The Joyful Hour

Holistic Nutritionist Galit Zarco @eatlivenutrition joins me in today's episode to share her expertise including the link between food and mood, the state of our collective intake of processed foods and their impact on our bodies. We talk about sleep, leaky gut 🤢, and the gut-brain connection. @eatlivenutrition believes we can heal many things through how we nourish our bodies with our food choices.

@jennyperezart, a culturally influenced, female empowering visual pop artist describes how she made an abrupt transition from her "safe" job in a medical office to pursuing art at the age of 19. She worked under Romero Britto and then learned from 3D graffiti pioneer Erni Vales. She has now created over 10 collections, countless murals, street art and more. Her latest collection #neitherherenorthere explores time, how we occupy space and ultimately how we always choose each other.

Today I discuss self love with my friend Aldo Gonzalez. We talk about how I (@bianca_erickson) spent most of my life looking for love in all the wrong places, how I created a practice of self love and what that looks like on a day to day basis. I share how practicing self love and authentic self expression support me in my ongoing personal growth and transformation. I hope this episode touches you and inspires you. Sending you so much love and a big hug!

Olivia Ormos is founder of OO&CO, a marketing, events, talent management and public relations company that has organized some of the biggest events across the US including the @ModelVolleyball event, drawing 15,000 attendees every year! Olivia and I discuss how she got started, the values and culture she creates in her company and what she recommends to people who want to follow in her footsteps.

I spoke with Kim Stone, EVP of Business Development for the @MiamiHeat; she's part of the most diverse executive leadership team in the NBA. Kim is a gay woman who came out relatively late in her life; we discuss how being her *full* authentic self allows her to be a better leader and mother. Kim is a master at reframing "negative" situations to see the value in them and her positive, growth mindset is a key part of her phenomenal success.

I had the best time in my conversation with Starr Hawkins @babymommafit, discussing her journey in sobriety. I am so inspired by what Starr has done and how she has totally turned her life around and smashed her goals. Starr is super open — sharing her experiences — from not caring about anything and the horrible formula that made her unmanageable life manageable, to caring A LOT, saying NO, finding herself and building a life she doesn't want to tear down.

Michelle Oravitz @thewholesomelotusacupuncture, a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, shares some of her key learnings from having studied and practiced these ancient medicinal teachings. Michelle's passion is fertility and since recording this episode, she's launched her own podcast, The Wholesome Fertility. An underlying premise of her work that very much resonates with me is that the body heals itself when given the opportunity.

Today's episode is with my beautiful friend Missy Babicka @beautybodybaby. Missy shares her very personal and touching experience with losing her mother at the age of 15. Loss and grief are experiences we all deal with, and Missy encourages us to LOVE and to LIVE fully.

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Psychotherapist Bette Galen joins me to discuss Legacy Burdens — harmful behaviors, beliefs, emotional reactions, thought patterns, etc that are passed down overtly, subconsciously and genetically over generations. Women already have all their eggs in utero, which means our genetic material was inside our maternal grandmother! My conversation with Bette dives into how Legacy Burdens come into play for all of us— including those who may use egg or sperm donors or a surrogate.

Today's episode is with my dear friend Mojee Shokri, a seeker on the path of spiritual awakening. Mojee holds Tea Ceremonies and Spiritual Retreats, in addition to designing and creating beautiful one of a kind pieces of jewelry, clutches and smudge feathers. Mojee has been consciously on her spiritual path for 25 years, and has deepened her awareness through participating in silent retreats — some lasting up to 3 weeks. A silent retreat is not for everyone, but to me it sounds so intriguing!