Goal Magic

Dear Friends,

Due to some difficult life circumstances, we’ve made the tough decision to end the Goal Magic podcast. We both needed to reclaim some precious time and headspace and this felt like to right time to bring the project to a close.

If you've been a listener of the show, we want to you to know that we are so grateful that you joined us on our journey. We hope we helped you on your own unique path toward getting unstuck. That was always our goal.

We'd also like to thank all of our many amazing guests for their contributions to Goal Magic over the past two years. We learned so much and had so much fun chatting with you on the show.

Endings are always hard, but closing one door opens many others. If you want to see what's next for us, we invite you to follow @cynthias_whole_life and @writingimpulse on Instagram.

Here's to the next big thing!

Warmly, Cynthia & Brennen

Episode Music Credits

It Meant Everything to me by Le Gang Nostalgia by Johny Grimes Nostalgia by Tobu

For anyone furloughed or out of work right now and not sure what your next move is, this episode may spur some creative energy in you. I happen to know our next guest because she grew up in the same town as I did, and was friendly with my family. We connected on Instagram a little while back, which is when I got wind that she was creating content for brands and serving as an IG influencer. This got me wondering how she started doing that, because in her regular day to day life she’s a mama of three kids who doesn’t have a lot of time, yet she still managed to grow a network and eventually collaborate with brands and post just about every single day. She’s on her way to monetizing her instagram account now, so her story was one that I thought many of us at home and out of work may need to hear.

About Hillary Kezelman

Hillary Kezelman resides in sunny Southern California with her 3 babes and husband of 8 years. Being a stay at home mom is her daily job and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Instagram has been her creative outlet  as it has opened many doors of friendships and the opportunity to explore brands in the industry. Over the past two months, she transitioned from just posting weekly about her family to becoming an influencer with daily and regular posts.  She works with a variety of brands and helps them advertise their products. You can find Hillary’s instagram @Hillkez91011 and follow her journey!

Warmly, Cynthia & Brennen

Episode Music Credits

It Meant Everything to me by Le Gang Nostalgia by Johny Grimes Nostalgia by Tobu

We are going to level with you, this has been just the weirdest time to be alive. We’re all experiencing the weirdness at the same time and in different ways. It’s like an unwanted Instagram filter of fear, anxiety and uncertainty has been applied to the whole world, and none of us quite knows what to do about that because we’re in uncharted territory. But at the same time, springtime is coming and birds are singing, people are still falling in love, kids are drawing rainbows with sidewalk chalk and ordinary humans are stepping up in amazing ways to do what needs doing, even if it’s scary. It’s the best of times and the worst of times, all at once. 

Cynthia and I recorded this episode more than two weeks ago, hoping things would be much improved by now, but things are still really hard out in the world. We chatted about staying sane and productive during the COVID-19 crisis and I think there is some good positive advice here if you’re needing a boost. For one thing, we both think laughter is one of the keys to sanity. I want you to know that Cynthia and I are dealing with our own struggles this year, so we’re certainly in the same boat as you. Stay safe, stay home if you can, and please enjoy the episode.

If you feel inclined and haven’t already done so, we would love it if you would leave us a review on Apple podcasts and give some love back to help us achieve our goals in 2020.

Warmly, Cynthia & Brennen

Episode Music Credits

It Meant Everything to me by Le Gang Nostalgia by Johny Grimes Nostalgia by Tobu

Have you ever had the gut feeling that you needed to do something and take a leap but you felt unsure? Have you ever wanted to go into a new industry but were feeling uneasy if you should take the risk, even though there was nothing stopping you? If these sound like you then you will want to tune into a very cool episode today focused on taking a risk when the time is right. I got to interview Chris Casile, who went from losing her job to taking a leap into a new one in an emerging industry with no guardrails. Talk about guts!

About Chris Casile

Christina is a certified Interior Designer with 20+ years of experience in the industry. Chris received a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design from Philadelphia University and honed her skills as an interior designer with several large architecture firms in Philadelphia. Specifically, while with Ballinger and EwingCole, Chris gained considerable experience in a variety of market sectors including healthcare, research and development, government, education and sports and entertainment, overseeing dozens of multi-million dollar projects. Christina first established herself in the cannabis industry when she was recruited to join a team of experts assembled by Philadelphia-based attorneys and consultants Moriconi Flowers, Ltd. to assist clients in obtaining permits to grow, process, and sell marijuana. Design 710’s successes have included designing the project for the winning application and first dispensary to open in Philadelphia, designing the project for a winning grower/processor applicant in the Delaware Valley, and designing the winning project for an additional marijuana dispensary permit holder in the Philadelphia area.  

Connect with Chris

www.design710.com

If you feel inclined and haven’t already done so, we would love it if you would leave us a review on Apple podcasts and give some love back to help us achieve our goals in 2020.

Warmly, Cynthia & Brennen

Episode Music Credits

It Meant Everything to me by Le Gang Nostalgia by Johny Grimes Nostalgia by Tobu

I’m here today to bring you a very special episode that I recorded with my amazing friend Jennifer Blaine. If you’re a long-time listener, you’ll know that Jennifer has been on the show twice before, but this is my first time getting to interview her. We had the most amazingly deep conversation about creativity that had us both in tears by the end. I honestly didn’t want it to end and I think we could have talked for at least another hour, but I am so so proud of what we managed to capture here. I hope this conversation gives you good things to think about if you’re stuck at home waiting out the coronavirus like me and everybody else. 

This episode is for the artists and creatives out there, especially the artists like me who sometimes struggle for a reason to keep making art. It’s for writers who have lost the plot, painters who are procrastinating and actors who aren’t sure if they can do one more audition. So strap your headphones on extra tight and enjoy the show!

About Jennifer Blaine

Jennifer Blaine has been performing one-woman shows for 25 years. Her original writing, performing, and comedy delve into serious and socially relevant issues and provides audiences the opportunity to unite in laughter. Jennifer has opened for George Carlin, and performed with Chris Rock and Joe Piscopo.  She has worked with iconic actors such as Glenda Jackson, Laura Linney, Joanne Woodward, and Paul Newman. She was featured on ABC’s Philly After Midnight: Women Comedians and has lent her voice to hundreds of voiceover projects. According to the Philadelphia Daily News “not even Sybil can compete with Blaine’s cast of characters. Her comic genius is like Lily Tomlin and Tracey Ullman.” 

Jennifer  was the resident Theatre Arts Instructor at the Showstoppers program at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts from 2013-2018 in which she created four original plays on topical issues from bullying to civil rights. She produced the “5,000 Women” festival, showcasing artists and social activists, in 2011 and 2012 and in Philadelphia in 2014.  Her multiple FringeArts solo works include Sorry, White Flight, Hearing Voices, and Ridiculous and Dirty Joke which she created with Vashti Dubois, founder of The Colored Girls Museum. Blaine has toured her solo work throughout the country to colleges and theatre festivals -- highlights include The OpenStage of Harrisburg, The White Privilege Conference, PIFA, and the Annenberg Center for the Arts. She currently performs The Vicissitudes of Travel, which depicts a family traveling through brain surgery, in art galleries, museums, theaters, and recently performed The Vicissitudes for Jefferson’s Health and Humanities department and Wesleyan University. For more information visit  www.jenniferblaine.com

Warmly, Brennen & Cynthia

Episode Music Credits

It Meant Everything to me by Le Gang Nostalgia by Johny Grimes Nostalgia by Tobu

This week our guest is an expert in resilience - what it is, if you can learn it, and how to teach it to your kids. Resilience is what separates the people who stay knocked down and the ones who decide to get back up and try again. It’s something I am fascinated by. Our guest Dr. Lucy Hone got personal and vulnerable as she shared her own story of grief and then later resilience.

About Dr. Hone

Dr Lucy Hone is a director of the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience, a research associate at AUT University, a published academic researcher, best-selling author and blogger for Psychology Today. In 2014, the sudden death of her 12-year old daughter, Abi, (along with Lucy and Abi’s friends Ella and Sally Summerfield in a tragic road accident) forced Lucy to turn her substantial academic training and professional practice to foster resilience in very personal circumstances. The blog she wrote in the aftermath of Abi’s death attracted international attention and resulted in the best-selling non-fiction title, What Abi Taught Us: Strategies for Resilient Grieving (Allen & Unwin, 2016), now available as Resilient Grieving in the US, Australia, UK and NZ. 

Connect with Dr. Hone: https://nziwr.co.nz/ If you feel inclined and haven’t already done so, we would love it if you would leave us a review and give some love back to help us achieve our goals in 2020.

Warmly, Cynthia & Brennen

Episode Music Credits

It Meant Everything to me by Le Gang Nostalgia by Johny Grimes Nostalgia by Tobu

I love learning about the science of our bodies - what makes them stronger and better, and how we can circumnavigate them when they’re not doing what we need them to. This was the topic of discussion with my next guest, who studies the brain and neurobiology. We talk about how brain development gets disrupted for girls, and how this plays into some of the setbacks that we see for women in our society. We also get into how our brains are trying to protect us but they sometimes end up causing illnesses like depression and isolation.

Noelle Cordeaux specializes in the relationship with one’s self. Her incredible “User’s Guide to the Brain” perspective focuses on how a basic knowledge of neurobiology helps us understand our brain & body. Noelle also reveals everything you never knew about romantic love & the brain! 

Noelle is the CEO and co-founder of JRNI where she helps clients get unstuck & make real progress. She holds a B.A. in Literature (Rutger). A Graduate Certificate in Executive & Professional Coaching (University of Texas at Dallas). Her graduate studies include a Masters in Social Work &  PhD in Human Sexuality.

And, for our listeners, Noelle and her team have a special offer if you go to

https://www.jrni.co/podcast where you can get your free guide and $200 off admission to JRNI.

Before we get to our interview with Noelle we just wanted to remind everyone that we have a goal WE want to achieve to get 100 reviews on apple podcasts! If you feel inclined and haven’t already done so, we would love it if you would leave us a review and give some love back to help us achieve our goals in 2020.

We are kicking off 2020 with some heavy hitters, including an Emmy-nominated producer who recently overhauled his family’s financial future with one tiny but major concept that could also change your life: FIRE (Financial Independence/Retire Early). If you are wondering how you can retire early and what it may take, if you’re sick of the grind and cannot imagine doing your job for another 30 years, this show could be the one that gets you moving towards FIRE. And for anyone who hasn’t read the book that Scott Rieckens, our guest today wrote, Playing with FIRE, it’s a great place to start.

About Scott Rieckens

Scott Rieckens is an Emmy-nominated film/video producer and author. Scott has spent his career as a storyteller connecting people with ideas. Along the way, Scott’s work has generated millions of views through a feature-length documentary, multiple television series, short films, and a diverse range of commercial projects for the world's largest brands. Now, Scott has created Playing with FIRE, which explores the growing community of frugal-minded folks choosing a path to financial independence and early retirement. 

Playing with FIRE showcases a growing subculture known as FIRE, that embraces frugality and financial optimization to achieve financial independence. Follow Scott and Taylor’s journey to acquire the one thing that money can’t buy: a simpler — and happier — life. Visit their website for more in-depth information about FIRE: Financial Independence Retire Early https://www.playingwithfire.co/

Watch the film today! 

iTunes: https://tinyurl.com/yxxvgnql 

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/wmhrryo 

Google Play: https://tinyurl.com/v5u3z3s 

Vimeo: https://tinyurl.com/va2jou2 

Check out the book Playing with FIRE, based on the documentary: https://tinyurl.com/sfwyjup Here’s to Getting Unstuck, Cynthia & Brennen

We have a goal WE want to achieve to get 100 reviews on apple podcasts! If you feel inclined and haven’t already done so, we would love it if you would leave us a review and give some love back to help us achieve our goals.

We are kicking off 2020 with one of our favorite guests and fit-fluencers, Mackie Root. Yep, he’s back and we are dishing on the best things you can do to kick off your healthiest year yet because more than ever, we all know how our health can influence so much - from our mindset to our sleep to our productivity and even our stress. It’s why we wanted to get an expert in to guide you on the best way to make it happen.

About Mackie Root 

Mackie Root is the founder of the ReadySetActive Online Training platform, which is a health coaching business on a mission to help busy people live healthier and happier. He is a health coach, online personal trainer, a group fitness coach in Philadelphia, with classes at Unite Fitness and Flywheel Sports. Mackie combines the latest science in nutrition and training with motivational techniques to create efficient and effective weight loss protocols for clients.

Follow Mackie Root:

• @mackieroot

• Readysetactive.com

Quick programming note: We decided to launch our episodes on a bi-weekly basis now! Brennen and I grind these episodes out week after week but we burned ourselves out as a result. Our content that we were recording became a message for us and to us, in many ways. We have no one else helping us [yet] and so decided that in order to maintain our creative energy and keep the momentum going on the podcast, we needed to back off how much content we are producing. This was a difficult decision for us, but in doing this we will be able to book bigger and more influential guests and bring even higher quality content to you all without feeling like we are on the treadmill from hell. Thanks for understanding and we appreciate your support and listenership! Happy 2020!

Here’s to Getting Unstuck, Cynthia & Brennen

Happy Holidays to all the friends and listeners of our show and welcome to our last podcast of 2019... and of the decade! I can’t quite believe how many closures are happening as 2019 comes to an end, but I just wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season and new year. I hope our show has helped you out, brought you joy, brought you clarity, or been a good friend to you when you needed one.

In closing out the year, we have a really special episode that I recorded with Celia Gaze who went from burnt out working at the National Health Service in England and trying to be a good partner and mother to going almost bankrupt trying to make a farm into a business to then putting a bowtie on a llama and changing the course of her life. I don’t want to spoil any of the story for you because Celia has one wild ride to success.

About Celia Gaze

Celia Gaze is an entrepreneur and founder of The Wellbeing Farm. She worked in the NHS for 14 years in a senior management role, before reaching the verge of burnout and quitting her job to start her own business. She used this as a springboard to transform her life by creating the multi-award winning wedding and events venue The Wellbeing Farm. Celia has won multiple awards for her innovative work and also recently won Implementer of the Year at the National Entrepreneur Awards. She is the author of an inspirational new book Why Put a Bowtie on a Llama?, which offers highly practical advice on turning your crazy idea into a successful business.

Connect with Celia

• www.thewellbeingfarm.co.uk

• [email protected]

• @wellbeingfarm on instagram

• Get Celia’s book

Please help us reach our goal of 100 reviews on apple podcasts! If you feel inclined and haven’t already done so, we would love it if you would leave us a review and give some love back to help us achieve our goals and close out this year strong.

Happy Holidays, Cynthia & Brennen