Empowered & Embodied Show

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Four years ago we hit record and didn't know what would happen. Two hundred episodes later, we still don't. And we're good with that.

In this final episode of The Empowered & Embodied Show, we reflect on four years of finding our voices, navigating a real friendship inside a creative partnership, and what it actually looks like to choose wholeness over momentum.

Because while we could keep going... we both recognize that something feels complete. And recognizing completeness instead of pushing past it because pushing is what you do is its own kind of empowerment and embodiment.

The podcast is pausing, but we're not going anywhere. And the 200 episodes we've built together aren't either — they'll be right here, whenever you need them.

Thanks for being part of this. It's been quite a ride.

In this episode:

• Why we're pausing and why it's not the same as quitting
• What four years of weekly episodes actually taught us about ourselves
• The difference between pushing through and recognizing wholeness
• How a real friendship survives a creative partnership (including the hard conversations)
• "You don't take a leap... you are the leap."
• Why reflection isn't just looking back... it's how you move forward from an aligned place

Key Moments:

00:00 Welcomes and introductions 

05:59 We were so clumsy 

10:30 Growth edges, the leap, and four years of fertilizer 

15:55 Bootstrapping and what that actually cost us 

18:25 The friendship inside the partnership and the fear of being abandoned 

22:43 Months of behind-the-scenes conversations about what comes next 

25:49 Choosing not to push past a place of wholeness 

29:18 Bye for now

Join a circle of changemakers committed to leading with purpose, presence and ease inside Kim's Rising Visionaries mentorship program.

Reclaim your career and confidence during midlife through Louise's Rise & Redefine program.

If you’re loving this show, come check out the Feminist Podcasters Collective, where creators like us are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change. If you’re looking for new shows to fill your feed, head to https://feministpodcasterscollective.com 

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We're not doing great and we're not here to pretend otherwise.

In episode 199 of The Empowered and Embodied Show, Kim Romain and Louise Neil show up exactly as they are — exhausted, angry, tumbled around by a world on fire. They talk honestly about what it actually takes to find your footing when everything feels like a giant what-the-f**k moment.

They're not looking for the why or the right answer. But what happens when you stop pushing for a minute and let yourself be.

They talk grounding... not as a practice you have to set up perfectly, but as something that can happen on a walk, in a backyard, in five minutes between things. They talk about why the question "why" stops serving us at a certain point, what self-trust actually looks like when there are no clear answers, and why "it depends" might be the most empowering thing you can say right now.

This one's for anyone walking around with their hands in the air wondering "what the f**k?!" Which, honestly, feels like most of us these days. 

Key Takeaways: 

• You've always been figuring it out as you go. It just feels harder right now because it's more obvious that no one knows.
• Stopping isn't giving up. It's how you find your way through.
• You don't need a meditation cushion, just five minutes in your backyard.
• Asking why can be useful, until it isn't. 
• "It depends" is a real answer. Embrace it.
• There's no right answer. There's just the next step that's right for you.

Key Moments:

00:00 Intro and Welcome

01:52 When neither of us are doing okay 

03:42 Midlife + world on fire = a lot 

06:33 What grounding actually is 

10:32 Being held (even when you don't know you need it) 

16:54 Just being and why it works 

19:05 What to do with a what-the-f**k moment 

20:36 Do we always need the why? 

24:34 When the right answer doesn't exist 

29:49 "It depends" is a real answer 

33:41 Taking the next step anyway 

37:34 Getting off autopilot 

40:16 Coming back to yourself

Join a circle of changemakers committed to leading with purpose, presence and ease inside Kim's Rising Visionaries mentorship program.

Reclaim your career and confidence during midlife through Louise's Rise & Redefine program.

If you’re loving this show, come check out the Feminist Podcasters Collective, where creators like us are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change. If you’re looking for new shows to fill your feed, head to https://feministpodcasterscollective.com 

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Exhausted? You're not imagining it — and you're not alone.

In episode 198 of The Empowered & Embodied Show, Kim Romain and Louise Neil get real about the collective weight so many of us are carrying right now: the bone-deep tiredness, the emotional overwhelm, and the quiet shame that shows up when we think we should be handling it better. We explore what it actually means to honor what you're feeling instead of rushing past it — and why the path forward isn't a massive overhaul, but a series of tiny, honest movements toward yourself.

In this episode, we dig into:

• Why exhaustion and emotional overload are showing up everywhere right now and why that matters
• How shame and guilt compound depletion and make it harder to recover
• Why "fine" isn't neutral, but a slow drain that's harder to escape 
• How survival mode is quietly shrinking our sense of what's possible
• What it means to honor your "am-ness" by meeting yourself where you actually are instead of where you think you should be
• Why micro-movements, micro-joys, and small honest adjustments are enough

Key Moments

00:00 Introduction and Connection 

04:16 Navigating Emotional Exhaustion 

06:48 The Impact of External Energy 

09:14 Honoring Our Emotions 

11:42 Understanding Exhaustion and Guilt 

14:16 Finding Micro Joys 

16:54 Survival Mode vs. Thriving 

19:16 Breaking Free from 'Fine' 

21:51 Micro Adjustments for Change 

24:35 The Power of Tiny Habits 

27:22 Closing Thoughts and Reflections

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Micro-shifts video series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_z45Gwg5RxSHIGzji8rO3q1n3YGfOLCc&si=0lmqL7ByRi-kZKxe
• Spoon theory explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn5IBsm49Rk

A note for our listeners: If what we're describing feels like more than micro-movements can reach right now, please know that's okay too, and there is support available.

• In the US: Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) | Text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line) | NAMI Helpline: 1-800-950-6264
• In Canada: Call 1-833-456-4566 (Crisis Services Canada) | Text 45645 | cmha.ca to find local support
• Crisis Text Line also serves the UK and Ireland — text HOME to 85258
• Find a therapist: psychologytoday.com or therapyden.com
• International crisis center directory: iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres

Join a circle of changemakers committed to leading with purpose, presence and ease inside Kim's Rising Visionaries mentorship program.

Reclaim your career and confidence during midlife through Louise's Rise & Redefine program.

If you’re loving this show, come check out the Feminist Podcasters Collective, where creators like us are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change. If you’re looking for new shows to fill your feed, head to https://feministpodcasterscollective.com 

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There's always another tool. Another framework. Another person telling you this is the thing that will finally make it click.

In episode 197 of The Empowered & Embodied Show, co-hosts Kim Romain and Louise Neil get honest about why we keep reaching outside ourselves... and why it never quite lands the way we are hoping it will.

We talk about the difference between connecting to a big external purpose and knowing what genuinely sustains you. We get into capacity... not as a productivity hack, but as a form of self-respect. And we share two completely different approaches to getting through hard things. Both completely right, because we're different people.

This is why you can't outsource knowing yourself.

Key Takeaways

• The problem you think you have probably isn't the actual problem
• Honoring your capacity is how you honor your own humanity
• What works for someone else might not work for you... and that's okay!
• The closer you are to your own why, the easier it is to stay grounded

Key Moments

00:00 — Welcome and introductions

05:24 — What "all the things" is really about

07:44 — The problem you think you have isn't usually the problem

09:21 — Coming back to your why

11:19 — Capital P Purpose vs. the personal spark

16:06 — When the spark is hard to find

21:57 — Where does the inner work fit in a full life

25:27 — Two completely different ways to get things done 

31:04 — Why tools and tactics miss the spot without self-knowledge

35:53 — Wrap up and takeaways

Join a circle of changemakers committed to leading with purpose, presence and ease inside Kim's Rising Visionaries mentorship program.

Reclaim your career and confidence during midlife through Louise's Rise & Redefine program.

If you’re loving this show, come check out the Feminist Podcasters Collective, where creators like us are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change. If you’re looking for new shows to fill your feed, head to https://feministpodcasterscollective.com 

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What would change if you stopped hiding your humanity and finally community that could see you for who you are? Sisters and co-founders of the Passionistas Project, Amy and Nancy Harrington, join Kim Romain and Louise Neil in Episode 196 of The Empowered & Embodied Show to explore the radical power of storytelling, why vulnerability is the foundation of real community, and how two introverted sisters built a global sisterhood by simply creating the space they wished had existed.

From interviewing Dr. Jane Goodall to leaving high-profile careers at Warner Bros. and Miramax, Amy and Nancy have spent years amplifying the voices of women — especially those from marginalized communities — and turning that mission into a movement.

In this episode, we dig into:

• Why storytelling and being heard changes who you are
• What it costs us to perform professionalism and lock our humanity away
• What it means to build something that takes on a life beyond you
• Vulnerability is the access point for genuine connection and community
• Community is a mirror that shows you you're not alone

Key Moments

00:00 – Opening and Introductions 

07:47 – From celebrity interviews to amplifying unheard voices: How the Passionistas were born 

09:02 – How storytelling helps us care more deeply about each other

12:27 – Learning to model vulnerability when you were trained to stay buttoned up 

15:27 – Why vulnerability transforms even the most "dry" conversations 

17:06 – How we lock our humanity away 

22:14 – Normalizing the human experience: bodies, health, sexuality, and everything we don't talk about 

27:52 – The big dream: women running the world, one story at a time 

29:36 – What does it mean to be empowered? 

35:45 – The power of listening to yourself and others 

45:36 – What's ahead for the Passionistas 

Connect with the Passionistas Project:

Website: thepassionistasproject.com

Free 30-Day Journal: thepassionistasproject.com/30-days-journal

Join a circle of changemakers committed to leading with purpose, presence and ease inside Kim's Rising Visionaries mentorship program.

Reclaim your career and confidence during midlife through Louise's Rise & Redefine program.

If you’re loving this show, come check out the Feminist Podcasters Collective, where creators like us are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change. If you’re looking for new shows to fill your feed, head to https://feministpodcasterscollective.com 

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Money is one of the great taboos we're not supposed to talk about. And that silence is costing you more than you think.

In episode 195 of The Empowered & Embodied Show, Kim Romain and Louise Neil get real about the money stories quietly running the show: the scarcity thinking, the shame spirals, the questions of worthiness that keep us stuck in the same patterns, year after year.

We unpack why breaking through financially isn't a numbers game... it's an identity game. And why the work of healing your relationship with money is inseparable from the work of knowing who you are.

We also call out the predatory tactics that exploit your money stories, the systemic reasons women in particular have been kept financially disempowered, and why talking openly about money isn't just necessary... it's healing.

If money has more of a hold on your life than you'd like to admit, this conversation is for you.

Key Takeaways

• The pressure to fix everything yourself isn't strength — it's a story
• Your income ceiling is your identity ceiling
• Avoiding money doesn't make the problem smaller — it makes it bigger
• What someone pays you doesn't determine your worth
• The silence around money is keeping you stuck
• Predatory sales tactics target your insecurities — know the signs

Key Moments

00:00 - Welcome and introductions

06:33 - When "it's money" is about more than money

09:19 - Whose money stories are these anyway?

10:47 - Why we don't talk about money — and what that silence costs

15:34 - The systems that kept women financially disempowered

19:44 - When a win still doesn't feel like enough

22:18 - Your income ceiling is your identity ceiling

25:32 - Entrepreneurship as the ultimate personal development tool

28:28 - Predatory sales tactics and how to spot them

35:45 - Wrap up and takeaways

Some other episodes where we dove into the topic of money:

Why Talking About Money Feels So Hard: https://youtu.be/CAGgpgJCFyU

Breaking Free from Money Stress https://youtu.be/-tr4PYyN2OI

Finding Abundance and Balance Through Life's Messy Middles https://youtu.be/51hfnkuCH5k

Join a circle of changemakers committed to leading with purpose, presence and ease inside Kim's Rising Visionaries mentorship program.

Reclaim your career and confidence during midlife through Louise's Rise & Redefine program.

If you’re loving this show, come check out the Feminist Podcasters Collective, where creators like us are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change. If you’re looking for new shows to fill your feed, head to https://feministpodcasterscollective.com 

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What does it mean to tell your story when it might not be safe to do so? And what happens when you stop waiting for permission and start creating what doesn't yet exist? Chicago-born social entrepreneur, Chicago LGBTQ Hall of Fame inductee, and Ambie-nominated podcast host Anna DeShawn joins Kim Romain and Louise Neil in Episode 194 of The Empowered & Embodied Show to explore the power and responsibility of queer storytelling, what it really means to build a business that's deeply personal, and why experimentation might be the most liberating framework for entrepreneurs.

From founding E3 Radio in 2009 while still in corporate America, to building The Qube, hosting podcast salons, and pressing Black and Brown voices onto vinyl, Anna is riding media into its next era, one experiment at a time.

In this episode, we dig into:

• Why storytelling is an act of resistance and why not everyone has to tell their story right now
• How finding your community transforms both your confidence and your impact
• How adopting an experimentation mindset freed Anna from the fear of failure
• Why the future of storytelling might actually be analog
• What it means to create what doesn't exist yet and why you're the one to do it

Key Moments

00:00 - Welcome and introductions 

03:15 - Why storytelling is a necessity, not a luxury 

05:00 - Safety, readiness, and the choice to share your story 

10:03 - Finding your people and building community 

12:18 - Stepping into rooms where you feel like you don't belong 

19:23 - On not being able to see yourself as others see you 

22:13 - Why business is deeply personal 

27:16 - Experimentation as a framework 

32:21 - Podcast salons and the power of listening in community 

36:35 - Why seeing yourself reflected is never overrated 

40:00 - Failure is human and necessary 

About Anna DeShawn 

Anna is the founder and host of E3 Radio, an online radio station playing queer music and reporting on queer news with an intersectional lens, and the creator of The Qube, a platform for discovering independent podcasts. An Ambie-nominated podcast host, producer and multi-award winning media creator, Anna was inducted into the Chicago LGBTQ Hall of Fame for her commitment to the LGBTQ community. She has been riding media into its next era since 2009, telling the stories and playing the music that deserves to be heard.

https://pod.link/queernews | https://theqube.app | https://linktr.ee/annadeshawn | https://www.youtube.com/@E3Radio

Join a circle of changemakers committed to leading with purpose, presence and ease inside Kim's Rising Visionaries mentorship program.

Reclaim your career and confidence during midlife through Louise's Rise & Redefine program.

If you’re loving this show, come check out the Feminist Podcasters Collective, where creators like us are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change. If you’re looking for new shows to fill your feed, head to https://feministpodcasterscollective.com 

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The world is loud right now. Between social media, the news cycles, and the constant pressure to hurry up and figure things out, it's becoming harder than ever to hear yourself think.

In episode 193 of The Empowered and Embodied Show, Kim Romain and Louise Neil get honest about the collective exhaustion they're both feeling and witnessing in their clients. The frantic energy that drives people toward a destination they didn't actually choose, and the growing impulse to slow down, simplify, and come back to self before taking another step. 

We unpack the deeper reason so many of us say "I don't know." It isn't actually that we don't know. It's that we're afraid of what knowing means. Knowing means taking responsibility. And responsibility feels lonely, risky, and overwhelming when you're convinced you don't have what you need to handle it. Kim and Louise push back on that story by exploring how self-trust is built not by having all the answers, but by asking honest questions.

You don't need perfect clarity. Sometimes there are stepping stones right beneath your feet.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Simplification is a power move, not a step backward. 
• "I don't know" is often fear in disguise. 
• You already have what you need. 
• Responsibility doesn't have to be lonely. 
• Clarity doesn't have to be perfect to be actionable. 
• Self-trust is built through action, not certainty. 

KEY MOMENTS

00:00 — Welcome and opening

04:01 — The Case for Simplification 

06:36 — The World Is Loud and It's Affecting Us

09:21 — What Question Are You Asking? 

11:57 — The Fear Behind "I Don't Know" 

14:30 — Crystal Balls and the Illusion of Certainty 

19:29 — Responsibility Doesn't Have to Be Lonely 

22:10 — You Already Have What You Need

32:28 — Self-Trust and Kindness 

Join a circle of changemakers committed to leading with purpose, presence and ease inside Kim's Rising Visionaries mentorship program.

Reclaim your career and confidence during midlife through Louise's Rise & Redefine program.

If you’re loving this show, come check out the Feminist Podcasters Collective, where creators like us are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change. If you’re looking for new shows to fill your feed, head to https://feministpodcasterscollective.com 

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What does it actually mean to be free? Not theoretically, but in how you live, choose, and lead every day. Ethical leadership advisor Rebecca Justus joins Kim and Louise in Episode 192 of The Empowered & Embodied Show to unpack autonomy, intentionality, and why the systems designed to make life easier might be the very things keeping you small.

From algorithmic echo chambers to cultural conditioning, we explore how our choices are being curated without our awareness and what it takes to break out of the box you don't even know you're in. Rebecca brings a global lens shaped by living in 12 countries and working in international human rights, reproductive justice, and ethical leadership.

In this episode, we dig into:

• Why everyone craves freedom and why it matters that we can't seem to agree on what it means to be free
• How algorithms, social media, and digital curation have become a modern form of oppression
• The relationship between power, privilege, and the fear of sharing freedom
• What cross-cultural perspectives reveal about community, time, and autonomy
• Why intentionality is the prerequisite for autonomy 
• How curiosity and simple inquiry is the entry point to breaking conditioning

Key Moments

00:00 Welcome and introductions

03:53 From international relations to ethical leadership 

06:43 The birth of Reproductive Autonomy 

10:47 Why we crave freedom so deeply

16:23 How autonomy and power play out globally 

24:25 No autonomy without intentionality 

28:37 How systems put us in boxes and keep us there 

30:01 Curiosity as a doorway out of conditioning 

37:11 Takeaways and closing reflections 

About Our Guest

Rebecca Justus is an Ethical Leadership Advisor & Coach, supporting socially responsible rising leaders and teams to become more strategic and self-aware, stay true to their values, and lead with integrity both locally and globally. She is also the creator of Reproductive Autonomy, an online information hub for trustworthy reproductive resources. Rebecca is a certified anti-racism training facilitator and the Vice President of the Board of Directors for EcoWomen. She holds an MA in Human Rights from the University of Sussex and a BA in International Relations from Boston University. Originally from the U.S., Rebecca has lived in 12 countries and traveled to over 60.

https://www.rebeccajustus.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-justus/

https://www.instagram.com/therebeccajustus/

https://www.pinterest.com/justusadvising/

Join a circle of changemakers committed to leading with purpose, presence and ease inside Kim's Rising Visionaries mentorship program.

Reclaim your career and confidence during midlife through Louise's Rise & Redefine program.

If you’re loving this show, come check out the Feminist Podcasters Collective, where creators like us are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change. If you’re looking for new shows to fill your feed, head to https://feministpodcasterscollective.com 

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Learning to trust yourself starts with your emotional wisdom - but most of us were taught to feel one emotion at a time, rush past the hard ones, and judge ourselves for being "too much."

In episode 191 of The Empowered & Embodied Show, Kim Romain and Louise Neil discuss the impact of societal conditioning on emotional expression and the journey towards self-trust and emotional awareness. They explore holding multiple feelings at once, the difference between processing emotions in your body versus your head, and why self-trust is built by tending to your inner wisdom like a garden - not by controlling or fixing yourself.

If you're doing inner work and want to move from performing to being, from inherited patterns to your own clarity, this conversation is for you.

Key Takeaways:

• All emotions have a place at the table.
• Conditioning affects how we express our emotions.
• Self-trust is essential for emotional awareness.
• We need both logic and emotion to understand ourselves.
• Mutual support is crucial for emotional growth.
• Trust with others starts with trust for ourselves.

Key Moments:

00:00 Welcome and Introduction
01:45 Holding Multiple Emotions Without Choosing One
04:34 The Rush to Get Through Negative Emotions
05:33 Growing Up Being Told You're Too Emotional
06:49 The Fear That Lives Around Our Emotions
09:01 When Your Head Tries to Control Your Body
14:20 Building Self Trust Through Emotional Awareness
20:15 Why Control and Empowerment Are Not the Same
29:44 The Garden Metaphor for Tending Self Trust
35:49 Take What You Need and Leave the Rest

Join a circle of changemakers committed to leading with purpose, presence and ease inside Kim's Rising Visionaries mentorship program.

Reclaim your career and confidence during midlife through Louise's Rise & Redefine program.

If you’re loving this show, come check out the Feminist Podcasters Collective, where creators like us are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change. If you’re looking for new shows to fill your feed, head to https://feministpodcasterscollective.com