Audacity Works

Welcome to Audacity Works, for my next guest please enjoy while I share with you one of my favorite humans on earth, coven sibling, youthful dancing partner, and lifelong anam cara, Dr. Mel Hobart-Beaumari .  Dr. Mel (aka Dr HB) is a primary care physician who practices in Seattle Washington. They hold a naturopathic doctorate degree and did a teaching residency with a strong focus on community health. Their current practice has a little bit of everything, but a lot of women's health, gender affirming care, gut health, and pediatrics. They also continue to teach and lecture on a regular basis. Outside of medicine they are an avid rock climber and try to get outside as much as possible. Their route to medicine (and climbing) was circuitous and started with a short lived but precious semi-career as a modern dancer and some time spent homesteading in the mountains of North Carolina.

What you'll hear:

• Disaster relief for Western North Carolina:
  • Action Network Mutual Aid
• How we met (awww) 4:00
• Our career as dance partners in college and all the beautiful ridiculous things we made together 8:00
• Mel's pathway to medicine, and their stint homesteading in western North Carolina 13:00
• The myths surrounding naturopathic medicine 17:35
• Mel's favorite herbs for entering into a parasympathetic nervous state 21:59
  • skull cap, chamomile, tulsi, milky oats, passion flower, holy basil
  • adaptogen herbs are also helpful for this such as ashwagandha and rhodiola 
• Mel's favorite brands for quality botanicals 26:01
  • Wise Woman Herbals
  • Wish Garden Herbs
  • Herb Pharm
  • Gaia Herbs
• How Mel blew my mind about essential oils (and why she hates them) 27:55
• What is a daily "must-do"? 32:35
• Listen to Mel explode my brain about eye contact 34:30
• All the talk about hormones begins at 35:30
• Herbs you can take for hormonal regulation 39:54
• If you have ovaries, what are the signs that you might have increased testosterone and what might that be indicative of? 42:20
• How I learned about the magic of breastmilk from Mel after the birth of their son Kiran 44:40
• What would you recommend for someone starting a healing journey when they get the advice to trust your body, but you don't/can't? 47:56
• Me exploiting my access to Mel by asking them about drinking salted water cause I saw it on Instagram 56:28
• Advice for athletes!  Supplements and recovery suggestions for athletes 59:47
• Have you ever had to address barriers to care within GNC communities, especially in regards to hormonal or OB/GYN issues? 1:07:07
• A charming anecdote about how Mel taught me to make bread 1:11:22
• As an expat southerner, how are the ways you stay in connection to your sense of home? 1:13:01
• What advice would you give to yourself at the age of the anecdote about the bread? 1:16:15
• You can't follow Mel because they aren't on the socials, but you can find them if you need them.  Hit me up if you need their help finding resources and I'll connect you.

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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Happy anniversary to US!!  I'm so honored to have this space, thank you all so much for keeping it alive and vital.  Without you, it's just a woman talking to herself in her office.  Today I cover a host of things including the nature of Audacity, where the name of The Audacity Project came from, holding the first Charleston Artists Salon (that I made anyway), on leadership, and what I've learned from recording 100 episodes.

What you'll hear:

• The origin of Audacity and why I've chosen to adopt that word so thoroughly into my life 2:00
• The story behind naming The Audacity Project 5:30
• Enrolling in the early spring of 2025, Cycle 28 of The Audacity Project has a waitlist here.
• The first Charleston Artist Salon and how it went!  7:25
• If you are local, you can sign up to hear about future salons here.
• Why I think effective leadership has to start with the leader 10:40
• You can check the Patreon to see my half-baked weirdly sexual concept 12:15
• What I've learned from recording 100 episodes of the podcast 12:50
• The top 5 most downloaded episodes:
  • #5 Cheers to the irresponsible
  • #4 When is it ok to perform for free: a re-framing of performing opportunities
  • #3 The Radical Responsibility of Being Seen with Dr. Shante Cofield
  • #2 Art, Grief, and What Happens Next with Shannon McKenna
  • #1 most downloaded episode is...Morning Pages: how to do them, how to not do them, and what to do if they bore the pants off of you
• The wonderful alumni of The Audacity Project share their favorite tips for being Audacious, or share their most audacious moments.  So much gratitude to these audacious AF beings for sharing their voices 19:00:
  • Maria "Cris" Morrell
  • Sammy Dean
  • Susannah Donau
  • Tricia Melke
  • Alicia Lloyd
  • Kat Doherty
  • Heather Meyer
  • Hannah Lemke
  • Verity Bradford
  • Heather Bentley
  • Mirrah
  • Emily Garrod Cox
  • Elena "Tink"
  • Chris Angel Fisher
  • Cecilia Quin de la Noche
  • Jenny Tufts

Thank you all so much for being here.  It would not exist without you. xo

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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Today's episode is brought to you by a nice little fit I got to throw for myself in the studio yesterday.  Do enjoy.

You'll hear:

• The Maestro's Instagram Intensive is enrolling this week only- HIGHLY RECOMMENDED if you're looking to re-define and re-establish your relationship with social media, and use it to great effect.  I'm a proud affiliate and will always champion this course.
• Intensive weekend workshops at Monarca in DC are open for booking for October!
• Me and the great Jenny Tuft's Full Circle retreat still has some available space!  Click here to learn more and view our myth busting IG live about it here.
• BossUp is happening October 10-11 in Redondo Beach, CA!  I can't believe I get to speak to this room and be a part of it.  Hosted by The Movement Maestro and Jill Fit!
• Why the morning after a failure is not a great metric for the mettle of an artist. 7:00
• The humbling nature of success rather than failure because the work itself has to be enough 8:45
• Flipping the script on "what would you do if you knew you could not fail?" 9:09
• The most terrifying success I've had 12:10
• What I learned 3 years after recorded my first humiliating fit of despair 15:00
• Why hearing "you're not alone" is not comforting to me at all 16:35
• A TMI gift for my patrons coming up this week.

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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Support this podcast on Patreon

What you'll hear:

• Where I was on 9/11, 2001 (where were you?  I'd love to know) and the gift my art professor gave me that day
• It's enrollment week baby!  Cycle 27 of The Audacity Project is open for enrollment this week only, until Friday, September 13th at 11:59pm
  • Cycle runs 9/16 until 11/15 with a break week October 14th
  • Classes are Tuesdays at 2pm EST (replays are always available)
  • Targeted, strategic tasks assigned to you weekly
  • unlimited support from me during the cycle
  • Two 1:1 30 minute video calls with me
  • alumni access to these materials for life, and ability to audit future cycles at any time
• Leaning way into what you love about your own work:  story time about me taking a walk (so riveting lol)
• Process-based work and the importance of documenting your process as well as the finished product
• What you can use process documentation for
• A challenge for you!  (2 of them actually) 15:00
• Does anyone actually read show notes??

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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And now for something completely different, talking to aerialist and adventure athlete, the fabulous and Audacious Sasha Galitzki!  Sasha uses photography and videography to document her work in what is to me, the most unimaginable of places including FREAKIN GLACIERS, Y'ALL!!

What you'll hear:

• The Audacity Project Cycle 27 launches to the public on Monday, September 9th!  My email list is the best way to hear about it, also I write excellent emails, just sayin. 
• How she got into performing in -15 degree temperatures in jaw-droppingly gorgeous environments
• No but like seriously how tf is this happening and how is she rigging from ice?!
• Here is the non-optional image that you absolutely have to see, prepare yourselves.  Photo by Kris Andres
• The added dance of being warm, but not warm enough to sweat because then you can literally freeze inside your clothes omg how is this happening
• Why "flow" is not a way to approach doing aerial work in these extreme conditions.
• How we finally met IRL even though we've known each other through The Audacity Project for years.
• Shout out to rigger spouse Marcus making up the other half of the dream team
• Niching down harder than anyone has ever niched before, and the shadow side of accomplishing something extraordinary. 
• How she has witnessed climate change in the most unavoidable, personal ways possible, and her advice for what us as individuals can do to address it locally.
• All about Wild Aerial, the film and the process of making it.
• Elk poop. :)
• How she as a fellow introvert approached visibility using a PR agent and a voice coach (I love this!) and you can see her TV interview here!

You can follow Sasha's shenanigans (and I'd recommend it) here on her personal Instagram, and follow the film on the official Wild Aerial Instagram page.
You can find Sasha's website here.
Wild Aerial Film page

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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Happy Wednesday errbody!  The waitlist for The Audacity Project, Cycle 27 closes on Friday the 30th!  Sign up here for early enrollment, $100 off the price of tuition, and an early access bonus- all of this is only available to the waitlist before enrollment goes public.

This week's episode is all about perfectionism, how it manifests in artistic practice as well as outside of it, and what to do about it if it's got its teeth in you.  It also ended up being accidentally confessional but I'm going let it be what it is.

What you'll hear:

• The role of routine and discipline, and how it sometimes needs to be disrupted 3:00
• Why I think perfectionism is one of the most insidious gremlins there are 7:30
• How to know if you're a perfectionist or if you just have high standards of excellence 8:15
• How discipline and routine can be the ladder out of perfectionism 11:15
• My own relationship with perfectionism in art work 11:30
• How I got all smug about not being a perfectionist in my artistic work, but realized I have these tendencies in my other life omg so rude 13:30
• How I've experienced perfectionism outside of artistic practice 15:00
• Why perfectionism is bullshit 21:45

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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Support this podcast on Patreon

The waitlist for The Audacity Project, Cycle 27 is open, and closes next Friday August 30th at 11:59pm!  You can sign up for that here and get all the goodies and extras, save some $$ on the project if you decide to enroll in it, and get access to early action bonuses!

What you'll hear:

• This episode was inspired by two write ins:  Thanks to Michelle for asking for an episode about Finding your Why, and thanks to Ruthie for asking for how to reconnect to your body when you're no longer in a physically creative field.
• The surprising reasons I've avoided exercise for long periods of time (3-6 months sometimes) 5:00
• An extremely powerful, simple exercise for finding your why 7:00
• An example of the Finding Your Why exercise 9:30
• Wtf is the point of finding your why?  12:00
• Follow Laura Jean here for her amazing resources on identifying your values https://www.instagram.com/dietitianvalues/  Thank you Shante aka The Movement Maestro for the Mafia and sharing your people with us!
• TrustU by Jillfit that I'm having a lot of fun with!
• How I found my why recently
• Shout out to Jen Crane for her MyFlex program that came to the rescue

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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An episode by request from MM- thank you for this food for thought!

What you'll hear:

• enrollment for The Audacity Project begins in September, if you're interested in this cycle I HIGHLY recommend you get yourself to the waitlist!  I'll be loving up on you soon but only to the waitlist.
• A previous episode on Internet fame and how to handle it when you get a whole bunch at once (thanks to the great Jenny Tufts for this one!)
• A story about the Sweet Potato Swear between me and my BFF Christy Acee, and the caveat to it I now fully renounce (so does she) 4:00
• Why the word "professionalism" makes me roll my eyes pretty hard 8:45
• What boundaries we actually can have with the online space when it's helpful 12:15
• How I responded when my audience quadrupled 16:00

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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Please join me in welcoming the fabulous Veronica Rosas, creator of La Bruja Creative and Theatre of Mutiny!  I met Veronica through The Audacity Project several years ago, and have long wanted to bring her on the podcast as I've watched from afar as the woman just.  Creates.  So.  Much.  And I love it.  Please enjoy!

What you'll hear:

• Out of frustration comes doing the damn thing- what frustrated Veronica enough to create her own company
• The growing pains of creating an award winning show, and bumping up against needing to replace core members
• How she navigated funding the show as an independent American creator
• The process of casting the show
• What it's like being a scare actor for Universal Studios
• Her timeline from conception to premiere
• The most useful thing
• How to work for the Ren Faire if that's your bag
• What's next for Veronica, and for 79 Ways to Die
• Click here to see an example of a press kit y'all!  
• Dealing with big injury grief
• Aaaaand me getting all weepy
• Oh and don't forget to register for How'd You Get that Awesome Residency? which is tomorrow August 8th at 2pm est!  Save yourself a bunch of time and headaches, and learn about best practices from career artist Lexa Walsh with me!  (if you're viewing this after August 8th, yes you can still purchase the recording).

You can learn more about Veronica here on insta:  https://www.instagram.com/labrujacreative/

Go see Theatre of Mutiny live!  https://www.theatreofmutiny.com/live

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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Support this podcast on Patreon

What I learned at #IADF24, as I'm fresh off the plane after two weeks of intense art learning and making. 

What you'll hear:

• a whole bunch of what it's like for me as a teacher
• The amazingness that is the annual meetup for the alumni of The Audacity Project who are at the festival (you can hop on the waitlist for the next cycle here)
• Lessons learned from the festival
  • You gotta use what you have available to you that day.  
  • Cyr wheel is the shit
  • You have to be ok with sucking if you ever wanna be great
  • Chantal McCormick is a force of nature (this is not news)
  • There is magic being in the room
• Some rooms you can get into:
  • Full Circle Aerial Hoop retreat with Jenny Tufts at Sweet Retreats in Mexico, two retreats to choose from baby
  • BOSSUP2024!  October 10-11 in Redondo Beach, CA.  Hosted by Jill Coleman and Dr. Shante Cofield, it's gonna light a fire under your ass.
• Also, I have to quit vaping again.  Once more into the breach, dear friends.  Wish me luck.

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
Sign up here for monthly blasts and functional woo
Find me on Instagram
Support this podcast on Patreon