The MultiPod

In the 2nd of our tandem episodes this week, building on the homsteading/intentional living theme of Episode 72 with Sonia, we introduce you to CatP and explore the wonder and freedom of life in a tiny home. In Cat's case that is primarily in the Dominican Republic, but in fact she and her partner typically travel amongst three tiny homes throughout the year!

Cat left the relationships of her 'old life' behind, corporate and otherwise, to embark on a life of simplicity and clarity, "decluttering" both physically and emotionally.

This led her to embrace a home measured in community, not size & space, a life of intention and design, where "part-time work and part-time income equals full-time life."

There is something very moving about this episode. Paradoxically, you will find a lot of space in our conversation. Listen closely and you'll hear the tropical birds singing in the background. You might just be left with some food for thought, and a renewed vigour to become more intentional with your own life.

Sonia lives with her family in rural Portugal, having embraced a major lifestyle change a few years ago. She and her husband closed down their veterinary service in the city, bought a farm, lots of animals therein, and packed up their three kids for a life of homesteading, home-schooling and sustainability.

Not only that, but to help sustain themselves and pay the bills, Sonia also took up remote virtual assistant-style work, yet another thing to juggle at the same time.

This remarkable journey though has brought them a life of contentment and perspective, intertwined with the busyness and demands of a working farm. The kids have been thriving, and everyone feels far more in tune with nature. 

Sonia joins Vanessa and Ted for a conversation about how they've done it, why they made such a bold choice and what they've learned from doing so.

What is it like to grow up in different countries, different languages and different cultures, all around the world? It sounds pretty exciting and exotic, and for the most part, it is!

But where does that leave your sense of home, and belonging? Third Culture Kids share this identity, punctuated by a key part of the definition: growing up, in their formative years, in a culture different from that of their parents.

Risa (pronounced Lisa), is our guest today on The MultiPod, sharing her story of being born in Japan, moving to Brazil as a baby, before heading to the United States a few years later, then Mexico, and back to the States (but in a different part), all by the time she reached college.

Along the way she became fluent in three languages, faced tough choices, and spent a lot of time in airports. This life has helped her navigate her multipotentiality, particularly her career choices and perspectives on time, money and facing the unknown.

Join us for a fascinating discussion on Third Culture Kids, the travelling multipotentialites.

Well, we've made it to the end of 2020, and boy was it something.

Amongst so many changes and unknowns, it was often a challenge to stay positive this year and make sense of it all. But any good year-end-show will do its best to be constructive and inspiring, and that's what we're here for on this, the last episode of 2020.

Flo, Vanessa and Ted get together to chat about the year and their experiences, try to make sense of new routines and realities, and focus on questions like, "What are some positive things that have happened for you in 2020? What are some things you've learned about yourself this year that you would not have otherwise expected to learn?"

It was a mixed up year for sure, but perhaps we have layed the groundwork for some new traditions too, and can leave you with a good, productive mindset for the new year to come.

The past couple or so months have seen a flurry of changes in Puttyland, as the community has taken on a new name and identity. This has also coincided with the recent ten year anniversary of the launch of Puttylike, the blog.

Meanwhile our little community podcast is coming up on its 3rd anniversary at the beginning of January. Time flies indeed!

It all makes for some momentous milestones: benchmarks worth celebrating as we come to the end of this tumultous and unexpected year.

And so who better to chat with than the founder of our great Putty nation, Emilie Wapnick herself!

Here at The MultiPod, we take the time every once in a while to incorporate an outside voice, someone from beyond the community, to gain their perspective on multipotentiality and what makes us tick.

Today that guest is Rinat Ben Avraham, who happens to host the That's the Ticket! podcast with our own co-host Vanessa, and who also happens to be a multipotentialite.

Rinat is not however part of The Puttyverse, although she certainly understands and identifies with the term. So what is her take on needing community and support?

Today's episode takes us into the German-speaking world, and the broader question of "how does language, culture and society impact our multipotentialite identity?"

We default to English primarily in the Puttyverse, including in this podcast, which means not only do we not speak in other languages but we forget about the cultural and societal implications that we're missing.

Flo and special guest Friederike talk about their upbringing, in Austria and Berlin respectively, and how German speakers come to understand and perceive multipotentiality. 

It may or may not come as a shock that the German-speaking world does not easily accomodate multiple career paths and varied vocations. Kids are now being encouraged to choose their profession at 14 years old! And there is simply no equivalent word to "multipotentialite" in German, although perhaps we can invent one!  Tune in for this fascinating window into Leben auf Deutsch (in English, for our benefit!)

Queerness and multipotentiality...Do they have anything to do with each other?

This question was brought up by a Puttyverse member, Niyoosha, and it piqued our interest here at The MultiPod. Co-host Vanessa speaks with Niyoosha and Hannah - all 3 members of the LGBTQ+ community, and all multipotentialites.

Part 1 of this two part series covers labels, identity crises, the parallels between multipotentiality and queerness, seemingly contradicting identities, and using labels as a mechanism for change.

In Part 2, we’re covering parallels between heteronormative culture and “non-multipotentialite culture,” how people try to put others in boxes, and how to use the darkness and complexity to be empowered.

There are no clear cut answers, but there's much exploration!

Queerness and multipotentiality...Do they have anything to do with each other?

This question was brought up by a Puttyverse member, Niyoosha, and this piqued our interest here at The MultiPod. Co-host Vanessa speaks with Niyoosha and Hannah - all 3 members of the LGBTQ+ community, and all multipotentialites.

Labels can be important to help figure out your identity, but they’re just a tool that helps you, and they don't have to rule your life. Having identities that contradict each other is okay; you can identify as non-binary and a woman at the same time!

We chat about normalizing asking pronouns in public forums - should we be asking? 

And we highlight the fact that your gender identity is probably not the most interesting thing about you!

Thomas Beutel is a determined creator, of all things tactile: both for the hands and for the brain. 

Thomas paints, draws, builds, programs, wires, carves, moulds, assembles and imagines, resulting in all kinds of models, tools, sculptures and artwork, as well as animations and creative coding.

With all this, you would think that the creative process must come easy, even effortlessly, to someone so dedicated. But Thomas has always struggled with productivity, focus and completion.

A lifetime of self-study and effort has brought him to a place now where he is comfortable and confident in his creative process, where the dreaded imposter doesn't get in the way, nor do his myriad ideas for projects.

He has developed powerful, practical techniques for sorting through the clutter, making the most of his efforts and recognizing what "finishing" really means.

If you've struggled with finding a balance between letting the creative ideas flow and getting things done, this episode is for you.