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Another week, another inspiring Milwaukee woman. 

Today's guest is the woman in town that people turn to when they want uniquely creative, impossibly JOYFUL and unconventionally fun outdoor events. Steph Salvia is the Executive Director at Joy Engine, the small non-profit responsible for the incredibly joyful art instillations that pop up from time to time around Milwaukee (think the Cosmopods on the beaches last summer, the oversized swallows at Lake Shore State Park, and the gigantic full Moon over Catalano Square. 

Listen today as we talk about the mission of Joy Engine, why it's so needed in Milwaukee, and how YOU can join in on the fun. In addition to their accessible-for-ALL art installations, Joy Engine also provides 'Joy Grants' to promote local artists and creatives who have innovative ideas on spreading joy in the 414. 

🐙 Find Joy Engine online 🐙

Facebook 

Instagram

Website: https://joyengine.org

Joy Engine Cosmopods on TMJ4 

And Steph's own event organizing business HERE

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A treat today listeners! Thekla is back and we are debriefing the detox. I bring the stories, the updates and allllll the feels ... and she helps me put it in perspective with the expertise and neuroscience behind the experience. Listen as we talk about cross-addiction, titration and self-compassion around our screen time. 

PLUS ... an invitation to join me on a guided forest walk next week! Friday June 27th - there's room for 15 of us - so nab a spot before they're gone! Click HERE TO REGISTER! 

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Ever dreamed of being a rockstar? I know I did! 

Today's guest knows ALL about this dream, she's a musician in her own right. But she is also making this dream a reality for girls, women, non-binary, trans and gender expansive individuals right here in Milwaukee! Mary Joy Hickey is the Executive Director of Girls Rock MKE, and helped develop Ladies Rock MKE as well nearly a decade ago. 

This is the band camp you always WISHED you'd been a part of. (and hey, it's not too late). 

Today we talk all about music as a place and space for belonging, acceptance, authenticity and living the DREAM. We talk about how their camps - for youth and adults alike - foster a sense of community, collaboration and creativity ... all while allowing participants to write, sing, strum and belt out their own songs on the stage. 

🎸 Girls Rock MKE on STAGE and in the WILD! 🎸

• Sunday, June 22 7:00-8:30pm - Ladies Rock Camp Session 2 Showcase at Radio Milwaukee Studios
• Sunday, July 20 12:00-1:30pm - Girls Rock Camp Session 1 Showcase at Vivarium
• Sunday, July 27 2:00-5:00pm - Milwaukee Teen Idol with School of Rock Shorewood at The Cooperage
• Sunday, August 17 12:00-1:30pm - Girls Rock Camp Session 2 Showcase at Vivarium

Or find them online here: 

Facebook 

Instagram. 

LinkedIn. 

Website: https://girlsrockmke.org/

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Today, more reflections on life off the socials. I thought I'd have FOMO, but turns out, if a tree falls, I don't hear it! What do I hear instead? Listen today to find out. 

I'd love to hear how you are doing if you are following along and attempting any kind of shifting in your own attention. Would you hop over to the website and leave me a voice memo, or send me an email? I'd love to hear from you! 

Back next Wednesday with another incredible Milwaukee woman! 

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If you can walk you can dance. So says today's guest, Karlies Kelley, founder of Pandanza Dance Company! 

Yes, we're talking about dance today, but lest you think this isn't for you because you wouldn't ordinarily call yourself a dancer ... let me say quickly that dance is for everyBODY. You'll feel this too as soon as the conversation begins, Karlies is very clear that there is room for everyone on the dance floor. 

But this conversation is about more than dance simply as embodied movement. We talk about dance as a form of meditation, an outlet for JOY, as a saving grace, and as a means of healing. It certainly saved a young girl of 15 who arrived in this country to learn the language and who found her community around the drum.

💃🏻 Find Karlies and Panadanza online here: 

https://panadanza.com

https://www.facebook.com/panadanzaofficial

https://www.instagram.com/panadanza_dance_company/

Other links we talked about on the show

https://delaware-house.com

Good News (her husband's album!) 

https://www.proyectobembe.org

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Today, a short and sweet reflection on how it's going 6 days into the social media detox. Are you following along? Are you experiencing the joy (or maybe the pain?) of giving up screens? In this episode, I reflect on how it's been going for me, what I'm missing, but also, what I'm loving about the untethered life off IG and FB! 

A few links: 

Come dance with Panadanza on Mondays

Listen to this week's episode with Dana Spandet of Flour Girl & Flame

Register for this month's Creative Mornings event on June 20

Heck yeah, you can buy me a coffee, too! 

Better yet, JOIN ME IN PERSON for a REAL coffee! Monday, June 9th from 9:30-11 at Valentine Coffee on Downer with Thekla Brumder Ross! 

I'll be back next Wednesday with another incredible Milwaukee woman! 

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Another season begins and I'm excited to introduce so many MORE incredible Milwaukee women! 

Like today's guest, Dana Spandet, owner of Flour Girl & Flame Pizza, Everyone's Ice Cream, and Everyone's Table. She is a true Milwaukee rockstar. If you don’t know her yet, consider this episode your first gift of summer. Sure, she slings unforgettable pizzas (with that famous spicy honey crust!), but she’s also stirring up something much bigger: a hospitality culture rooted in inclusivity, justice, and JOY! And we talk all about this in today's episode. 

Tune in and share this episode with the pizza-loving, justice-warrior in your life! 

Here are a few links she mentions: 

https://www.wyeastpizza.com

https://caradaroclubpizza.com

https://www.happyjoycandyco.com

🍕🍕 And here's how to reach Flour Girl & Flame in the wild: 

Facebook 

Instagram

Website: https://www.flourgirlandflame.com

Find them IRL here: https://www.flourgirlandflame.com/find-us

More on Dana from Lori Fredrich at OnMilwaukee's Women in Food Series. 

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Be sure to listen to the end to get a glimpse into the summer season of JOY and a look at the lineup of incredibly JOYFUL Milwaukee women I'll have on the pod. 

AND a few last minute reflections on this June detox / screen free hiatus I'm undertaking come Sunday. If you're joining along with me, maybe you're experiencing some of these too. 

Plus find out how you can join me in person for a meet up if you live locally! (HINT: you'll need to subscribe to the newsletter to get the details!) 

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Welcome to the last week of the mini-season on our attention and where we put it (and where we give it away). I am back with Thekla Brumder Ross, clinical Psychologist and addiction specialist and today there are three things Thekla said in particular that are sticking with me. I want to share them verbatim so they can sit with you too. (Might I invite you to take a deep breath between each one and read them slowly?)

1. Social (media) is observational, real life is participatory.
2. Boredom is the space where creative energy flows.
3. Like food, we are going to coexist with technology for the rest of our lives

If these are all true, then there is SO much to be said for paying attention to our attention NOW and not letting anyone (or any platform) steal it from us.

Listen in as Thekla gives practical advice on how to break from screens, what to expect and how to combat the cravings with self-compassion and awareness. 

PLUS - newsletter subscribers get a special invitation to an IN PERSON meet up in Milwaukee on June 9th - so be sure to sign up HERE if you want the link in next week's letter! 

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This week a quick reflection on the importance of IN REAL LIFE gatherings. 

Social media, sch-mocial media ... I'm starting to call it 'isolation media' these days - and much preferring the real life gatherings, walks, talks, and events that bring us together. Maybe you're feeling this way too? 

Also part TWO on the Caramel Delight story from last week. 

A few links from this week: 

The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker

Mindfulness & Self Compassion Workbook for Kids by Jamie Lynn Tatera 

The copycat cookie I probably should never have known existed. 

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