STOPTIME: Live in the Moment.

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Transform Fear: Meeting Yourself with Compassion

When fear shows up uninvited, most of us try to outthink it, outrun it, or push it down. This meditation offers something different: a quiet experiment in kindness.

Through gentle breathwork, grounding, and vivid imagery, you’ll learn to meet fear not as a foe to defeat but as energy asking to be seen. We begin by letting gravity hold us—softening the jaw, loosening the shoulders, and lengthening each exhale until the body starts to trust the moment.

From there, we invite fear to sit beside us with a simple message: you can be here. That acknowledgment begins to unwind the cycle of resistance and shame that keeps anxiety stuck. As you breathe light into the places where fear lives, imagine a warm glow—golden, silver, or soft yellow—spreading through your body, softening edges and releasing tension.

Anchoring affirmations—
💛 I have everything I need within me.
💛 My calm is stronger than my fear.
💛 I meet myself with compassion.

—help you translate the experience into a reliable inner resource.

By the end, you’ll feel the difference between managing fear and transforming your relationship with it: less bracing, more belonging; less reaction, more choice.

✨ Press play, breathe with us, and notice what changes.

Support the show

🌟✨📚 **Buy 'The Places Where There Are Spaces: Cultivating A Life of Creative Possibilities'** 📚✨🌟 
Dive into a world where spontaneity leads to creativity and discover personal essays that inspire with journal space to reflect. Click the link below to grab your copy today and embark on a journey of self-discovery and unexpected joys! 🌈👇 
🔗 Purchase Your Copy Here: https://a.co/d/2UlsmYC

🌟 **Interested in finding out more about working with Lisa Hopkins? Want to share your feedback or be considered as a guest on the show?** 
🔗 Visit Wide Open Stages https://www.wideopenstages.com

📸 **Follow Lisa on Instagram:** @wideopenstages https://www.instagram.com/wideopenstages/

💖 **SUPPORT THE SHOW:** [Buy Me a Coffee] https://www.buymeacoffee.com/STOPTIME

🎵 **STOPTIME Theme Music by Philip David Stern** 
🔗 [Listen on Spotify]
https://open.spotify.com/artist/57A87Um5vok0uEtM8vWpKM?si=JOx7r1iVSbqAHezG4PjiPg

Let us know what you enjoy about the show!

A church choir, a missed criminology path, and a flyer for Jesus Christ Superstar—Jaime Lozano’s origin story doesn’t sound like a straight line to Broadway, but it sings like one.

We sit down with Mexican Broadway composer, lyricist, orchestrator, and music director Jaime Lozano to unpack how a series of gut-led choices, generous communities, and a stubborn belief in possibility shaped his art and life. From becoming the first Mexican graduate of NYU’s musical theater MFA to rebuilding after a visa scam forced him to return to Monterrey, Jaime shares the real immigrant journey behind Songs by an Immigrant and the musicals that center Latinx voices with heart, humor, and cultural depth.

We explore why representation in musical theater matters, how Spanish, English, Spanglish—and every accent—belong in the story, and what it means to write honestly when life is loud. Jaime opens up about composing with his child dancing in the living room, swapping projects when inspiration sparks, and choosing Times Square’s chaos or a quiet Rhinebeck lake with equal joy.

With wisdom on prioritizing the important over the urgent, trusting that deadlines serve the work and not the other way around, and measuring success by impact on his community, Jaime reminds us that art is a language for belonging.

👉 If you’ve ever felt “late” to your calling or believed you needed perfect conditions to create, this conversation offers both practical inspiration and immigrant grit.

🎶 Explore Jaime Lozano’s Work

• Songs by an Immigrant (Spotify)
  — stream the album there
  Spotify
• Songs by an Immigrant “Jaime Lozano & The Familia” CD (Broadway Records store)
  
  Center Stage Records
• Jaime Lozano — Official Website
  
  Jaimelozano
• Jaime Lozano — Instagram
  
  Instagram
• Jaime Lozano — YouTube Channel
  
  YouTube
• Songs by an Immigrant Vol. 2 (Concord Theatricals)
  
  Concord Theatricals Recordings

If you are enjoying the show please subscribe, share and review! Word of mouth is incredibly impactful and your support is much appreciated!

Support the show

🌟✨📚 **Buy 'The Places Where There Are Spaces: Cultivating A Life of Creative Possibilities'** 📚✨🌟 
Dive into a world where spontaneity leads to creativity and discover personal essays that inspire with journal space to reflect. Click the link below to grab your copy today and embark on a journey of self-discovery and unexpected joys! 🌈👇 
🔗 Purchase Your Copy Here: https://a.co/d/2UlsmYC

🌟 **Interested in finding out more about working with Lisa Hopkins? Want to share your feedback or be considered as a guest on the show?** 
🔗 Visit Wide Open Stages https://www.wideopenstages.com

📸 **Follow Lisa on Instagram:** @wideopenstages https://www.instagram.com/wideopenstages/

💖 **SUPPORT THE SHOW:** [Buy Me a Coffee] https://www.buymeacoffee.com/STOPTIME

🎵 **STOPTIME Theme Music by Philip David Stern** 
🔗 [Listen on Spotify]
https://open.spotify.com/artist/57A87Um5vok0uEtM8vWpKM?si=JOx7r1iVSbqAHezG4PjiPg

Let us know what you enjoy about the show!

Are you tired of setting goals you can’t stick to? In this episode, Lisa Hopkins introduces The Menu — a flexible, practical tool designed to set you up for success no matter how busy life gets.

Instead of rigid goals that often lead to guilt or frustration, The Menu offers bite-sized to main-course options you create for yourself. You’re the chef — and each day, the only “goal” is to choose something from your menu.

Discover how to build your own menu of mindfulness, energy, notions, and unwinding so you always have achievable, conscious choices at your fingertips. From a one-minute breathing exercise to a full creative project, The Menu helps you stay consistent, motivated, and guilt-free.

✨ Stop struggling with traditional goal setting. Start choosing from The Menu.

If you are enjoying the show please subscribe, share and review! Word of mouth is incredibly impactful and your support is much appreciated!

Support the show

🌟✨📚 **Buy 'The Places Where There Are Spaces: Cultivating A Life of Creative Possibilities'** 📚✨🌟 
Dive into a world where spontaneity leads to creativity and discover personal essays that inspire with journal space to reflect. Click the link below to grab your copy today and embark on a journey of self-discovery and unexpected joys! 🌈👇 
🔗 Purchase Your Copy Here: https://a.co/d/2UlsmYC

🌟 **Interested in finding out more about working with Lisa Hopkins? Want to share your feedback or be considered as a guest on the show?** 
🔗 Visit Wide Open Stages https://www.wideopenstages.com

📸 **Follow Lisa on Instagram:** @wideopenstages https://www.instagram.com/wideopenstages/

💖 **SUPPORT THE SHOW:** [Buy Me a Coffee] https://www.buymeacoffee.com/STOPTIME

🎵 **STOPTIME Theme Music by Philip David Stern** 
🔗 [Listen on Spotify]
https://open.spotify.com/artist/57A87Um5vok0uEtM8vWpKM?si=JOx7r1iVSbqAHezG4PjiPg

Let us know what you enjoy about the show!

Take a journey into your inner landscape with this transformative guided meditation focused on reconnecting with your authentic power. Beginning with mindful breath awareness, this practice leads you to visualize your breath as golden light energy gathering in your solar plexus – your personal power center.

Many of us unconsciously dim our light, hiding our gifts and talents from the world. Through gentle guidance, this meditation helps you identify where you might be "playing small" in your life, where self-doubt has crept in, and where anxiety might be physically stored in your body. As you direct healing breath energy to these areas, you'll experience a profound release of tension and a renewed sense of possibility.

"You are a powerful and beautiful being who came here not to dim your sweet soul," reminds the guide as you're led through a series of empowering affirmations: "I am powerful, I am connected, I am strong" and "I am ready." These words aren't just positive thinking – they're reminders of your essential nature and the gifts you were born to share.

The meditation culminates with an invitation to be your own lighthouse – a guiding beacon not just for others but for yourself. In a world that often encourages conformity, this practice gives you permission to shine your unique light unapologetically. Whether you're facing challenges, seeking direction, or simply wanting to reconnect with your authentic self, this meditation offers a sanctuary of self-discovery and empowerment. Take these ten minutes to remember who you truly are. The world needs your light – are you ready to let it shine?

Support the show

🌟✨📚 **Buy 'The Places Where There Are Spaces: Cultivating A Life of Creative Possibilities'** 📚✨🌟 
Dive into a world where spontaneity leads to creativity and discover personal essays that inspire with journal space to reflect. Click the link below to grab your copy today and embark on a journey of self-discovery and unexpected joys! 🌈👇 
🔗 Purchase Your Copy Here: https://a.co/d/2UlsmYC

🌟 **Interested in finding out more about working with Lisa Hopkins? Want to share your feedback or be considered as a guest on the show?** 
🔗 Visit Wide Open Stages https://www.wideopenstages.com

📸 **Follow Lisa on Instagram:** @wideopenstages https://www.instagram.com/wideopenstages/

💖 **SUPPORT THE SHOW:** [Buy Me a Coffee] https://www.buymeacoffee.com/STOPTIME

🎵 **STOPTIME Theme Music by Philip David Stern** 
🔗 [Listen on Spotify]
https://open.spotify.com/artist/57A87Um5vok0uEtM8vWpKM?si=JOx7r1iVSbqAHezG4PjiPg

Let us know what you enjoy about the show!

What if the things we’ve lost aren’t really missing, but simply traveling? This tender retelling of a story attributed to Franz Kafka offers a profound perspective on change, transformation, and how we might relate differently to what we feel we’ve lost.

Through the tale of a little girl whose doll goes missing in a Berlin park, we discover a beautiful metaphor for life’s transitions. When a thin man suggests the doll isn’t lost but traveling, he begins delivering letters that chronicle her adventures around the world. With each note, we learn alongside the child how “a postcard can be a doorway, how a suitcase can be a spine, how homesickness is just love with somewhere to go.”

The story culminates in recognition and acceptance when the girl receives a new doll—embodying the way experience changes us. A short guided reflection invites you to consider your own “traveling dolls”: aspects of life that may be changing form rather than disappearing. What might they write to you today? What wisdom have they gathered on their journey?

Whether you’re navigating a transition, processing a loss, or simply curious about new ways to meet change, these six minutes offer a quiet pause to breathe, listen, and perhaps write your own postcard from whatever is moving in your life now.

Note: This is a contemporary retelling of a story often attributed to Franz Kafka; the original letters were never found.

If you are enjoying the show please subscribe, share and review! Word of mouth is incredibly impactful and your support is much appreciated!

Support the show

🌟✨📚 **Buy 'The Places Where There Are Spaces: Cultivating A Life of Creative Possibilities'** 📚✨🌟 
Dive into a world where spontaneity leads to creativity and discover personal essays that inspire with journal space to reflect. Click the link below to grab your copy today and embark on a journey of self-discovery and unexpected joys! 🌈👇 
🔗 Purchase Your Copy Here: https://a.co/d/2UlsmYC

🌟 **Interested in finding out more about working with Lisa Hopkins? Want to share your feedback or be considered as a guest on the show?** 
🔗 Visit Wide Open Stages https://www.wideopenstages.com

📸 **Follow Lisa on Instagram:** @wideopenstages https://www.instagram.com/wideopenstages/

💖 **SUPPORT THE SHOW:** [Buy Me a Coffee] https://www.buymeacoffee.com/STOPTIME

🎵 **STOPTIME Theme Music by Philip David Stern** 
🔗 [Listen on Spotify]
https://open.spotify.com/artist/57A87Um5vok0uEtM8vWpKM?si=JOx7r1iVSbqAHezG4PjiPg

Let us know what you enjoy about the show!

What if the key to a more fulfilling life isn't about squeezing more productivity from every minute but rather making space for unscheduled joy? Join me as I share the surprising lessons I've learned from playing impromptu badminton games with my husband on the narrow green strip between our cottage and the lake.

These spontaneous matches—where he strategically positions me with the wind at my back, sends the birdie soaring into tree branches, and lunges dramatically for returns while I laugh until I cry—have become a treasured ritual. You won't find these games on our calendars or to-do lists. They serve no purpose beyond the moment itself, yet they've become invaluable to our wellbeing.

Through these playful interludes, I've discovered that while I deeply believe in hard work and dedication, success isn't defined solely by hours logged, words written, or money earned. There's diminishing value in working so relentlessly that we're too exhausted to enjoy the rewards. Paradoxically, when we return from these breaks, we find ourselves more energized and connected—not just to each other, but to whatever we're focusing on. We may put the "bad" in badminton with our lack of skill, but as I like to say, the score is always "love-love." I encourage you to find your equivalent of lakeside badminton—that activity that brings you pure, purposeless joy. Your productivity (and your heart) might just thank you for it.

If you are enjoying the show please subscribe, share and review! Word of mouth is incredibly impactful and your support is much appreciated!

Support the show

🌟✨📚 **Buy 'The Places Where There Are Spaces: Cultivating A Life of Creative Possibilities'** 📚✨🌟 
Dive into a world where spontaneity leads to creativity and discover personal essays that inspire with journal space to reflect. Click the link below to grab your copy today and embark on a journey of self-discovery and unexpected joys! 🌈👇 
🔗 Purchase Your Copy Here: https://a.co/d/2UlsmYC

🌟 **Interested in finding out more about working with Lisa Hopkins? Want to share your feedback or be considered as a guest on the show?** 
🔗 Visit Wide Open Stages https://www.wideopenstages.com

📸 **Follow Lisa on Instagram:** @wideopenstages https://www.instagram.com/wideopenstages/

💖 **SUPPORT THE SHOW:** [Buy Me a Coffee] https://www.buymeacoffee.com/STOPTIME

🎵 **STOPTIME Theme Music by Philip David Stern** 
🔗 [Listen on Spotify]
https://open.spotify.com/artist/57A87Um5vok0uEtM8vWpKM?si=JOx7r1iVSbqAHezG4PjiPg

Let us know what you enjoy about the show!

Doorways to clarity await in this transformative guided meditation that connects you with the wisdom of your future self. 

The journey begins in a quiet, safe room—your inner sanctuary of possibility. With each breath, you're guided to open windows, inviting fresh air that symbolizes the clearing of mental clutter and stagnant energy. As light floods in, notice how your body responds to this spaciousness, this invitation to expand beyond current limitations.

Around you stand several doors, each unique in appearance and representing different potential paths forward. Which one calls to you? Which sparks curiosity or feels alive with possibility? There's no right or wrong choice—only the wisdom of your intuition guiding you toward what resonates most deeply. As you step through your chosen doorway, you encounter perhaps the most powerful guide available: your future self.

This visualization creates a bridge between who you are now and who you're becoming. Your future self stands before you with ease in their expression and light in their eyes, offering guidance and reassurance that transcends your current challenges. The message may arrive as words, images, feelings, or simply a knowing presence—whatever form it takes, it carries exactly what you need in this moment.

The practice reminds us that clarity isn't found by adding more to our lives but by creating space for wisdom to emerge. Windows can always be opened; doors are always waiting to be chosen. What message does your future self have for you today? Take these ten minutes to discover the guidance that already exists within you.

Support the show

🌟✨📚 **Buy 'The Places Where There Are Spaces: Cultivating A Life of Creative Possibilities'** 📚✨🌟 
Dive into a world where spontaneity leads to creativity and discover personal essays that inspire with journal space to reflect. Click the link below to grab your copy today and embark on a journey of self-discovery and unexpected joys! 🌈👇 
🔗 Purchase Your Copy Here: https://a.co/d/2UlsmYC

🌟 **Interested in finding out more about working with Lisa Hopkins? Want to share your feedback or be considered as a guest on the show?** 
🔗 Visit Wide Open Stages https://www.wideopenstages.com

📸 **Follow Lisa on Instagram:** @wideopenstages https://www.instagram.com/wideopenstages/

💖 **SUPPORT THE SHOW:** [Buy Me a Coffee] https://www.buymeacoffee.com/STOPTIME

🎵 **STOPTIME Theme Music by Philip David Stern** 
🔗 [Listen on Spotify]
https://open.spotify.com/artist/57A87Um5vok0uEtM8vWpKM?si=JOx7r1iVSbqAHezG4PjiPg

Let us know what you enjoy about the show!

What does it really mean to honor your body’s wisdom in a high-pressure career?

Broadway star Aisha Jackson (The Great Gatsby, Frozen, Waitress) takes us behind the curtain to reveal the delicate balance between artistic excellence and personal wellbeing. Fresh from celebrating the one-year anniversary of her vocal surgery, Aisha shares her practice of “constant check-ins” — a mindful way of gauging her physical, mental, and vocal capacity each day. She also introduces the concept of “vocal cash” — the limited energy reserves performers must budget through demanding eight-show weeks.

Our conversation explores how reframing limits as choices creates a powerful shift — one that preserves her voice, expands her artistry, and sustains her joy. Aisha speaks candidly about representation, mentorship, and her commitment to creating space for others to shine. From navigating grief to celebrating triumphs, she reveals how staying grounded in her deeper purpose allows her to transcend the pressures of performance.

Whether you’re a performer, creative professional, or navigating your own high-demand path, Aisha’s wisdom offers a blueprint for sustainable excellence — and a reminder that when we honor our capacity, reconnect to our why, and share our gifts with joy, we show up more authentically in every moment.

If you are enjoying the show please subscribe, share and review! Word of mouth is incredibly impactful and your support is much appreciated!

Support the show

🌟✨📚 **Buy 'The Places Where There Are Spaces: Cultivating A Life of Creative Possibilities'** 📚✨🌟 
Dive into a world where spontaneity leads to creativity and discover personal essays that inspire with journal space to reflect. Click the link below to grab your copy today and embark on a journey of self-discovery and unexpected joys! 🌈👇 
🔗 Purchase Your Copy Here: https://a.co/d/2UlsmYC

🌟 **Interested in finding out more about working with Lisa Hopkins? Want to share your feedback or be considered as a guest on the show?** 
🔗 Visit Wide Open Stages https://www.wideopenstages.com

📸 **Follow Lisa on Instagram:** @wideopenstages https://www.instagram.com/wideopenstages/

💖 **SUPPORT THE SHOW:** [Buy Me a Coffee] https://www.buymeacoffee.com/STOPTIME

🎵 **STOPTIME Theme Music by Philip David Stern** 
🔗 [Listen on Spotify]
https://open.spotify.com/artist/57A87Um5vok0uEtM8vWpKM?si=JOx7r1iVSbqAHezG4PjiPg

Let us know what you enjoy about the show!

Life is full of transitions—some chosen, some unexpected. Fresh starts can feel both exciting and overwhelming, and often we forget to pause long enough to honor the shift.

This guided meditation will help you release what no longer serves you, carry forward the wisdom of what’s behind you, and gently step into what lies ahead. Through mindful breathing and visualization, you’ll plant the seed of your intention and reconnect with the power of presence.

Take this time to remind yourself:
 ✨ Every ending holds a beginning.
 ✨ Every transition is an invitation to grow.
 ✨ You always have the choice to begin again.

Support the show

🌟✨📚 **Buy 'The Places Where There Are Spaces: Cultivating A Life of Creative Possibilities'** 📚✨🌟 
Dive into a world where spontaneity leads to creativity and discover personal essays that inspire with journal space to reflect. Click the link below to grab your copy today and embark on a journey of self-discovery and unexpected joys! 🌈👇 
🔗 Purchase Your Copy Here: https://a.co/d/2UlsmYC

🌟 **Interested in finding out more about working with Lisa Hopkins? Want to share your feedback or be considered as a guest on the show?** 
🔗 Visit Wide Open Stages https://www.wideopenstages.com

📸 **Follow Lisa on Instagram:** @wideopenstages https://www.instagram.com/wideopenstages/

💖 **SUPPORT THE SHOW:** [Buy Me a Coffee] https://www.buymeacoffee.com/STOPTIME

🎵 **STOPTIME Theme Music by Philip David Stern** 
🔗 [Listen on Spotify]
https://open.spotify.com/artist/57A87Um5vok0uEtM8vWpKM?si=JOx7r1iVSbqAHezG4PjiPg

Let us know what you enjoy about the show!

This intimate conversation explores the balance between craving stability and embracing uncertainty in artistic pursuits.

Our guest, an established actor, shares their strategy for navigating the feast-or-famine nature of the entertainment industry. Rather than remaining “at the beck and call of some force that might grant me a job,” they’ve discovered the power of self-created projects—work that generates passion, purpose, and forward momentum regardless of outside validation.

The discussion takes a fascinating turn when examining the language we use to describe our needs. What begins as a desire for “structure” transforms into something deeper: self-actualization and creative autonomy. Through gentle questioning, we uncover what truly lies beneath—a yearning to create something enduring in a profession defined by temporary roles.

For anyone in a creative field struggling with uncertainty, this episode offers a fresh perspective on building a sustainable creative life. It’s about honoring what you create that won’t vanish when external projects end, cultivating balance that isn’t disrupted by professional ups and downs, and finding fulfillment through self-directed work aligned with your deepest values.

🎧 Listen now to discover how you can build a creative foundation that remains steady—even in uncertain times.

If you are enjoying the show please subscribe, share and review! Word of mouth is incredibly impactful and your support is much appreciated!

Support the show

🌟✨📚 **Buy 'The Places Where There Are Spaces: Cultivating A Life of Creative Possibilities'** 📚✨🌟 
Dive into a world where spontaneity leads to creativity and discover personal essays that inspire with journal space to reflect. Click the link below to grab your copy today and embark on a journey of self-discovery and unexpected joys! 🌈👇 
🔗 Purchase Your Copy Here: https://a.co/d/2UlsmYC

🌟 **Interested in finding out more about working with Lisa Hopkins? Want to share your feedback or be considered as a guest on the show?** 
🔗 Visit Wide Open Stages https://www.wideopenstages.com

📸 **Follow Lisa on Instagram:** @wideopenstages https://www.instagram.com/wideopenstages/

💖 **SUPPORT THE SHOW:** [Buy Me a Coffee] https://www.buymeacoffee.com/STOPTIME

🎵 **STOPTIME Theme Music by Philip David Stern** 
🔗 [Listen on Spotify]
https://open.spotify.com/artist/57A87Um5vok0uEtM8vWpKM?si=JOx7r1iVSbqAHezG4PjiPg