Today Yuliana is joined by Jimin Han, the author of the novel, A Small Revolution. Born in Seoul, Korea, Jimin grew up in the United States, eventually attending Cornell University and earning an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College. Her writing can be found in a number of publications, and A Small Revolution, her first novel, has appeared on many ‘Best Fiction’ and ‘Must Reads’ lists. Jimin currently teaches at The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College and Pace University, and today she takes us on the journey of how the passing of her mother left her heartbroken but still gave her strength to continue writing.

Jimin begins by delving into the event that redirected the course of her life - her mother’s passing, how that event strongly affected her, and the further strain it put on her relationship with her father. She discusses how she channels rage and becomes more protective of her energy and space as a writer, and describes the way that realizing how fragile life can be makes us slow down to catch our breath. The episode rounds off as Jimin talks about playing the piano, be it Beethoven or ABCs, and how it resonates with her life. Having learned just how very precious each and every day is in our lives, Jimin has gained much wisdom which she shares with listeners here today.

Episode Highlights:

• The event that redirected the course of Jimin’s life - her mother’s passing
• Stepping into our own after a parent’s death
• How rage made Jimin more protective
• The concessions Jimin made
• How a sense of mortality affects our decisions
• Jimin’s second book
• Navigating a strained relationship with a parent
• The preciousness of time and how it makes us slow down
• Getting comfortable in a certain amount of discomfort
• Playing the piano

Quotes:

“As writers, we want to make complex characters, we want to live in the nuances of feeling.”

“As writers, we need to be more protective of our time and our sort of emotional and mental space.”

“I feel that a lot of the lessons that she was able to teach me, I feel that I still carry her with me.”

“What...I want my children to learn from me, and what I wanted them to be able to say is ‘Yes, my mother did write the book she wanted to write.’”

“I wish I'd recorded her. I wish I had been able to stay up and listen to everything else she wanted to say. I look back and I wish I'd been able to spend those moments.”

“Every day is so precious.”

“How is it that we just assume life is just going to go on? And yet we have to make plans. That’s the best way to live is to make those plans.”

“I didn't give myself that breathing space and now, I try to schedule a few big things a week, as opposed to, in a day. Maybe a few things in a month as opposed to a week...just not forcing yourself.”

“I've just learned that if I wait a little longer, then the answer comes."

“I think what it taught me ...that... for many years...and I will just speak for myself that I had made a lot of concessions and I feel that after my mother died I was able to see more clearly how I should be more protective. As writers we become more protective of our time, sort of emotional and mental space. All of that has become more clear to me.“

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Honoring the Fragility of Life with Jimin Han

Today Yuliana is joined by Jimin Han, the author of the novel, A Small Revolution. Born in Seoul, Korea, Jimin grew up in the United States, eventually attending Cornell University and earning an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College. Her writing can be found in a number of publications, and A Small Revolution, her first novel, has appeared on many ‘Best Fiction’ and ‘Must Reads’ lists. Jimin currently teaches at The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College and Pace University, and today she takes us on the journey of how the passing of her mother left her heartbroken but still gave her strength to continue writing.

Jimin begins by delving into the event that redirected the course of her life - her mother’s passing, how that event strongly affected her, and the further strain it put on her relationship with her father. She discusses how she channels rage and becomes more protective of her energy and space as a writer, and describes the way that realizing how fragile life can be makes us slow down to catch our breath. The episode rounds off as Jimin talks about playing the piano, be it Beethoven or ABCs, and how it resonates with her life. Having learned just how very precious each and every day is in our lives, Jimin has gained much wisdom which she shares with listeners here today.

Episode Highlights:

• The event that redirected the course of Jimin’s life - her mother’s passing
• Stepping into our own after a parent’s death
• How rage made Jimin more protective
• The concessions Jimin made
• How a sense of mortality affects our decisions
• Jimin’s second book
• Navigating a strained relationship with a parent
• The preciousness of time and how it makes us slow down
• Getting comfortable in a certain amount of discomfort
• Playing the piano

Quotes:

“As writers, we want to make complex characters, we want to live in the nuances of feeling.”

“As writers, we need to be more protective of our time and our sort of emotional and mental space.”

“I feel that a lot of the lessons that she was able to teach me, I feel that I still carry her with me.”

“What...I want my children to learn from me, and what I wanted them to be able to say is ‘Yes, my mother did write the book she wanted to write.’”

“I wish I'd recorded her. I wish I had been able to stay up and listen to everything else she wanted to say. I look back and I wish I'd been able to spend those moments.”

“Every day is so precious.”

“How is it that we just assume life is just going to go on? And yet we have to make plans. That’s the best way to live is to make those plans.”

“I didn't give myself that breathing space and now, I try to schedule a few big things a week, as opposed to, in a day. Maybe a few things in a month as opposed to a week...just not forcing yourself.”

“I've just learned that if I wait a little longer, then the answer comes."

“I think what it taught me ...that... for many years...and I will just speak for myself that I had made a lot of concessions and I feel that after my mother died I was able to see more clearly how I should be more protective. As writers we become more protective of our time, sort of emotional and mental space. All of that has become more clear to me.“

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Jimin Han Homepage

Show Notes: 

Welcome to the premier podcast episode of Phoenix Tales, a show about women overcoming challenges in their lives, and, like the Phoenix, being reborn with their lives reimagined. Joining our host, Yuliana Kim-Grant, this week is Ginger McKnight-Chavers, author of In the Heart of Texas. A graduate of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service and Harvard Law School, Ginger was a practicing lawyer when challenges in her personal life inspired her to pursue another course, resulting in her own Phoenix Tale which she shares with listeners here today.

Ginger begins the conversation by describing those challenges which she faced, the traits she possessed which kept her moving forward through them, and how she came to possess them. She goes on to describe the insecurities she faced in her career as a woman of color, her feelings of being an imposter and the impact this had, her advice for empty nesters on re-engaging with the world, and giving yourself permission to pursue your passion. The episode concludes with Ginger sharing the song that she feels best describes her life. Eloquent, insightful, engaging, and thoroughly inspirational, Ginger and her tale of remaking her life provide the perfect foundation and springboard for what you can expect to hear in upcoming episodes of the Phoenix Tales podcast.

Episode Highlights:

• The challenges that redirected the course of Ginger’s life
• The traits that kept Ginger moving forward through her challenges and how she came to possess them
• The insecurities she faced in her career as a woman of color
• Her feelings of being an imposter and the impact upon her
• Ginger’s advice for empty nesting listeners to re-engage with the world
• Giving yourself permission to pursue or reignite a passion
• The one song that describes Ginger’s life

Quotes:

“I stopped seeing myself as an attorney who just liked to write in my spare time to taking writing seriously, and it transformed my life.”

“I'm the kind of person that thinks about things and analyzes them before I react for better and for worse.”

“I just became this sort of serial kind of multitask or tunnel vision kind of machine.”                                                                                             

“As a writer, you know, I think most of us feel like an imposter.”

“You belong there, but there's just a little something going on underneath the surface.”

“You're watching the world in order to navigate it because you feel like you're not one of those people that just waltzes down the red carpet.”

“You're always on the lookout for a situation that could be harmful or dangerous.”

“Am I at the in-law's house or in my family home? Just that undercurrent of you're never sure when someone's going to push you out the door.”

“It is a blessing to have really supportive and grounded parents and grandparents that were very active in your life.”

“Black women are the biggest demographic of readers in America.”

“I went with a small press, I hired my own publicist. I had already plotted out what I wanted to do, and who I wanted to...]]>Welcome to the Phoenix Tales Podcast

Show Notes: 

Welcome to the premier podcast episode of Phoenix Tales, a show about women overcoming challenges in their lives, and, like the Phoenix, being reborn with their lives reimagined. Joining our host, Yuliana Kim-Grant, this week is Ginger McKnight-Chavers, author of In the Heart of Texas. A graduate of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service and Harvard Law School, Ginger was a practicing lawyer when challenges in her personal life inspired her to pursue another course, resulting in her own Phoenix Tale which she shares with listeners here today.

Ginger begins the conversation by describing those challenges which she faced, the traits she possessed which kept her moving forward through them, and how she came to possess them. She goes on to describe the insecurities she faced in her career as a woman of color, her feelings of being an imposter and the impact this had, her advice for empty nesters on re-engaging with the world, and giving yourself permission to pursue your passion. The episode concludes with Ginger sharing the song that she feels best describes her life. Eloquent, insightful, engaging, and thoroughly inspirational, Ginger and her tale of remaking her life provide the perfect foundation and springboard for what you can expect to hear in upcoming episodes of the Phoenix Tales podcast.

Episode Highlights:

• The challenges that redirected the course of Ginger’s life
• The traits that kept Ginger moving forward through her challenges and how she came to possess them
• The insecurities she faced in her career as a woman of color
• Her feelings of being an imposter and the impact upon her
• Ginger’s advice for empty nesting listeners to re-engage with the world
• Giving yourself permission to pursue or reignite a passion
• The one song that describes Ginger’s life

Quotes:

“I stopped seeing myself as an attorney who just liked to write in my spare time to taking writing seriously, and it transformed my life.”

“I'm the kind of person that thinks about things and analyzes them before I react for better and for worse.”

“I just became this sort of serial kind of multitask or tunnel vision kind of machine.”                                                                                             

“As a writer, you know, I think most of us feel like an imposter.”

“You belong there, but there's just a little something going on underneath the surface.”

“You're watching the world in order to navigate it because you feel like you're not one of those people that just waltzes down the red carpet.”

“You're always on the lookout for a situation that could be harmful or dangerous.”

“Am I at the in-law's house or in my family home? Just that undercurrent of you're never sure when someone's going to push you out the door.”

“It is a blessing to have really supportive and grounded parents and grandparents that were very active in your life.”

“Black women are the biggest demographic of readers in America.”

“I went with a small press, I hired my own publicist. I had already plotted out what I wanted to do, and who I wanted to reach, and how I wanted to do it, and created a budget for it, and what I thought was reasonable.”

“Starting to take that hour or half hour or whatever it is to devote to something that you just always want to do, but you never have time to do it. That helps because it just trains your brain to think about things other than your family.”

“Like the Phoenix, you know, you really just remade your life at a point that most people couldn't imagine doing that.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Ginger's Facebook Page

Ginger's Twitter Page

Joining our host, Yuliana Kim-Grant, this week is Kim Thai, an Emmy-award-winning producer, writer, activist, and mindfulness teacher. She is the founder of GaneshSpace, a community organization dedicated to creating spaces to dismantle internalized oppression and explore identity through the lens of intersectionality. Kim shares her Phoenix Tale today of how she rediscovered herself after her divorce.

Kim begins the conversation by sharing the event that redirected the course of her life: her divorce. She talks about experiencing heartbreak and turning to yoga at the time and how this event set her on a path of discovering her life and finding independence. In this self-discovery, Kim found herself exploring her sexuality and embracing her queerness. She discusses the challenges of being the only person of color in a room and how her life experiences have made her create impacts geared towards encouraging diversity. She also talks about unlearning the generational trauma passed on to her from her parents’ experiences as refugees. The episode concludes with Kim talking about Ganesh and sharing the one song that describes her life- a song about acceptance and stepping into the world and knowing you’re enough.

Episode Highlights:

• The event that redirected the course of Kim’s life
• Experiencing heartbreak in divorce
• Finding yoga in a time of need
• How Kim embarked on a journey of independence and self-discovery
• Kim’s exploration of her sexuality
• What does queer mean now? - Kim’s piece
• The challenges of growing up as an Asian American in Texas
• Observing from a distance as one different from others
• Generational trauma- staying in survival mode
• Migrating to Texas
• Kim talks about Ganesh
• The one song that describes Kim’s life.

Quotes:

“It was a very interesting time for me in the next couple years to be able to really kind of find myself and find the parts of me that still needed to be woken up when to be discovered.”

“We both had that sort of mindset that we were each other's person.”

“We kind of grew into different people than we were when we first met at 17. ”

“It was a lot of deep diving of getting reacquainted to the core of who I was.”

“I didn't have to necessarily completely understand who or why I was attracted to someone and or have to identify, but it was more just me being open to it. And that was really the practice for me at that point.”

“I don't want to be put into a box, I don't like want to have to restrain my identity in any way, whether it's my sexual identity, or my racial identity, my gender, whenever in order to fit a system that may or may not be able to really let me express the fullness of who I am.”

“My boundary has become a lot more clear. And I'm a lot more strong at holding it with when it comes to discussions about race”

“I’m Asian all the time!”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Kim's Homepage

GaneshSpace...]]>Expressing the Fullness of Who You Are with Kim Thai

Joining our host, Yuliana Kim-Grant, this week is Kim Thai, an Emmy-award-winning producer, writer, activist, and mindfulness teacher. She is the founder of GaneshSpace, a community organization dedicated to creating spaces to dismantle internalized oppression and explore identity through the lens of intersectionality. Kim shares her Phoenix Tale today of how she rediscovered herself after her divorce.

Kim begins the conversation by sharing the event that redirected the course of her life: her divorce. She talks about experiencing heartbreak and turning to yoga at the time and how this event set her on a path of discovering her life and finding independence. In this self-discovery, Kim found herself exploring her sexuality and embracing her queerness. She discusses the challenges of being the only person of color in a room and how her life experiences have made her create impacts geared towards encouraging diversity. She also talks about unlearning the generational trauma passed on to her from her parents’ experiences as refugees. The episode concludes with Kim talking about Ganesh and sharing the one song that describes her life- a song about acceptance and stepping into the world and knowing you’re enough.

Episode Highlights:

• The event that redirected the course of Kim’s life
• Experiencing heartbreak in divorce
• Finding yoga in a time of need
• How Kim embarked on a journey of independence and self-discovery
• Kim’s exploration of her sexuality
• What does queer mean now? - Kim’s piece
• The challenges of growing up as an Asian American in Texas
• Observing from a distance as one different from others
• Generational trauma- staying in survival mode
• Migrating to Texas
• Kim talks about Ganesh
• The one song that describes Kim’s life.

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Kim's Homepage

GaneshSpace Homepage

On this week's episode, Yuliana welcomes Catherine ‘Cat’ Partheniades to the show to talk about the moment she found out she was adopted. She was 30 when this happened, and shortly after this discovery, both of her adoptive parents passed away. Today she chats with Yuliana about reckoning with her parents’ lies, experiencing resentment, and her intense periods of drinking to repress the emotions she didn’t know how to deal with or even want to deal with. It was only upon finding her biological family that she found solace in her identity and her parents’ decision to withhold information from her.

After coming into contact with her birth mother through Facebook, Cat remembers meeting her in Brazil as a blissful moment where she finally found the missing piece that she hadn’t quite been able to place in her life before. Kim and our guest go on to talk about both Cat’s birth and adoptive parents, and the pair close out the episode by talking about her experience healing from grief and complex emotions. It’s certainly been an interesting ride for Cat Partheniades, but, as you will hear, she doesn’t want this narrative to dominate her life. After all, she is so much more than that.

Episode Highlights:

• Cat finding out she was adopted at 30
• Her parents’ lies
• Experiencing resentment toward her parents
• Setting pain aside
• Feeling like she’s betraying her parents
• Finding her biological family through Facebook
• The quest for Charlotte’s birth mom
• Reunification with Charlotte’s biological family
• Charlotte’s coming out
• Identity struggles
• Healing from grief
• Ed Sheeran’s Photograph

Quotes:

“Facing the health challenges of both her parents, she finds out that she's adopted, even amid the pain of losing her parents and this life altering discovery, she finds a way toward acceptance of her life and more importantly, herself.”

“I did get into contact with my biological family, and at that point in time, I finally felt that I was at home with myself— with the universe in a sense - because when I met my biological family, that's where I belong, in a sense. It has nothing to do with the adoptive side not loving me or anything like that.”

“I knew that because growing up, my father was Greek, my mother was Brazilian. And the story that they told me was, they tried to have a baby for like, 16 years, and I was the miracle baby. And instead of having me here in the States, where my mom had no family, they decided to take my mom to Brazil to be around family.”

“I think initially, I was so overwhelmed with knowing that I was going to lose my parents, then eventually dealing with grief. I wish I didn't have to deal with the adoption part of my life. I found it to be very overwhelming, to be very honest. I did a great job in hiding those feelings from people.”

“When you look at the bigger picture, how can I be mad at people that wanted to love me and protect me so hard? That's what I kind of started to learn and that's what gave me peace with everything.”

The moment I saw my bio mom, I knew it was her. How did that feel? “Oh my god, I felt like I was floating. I felt like I wanted to throw up and cry. It was just so overwhelming, but it was so beautiful. My wife got to witness all the emotions all at once where she told me the story. She told me that everyone in the family knew about me. And she also told me that she's been waiting for me for 33 years to contact her because when she gave me away for adoption, she left me with a letter. When I wanted to, I could contact her, but my family never gave me that letter. Thank God for Facebook. ”

“Thankfully, they're both really great people, both sides of my bio family are amazing and]]>Love, Pain, Grief, and Learning How to Overcome with Cat Partheniades

On this week's episode, Yuliana welcomes Catherine ‘Cat’ Partheniades to the show to talk about the moment she found out she was adopted. She was 30 when this happened, and shortly after this discovery, both of her adoptive parents passed away. Today she chats with Yuliana about reckoning with her parents’ lies, experiencing resentment, and her intense periods of drinking to repress the emotions she didn’t know how to deal with or even want to deal with. It was only upon finding her biological family that she found solace in her identity and her parents’ decision to withhold information from her.

After coming into contact with her birth mother through Facebook, Cat remembers meeting her in Brazil as a blissful moment where she finally found the missing piece that she hadn’t quite been able to place in her life before. Kim and our guest go on to talk about both Cat’s birth and adoptive parents, and the pair close out the episode by talking about her experience healing from grief and complex emotions. It’s certainly been an interesting ride for Cat Partheniades, but, as you will hear, she doesn’t want this narrative to dominate her life. After all, she is so much more than that.

Episode Highlights:

• Cat finding out she was adopted at 30
• Her parents’ lies
• Experiencing resentment toward her parents
• Setting pain aside
• Feeling like she’s betraying her parents
• Finding her biological family through Facebook
• The quest for Charlotte’s birth mom
• Reunification with Charlotte’s biological family
• Charlotte’s coming out
• Identity struggles
• Healing from grief
• Ed Sheeran’s Photograph

Quotes:

“Facing the health challenges of both her parents, she finds out that she's adopted, even amid the pain of losing her parents and this life altering discovery, she finds a way toward acceptance of her life and more importantly, herself.”

“I did get into contact with my biological family, and at that point in time, I finally felt that I was at home with myself— with the universe in a sense - because when I met my biological family, that's where I belong, in a sense. It has nothing to do with the adoptive side not loving me or anything like that.”

“I knew that because growing up, my father was Greek, my mother was Brazilian. And the story that they told me was, they tried to have a baby for like, 16 years, and I was the miracle baby. And instead of having me here in the States, where my mom had no family, they decided to take my mom to Brazil to be around family.”

“I think initially, I was so overwhelmed with knowing that I was going to lose my parents, then eventually dealing with grief. I wish I didn't have to deal with the adoption part of my life. I found it to be very overwhelming, to be very honest. I did a great job in hiding those feelings from people.”

“When you look at the bigger picture, how can I be mad at people that wanted to love me and protect me so hard? That's what I kind of started to learn and that's what gave me peace with everything.”

The moment I saw my bio mom, I knew it was her. How did that feel? “Oh my god, I felt like I was floating. I felt like I wanted to throw up and cry. It was just so overwhelming, but it was so beautiful. My wife got to witness all the emotions all at once where she told me the story. She told me that everyone in the family knew about me. And she also told me that she's been waiting for me for 33 years to contact her because when she gave me away for adoption, she left me with a letter. When I wanted to, I could contact her, but my family never gave me that letter. Thank God for Facebook. ”

“Thankfully, they're both really great people, both sides of my bio family are amazing and very welcoming to me. And that's also been really overwhelming, but in the most positive sense.”

“My grief cycle, the way I remember it, was grieving my mother, grieving my father, and then grieving myself and who I thought I was.”

“I still say I'm Greek and Brazilian, because I am; that’s never going to leave me. Just because genetically I might not be those things, I was raised in that environment.”

“That documentation that I found gave me a sense of peace, because I finally figured out who I truly am.”

“This song Photograph by Ed Sheeran, resonated with me so deeply right after my mom passed. I remember specifically…I just got the news. I went out for coffee, and I actually forced myself to leave the house. I was at the deli getting coffee, and all of a sudden, I felt this overwhelming sense of grief, started crying, and the song came on.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Cat Partheniades on Instagram

Cat Partheniades's Homepage

This week on @phoenixtalespodacast, Yuliana speaks Catherine ‘Cat’ Partheniades, a trainer in NYC,  about the moment she found out she was adopted. @catpartheniades was 30 when this happened, and shortly after this discovery, both of her adoptive parents passed away. 

Even amid the pain of losing her parents and this life altering discovery, she finds a way towards acceptance of her life and more importantly, herself. Cat’s story is incredibly moving, but so filled with love. A beautiful place to land in one’s life is to know that you’ve been loved. 🌟 #MyPhoenixTalesMoment 

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Holistic self-care specialist Dana Heller joins Yuliana today to share her inspiring story with listeners. From the life changing doctor’s visit where she found out she had a brain tumour, to her experiences going through multiple surgeries, Dana has come out the other side to help others going through what she did and helping them to feel empowered and healthy once again.

The conversation begins with Dana talking about the event that changed the course of her life - finding out she had a pituitary tumor. She goes on to describe her experience after the first surgery and radiation treatment, the emotions she dealt with knowing she was battling something chronic, and finding meditation and yoga in tough times even when she was let go at work. Dana also details the impact the illness had on her relationships with her parents and how she continues to share her  journey and help others that are in the beginning stages of their diagnosis. The episode concludes with Dana sharing the one song that describes her life, ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’, which reinforces her belief that ‘life is too short to just be average and not happy’.

Episode Highlights:

• The challenging event that redirected the course of Dana’s life
• Dana’s experience after the first surgery
• The importance of the growth hormone
• Finding the silver lining in tough times
• Seeking solace in helping others
• Navigating the relationships with friends and family.
• Dealing with health and career
• Going through the tough days
• The one song that best describes Dana’s life

Quotes:

“I think when I found out that I had to have the second surgery, that was when they kind of hit me, the doors came open, and the feelings that I didn't feel at the beginning of it all came out.”

“Trying to find acceptance and surrender on some days is easier than others.”

“I've been through this journey to hopefully be able to help somebody else that is in the beginning stages of whatever's going on.”

“There's something beyond strength to be able to face that and face it in a way where you then just start to live your life managing this part of your life, and not letting it become the whole of your life.”

“Life is too short. And I just want to be happy. Worrying does nothing for me, whatever has happened in the past has happened, and worrying about the past or worrying about the future, and then you're not in the present.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Dana Heller.Com

Dana’s Instagram

Functional medicine practitioner, Dr. Susan Lovelle, joins Yuliana today for a truly fascinating conversation. Currently the Founder and CEO of Premiere Wellness, Dr. Susan spent 14 years as a professional ballet dancer after which she became a physician specializing in plastic surgery. In her current role with Premiere Wellness, she is thrilled to now be supporting women to heal from the inside out. In this week’s episode, she shares her tale of how she made life changes and regained control of her health after landing in the hospital multiple times, and how these events propelled her into finding a new purpose in helping others and making a difference in their lives.

Dr. Susan begins by recounting the event that redirected the course of her life - an illness that landed her in the intensive care unit three times. She then talks about her experience as the only plastic surgeon for miles and miles where she lived, how this took a toll on her health, and her subsequent commitment to make dietary changes and practice yoga.  Dr. Susan also delves into the health disparity found in African American communities and how she started a functional medicine practice to help others achieve wellness in a holistic manner. The episode rounds off with her advice regarding how to make changes in your life - listen, let go, and live.  As Dr. Susan states, the song “I am not Finished” resonates with her life, a fact that is made abundantly clear through her courageous and inspiring phoenix tale here today.

Episode Highlights:

• The challenging event that redirected the course of Dr. Susan’s life
• Dr. Susan’s experience as a plastic surgeon
• Finding herself in intensive care
• Making changes after a relapse
• Transitioning from plastic surgery to functional medicine
• Exploring the health  disparity in the African American community
• Starting a functional medicine practice
• Steps to mastering your energy at any age
• How to go about making a change in your life
• The one song that resonates with Dr, Susan’s life

Quotes:

“I pushed myself to where I ended up in the intensive care unit three times in the space of one year.”

“It's time to stop believing that I can do everything and be everything to everyone. It was time to start taking care of myself.”

“When I first decided I wanted to go into medicine, it was because I wanted to make a difference in people's lives, and I just realized that, you know, I can make a better difference long term by doing functional medicine.”

“Food is a very important part of the culture of African Americans.”

“Listen, let go, and live.”

“Sometimes … you realize that this is not right for you at this particular point, that you might need to let go a little so that you can then reach out for something that's better. ”

“Whatever it is that floats your boat, that makes and brings joy into your life, is what you need to be doing, especially at this stage in life.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Premiere Wellness Homepage

This week, Yuliana is joined by Tzveta Raynova, a media executive in New York City and former international student from Bulgaria, who shares her journey of overcoming the difficulties of obtaining a student visa in the US, especially after the events of September 11th. Tzveta highlights the complexities of immigration policies and the difficulties faced by foreign students, and recounts how, despite these challenges, she was able to succeed and become a proud US citizen who is fiercely committed to democracy.

In this thought-provoking conversation, she and Yulaina discuss their fears and concerns about the erosion of democratic values and the possibility of authoritarianism in the US. Tzveta shares her personal experiences growing up in an authoritarian country and how it has shaped her views on freedom and democracy. She reflects on her journey through business school during the Great Recession and facing unemployment, before delving deeper into the current state of the country, discussing how changing rules surrounding elections are making it harder for people to make their voices heard. Drawing upon their shared experience of the impact that uncertainty and fear have had on their lives, Yuliana and Tzveta underscore the importance of preserving democratic values for future generations - a powerful and timely message for us all to heed.

Episode Highlights:

• Tzveta’s experience as an international student in the US and the challenges she faced
• The impact of September 11th on her personal and professional life
• The complexities of immigration policies and how they can affect international students
• Tzveta’s journey to becoming a US citizen
• Her commitment to defending the values and ideals of democracy
• Experiences, fears and concerns with authoritarianism
• Importance of democracy and freedom
• Reflections on life experiences and uncertainty
• Concerns about the future and the erosion of democratic values
• The song that aligns with Tzveta’s vision of the world

Quotes:

"I came to the US for college originally from Bulgaria, and as an international student, you're governed by your student visa and what that permits you to do once you graduate."

"Literally ten days after my internship wrapped, 9/11 happened."

"I know how the world changed after that terrible day."

"I've heard stories from friends who are of Middle East descent all of a sudden getting pulled out of security lines, airports, getting asked questions."

"What terrifies me is being ruled by an authoritarian leader."

"The elections during those Communist times were just perfunctory functions. They were not real."

"One of the beautiful things about this country and democracy in this country is that people can organize and make their voice heard and that elections matter."

"And if the rules of how elections are run are changed so that regardless of what the people want, their chosen elected officials don't actually end up taking office, then we are in really dangerous territory."

“Don't stand on the sidelines. Get involved. At the minimum, make sure you vote, if you can.”

“‘Vivir Mi Vida’, which means ‘live my life’... is a song that I love listening to overall because it's kind of a song that you listen to both in good times and in bad, and it reminds you to keep staying in the present, focusing on the positive - that all sort of the painful moments or difficult moments will pass.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on...]]>Embracing and Preserving Democratic Values with Tzveta Raynova

This week, Yuliana is joined by Tzveta Raynova, a media executive in New York City and former international student from Bulgaria, who shares her journey of overcoming the difficulties of obtaining a student visa in the US, especially after the events of September 11th. Tzveta highlights the complexities of immigration policies and the difficulties faced by foreign students, and recounts how, despite these challenges, she was able to succeed and become a proud US citizen who is fiercely committed to democracy.

In this thought-provoking conversation, she and Yulaina discuss their fears and concerns about the erosion of democratic values and the possibility of authoritarianism in the US. Tzveta shares her personal experiences growing up in an authoritarian country and how it has shaped her views on freedom and democracy. She reflects on her journey through business school during the Great Recession and facing unemployment, before delving deeper into the current state of the country, discussing how changing rules surrounding elections are making it harder for people to make their voices heard. Drawing upon their shared experience of the impact that uncertainty and fear have had on their lives, Yuliana and Tzveta underscore the importance of preserving democratic values for future generations - a powerful and timely message for us all to heed.

Episode Highlights:

• Tzveta’s experience as an international student in the US and the challenges she faced
• The impact of September 11th on her personal and professional life
• The complexities of immigration policies and how they can affect international students
• Tzveta’s journey to becoming a US citizen
• Her commitment to defending the values and ideals of democracy
• Experiences, fears and concerns with authoritarianism
• Importance of democracy and freedom
• Reflections on life experiences and uncertainty
• Concerns about the future and the erosion of democratic values
• The song that aligns with Tzveta’s vision of the world

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Tzveta's LinkedIn Page

On the show today, Hourig Messerlian, Senior Director of IT Business at Computing and Information Services - The City University of New York,  joins Yuliana to tell her remarkable and truly inspiring story of how she got to where she is today. Starting with how she fled a country ravaged by Civil War, crossing continents and countries, facing many life altering changes along the way, Hourig now finds herself living an incredibly successful life far from the rubble of a country destroyed by war. She goes far beyond simply surviving, and proves herself to be one who thrives wherever life takes her, defying all odds with her unstoppable spirit and steadfast resolve to never give up.

In this fascinating conversation, Hourig delves into the challenging event that shaped her life - a story of fleeing Lebanon during the civil war at 19 to start a new life, how she was brought up in Lebanon and how she met her father for the first time in London where she started this new life. She shares details about moving to New York, going back to college for a degree, despite being in her mid-40s, and shares with us a special memory that she always looks forward to amidst the storm. The episode draws to a close with Hourig’s advice to those who seek to make big changes, and the one song that she feels resonates with her life - a song about hope. As Hourig movingly states, life has made her “someone who decided a long time ago not to take things sitting down and crying her eyes out” – listen in today to hear about this amazing life and the lessons it teaches us all.

Episode Highlights:

• The challenging event that redirected the course of Hourig’s Life
• How Hourig, an Armenian, was brought up in Lebanon
• The life of an outsider who isn’t afraid to start all over again
• Alone during the Lebanese Civil War
• Leaving Lebanon in perilous times
• Hourig meeting her father for the first time
• Settling into a new life in London
• Her move to New York
• Why getting a college degree was important
• How Hourig propels forward amidst challenges
• The most difficult chapter in Hourig’s life
• A memory that holds a special place in Hourig’s heart
• An inner sense of loneliness
• Hourig’s advice to those who have to make big changes
• The one song that describes Hourig’s life

Quotes:

“It gives one a different outlook in life that nothing is permanent, that tomorrow, who knows, I may have to start all over again. ”

“I'm Armenian, if you crush me, I will lift myself up and start all over again.”

“There was definitely a second side to my life and my story.”

“I'm a very stubborn person, and I don't take to failure too well, or bad luck, or whatever you want to call it. I decided to stay.”

“I strongly believe that there's always going to be a window open if a door closes.”

“I consider myself lucky that not only do I push myself back up and try again, but I always find a way out of whatever disaster I'm faced with.”

“When something's behind me, I leave it behind me. I have almost always succeeded in not having any more concerns, not looking back.”

“Go for it, do it, start your life over and over again if you want, if it makes you happy, if it gives you what you're looking for all these years.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Lifting Yourself Up and Starting All Over Again with Hourig Messerlian

On the show today, Hourig Messerlian, Senior Director of IT Business at Computing and Information Services - The City University of New York,  joins Yuliana to tell her remarkable and truly inspiring story of how she got to where she is today. Starting with how she fled a country ravaged by Civil War, crossing continents and countries, facing many life altering changes along the way, Hourig now finds herself living an incredibly successful life far from the rubble of a country destroyed by war. She goes far beyond simply surviving, and proves herself to be one who thrives wherever life takes her, defying all odds with her unstoppable spirit and steadfast resolve to never give up.

In this fascinating conversation, Hourig delves into the challenging event that shaped her life - a story of fleeing Lebanon during the civil war at 19 to start a new life, how she was brought up in Lebanon and how she met her father for the first time in London where she started this new life. She shares details about moving to New York, going back to college for a degree, despite being in her mid-40s, and shares with us a special memory that she always looks forward to amidst the storm. The episode draws to a close with Hourig’s advice to those who seek to make big changes, and the one song that she feels resonates with her life - a song about hope. As Hourig movingly states, life has made her “someone who decided a long time ago not to take things sitting down and crying her eyes out” – listen in today to hear about this amazing life and the lessons it teaches us all.

Episode Highlights:

• The challenging event that redirected the course of Hourig’s Life
• How Hourig, an Armenian, was brought up in Lebanon
• The life of an outsider who isn’t afraid to start all over again
• Alone during the Lebanese Civil War
• Leaving Lebanon in perilous times
• Hourig meeting her father for the first time
• Settling into a new life in London
• Her move to New York
• Why getting a college degree was important
• How Hourig propels forward amidst challenges
• The most difficult chapter in Hourig’s life
• A memory that holds a special place in Hourig’s heart
• An inner sense of loneliness
• Hourig’s advice to those who have to make big changes
• The one song that describes Hourig’s life

Quotes:

“It gives one a different outlook in life that nothing is permanent, that tomorrow, who knows, I may have to start all over again. ”

“I'm Armenian, if you crush me, I will lift myself up and start all over again.”

“There was definitely a second side to my life and my story.”

“I'm a very stubborn person, and I don't take to failure too well, or bad luck, or whatever you want to call it. I decided to stay.”

“I strongly believe that there's always going to be a window open if a door closes.”

“I consider myself lucky that not only do I push myself back up and try again, but I always find a way out of whatever disaster I'm faced with.”

“When something's behind me, I leave it behind me. I have almost always succeeded in not having any more concerns, not looking back.”

“Go for it, do it, start your life over and over again if you want, if it makes you happy, if it gives you what you're looking for all these years.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

How does the death of a parent redirect the course of one’s life? Judy Glassman joins Yuliana on today’s episode as she recounts the painful experience of losing her mother to brain cancer, the joy of finding yoga, and transitioning into a new career at a later age for a meaningful life.

Judy begins the conversation by describing the challenging event that reshaped her life - losing her mother to brain cancer rapidly and having to bear that weight solely.  She goes on to discuss how she coped by compartmentalizing and finding time to remind herself to breathe, finding peace in yoga, and starting a career in yoga therapy even at a later age. As is the tradition on Phoenix Tales, our guest closes out this moving and inspirational episode by describing the song that most resonates with her life.

Episode Highlights:

• The challenging event that redirected the course of Judy’s life
• Bearing the weight of it all
• Coping by compartmentalizing
• The complicated process of grieving as the main caretaker
• How Judy’s independence helped her through her mom’s death
• Seeking healing in yoga
• What is yoga therapy?
• Starting a new career at a later age
• Planning for the future
• The one song that resonates with Judy’s life

Quotes:

“For 10 minutes every morning, I allowed myself to do nothing and stare out the window and breathe.”

“During that time, I simply was the caretaker with my own ball of emotions .”

“No matter how young or old you are, a parent's death follows you and gets more difficult as you get older rather than less difficult."

“I was my mother's first priority. And that changed.”

“I ultimately, really, completely healed myself with yoga.”

“We get to focus on a person's challenges and not see them as anything negative, but just to be able to give them the power, and help heal them through these modalities.”

“I am careful about my own practice so that I don't overdo it.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Judy Glassman Yoga

Email Judy

Kathy Casey sits down with Yuliana today to share her own phoenix tale of how she reinvented herself and followed her passion after losing a part of herself to her divorce and forced retirement. Both of these life events naturally had significant impacts upon Kathy and the path her life was following, Through courage and compassion, Kathy overcame these obstacles and today shares how this has fueled her to become the woman she is today.

Kathy begins the conversation by talking about her divorce as one of the events that reshaped her life, from meeting her ex-husband and enjoying a whirlwind romance in Italy to how she had to face some realizations after the divorce. She also discusses the other event that shaped her life - her forced retirement at 56 - and realizing that she based her identity heavily on her profession. She then delves into finding and following a new passion and how she plans to settle upon retirement. The episode ends with Kathy talking about the one song that resonates with her life, a song about gratitude and compassion.

Episode Highlights:

• The challenging events that redirected the course of Kathy’s life
• Questioning her judgment after making a life-changing decision
• Falling in love with a man and a city
• Experiencing the impacts of forced retirement
• The realizations after her divorce
• How Kathy defined herself by a job and title
• Following a new passion
• Settling after retirement
• Having compassion for yourself and others
• One song that resonates with Kathy’s life

Quotes:

“I was walking in a coma through my own life.”

“It was a difficult marriage and a difficult divorce, but I think both did set me up for what I would become in later life.”

“All my life my professional work was anchored in writing, but I was always kind of a pen for hire. And now I finally I'm writing for myself.”

“One of the things that I feel like I've learned, and I'm continuing to try to learn in my work with animals and animal organizations, is compassion.”

“A lot of us have difficulty showing ourselves compassion.”

“Sometimes when you don't know where to turn, or which way to move, the only thing to do is just to stay out in the world.”

“I do have a tendency to isolate like a wounded animal.  I'll lick my boots in the corner... When I lost my job, not really knowing what to do next, I just stayed in contact. Just stay out in the world and something will drop into your lap.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Kathy’s Blog

Today’s guest is Ellen Greenberg. a designer and the owner and director of Quick Culture, a global, art tour and cultural travel company. Among her other roles, Ellen has also been an instructor at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, has guest lectured at UCLA, holds Docent Program certificates at both The Getty Center and LACMA, and is the author of Inside Chocolate, a pictorial art book. In this moving episode, she shares her phoenix tale of how she realized she was meant to be more than just a wife and a mother, and how that became a catalyst for her divorce. Notwithstanding, Ellen never quit and her incredible story here today is one that is sure to inspire and motivate.

She begins by discussing her first divorce as the challenging event that reshaped her life. As a result of this brutal and difficult split in the midst of the 1970s Women’s Movement, Ellen picked up her life post-divorce and moved 3000 miles to LA to start over. She discusses being a single mother before remarrying, which brought its own struggles, as well as her second divorce. She talks about the self-doubt she experienced and why she decided never to make one thing the most important in her life. An avid fan of Mark Twain, Ellen finishes by sharing that she would like to have a sit down with him to ask him questions about his works.

Episode Highlights:

• The challenging event that redirected the course of Ellen’s life
• Ellen’s difficult divorce
• Moving to LA and starting a new job
• The emotional impact of the divorce on Ellen’s kids
• Ellen’s challenges in her new marriage and second divorce
• Battling self-doubt
• A sit-down with Mark Twain

Quotes:

“That was the worst thing I ever went through. He didn't want the marriage to end. He tried to do everything nasty...even to the point of saying that he was going to commit suicide if I left him.”

“I was driven, wanting to succeed.”

“I finally came to the conclusion that I didn't pick them. They picked me and I agreed.”

“I was never going to let one thing be the most important thing in my life.”

“Don’t make anything that important.”

“I'm not Superwoman. I'm only human. And I don't know, I do the best I can.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Quick Culture

In this episode of Phoenix Tales, Yuliana has the pleasure of interviewing Rhonda Powell, a leading attorney in the media landscape who has faced not one but two health crises that nearly took her life. As you will hear today, through these challenges Rhonda has emerged with a deeper focus on what is truly important in her life and she continues to be an inspiration to all.

Rhonda shares her story of a condition called placenta accreta and the severe hemorrhaging she faced after giving birth to her youngest child. Despite being monitored closely, the event nearly took her life and the subsequent development of a pulmonary embolism only added to her trauma. However, from these struggles, Rhonda learned the importance of focusing on what truly matters in her life and making sure she stays on course, despite the obstacles that may come her way. She also reflects on the impact of her near-death experiences on her beliefs and sense of self. She explains how it has enhanced her sense of certainty in herself and her decisions, made her value time even more, and encouraged her to bond more fully with her children. Rhonda discusses her belief that her life is guided by something greater than herself and how this belief has provided a sense of hope and comfort in moments of darkness. Her words of wisdom, as shared here today, serve as testament to the power of faith and how it can help us persevere through even the most difficult of times and seemingly insurmountable challenges.

Episode Highlights:

• Rhonda’s health crises
• The significance of these events in Rhonda's life and how they have changed her.
• Managing life with a newborn and two other young children.
• Coming out of the hospital and the healing process.
• Rhonda’s sense of certainty
• Valuing time and bonding with children
• Being guided by something greater than herself
• The role of faith in providing comfort in moments of darkness
• The importance of cultivating a relationship where children feel comfortable sharing
• Being a lifelong companion for their children
• The songs that resonate with Rhonda these days

Quotes:

"And I really do believe that that experience changed the way that I viewed my life, changed the way that I viewed my family, and changed the way that I move forward in the world."

"It just really crystallized the things and the people that are really important to you."

"Keep yourself focused on the things that really matter to you and that you really value and care about."

"I always had this very clear sense of my own process, my own conclusions, and just taking the road that I felt I should take."

"Having the self-confidence and the trust that no one's going to know what's best for you better than you."

"Let's make sure that you're pouring everything into these kids that you can pour in so that they know their mom."

"My kids are really comfortable with me, and they feel like they can say anything to me without feeling judgment, without fear."

"There is something greater than yourself guiding your life."

“Maybe it's just about the moment that we're in right now as well, but I listen to Beyonce's ‘Freedom’ a lot. I feel like it's a song that propels you forward, so I listen to that quite a bit. And I also listen to Nina Simone’s ‘Feeling Good’ quite a lot.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Guided by Something Greater than Yourself with Rhonda Powell

In this episode of Phoenix Tales, Yuliana has the pleasure of interviewing Rhonda Powell, a leading attorney in the media landscape who has faced not one but two health crises that nearly took her life. As you will hear today, through these challenges Rhonda has emerged with a deeper focus on what is truly important in her life and she continues to be an inspiration to all.

Rhonda shares her story of a condition called placenta accreta and the severe hemorrhaging she faced after giving birth to her youngest child. Despite being monitored closely, the event nearly took her life and the subsequent development of a pulmonary embolism only added to her trauma. However, from these struggles, Rhonda learned the importance of focusing on what truly matters in her life and making sure she stays on course, despite the obstacles that may come her way. She also reflects on the impact of her near-death experiences on her beliefs and sense of self. She explains how it has enhanced her sense of certainty in herself and her decisions, made her value time even more, and encouraged her to bond more fully with her children. Rhonda discusses her belief that her life is guided by something greater than herself and how this belief has provided a sense of hope and comfort in moments of darkness. Her words of wisdom, as shared here today, serve as testament to the power of faith and how it can help us persevere through even the most difficult of times and seemingly insurmountable challenges.

Episode Highlights:

• Rhonda’s health crises
• The significance of these events in Rhonda's life and how they have changed her.
• Managing life with a newborn and two other young children.
• Coming out of the hospital and the healing process.
• Rhonda’s sense of certainty
• Valuing time and bonding with children
• Being guided by something greater than herself
• The role of faith in providing comfort in moments of darkness
• The importance of cultivating a relationship where children feel comfortable sharing
• Being a lifelong companion for their children
• The songs that resonate with Rhonda these days

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Roni Jackson, Co-Founder of Red Flag Mania, joins Yuliana today to share her inspiring phoenix tale. Roni identifies and expands upon two inflection points in her life that altered her trajectory considerably. The first, losing her mother at a young age, and the second, being forced to give up her long time career, both had significant impacts upon her life, helping to shape her and become the resilient and courageous phoenix she is today.

Roni begins by discussing these events that redirected the course of her life, describing the loneliness and isolation she felt growing up in a new household after she lost her mom and how that influenced the way she raised her own children. Regarding her second challenging event, being let go from a company to which she had devoted a huge part of her life, Roni talks about starting a new career and how she had become a resilient force ever since the death of her mom. She also details how she created a strong family unit in a bid to dispel that fear of loneliness and isolation which she carried into adulthood. The episode comes to a close with Roni sharing the one song that truly resonates with her life - a song about finding her space and happy place in this vast world. Finding courage and resilience from not only one, but two pivotal moments in her life, Roni’s phoenix tale here today is one that you will not soon forget.

Episode Highlights:

-   The challenging events that redirected the course of Roni’s life

-   Life after her mother’s passing

-   How losing her mother impacted the raising of Roni’s children

-   The end to a 10-year career

-   Starting out on a new path

-   The resiliency from losing one’s parent at a young age

-   Carrying fears in adulthood

-   Creating a strong nuclear family unit

-   Experiencing a fear of mortality

-   A great gift born out of love

-   One song that resonates with Roni’s life

Quotes:

“Being a motherless daughter is a very challenging place to be. Particularly as you begin your teenage years, you are left without anyone understanding exactly who you are.”

“Not having my mother truly impacted who I am and how I think and even, I think, my devotion to my own children.”

“I had given so much to a company that had given me so little. And not only that, but I think I defined myself by the company, and by what I was doing.”

“Resiliency is certainly a part of the fabric of my being.”

“The problem was I gave a job half of myself. ”

“I learned that I have to prioritize what is most important to me, and always put that at the forefront.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Red Flag Mania

Ji begins the conversation by talking about her adoption as the one event that shaped her life’s direction, her childhood growing up as an Asian-American in New York, and how it took 10 years for her to brace herself to meet her birth family after having found them.  She goes on to describe meeting them and the emotions that surfaced, the moment she truly understood the rationale behind her birth mother’s decision, and when she truly forgave her. Ji also delves into how the sense of abandonment impacted her relationships and how she and her husband work to make sure their children feel confident, proud, and love themselves. The episode rounds off with Ji talking about Tide and the one song that describes her life - a super sad song about resilience. A model of resiliency herself, Ji and her story of meeting and overcoming challenges will undoubtedly move and inspire all who listen in today.

Episode Highlights:

-   The event that redirected the course of Ji Young’s life

-   Growing up as an adopted child in New York

-   Why parents should help their children learn about their culture and identity

-   Seeking out her birth family - Ji’s story

-   The week Ji met her birth family

-   The reason why giving Ji up for adoption was necessary

-   The moment of true forgiveness

-   The journey of Ji’s identity

-   Dealing with the sense of abandonment

-   Raising mixed children

-   Ji speaks about her film festival, Tide

-   The one song that describes Ji’s life

Quotes:

“The biggest part of my identity that shapes me the most is the adoptee part of my identity.”

“I didn't have the maturity or the self-awareness or the grasp on identity enough to understand just how difficult it was for me.”

“You should do what you can to help your child feel good about their identity, whether it's black, Asian, brown, whatever it is.”

“A lot of people think of it as ‘Oh, you find them and ta-da it’s done’, when really,  it's just the beginning of a pretty difficult journey.” 

“I have twins. When they were turning three, the age that I was when I was adopted, I would stay up nights just bawling my eyes out being, like, ‘I cannot imagine putting my child on a plane right now.’”

“This was the first time I was able to realize that before my story was my mom's story and whatever brought her to that point where she had to make this awful decision, I was finally able to have empathy for that.”

“This was my fate in this lifetime.”

“Because there is this innate fear of abandonment that we kind of have to struggle with our entire lives, I can see, when I'm being objectively self-reflective enough, how that plays out in my relationships, and not just romantic relationships in the past, but all relationships.”

“My mission in life since I was pregnant with my children has been to make sure they feel good about the skin that they're in, to feel good about themselves, to feel confident and proud, and to love themselves.”

Links:

Today on the show, Yuliana is joined by Ji Young, the founder of the Tide Film Festival. An attorney turned non-profit executive, producer, writer, speaker and facilitator, Ji is the Founder of DreamMaker DreamDoer DreamSupporter, inc, - 3D, and is the creator, producer and host of the web series ‘Not Your Average’ for KoreanAmericanstory.org. as well as the founder, co-creator, former co-producer and current advisor to ‘$6.99 Per Pound’ podcast. At the age of 3, Ji was adopted from Korea by an Italian and Irish-American family, grew up in upstate New York, and today shares the story of her adoption, the battle with her identity, and the impact of reuniting with her Korean birth family.

Ji begins the conversation by talking about her adoption as the one event that shaped her life’s direction, her childhood growing up as an Asian-American in New York, and how it took 10 years for her to brace herself to meet her birth family after having found them.  She goes on to describe meeting them and the emotions that surfaced, the moment she truly understood the rationale behind her birth mother’s decision, and when she truly forgave her. Ji also delves into how the sense of abandonment impacted her relationships and how she and her husband work to make sure their children feel confident, proud, and love themselves. The episode rounds off with Ji talking about Tide and the one song that describes her life - a super sad song about resilience. A model of resiliency herself, Ji and her story of meeting and overcoming challenges will undoubtedly move and inspire all who listen in today.

Episode Highlights:

-   The event that redirected the course of Ji Young’s life

-   Growing up as an adopted child in New York

-   Why parents should help their children learn about their culture and identity

-   Seeking out her birth family - Ji’s story

-   The week Ji met her birth family

-   The reason why giving Ji up for adoption was necessary

-   The moment of true forgiveness

-   The journey of Ji’s identity

-   Dealing with the sense of abandonment

-   Raising mixed children

-   Ji speaks about her film festival, Tide

-   The one song that describes Ji’s life

Quotes:

“The biggest part of my identity that shapes me the most is the adoptee part of my identity.”

“I didn't have the maturity or the self-awareness or the grasp on identity enough to understand just how difficult it was for me.”

“You should do what you can to help your child feel good about their identity, whether it's black, Asian, brown, whatever it is.”

“A lot of people think of it as ‘Oh, you find them and ta-da it’s done’, when really,  it's just the beginning of a pretty difficult journey.” 

“I have twins. When they were turning three, the age that I was when I was adopted, I would stay up nights just bawling my eyes out being, like, ‘I cannot imagine putting my child on a plane right now.’”

“This was the first time I was able to realize that before my story was my mom's story and whatever brought her to that point where she had to make this awful decision, I was finally able to have empathy for that.”

“This was my fate in this lifetime.”

“Because there is this innate fear of abandonment that we kind of have to struggle with our entire lives, I can see, when I'm being objectively self-reflective enough, how that plays out in my relationships, and not just romantic relationships in the past, but all relationships.”

“My mission in life since I was pregnant with my children has been to make sure they feel good about the skin that they're in, to feel good about themselves, to feel confident and proud, and to love themselves.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Ji Young’s Instagram

Tide Film Festival Instagram

Tide Film Festival Homepage

Next, Gabriella gets into the details of her family history of mental illnesses. Looking back on the most tragic family events, she tells us about the impact of bipolar disorder on an individual’s life. Not only does mental illness impact a person’s life, but it also touches everything and everyone around them. Unfortunately, that was also the case with Gabriella’s father. His mental health struggles left a mark on those that loved him but also shaped them to become stronger and more resilient. To this day, Gabriella continues to unpack her trauma and complex emotions as she helps others heal and recover using yoga as therapy. She’s truly an inspiration to everyone dealing with grief, loss, and sorrow.

Episode Highlights:

• Coping with tragic events and complicated family history
• The impact of bipolar disorder on a person’s personal and professional life
• The effects of suicide on family members
• Understanding mental illness in family
• Self-healing
• The lifelong process of processing trauma
• The songs that most resonate with Gabriella

Quotes:

“There's this other side of my personality, maybe you’ve seen it, Yuliana, that was bold, and just go for things, and just really try to carve out my own way and take chances. I think that comes from that too. Those kinds of situations that are scary really make you adaptable in some ways.”

“Up until then, I was like, why are people mean? And why are they mean to me? And then when I read that letter, I was like, no, wait, people who are mean are in pain.”

“The next phone call I got was from my cousin. He said, ‘Gabby, I just want you to know that there's nothing you could have done.’ I thought that was like the most generous thing that anyone could do. Because he knew where the mind goes. Because he had been through it.”

“I feel like even today, things will come up. I feel like it's a lifelong process of unpacking, it's so huge that there's no sort of processing it, and then be done with it.”

“I would say that things change. I don't think I would say, ‘You're going to be okay,’ anything like that. I would say ‘Just know that now is not what you're always going to be feeling.’”

“So one is Iggy Pop ‘Passenger’, which is a song that I love because it's just about experiencing life. That's what it is to me. I like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ ‘Despair’, do you know that song? Because it's all about sort of, like, facing despair and sort of, like, concreteness. That bluegrass song. ‘Keep on the Sunny Side’, which by the way, is not what it sounds like. It doesn't mean like, just be happy all the time. There's something about it that suggests, like, effort, you know?”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales]]>Today, Yuliana introduces Gabriella Barnstone, a certified yoga therapist, and together they talk about the pivotal moment that redirected the course of Gabriella’s life. For her, it was her father’s mental illness and eventual suicide that changed everything. As she says, everything in her life was leading up to that moment of the untimely death by suicide of her parent. She reflects on these heart-breaking moments and opens up about her family history of mental illness. She also shares her story of dealing with trauma and accepting the fact that healing is a lifelong process.

Next, Gabriella gets into the details of her family history of mental illnesses. Looking back on the most tragic family events, she tells us about the impact of bipolar disorder on an individual’s life. Not only does mental illness impact a person’s life, but it also touches everything and everyone around them. Unfortunately, that was also the case with Gabriella’s father. His mental health struggles left a mark on those that loved him but also shaped them to become stronger and more resilient. To this day, Gabriella continues to unpack her trauma and complex emotions as she helps others heal and recover using yoga as therapy. She’s truly an inspiration to everyone dealing with grief, loss, and sorrow.

Episode Highlights:

• Coping with tragic events and complicated family history
• The impact of bipolar disorder on a person’s personal and professional life
• The effects of suicide on family members
• Understanding mental illness in family
• Self-healing
• The lifelong process of processing trauma
• The songs that most resonate with Gabriella

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Gabriella Barnstone on Yoga Physical Website

Helen talks about the disastrous effects that parental death can have on an individual. She recounts her experience of feeling grief while being a new mom and dealing with a broken marriage. Although it wasn’t easy, Helen was able to turn her life around and rise out of the ashes. She tells us all about these hard-learned lessons, from finding the courage to part ways with her ex-husband to learning how to color outside the lines. Finally, Helen opens up about her decision to make a career switch and adds that her mother’s death taught her to live every day like it’s her last. Not only did she start living her life to the fullest career-wise, she also became a powerful and loving role model for her children.

Episode Highlights:

• Dealing with parental death  
• The importance of allowing yourself to feel grief
• Appearance vs reality of a happy couple
• Growing through pivotal moments in life
• Making a big career switch and coloring outside the lines
• Living every day like it’s your last
• The song that resonates most with Helen

Quotes:

“Our friends are always like, ‘Oh, you guys are such a perfect couple. You always look so happy.’ Well, hello, looks are deceiving. And inside the marriage, there's a lot going on that's not spoken.”

“Definitely not feeling like someone's always going to judge or kind of wants to steer you one way is completely liberating in that you can make your own mistakes and no one's going to say, ‘Oh, I told you so.’”

“I have lived, like people say, live each day like it's your last. I have done that since she passed. Because I think it's very important, because we really don't know when our time is. So, whenever it is, I'm hoping that I've given my sons enough skills and understanding that, yeah, it'll be okay.”

“Long time ago, my sister said that happiness is a choice, and I got so mad at her. I was like, that is not true. Well, you know, there is some truth to it, if there is a truth in that the brain, it can be rewired. It takes effort, it takes lots of hours of probably internal work, but I do believe it's possible.”

“If it were my time tomorrow, it's okay because I feel everyday fulfilling that mission, that's my life.”

“It's the music, and feeling like I am the ‘Dancing Queen’ because I am. I love music and I love to dance.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Helen Dellheim on LinkedIn

Helen Dellheim on Instagram

Helen Dellheim on Facebook

She notes that, during this time, she turned to mindfulness, yoga, and meditation.  And, in that process, she’s become her own best friend for the first time in her life.  Feiner’s learned throughout her journey that, while addiction never goes away, her coping mechanisms allow her to at least sit with the intense emotions that accompany it.  Penni recognizes that anxiety and stress are going to be parts of her daily experience and is no longer surprised about their presence.  That’s why she’s gone on to help others do the same.  As the executive director for Kula for Karma and co-founder of Be Still, her goal is to offer therapeutic yoga, mindfulness, meditation, and breathwork to individuals in the workplace or those who don’t have access to healthy healing modalities.  As someone who knows a thing or two about addiction, Feiner has taken it upon herself to help others see the light, like she once did, and she continues that noble quest in her conversation with Yuliana here today

Episode Highlights: 

• Battling a cocaine addiction at a young age
• Feiner’s brother’s breaking point
• Why addiction doesn’t go away
• Turning to food
• Her introduction to yoga and mindfulness
• Becoming your own best friend

Quotes: 

“I had been challenged with a cocaine addiction. And I am about to celebrate 40 years clean and sober. I think coming to terms with my issue with coke and my brother, who had been admitted as an inpatient, really was the motivation.”

“I was part of a radical feminist group and a consciousness raising group for women. And we had loud voices at Colgate, because there were 100 of us and 3000 men.”

“I was a weekend warrior… I would be thinking during the week as Thursday approached about where I was going to go, how I was going to get the drugs, how long was my supply going to last.”

“Even with the years and years and years now of a yoga practice, mindfulness practice, and  meditation, the notion of just being okay with feeling lousy has been challenging for me.”

“It's not so much about not being able to sit with the emotion as it is wanting to run from the intensity of the emotion, if that makes sense. I kind of got to this place with managing anxiety knowing that anxiety and stress are going to be a part of my experience on a daily basis. I'm not surprised anymore.”

“We were kind of like the dynamic duo. We really supported each other and took care of each other in a way that was very special and continues to fuel our friendship and our love for each other as siblings.”

“It's called Sita Ram.  The beginning of the verse is: Turn obstacles into opportunities, turn challenges into change, turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones, turn losses into gains, same landscape, different eyes, make the breath go inside, dive into uncertainty, and take a ride.”

Links: 

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

On today’s episode, Yuliana welcomes Penni Feiner to the podcast to talk about her brother’s entry into inpatient drug rehab, why it forced her to confront her own cocaine addiction, how she has managed to stay 25 years sober, and why yoga and mindfulness helped save her.  As  a lifelong feminist, executive director, and yoga enthusiast, Feiner has come a long way way since that young girl who stumbled in to free basing all those years ago.  It wasn’t until after her brother, who also suffered from addiction, reached out for help and joined an inpatient rehab program that she even acknowledged that she had a problem.  

She notes that, during this time, she turned to mindfulness, yoga, and meditation.  And, in that process, she’s become her own best friend for the first time in her life.  Feiner’s learned throughout her journey that, while addiction never goes away, her coping mechanisms allow her to at least sit with the intense emotions that accompany it.  Penni recognizes that anxiety and stress are going to be parts of her daily experience and is no longer surprised about their presence.  That’s why she’s gone on to help others do the same.  As the executive director for Kula for Karma and co-founder of Be Still, her goal is to offer therapeutic yoga, mindfulness, meditation, and breathwork to individuals in the workplace or those who don’t have access to healthy healing modalities.  As someone who knows a thing or two about addiction, Feiner has taken it upon herself to help others see the light, like she once did, and she continues that noble quest in her conversation with Yuliana here today

Episode Highlights: 

• Battling a cocaine addiction at a young age
• Feiner’s brother’s breaking point
• Why addiction doesn’t go away
• Turning to food
• Her introduction to yoga and mindfulness
• Becoming your own best friend

Quotes: 

“I had been challenged with a cocaine addiction. And I am about to celebrate 40 years clean and sober. I think coming to terms with my issue with coke and my brother, who had been admitted as an inpatient, really was the motivation.”

“I was part of a radical feminist group and a consciousness raising group for women. And we had loud voices at Colgate, because there were 100 of us and 3000 men.”

“I was a weekend warrior… I would be thinking during the week as Thursday approached about where I was going to go, how I was going to get the drugs, how long was my supply going to last.”

“Even with the years and years and years now of a yoga practice, mindfulness practice, and  meditation, the notion of just being okay with feeling lousy has been challenging for me.”

“It's not so much about not being able to sit with the emotion as it is wanting to run from the intensity of the emotion, if that makes sense. I kind of got to this place with managing anxiety knowing that anxiety and stress are going to be a part of my experience on a daily basis. I'm not surprised anymore.”

“We were kind of like the dynamic duo. We really supported each other and took care of each other in a way that was very special and continues to fuel our friendship and our love for each other as siblings.”

“It's called Sita Ram.  The beginning of the verse is: Turn obstacles into opportunities, turn challenges into change, turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones, turn losses into gains, same landscape, different eyes, make the breath go inside, dive into uncertainty, and take a ride.”

Links: 

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Penni Feiner on LinkedIn

Kula for Karma Homepage 

Be Still Homepage 

Both Yuliana and Loretta go on to acknowledge that this was no small feat, noting that it’s challenging to embrace yourself when your immediate environment encourages you not to.  In fact, that’s part of the reason that Turner ditched New Jersey for sunnier sights in San Diego.  There she’s not only enjoyed a great deal of personal and professional growth, but she’s also met the most diverse friend group she’s had in her life.  She currently works to make San Diego’s outdoor spaces, trails, and beaches more accessible to communities of color, and she doesn’t plan on slowing down.  In the wake of 2020 and the tragedy that was COVID-19, Turner has come face to face with the importance of community, which you will hear all about in today’s inspiring episode.

Episode Highlights: 

• Turner’s move to San Diego
• Turner’s academic epiphany
• Code switching
• Becoming Loretta
• Diversity in San Diego 
• The importance of community

Quotes: 

“I just wanted to get it out into the world and see what else was out there and see if I could challenge myself in an environment, especially one that I haven't grown up in or wasn't used to.”

“I'm not a first generation student, but I am the first of my siblings to go to school. As I had mentioned, in high school, academics wasn't something I cared for. I was an athlete.”

“I know that my parents loved and adored me, but I also sensed that they were disappointed in me…So this idea that I had gotten into school, and all of a sudden, I was good at it. I was getting good grades, and I had an interest. That's where that sense of worthiness… I felt like I had given up on myself.”

“There was a lot of code switching that was happening, you know, we'd go to a family event over the weekend. And when Monday rolled around, I went back to school, like I didn't talk like that I didn't act like that.”

“Code Switching happens when I'm now in a new environment, I go back to school, and now I'm really hesitant on how I speak. I'm really hesitant about what I share about myself, I'm really hesitant about how I carry myself…if I act the way that I've acted with my family around a predominantly white group, stereotypes might come up.”

“We know that San Diego looks very white. And we know that a lot of the most beautiful places in this county are accessed by more privileged people that are predominantly white. So a lot of the work that I do in the county now is making those spaces, especially outdoor spaces, like beaches and trails, more accessible to communities of color.”

“I love being an imaginative kid alone in my room, but what also equally helped me feel lit up was being in community, celebrations, parties, and bringing people together.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on...]]>Today Yuliana welcomes nonprofit executive and leadership development coach, Loretta Turner, to the Phoenix Tales podcast to chat about the importance of community, code switching, and embracing authenticity.  As a young black girl growing up on the East Coast, Turner felt like she almost had to live a double life: one that felt true and family-centric and another filled with fear, caution, and stereotypes.  It wasn’t until she was much older that she actually reconciled with her identity and truly became Loretta.

Both Yuliana and Loretta go on to acknowledge that this was no small feat, noting that it’s challenging to embrace yourself when your immediate environment encourages you not to.  In fact, that’s part of the reason that Turner ditched New Jersey for sunnier sights in San Diego.  There she’s not only enjoyed a great deal of personal and professional growth, but she’s also met the most diverse friend group she’s had in her life.  She currently works to make San Diego’s outdoor spaces, trails, and beaches more accessible to communities of color, and she doesn’t plan on slowing down.  In the wake of 2020 and the tragedy that was COVID-19, Turner has come face to face with the importance of community, which you will hear all about in today’s inspiring episode.

Episode Highlights: 

• Turner’s move to San Diego
• Turner’s academic epiphany
• Code switching
• Becoming Loretta
• Diversity in San Diego 
• The importance of community

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Loretta Turner Homepage

Loretta Turner on Instagram

Loretta Turner on LinkedIn

Coming up on 10/6, Yuliana welcomes nonprofit executive and leadership development coach, Loretta Turner, to  @phoenixtalespodcast to chat about the importance of community, code switching, and embracing authenticity.  As a young black girl growing up on the East Coast, Turner felt like she almost had to live a double life: one that felt true and family-centric and another filled with fear, caution, and stereotypes.  It wasn’t until she was much older that she actually reconciled with her identity and truly became Loretta.✨ #MyPhoenixTalesMoment

New #phoenixtales episodes every other Thursday. Make sure to:

🎙FOLLOW @phoeixtalespodcast 

🎙LISTEN to the podcast for free on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcast, and Google Podcast or by clicking the link in bio. 

🎙SAVE and SHARE with someone who may benefit from hearing these stories. 

🎙SUBSCRIBE to Phoenix Tales Podcast to stay updated on new episodes.

Today on #PhoenixTales, I speak with @loretta.leads. She speaks openly about how it’s challenging to embrace yourself when your immediate environment encourages you not to.  In fact, that’s part of the reason that Turner ditched New Jersey for sunnier sights in San Diego.  There she’s not only enjoyed a great deal of personal and professional growth, but she’s also met the most diverse friend group she’s had in her life.  She currently works to make San Diego’s outdoor spaces, trails, and beaches more accessible to communities of color, and she doesn’t plan on slowing down.  Loretta has come face to face with the importance of community, which you will hear all about in today’s inspiring episode.

“There was a lot of code switching that was happening, you know, we'd go to a family event over the weekend. And when Monday rolled around, I went back to school, like I didn't talk like that I didn't act like that.”

✨ #MyPhoenixTalesMoment

Listen to the entire podcast, “Loretta Turner on Her Journey from Code Switching to Community” for free on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcast, and Google Podcast. Save this post and share it with someone who you might think would benefit! 💜

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Maryam shares some vital moments that shaped her and made her who she is today – a courageous survivor. But Maryam is more than just a survivor; she’s a fearless businesswoman, a loving mother, an inspiring person, and so much more. In this episode, she opens up about her defense mechanism - compartmentalizing emotions - and how it got her through the most heart-wrenching moments in life. Maryam continues to be resilient and fearless to this day in everything she does, whether that’s getting on a plane right after the 9/11 attacks or starting a grassroots movement to help the city during COVID-19. As Maryam walks us through her emotional journey and reflects on her key phoenix-rising moments, we get to witness first-hand how even the most difficult experiences can strengthen us.

Episode Highlights:

• Living through a revolution and becoming resilient in the process
• Experiencing one of the worst heartbreaks there is – the death of a parent
• Pros and cons of being fearless
• Turning traumatic events into powerful strengths
• The precious gift of helping others
• The song that describes Maryam’s life

Quotes:

“It was all out of necessity, so I don't know that I really processed it the way that I might today. So, you were sort of picked up and dropped into different places, and you had to survive. So, I would say it's kind of all I knew. So, it's hard to look back with that lens per se.”

“I think the way I got through life, for the most part, was being able to compartmentalize so that you could move on. So, I don't know, that was really the way I process things. I process by sort of putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward, not so much sort of living in that moment and feeling it.”

“I think, as you experience revolution, and you see what happens, I was drawn to media because I believed in the power of storytelling and the story of being able to change the world. That sort of became a seminal thing in my life in which I ended up working.”

“I was very conscious of never wanting to ask for anything or asking for help. That felt like a weakness, to some degree, a burden. So, I was very reticent to ask, and it's one of the things I tell my kids, I'm like, ‘People want to help you.’ Asking is actually, you're giving somebody a gift of being able to help you.”

“The song that was my anthem in college or high school was ‘I will survive’ by Gloria Gaynor. […] I don't know that I understood the full nuance of the song except that I just knew I could survive.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Maryam Banikarim on LinkedIn

Kate recounts how her life experienced a redirection following the death of her mother, and also about her final moment with her mother with whom she had a close relationship. Talking about grief, Kate describes it as nonlinear and how she honors her mom. She also describes her relationship with her children as being influenced by losing her own mother and goes on to discuss discovering storytelling after her mom’s death and the importance of storytelling in our lives. The episode ends with Kate sharing the one song that resonates with her life - a song about how life can be bittersweet.

Episode Highlights:

• The challenging event that redirected the course of Kate’s life
• How the death of her mother shaped Kate’s college years
• The final moments
• Handling the grief
• Kate’s special ritual to honor her mom
• How losing her mom at a young age impacts Kate’s relationship with her children
• Getting into storytelling
• Observing as a storyteller and still living in the present
• Kate talks about her new book
• The one song that resonates with Kate’s life

Quotes:

“She went very fast. She just went from like a healthy person swimming laps, who happens to have cancer to a person that was no longer alive.”

“What I learned most about losing my mother, like the greatest grief I've ever experienced, is that it's so nonlinear.”

“I'm the mom that rolls on the floor with the kids. I mom so freaking hard because I have such respect for the relationship that you get and the form and the connection you can build with your children.”

“When you tell a story about someone, you bring them alive. You bring them to the forefront of your mind and anyone who's listening, and that's magic to me .”

“I am so invested in creating present moments with my kids. I just want to imprint myself on their tiny brains.”

“Having a story brain forces me to laser focus in a way. I could be on the subway, and also rescheduling my appointment with my dermatologist while I'm listening to a podcast and looking out the window, remembering the time I went on a date at that restaurant.”

“The true nature of life is that you can have great beauty and great sadness that sit aside each other.”

“That Barbra Streisand version of ‘The Shadow of Your Smile’...my mother had a really, she had a huge smile. She just left her mark on you. She was the one at a party that found the quiet person in the corner and you would find them, like, laughing with their heads back ten minutes later, you know. She left a mark.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

How to Tell a Story

Kate Tellers Instagram

Growing up amidst civil wars, Berny has always lived the nomad life. She talks about having to start a new life in Portugal with her husband after settling in Asia, as well as the challenges that came with this relocation despite her being of Portuguese descent. She goes on to discuss finding her creativity and happiness within and how her experiences created an extreme reality for her. To share her experiences with different people and different cultures which is something she has always loved, Berny turned her home into a guest house welcoming different people from across the world. The episode ends with Berny describing a song that resonates with her life, a song about always believing that something amazing is coming no matter how bad life gets.

Episode Highlights:

• The challenging event that redirected the course of Berny’s life
• The lifestyle changes Berny had to make following her relocation to Portugal
• Berny’s rough childhood
• Discovering the happiness and creativity within
• Creating a guesthouse in her home
• The one song that resonates with Berny’s life

Quotes:

“If I had all the time, all the money, what would I love to do?”

“I didn't become hard. I remain soft and gentle and caring, but you become so strong and things have got to be so hard for me to take notice that it's difficult when people complain or whine about certain things in their lives. And I find it difficult to relate because my reality was so extreme.”

“Nature allowed me to go within. And that is basically when we talk about everything is within us, happiness is within us. Our love is within us. So I went inside because everything outside wasn't pleasant. So by going inside, I created my imaginary world.”

“We as human beings are so simple, we just want to be noted and loved. So you feed them, and you give them love and warmth in your house. That's it, they don't need anything else. That's all they needed.”

“I didn't want our guest experience to feel like a hotel. I wanted to meet different people from different parts of the globe, and I wanted to share our journey with them.”

“Living in all those different countries with different cultures allowed me to be very understanding and respectful of cultures and being very open.”

“The Weeknd has this great song, ‘I Feel It Coming’. And for me, I always see something amazing coming. It always makes me smile, because that's exactly what I see. I always had something amazing coming… No matter how bad my life has been, I'll always see something amazing coming.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Paraiso Escondido Homepage

Paraiso Escondido Instagram

Geri begins the conversation by sharing how an addiction redirected the course of her life. She talks about living her life in fear and hiding, how this fear seeped into her marriage, and about finding solace in AA meetings and putting herself first despite having to raise her kids. Geri describes the various shifts in life she had to make and the future she looks forward to, even at age 60. The episode ends with Geri sharing the one song that resonates with her life, a song about dancing whenever you get the chance.

Episode Highlights:

• The challenging event that redirected the course of Geri’s life
• Battling her social anxiety with drinking
• Living in fear and hiding
• Being armored in marriage
• Geri describes raising her kids despite her abandonment issues
• The shifts in Geri’s life
• Looking forward to the future
• The one song that resonates with Geri’s life

Quotes:

“Alcohol is really a disease. It is a disease, and I had no control.”

“For six months, I just started to get progressive, where I became insane hiding the bottles, bringing them down in the garbage cans at the end of the driveway. It was really taking over my life.”

“I always felt like an outsider looking in - the way I felt my whole life.”

“It's like living life on life's terms. I approach it with many tools, I'm either moving towards sanity or moving towards chaos. And because of all the work - I've done a lifetime - I hope it doesn't take anyone how long it’s taken me.”

“I feel secure. I love myself, and I feel like I belong everywhere because I take myself everywhere.”

“I am so thrilled that I still get an opportunity to be relevant and to learn and to grow.”

“There's a song also if you get the chance to dance, dance, and I'm forgetting... the artist. But if you get the chance to dance, dance. Get up and dance.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Kula For Karma Website

be.still

Geri’s Instagram

After coming into contact with her birth mother through Facebook, Cat remembers meeting her in Brazil as a blissful moment where she finally found the missing piece that she hadn’t quite been able to place in her life before. Kim and our guest go on to talk about both Cat’s birth and adoptive parents, and the pair close out the episode by talking about her experience healing from grief and complex emotions. It’s certainly been an interesting ride for Cat Partheniades, but, as you will hear, she doesn’t want this narrative to dominate her life. After all, she is so much more than that.

Episode Highlights:

• Cat finding out she was adopted at 30
• Her parents’ lies
• Experiencing resentment toward her parents
• Setting pain aside
• Feeling like she’s betraying her parents
• Finding her biological family through Facebook
• The quest for Charlotte’s birth mom
• Reunification with Charlotte’s biological family
• Charlotte’s coming out
• Identity struggles
• Healing from grief
• Ed Sheeran’s Photograph

Quotes:

“Facing the health challenges of both her parents, she finds out that she's adopted, even amid the pain of losing her parents and this life altering discovery, she finds a way toward acceptance of her life and more importantly, herself.”

“I did get into contact with my biological family, and at that point in time, I finally felt that I was at home with myself— with the universe in a sense - because when I met my biological family, that's where I belong, in a sense. It has nothing to do with the adoptive side not loving me or anything like that.”

“I knew that because growing up, my father was Greek, my mother was Brazilian. And the story that they told me was, they tried to have a baby for like, 16 years, and I was the miracle baby. And instead of having me here in the States, where my mom had no family, they decided to take my mom to Brazil to be around family.”

“I think initially, I was so overwhelmed with knowing that I was going to lose my parents, then eventually dealing with grief. I wish I didn't have to deal with the adoption part of my life. I found it to be very overwhelming, to be very honest. I did a great job in hiding those feelings from people.”

“When you look at the bigger picture, how can I be mad at people that wanted to love me and protect me so hard? That's when I kind of started to learn it and that's what gave me peace with everything.”

“Oh my god, I felt like I was floating. I felt like I wanted to throw up and cry. It was just so overwhelming, but it was so beautiful. My wife got to witness all the emotions all at once where she told me the story. She told me that everyone in the family knew about me. And she also told me that she's been waiting for me for 33 years to contact her.”

“Thankfully, they're both really great people, both sides of my bio family are amazing and very welcoming to me. And that's also been really overwhelming, but in the most positive sense.”

“My grief cycle, the way I remember it, was grieving my mother, grieving my father, and then grieving myself and who I thought I was.”

“I still say I'm Greek and Brazilian, because I am;...]]>On this week's episode, Yuliana welcomes Catherine ‘Cat’ Partheniades to the show to talk about the moment she found out she was adopted. She was 30 when this happened, and shortly after this discovery, both of her adoptive parents passed away. Today she chats with Yuliana about reckoning with her parents’ lies, experiencing resentment, and her intense periods of drinking to repress the emotions she didn’t know how to deal with or even want to deal with. It was only upon finding her biological family that she found solace in her identity and her parents’ decision to withhold information from her.

After coming into contact with her birth mother through Facebook, Cat remembers meeting her in Brazil as a blissful moment where she finally found the missing piece that she hadn’t quite been able to place in her life before. Kim and our guest go on to talk about both Cat’s birth and adoptive parents, and the pair close out the episode by talking about her experience healing from grief and complex emotions. It’s certainly been an interesting ride for Cat Partheniades, but, as you will hear, she doesn’t want this narrative to dominate her life. After all, she is so much more than that.

Episode Highlights:

• Cat finding out she was adopted at 30
• Her parents’ lies
• Experiencing resentment toward her parents
• Setting pain aside
• Feeling like she’s betraying her parents
• Finding her biological family through Facebook
• The quest for Charlotte’s birth mom
• Reunification with Charlotte’s biological family
• Charlotte’s coming out
• Identity struggles
• Healing from grief
• Ed Sheeran’s Photograph

Quotes:

“Facing the health challenges of both her parents, she finds out that she's adopted, even amid the pain of losing her parents and this life altering discovery, she finds a way toward acceptance of her life and more importantly, herself.”

“I did get into contact with my biological family, and at that point in time, I finally felt that I was at home with myself— with the universe in a sense - because when I met my biological family, that's where I belong, in a sense. It has nothing to do with the adoptive side not loving me or anything like that.”

“I knew that because growing up, my father was Greek, my mother was Brazilian. And the story that they told me was, they tried to have a baby for like, 16 years, and I was the miracle baby. And instead of having me here in the States, where my mom had no family, they decided to take my mom to Brazil to be around family.”

“I think initially, I was so overwhelmed with knowing that I was going to lose my parents, then eventually dealing with grief. I wish I didn't have to deal with the adoption part of my life. I found it to be very overwhelming, to be very honest. I did a great job in hiding those feelings from people.”

“When you look at the bigger picture, how can I be mad at people that wanted to love me and protect me so hard? That's when I kind of started to learn it and that's what gave me peace with everything.”

“Oh my god, I felt like I was floating. I felt like I wanted to throw up and cry. It was just so overwhelming, but it was so beautiful. My wife got to witness all the emotions all at once where she told me the story. She told me that everyone in the family knew about me. And she also told me that she's been waiting for me for 33 years to contact her.”

“Thankfully, they're both really great people, both sides of my bio family are amazing and very welcoming to me. And that's also been really overwhelming, but in the most positive sense.”

“My grief cycle, the way I remember it, was grieving my mother, grieving my father, and then grieving myself and who I thought I was.”

“I still say I'm Greek and Brazilian, because I am; that’s never going to leave me. Just because genetically I might not be those things, I was raised in that environment.”

“That documentation that I found gave me a sense of peace, because I finally figured out who I truly am.”

“This song Photograph by Ed Sheeran, resonated with me so deeply right after my mom passed. I remember specifically…I just got the news. I went out for coffee, and I actually forced myself to leave the house. I was at the deli getting coffee, and all of a sudden, I felt this overwhelming sense of grief, started crying, and the song came on.”

Links:

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Cat Partheniades on Instagram

Cat Partheniades's Homepage

Therese begins by sharing the event that redirected the course of her life - losing her job during COVID. She shares her experience working in nonprofit development and the events that led up to taking up a new job in a restaurant, and talks about how humans can be cruel and kind, as well as the many challenges she faced while working in the restaurant. Therese also shares with us the impacts of the pandemic on human socialization and how she gathered important life lessons from observing customers and coworkers alike. The episode comes to a close as Therese shares the one song that describes her life - Loves Song by Patti Scialfa, a song about having the courage to put yourself out there, just as Therese has done.

Episode Highlights:

• The challenging event that redirected the course of Therese’s life
• Her nonprofit career
• Therese describes working in a restaurant and getting a firsthand view of humanity
• The effect of the pandemic on how humans socialized
• The challenges Therese faced working in the restaurant
• How working in a restaurant allowed her to learn more about her personality
• Dealing with traumas
• Her future in writing
• The one song that describes Therese’s life

Quotes:

“All of us think that we're good customers or good guests in a restaurant. But then once you see people and how demanding they can be and unreasonable at times, how absolutely kind and generous and wonderful they can be at other times, it's hard not to notice that the restaurant kind of brought out the best and the worst in people.”

“It's as if people are having to re-acclimate themselves to living in the greater society after having been kept indoors for two years.”

“I learned that it was kind of fulfilling to help these people make maybe a slightly better living because I could control the flow of the restaurant and keep things moving and calm customers after 20 years of nonprofit.”

“'Loves Glory' by Patti Scialfa... this song is about having the courage to put yourself out there, and that sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. The song is about accepting that and that the effort alone in doing something, especially in a loving way, is worth it.”

Links:

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Soon after she started attending therapy sessions to overcome her deeply ingrained belief that she was worthless so long as her career was over.  It’s these sessions that have helped Natalie live in the present, but she admits that this can sometimes prevent her from making necessary future plans. Most importantly, however, she has learned to find self worth beyond the numbers on her paycheck, and fame, or lack thereof.  She closes out this episode by embracing and appreciating what she has.  She remarks that it’s time that she started valuing teaching for the stability it provides her rather than serving as a reminder of a bygone career.

Episode Highlights: 

• Coming to the decision to quit her opera career
• Feeling like she embarked on the wrong career path
• Having an identity crisis
• Her duo’s cabaret ambitions
• Natalie’s experience with therapy 
• Living in the present
• Finding worth outside of her paycheck or status
• Embracing teaching

Quotes: 

“So I made the very difficult decision to leave that career behind. And then shortly thereafter, I also got divorced from a 17 year long relationship and completely reinvented my life the next few years after that.”

“Well, I didn't figure out what my voice was doing until I was 34. It was kind of like, ‘Well, okay, great. Now you sound awesome. And now it's too late for you to do any of these young artists programs.’ So that was one of the challenges that I ran into.”

“Maybe I shouldn't have gone for the thing I thought I was more likely to be successful at and really gone for the thing that was in my bones and in my heart.”

“‘You've been putting every ounce of every fiber of your being into this career for the last 15 years and you're miserable.  You're clearly miserable.’ And I actually let myself stop.”

“Every ounce of my identity was tied up in me being an opera singer. So it was really, really, really painful.”

“I don't know what's going to happen when we get old, but my daily life is actually pretty good.”

“I realize that I have worth as a human being, even if I'm not famous or getting a paycheck from some, you know, a TV network or something.”

“Getting some validation from my family that they didn't look at me as a failure because of my career choices really helped to soothe some wounds for me.”

“Regret is not an emotion that I connect with very strongly.”

“So the piece that comes to mind right away is ‘Moments in the Woods’ from Into the Woods by Mr. Sondheim who left us this year. 

Links:

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Yuliana welcomes opera singer and teacher Natalie Wilson to today’s Phoenix Tales episode to discuss Natalie’s decision to abandon her opera career and how this choice, coupled with a divorce not too long after, marked a rather poignant moment for her.  Having felt that she’d wasted decades of her life embarking on a career path that she no longer desired, Natalie notes that she suffered from an identity crisis after tying her self worth into her career for so long.  Not until she met her friend Cat did she start to find herself again, and together they went on to perform cabaret at parties as a side gig.  

Soon after she started attending therapy sessions to overcome her deeply ingrained belief that she was worthless so long as her career was over.  It’s these sessions that have helped Natalie live in the present, but she admits that this can sometimes prevent her from making necessary future plans. Most importantly, however, she has learned to find self worth beyond the numbers on her paycheck, and fame, or lack thereof.  She closes out this episode by embracing and appreciating what she has.  She remarks that it’s time that she started valuing teaching for the stability it provides her rather than serving as a reminder of a bygone career.

Episode Highlights: 

• Coming to the decision to quit her opera career
• Feeling like she embarked on the wrong career path
• Having an identity crisis
• Her duo’s cabaret ambitions
• Natalie’s experience with therapy 
• Living in the present
• Finding worth outside of her paycheck or status
• Embracing teaching

Quotes: 

“So I made the very difficult decision to leave that career behind. And then shortly thereafter, I also got divorced from a 17 year long relationship and completely reinvented my life the next few years after that.”

“Well, I didn't figure out what my voice was doing until I was 34. It was kind of like, ‘Well, okay, great. Now you sound awesome. And now it's too late for you to do any of these young artists programs.’ So that was one of the challenges that I ran into.”

“Maybe I shouldn't have gone for the thing I thought I was more likely to be successful at and really gone for the thing that was in my bones and in my heart.”

“‘You've been putting every ounce of every fiber of your being into this career for the last 15 years and you're miserable.  You're clearly miserable.’ And I actually let myself stop.”

“Every ounce of my identity was tied up in me being an opera singer. So it was really, really, really painful.”

“I don't know what's going to happen when we get old, but my daily life is actually pretty good.”

“I realize that I have worth as a human being, even if I'm not famous or getting a paycheck from some, you know, a TV network or something.”

“Getting some validation from my family that they didn't look at me as a failure because of my career choices really helped to soothe some wounds for me.”

“Regret is not an emotion that I connect with very strongly.”

“So the piece that comes to mind right away is ‘Moments in the Woods’ from Into the Woods by Mr. Sondheim who left us this year. 

Links:

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Natalie Wilson Homepage

Natalie Wilson on Instagram

Yuliana welcomes opera singer and teacher Natalie Wilson to this week’s  @PhoenixTalesPodcast to talk about Natalie’s decision to abandon her opera career and how this choice, coupled with a divorce not too long after, marked a rather poignant moment for her.  She learned to find self worth beyond the numbers on her paycheck, and fame, or lack thereof and has fully embraced and appreciated what she currently has.

Laura goes on to talk about how beneficial therapy has been, and why it’s allowed her to start dating again.  And while she finds the dating world much less stressful than she did as a teenager, she feels content for the first time in her life being on her own.  She draws the episode to its conclusion by raving about her first year on her own in the past three decades, and how  excited she is to return to herself.

Episode Highlights:

• Deciding to divorce her husband 
• Growing up too early as a child
• Her brother’s diagnosis with Schizophrenia
• The importance of therapy
• Allowing herself to experience joy
• Healing childhood trauma 
• The stigma around not having children
• Dating post-divorce
• Learning to enjoy your own company

Quotes:

“The fun part is I kind of get to relive the experience of being in my early 20s, with the knowledge of being in my 50s which is exciting and terrifying at the same time.”

“I feel like, because of some of the life experiences that I had as a child, that I never really fit in with my peers anyway.”

“I was always guarded. You know, I had friends, but there was always kind of this shell that I had on.”

”In ending that marriage, I've just kind of had to sort through everything, not just the marriage, not just that ending, but also really, once and for all, just deal with some of the stuff that I just kind of pushed to the bottom for too long.”

“I feel like at six, your personality is pretty solidly formed, but also your soul hasn't been completely crushed by life experiences.”

“I can just focus on what I'm dealing with from the past, and put it to bed, and not have to worry about anybody else's reaction to what I'm going through, and I love that.”

“I have always felt like things are going too well, something bad is going to happen.”

“The good thing about dating now, is, there's no pressure.”

Laura’s song - “Independent Woman” by Destiny’s Child

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Gina goes on to remember the moments after her divorce when she felt alone and heartbroken.  To assuage the pain, she wrote goodbye and hello letters to herself to immerse herself in her emotions and overcome them.  Likewise, she started practicing habits of gratitude that she says changed her psyche immensely.  When asked about how her children were impacted by the divorce, she says that she finds it extremely important for them to know they are loved by both parents.  To draw this episode to a close, Gina makes a profound statement that resilience comes to those who are fearless and looking to forge new paths. 

Episode Highlights: 

• Gina’s parents’ deaths
• Her realization that life is short
• Gina’s decision to get a divorce
• The power of mantra meditation
• Moments of loneliness and doubt post-divorce
• Practicing gratitude
• The power of love
• The importance of resilience

Quotes: 

“I think the work you're doing is so important because everyone is struggling with resilience. In life, no one escapes adversity, and with the pandemic, it's becoming increasingly important.”

“The trouble is you think you have time.”

“I knew that life was so precious. I did not want to be in a relationship that I felt was not all that it could be, and that had been so disappointing. And so I took a leap - I feel like it was like a freefall without a net.”

“When you are raised in an environment where you have so much love -  and I did, as I said - it makes you confident about the world, it makes you believe the world is safe and can be trusted.”

“Make a gift of yourself. It may not be what's right or enough for everyone, but you will find your path. And that was the moment all of that worrying and insecurities for the most part stopped.”

“No one escapes pain and death and loss, you know, and are you going to let that be what directs these few short years you have, or are you going to ground yourself in what's important to you?”

Gina’s song: “Life is Calling” by Beth Hart.

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Email Gina

The Two Most Important Days by Gina Vild

She traces her success and aptitude for change to her childhood in Belfast during the ‘Troubles’.  Simpson has worked to overcome the trauma from this time by learning how to take risks and not look back. This is something she learned from her mother, and, as a girl, she always looked up to her mother for her cool-headedness and resilience.  Simpson brings this episode to a nice conclusion by sharing her greatest lesson.  Coming from her background, it would be easy to feel discouraged or that life is a series of road blocks.  Sharon, however, takes the high road, and she values her sense of childlike optimism.  She’s proud of the fact that she continues to see the good in life, despite seeing so much of the bad. 

Episode Highlights: 

• Simpson’s experience moving away from a job she loved
• What her life was like working for a museum
• Moving from London back to New York City
• Why she wanted to escape Belfast as a child
• Overcoming trauma
• How Sharon got her foot in the door at the Museum of Natural History
• The importance of not looking back
• Why her mother is Sharon’s greatest role model
• The importance of childlike optimism

Quotes: 

“The advantage is that you plan your own time, and I found that incredible. I found that I was so much more productive because it was just me sitting at home. Obviously, I had to have phone meetings with people. But I didn't have to be anywhere at any particular time. I was in California, and I was working with people on the East Coast.”

“So the way that I dealt with that was to create a community. So I reached out to designers, writers, copy editors; people that I had known and worked with through the years.  I hired myself as a contractor to come and work on projects, and we created our own little community.”

“What it did do was it made me turn in on myself, I don't mean that in a negative way. So I became a great reader, because reading is always a great escape. And it's a wonderful escape during a war. And I became very obsessed with music.”

“I actually did grow up right in the middle of Belfast, so I was not in a leafy suburb. So I was very exposed to everything that was going on around me, I was in bomb scares, I was in bomb buildings. I was in all kinds of situations. But I was a teenager.”

“When you take risks, you're gonna make mistakes, and the healthy thing to do is just learn from those mistakes.”

“I had this great start in life, with the family that I had. And throughout my teenage years, when things were really very difficult, my mother always just kept a very, very steady head and I think didn't ever instill in us any kind of sense of panic.”

Links: 

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Phoenix Tales on...]]>Sharon Simpson joins Yuliana today to talk about her work in the art industry and what it was like growing up in Belfast during the war. She opens up the conversation by talking about a tough time she went through when her husband’s new job forced her to move away from hers.  She notes that she felt worse, not because she lost an income, but because she lost her community.  Sharon goes on to talk about her experience working in the art industry and the round-a-bout way she found her role at the Museum of Natural History.

She traces her success and aptitude for change to her childhood in Belfast during the ‘Troubles’.  Simpson has worked to overcome the trauma from this time by learning how to take risks and not look back. This is something she learned from her mother, and, as a girl, she always looked up to her mother for her cool-headedness and resilience.  Simpson brings this episode to a nice conclusion by sharing her greatest lesson.  Coming from her background, it would be easy to feel discouraged or that life is a series of road blocks.  Sharon, however, takes the high road, and she values her sense of childlike optimism.  She’s proud of the fact that she continues to see the good in life, despite seeing so much of the bad. 

Episode Highlights: 

• Simpson’s experience moving away from a job she loved
• What her life was like working for a museum
• Moving from London back to New York City
• Why she wanted to escape Belfast as a child
• Overcoming trauma
• How Sharon got her foot in the door at the Museum of Natural History
• The importance of not looking back
• Why her mother is Sharon’s greatest role model
• The importance of childlike optimism

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Sharon Simpson on LinkedIn

Leehe then proceeds to talk about another time when she was posed with a rather pivotal challenge.  After ending her previous job at a diamond company on bad terms, she finally took the step to open up her own fine jewelry business which has taught her independence and the confidence to deal with obstacles.  She thinks that her experience of moving to Singapore at a young age and joining the Israeli army at 18 might have introduced her to notions of resilience and adversity as well.  Leehe also recalls how moving back and forth from Singapore made her feel like she never fit in.  Yuliana and Leehe conclude this episode by talking about how her experiences as a child impacts the way she rears her children. 

Episode Highlights: 

• Why Leehe decided to have an at-home birth
• Getting fired from her job at the diamond company
• Starting Bleecker and Prince
• Leehe’s experience joining the Israeli army at 18
• What it was like moving to Singapore for five years at a young age
• Her experience as a child not knowing where she fit in
• How childhood trauma impacts the way Leehe parents

Quotes: 

“I had this dream of doing a home birth, but I never had the courage to go through with it. They went on the news saying that people going into the hospital, they might end up coming in alone, and just the thought of going into hospital alone to experience this gave me that last push I needed.”

“When I was going through the pregnancy process, and then through motherhood, it was fascinating to me how fraught, you know, and how politically charged a lot of these decisions are about childbirth, right?”

“Moving to a foreign country for first grade, and not knowing the language–and also going back to Israel to a town very different in culture than Singapore, and maybe not having like, you know, the support that I needed to deal with this experience. So I dealt a lot on my own.”

“I had many years in my life more as an observer and not knowing how I fit in the situation.”

“It took me a while to adjust and to understand and to lose that feeling of being lost.”

“The boundaries are much bigger than what you think with every experience that you add to your life.”

Links: 

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Bleecker and Prince on Instagram

Bleecker and Prince Homepage

Giulia highlights the fact that she had to reckon with her emotions far more than she anticipated considering she lacked the full range of her body.   In the wake of the accident, she felt an immense sense of guilt and fear, and she notes that she misses how carefree she used to be before this five year healing process began.  Journaling and breathwork, however, have really helped her through it all.  Above all else though, she’s found a deep sense of gratitude for her body and its strength, because she realizes that it can be taken away from her in the blink of an eye.  Yuliana and Giulia draw this episode to a close by expressing even more gratitude for the family and friends that stuck by her during her injury.  

Episode Highlights:

• Giulia’s ski accident
• Her healing process emotionally and physically
• Experiencing fear and guilt post-accident
• Learning who she is in the absence of movement
• The importance of breathwork and journaling
• Gratitude for her body and support network
• Her love for the Bee Gee’s “Shining Star”

Quotes: 

“I broke my right upper arm, my right collarbone, six ribs, and suffered a punctured lung and a lacerated liver. So that landed me in the hospital for almost two weeks.”

“When I wanted to get back into teaching, I was still recovering. I still had my arm in a sling, and it was almost too soon that I had to go back to start making money again. But what it did was really force me to use my words and manage my energy in order to not burn out and still be taking care of myself while getting back into the swing of things.”

“So much happens when you get injured. But one of the things that happens is the map of your body that lives in your brain gets smudged, kind of like if you had a subway map in front of you, and you accidentally spilled coffee on it.”

“When something really traumatic happens, we have choices.  We could go down the path that numbs it out so that we never feel that pain again, or we could slowly, with help and support of others, try to ease in there and learn from that experience.”

“It's a gratitude for having a body that can do all of the things that need to be done without me having to ask: the breathing, heart rate, circulation, digestion– Because when you're injured, or you had something happen, you really see how quickly that can shift and go away.”

Links: 

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Giulia Pline Homepage

Giulia Pline on Instagram

She opens the episode up by talking about her mother’s accident that bound her to a 100 day coma and a subsequent brain surgery. She notes that she had to suffer the loss of her mother at the age of nine, despite the fact that she was still alive, and that she didn’t process the trauma until her ‘20s and ‘30s.  As a workaholic with children of her own, she attributes her hardworking tendencies to a need for validation and financial security, especially after her mother lost her sense of self to the injury.  Ann and Yuliana go on to talk about Ann’s experience ignoring her own emotional needs, how seeing her mother’s world shrink to the confines of her home was rather traumatic for her, and how she’s now gotten to the point that she longs to live her life for her mother and grandmother.  The pair close out the episode by talking about Ann’s debut novel, The Last Exiles, as well as her mother’s death in her late ‘70s.  

Episode Highlights:

• Ann’s mother’s coma and subsequent brain surgery
• Mourning the loss of her mother
• Processing the trauma later in her 20s and 30s
• Ann’s experience as a workaholic
• The desire for validation and security
• How Ann’s mother’s world shrunk exponentially
• Ignoring her own emotional needs
• Living for her mother and grandmother
• Her novel, The Last Exiles
• Her mother’s death in her late ‘70s

Quotes: 

“By the time that she did actually wake up from a coma, we'd gotten used to the notion that our mother had changed. And so it was a really strange experience.”

“We had a very comfortable life, up until when my mother had her accident, they had their business.  My father was also a real estate broker, my mother was working as a nurse. We took vacations, and we had a nice home and all that. But then after her accident, everything went downhill, we didn't have the money that we had once had. So as an adult, in my 20s, and into my early 30s, I was always kind of concerned, like, I'd end up on the street.”

“The parameters of her life closed into, basically, the four walls of the house that she lived in.”

“With my mother, it's complicated because her brain injury so affected her mind and her intellectual capacity, and I think what happened for me internally was I couldn't even acknowledge my own needs as a kid. I didn't feel like, you know, it was anything I wanted to bring up with my mother, so then I couldn't even acknowledge it within myself.”

“A lot of what I did in my early 20s, was like, forge an identity for myself in this culture. I'm working, having relationships, and having sex. It was like in the parlance of my peers, which is this North American lifestyle, and it was not something I could share with the rest of my family.”

“I feel like a lot of us women, we’re standing on the shoulders of other giant women that went before us, and that we feel and benefit from their legacy. So I feel that not only was I wanting to live in some way for my mother, but also for my grandmother on my mother's side.”

“In terms of my career, it's so...]]>Documentary filmmaker and author Ann Shin joins Yuliana on the podcast this week. Ann’s documentary My Enemy, My Brother was shortlisted for a 2016 Academy Award and nominated for an Emmy. Her previous documentary, The Defector: Escape from North Korea, won 7 awards including Best Documentary and Best Documentary Director at the 2014 Canadian Screen Academy Awards, a SXSW Interactive Award, and a Canadian Digi Award. In addition to these accomplishments, her book The Family China won the Anne Green Award and was shortlisted for the Gerald Lampert Poetry Prize. In today’s conversation, Ann shares the details of how her mother’s accident, coma, brain injury and eventual death have impacted her life.

She opens the episode up by talking about her mother’s accident that bound her to a 100 day coma and a subsequent brain surgery. She notes that she had to suffer the loss of her mother at the age of nine, despite the fact that she was still alive, and that she didn’t process the trauma until her ‘20s and ‘30s.  As a workaholic with children of her own, she attributes her hardworking tendencies to a need for validation and financial security, especially after her mother lost her sense of self to the injury.  Ann and Yuliana go on to talk about Ann’s experience ignoring her own emotional needs, how seeing her mother’s world shrink to the confines of her home was rather traumatic for her, and how she’s now gotten to the point that she longs to live her life for her mother and grandmother.  The pair close out the episode by talking about Ann’s debut novel, The Last Exiles, as well as her mother’s death in her late ‘70s.  

Episode Highlights:

• Ann’s mother’s coma and subsequent brain surgery
• Mourning the loss of her mother
• Processing the trauma later in her 20s and 30s
• Ann’s experience as a workaholic
• The desire for validation and security
• How Ann’s mother’s world shrunk exponentially
• Ignoring her own emotional needs
• Living for her mother and grandmother
• Her novel, The Last Exiles
• Her mother’s death in her late ‘70s

Quotes: 

“By the time that she did actually wake up from a coma, we'd gotten used to the notion that our mother had changed. And so it was a really strange experience.”

“We had a very comfortable life, up until when my mother had her accident, they had their business.  My father was also a real estate broker, my mother was working as a nurse. We took vacations, and we had a nice home and all that. But then after her accident, everything went downhill, we didn't have the money that we had once had. So as an adult, in my 20s, and into my early 30s, I was always kind of concerned, like, I'd end up on the street.”

“The parameters of her life closed into, basically, the four walls of the house that she lived in.”

“With my mother, it's complicated because her brain injury so affected her mind and her intellectual capacity, and I think what happened for me internally was I couldn't even acknowledge my own needs as a kid. I didn't feel like, you know, it was anything I wanted to bring up with my mother, so then I couldn't even acknowledge it within myself.”

“A lot of what I did in my early 20s, was like, forge an identity for myself in this culture. I'm working, having relationships, and having sex. It was like in the parlance of my peers, which is this North American lifestyle, and it was not something I could share with the rest of my family.”

“I feel like a lot of us women, we’re standing on the shoulders of other giant women that went before us, and that we feel and benefit from their legacy. So I feel that not only was I wanting to live in some way for my mother, but also for my grandmother on my mother's side.”

“In terms of my career, it's so interesting. I, you know, I work mainly with women. The company that I founded is a film company, and it’s women led.  It's mainly women and I enjoy working with women of all ages. We've got everyone from the age of like, 20 to 53. It's great working together with other women, I think that's something that I'll always want to do.”

Links: 

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Ann's Homepage

The Last Exiles on Amazon

She  acknowledges the importance of acceptance and detachment, especially as it relates to her mother’s current drinking habits, and how she and her father are now able to have open and honest conversations that really help her heal.  As Kelly embarks on her own spiritual healing journey, she feels all the more connected to her work with children and other women.  She closes out the episode by explaining that she wishes she could be the mentor she needed as a young girl for other children.  

Episode Highlights: 

• Her parents’ abusive relationship with alcohol
• Kelly’s lack of trust 
• Al-Anon’s structure
• Her father’s sobriety and how that impacted his parenting
• The importance of acceptance and detachment
• Her work as a school psychologist 
• The importance of being a mentor to young children who grew up like her.  
• ‘Bluebird’ by Miranda Lambert

Quotes: 

“When the fighting didn't stop, when the house was chaotic, I think I turned to that perfectionism in my head as a coping mechanism.”

“The topic of the meeting was about trust, and the woman who was speaking about trust, I don't remember what she said, however I remember that I was fighting back tears the entire time she was talking, because I realized I did not trust anyone.”

“Al-Anon empowered me to take an honest look in the mirror and realize that, yes, although these things were out of my control, I can take control back over my life–by healing these things that were learned in childhood, I had to do a lot of unlearning.”

“As I look back, I intuitively always knew something wasn't quite right. I never knew what it was, you know, until I got into Al-Anon, but I just always knew something wasn't quite right and that life didn't always have to be this way.”

“I was angry that I felt at the time, you know, my parents really let me down. And I felt like I was robbed.”

“I'm very fortunate in that I did grow up in a loving home. I grew up in a challenging and chaotic home as well. For my story, both are true. I chose to take a journey of healing, instead of continuing to sweep it under the rug.”

“As I've delved more into my spiritual journey and my healing journey, I've wanted to pivot more into that emotional, spiritual, body, mind healing–working with other women who grew up in a home like me.”

Links: 

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook 

Kelly Fife on Instagram: @Innerlotus_rising

The pair also talk about Reece’s father’s terminal battle with Alzheimer’s, and how, as his sole caregiver, Pam learned how to compartmentalize her emotions to help coordinate and plan his medical treatment.  She details the guilt she felt being so far away from him during his time of suffering and how that distance helped her cope as well.  The weight of it all, however, didn’t hit her until a few months after his passing.  Since then, she has  worked as a yoga instructor and gone on to help women struggling with stressful jobs better cope with their seemingly insurmountable workload.  Yuliana closes this moving conversation by asking Pam what song speaks to her dad and why.  While Reece initially isn’t quite sure, she eventually concludes that Van Morrison’s “Into The Mystic” feels right.    

Episode Highlights:

• How Pam's father lost his job
• His identity crisis
• Reece’s realization that she should build a career she’s passionate about.  
• Her father’s Alzheimer's diagnosis
• Reece’s experience as his sole caretaker
• The guilt she felt being so far away
• Alzheimer’s as a long goodbye
• How grief hit Pam months after her father’s death
• How his death altered her empathetic capacity
• Her love for Van Morrison’s lyrics in “Into The Mystic”

Quotes: 

“I thought the message that I got was, ‘Wow, he put all this time in, worked his way up, was very loyal to this company, and then snap.  It’s gone.  So why would I do something that I didn’t really love or care about and put that time in, when it could be taken away instantly?’”

“The lesson of seeing your identity be wrapped up in a job, a career that doesn’t fulfill you, that was always in the back of my mind, that was always looping there that you don’t want to do that.”

“It’s impossible to really describe until, you know, when you meet someone who is in a similar situation, and their parent has been diagnosed at a younger age.  There’s this knowing amongst us, because as you said, there’s a certain point when someone is much older—you can be a bit more sanguine about it, but when they’re younger, it’s devastating.”

“Well, you know, the thing which is said about Alzheimer’s is that it’s a very long goodbye.  When he passed to another plane, I did not realize how difficult that would be, because I guess I thought ‘You’ve been saying goodbye all along.’”

“The more human experience that you have, certainly, the bigger your empathy grows.  And I’ve always thought of myself as an empathetic person, but certainly, you are able to see how people do what I did, what a lot of us do, you just fare forward, you steal yourself and keep going.”

“It’s interesting how grief somehow then opens up, at least for me, the flood of memories from much, much further back.  Because, again, I’m not in the moment of needing to figure out what we need to do today.  So suddenly, everything can open up and you can look back and relive a lot of great things, great...]]>On this week’s episode of Phoenix Tales, Yuliana welcomes Pam Reece to the show to talk about the moment when her father lost his job, his subsequent battle with Alzheimer’s disease, and how those events shaped her outlook on life. A  former yoga instructor who now offers her many skills to help women in corporate America achieve success, Reece opens today’s conversation by describing the length of her father’s career and the identity crisis that took place when that career was suddenly taken from him.  She learned that professions aren’t always stable, as she once believed, and it gave her the courage to follow her occupational dreams, because she knew that it could be taken from her in the blink of an eye.  

The pair also talk about Reece’s father’s terminal battle with Alzheimer’s, and how, as his sole caregiver, Pam learned how to compartmentalize her emotions to help coordinate and plan his medical treatment.  She details the guilt she felt being so far away from him during his time of suffering and how that distance helped her cope as well.  The weight of it all, however, didn’t hit her until a few months after his passing.  Since then, she has  worked as a yoga instructor and gone on to help women struggling with stressful jobs better cope with their seemingly insurmountable workload.  Yuliana closes this moving conversation by asking Pam what song speaks to her dad and why.  While Reece initially isn’t quite sure, she eventually concludes that Van Morrison’s “Into The Mystic” feels right.    

Episode Highlights:

• How Pam's father lost his job
• His identity crisis
• Reece’s realization that she should build a career she’s passionate about.  
• Her father’s Alzheimer's diagnosis
• Reece’s experience as his sole caretaker
• The guilt she felt being so far away
• Alzheimer’s as a long goodbye
• How grief hit Pam months after her father’s death
• How his death altered her empathetic capacity
• Her love for Van Morrison’s lyrics in “Into The Mystic”

Quotes: 

“I thought the message that I got was, ‘Wow, he put all this time in, worked his way up, was very loyal to this company, and then snap.  It’s gone.  So why would I do something that I didn’t really love or care about and put that time in, when it could be taken away instantly?’”

“The lesson of seeing your identity be wrapped up in a job, a career that doesn’t fulfill you, that was always in the back of my mind, that was always looping there that you don’t want to do that.”

“It’s impossible to really describe until, you know, when you meet someone who is in a similar situation, and their parent has been diagnosed at a younger age.  There’s this knowing amongst us, because as you said, there’s a certain point when someone is much older—you can be a bit more sanguine about it, but when they’re younger, it’s devastating.”

“Well, you know, the thing which is said about Alzheimer’s is that it’s a very long goodbye.  When he passed to another plane, I did not realize how difficult that would be, because I guess I thought ‘You’ve been saying goodbye all along.’”

“The more human experience that you have, certainly, the bigger your empathy grows.  And I’ve always thought of myself as an empathetic person, but certainly, you are able to see how people do what I did, what a lot of us do, you just fare forward, you steal yourself and keep going.”

“It’s interesting how grief somehow then opens up, at least for me, the flood of memories from much, much further back.  Because, again, I’m not in the moment of needing to figure out what we need to do today.  So suddenly, everything can open up and you can look back and relive a lot of great things, great times.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook 

Pam's LinkedIn Page

Paola goes on to compare and contrast Mexico’s immigration capacity with that of their American neighbor up north, and the pair then discuss Paola’s transition from Texas to New York when she was accepted into Columbia Law School.  She notes that her parents seemed to respect her more once she got into a prestigious university and achieved some semblance of autonomy.  Looking back, she regrets living in “survival mode” for such a long period of time as she struggled to stop seeing herself as that 18 year old runaway girl. In concluding the conversation, Paola notes that, if she could listen to any song or artist that reminds her of her childhood, she would choose Louis Armstrong or Charlie Parker.

Episode Highlights:

• Running away from home to take control of her own life
• Managing the discourse of immigration in the U.S.
• Paola’s experience with Mexico’s class system 
• Anti-immigration sentiments in the U.S.  
• Current heavy immigration into Mexico
• Paola’s exhaustion by racism 
• Her move from Texas to NYC
• Paola’s regret for living in “survival mode” for so long
• Her love for jazz 

Quotes: 

“It's a very traditional culture, where it's seen as something very shameful to leave your parents home, especially at such a young age. So my father, of course, did not approve of this. And they were becoming, you know, increasingly controlling. And all I wanted was to study and to have agency over my own life. And I remember having this dream to live on my own, really, since the age of six.”

“Similarly, El Paso, Texas, is a very Mexican American town. And I was extremely surprised by the way that I was treated, especially by the Mexican Americans; they expressed a lot of resentment because of the fact that it was obvious that I came from a good family, although now I was on my own.”

“I also realized how, although in Mexico we don't check a box, whether you're white, indigenous or something. We are all Mexican.”

“We also have so many immigrants from countries that are really struggling like Venezuela, Colombia, the Central American countries, Cuba. We don't have the resources to deal with an influx of millions of people who either want to stay there working or are waiting to cross to the U.S.  The system is not, you know, wealthy or strong enough to sustain this influx of people who suddenly appeared in Mexico City.”

“My mom said, I was a feminist since the age of three. And by that she means that I was constantly observing, you know, the inequalities and, like, oppression of women, and I really, really didn't like it.”

“I think my only regret is that I didn't at some point sort of stop living in this survival mode. Until very recently, I began to just look back at my life and realize that I had been really living like that 18 year old runaway girl, and it's this impulse of survival that is no longer relevant to my life.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Yuliana welcomes New York City lawyer, Paola Garcia, to the podcast today.  After running away from her sheltered life and home in Mexico at the age of 18, Paola was forced to reckon with her status as a Mexican immigrant in the U.S. and American culture at large.  She recalls the shock she experienced when coming to the U.S. after growing up in the rather strict Mexican class system, and details how the anti-immigration sentiments in the U.S. exhaust her so much that it almost makes her want to abandon New York City for home.  

Paola goes on to compare and contrast Mexico’s immigration capacity with that of their American neighbor up north, and the pair then discuss Paola’s transition from Texas to New York when she was accepted into Columbia Law School.  She notes that her parents seemed to respect her more once she got into a prestigious university and achieved some semblance of autonomy.  Looking back, she regrets living in “survival mode” for such a long period of time as she struggled to stop seeing herself as that 18 year old runaway girl. In concluding the conversation, Paola notes that, if she could listen to any song or artist that reminds her of her childhood, she would choose Louis Armstrong or Charlie Parker.

Episode Highlights:

• Running away from home to take control of her own life
• Managing the discourse of immigration in the U.S.
• Paola’s experience with Mexico’s class system 
• Anti-immigration sentiments in the U.S.  
• Current heavy immigration into Mexico
• Paola’s exhaustion by racism 
• Her move from Texas to NYC
• Paola’s regret for living in “survival mode” for so long
• Her love for jazz 

Quotes: 

“It's a very traditional culture, where it's seen as something very shameful to leave your parents home, especially at such a young age. So my father, of course, did not approve of this. And they were becoming, you know, increasingly controlling. And all I wanted was to study and to have agency over my own life. And I remember having this dream to live on my own, really, since the age of six.”

“Similarly, El Paso, Texas, is a very Mexican American town. And I was extremely surprised by the way that I was treated, especially by the Mexican Americans; they expressed a lot of resentment because of the fact that it was obvious that I came from a good family, although now I was on my own.”

“I also realized how, although in Mexico we don't check a box, whether you're white, indigenous or something. We are all Mexican.”

“We also have so many immigrants from countries that are really struggling like Venezuela, Colombia, the Central American countries, Cuba. We don't have the resources to deal with an influx of millions of people who either want to stay there working or are waiting to cross to the U.S.  The system is not, you know, wealthy or strong enough to sustain this influx of people who suddenly appeared in Mexico City.”

“My mom said, I was a feminist since the age of three. And by that she means that I was constantly observing, you know, the inequalities and, like, oppression of women, and I really, really didn't like it.”

“I think my only regret is that I didn't at some point sort of stop living in this survival mode. Until very recently, I began to just look back at my life and realize that I had been really living like that 18 year old runaway girl, and it's this impulse of survival that is no longer relevant to my life.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Paola Garcia's LinkedIn

Green begins the conversation by describing her childhood growing up in an unsafe and impoverished neighborhood. It was difficult to discern whether her mother’s fears and behaviors were a rational product of their surroundings or a mental disorder. She decided to admit her mother after a psychotic break in her 50s. Taking away her parent’s autonomy was a traumatic event for both mother and daughter. Rashanna was in business school at the time and struggled to find balance between taking care of herself and her mother. As the oldest sibling, Green felt it was her responsibility to keep everything under control, despite feeling like she was drowning under all of the pressure. She felt selfish for wanting to be rid of the financial and emotional burden and resented that she needed to care for the woman who was supposed to be her guardian. And while her mother is stable today, living on her own and taking daily medication, Rashanna found it extremely challenging to start prioritizing herself. Only when she began her yoga training did she start to live life for herself like she had always done for others. She learned to ask for help, ground herself in her emotions, and take a step back sometimes. Yuliana and Rashanna close the conversation by discussing mental health approaches or lack thereof in the African American community. Green argues that avoiding the impact of slavery, poverty, and discrimination does little to heal generational trauma.

Episode Highlights:

• Green’s decision to institutionalize her mother for schizophrenia
• Feeling like she betrayed her mother
• What it was like growing up in an impoverished community
• Her mother’s experience losing her own mother at the age of 10
• How Green’s care for her mother prevented her from caring for herself
• Resenting the financial and emotional burden of her mother’s care
• Becoming a forest yoga lineage guardian
• How yoga helped her care for herself first
• Her mother is presently healthy and independent
• Why the African American community should confront trauma instead of running away from it
• Why Green would like to meet Malcolm X the most

Quotes:

“Whatever she was going through was something she bottled up and shoved somewhere deep inside, and was putting her head down and getting through.”

“It was quite disorienting, but I had to forcibly have her institutionalized to start to get some care, which is, in and of itself, a very traumatic event to experience. Your daughter—is saying something’s wrong with you that you’re not connecting with. And the next thing you know, you’re being held somewhere against your will. So it’s very disorienting, compromising trust.”

“That is a very difficult thing to be in that moment where you’re taking that choice away from your parent, where you’re stepping in a caregiver role, and you are trying to do what you think is best for them, even if they don’t see it.”

“The first barrier is breaking the pattern of putting your head down, acknowledging that it’s okay to ask for help to get that assistance, that it doesn’t make you lesser than, it doesn’t make you less capable.”

“My practice in force yoga is something that brought me to an introspective, contemplative way of unliving.”

“The struggle in the African American community in general, is a cultural thing, especially my mom and her siblings— coming from parents and grandparents who have come]]>Rashanna Green joins Yuliana today as the pair discuss Green’s mother and her life-altering battle with late onset Schizophrenia. A Dartmouth graduate turned nonprofit executive and forest yoga lineage guardian, Rashanna details the moment she decided to institutionalize her mother, how that choice impacted her own psyche, and the stigma surrounding mental health in the black community.

Green begins the conversation by describing her childhood growing up in an unsafe and impoverished neighborhood. It was difficult to discern whether her mother’s fears and behaviors were a rational product of their surroundings or a mental disorder. She decided to admit her mother after a psychotic break in her 50s. Taking away her parent’s autonomy was a traumatic event for both mother and daughter. Rashanna was in business school at the time and struggled to find balance between taking care of herself and her mother. As the oldest sibling, Green felt it was her responsibility to keep everything under control, despite feeling like she was drowning under all of the pressure. She felt selfish for wanting to be rid of the financial and emotional burden and resented that she needed to care for the woman who was supposed to be her guardian. And while her mother is stable today, living on her own and taking daily medication, Rashanna found it extremely challenging to start prioritizing herself. Only when she began her yoga training did she start to live life for herself like she had always done for others. She learned to ask for help, ground herself in her emotions, and take a step back sometimes. Yuliana and Rashanna close the conversation by discussing mental health approaches or lack thereof in the African American community. Green argues that avoiding the impact of slavery, poverty, and discrimination does little to heal generational trauma.

Episode Highlights:

• Green’s decision to institutionalize her mother for schizophrenia
• Feeling like she betrayed her mother
• What it was like growing up in an impoverished community
• Her mother’s experience losing her own mother at the age of 10
• How Green’s care for her mother prevented her from caring for herself
• Resenting the financial and emotional burden of her mother’s care
• Becoming a forest yoga lineage guardian
• How yoga helped her care for herself first
• Her mother is presently healthy and independent
• Why the African American community should confront trauma instead of running away from it
• Why Green would like to meet Malcolm X the most

Quotes:

“Whatever she was going through was something she bottled up and shoved somewhere deep inside, and was putting her head down and getting through.”

“It was quite disorienting, but I had to forcibly have her institutionalized to start to get some care, which is, in and of itself, a very traumatic event to experience. Your daughter—is saying something’s wrong with you that you’re not connecting with. And the next thing you know, you’re being held somewhere against your will. So it’s very disorienting, compromising trust.”

“That is a very difficult thing to be in that moment where you’re taking that choice away from your parent, where you’re stepping in a caregiver role, and you are trying to do what you think is best for them, even if they don’t see it.”

“The first barrier is breaking the pattern of putting your head down, acknowledging that it’s okay to ask for help to get that assistance, that it doesn’t make you lesser than, it doesn’t make you less capable.”

“My practice in force yoga is something that brought me to an introspective, contemplative way of unliving.”

“The struggle in the African American community in general, is a cultural thing, especially my mom and her siblings— coming from parents and grandparents who have come through slavery, post slavery, and the desire to move beyond the struggles of the past, and to try not to feel like you’re wallowing in them—that you’re not letting them hold you back.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage 

Phoenix Tales on Instagram 

Phoenix Tales on Spotify 

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Rahshaana's Instagram

Rebecca begins by sharing the event that redirected the course of her life - her diagnosis with ulcerative colitis. She shares how she refused to let the illness define her and decided to face the illness head-on. Rebecca goes on to discuss how the illness impacted her life, the surgeries she had to undergo, the emotional toll her illness has taken, and how she quit her corporate job and launched a new career. As you will hear, Rebecca’s story is truly one of immense courage and bravery. The episode comes to a close as Rebecca shares the one song that best describes her life - 'Dancing In The Moonlight', because “life gets 'lifey', so sometimes you just need to dance.”

Episode Highlights:

• The challenging event that redirected the course of Rebecca’s life
• Battling with ulcerative colitis
• The impact of Rebecca’s disease on her teenage years
• A decision to face her illness head-on
• How Rebecca’s health influenced her decisions
• Her series of surgeries
• Moments of emotion
• Figuring life out
• The one song that best describes Rebecca’s life

Quotes:

“It's truly a chronic autoimmune disease in which my body thinks that my colon is a foreign object, and it's attacking it always.”

“I basically decided for myself that this disease was not going to define me.”

“Be a warrior, not a worrier.”

“Until you face adversity, you're not quite sure how you'll respond. And that's the gift of being diagnosed at 16. I had adversity just in my back pocket when I woke up in the morning.”

“The last thing I felt like really was sort of breaking my spirit completely was accepting the fact that I, I'm probably not going to have children.”

'What came to me is that there's a real lack in the marketplace out there for somebody who's working on the holistic approach to your career and your life.”

“You can't dance and stay uptight. It's a supernatural delight.”

“No colon, still rollin'.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Rebecca’s Instagram

Rebecca’s website

Rebecca’s LinkedIn

Maryanne begins by describing the event that changed the course of her life; her daughter’s death. She talks about the grief journey and how she immersed herself in writing a memoir in real time, while still stricken with grief. She goes on to discuss how, propelled by Caitlin’s life and death, she has been seeking answers to life’s big questions. The episode rounds off with Maryanne sharing the one song that best describes her life - 'These Are The Days Of Our Lives' by Queen.

Episode Highlights:

• The tragic event that redirected the course of Maryanne’s life
• Battling with cystic fibrosis
• The challenge of having a chronic illness at a young age
• A grief journey of 5 years and counting
• Writing Caitlin’s memoir in real-time
• A new purpose
• The impact of Caitlin’s illness and death on the family
• Finding closure at the end of writing the book
• Recording the audiobook
• Life’s big questions
• A unique way of honoring Caitlin’s life
• The one song that best describes Maryanne’s life

Quotes:

“Life could change on a dime.”

“Chronic illness breeds chronic anxiety”

“I realized that writing the personal was the only thing that mattered at that point. And that gave me a purpose for the next few years.”

“Answers are necessary, and I need to find answers for myself. ”

“Synchronicities do exist.”

“Is it really that much of a stretch to think there's at least one level of reality higher than this? I don't think so.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Maryanne’s website

Maryanne’s Instagram

Michelle starts the conversation with the story of her cancer diagnosis and how she battled with the side effects that came with chemotherapy. She discusses how she was able to detach herself from her illness and also overcome her fear of starting her family amidst other illnesses. She also explains how she got into yoga therapy with the intention to help others, and, as the episode draws to a close, shares why she would love to meet Idina Menzel.

Episode Highlights:

• The challenging event that redirected the course of Michelle’s life
• Michelle’s reaction after her diagnosis
• Battling with the side effects of chemotherapy
• The impacts of Michelle’s diagnosis on her new marriage
• Focusing on work rather than her illness
• Transitioning into the health and wellness industry
• Becoming a yoga therapist after an emotional reckoning
• The impact of a great support system
• Overcoming the fear of starting a family
• Michelle’s experience with thyroid diseases
• Releasing emotions physically
• The person Michelle would most love to meet

Quotes:

“You had to read through like all 87 million things that could possibly go wrong in your body.”

“All I kept thinking is ‘ Oh my God, his mom just passed away a couple of years ago, and now his wife of two weeks has cancer.’ ”

“Something about that moment was just like, the light shining on me like, 'Wait a minute, I am no longer a cancer patient, I can walk away from this, and made me be able to look back and acknowledge the experience and acknowledge, yes, there was definitely a chance of a different outcome.”

“I am not my lymphoma and I can grow and do something with that experience.”

“During this pregnancy, I had moments of ‘What if I'm not here forever for the two of them?’ ”

“Find something in your life that makes you feel like 'you' or 'normal', and find a way to continue to incorporate that into your daily, weekly, monthly routine.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

MichelleLaurenMovement

In today’s episode, Yuliana is joined by Gina de la Chesnaye, who shares her phoenix tale of surviving parental sexual abuse to become a humanitarian worker with traumatized communities. In her work, Gina draws on her own painful past to teach these communities how not only to survive their traumas but to thrive beyond the boundaries set by their experiences. She is founder and director of The Nachan Project, an NGO that brings mindfulness-based practices to the women and children living in the Katwe and Kisenyi slums of Kampala, Uganda.

Gina opens the conversation by discussing the sexual abuse she experienced at the hands of her father from the age of eleven. She speaks about burying those memories until they resurfaced after her father’s death and recognizing the ripple effects of his abuse on her lifestyle and relationships. She also reflects on mothering as a trauma survivor, how her experiences shaped her parenting, and the importance of breaking intergenerational cycles of abuse, including by caring for her father at the end of his life and discussing her trauma with her daughters. Gina then shares how practicing Buddhism and yoga have allowed her to use her body as a tool and resource for regulating her nervous system and emotions and gain a different perspective on her trauma. She also speaks about using that perspective to share skills and tools with other survivors, particularly in her work with women and children living in the slums of Uganda. Finally, the episode closes with Gina choosing her future self as the one person throughout time she would like the chance to sit down with, to thank her for inspiring her.

Episode Highlights:

• The challenging events that have redirected the course of Gina’s life
• Suffering sexual abuse at the hands of her father
• Unlocking buried memories after her father’s death
• The ripple effects of experiencing abuse
• Recreating a pattern of dysregulation in her adult relationships
• Mothering as a trauma survivor
• Breaking intergenerational cycles of abuse
• Practicing Buddhism
• Putting her experiences in a different perspective through sharing practice
• Feeling free after her father’s death
• Discovering her daughter’s sexual abuse
• Working with abused women and children in the Katwe slums of Kampala, Uganda
• One person Gina would go back in time to sit with

Quotes:

“We’re in so much pain, we don’t know how to handle it, we’re children. And so we hide it. And there’s also a lot of shame. And I think that if more and more people talked about it, which they’re starting to do, people like myself would have been able to find help.”

“He was, you know, he was my father, and I adored him. And that’s why it’s so, so difficult, especially for survivors of incest. The person that you love is the one that tends to hurt you the most. That’s incredibly confusing and painful, and it’s an utter form of betrayal.”

“I had a lot of anger, and I took it out often by, like, hitting doors or walls. I never hurt anyone else. Still, to this day, I use my anger to fuel me to help other people.”

“When you’re consistently dysregulated, let’s say working with a lot of anxiety or depression, or if you’re working with anxiety and depression all in the course of one day, those are usually the effects of having a nervous system that’s been tweaked by traumatic events.”

“A lot of people that I’ve worked with, even including myself, the concept of being happy is so unfamiliar, and we’re not used to it, that we can sometimes push that away, because our nervous system is just like, 'what is that?'”

“Even now, to this day, as a woman and as a survivor of sexual abuse, I am enraged that it...]]>This week's episode of Phoenix Tales contains descriptions and discussion of sexual abuse and trauma. Listener discretion is advised.

In today’s episode, Yuliana is joined by Gina de la Chesnaye, who shares her phoenix tale of surviving parental sexual abuse to become a humanitarian worker with traumatized communities. In her work, Gina draws on her own painful past to teach these communities how not only to survive their traumas but to thrive beyond the boundaries set by their experiences. She is founder and director of The Nachan Project, an NGO that brings mindfulness-based practices to the women and children living in the Katwe and Kisenyi slums of Kampala, Uganda.

Gina opens the conversation by discussing the sexual abuse she experienced at the hands of her father from the age of eleven. She speaks about burying those memories until they resurfaced after her father’s death and recognizing the ripple effects of his abuse on her lifestyle and relationships. She also reflects on mothering as a trauma survivor, how her experiences shaped her parenting, and the importance of breaking intergenerational cycles of abuse, including by caring for her father at the end of his life and discussing her trauma with her daughters. Gina then shares how practicing Buddhism and yoga have allowed her to use her body as a tool and resource for regulating her nervous system and emotions and gain a different perspective on her trauma. She also speaks about using that perspective to share skills and tools with other survivors, particularly in her work with women and children living in the slums of Uganda. Finally, the episode closes with Gina choosing her future self as the one person throughout time she would like the chance to sit down with, to thank her for inspiring her.

Episode Highlights:

• The challenging events that have redirected the course of Gina’s life
• Suffering sexual abuse at the hands of her father
• Unlocking buried memories after her father’s death
• The ripple effects of experiencing abuse
• Recreating a pattern of dysregulation in her adult relationships
• Mothering as a trauma survivor
• Breaking intergenerational cycles of abuse
• Practicing Buddhism
• Putting her experiences in a different perspective through sharing practice
• Feeling free after her father’s death
• Discovering her daughter’s sexual abuse
• Working with abused women and children in the Katwe slums of Kampala, Uganda
• One person Gina would go back in time to sit with

Quotes:

“We’re in so much pain, we don’t know how to handle it, we’re children. And so we hide it. And there’s also a lot of shame. And I think that if more and more people talked about it, which they’re starting to do, people like myself would have been able to find help.”

“He was, you know, he was my father, and I adored him. And that’s why it’s so, so difficult, especially for survivors of incest. The person that you love is the one that tends to hurt you the most. That’s incredibly confusing and painful, and it’s an utter form of betrayal.”

“I had a lot of anger, and I took it out often by, like, hitting doors or walls. I never hurt anyone else. Still, to this day, I use my anger to fuel me to help other people.”

“When you’re consistently dysregulated, let’s say working with a lot of anxiety or depression, or if you’re working with anxiety and depression all in the course of one day, those are usually the effects of having a nervous system that’s been tweaked by traumatic events.”

“A lot of people that I’ve worked with, even including myself, the concept of being happy is so unfamiliar, and we’re not used to it, that we can sometimes push that away, because our nervous system is just like, 'what is that?'”

“Even now, to this day, as a woman and as a survivor of sexual abuse, I am enraged that it still happens, and I’m enraged that my children have to deal with it. And there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“I recognized as well that it wasn’t just that I was breaking intergenerational cycles. You know, my father had experienced his own abuse, and my grandparents experienced their own abuse, and you know, in whatever way, this is how we break it. Stop it.”

“I was always drawn to Buddhism and to philosophy and things like that. But it wasn’t until I started to do the embodied practices that I could see what was arising in my body before it started to affect my mind.”

“Even now, every day I practice, not just because I have to, because it’s my way of regulating my nervous system. But it’s also the doorway to wisdom, and the wisdom being and having an understanding that everybody alive wants the same things.”

“I have been 100% focused on sharing the same skills and the same tools that I’ve learned to heal myself for others to heal themselves. And to come to a place of wisdom.”

“That’s the complicated thing that, you know, he was my father. And, yes, he inflicted incredible suffering upon me. But he could also be funny and generous and charming.”

“Relationships with every human are complicated, especially when it’s our parents or our children. And I’m glad that I have the ability to see that because nobody is entirely evil, you know, and unless you’re a Buddha, no one is entirely full of grace.”

“Because I’m human, my first thought was, like, that I had failed. And then I realized that, no, I hadn’t failed, this young man had failed. That’s the larger issue, you know, is how often do we as a society make excuses for men?”

“I think my future self would say, 'Thank you, you’ve done a good job.' And conversely, I would say to my future self, 'Thank you for inspiring me.'”

Links:

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Gina’s website

She begins by discussing her first divorce as the challenging event that reshaped her life. As a result of this brutal and difficult split in the midst of the 1970s Women’s Movement, Ellen picked up her life post-divorce and moved 3000 miles to LA to start over. She discusses being a single mother before remarrying, which brought its own struggles, as well as her  second divorce. She talks about the self doubt she experienced and why she decided never to make one thing the most important in her life. An avid fan of Mark Twain, Ellen finishes by sharing that she would like to have a sit down with him to ask him questions about his works.

Episode Highlights:

• The challenging event that redirected the course of Ellen’s life
• Ellen’s difficult divorce
• Moving to LA and starting a new job
• The emotional impact of the divorce on Ellen’s kids
• Ellen’s challenges in her new marriage and second divorce
• Battling self-doubt
• A sit-down with Mark Twain

Quotes:

“That was the worst thing I ever went through. He didn't want the marriage to end. He tried to do everything nasty...even to the point of saying that he was going to commit suicide if I left him.”

“I was driven, wanting to succeed.”

“I finally came to the conclusion that I didn't pick them. They picked me and I agreed.”

“I was never going to let one thing be the most important thing in my life.”

“Don’t make anything that important.”

“I'm not Superwoman. I'm only human. And I don't know, I do the best I can.”

Links:

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Quick Culture

Yolanda begins by sharing the events that redirected the course of her life - grieving her stillborn son and experiencing a divorce. She then delves into the events that surrounded her son’s death and the sad postpartum experience that followed. Yolanda also discusses the fear she experienced when she became pregnant again after the death of her son and how she was able to overcome it, as well as her divorce and going to therapy. She leaves us with words of wisdom on how and why to set boundaries and also to take back our power and forgive ourselves. The episode concludes with Yolanda identifying the one person she would love to go back in time to speak with, Maya Angelou, who inspires her with a quote about going beyond surviving and thriving.

Episode Highlights:

-   The challenging event that redirected the course of Yolanda’s life

-   A sad postpartum experience

-   Grieving with her family by her side

-   Reliving the experience with another baby

-   The courage it took to overcome her fear

-   Experiencing a brutal divorce and seeking therapy

-   Healing through the pain

-   The importance of setting boundaries

-   Advice to women going through a divorce

-   One person Yolanda would go back in time to speak with

Quotes:

“He just wasn't meant for this life. I accepted that.”

“We go through nine months of pregnancy, and we get a beautiful gift at the end. And I left the hospital without a gift, that was gut-wrenching and difficult for me.”

“Life is going to throw you curveballs. So I had to grieve the loss of my son in the same way that I had to grieve the recent abrupt ending of my marriage.”

“I believe vulnerability is courage.”

“At the end of the day, my daughters don't need me to save them. They need to see me save myself and thrive.”

“I am taking active steps to live the life that I want to live.”

“No one can take your power away from you. I let that happen. I’ve forgiven myself and it won't happen again.”

“We all hold to the fantasy life, ‘What could I have done differently?’ And the fact of the matter is nothing. No one can go back and change anything. We can only change what happens in the future. ”

“In my marriage, I felt that I wasn't enough. But I was enough, and I am enough, and I will always be enough.”

“Boundaries are not meant to offend anyone. They are meant to respect our feelings because every woman deserves peace and safety.”

“This chapter of my life is called ‘Make room for lightness, make room for abundance, make room for what is meant for me with ease and flow.’”

“We're not raised in comfort. We are made of stuff that should have broken us but didn't. We are not formed with ease and grace. We are made of fire in storms.”

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

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Yolanda Colon, an executive in the finance industry, joins Yuliana today to share the tragic story of the stillborn death of her son and also how she found the strength and courage to take back her life after the brutal end of her 24-year marriage. Her story is one of courage and self-awareness which, as you will hear, has made her the phoenix that she is today.

Yolanda begins by sharing the events that redirected the course of her life - grieving her stillborn son and experiencing a divorce. She then delves into the events that surrounded her son’s death and the sad postpartum experience that followed. Yolanda also discusses the fear she experienced when she became pregnant again after the death of her son and how she was able to overcome it, as well as her divorce and going to therapy. She leaves us with words of wisdom on how and why to set boundaries and also to take back our power and forgive ourselves. The episode concludes with Yolanda identifying the one person she would love to go back in time to speak with, Maya Angelou, who inspires her with a quote about going beyond surviving and thriving.

Episode Highlights:

-   The challenging event that redirected the course of Yolanda’s life

-   A sad postpartum experience

-   Grieving with her family by her side

-   Reliving the experience with another baby

-   The courage it took to overcome her fear

-   Experiencing a brutal divorce and seeking therapy

-   Healing through the pain

-   The importance of setting boundaries

-   Advice to women going through a divorce

-   One person Yolanda would go back in time to speak with

Quotes:

“He just wasn't meant for this life. I accepted that.”

“We go through nine months of pregnancy, and we get a beautiful gift at the end. And I left the hospital without a gift, that was gut-wrenching and difficult for me.”

“Life is going to throw you curveballs. So I had to grieve the loss of my son in the same way that I had to grieve the recent abrupt ending of my marriage.”

“I believe vulnerability is courage.”

“At the end of the day, my daughters don't need me to save them. They need to see me save myself and thrive.”

“I am taking active steps to live the life that I want to live.”

“No one can take your power away from you. I let that happen. I’ve forgiven myself and it won't happen again.”

“We all hold to the fantasy life, ‘What could I have done differently?’ And the fact of the matter is nothing. No one can go back and change anything. We can only change what happens in the future. ”

“In my marriage, I felt that I wasn't enough. But I was enough, and I am enough, and I will always be enough.”

“Boundaries are not meant to offend anyone. They are meant to respect our feelings because every woman deserves peace and safety.”

“This chapter of my life is called ‘Make room for lightness, make room for abundance, make room for what is meant for me with ease and flow.’”

“We're not raised in comfort. We are made of stuff that should have broken us but didn't. We are not formed with ease and grace. We are made of fire in storms.”

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Christina starts the conversation by discussing the event that reshaped her life — mothering her son who was born with a rare medical condition. She talks about how she dealt with her sense of hopelessness when her son was in the NICU and how she has grown to be more spiritual, embracing a mathematical idea of God. She then delves into her drive for more people to know their story, writing a memoir detailing her experiences as a result, and about dealing with uncertainties in the future. The episode rounds off with Christina identifying one person she would travel back in time to speak with, her grandmother, to ask her how she had so much courage - a level of courage that, as we hear today, has undeniably been passed on to Christina herself.

Episode Highlights:

-   The challenging events that have redirected the course of Christina’s life

-   A rare syndrome rears its head

-   Handling the sense of hopelessness during her son’s surgeries

-   A childhood memory that sparked a realization

-   A mathematical idea of God

-   Starting a memoir about her experience

-   Navigating the sibling dynamic between her sons

-   Dealing with uncertainties of the future

-   One person Christina would go back in time to speak with

Quotes:

“For all the mothers who are going to hear this, I think it's so important that, when you feel like something's not right, you may not have the actual proof that something's not right, but you should follow up on it.”

“We are so limited in the few senses that we have, that for us to be able to comprehend God is just out of our realm of understanding.”

“The best and the most truthful things are moments - whether it be something you create in art or literature or whatever - are in those transcendent moments.”

“He's always that kid who notices when someone's being left out. He has this way of bringing light into the room, and I think I'm just lucky to be around him.”

“A lot of it is approaching your fears and learning to not be afraid and to constantly stretch yourself.”

“How do women not feel afraid? How does anyone not feel afraid?”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

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Christina's Homepage

Kathy begins the conversation by talking about her divorce as one of the events that reshaped her life, from meeting her ex-husband and enjoying a whirlwind romance in Italy to how she had to face some realizations after the divorce. She also discusses the other event that shaped her life - her forced retirement at 56 - and realizing that she based her identity heavily on her profession. She then delves into finding and following a new passion and how she plans to settle upon retirement. The episode ends with Kathy talking about the one song that resonates with her life, a song about gratitude and compassion.

Episode Highlights:

-   The challenging events that redirected the course of Kathy’s life

-   Questioning her judgment after making a life-changing decision

-   Falling in love with a man and a city

-   Experiencing the impacts of forced retirement

-   The realizations after her divorce

-   How Kathy defined herself by a job and title

-   Following a new passion

-   Settling after retirement

-   Having compassion for yourself and others

-   One song that resonates with Kathy’s life

Quotes:

“I was walking in a coma through my own life.”

“It was a difficult marriage and a difficult divorce, but I think both did set me up for what I would become in later life.”

“All my life my professional work was anchored in writing, but I was always kind of a pen for hire. And now I finally I'm writing for myself.”

“One of the things that I feel like I've learned, and I'm continuing to try to learn in my work with animals and animal organizations, is compassion.”

“A lot of us have difficulty showing ourselves compassion.”

“Sometimes when you don't know where to turn, or which way to move, the only thing to do is just to stay out in the world.”

“I do have a tendency to isolate like a wounded animal.  I'll lick my boots in the corner... When I lost my job, not really knowing what to do next, I just stayed in contact. Just stay out in the world and something will drop into your lap.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

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Kathy’s Blog

Sari begins the conversation by sharing the event that reshaped the course of her life - getting cancer at 19 while dealing with eating disorders - including the events that occurred during and after her cancer treatments and how these affected her illness. She also describes the social stigma she faced at this struggling time in her life as well as finding yoga during her later years and going on to become a yoga therapist to help others who have had experiences similar to hers. The episode rounds off with Sari talking about past historical figures she would love to spend an afternoon with - her parents when they were younger - to have honest conversations that would pave the way to healing.

Episode Highlights:

-   The challenging events that redirected the course of Sari’s life

-   Battling with cancer and an eating disorder at 19

-   Sari discusses having to grow faster following her diagnosis

-   Experiencing and coping with the social stigma in college

-   Falling into alcohol addiction

-   Getting into rehab

-   How to quiet the inner critic

-   Seeing her diagnosis and illnesses through a new lens

-   Finding out the root cause of her eating disorder

-   Making the transition to the yoga profession

-   Coming face to face with her mortality

-   A historical figure Sari would love to spend an afternoon with

Quotes:

“I've always struggled with food and had a very interesting, strange relationship with my own body and appearance.”

“Parts of me matured incredibly, and I think a lot of parts of me stayed stagnant.”

“When you are battling an eating disorder and an addiction, it's kind of in charge, no matter how much you want to mature. It was always at the helm and in control and really making a lot of my guiding decisions and principles.”

“Trauma doesn't need to necessarily be a car accident or an act of violence. It can be an experience or a period of time where you're just not able to function.”

“The notion of recovery from anything - eating disorder, substance abuse, whatever it is - it's a lifelong process.”

“I'm thankful every day that I work within the same realm and universe. It has inadvertently become part of my healing process.”

“The focus has been a lot more about not looking at it through the lens of my body betrayed me, but my body had to go through this situation because maybe it was in so much excruciating pain from a lot of other things that had happened. And that was just the physical manifestation of it.”

“Everything that has happened to me was necessary, 150% necessary.  These experiences have been my teachers, my guide. I would not be the person who's talking to you right now had I not gone through those experiences.”

“What society prescribes to you as being happy and fulfilled, having the nice house, having the nice car, having the 401k, working that corporate job and whatnot, that's not what I wanted. That's what I set out to do to make others happy, but that's not what filled me internally.”

“My experience is my experience, it doesn't have to be projected onto another human being. What it does]]>Joining Yuliana today is Sari Velar, a yoga teacher and yoga therapist, to share her incredible phoenix tale. Over 20 years ago, Sari turned to yoga as an alternative therapy after a life-threatening cancer diagnosis and a subsequent battle with an eating disorder and addiction. These days, Sari facilitates classes at local cancer and mental health treatment centers, hospitals, and with Warrior Flow TV, whose Foundation she also works at as the Director of Training and Education. As you will hear today, Sari credits the struggles she has worked through in her life with shaping her to become the remarkable woman she is today.

Sari begins the conversation by sharing the event that reshaped the course of her life - getting cancer at 19 while dealing with eating disorders - including the events that occurred during and after her cancer treatments and how these affected her illness. She also describes the social stigma she faced at this struggling time in her life as well as finding yoga during her later years and going on to become a yoga therapist to help others who have had experiences similar to hers. The episode rounds off with Sari talking about past historical figures she would love to spend an afternoon with - her parents when they were younger - to have honest conversations that would pave the way to healing.

Episode Highlights:

-   The challenging events that redirected the course of Sari’s life

-   Battling with cancer and an eating disorder at 19

-   Sari discusses having to grow faster following her diagnosis

-   Experiencing and coping with the social stigma in college

-   Falling into alcohol addiction

-   Getting into rehab

-   How to quiet the inner critic

-   Seeing her diagnosis and illnesses through a new lens

-   Finding out the root cause of her eating disorder

-   Making the transition to the yoga profession

-   Coming face to face with her mortality

-   A historical figure Sari would love to spend an afternoon with

Quotes:

“I've always struggled with food and had a very interesting, strange relationship with my own body and appearance.”

“Parts of me matured incredibly, and I think a lot of parts of me stayed stagnant.”

“When you are battling an eating disorder and an addiction, it's kind of in charge, no matter how much you want to mature. It was always at the helm and in control and really making a lot of my guiding decisions and principles.”

“Trauma doesn't need to necessarily be a car accident or an act of violence. It can be an experience or a period of time where you're just not able to function.”

“The notion of recovery from anything - eating disorder, substance abuse, whatever it is - it's a lifelong process.”

“I'm thankful every day that I work within the same realm and universe. It has inadvertently become part of my healing process.”

“The focus has been a lot more about not looking at it through the lens of my body betrayed me, but my body had to go through this situation because maybe it was in so much excruciating pain from a lot of other things that had happened. And that was just the physical manifestation of it.”

“Everything that has happened to me was necessary, 150% necessary.  These experiences have been my teachers, my guide. I would not be the person who's talking to you right now had I not gone through those experiences.”

“What society prescribes to you as being happy and fulfilled, having the nice house, having the nice car, having the 401k, working that corporate job and whatnot, that's not what I wanted. That's what I set out to do to make others happy, but that's not what filled me internally.”

“My experience is my experience, it doesn't have to be projected onto another human being. What it does allow me to have is to create that space, that vessel of compassion and understanding.”

“There's a certain healing aspect to being open and raw and vulnerable. And I think it's a beautiful healing thing for all of us.”

Links:

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Warrior Flow Homepage

Toni begins by discussing these events that redirected the course of her life, describing the loneliness and isolation she felt growing up in a new household after she lost her mom and how that influenced the way she raised her own children. Regarding her second challenging event, being let go from a company to which she had devoted a huge part of her life, Roni talks about starting a new career and how she had become a resilient force ever since the death of her mom. She also details how she created a strong family unit in a bid to dispel that fear of loneliness and isolation which she carried into adulthood. The episode comes to a close with Roni sharing the one song that truly resonates with her life - a song about finding her space and happy place in this vast world. Finding courage and resilience from not only one, but two pivotal moments in her life, Roni’s phoenix tale here today is one that you will not soon forget.

Episode Highlights:

-   The challenging events that redirected the course of Roni’s life

-   Life after her mother’s passing

-   How losing her mother impacted the raising of Roni’s children

-   The end to a 10-year career

-   Starting out on a new path

-   The resiliency from losing one’s parent at a young age

-   Carrying fears in adulthood

-   Creating a strong nuclear family unit

-   Experiencing a fear of mortality

-   A great gift born out of love

-   One song that resonates with Roni’s life

Quotes:

“Being a motherless daughter is a very challenging place to be. Particularly as you begin your teenage years, you are left without anyone understanding exactly who you are.”

“Not having my mother truly impacted who I am and how I think and even, I think, my devotion to my own children.”

“I had given so much to a company that had given me so little. And not only that, but I think I defined myself by the company, and by what I was doing.”

“Resiliency is certainly a part of the fabric of my being.”

“The problem was I gave a job half of myself. ”

“I learned that I have to prioritize what is most important to me, and always put that at the forefront.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

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Red Flag Mania

Dr. Susan begins by recounting the event that redirected the course of her life - an illness that landed her in the intensive care unit three times. She then talks about her experience as the only plastic surgeon for miles and miles where she lived, how this took a toll on her health, and her subsequent commitment to make dietary changes and practice yoga.  Dr. Susan also delves into the health disparity found in African American communities and how she started a functional medicine practice to help others achieve wellness in a holistic manner. The episode rounds off with her advice regarding how to make changes in your life - listen, let go, and live.  As Dr. Susan states, the song “I am not Finished” resonates with her life, a fact that is made abundantly clear through her courageous and inspiring phoenix tale here today.

Episode Highlights:

-   The challenging event that redirected the course of Dr. Susan’s life

-   Dr. Susan’s experience as a plastic surgeon

-   Finding herself in intensive care

-   Making changes after a relapse

-   Transitioning from plastic surgery to functional medicine

-   Exploring the health  disparity in the African American community

-   Starting a functional medicine practice

-   Steps to mastering your energy at any age

-   How to go about making a change in your life

-   The one song that resonates with Dr, Susan’s life

Quotes:

“I pushed myself to where I ended up in the intensive care unit three times in the space of one year.”

“It's time to stop believing that I can do everything and be everything to everyone. It was time to start taking care of myself.”

“When I first decided I wanted to go into medicine, it was because I wanted to make a difference in people's lives, and I just realized that, you know, I can make a better difference long term by doing functional medicine.”

“Food is a very important part of the culture of African Americans.”

“Listen, let go, and live.” 

“Sometimes … you realize that this is not right for you at this particular point, that you might need to let go a little so that you can then reach out for something that's better. ”

“Whatever it is that floats your boat, that makes and brings joy into your life, is what you need to be doing, especially at this stage in life.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Premiere Wellness Homepage

Dr. Karen begins the conversation by delving into the event that redirected the course of her life - immigrating as a young child – and describing the events that followed after her father left Korea for America to seek out a better life for his family. The burden of caring for the family fell to Dr. Karen and her mom and, she, being the eldest, had to care for her brothers. She describes arriving in America and feeling out of place as she couldn’t understand the new language., discusses navigating different careers - from real estate to getting an MBA degree to chiropractic care to food blogging and writing cookbooks. The episode concludes with Dr, Karen sharing the song that resonates with her life - classical music to strike a balance and spark the hope and courage she clearly possesses. Truly one who has made the care and nurturing of others a priority from a young age, Dr. Karen recounts her noble and inspirational life story here today – rendering this yet another ‘must listen’ episode of the Phoenix Tales podcast.

Episode Highlights:

-   The challenging event that redirected the course of Dr. Karen’s life

-   Taking the reins of caring for her family at a young age

-   Arriving in America with high expectations

-   Feeling out of place in a new country

-   Navigating different careers

-   Getting into food blogging

-   The one song that describes Dr. Karen’s life

Quotes:

“Korea has one of the highest suicide rates for young people because it's so gruesome.”

“I had this duty of a head of the household at a young age.”

“I blacked out for like two months. And I didn't have a life, basically, because I really don't remember what people said to me, because I didn't understand it.”

“I really felt like I'm in the wrong country, or I'm in somebody else's home. I'm not part of this country. And feeling like I'm going to go home. ”

“It pulled me out of that fantasy that everything is perfect.”

“I always felt like family was everything. So I had to do my part.”

“I really enjoyed taking care of people, and I think I was meant to take care of people. ”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Dr. Karen’s Instagram

Dr. Karen’s homepage

She begins the conversation by recounting the event that redirected the course of her life - giving up her baby for adoption. Coco then courageously speaks about why and how the heart-breaking decision was made, and about maintaining a relationship with her daughter over the years. She also discusses being open-minded about having the uncomfortable conversation of “why” with her daughter when she gets older, and the episode comes to a close with Coco identifying the one song that resonates with her life- a song about choosing our lives and letting our scars show. Possibly the most courageous story shared on Phoenix Tales to date, Coco’s account of her life-altering sacrifice here today is a moving one that you will not soon forget.

Episode Highlights:

-   The challenging event that redirected the course of Coco’s life

-   Making the tough decision of giving up her child

-   Going about the adoption process

-   Coco speaks about meeting her daughter after two years

-   Having the uncomfortable discussion of “why” when the time comes

-   Coco discusses facing the reactions of others after making her decision

-   The one song that describes Coco’s life

Quotes:

“I wanted my children to have the best I could offer for them, and that meant, if it wasn't going to be me, it was going to be a family that I knew.”

“I've never regretted my choice.”

“She was having a life that I wanted for her, that I knew that if I had tried to do it, I wouldn't have been able to give her this wonderful life.”

“That made me want my daughter to know me as a person. And to make sure that I was a person outside of just being a mother.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

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The conversation begins with Liz describing the event that reshaped her life - the tragic death of her father to suicide - as well as finding out about her father’s depression after his death, dealing with the immense rage she had towards him, and forging a path to forgiveness. She then delves into how this event caused a shift in her relationship with her mother and brother, her own struggles with depression, and her strong resolve to break the generational curse of depression that seemed to hover over her family. Liz also discusses the importance of raising the emotional inner child we all have as humans into emotional adults. The episode comes to a close with Liz describing the one song that resonates with her life - a song that fills her with great joy.

Episode Highlights:

-   The tragic event that redirected the course of Liz’s life

-   Finding out about her father’s depression

-   Facing her rage

-   The shift in the relationship with her mother

-   Processing the guilt around suicide

-   Liz speaks about her own struggles with depression

-   Nature vs nurture

-   Breaking the family “curse”

-   Raising your emotional inner child

-   The one song that resonates with Liz’s life

Quotes:

“Anger is actually a normal part of grieving, even when someone doesn't commit suicide, because you're angry with someone for leaving you behind.”

“Grief is always complicated, and loss is always complicated. But with a suicide, you have such a high degree of anger that actually makes it, in a way, more difficult to cope with your loss and to feel the sadness, because sometimes the anger is just so overwhelming.”

“That's a place of such dark hopelessness that I hope no one you love ever goes to that place ever again.”

“27 is the age at which you basically have to stop blaming your parents for all the shit that's gone wrong in your life, and you have to take responsibility for it, and decide how you want your life to be as a proper adult.”

“No one is immune to feelings of fear and loss and loneliness and self-doubt.”

“Don't focus on the stuff that you didn't achieve today, because you can achieve that stuff tomorrow.”

“If you spend your whole life looking for the big moments of joy, you miss the small moments of joy, and life is a series of small moments of joy.”

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She starts by describing the sudden loss of her mother at the age of 17 - the event that redirected her life - and the changes that soon followed her mother’s death including her father remarrying and her starting out in college. She goes on to talk about marrying young and quitting law school in pursuit of something that sparked her creative side, and how the loss of her mother influenced the raising of her son. Meta also delves into how she transitioned from a PR career into writing, starting a new career at a later age, and launching her teaching career. Meta and Yuliana talk about Meta’s book, What's Your Creative Type, and the episode comes to a close with Meta describing one song that resonates with her life - a song of joy, awe, and sunshine.

Episode Highlights:

-   The challenging event that redirected the course of Meta’s life

-   Rapid changes that followed losing her mother

-   Starting out in college after the fateful tragedy

-   Meta describes how the loss of her mother affected her relationship

-   How Meta got into Public Relations and transitioned into a Writing Career

-   Becoming a mother after losing one

-   Starting a new career at a later age

-   Having a childlike view

-   Meta’s path to teaching

-   Helping creative people dig deep

-   One song that resonates with Meta’s life

Quotes:

“I wanted to keep busy because I didn't really want to deal with the reality of what had happened.”

“I think part of it was because I didn't know I was longing for connection with someone and longing for my own family in a sense.”

“It felt like it took every little ounce of creativity in me and just squeezed it out.”

“Sometimes when you're with somebody like that, it kind of gives you permission to fall apart a little bit.”

“You become aware of mortality, in a way, faster than other people.”

“I had to work to get back to who I was.”

“What's your creative type?”

“Writers are the most neurotic among the different artists. And the things we say to ourselves are so awful and so damaging, and so absurd and ridiculous.”

Links:

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Meta's Homepage

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Judy begins the conversation by describing the challenging event that reshaped her life - losing her mother to brain cancer rapidly and having to bear that weight solely.  She goes on to discuss how she coped by compartmentalizing and finding time to remind herself to breathe, finding peace in yoga, and starting a career in yoga therapy even at a later age. As is the tradition on Phoenix Tales, our guest closes out this moving and inspirational episode by describing the song that most resonates with her life.

Episode Highlights:

-   The challenging event that redirected the course of Judy’s life

-   Bearing the weight of it all

-   Coping by compartmentalizing

-   The complicated process of grieving as the main caretaker

-   How Judy’s independence helped her through her mom’s death

-   Seeking healing in yoga

-   What is yoga therapy?

-   Starting a new career at a later age

-   Planning for the future

-   The one song that resonates with Judy’s life

Quotes:

“For 10 minutes every morning, I allowed myself to do nothing and stare out the window and breathe.”

“During that time, I simply was the caretaker with my own ball of emotions .”

“No matter how young or old you are, a parent's death follows you and gets more difficult as you get older rather than less difficult.”

“I was my mother's first priority. And that changed.”

“I ultimately, really, completely healed myself with yoga.”

“We get to focus on a person's challenges and not see them as anything negative, but just to be able to give them the power, and help heal them through these modalities.”

“I am careful about my own practice so that I don't overdo it.”

Links:

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Judy Glassman Yoga

Email Judy

Carly begins by describing the event that changed the course of her life which was leaving her career in advertising in pursuit of happiness and finding yoga. She discusses the various challenges that came with her teaching yoga in a space where she felt unwelcome and why she finally had to leave that community, as well as how she met her ex-boyfriend in that community and the challenges that caused the relationship to come to an end. She tells about forging a new path and becoming a new person after her experience, and the episode comes to a close with Carly speaking about the one song that describes her life – ‘Let it Be’ by The Beatles because as she says, ‘Even when times are challenging, there are better days ahead.’

Episode Highlights:

-   The challenging event that redirected the course of Carly’s life

-   Carly discusses working in CBS and searching for happiness

-   Discovering yoga in the midst of it all

-   Carly describes her experience teaching yoga at a yoga studio

-   Experiencing power dynamics in a yoga setting

-   Exploring the dysfunctionality of people Carly came across in yoga

-   Why Carly left the community

-   Forging a new path

-   Carly’s change of perspective after her breakup

-   The one song that describes Carly’s life

Quotes:

“I really found a home, outside of my home in that community, it became the center point of my life, and it made me feel like I belong somewhere.”

“I think yoga teachers inherently, ironically, have a lot of narcissistic tendencies.”

“Once I got into the managerial side of things, I could see everybody and everything for what it was, and that shiny object syndrome kind of went away.”

“If I could get through this, I can really get through anything.”

“I found that it is best when things are challenging to sort of let it be and know that better days are ahead.”

Links:

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Carly Hunter. Com

The conversation begins with Dana talking about the event that changed the course of her life - finding out she had a pituitary tumor. She goes on to describe her experience after the first surgery and radiation treatment, the emotions she dealt with knowing she was battling something chronic, and finding meditation and yoga in tough times even when she was let go at work. Dana also details the impact the illness had on her relationships with her parents and how she continues to share her  journey and help others that are in the beginning stages of their diagnosis. The episode concludes with Dana sharing the one song that describes her life, ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’, which reinforces her belief that ‘life is too short to just be average and not happy’.

Episode Highlights:

-   The challenging event that redirected the course of Dana’s life

-   Dana’s experience after the first surgery

-   The importance of the growth hormone

-   Finding the silver lining in tough times

-   Seeking solace in helping others

-   Navigating the relationships with friends and family.

-   Dealing with health and career

-   Going through the tough days

-   The one song that best describes Dana’s life

Quotes:

“I think when I found out that I had to have the second surgery, that was when they kind of hit me, the doors came open, and the feelings that I didn't feel at the beginning of it all came out.”

“Trying to find acceptance and surrender on some days is easier than others.”

“I've been through this journey to hopefully be able to help somebody else that is in the beginning stages of whatever's going on.”

“There's something beyond strength to be able to face that and face it in a way where you then just start to live your life managing this part of your life, and not letting it become the whole of your life.”

“Life is too short. And I just want to be happy. Worrying does nothing for me, whatever has happened in the past has happened, and worrying about the past or worrying about the future, and then you're not in the present.”

Links:

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Dana Heller.Com

Dana’s Instagram

Yanti begins the conversation by talking about the events that reshaped her life - her divorce and an accident – as well as leaving the legal profession, finding solace in yoga, and coming to understand what yoga truly is about. She goes on to discuss the hardships that came with running a small business and how she was able to overcome them, how she got into karate, and her taekwondo background as a child. Yanti also offers her advice to do what is right for our bodies and to truly listen and confront our inner critic when in self-doubt, and the episode comes to a close with Yanti describing the one song that resonates with her life.

Episode Highlights:

-   The events that redirected the course of Yanti’s life

-   Leaving the law career

-   Finding love and understanding in yoga

-   Transitioning into yoga as a profession

-   Lessons learned from running a small business

-   How to embrace the struggles that come with starting something new

-   Starting out in the karate style, Shotokan.

-   Doing what is right for the body

-   Battling your inner critic

-   The one song that describes Yanti’s life.

Quotes:

“I grew to really love and understand yoga, on not just a physical level, but I saw it as a spiritual awakening.”

“It was a sanctuary but it was so much more than that.”

“You have a facade and a mask on when you're in a profession like the law and you're playing a role, whereas in yoga and in the wellness world, I feel like everybody loves the realness and the vulnerability of someone fresh in the sector.”

“I think we all go through second-guessing ourselves and we all wonder whether life would be better in the previous job, or whether choices you've made could have been made differently.”

“I've always said to my sisters and friends, ‘One day I need to write a screenplay or write something funny about the yoga world.’”

“Our job, I believe, is to get them out of that sense of competition and just really tap into what's going on internally, and to learn to actively listen to themselves to go inward. ”

Links:

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Yanti’s LinkedIn

Kim begins the conversation by sharing the event that redirected the course of her life: her divorce. She talks about experiencing heartbreak and turning to yoga at the time and how this event set her on a path of discovering her life and finding independence. In this self-discovery, Kim found herself exploring her sexuality and embracing her queerness. She discusses the challenges of being the only person of colour in a room and how her life experiences have made her create impacts geared towards encouraging diversity. She also talks about unlearning the generational trauma passed on to her from her parents’ experiences as refugees. The episode concludes with Kim talking about Ganesh and sharing the one song that describes her life- a song about acceptance and stepping into the world and knowing you’re enough.

Episode Highlights:

• The event that redirected the course of Kim’s life
• Experiencing heartbreak in divorce
• Finding yoga in a time of need
• How Kim embarked on a journey of independence and self-discovery
• Kim’s exploration of her sexuality
• What does queer mean now? - Kim’s piece
• The challenges of growing up as an Asian American in Texas
• Observing from a distance as one different from others
• Generational trauma- staying in survival mode
• Migrating to Texas
• Kim talks about Ganesh
• The one song that describes Kim’s life.

Quotes:

“It was a very interesting time for me in the next couple years to be able to really kind of find myself and find the parts of me that still needed to be woken up when to be discovered.”

“We both had that sort of mindset that we were each other's person.”

“We kind of grew into different people than we were when we first met at 17. ”

“It was a lot of deep diving of getting reacquainted to the core of who I was.”

“I didn't have to necessarily completely understand who or why I was attracted to someone and or have to identify, but it was more just me being open to it. And that was really the practice for me at that point.”

“I don't want to be put into a box, I don't like want to have to restrain my identity in any way, whether it's my sexual identity, or my racial identity, my gender, whenever in order to fit a system that may or may not be able to really let me express the fullness of who I am.”

“My boundary has become a lot more clear. And I'm a lot more strong at holding it with when it comes to discussions about race”

“I’m Asian all the time!”

Links:

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Kim's Homepage

GaneshSpace Homepage

The conversation begins with Wati delving into the event that redirected the course of her life - her decision to change her career - and then she talks about her journey in the fashion industry and how her legal background helped her in her new career. Throughout the episode, Wati discusses sustainability in the fashion industry, a subject that contradicts what fashion is about, and she tells us to consume less, repurpose more and share as much as we can. The episode rounds off with Wati talking about the one song that resonates with her life- a song about surviving.

Episode Highlights:

-   The event that redirected Wati's life

-   Walking away from the legal profession

-   Forging a new path in a new country

-   Wati's journey in the fashion industry

-   A safe way to start what you love doing

-   How having a legal education helped Wati in her new career

-   Sustainability in the fashion industry

-   What is a capsule wardrobe?

-   Wati’s projection of herself as a fashion designer in 5 years

-   Monitoring what we consume.

-   The song that describe Wati’s life

Quotes:

“I had decided that I was just going to reinvent myself.”

 “There was a huge collective gasp from my larger family for choosing a non-traditional career path. ”

 “It certainly is a process and you do have to start from scratch, you have to find new friends, you have to be resilient, and there's a lot of loneliness involved, obviously. Then you find your tribe and it just goes from there.”

“Making that change from being a lawyer to pursuing fashion design had a huge impact on me philosophically, not just career-wise.”

 “I did pursue my dream of studying fashion design, worked in the fashion industry, started my own line and my own brand.”

 “You need to be doing something you love.”

 “In this day and age, being an artist is being an activist for social change.”

 “The fashion industry is the biggest offender in terms of pollution after the oil industry. There is just so much that needs to be done.”

 “There is something wrong when a garment, whether it be a T-shirt or a dress, costs the same as a sandwich.”

 “We just need less, we need to pass on, we need to recycle and share with our sisters.”

 “It was definitely this idea that no matter what you throw at me, I'm going to make the best of things.”

Links:

 Phoenix Tales Homepage

 Phoenix Tales on Instagram

 Phoenix Tales on Spotify

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 Wati’s LinkedIn

Ji begins the conversation by talking about her adoption as the one event that shaped her life’s direction, her childhood growing up as an Asian-American in New York, and how it took 10 years for her to brace herself to meet her birth family after having found them.  She goes on to describe meeting them and the emotions that surfaced, the moment she truly understood the rationale behind her birth mother’s decision, and when she truly forgave her. Ji also delves into how the sense of abandonment impacted her relationships and how she and her husband work to make sure their children feel confident, proud, and love themselves. The episode rounds off with Ji talking about Tide and the one song that describes her life - a super sad song about resilience. A model of resiliency herself, Ji and her story of meeting and overcoming challenges will undoubtedly move and inspire all who listen in today.

Episode Highlights:

-   The event that redirected the course of Ji Young’s life

-   Growing up as an adopted child in New York

-   Why parents should help their children learn about their culture and identity

-   Seeking out her birth family - Ji’s story

-   The week Ji met her birth family

-   The reason why giving Ji up for adoption was necessary

-   The moment of true forgiveness

-   The journey of Ji’s identity

-   Dealing with the sense of abandonment

-   Raising mixed children

-   Ji speaks about her film festival, Tide

-   The one song that describes Ji’s life

Quotes:

“The biggest part of my identity that shapes me the most is the adoptee part of my identity.”

“I didn't have the maturity or the self-awareness or the grasp on identity enough to understand just how difficult it was for me.”

“You should do what you can to help your child feel good about their identity, whether it's black, Asian, brown, whatever it is.”

“A lot of people think of it as ‘Oh, you find them and ta-da it’s done’, when really,  it's just the beginning of a pretty difficult journey.”

“I have twins. When they were turning three, the age that I was when I was adopted, I would stay up nights just bawling my eyes out being, like, ‘I cannot imagine putting my child on a plane right now.’”

“This was the first time I was able to realize that before my story was my mom's story and whatever brought her to that point where she had to make this awful decision, I was finally able to have empathy for that.”

“This was my fate in this lifetime.”

“Because there is this innate fear of abandonment that we kind of have to struggle with our entire lives, I can see, when I'm being objectively self-reflective enough, how that plays out in my relationships, and not just romantic relationships in the past, but all relationships.”

“My mission in life since I was pregnant with my children has been to make sure they feel good...]]>Today on the show, Yuliana is joined by Ji Young, the founder of the Tide Film Festival. An attorney turned non-profit executive, producer, writer, speaker and facilitator, Ji is the Founder of DreamMaker DreamDoer DreamSupporter, inc, - 3D, and is the creator, producer and host of the web series ‘Not Your Average’ for KoreanAmericanstory.org. as well as the founder, co-creator, former co-producer and current advisor to ‘$6.99 Per Pound’ podcast. At the age of 3, Ji was adopted from Korea by an Italian and Irish-American family, grew up in upstate New York, and today shares the story of her adoption, the battle with her identity, and the impact of reuniting with her Korean birth family.

Ji begins the conversation by talking about her adoption as the one event that shaped her life’s direction, her childhood growing up as an Asian-American in New York, and how it took 10 years for her to brace herself to meet her birth family after having found them.  She goes on to describe meeting them and the emotions that surfaced, the moment she truly understood the rationale behind her birth mother’s decision, and when she truly forgave her. Ji also delves into how the sense of abandonment impacted her relationships and how she and her husband work to make sure their children feel confident, proud, and love themselves. The episode rounds off with Ji talking about Tide and the one song that describes her life - a super sad song about resilience. A model of resiliency herself, Ji and her story of meeting and overcoming challenges will undoubtedly move and inspire all who listen in today.

Episode Highlights:

-   The event that redirected the course of Ji Young’s life

-   Growing up as an adopted child in New York

-   Why parents should help their children learn about their culture and identity

-   Seeking out her birth family - Ji’s story

-   The week Ji met her birth family

-   The reason why giving Ji up for adoption was necessary

-   The moment of true forgiveness

-   The journey of Ji’s identity

-   Dealing with the sense of abandonment

-   Raising mixed children

-   Ji speaks about her film festival, Tide

-   The one song that describes Ji’s life

Quotes:

“The biggest part of my identity that shapes me the most is the adoptee part of my identity.”

“I didn't have the maturity or the self-awareness or the grasp on identity enough to understand just how difficult it was for me.”

“You should do what you can to help your child feel good about their identity, whether it's black, Asian, brown, whatever it is.”

“A lot of people think of it as ‘Oh, you find them and ta-da it’s done’, when really,  it's just the beginning of a pretty difficult journey.”

“I have twins. When they were turning three, the age that I was when I was adopted, I would stay up nights just bawling my eyes out being, like, ‘I cannot imagine putting my child on a plane right now.’”

“This was the first time I was able to realize that before my story was my mom's story and whatever brought her to that point where she had to make this awful decision, I was finally able to have empathy for that.”

“This was my fate in this lifetime.”

“Because there is this innate fear of abandonment that we kind of have to struggle with our entire lives, I can see, when I'm being objectively self-reflective enough, how that plays out in my relationships, and not just romantic relationships in the past, but all relationships.”

“My mission in life since I was pregnant with my children has been to make sure they feel good about the skin that they're in, to feel good about themselves, to feel confident and proud, and to love themselves.”

Links:

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Ji Young’s Instagram

Tide Film Festival Instagram

Tide Film Festival Homepage

Jimin begins by delving into the event that redirected the course of her life - her mother’s passing, how that event strongly affected her, and the further strain it put on her relationship with her father. She discusses how she channels rage and becomes more protective of her energy and space as a writer, and describes the way that realizing how fragile life can be makes us slow down to catch our breath. The episode rounds off as Jimin talks about playing the piano, be it Beethoven or ABCs, and how it resonates with her life. Having learned just how very precious each and every day is in our lives, Jimin has gained much wisdom which she shares with listeners here today.

Episode Highlights:

-   The event that redirected the course of Jimin’s life - her mother’s passing

-   Stepping into our own after a parent’s death

-   How rage made Jimin more protective

-   The concessions Jimin made

-   How a sense of mortality affects our decisions

-   Jimin’s second book

-   Navigating a strained relationship with a parent

-   The preciousness of time and how it makes us slow down

-   Getting comfortable in a certain amount of discomfort

-   Playing the piano

Quotes:

“As writers, we want to make complex characters, we want to live in the nuances of feeling.”

“As writers, we need to be more protective of our time and our sort of emotional and mental space.”

“I feel that a lot of the lessons that she was able to teach me, I feel that I still carry her with me.”

“What...I want my children to learn from me, and what I wanted them to be able to say is ‘Yes, my mother did write the book she wanted to write.’”

“I wish I'd recorded her. I wish I had been able to stay up and listen to everything else she wanted to say. I look back and I wish I'd been able to spend those moments.”

“Every day is so precious.”

“How is it that we just assume life is just going to go on? And yet we have to make plans. That’s the best way to live is to make those plans.”

“I didn't give myself that breathing space and now, I try to schedule a few big things a week, as opposed to, in a day. Maybe a few things in a month as opposed to a week...just not forcing yourself.”

“I've just learned that if I wait a little longer, then the answer comes.”

“I think what it taught me ...that... for many years...and I will just speak for myself that I had made a lot of concessions and I feel that after my mother died I was able to see more clearly how I should be more protective. As writers we become more protective of our time, sort of emotional and mental space. All of that has become more clear to me.“

Links:

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Jimin Han Homepage

In this fascinating conversation, Hourig delves into the challenging event that shaped her life - a story of fleeing Lebanon during the civil war at 19 to start a new life, how she was brought up in Lebanon and how she met her father for the first time in London where she started this new life. She shares details about moving to New York, going back to college for a degree, despite being in her mid-40s, and shares with us a special memory that she always looks forward to amidst the storm. The episode draws to a close with Hourig’s advice to those who seek to make big changes, and the one song that she feels resonates with her life - a song about hope. As Hourig movingly states, life has made her “someone who decided a long time ago not to take things sitting down and crying her eyes out” – listen in today to hear about this amazing life and the lessons it teaches us all.

Episode Highlights:

• The challenging event that redirected the course of Hourig’s Life
• How Hourig, an Armenian, was brought up in Lebanon
• The life of an outsider who isn’t afraid to start all over again
• Alone during the Lebanese Civil War
• Leaving Lebanon in perilous times
• Hourig meeting her father for the first time
• Settling into a new life in London
• Her move to New York
• Why getting a college degree was important
• How Hourig propels forward amidst challenges
• The most difficult chapter in Hourig’s life
• A memory that holds a special place in Hourig’s heart
• An inner sense of loneliness
• Hourig’s advice to those who have to make big changes
• The one song that describes Hourig’s life

Quotes:

“It gives one a different outlook in life that nothing is permanent, that tomorrow, who knows, I may have to start all over again. ”

“I'm Armenian, if you crush me, I will lift myself up and start all over again.”

“There was definitely a second side to my life and my story.”

“I'm a very stubborn person, and I don't take to failure too well, or bad luck, or whatever you want to call it. I decided to stay.”

“I strongly believe that there's always going to be a window open if a door closes.”

“I consider myself lucky that not only do I push myself back up and try again, but I always find a way out of whatever disaster I'm faced with.”

“When something's behind me, I leave it behind me. I have almost always succeeded in not having any more concerns, not looking back.”

“Go for it, do it, start your life over and over again if you want, if it makes you happy, if it gives you what you're looking for all these years.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

On the show today, Hourig Messerlian, Senior Director of IT Business at Computing and Information Services - The City University of New York,  joins Yuliana to tell her remarkable and truly inspiring story of how she got to where she is today. Starting with how she fled a country ravaged by Civil War, crossing continents and countries, facing many life altering changes along the way, Hourig now finds herself living an incredibly successful life far from the rubble of a country destroyed by war. She goes far beyond simply surviving, and proves herself to be one who thrives wherever life takes her, defying all odds with her unstoppable spirit and steadfast resolve to never give up.

In this fascinating conversation, Hourig delves into the challenging event that shaped her life - a story of fleeing Lebanon during the civil war at 19 to start a new life, how she was brought up in Lebanon and how she met her father for the first time in London where she started this new life. She shares details about moving to New York, going back to college for a degree, despite being in her mid-40s, and shares with us a special memory that she always looks forward to amidst the storm. The episode draws to a close with Hourig’s advice to those who seek to make big changes, and the one song that she feels resonates with her life - a song about hope. As Hourig movingly states, life has made her “someone who decided a long time ago not to take things sitting down and crying her eyes out” – listen in today to hear about this amazing life and the lessons it teaches us all.

Episode Highlights:

• The challenging event that redirected the course of Hourig’s Life
• How Hourig, an Armenian, was brought up in Lebanon
• The life of an outsider who isn’t afraid to start all over again
• Alone during the Lebanese Civil War
• Leaving Lebanon in perilous times
• Hourig meeting her father for the first time
• Settling into a new life in London
• Her move to New York
• Why getting a college degree was important
• How Hourig propels forward amidst challenges
• The most difficult chapter in Hourig’s life
• A memory that holds a special place in Hourig’s heart
• An inner sense of loneliness
• Hourig’s advice to those who have to make big changes
• The one song that describes Hourig’s life

Quotes:

“It gives one a different outlook in life that nothing is permanent, that tomorrow, who knows, I may have to start all over again. ”

“I'm Armenian, if you crush me, I will lift myself up and start all over again.”

“There was definitely a second side to my life and my story.”

“I'm a very stubborn person, and I don't take to failure too well, or bad luck, or whatever you want to call it. I decided to stay.”

“I strongly believe that there's always going to be a window open if a door closes.”

“I consider myself lucky that not only do I push myself back up and try again, but I always find a way out of whatever disaster I'm faced with.”

“When something's behind me, I leave it behind me. I have almost always succeeded in not having any more concerns, not looking back.”

“Go for it, do it, start your life over and over again if you want, if it makes you happy, if it gives you what you're looking for all these years.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

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Carolyn tells Yuliana about leaving her longstanding career in financial services to take a self-imposed sabbatical, where she gave herself six months to read, travel, explore, and get back in touch with everything she loved to do. This led her to volunteer at the New York Public Library, which ultimately became her salvation as she decided to pursue her Masters degree in Library Science from the Pratt Institute, and she is now the Head Librarian at the New York Society Library. Carolyn talks about what it was like to make a dramatic career change in her 40s, how much more rewarding her work is now that she is on her life’s path, and finding a healthy work/life balance as she takes on more challenges and responsibilities in her new profession. She shares the emotional story of her husband’s Stage 4 Melanoma diagnosis, how they overcame this difficult time in their lives, and the ways in which this experience shaped her worldview moving forward. Carolyn encourages listeners to take the opportunity to self-reflect if they are unhappy in their current circumstances, and that in doing so, this could lead to the path they’re truly meant for. 

Carolyn’s inspired story of reinvention is a beautiful representation of our capacity to rebuild and reimagine as women, and shows us that it’s never too late to create a new journey in this life, and discover where we’re really supposed to be.

Episode Highlights:

• Carolyn worked in financial services for many years and finally got the point where she felt she had to do something else
• Despite spending 20 years working toward this career, she quit after slowly building up to her breaking point and coming up with a plan for her next step
• She gave herself six months to read, travel, explore, volunteer, and get back in touch with what she really loved to do
• She found herself at the New York Public Library often, began volunteering there, and that experience ultimately became her salvation
• Carolyn is now the Head Librarian at the New York Society Library
• Library school is a process of understanding information systems, how to find systems, how to catalog systems, and find very specific information
• Carolyn’s work ethic from her previous career translated to her new profession
• She wanted to make this big change to create a better life for herself, with a healthier work/life balance
• Even when she has challenging days, she reminds herself that it’s so much more rewarding than what she was doing before, and it was the right thing to do
• She is inherently drawn to solitude as a librarian, but also has a very public-facing role
• Her husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 Melanoma, and this terrifying experience led her to take stock of her life and truly appreciate what she had
• She focused on helping him get through it and get better, and did not stop to emotionally process what was happening until later
• Carolyn’s words of advice for anyone experiencing career dissatisfaction - find your own path
• The one song that most resonates for Carolyn about her life’s journey

Quotes:

“I just had reached a point I think, I don't know, call it a midlife crisis or something. I don't know. But it took a long, long time. But I finally got to a point where I thought, I have to just do something else.”

“I don't know...]]>Today's guest, Carolyn Waters, recounts the big moment of crisis when she realized the career she had spent 20 years building may not have been the life she was meant to live. In spite of her fears of leaving an established career behind and the fear she may never find her path, on this episode, you’ll hear the outcome of how this one step into the unknown, ended with her finding a surprising new career and life, both of which may have been what was intended for her all along.

Carolyn tells Yuliana about leaving her longstanding career in financial services to take a self-imposed sabbatical, where she gave herself six months to read, travel, explore, and get back in touch with everything she loved to do. This led her to volunteer at the New York Public Library, which ultimately became her salvation as she decided to pursue her Masters degree in Library Science from the Pratt Institute, and she is now the Head Librarian at the New York Society Library. Carolyn talks about what it was like to make a dramatic career change in her 40s, how much more rewarding her work is now that she is on her life’s path, and finding a healthy work/life balance as she takes on more challenges and responsibilities in her new profession. She shares the emotional story of her husband’s Stage 4 Melanoma diagnosis, how they overcame this difficult time in their lives, and the ways in which this experience shaped her worldview moving forward. Carolyn encourages listeners to take the opportunity to self-reflect if they are unhappy in their current circumstances, and that in doing so, this could lead to the path they’re truly meant for. 

Carolyn’s inspired story of reinvention is a beautiful representation of our capacity to rebuild and reimagine as women, and shows us that it’s never too late to create a new journey in this life, and discover where we’re really supposed to be.

Episode Highlights:

• Carolyn worked in financial services for many years and finally got the point where she felt she had to do something else
• Despite spending 20 years working toward this career, she quit after slowly building up to her breaking point and coming up with a plan for her next step
• She gave herself six months to read, travel, explore, volunteer, and get back in touch with what she really loved to do
• She found herself at the New York Public Library often, began volunteering there, and that experience ultimately became her salvation
• Carolyn is now the Head Librarian at the New York Society Library
• Library school is a process of understanding information systems, how to find systems, how to catalog systems, and find very specific information
• Carolyn’s work ethic from her previous career translated to her new profession
• She wanted to make this big change to create a better life for herself, with a healthier work/life balance
• Even when she has challenging days, she reminds herself that it’s so much more rewarding than what she was doing before, and it was the right thing to do
• She is inherently drawn to solitude as a librarian, but also has a very public-facing role
• Her husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 Melanoma, and this terrifying experience led her to take stock of her life and truly appreciate what she had
• She focused on helping him get through it and get better, and did not stop to emotionally process what was happening until later
• Carolyn’s words of advice for anyone experiencing career dissatisfaction - find your own path
• The one song that most resonates for Carolyn about her life’s journey

Quotes:

“I just had reached a point I think, I don't know, call it a midlife crisis or something. I don't know. But it took a long, long time. But I finally got to a point where I thought, I have to just do something else.”

“I don't know that there was a single breaking point. I think that it had been building for a long time.” 

“All these years, I mean, everybody says, Do what you love. And I'm like, I don't know what I love, because I haven't really had the time to think about it. But what if I never figure it out? That was scary, too.”

“The six months was on purpose, as well, because I didn't want it to be so long that I couldn't go back to doing what I was doing, that people wouldn't forget about me and the good work I'm doing, if, in fact, I needed to go back.”

“I went into it just being kind of open. And my initial feeling was just to spend some time doing things that I knew I had enjoyed in the past.”

“It hadn't really occurred to me that the library itself was going to be the place that was going to be sort of my salvation. But that's kind of where it started… I'm now the Head Librarian at the New York Society Library, which is the oldest library and oldest cultural institution in New York City.”

“Six months to the day that I quit my job, you know, my self-imposed sabbatical timeframe, was the day that I was accepted to library school.”

“I joke that I've had pretty much every job in the library. And I think that's kind of true. I was a Bibliographic Assistant, I was an Acquisitions Librarian, I was a Reference Librarian. I was the Assistant Head Librarian and now I run the place.”

“I really feel like I found where I'm supposed to be.”

“I will say that at every point that I have been at a crossroads of getting promoted and moving to a different level here at this particular job in this library, I have really agonized over the question of whether I should take it or stay in the position I'm in, because I didn't want to go back to where I was, and having no time to go to museums and read books.”

“As a nonprofit institution, a big part of my job is raising money for the institutions. And that's not something that I feel very comfortable doing. But it's a part of the job, I have to ask people for money and raise money. And it is very face-to-face. I think the way that I do it is trying to continue to find ways to carve out pieces of the job that remind me of why I became a librarian in the first place.”

“My husband was very sick for a while. He was diagnosed with Stage 4 Melanoma. And that was a terrifying, terrifying time. And I think that is also a moment where you sort of take stock of your life, and you think you really have to take care of yourself.”

“I think everybody's situation is so unique. You have to find your own path, you have to figure out what it is that you're dissatisfied with, and try to focus in on that.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Nancy begins the conversation by talking about the challenging event that impacted her life - dealing with addiction. She goes on to detail this battle with drugs and her entry into rehab, the painful process of talking to family about addiction, and how she battled with eating disorders at an early age in life. Nancy then takes us on a journey through the different careers she has had, as well as raising her son. Dealing with being judged about physical appearance as a model, Nancy tells us that maintaining your self-esteem is crucial, and she offers advice on how you can start a career even late in life by finding what you love and doing it. The episode comes to a close with Nancy discussing how she got into real estate and the one song that describes her early 20s. A model of perseverance, Nancy has lived a life filled with lessons learned that will undoubtedly educate and inspire all who listen in today. 

Episode Highlights:

-   Nancy’s battle with drug addiction.

-   Breaking the ice surrounding addiction with family.

-   Nancy talks about her modeling career.

-   The battle with eating disorders.

-   Managing addiction and eating disorder issues.

-   Model, chef, trainer- Nancy’s career journey.

-   Raising George with resilience.

-   Maintaining your self-esteem.

-   How to start a career at a later age in life.

-   Growing up as a hardworking child.

-   Facing the aging process

-   How to get through the tough days

-   Nancy’s real estate journey

-   A song that describes Nancy’s life

Quotes:

“I finally came to realize I didn't want to be that person anymore.”

“When you're doing drugs and alcohol and addiction type circumstances, you tend to lie. Your whole life is a lie. ”

“This is my normal.”

“Who knows what was going on in my mind back then?”

“My sister and I said, you know, ‘Let's not drink’ and I said, ‘Okay, we'll do six months’, till we just basically stopped drinking.”

“Being in the real estate world, you have to really focus, you can't be hungover. You can't be drunk when you're dealing with lots of money and clients.”

“Starting your own business is very scary, and you're really going out on the limb.”

“You had to have a thick skin because you're not everybody's choice.”

“Starting from scratch sucks.”

“You have to just figure out something that you love or are passionate about.”

“Find out what you love to do and just go for it, do it. It doesn't matter how old you are.”

“I don't want to be in front of the camera my whole life. ”

“When...]]>Joining Yuliana today is Nancy Castle Donahue, a model who rose to the top of her field in the 70’s and 80’s, becoming one of the most successful fashion models of her time. During her reign in the fashion arena, Donahue’s face was on the cover of virtually every fashion magazine in the world, and she also led several significant cosmetic campaigns for brands like Helena Rubenstein, Avon and Clairol. She has now devoted herself to fitness with certifications that  include National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and American Council on Exercise (ACE) Certified Personal Trainer, 200 hr. Registered Yoga Teacher through Yogafit, and Standing and Mat Pilates through Physical Mind Institute of New York. She joins our host today to discuss the significant challenges she faced as well as different redirections she has had in her life and how they have shaped her into the success that she is today.

Nancy begins the conversation by talking about the challenging event that impacted her life - dealing with addiction. She goes on to detail this battle with drugs and her entry into rehab, the painful process of talking to family about addiction, and how she battled with eating disorders at an early age in life. Nancy then takes us on a journey through the different careers she has had, as well as raising her son. Dealing with being judged about physical appearance as a model, Nancy tells us that maintaining your self-esteem is crucial, and she offers advice on how you can start a career even late in life by finding what you love and doing it. The episode comes to a close with Nancy discussing how she got into real estate and the one song that describes her early 20s. A model of perseverance, Nancy has lived a life filled with lessons learned that will undoubtedly educate and inspire all who listen in today. 

Episode Highlights:

-   Nancy’s battle with drug addiction.

-   Breaking the ice surrounding addiction with family.

-   Nancy talks about her modeling career.

-   The battle with eating disorders.

-   Managing addiction and eating disorder issues.

-   Model, chef, trainer- Nancy’s career journey.

-   Raising George with resilience.

-   Maintaining your self-esteem.

-   How to start a career at a later age in life.

-   Growing up as a hardworking child.

-   Facing the aging process

-   How to get through the tough days

-   Nancy’s real estate journey

-   A song that describes Nancy’s life

Quotes:

“I finally came to realize I didn't want to be that person anymore.”

“When you're doing drugs and alcohol and addiction type circumstances, you tend to lie. Your whole life is a lie. ”

“This is my normal.”

“Who knows what was going on in my mind back then?”

“My sister and I said, you know, ‘Let's not drink’ and I said, ‘Okay, we'll do six months’, till we just basically stopped drinking.”

“Being in the real estate world, you have to really focus, you can't be hungover. You can't be drunk when you're dealing with lots of money and clients.”

“Starting your own business is very scary, and you're really going out on the limb.”

“You had to have a thick skin because you're not everybody's choice.”

“Starting from scratch sucks.”

“You have to just figure out something that you love or are passionate about.”

“Find out what you love to do and just go for it, do it. It doesn't matter how old you are.”

“I don't want to be in front of the camera my whole life. ”

“When I'm working and moving, it makes me feel better. ”

“I'm a five-year ahead person.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Nancy Donahue Instagram

The episode begins with Patricia recounting her experience of caring for her dying brother for 5 years when he was diagnosed with cancer. She then takes us back to the time she graduated from college and moved to Manhattan, New York, and got an apartment in a week due to her determined nature. She also discusses those times when caring for her brother and handling other responsibilities became overwhelming and also the beautiful moments that made it all worth it. Throughout the episode, Patricia highlights lessons from her brother and how his advice always gave her great insights into life, and she finishes up by sharing details about coping with his death, how yoga helped her, offering advice to those who hope to be entrepreneurs, and, of course, choosing a song that describes her life - to be forever young at heart.

Episode Highlights:

-   Patricia recounts the challenging event that redirected the course of her life.

-   How caring for her terminally ill brother impacted her life.

-   Her journey as a professional dancer.

-   Patricia’s nature before her brother’s illness.

-   What fuels Patricia’s ambitions - a combination of nature and nurture.

-   Braving the world as a young graduate.

-   The moment it all became overwhelming.

-   How her brother’s wisdom changed her daily habits.

-   Setting boundaries without guilt.

-   Coping with grief and how grief shapes you.

-   How to cope with anxiety and stress - the key to which is Yoga

-   Patricia’s advice for entrepreneurship

-   Navigating the business during COVID-19

-   The song that best describes Patricia’s life

Quotes:

“I was doing everything I was doing, but with extreme anxiety and stress, and everything was detrimental.”

“You only have right now and you get to live right now.”

“Everybody has their ups and downs, but the reality is just to open your eyes and see what's going on. It's not that big of a deal.”

“I think that my drive was more of not letting my natural talents or gifts go to waste.”

“You can do anything you want at any point in life.”

“As long as I could get to do what I like to do, I could handle the rest.”

“Wait, just stop and look, there's so much beauty around us. ”

“I can't do anything unless I, myself, the vessel, is taken care of.”

“This is my hour, I'm turning off my phone, and I have to take care of me. Everything else can wait.”

“Asking for help is actually a sign of strength.”

“If I keep putting it off, I'm not guaranteed another day.”

“If it all falls apart, it's okay, because when I come back, I'll just rebuild whatever I have to, but I'm going to do this for me.”

“Why do you have to be a harsh, bitter...]]>This week, Yuliana is joined by Patricia Ruiz, the owner of three Pilates Studios in New York City called Moving Strength. A lifetime dancer, Patricia has performed and toured with some of New York City's most renowned dance companies, has choreographed Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and continues to judge dance competitions throughout the country. She is also certified as a Personal Trainer through the American Council of Exercise (ACE),  and holds certifications in Pilates, Power Plate, Yoga, Resist-a-Ball and Healthy Moms Perinatal training. In today’s episode, she discusses her journey from Manhattan, Kansas to Manhattan, New York, and her inspiring story of caring for her dying brother, raising her daughters, and building a business.

The episode begins with Patricia recounting her experience of caring for her dying brother for 5 years when he was diagnosed with cancer. She then takes us back to the time she graduated from college and moved to Manhattan, New York, and got an apartment in a week due to her determined nature. She also discusses those times when caring for her brother and handling other responsibilities became overwhelming and also the beautiful moments that made it all worth it. Throughout the episode, Patricia highlights lessons from her brother and how his advice always gave her great insights into life, and she finishes up by sharing details about coping with his death, how yoga helped her, offering advice to those who hope to be entrepreneurs, and, of course, choosing a song that describes her life - to be forever young at heart.

Episode Highlights:

-   Patricia recounts the challenging event that redirected the course of her life.

-   How caring for her terminally ill brother impacted her life.

-   Her journey as a professional dancer.

-   Patricia’s nature before her brother’s illness.

-   What fuels Patricia’s ambitions - a combination of nature and nurture.

-   Braving the world as a young graduate.

-   The moment it all became overwhelming.

-   How her brother’s wisdom changed her daily habits.

-   Setting boundaries without guilt.

-   Coping with grief and how grief shapes you.

-   How to cope with anxiety and stress - the key to which is Yoga

-   Patricia’s advice for entrepreneurship

-   Navigating the business during COVID-19

-   The song that best describes Patricia’s life

Quotes:

“I was doing everything I was doing, but with extreme anxiety and stress, and everything was detrimental.”

“You only have right now and you get to live right now.”

“Everybody has their ups and downs, but the reality is just to open your eyes and see what's going on. It's not that big of a deal.”

“I think that my drive was more of not letting my natural talents or gifts go to waste.”

“You can do anything you want at any point in life.”

“As long as I could get to do what I like to do, I could handle the rest.”

“Wait, just stop and look, there's so much beauty around us. ”

“I can't do anything unless I, myself, the vessel, is taken care of.”

“This is my hour, I'm turning off my phone, and I have to take care of me. Everything else can wait.”

“Asking for help is actually a sign of strength.”

“If I keep putting it off, I'm not guaranteed another day.”

“If it all falls apart, it's okay, because when I come back, I'll just rebuild whatever I have to, but I'm going to do this for me.”

“Why do you have to be a harsh, bitter adult?”

“Biggest thing I have learned is to not put boundaries around yourself.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Moving Strength Homepage

Moving Strength Instagram

Dana begins the interview by talking about the challenges she faced that turned her world around, how her father lost his job as a minister, her upbringing as a preacher’s kid and how that helped develop her communication skills. She also discusses how painful it was to separate herself from religion, the second event which drove her to find healing, her call to serve people in the Arts, and how to navigate between calling and career. The episode rounds off with Dana describing the one book that describes her life which  happens to be the book which she hopes to write - an autobiography titled Breath, Body and Leaving Yoga – which will undoubtedly be as informative and inspirational as her conversation with Yuliana is here today.

 Episode Highlights:

-   Dana recounts the challenging event that redirected the course of her life.

-   Growing up as a preacher’s kid.

-   The painful process of separating a religion-infused upbringing.

-   What does the word ‘righteous’ mean?

-   The path to healing- how Dana found Yoga.

-   The calling to serve.

-   Navigating the fine line between calling and career.

-   The one book that describes Dana’s life.

Quotes:

“Books are my guidance to other worlds, but they're also our way into empathy.”

“It was this long process of determining if this religious community was right for me.”

“I feel that our relationship with God is very close and very connected when we're in nature and we connect with nature.”

“It was actually a strength to be able to have compassion and to see both sides of any duality.”

“Truth is a pathless land.”

“Sometimes there is no quick path, the only way out is through, you have to walk through these things.”

“If we step back, and we stop looking for the right way, and we start feeling for the righteous way, perhaps we'll be better listeners.”

“It was such a joy and such a relief to go into a room and to think about someone else, and to serve someone else, and to be the best part of their job.”

“I just felt a strong strong need to serve in a space that did not tell other people what to do, or what to name God, who to love. Who am I to say?”

“We have that opportunity to empower that moment of introspection, stillness or quiet when we provide Yoga for people.”

“Ultimately, I hope I'm more patient, I hope I'm more kind.”

“Where can I step back from being right, and where can I hold a space of inquiry for myself and others? I think that's really where the true magic lies. ”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on...]]>Joining Yuliana on the podcast today is Dana Slamp, founder and director of Prema Yoga Institute. Having started teaching Yoga in 2005, Dana is currently a therapeutics educator and teacher trainer who consults on wellness programs for clinics, doctor's offices, condominiums, and corporations, is a member of IAYT, and teaches clients on an individual basis in New York City. In today’s episode, she discusses her upbringing as a preacher’s kid, the event that redirected the course of her life, and her transition into the Yoga profession.

Dana begins the interview by talking about the challenges she faced that turned her world around, how her father lost his job as a minister, her upbringing as a preacher’s kid and how that helped develop her communication skills. She also discusses how painful it was to separate herself from religion, the second event which drove her to find healing, her call to serve people in the Arts, and how to navigate between calling and career. The episode rounds off with Dana describing the one book that describes her life which  happens to be the book which she hopes to write - an autobiography titled Breath, Body and Leaving Yoga – which will undoubtedly be as informative and inspirational as her conversation with Yuliana is here today.

 Episode Highlights:

-   Dana recounts the challenging event that redirected the course of her life.

-   Growing up as a preacher’s kid.

-   The painful process of separating a religion-infused upbringing.

-   What does the word ‘righteous’ mean?

-   The path to healing- how Dana found Yoga.

-   The calling to serve.

-   Navigating the fine line between calling and career.

-   The one book that describes Dana’s life.

Quotes:

“Books are my guidance to other worlds, but they're also our way into empathy.”

“It was this long process of determining if this religious community was right for me.”

“I feel that our relationship with God is very close and very connected when we're in nature and we connect with nature.”

“It was actually a strength to be able to have compassion and to see both sides of any duality.”

“Truth is a pathless land.”

“Sometimes there is no quick path, the only way out is through, you have to walk through these things.”

“If we step back, and we stop looking for the right way, and we start feeling for the righteous way, perhaps we'll be better listeners.”

“It was such a joy and such a relief to go into a room and to think about someone else, and to serve someone else, and to be the best part of their job.”

“I just felt a strong strong need to serve in a space that did not tell other people what to do, or what to name God, who to love. Who am I to say?”

“We have that opportunity to empower that moment of introspection, stillness or quiet when we provide Yoga for people.”

“Ultimately, I hope I'm more patient, I hope I'm more kind.”

“Where can I step back from being right, and where can I hold a space of inquiry for myself and others? I think that's really where the true magic lies. ”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Prema Yoga Institute

Dana's Homepage

Dana Slamp Instagram

She begins by delving into the tragic event of losing her father and how that became a point of inflection that reshaped the direction of her life to be the ‘captain of her own ship’. She discusses what led her to Yoga - a result of chronic migraines - and how Yoga has helped her in the battle with her illness. She also details how she switched careers from being a professional musician to becoming a Yoga teacher, and reveals the inspiration behind her book, Your Body, Your Best Friend . The episode comes to a close with Erica sharing the song that describes her life, a song about humanity. Filled with wisdom borne out of life experiences, Erica Mather has so many valuable lessons to teach us all about living life without regrets. Listening in today will definitely be time well spent.

Episode Highlights:

-  Erica recounts the challenging event that reshaped the direction of her life

-  When parental expectation disappears.

-  The various points of inflection that changed Erica’s life.

-  The battle with adult onset migraines - the path to Yoga.

-  How Yoga makes you take a long look at your body and spirit

-  How to resolve that feeling about being viewed with a desire to teach?

-  Lessons from the book, Your Body, Your Best Friend.

-  The impetus that inspired the writing of her book

-  The one song that describes Erica’s life

Quotes:

“ I just decided I'm going to be my own person, I'm going to be the captain of my own ship, and I am not going to work for people who don't care about me.”

“It's made me have ultimate responsibility for the direction of my life.”

“You know, if I'm unhappy with anything about my work life, or my relationship life, or my friendship life, or my family life, or my spiritual life, I’ve got one person to truly point a finger at.”

“He valued my creativity, my intelligence, and it set me on a path of writing some music and really doubling down on being a professional musician.”

“If you don't have a relationship with your body, it'll be hard to monitor signs that it's giving you.”

“Part of our maturity around body image is coming to understand how people might react to you, and then managing your own response to that reaction.”

“The main message of the book is to not waste more time on things that don't produce real outcomes in your life.”

“We have a very finite amount of time, we have a finite amount of energy, and time wasted hating the way you look, disliking the way you look, is time wasted.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Erica Mather Homepage

Erica Mather Instagram

Eden begins the conversation by describing the events that led up to her cancer diagnosis - dying parents, a hellacious divorce, and an economic crash. She then talks about how she was an adultified child who had to learn to do everything herself and how those events led up to her breakdown. Eden describes herself as a confident person, but her confidence and fearlessness became powerful after going through a traumatic time. She also discusses her company, MediaCraft, the growth and future of the company, and gives advice to those facing various challenges to always ask for help, never fear, and build up confidence. The episode concludes with Eden describing the song that she feels best describes her life as a fighter. Fearless, confident, and optimistic, Eden teaches us here today that, when life gives you lemons, you make the best lemonade on the planet.

Episode Highlights:

●  Eden’s post traumatic growth after her cancer diagnosis.

●  The stressful events that led up to Eden’s diagnosis.

●  How childhood adultification impacts lives.

●  How post traumatic growth reflects in your life personally and professionally.

●  Navigating your nervous system and managing stress after a life-threatening event.

●  How MediaCraft is aiding the visibility of businesses.

●  Looking to the future of MediaCraft post-COVID.

●  Eden’s advice to those facing challenges.

●  Living your life in kodachrome.

●  How to overcome your fear and build your confidence.

●  The one song that describes Eden’s life

Quotes:

“When something is so seismic and so large that occurs in your life…it forces you to reevaluate everything.”

“I've been conditioned to be a fighter and a survivor from a very early age, because I had to function that way when I was child...and no, that's not a healthy way to live.”

“I was standing on the corner of 10th and 17th Street and I just had a complete meltdown on the corner.”

“When you go through something like that…..it creates such a strength in you, and it creates this feeling of, ‘If I've been through that, there's nothing that can take me down.’”

“When you're aware that you have an expiration date,...and you realize that you don't have that many years left, you start to make decisions, and you start to direct your behavior in a different way that allows you to make time for those people in your life that really enhanced your life.”

“People just need to try a lot of different things and not be afraid to reach out for help, and just test things because different things work for different people.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Eden’s LinkedIn

MediaCraft Homepage

To learn more about Amanda’s inspiring story and the importance of believing in yourself, follow her on Instagram. Thank you for listening.

Episode Highlights:

• How Amanda’s struggles with an eating disorder changed the trajectory of her life, physically, emotionally, and professionally, and made her more resilient
  
• Navigating being a training and preaching about healthy living while dealing with an eating disorder - this made her feel like an imposter and pushed her to get help
  
• Amanda has always had body dysmorphia, but a series of big changes in her life pulled the trigger and caused her to develop a full-blown eating disorder
  
• She isolated from family and friends and felt that no one noticed what was going on
  
• The connection between mental illness and eating disorders
  
• A toxic relationship prompted her to seek help and really invest in her recovery with the support of a nutritionist
  
• Eating disorders are often triggered when you feel like your life is out of control
  
• She takes her recovery one day at a time, one moment at a time
  
• Amanda is resilient by nature, and always knew she would eventually recover - it was just a matter of when
  
• The eating disorder treatment program at Laureate really prepared her for how to deal with the outside world
  
• She is getting ready to start her family, despite years of worrying anorexia had affected her fertility
  
• Amanda does not talk about weight or “earning your food” in her fitness career, and feels passionately that people of all shapes and sizes deserve to enjoy fitness and working out
  
• Body positivity and body acceptance
  
• The one song that best represents Amanda’s life
  
• The importance of believing in yourself, and instilling that in her clients as well as her unborn child

Links:

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Amanda Murdock on Instagram

Mary begins by recounting that challenging moment in her life, describing what her life was like at that time, and reviewing both the conventional and alternative treatments which she received. She goes on to describe the sense of renewal she felt upon becoming cancer-free, how it changed her life, her journey to become a Yoga Teacher, and what enabled her to continue moving forward and find her new direction in life. Mary draws the episode to a close by sharing how she navigates the more competitive and youth/beauty focused aspects of the Yoga world, details of her Yoga and trauma work, and one book which she feels describes her life. As Yuliana notes, this is a podcast that celebrates inspirational people who have faced their challenges in life and found renewal, and, as you will hear, Mary Cerdeiras definitely qualifies as a ranking member of that noble assemblage.

Episode Highlights:

• The challenging moment that reshaped the course of Mary’s life
  
• What her life was like when the challenge arose in her life
  
• The alternative treatments she used to complement the traditional Western treatments she was receiving for her cancer
  
• The sense of renewal she felt in becoming cancer-free and how it changed her life
  
• Teaching yoga
  
• What enabled Mary to move forward and find a new direction in life
  
• How Mary navigates the terrain of entering such a competitive and youth and body focused field as Yoga
  
• Her Yoga and trauma work
  
• One book that describes Mary’s life
  

Quotes:

“Back in 2009. I was diagnosed with cancer and Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma...that definitely woke me up to crazy reality, and it changed the trajectory of my life.”

“I always wanted to do things holistically.”

“That's always been my life - staying away from toxins and stuff like that.”

“Why don't you do the chemo and also do the organic dieting and whatever you're doing?”

“The Yoga helped me so much - the stretching and the breathing.”

“But something inside of me said, ‘This is not it...you've got too much to do, you're not done, yet, on this earth.”

“I took charge of my own wellbeing.”

“You make it sound so seamless, and I'm sure it wasn't as you were living it.”

“I also had two parents that never said I couldn't do anything.”

“Trauma has been something that I've been studying for years through different teachers.”

“I've been on the other side, so I know how that person feels.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Mary's Homepage

Mary on Warrior Flow TV

Mary's Instagram Page

Mary's Facebook Page

Revolution of the Soul

Ginger begins the conversation by describing those challenges which she faced, the traits she possessed which kept her moving forward through them, and how she came to possess them. She goes on to describe the insecurities she faced in her career as a woman of color, her feelings of being an imposter and the impact this had, her advice for empty nesters on re-engaging with the world, and giving yourself permission to pursue your passion. The episode concludes with Ginger sharing the song that she feels best describes her life. Eloquent, insightful, engaging, and thoroughly inspirational, Ginger and her tale of remaking her life provide the perfect foundation and springboard for what you can expect to hear in upcoming episodes of the Phoenix Tales podcast.

Episode Highlights:

• The challenges that redirected the course of Ginger’s life
  
• The traits that kept Ginger moving forward through her challenges and how she came to possess them
  
• The insecurities she faced in her career as a woman of color
  
• Her feelings of being an imposter and the impact upon her
  
• Ginger’s advice for empty nesting listeners to re-engage with the world
  
• Giving yourself permission to pursue or reignite a passion
  
• The one song that describes Ginger’s life
  

Quotes:

“I stopped seeing myself as an attorney who just liked to write in my spare time to taking writing seriously, and it transformed my life.”

“I'm the kind of person that thinks about things and analyzes them before I react for better and for worse.”

“I just became this sort of serial kind of multitask or tunnel vision kind of machine.”

“As a writer, you know, I think most of us feel like an imposter.”

“You belong there, but there's just a little something going on underneath the surface.”

“You're watching the world in order to navigate it because you feel like you're not one of those people that just waltzes down the red carpet.”

“You're always on the lookout for a situation that could be harmful or dangerous.”

“Am I at the in-law's house or in my family home? Just that undercurrent of you're never sure when someone's going to push you out the door.”

“It is a blessing to have really supportive and grounded parents and grandparents that were very active in your life.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Ginger's Facebook Page

Ginger's Twitter Page