What if rest isn’t something you earn, but something you need in order to live fully? In this episode of Beauty in the Break, Foster and Cesar explore the radical and often misunderstood practice of rest in a culture addicted to hustle, productivity, and burnout. Through personal stories, cultural critique, and embodied wisdom, they unpack why rest is not laziness, but a necessary act of self-trust, nervous system regulation, and an act of rebellion against systems that reward exhaustion. This conversation is for anyone feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or quietly longing for permission to slow down.

In this episode: 

• Why hustle culture keeps us exhausted and disconnected
• How burnout sneaks in through productivity
• Cesar’s honest and emotional confession
• Why nature never rushes and neither should we
• How rest reshapes creativity and clarity
• Breaking cycles our children inherit

Also mentioned:

• Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey (The Nap Ministry)
• Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
• In the FLO by Alisa Vitti
• Foster’s dad in How to Be A Rebel with Dr. Reid Wilson

If this episode spoke to you, you will love Say More! Vol. 2: Hustle Culture Sucks where we explore more problems of hustle culture. You can also watch the episodes on YouTube.

If you enjoyed this episode, take a moment to follow Beauty in the Break on your favorite podcast app and leave a review—it really helps!

Reach out to the show—send an email or voice note to [email protected] and be sure to follow on Instagram. 

Cesar Cardona:

• Receive his monthly newsletter Insights That Matter
• Get guided meditation from Cesar on his website 
• Listen to music from Cesar + The Clew on Apple Music and Spotify

Foster Wilson:

• Buy her poetry book Afternoon Abundance
• Learn about her postpartum services
• Receive her monthly newsletter Foster’s Village

Created & Hosted by: Cesar Cardona and Foster Wilson

Executive Producer: Glenn Milley

Send us a text

• Libro.FM - Get 3 audiobooks for the price of 1 with code BEAUTY
• Go to Libro.FM or use code BEAUTY at checkout

Today on Beauty in the Break, Foster and Cesar sit down with Foster’s father, renowned clinical psychologist Dr. Reid Wilson, PhD, an internationally recognized expert on anxiety disorders, panic attacks, and OCD, to explore how he turned his urge to be a troublemaker into a force for good. From adolescent trauma and rebellion to pioneering practical self-help approaches for anxiety, Reid shares how urgency, compassion, and action shaped his unconventional path.

This episode is for anyone who feels called to challenge broken systems, take meaningful action, and create change from the inside out.

In this episode they explore: 

• What trauma, anxiety, and aggression have in common
• Why Reid chose disruption over academic approval
• The hidden cost of being an outlier in mental health
• Why self-help reaches people therapy can’t
• How to tap into your own confidence

To connect with Reid, visit www.anxieties.com. Also mentioned:

• Don’t Panic: Taking Control of Anxiety Attacks
• Quiet Your OCD Brain (releases: 6.1.26)
• OCD & the Six Moment Game 
• The Eating Habits We Didn’t Choose 
• How to Spot a Gatekeeper

See Reid in the 70s on Instagram!

Let's connect! [email protected]   

Cesar Cardona:

• Receive his monthly newsletter Insights That Matter
• Get guided meditation from Cesar on his website 
• Listen to music from Cesar + The Clew on Apple Music and Spotify

Foster Wilson:

• Buy her poetry book Afternoon Abundance
• Learn about her postpartum services
• Receive her monthly newsletter

Send us a text

• Libro.FM - Get 3 audiobooks for the price of 1 with code BEAUTY
• Go to Libro.FM or use code BEAUTY at checkout

In Part 2 of this immersive community conversation, Foster and Cesar invite their guests to explore a new question. From health scares and skyrocketing blood pressure to identity shifts, career crossroad moments, burnout, and creative reinvention, the group dives into candid reflections about mental health, emotional resilience, and spiritual realignment. The result is a powerful meditation on change, surrender, and rediscovering one’s purpose.

Connect with the guests:

Ari Hader

• spiritual explorer, mom and actor (Dexter, Grey’s Anatomy)
• Ari on IMDb
• co-host of Spiritual Practices of the Disgruntled Artist 
• host of Magick and Manifestation for Actors 
• IG: @arihaderisyourfriend

Duane Benjamin 

• composer, musician, and instructor at UCLA School of Music
• Youtube: @duanebenjamin
• IG: @dben_jamin919

Jamaal Pittman

• Robinson Prize award-winning copy editor, manager and screenwriter
• author of The Copy Editor's (Life)Style Guide
• co-founder of the Annie and Sallie Ann Wheeler Memorial Scholarship
• IG: @jamaaldpittman

Katie Hall

• actor, wedding planner, FUCK YES energy cultivator & queer mama of two ✨
• IG: @theplantbasedboo
• IG: @bestdayeverla_events

If you enjoyed this episode, take a moment to follow Beauty in the Break on your favorite podcast app and leave a review—it really helps!

Reach out to the show—send an email or voice note to [email protected] and be sure to follow on Instagram. 

Cesar Cardona:

• Receive his monthly newsletter Insights That Matter
• Get guided meditation from Cesar on his website 
• Listen to music from Cesar + The Clew on Apple Music and Spotify

Foster Wilson:

• Buy her poetry book Afternoon Abundance
• Learn about her postpartum services
• Receive her monthly newsletter Foster’s Village

Created & Hosted by: Cesar Cardona and Foster Wilson

Executive Producer: Glenn Milley

This episode is brought to you by Arlene Thornton & Associates

Send us a text

In Part 1 of Soup & Stories, Foster and Cesar gather a circle of creatives and close friends for an intimate, community-style storytelling session. What unfolds is a raw, emotional exploration of grief, family estrangement, marriage transitions, boundaries, forgiveness, and the complicated dynamics of long-term friendships. These stories weave together themes of emotional healing, self-compassion, and personal growth, anchoring the episode firmly in real-life transformation.

Connect with the guests:

Ari Hader

• spiritual explorer, mom and actor (Dexter, Grey’s Anatomy)
• Ari on IMDb
• co-host of Spiritual Practices of the Disgruntled Artist 
• host of Magick and Manifestation for Actors 
• IG: @arihaderisyourfriend

Duane Benjamin 

• composer, musician, and instructor at UCLA School of Music
• Youtube: @duanebenjamin
• IG: @dben_jamin919

Jamaal Pittman

• Robinson Prize award-winning copy editor, manager and screenwriter
• author of The Copy Editor's (Life)Style Guide
• co-founder of the Annie and Sallie Ann Wheeler Memorial Scholarship
• IG: @jamaaldpittman

Katie Hall

• actor, wedding planner, FUCK YES energy cultivator & queer mama of two ✨
• IG: @theplantbasedboo
• IG: @bestdayeverla_events

If you enjoyed this episode, take a moment to follow Beauty in the Break on your favorite podcast app and leave a review—it really helps!

Reach out to the show—send an email or voice note to [email protected] and be sure to follow on Instagram. 

Cesar Cardona:

• Receive his monthly newsletter Insights That Matter
• Get guided meditation from Cesar on his website 
• Listen to music from Cesar + The Clew on Apple Music and Spotify

Foster Wilson:

• Buy her poetry book Afternoon Abundance
• Learn about her postpartum services
• Receive her monthly newsletter Foster’s Village

Created & Hosted by: Cesar Cardona and Foster Wilson

Executive Producer: Glenn Milley

This episode is brought to you by Arlene Thornton & Associates

Send us a text

Vulnerable is beautiful. In this conversation about mental health, depression, and healing, Cesar shares his life-long struggle with clinical depression. He describes how it manifested in childhood, relationships, substance use, and moments of crisis. Together on Beauty in the Break, Foster and Cesar break down what depression actually feels like inside the mind and body, why so many people don’t recognize their symptoms, and how tools like SSRIs, meditation, and Buddhist philosophy helped him move toward clarity and peace.

Foster brings essential insight into postpartum depression (PPD), perinatal mood disorders, and the alarming mental health statistics among birthing people, especially Black and Brown parents who face systemic inequities. Together, they unpack why depression often hides behind confidence and how to speak about suicidal thoughts with compassion. This powerful episode will help you better understand depression whether it lives in you or someone you care about. 

In this episode they explore: 

• What depression actually feels like from the inside
• The truth about alcoholism and depression’s chemical grip
• How SSRIs transformed Cesar’s relationship with his own mind
• The surprising connection between Buddhism, meditation, and healing
• The moment Cesar nearly ended his life, and the tattoo that saved him
• Postpartum depression statistics everyone should know
• How to best support someone in a depressive episode

If you or someone you know needs support: 

• Call or text 988 for the 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US
• Suicide Awareness Voices of Education
• Postpartum Support International (PSI)

Also mentioned: 

• Maternal Health Advocate Angelina Spicer and her non-profit Spicey Moms

If this episode spoke to you, you will love The Eating Habits We Didn’t Choose where we explore disordered eating and food insecurity. You can also watch the episodes on YouTube.

If you enjoyed this episode, take a moment to follow Beauty in the Break on your favorite podcast app and leave a review—it really helps!

Reach out to the show—send an email or voice note to [email protected] and be sure to follow on Instagram. 

Cesar Cardona:

• Receive his monthly newsletter Insights That Matter
• Get guided meditation from Cesar on his website 
• Listen to music from Cesar + The Clew on Apple Music and Spotify

Foster Wilson:

• Buy her poetry book Afternoon Abundance
• Learn about her postpartum services
• Receive her monthly newsletter Foster’s Village

Created & Hosted by: Cesar C

Send us a text

• Libro.FM - Get 3 audiobooks for the price of 1 with code BEAUTY
• Go to Libro.FM or use code BEAUTY at checkout

What does your relationship with money say about you? In this Beauty in the Break conversation, Foster and Cesar open up about ancestral scarcity, financial anxiety, overspending, and avoidance, revealing how their opposite money styles both clash and connect as they build a life together. We’re not giving our financial advice here, but instead having an honest exploration of healing your relationship with money and learning to see money as energy, emotion, and connection.

Together they explore money trauma, inherited beliefs, and the ways nervous-system triggers shape our money mindset. What happens when one partner hoards while the other avoids? Can we learn to feel safe with money and open to abundance at the same time? This episode invites awareness, compassion, and a gentler path toward money healing, trust, and emotional abundance.

In this episode they explore: 

• How attachment theory shows up in your relationship with money
• The truth behind “money can’t buy happiness”
• How ancestral stories and family history shape money beliefs
• Learning to trust your partner with money
• How to find flow between scarcity and abundance
• Real-life examples of moving from tension to tenderness with money

Also mentioned:

• Daniel Kahneman’s 2010 happiness and income study
• Matthew Killingsworth’s 2021 follow up study

If this episode spoke to you, you will love How to Spot A Gatekeeper where we explore reclaiming authentic power. You can also watch the episodes on YouTube.

If you enjoyed this episode, take a moment to follow Beauty in the Break on your favorite podcast app and leave a review—it really helps!

Reach out to the show—send an email or voice note to [email protected] and be sure to follow on Instagram. 

Cesar Cardona:

• Attend his upcoming speaking engagements
• Listen to music from Cesar + The Clew on Apple Music and Spotify
• Receive his monthly newsletter Insights That Matter

Foster Wilson:

• Buy her poetry book Afternoon Abundance
• Learn about her postpartum services
• Receive her monthly newsletter Foster’s Village

Created & Hosted by: Cesar Cardona and Foster Wilson

Executive Producer: Glenn Milley

This episode is brought to you by Arlene Thornton & Associates

Send us a text

• Libro.FM - Get 3 audiobooks for the price of 1 with code BEAUTY
• Go to Libro.FM or use code BEAUTY at checkout

Self-care has become a buzzword, but what does it really mean? In this conversation, Foster and Cesar dismantle the myth that self-care is something you buy, and reveal how it’s something you build from within. From exercise and rest to asking for help and receiving compliments, they explore the small, daily acts that nurture your mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

Whether you’re a recovering perfectionist, a new parent, or someone trying to slow down in a productivity-obsessed world, this episode invites you to reconnect with what truly matters: listening to your body, honoring your needs, and cultivating inner peace. You’ll walk away inspired to create a self-care practice that’s grounded in love, not obligation.

In this episode they explore: 

• The hidden link between self-talk, healing, and emotional regulation
• Why asking for help might be the most radical act of self-love
• Breaking free from societal values like productivity and perfectionism
• Learning to receive compliments as a spiritual practice
• How rest, stillness, and listening to your body change everything
• Building a community-based, interdependent model of care

Cesar mentions his struggle with “learning how to learn”, which is explored deeper in Episode 2: The Beauty of Letting Go. You can also watch the episodes on YouTube.

If you enjoyed this episode, take a moment to follow Beauty in the Break on your favorite podcast app and leave a review—it really helps!

Reach out to the show—send an email or voice note to [email protected] and be sure to follow on Instagram. 

Cesar Cardona:

• Attend his upcoming speaking engagements
• Listen to music from Cesar + The Clew on Apple Music and Spotify
• Receive his monthly newsletter Insights That Matter

Foster Wilson:

• Buy her poetry book Afternoon Abundance
• Learn about her postpartum services
• Receive her monthly newsletter Foster’s Village

Created & Hosted by: Cesar Cardona and Foster Wilson

Executive Producer: Glenn Milley

Send us a text

• Libro.FM - Get 3 audiobooks for the price of 1 with code BEAUTY
• Go to Libro.FM or use code BEAUTY at checkout

In part two of this powerful conversation, licensed therapist JJ Brake sits down with Foster and Cesar for a live couples session, revealing how her Internal Family Systems and Intimacy from the Inside Out work helps partners connect beneath conflict. You will hear Foster and Cesar unpack a real moment of tension, guided by JJ’s compassionate framework for understanding triggers, defensiveness, and emotional parts within relationships.

JJ also shares her own breaking moment: losing her family home in the devastating Altadena fires. She opens up about grief, resilience, and the concept of “post-traumatic growth”, reflecting on how tragedy can become fertile ground for healing and renewal. This episode is a raw and heart-centered exploration of love, trauma, and the courage to stay connected through it all.

In this episode they explore: 

• What happens when a therapist leads her clients (live!) through a real couples conflict
• How Internal Family Systems (IFS) reveals the hidden “parts” behind our reactions
• The surprising power of humor in therapy and emotional repair
• What it really means to feel seen versus dismissed by your partner
• How anger, grief, and resilience can coexist in the healing process

To connect with JJ Brake, visit jjbrake.com. Her app Unblend.me is the first platform designed for between-session mental wellness. Try it for free now! 

Also mentioned: 

• The Gottman Method
• Intimacy From The Inside Out
• Non-Violent Communication / Courageous Communication
• Internal Family Systems

Listen to Part 1 of our conversation with JJ Brake here: Curiosity Over Conflict: How to Heal Relationships with JJ Brake. You can also watch the episodes on YouTube.

If you enjoyed this episode, take a moment to follow Beauty in the Break on your favorite podcast app and leave a review!

Reach out to the show—send an email or voice note to [email protected] and be sure to follow on Instagram. 

Cesar Cardona:

• Attend his upcoming speaking engagements
• Listen to music from Cesar + The Clew on Apple Music and Spotify
• Receive his monthly newsletter Insights That Matter

Foster Wilson:

• Buy her poetry book Afternoon Abundance
• Learn about her postpartum services
• Receive her monthly newsletter Foster’s Village

Created & Hosted by: Cesar Cardona and Foster Wilson

Executive Producer: Glenn Milley

Special Guest: JJ Brake

Send us a text

• Libro.FM - Get 3 audiobooks for the price of 1 with code BEAUTY
• Go to Libro.FM or use code BEAUTY at checkout

In Part 1 of this moving conversation, Cesar and Foster sit down with Foster’s longtime therapist, JJ Brake, to explore what truly makes relationships thrive. JJ is an expert in couples therapy, parent education, and Internal Family Systems (IFS), and shares the three keys to lasting connection. She breaks down how to navigate conflict, communicate courageously, and offers tangible tools for more mindful relationships.

In this episode they explore: 

• The 3 relationship skills that every couple should know
• Why context doesn’t matter in conflict and what to focus on instead
• The power of the U-turn: how to take ownership of your triggers and communicate from the heart
• Why “I’m sorry” often misses the mark and what real accountability sounds like
• The surprising emotional truth behind your child’s “tantrums”

To connect with JJ Brake, visit jjbrake.com. Her app Unblend.me is the first platform designed for between-session mental wellness. Try it for free now! 

Also mentioned:

• Episode 7: The Eating Habits We Didn’t Choose
• Episode 14: What We Learned in Therapy
• The Gottman Method
• Intimacy From The Inside Out
• Non-Violent Communication
• Internal Family Systems
• Punished By Rewards by Alfie Kohn
• The Sound Relationship House

You can also watch the episodes on YouTube.

If you enjoyed this episode, take a moment to follow Beauty in the Break on your favorite podcast app and leave a review—it really helps!

Reach out to the show—send an email to [email protected] and be sure to follow on Instagram. 

Cesar Cardona:

• Attend his upcoming speaking engagements
• Listen to music from Cesar + The Clew on Apple Music and Spotify
• Receive his monthly newsletter Insights That Matter

Foster Wilson:

• Buy her poetry book Afternoon Abundance
• Learn about her postpartum services
• Receive her monthly newsletter Foster’s Village

Created & Hosted by: Cesar Cardona and Foster Wilson

Executive Producer: Glenn Milley

Special Guest: JJ Brake

This episode is brought to you by

Send us a text

• Libro.FM - Get 3 audiobooks for the price of 1 with code BEAUTY
• Go to Libro.FM or use code BEAUTY at checkout

In this laid-back bonus episode of Beauty in the Break, Foster and Cesar explore the sacred feminine and sacred masculine energies, going beyond gender to uncover how these forces live within all of us. Drawing inspiration from Rise, Sister, Rise by Rebecca Campbell, they unpack balanced vs. unbalanced expressions of feminine and masculine energy, touching on sexuality, support, protection, and partnership. You will come away from this conversation with a deeper understanding of how to recognize and nurture balanced feminine energy and masculine energy in yourself and your relationships.

In this episode, they explore: 

• What sacred feminine energy really looks like beyond stereotypes
• How sexuality can shift from shame to empowerment
• Why the sacred masculine includes worshipping the feminine
• What it means to be a protector versus being protective
• The dance between feminine and masculine energies in partnership

Be sure to listen to the full episode on Gender Roles & Invisible Labor that spawned this conversation. You can also watch the episodes on YouTube.

If you enjoyed this episode, take a moment to follow Beauty in the Break on your favorite podcast app and leave a review—it really helps!

Reach out to the show! Send an email or voice note to [email protected] and be sure to follow on Instagram.

Cesar Cardona: 

• Attend his upcoming speaking engagements
• Listen to music from Cesar + The Clew on Apple Music and Spotify
• Receive his monthly newsletter Insights That Matter

Foster Wilson: 

• Buy her poetry book Afternoon Abundance
• Learn about her postpartum services
• Receive her monthly newsletter Foster’s Village

Created & Hosted by: Cesar Cardona and Foster Wilson

Executive Producer: Glenn Milley

Send us a text