What do you do when you're painfully shy and terrified of public speaking? Start doing stand-up comedy, of course! At least that's what this week's guest, Jennifer Mason (@JenXComedy) decided to do. And what happened next will inspire you to laughter, or possibly tears, and maybe even to try your hand at the next open mic...

Highlight Reel:

2:30 - Menopause: when women get funny

6:00 - Too soon?

9:30 - Build your courage muscles

13:00 - Finding your funny

14:00 - Bad choices make good comedy

18:30 - Comedy doesn't have to be mean (even to yourself!)

21:00 - A comedy of misunderstandings

39:00 - The Hot Flash

Learn more at: https://jenxcomedy.com/

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/ogL4PULNZT8

Read the transcript: https://www.thatsaloud.com/post/transform-your-bad-days-into-good-jokes-w--jennifer-mason

It's hard to feel valuable when you're in the red, but focusing on paying down your debt may be keeping you stuck in a vicious cycle. Money Confidence Coach Aimee Cerka (@aimeecerka) is here to help you gain solid footing, raise your net worth, and start creating value for yourself and your family with confidence. 

Highlight Reel:

1:30 - The Wake-Up Call

9:30 - Why you should stop focusing on debt reduction

15:00 - Time isn't money

16:00 - 3 ways to increase your net worth

19:30 - Stop chasing money, start creating value

22:00 - You are valuable!

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/HbsqFyj27gA

Read the Transcript: https://www.thatsaloud.com/post/get-out-of-debt-mindset-w--aimee-cerka

They say every cloud has a silver lining, but sometimes that lining is pure gold. After her toxic, arranged marriage ended, Devika Dey became a relationship coach, helping women build resilience and move on from tough break-ups. But in 2020, she had a breakdownthrough that showed her the bigger picture of how her guilt, shame, and fear were affecting not just her sense of worthiness in relationships, but in her career as well. Now she helps women apply that same resilience to leadership, so they can thrive across all areas of their lives.  

Highlight Reel:

3:00 - A toxic arranged marriage 

7:10 - 2020, the ultimate break-up 

12:00 - Professional toxicity 

18:30 - The gift of rupture 

19:00 - The same inner voice runs every show 

28:30 - Bad things aren't always bad 

32:00 - Surfing the seas of grief

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/fJx7nU8SQok

Read the transcript: https://www.thatsaloud.com/post/the-rapture-of-rupture-w--devika-dey

What story are you telling yourself about where you’re going? We’ve all had a big reminder that life is precious and fleeting - are you putting your energy into work you really care about? Today, accomplished storyteller Theresa Francomacro (Why Story Works) is here to ask the question, ‘What are you waiting for?’

Highlight Reel

1:60  Why Story Works

4:10  Humility & Trust in 2020

8:30  What are you waiting for?

12:40  It’s hard to invest in yourself (or There are no guarantees)

16:30  Being a continuous, lifelong learner

24:10  A Pocket-Day

27:40  5 Neurological Mind-Shifts (of F-L-L-E-A)

32:40  Serenity, wonder, play

38:30  Alliances and bridges

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/JB-8Y1SXESo

Read the transcript: https://www.thatsaloud.com/post/everybody-s-got-a-story-w--theresa-francomacaro

Imagine you notice a small, purplish bump on your thumb. Seems like no big deal but, just in case, you go to an urgent care clinic to get it checked out. They give you some ointment, and some antibiotics, and send you home. Thirty-six hours later, your body, and your life, are completely unrecognizable. Today’s guest, Katy Grainger barely survived her horrifying brush with sepsis, and wants to make sure everyone out there knows the signs and symptoms to look for. It could save the life and/or limbs of someone you love! For more information, visit https://www.sepsis.org/

Highlight Reel:

3:00 The mysterious purple bump

4:20 Temperature

5:00 Infection

5:30 Memory/Mental decline

9:00 Extremely ill

11:00 Septic shock

12:30 Unrecognizable

15:00 Saved life, lost limbs

25:30 The power of sharing her story

30:20 Rainbow light and an ideal world

35:00 Sepsis alliance: sepsis.org

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/AuXxO_G8jTA

Read the transcript: https://www.thatsaloud.com/post/it-s-about-time-for-sepsis-awareness-w--katy-grainger

So often our natural creativity is hijacked by the daily grind. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Musician and creator Pierce Duncan (@pierceduncandotnet) joins us today to talk about making a place for creativity, being there when inspiration shows up, and how to be a prolific creator.

Highlight Reel

2:00  Creative sacrifices

6:30  Growing up anxious

11:20  A devotional practice

15:20  Creativity and depression

20:40  All of a sudden, there’s time

24:20  Ready for inspiration

28:20  Having an outlet

34:40  Everyone is a creator

36:00  Income security supports creativity (or Universal Basic Income)

39:00  Everything you want to be true

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/ZqtpkZJA0UE

Read the transcript: https://www.thatsaloud.com/post/ready-for-inspiration-w--pierce-duncan

Your story can empower people, but only if they encounter it. All too often, women's voices never make it through the publishing gauntlet to connect with their intended audience. But Sierra Melcher is changing all that. By creating a system to help women find their voices, support the writing process, and navigate publishing logistics, her women-only publishing house, Red Thread Publishing, is transforming women with powerful messages into published authors. Join us as Sierra reinvents publishing for a pandemic-altered and support-starved world.

Highlight Reel

1:10  The missing voices

7:00  The Pandemic Incubator

14:20  Break-down-through

18:10  Swim toward the fear

25:10  The logistics of writing and publishing

32:40  Navigating the emotional arc

41:00  The messy middle

42:50  Visualize the perfect retreat

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/DTRnGrDTbY4

In 2020, COVID-19 wasn't the only thing spreading around the world. Ideas, symbols, information, and misinformation about the virus were also spreading like wildfire, and causing massive division among populations. Today's guest, Rachel LeWitt (@w3tbl4nk3t), is here to unpack the ways we decide which ideas to accept, which to reject, and which to pass along to others. 

Highlight Reel: 

1:30 - The ever-morphing symbol of the mask

9:00 - How ideas spread

12:30 - The role of personal experience

16:30 - Social trust & empathy

19:25 - Tracking trust

20:40 - How mistrust spreads

27:50 - Faith & hope: kissing cousins

32:30 - Good & evil

34:00 - Intuition & taboo beliefs

41:00 - Critical thinking & finding reliable sources

50:00 - Ideas can change the world

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/vsmJSi3v1a4

Read the Transcript: https://www.thatsaloud.com/post/how-ideas-spread-w-rachel-lewitt

Music is magic. The right song can take you out of your head, change your mood, change your attitude, and change your expectations. Lowry Olafson (powersongs.ca) joins us today to share how, when an affirmation just isn’t enough, a personal Power Song can change your life.

Highlight Reel

0:40  What’s a Power Song?

6:10  Discard limitations

9:15  Flow and curiosity

14:00  I wanted to be a singer

19:50  Find the challenge you enjoy

26:00 External motivation vs. Internal motivation

29:40  Shift from guilt to gratitude

35:00 Give yourself permission

41:10  Everything you deeply desire

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/4gdRkHHvDgk

Read the transcript: https://www.thatsaloud.com/post/the-power-of-song-w-lowry-olafson

Failure. It's the thing we all love to fear. But as today's guest, Utkarsh Saraswat (@sillyworldpodcast) discovered, failure is an important part of the creative process, and can lead you to major breakthroughs. 

Highlight Reel:

2:00 - Fear of failure

4:20 - Failure is a prerequisite for innovation

7:00 - When failure drags your life into a nightmare

21:00 - Holi relief

24:00 - Lockdown to the rescue!

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/cuC_fN1MSFc

Read the transcript: https://www.thatsaloud.com/post/make-friends-with-failure-w--utkarsh-saraswat