Hello lovely Couragemakers!
I am so excited to share with you today’s episode with Sidonie Smith! Sidonie is a multi-pasionate powerhouse. She is a multilingual,, actress, composer, a classically trained violinist, and mindset coach for performers.
She is an in demand international Broadway actress and has played the lead lady, in shows such as Jekyll & Hyde, Sister Act, and The Bodyguard.
Sidonie is passionate about helping both experienced and aspiring artists, supporting them practically in their pursuits to become the strongest versions of themselves— mind, spirit and body. She helps guide artists to heal their hearts in order to create great art.
Today’s episode is like one huge injection of courage. We dive into SO many things, from Sidonie’s journey of travelling to Berlin for a belting workshop and living there ever since, how following open doors has changed Sidonie’s life, including a fabulous career as a leading lady on Broadway, and the things she’s learned about herself through the different characters she’s played.
Sidonie shares how to give yourself permission to walk through open doors, how she made the decision to choose herself and treats herself with compassion and the importance of being your own cheerleader.
I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed my conversation with Sidonie and how refreshing it is to hear a woman owning her gifts and brilliance, and encouraging others to do the same.
If you need an injection of confidence, if you wonder if you have anything to give the world or if you want to start being your own cheerleader and owning your own brilliance, this is the perfect episode for you!
Enjoy today’s show!
About Sidonie
Sidonie is a multi-pasionate powerhouse. She is a multilingual,, actress, composer, a classically trained violinist, and mindset coach for performers.
She is an in demand international Broadway actress and has played the lead lady, in shows such as Jekyll & Hyde, Sister Act, and The Bodyguard.
Sidonie is passionate about helping both experienced and aspiring artists, supporting them practically in their pursuits to become the strongest versions of themselves— mind, spirit and body. She helps guide artists to heal their hearts in order to create great art.
Things we talked about
Sidonie’s journey of moving to Berlin to
How following open doors has changed Sidonie’s life
How to give yourself permission to walk through open doors
The power of owning your gifts and Sidonie’s journey to owning her own
Choosing yourself and living with self- compassion
The things Sidonie’s learned about herself through the different characters she’s played
Being your own cheerleader
About Meg + The Couragemakers Podcast
Meg Kissack is a coach, writer, podcaster and all-round rebel-rouser for creative and multi-passionate women. As well as Couragemakers, Meg is the host of The Daily Pep! Podcast and founder of That Hummingbird Life. Meg is an INFJ creative and multi-passionate who has a bit of a notebook and post-it note obsession, loves foot-stomping country music and likes her hot chocolate with way too much chocolate.
Meg started Couragemakers because she wanted to create a platform for passionate and unconventional women to have honest conversations and to share their stories, struggles and dreams. The intention behind this podcast is to inspire and encourage creative and mission-driven women to live a wholehearted life and follow the beat of their drum.
When she's not recording episodes, Meg can be found working 1:1 with my fabulous coaching clients and playing with my adorable but silly puppy Merlin.
Hello Couragemakers!
This week I’m so excited to be sharing with you my conversation with Susie Bell. Susie is a Self-Love and Body Confidence Coach for women and is passionate about self-compassion, authenticity and self care. She is on a mission to support and inspire women in their 40s and 50s who are feeling lost and also trapped by comparison with others and perfectionism, to help them reconnect with and accept themselves including their bodies so they can stand in their truth, be seen and fell alive again. Susie lives on the south coast on England in Hampshire with her husband and two teenage children, and her favourite quote is “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom” by Anaïs Nin, who Susie shares a birthday with!.
In today’s episode Susie is sharing her experience of living in diet culture for 26 years and her journey of working to love her body. We dive into how as women our default is to believe we’re not enough, how it is exhausting always fighting yourself, and how we can go abut changing that and how there is another way.
Among many other things, we dive into Diet culture 10, Susie shares 3 practical ways you can start connecting to your body today, how to get the courage to put yourself out there, intuitive eating and Susie’s journey to finding the work she was meant to do.
If you’ve ever struggled with connecting to your body, feeling not enough or if you’re looking for a more compassionate way to treat yourself, this is absolutely the episode for you.
Susie’s compassionate approach is contagious and this episode is the perfect reminder that, as Susie says, :”You are not broken. You don’t need fixing. You are magnificent.”
Enjoy the show, I know you’re going to love this one!
About Susie
Susie Bell is a Self-Love and Body Confidence Coach for women who is passionate about self-compassion, authenticity and self care. She is on a mission to support and inspire women in their 40s and 50s who are feeling lost and also trapped by comparison with others and perfectionism, to help them reconnect with and accept themselves including their bodies so they can stand in their truth, be seen and fell alive again.
Susie lives on the south coast on England in Hampshire with her husband and two teenage children, and her favourite quote is “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom” by Anaïs Nin, who Susie shares a birthday with!.
Website | Free Guide: 10 Ways to Coming Home To Your Body | Instagram | Facebook
Things We Talked About
Susie’s experience of living in diet culture for 26 years and her journey of working to love her body
Diet culture 101
3 practical ways you can start connecting to your body today
Susie’s experience of finding the work she was meant to do
The concept of intuitive eating
How to get the courage to put yourself out there
Resources
About Meg & The Couragemakers Podcast
Meg Kissack is a coach, writer, podcaster and all-round rebel-rouser for creative and multi-passionate women. As well as Couragemakers, Meg is the host of The Daily Pep! Podcast and founder of That Hummingbird Life. Meg is an INFJ creative and multi-passionate who has a bit of a notebook and post-it note obsession, loves foot-stomping country music and likes her hot chocolate with way too much chocolate.
Meg started Couragemakers because she wanted to create a platform for passionate and unconventional women to have honest conversations and to share their stories, struggles and dreams. The intention behind this podcast is to inspire and encourage creative and mission-driven women to live a wholehearted life and follow the beat of their drum.
When she's not recording episodes, Meg can be found working 1:1 with my fabulous coaching clients and playing with my adorable but silly puppy Merlin.
Hello Couragemakers!
I am so excited to share with you this weeks episode with the absolutely fabulous Jen Louden! I’ve been a fan of Jens work for years and it was such an honour to sit down and have a good chat!
Jennifer Louden is a personal growth pioneer who helped launch the concept of self-care with her first bestseller, The Woman’s Comfort Book in 1992. Since then, she’s written seven additional books on well-being and whole living, including The Woman’ s Retreat Bookand The Life Organizer, with close to a million copies of her books in print in nine languages. Jennifer has spoken around the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and has written a national magazine column for a Martha Stewart magazine. She’s been profiled or quoted in dozens of major magazines; two of Brené Brown’s books, Daring Greatly and Dare to Lead; and appeared on hundreds of TV, radio shows and podcasts, including Oprah.
Her newest and most personal book, Why Bother? Discover the Desire for What’s Next was published on April 21, 2020.
Alongside this, Jennifer has been teaching workshops and retreats since 1992 and creating vibrant online learning experiences since 1999. She writes weekly email newsletters, hosts an online writing community of and continues to inspire women all over the world.
Jen lives in Boulder Colarodo, with her husband Bob and is obsessed with running trails in the moonlight, reading like a writer and helping people believe in themselves through taking action on their desires.
During our conversation Jen shares her story and we dive into what inspired Jen’s latest book: How do you bother after heartbreak, after creative and career defeats, after loss, after sidelining your dreams to pay off debt, raise kids, or take care of aging parents?
We have a great conversation about doing hard things imperfectly, uncovering and celebrating your desires as well as the courage it takes to be seen.
Jen also shares her journaling process, her perspective on how self care has changed since it became mainstream and we debunk the bullshit that is positive vibes only.
There is so much great stuff in this episode and I am beyond honoured to have Jen on the podcast and to share our conversation today!
I know so many of you are already familiar with and are raving fans of Jen’s work and I know you’re going to love this episode!
Enjoy the show!
About Jennifer
[]">Jennifer Loudenis a personal growth pioneer who helped launch the concept of self-care with her first bestseller, The Woman’s Comfort Book. Since then, she’s written seven additional books on well-being and whole living, including The Woman’ s Retreat Book and The Life Organizer, with close to a million copies of her books in print in nine languages. Jennifer has spoken around the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and has written a national magazine column for a Martha Stewart magazine. She’s been profiled or quoted in dozens of major magazines; two of Brené Brown’s books, Daring Greatly and Dare to Lead; and appeared on hundreds of TV, radio shows and podcasts—even on Oprah.
Her newest and most personal book Why Bother? Discover the Desire for What’s Next was published on April 21, 2020.
Jennifer has been teaching workshops and retreats since 1992 and creating vibrant online learning experiences since 1999. She writes weekly to her email list of 20,000 and hosts an online community of over 600 members. She lives in Boulder County, Colorado.
Website | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook
Things We Talked About
How self help has changed since it has become mainstream
Getting your bother on
The courage to be seen
Jen’s journaling process
Doing hard things imperfectly
Uncovering and celebrating your desires
The problem with ‘positive vibes only’
About Meg & The Couragemakers Podcast
Meg Kissack is a coach, writer, podcaster and all-round rebel-rouser for creative and multi-passionate women. As well as Couragemakers, Meg is the host of The Daily Pep! Podcast and founder of That Hummingbird Life. Meg is an INFJ creative and multi-passionate who has a bit of a notebook and post-it note obsession, loves foot-stomping country music and likes her hot chocolate with way too much chocolate.
Meg started Couragemakers because she wanted to create a platform for passionate and unconventional women to have honest conversations and to share their stories, struggles and dreams. The intention behind this podcast is to inspire and encourage creative and mission-driven women to live a wholehearted life and follow the beat of their drum.
When she's not recording episodes, Meg can be found working 1:1 with my fabulous coaching clients and playing with my adorable but silly puppy Merlin.
Hello Couragemakers!
Today I’m chatting with Katie Sullivan, and I have to say, if you’ve ever felt like you could only have one path in life, this episode is for you.
Katie is an opera singer turned entrepreneur who helps other creatives make a living online doing what they love. After burning out pursuing a career in music, Katie teaches creatives how they can use their magic to make a living, so they can live connected, happy, and free.
In today’s episode we’re really diving into Katie’s journey, from having a musical background and pursuing music as a career to burnout and starting on her entrepreneurial journey. We cover SO much ground during our conversation, from living a life that looks good on the outside but feels shitty on the inside to debunking the myth that you have to choose one path and stay the course.
There is so much good stuff in this episode - if you’ve ever felt like a rebellious overachiever, if you wonder whether you’re on the right path, or if you wonder if there even is such a thing as the right path, this episode is for you!
Enjoy the show!
About Katie
[]">Katie Sullivan is an opera singer turned entrepreneur who helps other creatives make a living online doing what they love. After burning out pursuing a career in music, Katie has developed a passion for online business and is ready to share what she has learned about turning a passion into a paycheck.
Website | Rise Through Strife Podcast | Passion Project Launch Lab | Instagram
Things We Talked About
Katie’s journey from opera singer to entrepreneur
How there is no one true path
Being an overachiever and a rule breaker
How it’s rebellious people who change the world
The courage to choose a new path
Perfectionism, originality and other toxic combinations that hold creative people back
Giving yourself permission to be your whole self
Resources
About Meg + The Couragemakers Podcast
Meg Kissack is a coach, writer, podcaster and all-round rebel-rouser for creative and multi-passionate women. As well as Couragemakers, Meg is the host of The Daily Pep! Podcast and founder of That Hummingbird Life. Meg is an INFJ creative and multi-passionate who has a bit of a notebook and post-it note obsession, loves foot-stomping country music and likes her hot chocolate with way too much chocolate.
Meg started Couragemakers because she wanted to create a platform for passionate and unconventional women to have honest conversations and to share their stories, struggles and dreams. The intention behind this podcast is to inspire and encourage creative and mission-driven women to live a wholehearted life and follow the beat of their drum.
When she's not recording episodes, Meg can be found working 1:1 with my fabulous coaching clients and playing with my adorable but silly puppy Merlin.
Hello Couragemakers! This week I'm chatting with actor Abbey Briscoe.
Abbey Briscoe is an aspiring actress in the Midwestern part of the United States. As someone who struggles with depression, anxiety, and PTSD, Abbey was able to turn to performance art as a way to gain confidence and heal from childhood trauma. Over a 17 year span, she has performed on stage, film, and television, as well as earning a B.A. in Theatre in 2012. With the world on hold in times of uncertainty, Abbey is currently focusing on writing, as well as preparing to star in her first horror movie, "Born to Raise Hell" set to shoot in September. Abbey says her hope is to empower other women who are facing similar struggles to not give up because we all deserve to love the person that we are becoming.
  In today's episode, we’re diving into Abbey’s journey and her advice on what to do when the road feels rocky. Abbey shares her journey to becoming an actor including her goal to audition 20 times for 20 different companies during 2019 to combat negative thinking and to go out of her comfort zone. Abbey shares some great practical advice for anyone carving their own path and also considers themselves a jack of all trades. She shares her own self-help journey and the things that have helped her build up her confidence along the way. If you need permission to make mistakes, if you struggle to keep going on your path, if you need a boost of resilience and courage and some inspiration to keep showing up, this is the perfect episode for you. Abbey is such a wonderful storyteller and I know you're going to love today's show! A quick heads up that during this episode there are brief references to abuse, alcohol and suicide, so if you need to skip this episode to look after yourself, please do. About Abbey Abbey Briscoe is an aspiring actress in the Midwestern part of the United States. As someone who struggles with depression, anxiety, and PTSD, Abbey was able to turn to performance art as a way to gain confidence and heal from childhood trauma. Over a 17 year span, she has performed on stage, film, and television, as well as earning a B.A. in Theatre from K-State University in 2012. With the world on hold in times of uncertainty, Abbey is currently focusing on writing, as well as preparing to star in her first horror movie, "Born to Raise Hell" set to shoot in September.
Things We Talked About
Abbey’s journey to being an actor
Abbey’s advice for keeping going when the road feels rocky
How taking a break can really help
Building confidence and fighting for yourself
Overcoming people pleasing and standing up for yourself
Giving yourself permission to make mistakes
The importance of showing up
Resources
About Meg & That Hummingbird Life
Meg Kissack is a coach, writer, podcaster and all-round rebel-rouser for creative and multi-passionate women. As well as Couragemakers, Meg is the host of The Daily Pep! Podcast and founder of That Hummingbird Life. Meg is an INFJ creative and multi-passionate who has a bit of a notebook and post-it note obsession, loves foot-stomping country music and likes her hot chocolate with way too much chocolate.
Meg started Couragemakers because she wanted to create a platform for passionate and unconventional women to have honest conversations and to share their stories, struggles and dreams. The intention behind this podcast is to inspire and encourage creative and mission-driven women to live a wholehearted life and follow the beat of their drum.
When she's not recording episodes, Meg can be found working 1:1 with my fabulous coaching clients and playing with my adorable but silly puppy Merlin.