The DR & the DJ

This week on the podcast, John and Amy spoke about how to winterize.  We winterize our house, car or even a boat but what about us? The winter season has high expectations of being warm, delightful, and filled with joy shared with the people we love.  But a lot of the time it is cold, depressing, dark and filled with some bullsh*t from people we’re supposed to love. This is then followed by New Year’s where we seem to try to reinvent ourselves with the pressure and expectation that a “new year, new you” will fix everything so why even try right now. This creates even more expectations that often don’t go as planned. Anxiety and depression rise, and we lose that feeling of joy or even the ability to see the good all around us. 

WTF? Maybe there is another way. Take care of yourself with more sleep, sex, cooking, hiding, moving, creating and writing “Stop Doing” lists. 

Listen in.

You are not alone,

John, Amy and the whole DR & DJ Team

*Reminder: Nothing in this podcast is a substitute for medical or professional advice. Please always consult your doctor.

This week on the podcast, John and Amy spoke about their experiences and the history of putting together their event Death & Music. The event navigates the delicate intersection of life, loss, and the emotive power of music. 

Bagpipes, bands, a string quartet and more made the night special and something John and Amy look forward to every year. John and Amy reflect on their own history of death and grieving, and Amy shares  some recommendations on how to try and cope and move forward when dealing with a passing. She mentions trying to "look up" and remember that death is a shared experience. You truly are not alone. Amy also reminds folks that if you know someone who is dealing with a recent loss, it's great to comfort them but maybe hold on to your own stories of trauma for the first 6 months or so as to not overwhelm them.

You are not alone,

John, Amy and the whole DR & DJ Team

*Reminder: Nothing in this podcast is a substitute for medical or professional advice. Please always consult your doctor.

This week on the podcast, John and Amy spoke with Nabil Ayers, writer, drummer, President of the Beggars Group US, and long time friend and colleague of both Amy and John. Listen to this powerful conversation where the three of them discuss Nabil’s book “My Life In the Sunshine” and his complicated and inspiring search for, and discovery of, family.   

The three of them reminisce about their time in Seattle in the music scene, moving here around the same time and bands and experiences that shaped their lives. Nabil’s journey is an incredibly rich and emotional story not to mention the fact he started one of the best record stores in Seattle, caught the Journey tour in Utah and stood as a child side stage while the Smiths played. 

Once again on the podcast, a deep connection was discovered live when Amy asks about Nabil’s time in Salt Lake City and the discovery that, not only did they both attend the same high school, but that he was in the same graduating class with her late sister, and at some point, she was on the back of a snowmobile with him.   

Thank you for listening. You are Not Alone,

John, Amy and the whole DR & DJ Team

*Reminder: Nothing in this podcast is a substitute for medical or professional advice. Please always consult your doctor.

We recorded the podcast live from our retreat in Desert Hot Springs on Friday, so fun! Listen in to an awesome conversation with musician Jen Wood!. Jen talks about her recent tour as a singer with the Postal Service, plus her ongoing struggles to be "seen" while taking artistic and personal risks. We also get to hear a sneak peek of one of Jen's songs from her new album that hasn't been released yet.

You can watch on YouTube or listen to the audio-only wherever you get your pods.

Be sure to follow us on The DR & THE DJ Instagram.

This is a very special episode from our retreat!

You are not alone,

John, Amy and the whole DR & DJ Team

*Reminder: Nothing in this podcast is a substitute for medical or professional advice. Please always consult your doctor.

It’s Friday the 13th. Perfect Day for Luck.  

This week on the podcast, John and Amy spoke with Seattle Musician, Shaina Shepherd. Listen to this powerful conversation where the 3 of them figure out a connection between them all that changed all their lives. Thank you Shaina for your generosity and sharing your voice and your story with us. We didn't just talk with Shaina, we discovered with her.

Shaina Shepherd is a singer, songwriter, vocal teacher, and community organizer in Seattle, WA. Known for her pervasive style as front-woman to soul-grunge band BEARAXE, her notable vocal stylings have brought her into various creative spaces — from collaborating with Duff McKagan, Chong The Nomad and Acid Tongue to sharing stages with rock stars like Dave Matthews and Thunderpussy to being a soloist with the classical ensembles around the country. Inspired by the parallels between gospel and garbage metal, Shaina Shepherd is not your average vocalist. Living in the city where both Soundgarden and Quincy Jones cut their teeth, Shaina lends her soulful voice to projects of all genres.

This week on the The DR & DJ Podcast we chat with our first guest for the Season, Latoya Denique!

Latoya Denique is the CEO of Scar Alchemy, Atlanta’s premier medical and cosmetic tattoo salon. With over a decade of experience as an Oncology Nurse Practitioner, dual degrees from Emory University and a degree from the University of Georgia, 

Latoya transitioned from the healthcare field to permanent makeup in 2020. 

From Latoya:

We hold a lot of shame in our skin and you probably can imagine if you have a scar anywhere on your body, you literally can go right back to that place, remember everything that happened and you remember all of those memories. And for some people, it's like falling down with your cousins playing football. But for some people, it's an abusive relationship. For some people, it's a trauma like a car accident. For some people, it's cancer. For some people, you know, it's like... they went to go get some random cosmetic thing repaired and then they had a jacked up surgery and they're living with that. So it's not always nice happy things that people remember, a lot of times it's trauma. And so I basically create custom blend ink to match their skin tones to cover up and it's essentially like permanent makeup. And I tell people, it's not so you can forget the scar, it's just so that's not the first thing you see when you look at yourself in the morning.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Each Wednesday, Pacific Noon you can also watch LIVE on YouTube or at The DR & THE DJ Instagram.

You are not alone,

John, Amy and the whole DR & DJ Team

*Reminder: Nothing in this podcast is a substitute for medical or professional advice. Please always consult your doctor.

This week on The DR & The DJ, Amy and John discuss what Amy calls the “language of the nervous system.” So many of us know about love language, but do we know the language of the nervous system? Getting to know yours and the people you are in a relationship with (partner, lover, spouse, children, boss, coworkers, clients, etc) will help you in one of the most important and impactful ways. Access to getting what you need is through understanding the language of your nervous system.

Amy & John also get real about their need for a break. From their domestic lives and even from each other. They discuss the phenomenon of couples “scorekeeping” which builds resentment, vs how to have a healthy balance of each person doing what they love.

What happens when you run away from grief and learn, there is no escape from facing it? How do you resolve conflict when your nervous system demands you have to run away from it? 

Listen and learn more at the drandthedj.com.

Listen to more music podcasts at ruinousmedia.com

John, Amy and the whole DR & DJ Team

*Reminder: Nothing in this podcast is a substitute for medical or professional advice. Please always consult your doctor.

We made it through our first episode of Season 3! We are excited to have pulled this off in the new format- live!

In the episode, we talked a lot about the mythological animal called “work-life balance” and got real about some of our sacrifices, SNAFUs and the shitshow that is our household much of the time. While recording this podcast live, our producer was hunkered down in Florida during a hurricane and our dog was in a cone recovering from surgery. We mean it when we say the shitshow is real.

We also talked a lot about these life rules we all seem to live by. Whether they are inherited by family of origin, pressured from society at large, or something we made up at some point in our lives, we continue to follow them, yet we are miserable. Let’s interrupt this! Start questioning your rules and make new ones.

We also spoke very candidly about some of their “divorceable conversations” where we have broken the terror barriers and are just as honest as can be with each other and continue to allow the evolution of our marriage and sex life, including changing rules every once in a while.

Mark your calendars for noon PT on Wednesdays. There will be live episodes or IG lives to look out for, and we are excited about our Season 3 lineup of guests. 

We really appreciate you and all of your support.

You are not alone,

Amy & John & the DR & the DJ Crew

PS. Did you catch the news that we have an upcoming Retreat this Fall? We are going to Desert Hot Springs near Palms Springs for 4 days and 3 nights, with a little Joshua Tree in there. More info and to reserve your spot HERE.

*Reminder: Nothing in this podcast is a substitute for medical or professional advice. Please always consult your doctor.

This week, we revist John & Amy's talk with Barrett Martin. Barrett is a percussionist, a writer, a composer & a producer. He has a masters degree in ethnomusicology, received a Latin Grammy for production & is producing a film celebrating the life of Cedell Davis. Barrett was an integral player in the 90's Seattle rock scene & continues to collaborate & operate in the rock n roll world. Barrett's newest book, Stillpoint, is accompanied by a studio record that serves as a soundtrack to a collection of short stories from his youth & world travels. John, Amy & Barrett not only discuss the process of making Stillpoint,  but the parallels of craniosacral practice & the Zen view on the concept of stillpoint. Barrett shares his experience & perspective on the Seattle grunge scene & why current “scenes” may be different, for better or worse. Amy & Barrett talk about the universal healing properties of music & John shares a few life changing moments in which Barrett was unknowingly present.

Join Dr. Amy’s community and get her libido boosting recipes and more midlife health tips at Craft & Clinic.

Get on John’s Record Club List for all the best vinyl recommendations and community events.

In this week's B-side, John & Amy check back in about grief since the last time they spoke soon after his sister's death. They are there to remind you that you are not alone, grief never ends & to treat others with kindness...including yourself. You are not alone. Tag us on IG at @thedrandthedj.

The DR & The DJ

*Reminder: Nothing in this podcast is a substitute for medical or professional advice. Please always consult your doctor.

Join Dr. Amy’s community and get her libido boosting recipes and more midlife health tips at Craft & Clinic.

Get on John’s Record Club List for all the best vinyl recommendations and community events.