Beyond the Portrait

Welcome to BEYOND THE PORTRAIT’S Holiday Special! Think of sitcom flashbacks episodes of days of yore… 

As we wrap up 2024, in this week’s episode, we are joined by our past guests, a pearl of wisdom to take with you into the new year. 

Brittany has selected a personal favorite clip from each of our interviews, since BEYOND THE PORTRAITS launch in August of this year. What a magical ride it has been.

In order of appearance:

Jeremiah Brent, Noz Nozawa, The AstroTwins: Ophira and Tali Edut, Irene Salter, Nara Lee, Michelle Brock, Brittany’s friends aka Book Club: April and Laura, William Li, Michelle K. Gagnon, Kathe Crawford, Asha Frost, Kiara Brown-Clark, and Yolanda Chitohwa.

Our gratitude to our guests, and to our listeners, for spending this time with us.

Happy Holidays from all of us at BEYOND THE PORTRAIT! See you in the New Year!

Episode Resources: 

• "Wintering: The Power of Rest in Difficult Times" by Katherine May
  • Amazon
  • Bookshop

Credits:

• Brittany's website
• Stefanie Brueckler - Graphic Design
• Juan Paolini Díaz - Video Production

We are joined by Yolanda Chitohwa, a Public Defender in New York who practices
Criminal and Family Defense. This conversation has it all. Laughs, tears, and insightful life lessons to ponder. And Matlock, Legally Blonde, and George Michael’s hit song Careless Whisper get a mention!

In this episode, Yolanda shares about her early years in Zimbabwe, how the impact of a civil war and the remnant of colonialism affects the country today, and her family’s move to Canada. Yolanda speaks on what inspired her to become a human rights lawyer and her realized dream of becoming an attorney in New York.

Yolanda muses on the criminal justice system, how compassion and empathy are values the world needs more of, and the balance that is needed to protect her emotional state when fighting for those that are in need. 

We also discuss why living the best life you can is a way to honor those that cannot. How being open to the spontaneous is a worthwhile pursuit and Yolanda’s personal philosophy (and her nickname!) of YOLO. 

Yolanda has found a way to hold the heavy things in this world and still find its beauty. That…is art.

Episode Resources: 

• Yolanda's Instagram
• Careless Whisper by George Michael

Credits:

• Brittany's website
• Stefanie Brueckler - Graphic Design
• Juan Paolini Díaz - Video Production

If anyone could embody a real-life Disney Princess, it’s Kiara Brown-Clark. She brings charm, wit, and glamour everywhere she goes. Which as it happens, Kiara does, in fact, work for Disney Theatrical Group and is a Tony Award nominated Broadway Producer for Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club.

In this episode, Kiara shares about growing up in New York.  (Yes, she’s a bona fide Native New Yorker!) We hear about Kiara’s start in dance,  the pivot that led her to musical theater, her first role in Broadway’s Dreamgirls, and how Mary Poppins changed her life.

We discuss the importance of inclusion and equity, and the advocacy work that Kiara is able to do through various groups, including through Disney Theatrical Group, and how her degree in Political Science assists in her work and in bars when hanging out with Brittany.

Kiara shares her thoughts on the power of the arts and its impact in the world, the importance of community and  finding support through your chosen family, and creating a welcoming sense of home, whether you’re in an audience at a theater, one of Kiara’s restaurants, or a brief interaction.

Kiara lives life to the fullest, with her signature Disney Polish, and she is sure to charm you.

Episode Resources: 

• Kiara's Instagram
• Disney on Broadway
• Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
• Kiara's Restaurants
  • Hold Fast
  • The Reading Room 
• Into the Woods song: Last Midnight

Credits:

• Brittany's website
• Stefanie Brueckler - Graphic Design
• Juan Paolini Díaz - Video Production

We are joined by Asha Frost, an Indigenous Medicine Woman, best-selling author, and speaker. Asha is a member of the Anishinaabe, Ojibwe people and a member of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation. Asha has worked as a homeopath and healer for over twenty years.

Asha shares her wisdom on how to create more connectedness and unity, when the world is becoming increasingly more divisive. We talk about how she was able to reclaim pieces of her Indigenous identity, the medicine of finding nuance, and what we can learn from animals and the natural world.

Asha describes how she was able to harness her unique and powerful voice that has touched the lives and hearts of many by activism in her own way, by holding true to boundaries, while keeping an open heart. Her letting go of the habits of people-pleasing and perfectionism, to the practice of self-compassion for the growth process.

We discuss the difficulties of living your purpose when you have a chronic illness, various ways everyone can benefit from the medicine of her ancestral lineage with reverence, and the role each of our voices play, to bring together a kinder, more compassionate world.

Just as the ecosystem works in harmony, as human beings, we can learn to work
together.

Episode Resources: 

• Asha's Website
• Asha's Instagram
• Asha's TikTok
• "You Are the Medicine" by Asha Frost
• The Sacred Medicine Oracle Deck
• Pre-Order The Animal Elders Oracle Deck on Amazon
• NPR article: "Trees Talk to Each Other. 'Mother Tree" Ecologist Hears Lessons For People, Too"
• National Geographic article: Plants Can Talk. Yes, really. Here's How
• National Forest Foundation article: Underground Networking: The Connections Beneath Your Feet

Credits:

• Brittany's website
• Stefanie Brueckler - Graphic Design
• Juan Paolini Díaz - Video Production

If you have ever uttered the words “Why me?” “Why did this happen?” this conversation is profoundly moving.

This is a story about secrets and diamonds. In a literal sense and symbolically.

Kathe Crawford sold millions of dollars in diamonds for brands like Cartier and Chanel and on the outside, everything looked like it was perfect. A skill she had learned from childhood. However, Kathe kept a secret for more than two decades about her late husband. A personal tragedy as well as the role she decided to play that was a key to what later became the treatment for AIDS.

In this episode, we talk about why we keep secrets for the people we love, the choice for vulnerability and the connection that follows, and the resilience that develops when life gives you a curve ball.

We discuss how we are not the circumstances we find ourselves in, the fear of being your true self, and how to open your heart to live a beautiful life.

Kathe Crawford is an author, speaker, and a life coach. Her wisdom, from the fourth quarter of life as she likes to call it, will inspire you to speak your truth and embrace all the facets of your story.

Episode Resources: 

• Kathe's website
• Kathe's Instagram
• "Unlocking Secrets: My Journey to an Open Heart" on Amazon

Credits:

• Brittany's website
• Stefanie Brueckler - Graphic Design
• Juan Paolini Díaz - Video Production

We are joined by the founder of Bio-Alchemy Olfactive, Michelle K. Gagnon. A
professional Nose, Michelle is a bio-alchemist and aromatic designer who works
exclusively with natural essences and organic botanical materials, who personally
sources from over 40+ countries around the world.

Michelle, the ultimate free spirit, shares of her experiences submerging herself in nature, connecting with communities around the world and their various scent traditions that have been used for thousands of years, how nature is symbolic for her own daily rituals and practices, and savoring the miraculous of life through celebrating the senses.

We discuss the psychology and power of scent, Michelle’s path to becoming a Natural Nose, and the concept of creating wholeness in plants and in the body. Michelle shares some lessons she has learned from plants and the practical applications she has found for healing in the physical sense as well as in the spiritual.

We cover the importance for ethical and sustainable practices in harvesting, particularly with smoke botanicals like palo santo and sage, and what scent means to the world. How ritual and intention is often directly paired with scent and the necessity to create moments of stillness.

By the end of this conversation, you may also want to eat a meal made entirely of edible flowers.

Episode Resources: 

• Bio-Alchemy Olfactive
  • Website
  • Instagram
• Michelle K Gagnon's Instagram
• Living Myth Podcast with Michael Meade: Episode 358 - The Origins of Gratitude, ancient Mayan myth about the first human ancestors shaped from corn
• BBC Radio 4 Witch podcast
• Steve Dahmus, a Greek and Mesopotamian Astrology expert, Gemini story
• Beyond the Portrait Episode 2 "Finding the Beauty with Jeremiah Brent"
• Beyond the Portrait Episode 6 "The Elegant Perspective of Time with Nara Lee"

Credits:

• Brittany's website
• Stefanie Brueckler - Graphic Design
• Juan Paolini Díaz - Video Production

If you’ve ever dreamt of pursuing a passion and worry it’s too late to start, or perhaps you’re living a life that fulfills another’s expectations for you and not your own… This conversation is as inspiring as they come.

William Li, has a remarkable story of the American Dream. William has had a career path that very few have. He is a trailblazer and has had many “firsts” including becoming the first Publisher at Condé Nast that is a person of color as well as the first Publisher that is openly gay. William is now the Founder of Armature Projects, an art consultancy business, and is a Contributing Editor for Elle Décor and Town and Country magazines.

In this episode, we discuss William’s growing up in Chinatown in New York City, of learning clever resourcefulness from his incredible mother, of finding connection and community in nightclubs in the 80s, overcoming internal doubt, discovering the power of art, and savoring the diversity in life.

William shares many gifts of wisdom. Concepts such as mastering the art of the pivot, of living life honestly, and how to treasure simple pleasures. The insights you will hear in this discussion will truly revolutionize your perspective on how to create a vibrant and fulfilling life. William is sure to charm you with his signature wit. What a joy!

Episode Resources: 

• Armature Projects
• William Li's Instagram
• God's Love We Deliver
• Asian American Pacific Islander Design Alliance AAPIDA
• Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski on how lobsters grow
• Oprah Daily article
• Anaïs Nin quote: 
  "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful that the risk it took to blossom." 
• "The Unspeakable World"- speech by Alan Watts, music by Adi Goldstein 
  • Medium link that has the song and the lyrics written out...

Credits:

• Brittany's website
• Stefanie Brueckler - Graphic Design
• Juan Paolini Díaz - Video Production

For Brittany’s 40 th birthday, you are invited to an in-depth discussion with two of her best friends, April and Laura, to discuss our faith transitions from Mormonism and subsequent departure from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS).

In this conversation, we discuss our Mormon upbringing, our time as active believing members in New York City, and the circumstances that helped us to question the truth claims of our faith of origin.

We talk about the questions throughout this process about identity, of who you are without the labels you’ve put on yourself or have been put on you. “Who am I without this?” The impact of rebuilding our worldviews after a paradigm shift, exploring the previously forbidden coffee and alcohol, and navigating the dating scene after leaving the church in our early 30s.

This is a story of an ending and a beginning.

For anyone who has ever had a fascination by Mormons, questioned concepts on identity and belief, or who has undergone a faith transition themselves, this will be of interest to you.

Episode Resources: 

• Mormon Stories
• CES Letter
• QuitMormon
• Article about Nov 5th Policy

Credits:

• Brittany's website
• Stefanie Brueckler - Graphic Design
• Juan Paolini Díaz - Video Production

Have you ever said the words “maybe in another life?” If so, you might want to tune in, we’re talking reincarnation.

In this week’s episode, we are joined by Michelle Brock, a past life regression specialist who has helped thousands of people to find out about their own past lives and the experiences that came from those invaluable insights.

We discuss the shared faith history that she and Brittany had growing up Mormon,
about how to trust your intuition again after going through a faith transition, and the concept that spirituality can be found within.

In this poignant conversation, Michelle shares about her desire for more understanding about our shared humanity, that we are more alike than we are different, that we can always make changes and adjust the course of our lives.

Who do you think you are? Let’s find out.

Episode Resources: 

• Michelle Brock's Website
• Instagram
• "Who Do You Think You Are?: An Interactive Journey Through Your Past Lives and into Your Best Future" by Michelle Brock on Amazon

Credits:

• Brittany's website
• Stefanie Brueckler - Graphic Design
• Juan Paolini Díaz - Video Production

Beautiful things happen in their own time. Nara Lee is the Founder and CEO of Doveras, a leading high touch fertility concierge company and digital platform that pairs holistic programs backed with the latest science.

In this insightful conversation with Nara, we discuss the importance of looking at life with a bird’s eye view, trusting the journey, and that it’s never too late to find your purpose.

We discuss Nara’s perspective of being a citizen of the world, her exceptional mind with education at Harvard and Columbia Law, and how her own life’s experiences led Nara to pivot and use her unique gifts to help the fertility and maternal health crisis.

We dig into the human issue that is fertility, IVF, surrogacy, and some of the discourse surrounding the often-polarized topic.

Whether you or someone you know is looking to build a family, or if you have every questioned your non-linear path, this episode has takeaways that are impactful for all.

Episode Resources: 

• Doveras website
• Doveras Instagram
• Doveras Facebook
• Doveras LinkedIn
• Learn more about the concept of Genius through myths and folklore - Michael Meade and The Living Myth podcast

Credits:

• Brittany's website
• Stefanie Brueckler - Graphic Design
• Juan Paolini Díaz - Video Production