I recorded this episode a few days before giving birth to my third son. Excited, waiting, until ready or not here he comes!

Listen to share in my reflections on pregnancy, parenthood, and labours of love.

I am filled with gratitude, as I embrace this maternal season and take time to focus on family.

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Lauren's Best invites you to curiously consider art and life as host, Lauren Best, illuminates the creative process as an entrepreneur, mother and interdisciplinary artist. Join one-on-one reflections with Lauren, and delve into intriguing conversations with compelling creators, as together we discover insightful connections over surprising common ground.

Join Lauren's Best on Substack to be the first to comment on new episodes: laurenbest.substack.com

Lauren's Best is co-produced by Sam Blake and Lauren Best.

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• Work with Lauren: bestpracticearts.com
• Follow Lauren on Instagram: instagram.com/bylaurenbest/

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Give the gift of poetry, to yourself or a friend, with Just Leaves, an "intimate and unflinching" poetry collection. Paperback or audiobook: laurenbest.com/poetry

"Creativity often gets put on the back burner because we don't see it as a priority. But it's one of the most accessible healing tools that we can use."

In this episode, I had a wholehearted conversation with Lesley about the vital connection between creativity, intuition, and emotional well-being, particularly for women and mothers. Lesley highlights that even small creative acts—like drawing with chalk or humming a tune—can rejuvenate our spirit and help us reconnect. Lesley also emphasized the importance of tapping into our inner child through creativity to release pent-up emotions and help us rediscover a sense of playful freedom. Tackling the topic of guilt surrounding creativity, Lesley shares her journey from creating out of obligation to embracing a more intuitive approach with less struggle. We delved into parenting, where Lesley offered invaluable advice: trust your intuition, even if it means going against the norm. Her refreshing perspective reminded me that we can carve our own paths in both creativity and parenting, making space for those micro moments of joy and self-expression.

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• www.lesleyturner.ca

• Instagram: @the.emotional.archaeologist and @realtalkwithcollsandles

• Journal: https://www.amazon.ca/Intuitive-Mama-experience-intuitive-discover/dp/B0CX4XZNL1/ref=mp

---

Hi, I'm Lesley Turner, the Emotional Archaeologist and your woo-woo best friend. A year and a half ago I blew up the trajectory of my life by dropping my Naturopathic medical license and diving deeper into emotional health. I embraced a side of myself I had buried for years, the side that has strong intuition and can channel messages and insights from a higher realm. Yes I just said realm. When I had my son in 2020 at the beginning of a world-wide pandemic, my priorities shifted entirely and I began to see things from a perspective I'd never experienced before. The core values of integrity and authenticity became my cornerstones of life and business and I knew change needed to happen. Fast forward 4 years, I'm now seeing clients for a myriad of issues but always coming back to a compassionate lens of allowing and honouring what's here. I now live an incredibly simple life with my husband, our son, and an Australian shepherd, Penny. This life is full of wonder and awe because I've slowed down long enough to notice!

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Lauren's Best invites you to curiously consider art and life as host, Lauren Best, illuminates the creative process as an entrepreneur, mother and interdisciplinary artist. Join one-on-one reflections with Lauren, and delve into intriguing conversations with compelling creators, as together we discover insightful connections over surprising common ground.

Join Lauren's Best on Substack to be the first to comment on new episodes: laurenbest.substack.com

Lauren's Best is co-produced by Sam Blake and Lauren Best.

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• Work with Lauren: bestpracticearts.com
• Follow Lauren on Instagram: instagram.com/bylaurenbest/
• Let's connect: linkedin.com/in/lauren-best-48a71232/

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Give the gift of poetry, to yourself or a friend, with Just Leaves, an "intimate and unflinching" poetry collection. Paperback or audiobook: laurenbest.com/poetry

In this episode, I'm with Dr. Moyo Rainos Mutamba, an innovative educator and founder of the Ubuntu Learning Village in Gutu, Zimbabwe.

Moyo is an artist who uses his gifts to create community and contribute to creating a world where everyone fits.

In our conversation he shares his vision of creating a global learning community that emphasizes social justice, environmental stewardship, and the interconnectedness of all beings. He discusses the unique approach of his free school, which fosters a loving and respectful environment for children.

Moyo reflects on his experiences as a father to two sons. He emphasizes the importance of listening, moving quickly toward repair in their interactions, and creating space for open conversations.

Through his insights, Moyo illustrates the profound impact of nurturing the next generation with love and purpose, sharing how both parenting and social change are shared journeys that go beyond individual experience.

Dr. Moyo Rainos Mutamba is an educator, writer, and Director of Educational Equity at Sheridan College. He founded the Ubuntu Learning Village and Ubuntu Free School in Gutu, Zimbabwe, dedicated to Indigenous cultural revitalization (www.ubuntuearth.org).

Holding an MSW in Social Justice and Diversity and a Ph.D. in Social Justice Education, he specializes in Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ARDEI) consulting.

Moyo also lectures at the University of Waterloo on topics including diversity and mental health. A passionate mbira player, he enjoys storytelling and performing with his band, Nhapitapi, blending his cultural interests with his passion for social justice.

www.ubuntuearth.org www.bloomworld.org Instagram and Threads: @mumoyo Facebook: Moyo Rainos Mutamba

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Lauren's Best invites you to curiously consider art and life as host, Lauren Best, illuminates the creative process as an entrepreneur, mother and interdisciplinary artist. Join one-on-one reflections with Lauren, and delve into intriguing conversations with compelling creators, as together we discover insightful connections over surprising common ground.

Join Lauren's Best on Substack to be the first to comment on new episodes: laurenbest.substack.com

Lauren's Best is co-produced by Sam Blake and Lauren Best.

- - -

• Work with Lauren: bestpracticearts.com
• Follow Lauren on Instagram: instagram.com/bylaurenbest/
• Let's connect: linkedin.com/in/lauren-best-48a71232/

- - -

Give the gift of poetry, to yourself or a friend, with Just Leaves, an "intimate and unflinching" poetry collection. Paperback or audiobook: laurenbest.com/poetry

In this solo episode, I'm diving into my pregnancy journey along with news for the podcast. We're now in our third season, and for this season I'm enjoying spotlighting conversations with parents who are also creatives.

At 34 weeks pregnant, I'm reflecting on how this experience differs from my previous pregnancies. I've been dealing with more morning sickness this time around, which has been challenging but also eye-opening. It's forced me to reevaluate my priorities and listen to my body more.

I share my approach to staying active during pregnancy, focusing on weight training and simple stability exercises while balancing rest. I'm all about being "inconsistently consistent" - making an effort over time, even if individual days aren't perfect. This has made a huge difference in how I feel physically and mentally.

I also touch on my ongoing poetry project inspired by my great-grandmother's 1933 parenting handbook. It's been a fascinating and deeply personal journey exploring the intersection of creativity and parenthood, and I can't wait to share more with you all soon!

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Lauren's Best invites you to curiously consider art and life as host, Lauren Best, illuminates the creative process as an entrepreneur, mother and interdisciplinary artist. Join one-on-one reflections with Lauren, and delve into intriguing conversations with compelling creators, as together we discover insightful connections over surprising common ground.

Join Lauren's Best on Substack to be the first to comment on new episodes: laurenbest.substack.com

Lauren's Best is co-produced by Sam Blake and Lauren Best.

- - -

• Work with Lauren: bestpracticearts.com
• Follow Lauren on Instagram: instagram.com/bylaurenbest/
• Let's connect: linkedin.com/in/lauren-best-48a71232/

- - -

Give the gift of poetry, to yourself or a friend, with Just Leaves, an "intimate and unflinching" poetry collection. Paperback or audiobook: laurenbest.com/poetry

"Just be who you're meant to be on this world and don't be afraid to take up space. Just do the thing. Just try, whatever that looks like. Claim your space."

-Alanna Rusnak

Alanna Rusnak is a pragmatic romantic carving space in the publishing industry. I've been inspired by her award-winning publishing company and magazine, and her warmly persistent support for authors is infused in everything she does. Her podcast reflects both her own creative journey and stewardship toward aspiring writers, using her own experiences to inspire, hold herself accountable, and reach a broader audience.

In this episode, we talk about how she navigated motherhood and creative entrepreneurship, from getting back into writing through socials and blogging, to now having her own Chicken House Press headquarters to write and pursue her entrepreneurial vision. We discuss how her strategies have evolved while honing her creative discipline and intuition.

"The discipline that was created in that month-long journey of writing a draft really kind of set me up for now, years later, doing the work that I'm doing.

… I would have to break, put the little ones to bed, and then come back and finish the word count. I was determined to get it done, no matter how tired I was, because I knew this was the only time I had to make real progress."

Participating in NaNoWriMo helped Alanna develop a committed writing routine. She achieved her goal, completing a 50,000-word draft and sparking excitement to continue writing. This draft later became her first novel, launching her into self-publishing and eventually guiding other writers in their process.

We talk accountability and motivation, what she's learned from parenting and how that helps inform her creative process, and how she grew her writing goals from dreaming big to bringing books to life.

"Parenting really lit up for me when I did start taking care of myself in the sense of making space for my need to be creative."

• chickenhousepress.ca

• alannarusnak.ca

• Instagram: @alannarusnak and @chickenhousepress

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alannarusnakauthor

• Alanna's Podcast: https://www.chickenhousepress.ca/writers-chat-podcast

Alanna Rusnak lives on a little patch of untamable land in small town Ontario with her husband (of more than two decades), children (two of which still live at home), a rude cat (who thinks he is a bird), and a vintage camper van she's far too excited about.Her debut novel was a finalist for the 2018 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize and named one of the top reader-recommended titles of 2017 by cbcbooks.ca.She writes fiction in her office, an old chicken coop that has been renovated into a beautiful work space where she also runs an award-winning publishing company (for which she was named Most Influential Ontario Indie Publishing Businesswoman of 2024 by Acquisition International) and a Canadian literary arts magazine called Blank Spaces.

Season 3 of Lauren's Best features conversations with creative parents. We kick it off in conversation with someone Lauren first met way back in high school.

Rebecca Diem is a writer of hopeful speculative fiction and poetry, hosts the podcast "Read The North", and has recently added 'mom' to her repertoire of creative pursuits. As a creative parent, she's constantly striving for harmony between her work, life and family, facing the threat of losing her creative spark in motherhood.

"You really do fear at different points that you're never going to come back to your creative self or your creative practice."

After leaving the city they lived in and moving to a small beachfront Ontario community, to Rebecca's surprise (and our benefit) she rekindled her passion for poetry. The words jumped out at her from the sand and the waves as she processed the extreme experience she just had in giving birth to her daughter.

"Those first days are magical, but they are also traumatic. And you have to hold the magic and the trauma together in the palm of your hand and, and look at it and say, yeah, like, this is parenthood."

Now, as Owen Sound's newest Poet Laureate, she's focused on offering that understanding and connection with others. She's reaching out in conversations, through her words and the events she has planned during her tenure.

"I'd never shared such, such vulnerable human moments through my work before. And it found such a resounding response and so much community and connection."

I'm thrilled to reconnect with Rebecca, who has so many honest and positive messages for new parents. Her message in today's episode mirrors her goals for her laureateship - you are not alone.

Rebecca Diem writes hopeful speculative fiction and poetry. Her work can be found on Reactor and Write Magazine, and she is the author of the indie steampunk series "Tales of the Captain Duke". She is currently finishing her first full-length novel and working on a postpartum poetry collection inspired by beach walks with a sleeping baby. She is the Owen Sound Poet Laureate for 2024-2025.

A specialist in communications and strategic initiatives, Rebecca has built a career spanning the public and non-profit sectors with a focus on culture and community. She also hosts the Read the North podcast taking listeners behind the scenes of contemporary Canadian and Indigenous literature.With favourite writing spots on three continents, Rebecca now calls Grey-Bruce home with her Australian composer husband and their ocean-eyed daughter.

• Website: rebeccadiem.com

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rebeccadiem

• Instagram: instagram.com/kthnxbex

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Lauren's Best invites you to curiously consider art and life as host, Lauren Best, illuminates the creative process as an entrepreneur, mother and interdisciplinary artist. Join one-on-one reflections with Lauren, and delve into intriguing conversations with compelling creators, as together we discover insightful connections over surprising common ground.

Join Lauren's Best on Substack to be the first to comment on new episodes: laurenbest.substack.com

Lauren's Best is co-produced by Sam Blake and Lauren Best.

- - -

• Work with Lauren: bestpracticearts.com
• Follow Lauren on Instagram: instagram.com/bylaurenbest/
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lauren-best-48a71232/

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Give the gift of poetry, to yourself or a friend, with Just Leaves, an "intimate and unflinching" poetry collection. Paperback or audiobook: laurenbest.com/poetry

This week, we are celebrating the end of Season 2 of the podcast. We are grateful to our amazing guests! Today we are featuring some of the best moments from all of our guests from seasons 1 and 2.

It was hard to choose just one selection for each! This round-up represents a collection of conversations that I'm very proud of, and I loved this tour of them together.

I'm imagining bringing them all into the same room- and bringing you along for the party, dear listener.

I hope you take the time to revisit the episodes you loved and check out the guests you missed.

• Ali Hassan on writing and good-humoured advice

• Writer and literary agent Cody Caetano

• Championing Change. Beyond the finish line with Valerie Jerome

• Voice Matters: Stephanie Keiko Kong on speaking powerfully

• Best-selling voice coach Samara Bay on Permission to Speak

• Playful photos and joyful expression with Sophia Lemon

• Motherhood in song: jazz musician and educator Brenda Earle Stokes

• Embracing the unexpected: Rebecca Ogilvie on creating The Detour CO

• Food culture creative Robin Radomski on social business

• Composing music career balance: Jessica Stuart

• Subculture scene to digital collaboration: Lauralee Sheehan

• Wellbeing in Entrepreneurship: Lucy Cullen's burnout recovery and reinvention

• The art of connection and creative success: Brie Stockwell

• Rethinking Creative Learning: Education Reform with Rée the Interdisciplinarian

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Lauren's Best invites you to curiously consider art and life as host, Lauren Best, illuminates the creative process as an entrepreneur, mother and interdisciplinary artist. Join one-on-one reflections with Lauren, and delve into intriguing conversations with compelling creators, as together we discover insightful connections over surprising common ground.

Join Lauren's Best on Substack to be the first to comment on new episodes: laurenbest.substack.com

Lauren's Best is co-produced by Sam Blake and Lauren Best.

- - -

• Work with Lauren: bestpracticearts.com
• Follow Lauren on Instagram: instagram.com/bylaurenbest/
• Let's connect: linkedin.com/in/lauren-best-48a71232/

- - -

Give the gift of poetry, to yourself or a friend, with Just Leaves, an "intimate and unflinching" poetry collection. Paperback or audiobook: laurenbest.com/poetry

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Are you an entrepreneur looking for expert guidance on your podcasting journey? Want free advice and ideas to implement right away? Book a free consult with Lauren! Learn more about how you can grow your voice as a powerful asset with lifelong returns.

In this solo episode, I get vulnerable with details about navigating health challenges and chronic pain. From recurring throat infections that led to removal of my tonsils as a teenager, to tendonitis that changed the way I play piano and led to changing career paths, I talk about how I've improved my relationship with myself and learned strategies to help cope.

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Lauren's Best invites you to curiously consider art and life as host, Lauren Best, illuminates the creative process as an entrepreneur, mother and interdisciplinary artist. Join one-on-one reflections with Lauren, and delve into intriguing conversations with compelling creators, as together we discover insightful connections over surprising common ground.

Join Lauren's Best on Substack to be the first to comment on new episodes: laurenbest.substack.com

Lauren's Best is co-produced by Sam Blake and Lauren Best.

- - -

• Work with Lauren: bestpracticearts.com
• Follow Lauren on Instagram: instagram.com/bylaurenbest/
• Let's connect: linkedin.com/in/lauren-best-48a71232/

- - -

Give the gift of poetry, to yourself or a friend, with Just Leaves, an "intimate and unflinching" poetry collection. Paperback or audiobook: laurenbest.com/poetry

- - -

Are you an entrepreneur looking for expert guidance on your podcasting journey? Want free advice and ideas to implement right away? Book a free consult with Lauren! Learn more about how you can grow your voice as a powerful asset with lifelong returns.

In this week's podcast episode I make a very special announcement… I'm expecting a third boy in November! I open up about creative life and career with kids and how pregnancy affects singing.

I have so much gratitude for my fiancé and my family. The excitement is building, and it's been beyond sweet to see my sons already bonding with their baby brother.

I feel so lucky to have such a blessed life. There have definitely been challenges and I've had to grow and change through times where I definitely didn't feel so rosey. Now, in in this season, it feels darn close to perfect. A magnificent work in progress, if living out my dreams could be simplified to that.

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Lauren's Best invites you to curiously consider art and life as host, Lauren Best, illuminates the creative process as an entrepreneur, mother and interdisciplinary artist. Join one-on-one reflections with Lauren, and delve into intriguing conversations with compelling creators, as together we discover insightful connections over surprising common ground.

Join Lauren's Best on Substack to be the first to comment on new episodes: laurenbest.substack.com

Lauren's Best is co-produced by Sam Blake and Lauren Best.

- - -

• Work with Lauren: bestpracticearts.com
• Follow Lauren on Instagram: instagram.com/bylaurenbest/
• Let's connect: linkedin.com/in/lauren-best-48a71232/

- - -

Give the gift of poetry, to yourself or a friend, with Just Leaves, an "intimate and unflinching" poetry collection. Paperback or audiobook: laurenbest.com/poetry

- - -

Are you an entrepreneur looking for expert guidance on your podcasting journey? Want free advice and ideas to implement right away? Book a free consult with Lauren! Learn more about how you can grow your voice as a powerful asset with lifelong returns, and get equipped to tap into the potential of podcasting.

Rée is a creative producer who develops and produces interdisciplinary projects impacting the next generation.

As a "content" storyteller, not tied to one medium over another when it comes to creating compelling narratives, Rée has journeyed from educating to filmmaking and now into podcasting with her show Homeroom - a heartfelt journey through the evolving landscape of learning, driven by her ambition to reimagine how we approach teaching and learning.

As an educator who has personally felt let down by the education system, a parent exploring best practices for her child, and a professional with a wealth of knowledge in education, Rée channels all these perspectives to explore education reform and creative learning.

Rée strongly believes in the importance of an interdisciplinary approach in education, emphasizing that real-world situations require a blend of skills and knowledge and education should reflect this diversity. She suggests neurodivergence is a common human condition, challenging the traditional notions of neurotypicality as a patriarchal concept.

This episode encourages you to embrace the winding road of lifelong learning and self improvement.

Rée (pronounced "Ray") is a creative producer with a BA in Fine Art, a MFA in Filmmaking, and has 15+ years of experience teaching communications around the world.

As an educator, Rée has facilitated classes and workshops for entities such as Ewha Womans University, the Maryland Institute College of Art, and the Jeju Provincial Office of Education. She has also presented research about the importance of storytelling at conferences and symposiums organized by academic institutions such as Teachers College, Columbia University; Seoul National University; and the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD).

As a social-equity driven creative, Rée has directed a film series for The Walters Art Museum, collaborated on the design of a social marketing campaign for Johns Hopkins University Hospital, redesigned the website for a NGO operating in 40+ countries, and has produced films which have screened at film festivals across the United States.

She is currently based in South Korea, developing several episodic projects including "Homeroom the Podcast".

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theinterdisciplinarian/ https://www.instagram.com/homeroomed/

• Homeroom Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/homeroom/id1696451338

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Lauren's Best invites you to curiously consider art and life as host, Lauren Best, illuminates the creative process as an entrepreneur, mother and interdisciplinary artist. Join one-on-one reflections with Lauren, and delve into intriguing conversations with compelling creators, as together we discover insightful connections over surprising common ground.

Join Lauren's Best on Substack to be the first to comment on new episodes: laurenbest.substack.com

Lauren's Best is co-produced by Sam Blake and Lauren Best.

- - -

• Work with Lauren: bestpracticearts.com
• Follow Lauren on Instagram: instagram.com/bylaurenbest/
• Let's connect: linkedin.com/in/lauren-best-48a71232/

- - -

Give the gift of poetry, to yourself or a friend, with Just Leaves, an "intimate and unflinching" poetry collection. Paperback or audiobook: laurenbest.com/poetry

- - -

Are you an entrepreneur looking for expert guidance on your podcasting journey? Want free advice and ideas to implement right away? Book a free consult with Lauren! Learn more about how you can grow your voice as a powerful asset with lifelong returns, and get equipped to tap into the potential of podcasting.