The Open Nesters

[TESSA] A dear friend as a guest means a meaningful episode.

Terry Clarke Murphy. I know this lady so well. From the time that our children were running around the backyard naked and we were breastfeeding on the back porch to recent days following her passion and practice of helping people. Soulful Sidney Explores Diversity, the book, comes to mind.

SOULFUL SIDNEY EXPLORES DIVERSITY

Terry is a prolific writer and is one of the wisest women I know. Now a grandmother enjoying her grandbabies, Terry is really enjoying her life in this open nesting stage. 63 years old is really working for Terry. Plus she has started a non-profit. So so much to talk about!!!

Tessa Krone is the engine behind and the face of The Open Nesters.

Tessa holds an MA in Consciousness Studies and is a speaker, coach, program, and journey facilitator & leader, author, and, of course, Podcaster.

Her offerings are based on her mission to help people open to their most self-expressed, loving selves. Tessa’s specialties include embodiment from all the senses and elements of our inner and outer lives, ranging from mindfulness, dance, play, and sensory exploration in nature. If she had one superpower, it would be to help people, especially as they age, to live more open-hearted lives.

Please email Tessa to make a connection. And visit her page here on the Open Nesters Website. If you like, please answer the question:

What do you need to OPEN your NEST? In your LIFE. In your BODY. In your SPIRIT. Do you need MORE…

[TESSA] Gloves off!

Amir and I go at it (in the most loving way possible) about the nature of dreams. Big and small. Dreams of life’s Act III. We have very different approaches to many things, including this idea of a dream. While we have a robust conversation about the topic, maybe it is helpful to see what the word means in its many contexts.

— see also wet dream

— usually used before another noun

informal

— used to say that you do not think something that another person wants or expects will ever happen

Just one little word. Ah… hmmm… maybe not. Maybe one BIG, GIGANTIC, fine-I’ll say it… GINORMOUS… word. A word filled with possibilities for you as you plot and plan and imagine your life going forward. Amir and I could never have imagined our life today – even though we shared core values from the very beginning.

So – why this episode? We circle around this crucial topic pretty much each week with our incredible guests. It’s really an exploration, isn’t it. We learn how they are solving the big questions of happiness, fulfillment, relationships, core satisfaction. And we compare notes. We want you to compare your notes with ours. And… if you dare… drop me a note at [email protected] and share your story. We’d love to hear it.

Tessa Krone is the engine behind and the face of The Open Nesters.

Tessa holds an MA in Consciousness Studies and is a speaker, coach, program, and journey facilitator & leader, author, and, of course, Podcaster.

Her offerings are based on her mission to help people open to their most self-expressed, loving selves. Tessa’s specialties include embodiment from all the senses and elements of our inner and outer lives, ranging from mindfulness, dance, play, and sensory exploration in nature. If she had one superpower, it would be to help people, especially as they age, to live more open-hearted lives.

Please email Tessa to make a connection. And visit her page here on the Open Nesters Website. If you like, please answer the question:

What do you need to OPEN your NEST? In your LIFE. In your BODY. In your SPIRIT. Do you need MORE…

[TESSA] This is our second entry into our new Voices of Millennials and Gen Z series.

Hayden and Alia visit us from two very different places for this interview. Hayden in Durango, Colorado. Alia in Latk Atitlan, Guatemala.

The word that comes to mind from our conversation with these two highly innovative people is “cultivate.” Hayden and Alia have cultivated so many aspects of the world around them: communities, relationships, bonds, even the food from the land on a community farm. Our conversation spans a wide range of topics but we do spend some important time talking about intergenerational love, the love of child and parent.

You will hardly hear two more well-spoken people about our community on this earth. As Alia says we are ‘one kin” on this planet.

Another word that pops up in our conversation is “healing.” Hayden and Alia speak of the grief and depression in this world and how the pain in our beings can be healed through the mutual support found in community and family.

Hayden is an experienced circle-holder and ceremonial guide. He is trained as a nature-based soul guide and permaculturalist. He is self-taught in ontological design processes, philosophy, primal movement, and evolutionary astrology. Hayden integrates these versatile modalities into his work as an evolutionary catalyst, striving to help root visionary ideas into tangible forms in service to the wellbeing of life and consciousness now and into the future. He is currently preparing to pursue a Master’s degree in Regenerative Economics at Schumacher College in the UK.

Learn more about Hayden’s work at The Wild Visionary.

VISIT HAYDEN AND ALIA

Alia tends the fertile intersection of individual healing, cultural development, and ecological stewardship. She weaves together the diverse threads of her background as a licensed therapist, restorative justice and anti-oppression cultural facilitator, permaculturalist, rites-of-passage guide, and poet. Alia has applied this breadth of experience to founding a thriving holistic therapy practice, facilitating group learning and process spaces, guiding earth-based rites-of-passage, implementing regenerative food systems, and imagining hubs of localized regeneration.

Learn more about Alia’s work at Join the Seeds. And at Soul Rooted Healing Arts.

Tessa Krone is the engine behind and the face of The Open Nesters.

Tessa holds an MA in Consciousness Studies and is a speaker, coach, program, and journey facilitator & leader, author, and, of course, Podcaster.

Her offerings are based on her mission to help people open to their most self-expressed, loving selves. Tessa’s specialties include embodiment from all the senses and elements of our inner and outer lives, ranging from mindfulness, dance, play, and sensory exploration in nature. If she had one superpower, it would be to help people, especially as they age, to live more open-hearted lives.

Please email Tessa to make a connection. And visit her page here on the Open Nesters Website. If you like, please answer the question:

What do you need to OPEN your NEST? In your LIFE. In your BODY. In your SPIRIT. Do you need MORE…

[TESSA] Women live longer. Just a fact of life. That means that there are a lot more women than men living deeper into ACT III of life. And that can lead to loneliness. Enter Lillian Taylor and community building among women. Lillian takes us through how her interest in an online life many years ago has translated into new meaningful relationships “in real life” or what we’ll call offline.

One example of a female community that has gathered so many women together is Modern Prairie. This is one really new platform that has gathered a lot of steam and has really captured the interest of Lillian. Listen to the podcast to hear more about women & community.

My passion is about connecting with creative, funny, interesting driven women like you during this time of life. Midlife is a beautiful awakening, not a crisis, and a force to be reckoned with. It is impossible to put out our flame and desire for more knowledge, purpose and meaning while we embrace and explore these middle-age years.

When I reached my early 50’s, I became passionate about connecting with other midlife women and providing a platform we can meet on, learn and have a laugh or two together.

VISIT LILLIAN’S WEBSITE

My goal is to share this rare and beautiful time of life with you and the many great folks I’m meeting along the way.

There is a mutual understanding, a sisterhood, among women as we enter this “middle” period. It is a rite of passage, both terrifying and exhilarating. During this time of awakening, and sometimes confusion, we need each other. Connection is necessary for sharing stories, dreams, visions, victory, and losses.

Tessa Krone is the engine behind and the face of The Open Nesters.

Tessa holds an MA in Consciousness Studies and is a speaker, coach, program, and journey facilitator & leader, author, and, of course, Podcaster.

Her offerings are based on her mission to help people open to their most self-expressed, loving selves. Tessa’s specialties include embodiment from all the senses and elements of our inner and outer lives, ranging from mindfulness, dance, play, and sensory exploration in nature. If she had one superpower, it would be to help people, especially as they age, to live more open-hearted lives.

Please email Tessa to make a connection. And visit her page here on the Open Nesters Website. If you like, please answer the question:

What do you need to OPEN your NEST? In your LIFE. In your BODY. In your SPIRIT. Do you need MORE…

[TESSA] This week: Mary and Dan, two people who are living their best lives… after the kids have left the nest.

To me, it seems like these two are “finally” living their best lives. And I appreciate the lives they lived before finding each other. Marriages and child-rearing are all-encompassing and absolutely worthy of our admiration. It’s tough.

That said, finding ecstatic, conscious, dance, exploring new partners and a monogamish lifestyle, and just feeling free to do what they want to do, appears to have led Dan and Mary to new heights in their degree of happiness.

Divorced for 12 years, Mary has three kids who are in their mid-20’s to mid-30’s. Her life has been freed up quite a bit although when the kids need her, they really NEED her!!!

You can learn more about Mary and her coaching practice here: DIVINING BEAUTY

In some cases, one person in the partnership is curious to try being monogamish while their partner is more hesitant and may go along with it since they don’t want to lose their S.O. In this situation, it’s also essential to outline clear rules and perimeters, and to practice open communication so both people in the relationship feel that their needs are being met.  Otherwise, bringing other people into your relationship can erode trust and even cross into cheating territory. By Andrea Syrtash LINK TO ARTICLE

Separated from his Ex-Wife in his early 50s Dan never felt the need to actually divorce. Now in his mid-60s, he has two adult kids and some time on his hands. He has taken this retirement time (Dan was a class-action attorney) to really find himself through conscious dance and this new monogamish lifestyle. He is alive more than at any other time in his life.

Tessa Krone is the engine behind and the face of The Open Nesters.

Tessa holds an MA in Consciousness Studies and is a speaker, coach, program, and journey facilitator & leader, author, and, of course, Podcaster.

Her offerings are based on her mission to help people open to their most self-expressed, loving selves. Tessa’s specialties include embodiment from all the senses and elements of our inner and outer lives, ranging from mindfulness, dance, play, and sensory exploration in nature. If she had one superpower, it would be to help people, especially as they age, to live more open-hearted lives.

Please email Tessa to make a connection. And visit her page here on the Open Nesters Website. If you like, please answer the question:

What do you need to OPEN your NEST? In your LIFE. In your BODY. In your SPIRIT. Do you need MORE…

[TESSA] We are so pleased to introduce to you the psychotherapist, interfaith minister, and author Nancy Colier. And let me say this too, as you will hear in this episode, Nancy is an incredible mom of a 12 and 20-year-old (both girls).

A Mother’s Individuation

And we start there. How to create space for your older children to move ahead ON THEIR OWN with life as opposed to clinging to them? Yet it might be “being a mother” that gives a woman’s life “meaning.”

Parent. Mom. Protector.

Nancy is pretty clear that frequently it is the mom who does not want to let go and it is the child who actually needs the mom to take a step back and let her make her own mistakes… and grow.

“In this era of constant communication and 47 texts per day, I think that we have done a disservice with some much technology of not allowing our children to be on their own.”

From Nancy’s book “The Emotionally Exhausted Women,” she says that “somewhere along the line we learn that being selfless was our badge of honor. And we forgot that there is also this entity of ourselves.”

And that is just the tip of the iceberg. This episode is squarely for moms whose children have left (or are soon to leave) the nest.

If that is you… dig in. Think of it as a free first session with Nancy Colier. You’ll be glad you spent this time with her.

If not – share this one with a friend who can benefit from sound, sage advice about moving from mom back to self.

A longtime student of Eastern spirituality, Nancy Colier is a psychotherapist, interfaith minister, and the author of “The Emotionally Exhausted Woman: Why You’re Feeling Depleted and How to Get What You Need” (New Harbinger, 2022), as well as numerous other books. She is a thought leader and national speaker on women’s empowerment, wellbeing, and mindful technology, and has been featured on Good Morning America, The New York Times, and countless other media. She is also a regular blogger for Psychology Today. In addition, Nancy spent 25 years as a nationally top-ranked equestrian and serves as a performance consultant to professional athletes and artists.

Tessa Krone is the engine behind and the face of The Open Nesters.

Tessa holds an MA in Consciousness Studies and is a speaker, coach, program, and journey facilitator & leader, author, and, of course, Podcaster.

Her offerings are based on her mission to help people open to their most self-expressed, loving selves. Tessa’s specialties include embodiment from all the senses and elements of our inner and outer lives, ranging from mindfulness, dance, play, and sensory exploration in nature. If she had one superpower, it would be to help people, especially as they age, to live more open-hearted lives.

Please email Tessa to make a connection. If you like, please answer the question:

What do you need to OPEN your NEST? In your LIFE. In your BODY. In your SPIRIT. Do you need MORE…

[TESSA] This is the beginning of a new series that we will return to over many months. In the three years that we have been working on this podcast, we have learned a lot about the third act of life. We’re there now as are so many of our guests.

But what about you? Are you ready for Act III?

In this first episode, you get us… Tessa and Amir working our way through our core values as a family and a couple. Family values like:

Raising Our Children

Family

Friendship

Expanding & Expressing Love

Encouraging Growth

Gratitude

So jump in with us as we help you get ready to make the most of your Act III by aligning our values.

Tessa Krone is the engine behind and the face of The Open Nesters.

Tessa holds an MA in Consciousness Studies and is a speaker, coach, program, and journey facilitator & leader, author, and, of course, Podcaster.

Her offerings are based on her mission to help people open to their most self-expressed, loving selves. Tessa’s specialties include embodiment from all the senses and elements of our inner and outer lives, ranging from mindfulness, dance, play, and sensory exploration in nature. If she had one superpower, it would be to help people, especially as they age, to live more open-hearted lives.

Please email Tessa to make a connection. If you like, please answer the question:

What do you need to OPEN your NEST? In your LIFE. In your BODY. In your SPIRIT. Do you need MORE…

[TESSA] Lynnea Brinkerhoff played an important role in my life. Specifically when my mother died. Lynnea was there to help manage the impact of this incredibly challenging and momentous occasion.

I asked Lynnea to join me on this program to talk through “Laughing and Dancing with Life and Death.”

In Lynnea’s own words, “I am not really afraid to touch the depths of my grief and sadness and loss. I’ve lost so many over these last years. One foot, for me, is where they are. One foot is in their world.

I think as human beings we are accumulators…

of stuff  

of thought forms

of beliefs    

of concepts    

of ways of moving in the world.

And then we become ossified in that… this is me… that is NOT me. We become fixed.

MEET LYNNEA BRINKERHOFF

I invite you to join in on this chat between Lynnea and me about life and death by listening to the podcast. And why not further the conversation in our private discussion group on Facebook? If you are not a member just ask to join and “whooosh” – you’ll be in on the fun.

VISIT HEARTFELT MEMORIALS

Kit Pappenheimer and Lynnea Brinkerhoff are co-founders of Heartfelt Memorials, LLC. Lynnea is an ordained Interfaith Minister, a Disaster Chaplain, and  “End of Life Doula”. Kit is a former educator, teaching and running public schools and a long time hospice volunteer.  Both are  ICF certified Executive Coaches, employing heart-based, body-oriented and trauma-informed practices with a fierce belief in the resilience of the human spirit to face and honor the end of life with dignity and grace.

Tessa Krone is the engine behind and the face of The Open Nesters.

Tessa holds an MA in Consciousness Studies and is a speaker, coach, program and journey facilitator & leader, author and, of course, Podcaster.

Her offerings are based in her mission to help people open to their most self-expressed, loving selves. Tessa’s specialties include embodiment from all the senses and elements of our inner and outer lives, ranging from mindfulness, dance, play, and sensory exploration in nature.  If she had one superpower,    it would be to help people, especially as they age, to live more open hearted lives.

Please email Tessa to make a connection. If you like, please answer the question:

What do you need to OPEN your NEST? In your LIFE. In your BODY. In your SPIRIT. Do you need MORE…

[TESSA] Many years ago CJ and Linwood by chance met online. And that could have been it. But… there… was… something…

Now they are together. Truly a grand partnership. After 7+ years. Across the globe. From Australia to California. A dominant and submissive relationship. A non-monogamous relationship. With one partner exploring bisexuality along the way. Each with children. Right? So many layers here.

If that sounds complicated… then you will find this episode with CJ and Linwood, particularly interesting.

I’m a queer, kinky, sex coach and pleasure advocate. I support people who are looking to explore their desires and expand their pleasure by facilitating their movement away from shame.

I bring 10 years of personal and professional experience in non-monogamy and kink. I love learning about what turns others on and assisting in their pleasure journeys. I am also a trained professional cuddler and group cuddle facilitator. 

As a coach, I serve as a partner as you develop your path. You have the ability to create a life that works by leaving behind the stigma and shame imposed on you by others, including intimate partners.

Our work together can be a starting point on your journey or a supplement to other personal work like therapy. I am your collaborative partner to listen, brainstorm with, uncover your authentic sexual self and find freedom from shame. The time is now to move past shame and embrace who you really are. – Let’s Talk

We want to provide you with support and many resources for your own Open Nesting Journey. Our resource page has so much to offer as does our private discussion group on Facebook about queerness and other topics of interest:

Open Nesters Resource Page

The Open Nesters Private Facebook Group

Tessa Krone is the engine behind and the face of The Open Nesters.

Tessa holds an MA in Consciousness Studies and is a speaker, coach, program and journey facilitator & leader, author and, of course, Podcaster.

Her offerings are based in her mission to help people open to their most self-expressed, loving selves. Tessa’s specialties include embodiment from all the senses and elements of our inner and outer lives, ranging from mindfulness, dance, play, and sensory exploration in nature.  If she had one superpower,    it would be to help people, especially as they age, to live more open hearted lives.

Please email Tessa to make a connection. If you like, please answer the question:

What do you need to OPEN your NEST? In your LIFE. In your BODY. In your SPIRIT. Do you need MORE…

[TESSA] We’re all about the 50+ crowd… right?

Well, yes. We are. Certainly.

That is until we turn the eye of The Open Nester Podcast to the lives, missions, relationships, love, and romance of our children.

Welcome to Voices of Millennials and Gen Z. A new category (and a new series) for The Open Nesters Podcast.

And I could really not, from all of the myriad choices in this world, have a better guest to launch this new component of TON. Meet Josh Miller.

“I’ve long believed that being visible can shift culture, and that sharing our stories can be the catalyst that changes how people see and move through the world.”

Josh Miller is a queer changemaker, nonprofit visionary leader and international public speaker who takes an insightful and ambitious approach to creating a more inclusive world. His values-based leadership is rooted in curiosity, creativity, courage, and connection.

Miller is the co-founder + CEO of IDEAS xLab – an organization that uses the art of storytelling and community collaboration to impact public health – whose work has been featured by The New York Times, The Aspen Institute, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

He is a 2022 Soros Equality Fellow and received the 2022 Nonprofit Visionary Leader Award from Louisville Business First and was selected for Business Equality Magazine’s Forty LGBTQ+ Leaders under 40 and Louisville Business First’s Forty under 40. Miller is a 2x TEDx speaker and has engaged audiences at Fortune 500 companies and international conferences from Kentucky to Salzburg.

As an artist, entrepreneur, and outdoor explorer he creates Wearable Photos™ through Josh Miller Ventures and ran the Gay Games Marathon in 2018. Miller has been described as a “force in our community,” having participated in fellowships including the Colorado Collective Leadership Initiative, CBCA Leadership Arts, and the National Leadership Academy for the Public’s Health.

Miller holds an MBA from Indiana University and an undergraduate degree in Art Administration and Business Administration from Bellarmine University. Previously, he served as an advisor to the Derby Diversity & Business Summit and co-chair for the Louisville Health Advisory Board’s Communications Committee, and a founding Board Member of Civitas: Regional LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce headquartered in Louisville, KY.

In addition to his outdoor explorations, Miller celebrates the brilliance and strength of LGBTQ+ and Black communities through photography and collaborative storytelling – challenging traditional notions of beauty, and working to make spaces inclusive for individuals who don’t drink alcohol.

His work has been featured by The New York Times, the Aspen Institute, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, Louisville Business First, The Voice of Louisville, Business Equality Magazine, The Renewal Project, Creating Healthy Communities: Arts + Public Health in America, The Advocate, and more.

We want to provide you with support and many resources for your own Open Nesting Journey. Our resource page has so much to offer as does our private discussion group on Facebook about queerness and other topics of interest:

Open Nesters Resource Page

The Open Nesters Private Facebook Group

Tessa Krone is the engine behind and the face of The Open Nesters.

Tessa holds an MA in Consciousness Studies and is a speaker, coach, program and journey facilitator & leader, author and, of course, Podcaster.

Her offerings are based in her mission to help people open to their most self-expressed, loving selves. Tessa’s specialties include embodiment from all the senses and elements of our inner and outer lives, ranging from mindfulness, dance, play, and sensory exploration in nature.  If she had one superpower,    it would be to help people, especially as they age, to live more open hearted lives.

Please email Tessa to make a connection. If you like, please answer the question:

What do you need to OPEN your NEST? In your LIFE. In your BODY. In your SPIRIT. Do you need MORE…