This week, we celebrate the first season finale of “The Danay Garcia Podcast” by diving into a topic important for all of us – emotional intelligence. Entrepreneur, speaker, and emotional intelligence expert Ashley Zahabian guides us through the worthwhile process of understanding and regulating our emotions in pursuit of a healthy, balanced, and fulfilled life.

Ashley explores with us the pitfalls of instant gratification and bouncing from one emotional extreme to the next, and how we can grow our emotional intelligence, and bring ourselves back to our center.

What seeds will you plant today?

With the demands of our current world, we are collectively spending so much time in our heads and if we don’t suffer from anxiety ourselves, we certainly know somebody who does. On this episode of “Danay Garcia Podcast,” I was so happy to talk with Dr. Russell Kennedy, “The Anxiety MD,” who shared his personal experience with anxiety, as well as his unique approach we can all take to start breaking our cycles of anxiety.

In addition to being a physician, Dr. Russell is a neuroscientist, author of “Anxiety Rx,” and a stand-up comedian. He explores with us the importance of understanding the nuances and origins of anxiety and fear, and tools we can use to better understand and work through our emotional, mental and physical responses to trauma and stress. It’s important to get out of our heads sometimes!

What seeds will you plant today?

On our favorite actors, simple clothes become costumes that help define characters, tell a story, and affect how we feel as we watch. I sat down this week with Fear the Walking Dead’s brilliant Costume Designer, Jo Katsaras, who shared her fascinating journey into costume design, as well as her approach to multi-dimensional story telling through the costumes you see us wear every week.

Growing up in South Africa, Jo was fascinated with culture, color and people. Her never-ending curiosity helped develop her skills, talent and intuition that made her not just a wizard with scissors and design, but a beloved presence on set. Jo reminds us that some of the most important skills and gifts we can give to each other are kindness, collaboration, and healthy communication.

What seeds will you plant today?

We are all lucky to get a peek through cinematographer’s Adam Suschitzky’s lens. Adam’s beautiful and nuanced work as a visual storyteller and Director Of Photography helps set the tone for the work I do as an actor on the set of “Fear the Walking Dead,” as it has for many other actors through his impressive and fascinating career. A life-long observer from a creative family, Adam relishes collecting experiences, collaborating, and expanding his world view to keep pushing forward as a person and as an artist.

Adam’s insights on visual storytelling apply to all of us no matter our vocation or background: Look to your inner soul. Keep learning, practicing, observing, and stretching yourself. Be open to collaboration and gather amazing experiences along the way!  

What seeds will you plant today?

Many of us would rather think about anything, before we think about our finances. Why is that, and what do we do about it? This week on the Danay Garcia Podcast, author, businesswoman and money expert Sharon Lechter gets real with us about our financial fears, and how we can regain control of our lives and money.

We may not have learned about finances when we were young, or perhaps we inherited negative feelings around money. Sharon illuminates for us what a healthy money mindset can do for our future and self-confidence. She reminds us, “we don’t know what we don’t know,” so educating ourselves and our children in finances is a key to empowerment and an investment in future generations.

Faith is a much more lucrative tool than fear! Find out more about Sharon and buy her upcoming book “Exit Rich”: sharonlechter.com

What seeds will you plant today?

Hold on to your hats because this week on The Danay Garcia Podcast we are treated to the incomparable wisdom and humor of legendary Renaissance man, Rubén Blades. Rubén looks back into his upbringing in Panama to pass along the lessons that have carried him through an incredible and award-winning career in music, acting, and public service.

I’m thankful to work with Rubén on “Fear the Walking Dead,” and I’m inspired by how his curiosity and dedication to service have pushed his timeless storytelling to transcend entertainment. No matter where our individual paths may lead, Rubén reminds us that time is fragile, curiosity keeps us relevant, and “destinies are not inherited, destinies are made.”

Much like Rubén himself, his brand new album, “Salswing” is an exciting mix of style that celebrates the universal gift of music. A fusion of Jazz and Salsa, “Salswing” is yet another project of Rubén’s that offers us a chance to celebrate life, expand our experiences, and connect with each other.

What seeds will you plant today?

Album available here: Ruben Blades- Salswing 

“Aunque la conexión entre el Jazz y la Salsa ha sido documentada históricamente, aún resta mucho por describir y por reconocer. Las combinaciones y colaboraciones entre músicos de estos géneros han sido numerosas a través de los años e incluyen a figuras de la talla de Mario Bauza y Dizzy Gillespie, Machito y Charlie Parker, Luis Russell y Louis Armstrong. Con esta producción intento continuar esa relación, comprobando que el arte no posee nacionalidad sino que representa un espíritu que trasciende razas, geografías e idiomas.

When I first met Colby Minifie on the set of “Fear the Walking Dead,” I was immediately struck by her energy, and how it positively impacted everybody around her. This week on “The Danay Garcia Podcast” I was thrilled to chat with Colby about her passion for the environment, and the importance of staying curious, as an actor and a citizen of the world.

From a young age, Colby’s own personal curiosity led her her to travel and seek experiences that would expand her point of view, and her cultural and environmental understanding. She shares her joy and energy with us in this episode, as well as resources and seeds we can plant that will make a difference for the environment and in our own lives.

What seeds will you plant today?

It was not easy to say goodbye to John Dorie, but we’ll all continue to appreciate Garret Dillahunt’s epic portrayal of this beloved “Fear the Walking Dead” character. This week on “The Danay Garcia Podcast,” I was thrilled to sit down Garret, my friend and FTWD colleague, to share stories from the show and explore the surprising and fascinating path that led to a diverse career full of unforgettable dramatic and comedic performances.

A gracious and thoughtful artist and human with a life-long love of learning, Garret’s robust body of work represents the boundaries he’s pushed and the chances he’s taken to grow professionally and personally. 

Garret shares with us his insights on the importance of risk taking, collaborating, and finding meaning in your work. 

Just as Garret has inspired me, I think he will inspire you too, as we ask…what are the seeds you will plant and grow in your life? 

Taking care of our bodies takes more than eating our veggies and lifting weights to build muscles. We need to take care of the most important muscle of all – our brains.

This week, on the Danay Garcia Podcast, I sit down and talk all things brain with Louisa Nicola, a neuroscientist, neuropsychologist, host of “The Neuro Experience” podcast, and founder of Neuro Athletics. 

In her work with elite athletes, Louisa focuses on training the brain in partnership the body. An athlete herself, Louisa provides an approachable introduction to neuroscience, and together we explore the keys to caring for, training, and maximizing our brain power. 

Show some love to your beautiful brain, and ask yourself, what are the seeds you will plant and grow in your life? 

On this week’s episode, I was moved by my conversation with Tony Rodrigues, who shared with us his incredible story of pain, growth, and forgiveness. While a difficult childhood and a near-fatal accident were traumatic incidents of his early life, he walks us through how they shaped him into who he is, and allowed him to help others through his work as a high performance life coach and speaker.

While this is a powerful episode that touches on sensitive topics, Tony’s thoughtful insights invite us to look at our own journeys of healing and evolution, and how we can wake up every morning, ready to let go, find joy, feel gratitude, write and re-write our stories.

Growth can be painful, but it can also be beautiful. What are the seeds you will plant and grow in your life?