching - Get in touch with us and boo...

"What could possibly be wrong with Non-Violent Communication? Haven't you two gone a bit too far with your cheeky deep dives this time??" I hear you ask. Well, listen to what we have to say and decide if, perhaps, we haven't gone far enough! We expect a more responsible presentation of influential concepts from people as world-renowned as the late Marshall B. Rosenberg. Look, i...

Content warning: Frank discussion of pregnancy loss This footnote is about things not to say when someone has had a miscarriage. Have you ever wondered what to say to support a friend who has experienced pregnancy loss? Well, most of the time it's not about what you say, but about how well you listen! Leslie speaks very openly about her history with recurrent pregnancy losses, and in this foo...

Poor people don’t want money enough, apparently 🙄. And in other news, the reason you attract bad people is that you are a bad person!  ….Yeah, this was all news to us as well. Join us, Leslie and Meka, as we dissect yet another book that completely dismisses the role of privilege on success, You Are a Badass, by Jen Sincero. While there are some things this book gets right, there are many things...

Here's another previously unpublished footnote from our episode on No Excuses, by Brian Tracy. In this footnote, Leslie goes off about toxic behaviours that are accepted in too many monogamous relationships.  We speak very openly about being both queer and polyamorous, so when Tracy insists that married people must avoid engaging with members of 'the opposite sex' except for the pur...

Here's another previously unpublished footnote from way back in Chapter 2, in which we spoke about The Lifechanging Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo! In this footnote, Meka tells us about an app he uses to prevent gaining clutter by accidentally re-buying things.  Different systems work for different people, and for those of us who are neurodivergent, it's even more important to find...

Here's a previously unpublished footnote to keep y'all warm while Meka is away being a genius! This was originally attached to Chapter 8: Girl Wash Your Face, by Rachel Hollis.  In this footnote, Meka explains the difference between Toxic Positivity and having an overall positive mindset. Toxic Positivity is incredibly harmful, yet so heavily present in a lot of self-help media. So why i...

content warning: eating disorders, spiritual abuse, suicidal ideation, cult mentality This is the story of why Meka had to stop watching to documentary part way through. Let this be another cautionary tale for anyone who still turns to Robbins and people like him for 'guidance' or puts self-help gurus on a pedestal. Send us Fan Mail linktr.ee/leslievcoaching - Get in touch with us and bo...

This is a story about Leslie's first Success Resources experience (2018), which was also her first and only live Tony Robbins experience. Like, seriously, she had to make herself a Bingo card for day 2 just to stay engaged. Have a listen! A screenshot of the Bingo card in question Also, Mike Winnet gets a mention here, so definitely check out his videos about Success Resources and similar org...

Tony Robbins has been upheld as the number 1 personal development guru of our time. BUT is he doing more harm than good? And should someone with such power in the self help world be held to a higher standard of ethics? In this chapter, we’ve changed things up a little bit and sunk our teeth into a documentary, Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru , rather than a book. We’ve done this for a few reasons...

So, we've been producing Thriving Between the Lines for a little while now so, we figured it's about time we do a little roundup of our experience thus far.  When we set out to create a podcast examining personal development books through the lens of intersectionality, we weren't exactly sure what we were signing up for. We just knew that the topic was so important to us that we wer...

This is a little story about a piece of art Meka once made as an illustration of his worry and anxiety.  Have you ever tried to shove your worries into a box? Then perhaps you can relate. Click below to see the image in question: Meka's worry box Send us Fan Mail linktr.ee/leslievcoaching - Get in touch with us and book a free intro. Life Coaching consult!

This is a little story about the sorts of things that used to give Leslie anxiety and how that all changed once she became a mum. Send us Fan Mail linktr.ee/leslievcoaching - Get in touch with us and book a free intro. Life Coaching consult!

As an openly depressed/anxious life coach, I am very sceptical about any form of media that claims to offer a 'cure' for worry. So, naturally, there was no way this book was not going to be tossed under our microscope. We're going wayyyy back in time and diving into a self-help classic, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living , by Dale Carnegie! Can a book published in the 1940s offer...

In this footnote, Meka asks Leslie a set of questions that started trending back in the mid-2010s. This topic came up in the full episode on Girl, Wash Your Face , by Rachel Hollis during a chat about the ethics around adoption. Full question list: 1. Pro-Life or Pro-Choice? 2. Babywearing? 3. Circumcision? 4. Adoption? 5. Baby piercing? 6. Breast milk vs formula? 7. Cry-it-out method? 8. Spanking...