Love Your Enthusiasm

For Violette de Ayala, the founder of FemCity, life is truly what you make of it. When you step into your power and create your own life, the possibilities are infinite.
 
While venturing out on your own may seem daunting, Violette believes that for women, running a business is the most powerful way to create a life on your terms. Being an entrepreneur comes with plenty of stress and overwhelm. Violette gives her take on finding balance and why we should focus on areas of happiness, health, and wealth.
 
This is undoubtedly a time for rebirth...how you choose to move forward is your choice. Do you want to stay stuck? Or, do you want to apply the lessons you've learned to design the life you want?

 Show Notes and Transcript: https://loveyourenthusiasm.com/balancing-business-and-life-violette-de-ayala/

Many of us don’t like to talk or think about money, but there is a direct correlation between your finances and your passion. This week Britt brings you another solo show, where she explores topics that positively and/or negatively impact your enthusiasm—this discussion is all about taking a long look at your cost of living.

In this episode, Britt talks about balancing your finances to protect your enthusiasm—and why focusing only on income-generating activities will drain your time and energy reserves.

Having lived and left the West Coast twice, Britt has seen firsthand how lowering your cost of living can raise your quality of life. She shares her own experience, where she lost her love for writing blogs and books to maintain a life in Portland, Oregon and how moving back to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and gaining financial relief helped reignite her creative passions.

Britt expands on The Wheel of Life and the Money Dial, and how to use these tools to get your finances back on track. You’ll also hear tips on prioritizing how you spend money, decreasing costs and increasing efficiency, and making a calculated decision to move to a more affordable city.

It’s not about chasing money...it’s about using money as a tool. If your finances are more balanced, it’s easier to focus on your passion because you have less stress, anxiety, and uncertainty. If your finances are out of whack, it’s time to address this area in your life. And, lowering your cost of living plays an important role.

Show Notes and Transcript: https://loveyourenthusiasm.com/lowering-your-cost-of-living/

The phrase “Live your best life” gets thrown around so much that it has become devoid of any true meaning. However, today’s guest, travel writer and photographer, Alison Armstrong, is the absolute embodiment of this adage.

Every day we get bombarded by hyper-curated lifestyle aspirations on social media. Alison understands our best life is not about external markers of success, but about following our inner calling. Alison expands on why even though she has made unconventional choices, these decisions never felt difficult to make. She also shares the work she has done to collapse her limiting beliefs and why we should lean into our feelings of being stuck.
 
Living authentically means listening to your truth. Whether you want to climb the corporate ladder or live out of a suitcase, as long as you are doing what you are called to do, Alison believes you most certainly are living your best life.

Show Notes and Transcript: https://loveyourenthusiasm.com/live-your-best-life-authentically-alison-armstrong/

For writing coach and author, Kate Johnston, creativity is the cornerstone of a joyful and fulfilled life. By tapping into her creative forces, she has learned, healed, and evolved.

Kate’s approach to writing and teaching is honest and mindful. By starting from a place of self-inquiry and curiosity, writers can learn more about who they are and create from there. Kate believes we find lessons at every turn when we understand that what we are going through—either good or bad—is not the truth, but merely an experience.

Kate is truly the embodiment of what it means to live a joyful creative life. Her insights into obstacles, expansion, and creation are especially affirming in light of the tough times we find ourselves in.

Show Notes and Transcript: https://loveyourenthusiasm.com/tap-into-your-creative-forces-kate-johnston/

For self-discovery and empowerment coach, Aura Martinez, life’s greatest adventure is going within and reconnecting with ourselves. While so many of us turn to external sources to find fulfillment, nothing will ever give us the sense of peace that we get from the inner journey. 

This year has led many of us—perhaps reluctantly—to walk a path of self-discovery. With restrictions on activities like travel and socializing, we have started to find a deep contentedness that comes from within. Aura believes that by getting curious and listening to what we are feeling, we can journey closer to our true essence and see the most beautiful places inside.

Inner work is the commitment of a lifetime. As Aura highlights, there is no relationship more important than the one you have with yourself. So you might as well do everything in your power to master yourself.

Show Notes and Transcript: https://loveyourenthusiasm.com/master-yourself-master-your-life-aura-martinez/

As the Founder of The Wave Podcasting, Lauren Popish has built a company that aims to help women tell their unique stories through podcasts. Not only are podcasts an incredible medium to have women’s voices heard, but it also provides an unmatched opportunity to strengthen their confidence. 

Lauren talks about how an intense public speaking blunder took her from an extroverted, outspoken person to someone who suddenly feared speaking up. Podcasting helped Lauren reclaim her voice. Having seen firsthand the power that starting a podcast had in transforming her own life, Lauren knew that she had to bring other women along on this incredible mindfulness journey.

Lauren’s story shows that feeling vulnerable and shame are all part of the human condition. We can choose to let these difficult feelings hold us back, or we can face them head-on and turn them around, armed with more stories and lessons to share with the world.

Show Notes and Transcript: https://loveyourenthusiasm.com/gain-storytelling-confidence-lauren-popish/

Even though alcohol consumption has been deeply ingrained in our society for thousands of years, it’s still a taboo subject to openly talk about. This week Britt introduces a new segment on Love Your Enthusiasm, where she takes a deep dive into topics that impact your enthusiasm, either positively, negatively, or both—and this episode looks at the complex issue of alcohol.

As alcohol is a substance, negative effects like hangovers, memory impairment, and sluggishness are well-documented. But have you ever considered how alcohol disrupts your time and energy?

Dependency or addiction manifests differently for everyone, so there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution and there certainly isn’t an easy button any of us can push.

Britt reveals the steps that worked for her during previous alcohol breaks, including committing to a designated time period, avoiding triggers, and rewarding herself. She also talks about her own experience with drugs and alcohol, including hitting rock bottom and nearly destroying her life by the time she was 20 years old.

There are numerous benefits to taking a break from alcohol. Even if you ditch alcohol for a short 30-day challenge, you’ll tune into the many positives and bonuses that happen when you trade your alcohol habit for healthier habits. It’s more of a “Why the hell not?” rather than a “Why?”

Show Notes and Transcript: https://loveyourenthusiasm.com/how-to-take-a-break-from-alcohol/

Caitlin Trainor is the Founder of Dancio, a platform that offers on-demand ballet and contemporary dance classes. Caitlin believes movement is a way for us to achieve more embodied, self-aware lives and to understand the experiences of others.

In an increasingly materialistic world, Caitlin recognizes just how radical dance can be. Our society seeks to separate us from our bodies, so coming back to ourselves over and over again is an act of protest against expectations and norms. Along with sharing her journey as a creative entrepreneur, choreographer, and teacher—Caitlin explores the future of video in dance, and how movement through video will be a key tool in making teaching, rehearsing, and conditioning more effective.

Although 2020 is an incredibly difficult time for dancers, Caitlin’s message is one of hope. We will always need dance—and we will keep coming back to it time and time again in whatever form we need to create.

Show Notes and Transcript: https://loveyourenthusiasm.com/changing-the-world-through-movement-caitlin-trainor/

Katrina Naomi is an award-winning poet who is here to improve the accessibility of poetry and show that poetry truly is for everyone.

Katrina is not your typical poet. She didn’t grow up reading poetry, because she found it inaccessible and difficult to relate to. Later in life, when Katrina was in her thirties, she saw poetry in a different light and began to create. Along the way, she remained a realist, finding that putting in the work was even more important than seeking inspiration.

Katrina’s outlook is both bold and realistic. Her vulnerability and openness around doubt and rejection demystify the often-inaccessible world of poetry. She hopes that by sharing her journey, she can prove that poetry truly is for everyone.

Show Notes and Transcript: https://loveyourenthusiasm.com/making-poetry-more-accessible-katrina-naomi/

Ra Avis is the blogger behind the award-winning blog Rarasaur, an author of three books, and a widow who was formerly incarcerated—the practice of forgiveness is an inextricable part of Ra’s life and all that she creates.   

Ra Avis has lived through more than most of us will ever experience in our lifetimes. She talks about how prison allowed her to truly understand what it means to forgive and the interwoven nature of radical love and forgiveness. While most of us have an idea of what forgiveness means, Ra offers an expanded understanding that begins first and foremost with the self. Forgiveness is largely framed as an external act—but just as with love, forgiveness radiates from the inside out.

Letting go requires practice, and it’s a skill that Ra believes we can all work on and strengthen over time. Ra’s story is a powerful example of what can happen when we let things go, accept ourselves with unconditional love, and find our freedom.

Show Notes and Transcript: https://loveyourenthusiasm.com/the-beautiful-practice-of-forgiveness-ra-avis/