Lauren's Best

In this week's episode I celebrate the one-year anniversary of the launch of my first self-published book of poems, Just Leaves. I've talked a lot about the journey leading up to the launch of my debut full-length poetry collection, and my appreciation for the support, positive reviews, and receiving reader photos of books in the wild with stories about how readers connected with the poems.

Just Leaves reached #1 on Amazon Hot New releases, and was called "intimate and unflinching" by Rrampt Magazine.

Today, it's all about the poetry.

Enjoy 3 poems from the audiobook version of Just Leaves in this podcast episode.

You can get the audiobook for yourself, or order your signed copy of Just Leaves by contacting Lauren directly with details about customization.

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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

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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, and get equipped to tap into the potential of podcasting.

In this podcast episode I'm speaking with Brie Stockwell, a multi-passionate creative currently focused on nature photography. She also combines her arts experience with life coach training as a success coach for creatives. Our conversation dives into both her personal journey becoming a multi-passionate powerhouse, and also how she helps other creatives find creative confidence while achieving business goals and finding life balance.

We discuss the creative process, including parallels between music practice and photography tips, overcoming blocks on the path to artistic growth, and the joy of connecting through shared experiences. From the necessity of consistent practice to the freedom that comes from releasing unhelpful expectations, Brie shared practical tips told through her story of awakening and reinvention.

I loved spending time with Brie's playful wisdom and superpower of connection, and being reminded of the importance of persistent experimentation in artistic perseverance, letting go of creative fear, and being in supportive community.

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Brie Stockwell is a multi-passionate creative currently focused on nature photography. She combines her arts experience with training from The Life Coach School as a success coach for creatives. Brie especially enjoys helping artists create more confidence, achieve business goals, and find greater life balance. Making connections is her current super power. Based in Austin, Texas, USA, Brie loves traveling to and photographing the desert southwest. Her happy place is White Sands National Park in New Mexico. She's looking forward to the delights of grandmotherhood as well as releasing her first printed zine featuring her writing and photography. Brie is the co-host of "A Creative Affair", a podcast featuring conversations about the ups and downs of living a creative life. Find out more about Brie and her work at www.creativemindscoach.com.

• Connect with Brie on Instagram

• Connect with Brie on LinkedIn

• Free creative momentum guide from Brie: https://creativemindscoach.com/creative-momentum/

• https://www.wildwomanphotography.com/wild-women-in-photography-podcast/

• https://www.wildwomanphotography.com/brie-stockwell-portfolio/

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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

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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, and get equipped to tap into the potential of podcasting.

In this week's episode, I update you on the exciting projects I've been working on: podcasting, voice / singing coaching, and poetry.

My tribute to community and podcasting has taken form in Podcast Pals, a bi-weekly community call for podcasters, podcast producers or editors, and people who want to guest on shows or start their own. It's a space where we can come together to swap tips and tricks and connect through shared experience.

I'm so proud of our growing group, and in this episode I celebrate the shows that have started and collaborations that have blossomed since we've been doing Podcast Pals. Be sure to check out the links below if you want to be part of this supportive and collaborative group with lots of free advice and mentorship!

Keeping on the topic of sharing your voice, I am about to unveil some new offers for my return to coaching singers. Singing is a fulfilling and joyful experience, sometimes we just need a little help getting started and growing that confidence. Sign up for the waiting list below and be the first to know about these tasty new offers!

Finally, we discuss my latest poetry project funded by the Ontario Arts Council, creating a found poetry audio experience based on my great-great grandmother's parenting handbook. The project has come to mean so much to me. I've just scratched the surface when it comes to reconnecting with my family's past, and there may even be more in the works than the audio performance. Listen to hear a glimpse into my thoughts on what's next for my historically focused projects.

At the heart of it all, I love connecting with people whether it's through my new podcasting pursuits or my lifelong love for voice and poetic expression.

I'm curious what is in your head and heart- was there something you were extra interested in?

Did you hear something you want to learn more about?

Please share your thoughts - I love finding inspiration in listener suggestions, to deep dive into a topic you're interested in.

Connect with me on social or shoot me a message here on substack and let's chat!

Join the waitlist to sing with me: https://bestpracticearts.com/sing.html

Get podcasting advice, find collaborators, and grow together with Podcast Pals: https://laurenbest.com/podpals

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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

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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, and get equipped to tap into the potential of podcasting.

Jessica Stuart is a multi-instrumentalist and an acclaimed songwriter with an international fan base. Not only taking the lead on stage, she's also a skilled producer and in-demand side person working across genres. I've known Jessica for over a decade and have been inspired by her since our collaborations on stage as performing songwriters.

I was especially moved when I saw a documentary she both stars in and composed the soundtrack for. The CBC documentary, spearheaded by Oscar winning director Daniel Roher, follows Jessica's decades-later return to Japan to look for her childhood friend who had mysteriously disappeared. In our chat, she talks about the shock of the film's viral, worldwide reach with millions watching the most intimate moments in her search for someone she thought she'd lost forever.

We had so much to catch up on and I was eager to ask Jessica about what she has learned on her way to becoming a top-tier musician, touring internationally and earning big stage opportunities with major musical theatre productions. We talk about what is worth working towards- like better conditions for musicians to be appreciated.

Beyond her creative projects, Jessica opens up about going to therapy and changing her perspective on making confident choices. She told me about how deepening her focus by refusing to compromise on quality has led to both better work life balance and more exciting career opportunities.

We dive into an ongoing success first born from a rejection: her songwriters' residency "JS Presents", held monthly at Toronto's treasured haven for musicians, the Tranzac Club. She has created a reflective space of her own for her and other songwriters to perform in an intimate "listening room" setting, where artists are given the respect and compensation they deserve- along with the opportunity to world debut a new composition!

Jessica's dedication to building spaces for musicians to feel safe in experimenting and creating shines through wherever she goes. This episode brought back so many music making memories for me, and even if you aren't a musician yourself, I know you'll connect with Jessica's story.

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When Vancouver-born, guitarist, koto player, vocalist and songwriter Jessica Stuart moved to Toronto, quitting work as vintage clothing buyer for a career in music, her goals were simple – release an album of original songs, hear her music on the radio, and satisfy her wanderlust on tour around the world. Stuart's trio The Jessica Stuart Few checked the final box with their first Asian tour (and Top 40 single in Japan) in 2013, and since then, have played music festivals and been heard on airwaves from Australia to Germany and beyond.

Having made a name for herself through signature rhythmic and harmonically adventurous jazzy art pop, Jessica has tapped into a new creative stream under artist name, JESSA, smashing layers of playful guitars, koto and vocals into an indie-jazz-pop package, singing about trying to keep the joy in everyday life while navigating this weird world and all of its curve-balls.

Also an in-demand side player, Stuart can be found on stage supporting original artists' projects (i.e. Fefe Dobson; Wild Black; WiztheMC), as member of popular tribute acts (i.e. Idioteque; UK Calling), and as sub guitarist for Mirvish Productions' production of SIX.

If you hadn't yet heard Jessica's music through her Best Album win at the Independent Music Awards, her five songs in the finals of the Canadian Songwriting Competition, or the record crushing, tear-jerking CBC documentary about her time living in Japan as a child directed by Academy Award winner Daniel Roher (Finding Fukue, Nov 2018, 14 million + views, featuring Stuart's musical score), then you'll get to know her through her latest full-length album, Simple Songs and newest single, Give It Back, It's Mine.

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• www.jessicastuartmusic.com

• www.joanbeckowlegacy.com

• http://www.idioteque.ca/

• https://instagram.com/jessicastuartmusic

• https://www.youtube.com/@JESSAakaJessicaStuartMusic

• https://www.facebook.com/jessicastuartmusic

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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

- - -

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.

I was excited to speak with Brenda Earle Stokes, an award-winning jazz musician and innovative music educator based in NYC, and originally from Sarnia, Ontario. I too was raised in small town Ontario and taught piano for years, and I love learning from how other musicians, especially other women and mothers, have approached their career growth and creative pathways.

I appreciated Brenda's perspectives on creating a thriving career through hard work and problem solving. Our conversation dove right into her her musical journey, from recording a spontaneous solo album Solo Sessions at the Sarnia Public Library (2019), to the inspiration and creative process behind her latest album Motherhood (2023).

Brenda shared how she wrote the first song "The Endless Wait" years ago: "I was singing literally about the experience of pregnancy and that sort of feeling that you have where you're connected to your ancestors, but you're also like wondering who this person is."

It was during an artistic residency in 2019 that she had the space and focus to write eight of the ten songs for Motherhood. "In November of 2019, I was invited to do a residency at Banff. And it was really during that… in 8 or 9 days, I wrote eight of the songs."

Brenda discussed the challenges of being a mother in the male-dominated jazz industry, and how this new album captures the multidimensional realities of motherhood beyond the typical "look at my beautiful baby" songs.

"Rather than sort of this one dimensional like, 'oh, I'm so happy I my life is so full now'… it's more for those of us who are in it. It's more of a complex experience than that, where there's like body image issues or just like, who am I now?"

Brenda is not only an award-winning performing and touring musician and songwriter, she's also an in-demand music educator with a growing YouTube following challenging the way things have been done traditionally in music education: "I've taken a radically different approach than the one that I was taught. I was taught the long way. And I don't recommend it."

Her experiences have led her to focus on efficiency for students learning to play piano and sing, creating a program that priorities helping aspiring musicians do what they want to do faster: play music.

Brenda reflected on the immense effort required for an independent artist, from technical skills to marketing, which led her to learn how to shoot and edit video herself: "I have an incredible amount of technical knowledge that…. wasn't even on my radar at all. So that's why I think… you have to be willing to go in and really do the work for yourself and not think that someone can give you a blueprint for it because there is no blueprint for it."

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Brenda Earle Stokes is an award-winning pianist, vocalist, composer and educator. Her performance career as a leader and side musician has taken her across the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. She has performed and recorded as a bandleader and side musician with Wycliffe Gordon, Maurice Hines and the Diva Jazz Orchestra. Her seven albums showcase her original compositions and an eclectic mix of standards, contemporary pop and obscure jazz compositions. A passionate educator, she has worked as a clinician, adjudicator and panelist all over the world and runs a bustling private studio in New York City. Brenda's popular online membership The Versatile Musician contains hundreds of online courses, video tutorials and printables and has empowered hundreds of musicians worldwide to feel more confident in their musical lives.

Artist

• https://brendaearle.com

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brendaearlestokes/

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

• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/brendaearlestokes

Education

• https://pianoandvoicewithbrenda.com

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/pianoandvoicewithbrenda

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pianoandvoicewithbrenda

For the full Motherhood album visit Brenda's website: https://brendaearle.com/music/

These are the songs in today's episode, in the order they were played, linked to Brenda's Spotify page:

1. "Who Am I Now?" https://open.spotify.com/track/5GUwNe4zwKViJk933ZpkAQ?si=5e8ea2867aff4b89

2. "The Endless Wait" https://open.spotify.com/track/2bj3RqDuNogrbSCNbKTMwF?si=9fbf9d4926de43a7

3. "Happy Mother's Day" https://open.spotify.com/track/5TlBbVdXReGUMj1iIkp96R?si=bda26e952b66429d

4. "Sharp Edges" https://open.spotify.com/track/79jMHBzEEoQ8PGePQg0mGY?si=0640724e03a44e23

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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

- - -

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.

Before even launching this podcast, I knew I wanted to bring Samara Bay onto the show to talk about the importance of public speaking, changing what power sounds like, and creating a better world by giving ourselves permission to speak.

Once I saw the impact she was having through her acclaimed Substack publication, I felt even more inspired to dig deeper. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about her experiences dialect coaching in Hollywood, changing the course of history by coaching political candidates to speak powerfully, writing a book proposal on astroturf that turned into a bestseller, and how to handle the tough moments in rooms that are unwelcoming or downright hostile.

Samara embraced playful mischief to find her authentic author voice in her bestselling book Permission to Speak, and in our conversation she revealed how her book proposal started a "huge bidding war."

During our insightful chat, we discussed the necessity to extend our work as voice coaches beyond the exercises and technicalities to create safe spaces for vulnerable self-expression. Samara explained, "It is so much closer to social work or therapy than that. There's a real space holding, a real shame busting that happens."

Samara also opened up about allowing herself to share new ideas about voice that she felt she couldn't talk about when coaching. This feeling led to the creation of her podcast Permission to Speak, where she dives into what our voices say about us.

There is a lot more to this compelling conversation: overcoming doubts while creating a book proposal, working with literary agents and having the courage to share your story. Samara's story will inspire you to find your voice too.

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Samara Bay is a sought-after keynote speaker, thought leader, and speech coach whose clients include political powerhouses, rising leaders in business, and Hollywood celebrities. She's the author of the 2023 #1 bestseller Permission to Speak: How to Change What Power Sounds Like, Starting With You and her work has been featured in The New York Times Magazine, TIME, CBS Sunday Morning, Fast Company, Glamour, and Vanity Fair, among others. Follow her on Instagram and join her popular Substack community, HOW TO SHOW UP with Samara Bay

• @samarabay on IG
• www.samarabay.com to work with Samara privately or invite her to speak with your organization
• samarabay.substack.com

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

Lauren's Best invites you to curiously consider art and life as host, Lauren Best, reveals what has unlocked success in her own creative journey. Through healing and growth, she 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.

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

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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.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Lucy Cullen - a sustainability pioneer, musician, and wellbeing-focused business coach for entrepreneurs.

A doer at heart, Lucy started multiple first-of-their-kind companies to create a real environmental impact by addressing food waste. However it was this "hustle queen" lifestyle that led to a major burnout turning point, and she opened up about the moment her doctor told her, "Your body was already under so much stress... it's the straw that broke the camel's back."

Lucy was forced to take medical leave.

That experience was her wake-up call about the importance for entrepreneurs to prioritize their well-being. She's on a mission to equip others with mindset tools and self-care practices through her Thrive Framework.

Throughout our chat, Lucy's warmth and vulnerability really shone through. She doesn't hold back from the harsh realities she faced with burnout and health challenges, and her resilience is moving.

She's taken those experiences to build a new path supporting others caught up in their hustle. Her perspective is a must-listen for any creative feeling stress taking a toll.

Website: https://lucycullen.co/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelucycullen/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thelucycullen

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucyecullen/

Grab Lucy's FREE Reduce Stress & Avoid Burnout Guide here.

Lucy Cullen is a 4X Founder and Business Coach. Lucy has been an entrepreneur since 2015, personally launching four companies, creating two first-of-their-kind businesses in Canada: EarthPup and Terus. Lucy has coached +300 entrepreneurs all over the world to grow their businesses - including in the US, Colombia, Hong Kong, the UK, and the Western Balkans. She helps entrepreneurs grow their company while keeping their stress and overwhelm to a minimum.

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

Lauren's Best invites you to curiously consider art and life as host, Lauren Best, reveals what has unlocked success in her own creative journey. Through healing and growth, she 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.

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

- - -

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.

Lauralee Sheehan, founder of Digital 55, is pioneering innovative, cross-platform digital storytelling.

I first met Lauralee during my indie music scene days in early 20s Toronto. We were both trying to figure out the music publishing world and dreamed of making it big in the local performance scene.

I always admired her band's bold audiovisual style, so it came as no surprise to me to learn that Lauralee ended up using her ability to connect across mediums to break into the multimedia field. She told me she was really able to hone in on, "the fact that adapting content and designing in a way that's super creative, but also the technical skills, how in-demand that was."

These days, Lauralee is all about designing engaging digital experiences that merge art and tech. "It's like everybody's looking for that experience online, so you can't do that old school stuff. That's where I'm like, oh, there's a niche here," she explained. But she keeps it real about the challenges too, "I've been a little underwhelmed by people's understanding of creating new IP from old IP...it really involves this long-term collaboration where a new format is created."

It's wild looking back on how things have changed since we met in 2008, and to think our scrappy indie roots laid the groundwork for Lauralee to be pushing these boundaries now! Her journey from underground rocker to digital maverick is so inspiring.

Lauralee also shared a sneak peek at some of her upcoming projects including Filter, a digital series and channel that explores the new cannabis culture, and her eye opening experiences with Kickstarter.

We'd love to hear from you, have you ever produced a project for multiple platforms? Or worked on a crowd-sourced budget? Let us know your thoughts here on Substack or shoot me a message on Instagram (bylaurenbest).

Lauralee is an accomplished entrepreneur, digital addict, but above all an artist. With years of experience working in digital interactive media and learning experience design (LX), Lauralee is a trailblazer, pushing forward how creativity and technology intersect. She has led dynamic integrated digital teams on various award-winning digital, media, and learning projects. Lauralee is a powerhouse in digital storytelling and an "on the radar" emerging executive producer of unscripted content with D55 originals (DBA Coolhunter Films).

Digital 55

Filter

Digital 55 on Instagram

Filter on Instagram

Explore Filter on YouTube

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Join Lauren's Best on Substack to be the first to comment on new episodes and receive detailed show notes (including for this episode) with links to loads of free resources: laurenbest.substack.com

Lauren's Best invites you to curiously consider art and life as host, Lauren Best, reveals what has unlocked success in her own creative journey. Through healing and growth, she 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.

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

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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, and get equipped to tap into the potential of podcasting to create opportunity and prosperity.

Lauren and her co-producer Sam have a celebratory debrief about the first season of Lauren's Best. Join in the laughs and groans as they relive the highs and lows of production in this behind the scenes chat, from insights into the emergent creative collaboration process, to cable mismanagement and mic choices.

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Join Lauren's Best on Substack to be the first to comment on new episodes and receive detailed show notes: laurenbest.substack.com

Lauren's Best invites you to curiously consider art and life as host, Lauren Best, reveals what has unlocked success in her own creative journey. Through healing and growth, she 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.

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/

- - -

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 to create opportunity and prosperity.

I've been looking forward to interviewing writer Cody Caetano since reading his debut memoir. I read it quickly, washed with emotion and enjoying the gripping ride of comedy and compassion, carried by relentless clarity and childhood imagination. The compelling style and deeply reflective storyline drew me in. I knew that speaking with Cody would be fascinating.

After listening to this episode, I think you'll agree that the reading experience is somehow enriched by the pleasure that Cody takes in the writing process.

This conversation felt honest and patient, giving a gracious view into carefully considered craft. We talk about:

• the process behind writing and publishing his bestselling debut memoir, Half-Bads in White Regalia

• his collaborative approach as a literary agent supporting authors and unique perspective on publishing pipelines

• drawing inspiration from small-town Ontario life, 2000s culture, music, and podcasts

"Cody Caetano is a writer. His debut memoir, Half-Bads in White Regalia, came out through Penguin Canada's Hamish Hamilton imprint and was a national bestseller. It won the 2023 Indigenous Voices Award for Best Published Prose, made the shortlist for the 2023 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction, and made the longlist for the 2023 Toronto Book Award, the 2023 Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, and Canada Reads 2023. He works as a literary agent at CookeMcDermid, where he represents both emerging and acclaimed writers. Recently, Cody served as a judge for The Fiddlehead's 2023 Creative Non-Fiction Contest, The Ex-Puritan's 2023 Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence, and as the Writer in Residence for the 2023 Whistler Writers Festival. He lives in Toronto."

• Website: www.codycaetano.com

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/cody_caetano

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Join Lauren's Best on Substack to be the first to comment on new episodes and receive detailed show notes: laurenbest.substack.com

Lauren's Best invites you to curiously consider art and life as host, Lauren Best, reveals what has unlocked success in her own creative journey. Through healing and growth, she 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.

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

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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, and get equipped to tap into the potential of podcasting to create opportunity and prosperity.