French Kissing Life

Sometimes the smallest spark can light the way to something much bigger. When chef Tina McCard posed for a professional headshot, she didn’t just see herself; she saw a whole community of women who deserved to be seen too. That moment became the beginning of Our Table Chefs, a growing movement empowering women in food and hospitality to step into their craft with confidence and pride.

In this conversation, Tina shares her journey from restaurant kitchens to luxury yachts, the lessons she’s learned in male-dominated spaces, and the joy of building something deeply collaborative. We talk about cooking with heart, finding your own flavor, and creating space at the table for every woman to be fully herself.

Topics Covered:

• How visibility became a catalyst for community.
• Tina’s evolution from waitress to yacht chef and founder.
• The calm, clarity, and creativity women bring to kitchens.
• Letting go of outdated models of leadership.
• Cooking as a form of storytelling and self-nourishment.
• Why every dish (and every movement) begins in layers.
• The ripple effect of seeing and celebrating one another.
• Tina’s dream for bringing Our Table Chefs to more cities.

Here are some actions you can take, whether you have 5 minutes or 50:

• Whether you have five minutes to spare or 50, I want you to think of a woman in your life who could use a boost of confidence right now. Maybe it’s a friend chasing a new dream, a colleague stepping into leadership, or even a family member who just needs to be reminded how much she matters. Find a small, simple way to build her up. Send a thoughtful text, share a memory of when she inspired you, or even just tell her what you admire most about her. Those little acts of encouragement ripple farther than we realize.

Connect with Tina!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechefaquatic/

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Contact French Kissing Life Podcast

• DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook
• Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn
• Email us at [email protected] 

Until next time, muah! 

______________________

French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today!

Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/
Email: [email protected]

It started with a text: “You have to have us on the podcast for National Family Day.” So, here we are. My nieces, Sarah and London, are taking over the mic for a no-holds-barred, completely unfiltered family roast.

In this episode, we dive into the strange and delightful things only families understand. We unpack their wild devotion to our dad (a.k.a. Papa, a.k.a. the local heartthrob), debate the legitimacy of ketchup (is it just a tomato smoothie?), and break down the terrifying reality of crinkle cut fries.

What begins as sass and hot takes ends with some real sweetness: favorite memories, what we love most about each other, and a reminder that even when families are chaotic, loud, and totally off the rails, they’re also full of love.

Topics Covered:

• Why Papa is the unexpected star of his own fan club.
• The curious Gen Z mind: AI boyfriends, TikTok feuds, and digital cringe.
• Sports as a nerd hobby and the Olympic events that should be banned.
• A passionate takedown of crinkle cut fries (and a defense of curly ones).
• Hot take: ketchup might be a smoothie and no one is safe.
• Family chaos, inside jokes, and Griswold-style vacation flashbacks.
• A heartfelt exchange on what we admire in one another.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Ep 59: AI Boyfriends, Valentine's Day and a Heartwarming Chat with My Mom
  https://frenchkissinglife.buzzsprout.com/2279287/episodes/16597473-ep-59-ai-boyfriends-valentine-s-day-and-a-heartwarming-chat-with-my-mom

______________________
Contact French Kissing Life Podcast

• DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook
• Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn
• Email us at [email protected] 

Until next time, muah! 

______________________

French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today!

Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/
Email: [email protected]

We’ve been drawing on cave walls longer than we’ve been talking. That little fact alone hints at just how primal and healing art can be.

In this episode, I’m joined by mindful arts coach, author, and app developer Susan Day for a conversation that is full of heart, color, and quiet revelation. We explore the healing power of creativity, not as something performative or polished, but as a deeply personal and cathartic practice. Whether it's a crayon on the back of an envelope or a full-blown collage session, Susan shows us how creativity can become a gentle companion for navigating stress, anxiety, and even trauma.

We talk about why you don’t need to be an artist to benefit from art therapy, what’s really happening in your body and brain when you create from the heart, and how simple rituals can help you come home to yourself. It’s a soulful and spark-filled conversation that just might inspire you to pick up a pencil or tear up a magazine page.

Topics Covered:

• Why the process of creating matters more than the final result.
• How mindful art practices can soothe the nervous system.
• The neuroscience of creativity and why it bypasses the need for words.
• Collage, color, sculpture, and how each medium supports different emotions.
• Susan’s personal story of discovering art therapy through both grief and joy.
• How to use rituals to enter a creative mindset.
• The surprising emotional power of tearing paper or scribbling with a crayon.
• Why Susan developed a therapy app and how technology can support healing.

Here are some actions you can take, whether you have 5 minutes or 50:

• If you have 5 minutes, sign up for Susan’s newsletter called the Soulful Spark. You’ll get a free art therapy activity each week, and she is generously sharing a free copy of her book, Rekindling Your Souful Spark, which is not available anywhere else.
  • https://mindfulartstherapy.com.au/download-your-free-guide-to-healing-today/
• If you have 50 minutes, I invite you to check out Susan’s other brainchild, the Art Therapy App, which is an absolutely genius resource and user-friendly platform for creative expression.
  • https://mindfulartstherapy.com.au/the-art-therapy-app/

Connect with Susan!
Website: https://mindfulartstherapy.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindfulartstherapy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulartstherapy/
Instagram (app): https://www.instagram.com/thearttherapyresourceshub/

______________________
Contact French Kissing Life Podcast

• DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook
• Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn
• Email us at [email protected] 

Until next time, muah! 

______________________

French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today!

Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/
Email: [email protected]

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but if you’re stuck in the thick of things, swamped, strung out, and nowhere near the finish line, this one's for you.

In this solo episode, I’m sharing what it’s like to live through the messy middle. That foggy, frustrating stretch where you’ve started something, maybe a business, a healing journey, or just a new season of life, and suddenly it feels like quicksand. I open up about my own in-between: the overwork, the overwhelm, and the ridiculous list of deliverables that made me question my entire life. Not even kidding.

But I also share what’s helping me find solid ground. From dance parties and dopamine deficits to teeny tiny micro-milestones, I talk through the truths I’m clinging to while I try to untangle what comes next. Because sometimes the transformation happens quietly, while you're just trying to stay afloat.

Topics Covered:

• Why the middle of a journey feels so disorienting
• A brutally honest breakdown of my workload from March to July
• The moment I realized I wasn’t just tired, I was drowning
• Why long-term client contracts can be both a gift and a grind
• My deep, desperate longing for an actual break
• Using music, movement, and margaritas to shift stagnant energy
• Practical ways to survive, and even embrace, the messy middle
• The quiet, invisible magic of becoming who you’re meant to be

______________________
Contact French Kissing Life Podcast

• DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook
• Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn
• Email us at [email protected] 

Until next time, muah! 

______________________

French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today!

Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/
Email: [email protected]

Have you ever cried to a song and wondered why? Or felt completely transformed after hearing just a few chords? In this conversation with the brilliant and hilarious Molly Lord, we explore how music taps into the deepest parts of who we are.

Molly is the creator of Tuned In Productions and author of Holy Dirt, a memoir about walking 500 miles across Spain’s Camino de Santiago. She shares how our playlists are shaped by the archetypes running our internal show, why a single song can shift our entire state of being, and what it means to use music as medicine.

Topics Covered:

• What your playlist reveals about your inner world.
• How to use music to shift your emotional state.
• The surprising role of archetypes in song choice.
• The moment Molly realized music was more than entertainment.
• How music followed her, even when she tried to leave it behind.
• The three songs on Molly’s life soundtrack.
• Why transitions (like coming home from work) need their own soundtrack.
• What happens when we walk toward something that scares us.

Here are some actions you can take, whether you have 5 minutes or 50:

•  If you have 5 minutes, and you want access to the interviews that Molly talked about gifting you during the episode, all you have to do is send an email to [email protected] and mention you heard this on my podcast, and she will send them over!
•  If you have 50 minutes, create a playlist that you could use to switch archetypes. Think of the songs that get you out of a funk and immediately make you want to dance or bop around the kitchen. Think feel-good music that makes you smile and puts you in a lighter mood.

Connect with Molly!
Website: https://mollylord.com/
Email: [email protected] 
Buy Her Book: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/holy-dirt-molly-lord/1147191074
Check out the Music Pharmacy: https://mollylord.com/the-music-pharmacy/

______________________
Contact French Kissing Life Podcast

• DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook
• Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn
• Email us at [email protected] 

Until next time, muah! 

______________________

French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today!

Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/
Email: [email protected]

If your brain doesn’t thrive on traditional productivity hacks, it doesn’t mean you’re broken; it might just mean you have a spicy brain.

In this conversation, I’m joined once again by Dr. Rebecca Block to explore how to work with your brain instead of against it. We talk about procrastination as emotion management, why low dopamine makes “helpful” tools harder to use, and how creativity and empathy can be powerful strengths when you let them lead.

You’ll also hear practical ways to approach decision-making, motivation, and those two-minute tasks that somehow take two weeks. If you’ve ever struggled to find strategies that truly fit, this episode is full of joyful, judgment-free guidance.

Topics Covered:

• Why traditional productivity strategies often fail neurodivergent minds.
• The ABCDs of motivation and how they apply to adults.
• How low dopamine impacts your ability to use helpful tools.
• The four root causes of procrastination (and what to do about each).
• Reframing productivity as play, experimentation, and emotional safety.
• Undervalued strengths like hyper-focus, empathy, and attention to detail.
• Why decision-making drains your energy (and how to make it easier).
• Fun, affirming strategies from Becca’s “Your Brain, Your Way” game.

Here are some actions you can take, whether you have 5 minutes or 50:

• If you have 5 minutes, take this quiz from Exceptional Individuals to see if any of the traits feel like they fit how your unique brain operates. I found a couple of other quizzes that you could check out that are linked below.  
  • https://exceptionalindividuals.com/candidates/neurodiversity-resources/neurodiversity-quizzes/
• If you have 50 minutes, I found an article from Care Scribe called “What does neurospicy mean?” and it has a ton of really useful information to help you dissect all of these “neuro” words that are showing up regularly in our newsfeeds.  
  • https://carescribe.io/blog/what-does-neurospicy-mean/

Connect with Rebecca!
Website: http://www.beccablock.com/ and http://www.spicy-brains.com/
Spicy Brains Get Stuff Done course: https://maven.com/rebecca-block-phd/spicy-brains
Instagram: https://instagram.com/spicybrainsgetstuffdone
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@beccablock3
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@spicybrainsgetstuffdone

Resources Becca mentioned:

• Alma: https://helloalma.com/
• Find a therapist: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/
• ADDitude Magazine: https://www.additudemag.com/

Additional quizzes to check out:

• https://neurocreativehive.com/the-neurospicy-quiz/
• https://spicybraintest.com/

______________________
Contact French Kissing Life Podcast

• DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook
• Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn
• Email us at [email protected] 

Until next time, muah! 

______________________

French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today!

Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/
Email: [email protected]

What if the recipe for joy was as simple as a smile, a little movement, and saying no to one more draining obligation? In this episode, I’m joined by Nathalie Botros, the radiant psychotherapist-turned-coach behind The Happiness Cocktail and the Bon Vivant Girl lifestyle. Her story is one of deep reinvention; from chasing happiness across countries and careers to realizing it was within her all along. We talk about the moment she stopped searching and started savoring, and how you can too.

Nathalie shares the five playful, soulful ingredients to her signature happiness cocktail, and reminds us that joy isn’t something we earn, it’s something we practice. Whether you’re stuck in hustle mode or simply yearning to feel more alive, this conversation is an invitation to dance with life again.

Topics Covered:

• How Nathalie’s international journey led to a radical reinvention of joy.
• The deeper meaning behind being a true bon vivant.
• The five ingredients of the happiness cocktail (and why they spell SMILE).
• Why chasing external validation keeps us stuck in unhappiness.
• Learning to enjoy your body before trying to change it.
• Replacing guilt and burnout with pleasure and purpose.
• Creating daily rituals of self-love and sustainable joy.
• The importance of saying no (even when you’re tempted to people-please).

Here are some actions you can take, whether you have 5 minutes or 50:

• If you have 5 minutes, I have a blog article called “Living life as a Bon Vivant”
  • https://hillcountrybonvivant.com/living-life-as-a-bon-vivant/
• If you have 50 minutes, I have a podcast episode from the show, The Life of a Bon Vivant called “Being your most authentic self.”
  • https://podcasts.apple.com/ae/podcast/season-3-episode-18-being-your-most-authentic-self/id1662290831?i=1000708045754

Connect with Nathalie!
Website: https://www.thebon-vivantgirl.com/
Buy her book: https://www.thebon-vivantgirl.com/the-happiness-cocktail
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebon_vivantgirl/
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathalie-botros-5a4539/
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/thebonvivantgirl/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChbdZ6QGfsROh1keJdCP5qQ
X: https://x.com/BonVivantGirl

______________________
Contact French Kissing Life Podcast

• DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook
• Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn
• Email us at [email protected] 

Until next time, muah! 

______________________

French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today!

Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/
Email: [email protected]

Sometimes the simplest tools can be the most powerful, and for me, journaling has always been one of them. In this conversation, I sit down with Pamela Byrd, who has been putting pen to paper since she was eleven years old, to talk about how writing can help us heal, grow, and truly know ourselves.

Pamela shares her remarkable story, from navigating deep childhood trauma and the heartbreaking loss of her twin sister, to finding strength, clarity, and purpose through the pages of her journals. We explore the many styles of journaling, how they’ve shaped her boundaries and her work with women, and why connecting with your inner child might just change everything. This is a tender, honest, and deeply practical conversation about reclaiming your worth and writing your way toward a healthier mind.

Topics Covered:

• Pamela’s journey from early trauma to becoming an advocate for mental health.
• How her sister’s passing influenced her healing path and her passion for helping others.
• Finding strength and clarity after her second divorce.
• Understanding different journaling styles, including dialogical and script journaling.
• Why connecting with your inner child can unlock self-awareness and healing.
• The link between journaling and breaking self-defeating patterns.
• Simple prompts to move from awareness to growth.

Here are some actions you can take, whether you have 5 minutes or 50:

• If you have 5 minutes, I have an article from Calm called “How to journal for mental health: 7 tips to get started.”
  • https://www.calm.com/blog/how-to-journal-for-mental-health
• If you have 50 minutes, I have a podcast episode from Pamela called “The Ultimate Guide to Journaling for Clarity and Focus”
  • https://youtu.be/KYaCwA_8Qi0?si=rufXEw0Pb9kn45PF

Connect with Pamela!
Website: https://byrdseyeview.mvsite.app/ (Includes her courses)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Letstalkboundaries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lets_talk_boundaries_podcast/

______________________
Contact French Kissing Life Podcast

• DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook
• Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn
• Email us at [email protected] 

Until next time, muah! 

______________________

French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today!

Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/
Email: [email protected]

If you’ve been waiting for a sign to say yes to something new, this might be it. In today’s episode, I’m joined by Anna VanAgtmael, founder of Wandering Roots, who shares how a car accident became the catalyst for a completely different kind of life. What started as a season of healing slowly turned into a life built around intention, courage, and connection.

We talk about effortless adventure, how to create retreat-style moments in everyday life, and why showing up, just as you are, is its own kind of bravery. Whether you’re dreaming of a faraway trip or simply craving more joy at home, this conversation is a beautiful reminder that transformation doesn’t always need a plan. Sometimes, it just needs one small, brave yes.

Topics Covered:

• How a car accident became the unexpected turning point of Anna’s life
• Why adventure doesn’t need to be epic to be meaningful
• The quiet magic of doing something that scares you, just a little
• The power of being supported, without needing to prove or perform
• What effortless adventure really looks like
• How to create retreat-style moments in everyday life
• Letting go of outdated definitions of success and self-worth
• Why delight is not a luxury, it’s a guidepost

Here are some actions you can take, whether you have 5 minutes or 50:

• If you have 5 minutes, I have an article from OmNoire called “Retreat vs. Vacation: What’s the Difference and Which One Do You Actually Need?”
  • https://omnoire.com/blogs/journal/retreat-vs-vacation?
• If you have 50 minutes, and you’re curious about what a retreat with Anna is like, check out her free DIY retreat guide (which usually costs $39!)
  • https://freebie.yourwanderingroots.com/

Anna’s 2-week email series for business owners who want to host retreats: moneymakingretreats.com

Connect with Anna!
Website: https://www.yourwanderingroots.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourwanderingroots
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-vanagtmael-214973b/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourwanderingroots/

______________________
Contact French Kissing Life Podcast

• DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook
• Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn
• Email us at [email protected] 

Until next time, muah! 

______________________

French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today!

Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/
Email: [email protected]

In a world that too often forgets how to play, today’s episode is your permission slip to remember. I’m joined by the radiant Melquea Smith, a Black, Queer, multi-award-winning children’s book illustrator and certified kid at heart, who also creates joyful clip art for educators, authors, and entrepreneurs.

We talk about what it means to be a "certified kid at heart", how to feel wonder again, how to soften in a hardened world, and how to choose joy not as a feeling, but as an act of rebellion. Melquea’s art centers positive, joyful imagery of Black kids and Black families, especially little Black girls of all shapes, sizes, and shades. And her voice is just as vibrant as the illustrations she brings to life. 

Topics Covered:

• Why joy is a creative, rebellious act in a chaotic world
• How Melquea brings her kid-at-heart energy into daily life
• The surprising path from drawing animals to illustrating picture books
• Healing childhood gaps by drawing the representation she longed for
• Creative rituals for romanticizing the ordinary and staying enchanted
• The emotional weight of choosing softness in hard times
• Why reconnecting with awe can shift your entire perspective
• Gentle, practical ways to rediscover play and imagination as an adult

Here are some actions you can take, whether you have 5 minutes or 50:

• If you have a little more than 5 minutes, I have a TedX video called “Rediscovering childlike wonder as an adult” that invites you to rediscover the magic in everyday moments
  • https://youtu.be/aHsDd0ZSags?si=6JBK2zLq7kZ-54tD
• If you have 50 minutes,  I have an article from The Aesthetics of Joy called “How to embrace your inner child and find more joy.” They also have a guide you can download that gives you 50 ways to find joy every day.
  • https://aestheticsofjoy.com/embrace-your-inner-child/
  • https://the-aesthetics-of-joy.kit.com/1af2b71031

Join the monthly clipart membership, Brown Sugar Graphics! https://prettykittypaintings.com/bsg

Connect with Melquea!
Website: https://www.prettykittypaintings.com/
Free illustrations here: https://prettykittypaintings.com/podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prettykittypaintings/

______________________
Contact French Kissing Life Podcast

• DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook
• Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn
• Email us at [email protected] 

Until next time, muah! 

______________________

French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today!

Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/
Email: [email protected]