Twisting the Plot

Nikki Giovanni has a gift for making the everyday extraordinary.

She is an American poet, commentator, activist and educator. She has published multiple poetry anthologies, children's books and spoken word recordings. In the 1960's she was dubbed "the poet of the black revolution." She was an activist in the civil rights movement and an inspiration for the Black Arts movement. She has won 7 NAACP Image awards, the Langston Hughes Medal, and was the first recipient of the Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award.

In the 1970's Nikki produced and made several appearances on the television program Soul!, where she engaged in a memorable dialogue with James Baldwin. She has taught writing and literature at Queens College, Rutgers and Ohio State, and is now the University Distinguished Professor of English at Virginia Tech.

We are so, so fortunate to have Nikki on our Twisting the Plot Podcast. We could have talked together for hours. Conversations with Nikki are like poetry itself. Multiple meanings exude from each word she speaks. She's a wordsmith, a storyteller, and a wise guide. And she lets her imagination run free. She thinks growing older is a good idea.

She reads from her most recent book, Make Me Rain.

Make Me Rain

make me rain

turn me into a snowflake

let me rest

on your tongue

make me a piece of ice

so I can cool you

let me be the cloud

that embraces you

or the quilt

that gets you dry

snuggle close

listen to me sing

on the windowsill

make me rain

on you

Check out Nikki's website at www.nikki-giovanni.com

Read some more of Nikki's poems at poetryfoundation.org

Buy Make Me Rain: Poems and Prose by Nikki Giovanni on Amazon

When media industry executive Sally Wolf found herself navigating life with metastatic breast cancer, she had her dance teacher, Erin Pace, as a support.

Erin Pace calls herself a conscious embodiment guide. She developed "The Responsive Body Practice" to help women realign mind-body-spirt for self-healing. With Erin's intuitive guidance, Sally found connection with, and love for her changing body. With Erin as a healing partner, Sally has been able to dance throughout her cancer journey.

Since this podcast follows Mothers' Day, we contemplate the many ways that women nurture and grow other women. It is our pleasure to spotlight this beautiful, generous and healing relationship that Erin and Sally share.

Take a listen as Erin describes the importance of loving the body of now, not the body of yesterday or the body of tomorrow. And take comfort in Sally's stories of the many ways that Erin has helped her cope, stay present and grow strong.

Life is filled with plot twists, and we all need some mothering from time to time.

Erin has been gracious to provide our Twisters a special offer through August 31, 2021

Use the discount code TWISTCOMP for 1 free Bliss Body Connection or Move It! class at erinpace.com

Use the discount code TWIST10 for 10% off one private session at erinpace.com

Check out Sally Wolf's website at sallywolf.com

It's not everyone who gets to be 63 and celebrate Mother's Day with their Mom. For many of us Mother's Day does not bring this kind of joy. Some of us may have lost our Moms and the day brings sadness. Some may have complicated relationships with our mothers. But Cecilia's Mom, Nancy Dintino, is going strong and growing still.

We interviewed Nancy while Cecilia was home for a visit. A mother of six, grandmother of 13, and babysitter or stand-in mother to countless others, Nancy says it's all about love.

She tells us how she fell in love with each of her kids and grandkids, and how grateful she is for her family. We ask how she did it with six little ones under age of 6 in the house, and she replies by staying grounded and present. It seems Nancy was mindful before mindful was the way to be. Listen as Nancy talks about the importance of acceptance and ongoing adaptation as she, at 84, continues to learns from her children and grandchildren.

When we think about personal growth and change, it can feel daunting, even scary. Some will tell you that real change is impossible. But we know otherwise. With our experience as psychotherapists working with women of all ages in many situations, we can say with confidence that change and growth are possible.

This week, we decided to pull back the curtain and talk about the work we love with our friend and colleague, Erin Olivo. Erin is an author and clinical psychologist with more than 22 years of experience treating patients dealing with stress, anxiety, and depression. She has just turned 50 herself, and recently twisted her plot. Along with her partner, Dr. Mark Wilson, she has opened a group practice, "The Center For Wise Mind Living."

Listen as Erin explains what she defines as "wise mind living," and the evolving role psychotherapists play in helping clients see their potential.

Center For Wise Mind Living

Hi all. Hannah and Cecilia of Twisting the Plot here. Like many, we have spent the last year focused on the demands of family, work, health, and safety. We've also spent a lot of time gathering the stories of our beloved clients and Plot Twisters. We realize that we seldom make the space to connect with ourselves. And one thing's for sure, we haven't made the time to check in with each other.

Over 40 years of friendship and there is still more to learn about each other.

So, this week we thought we would sit down and spend some time checking in.

How are we growing? How can we support each other? What can we learn about each other? What can we learn about ourselves?

What else can we laugh about

Join us.

Twisting the Plot is on Instagram

Check out our website twistingtheplot.com

Come join our Plot Twisters Facebook group

This April, we have been focused on spring, the season of awakening, growing, and blooming. It is the time of year when animals awake, the sun warms, and the earth seems to come alive. But growing isn't just for plants. We grow children, relationships, careers, and even therapists.

This week we speak with Maria Hodermarska, Clinical Associate Professor at NYU. Maria has been growing drama therapists for over 25 years. Using theater, creativity, psychological theory, literature, and a wealth of experience and insight, Maria has nurtured a devoted community of creative arts therapists.

Maria speaks with us about the importance of curiosity, vulnerability, and connecting with her students as individuals. She shares her belief that education should employ a "mutual aid." The teacher must be willing to learn from the students. Maria explains that "therapy is an art, an art of being with people." Listen in as she offers her special take on a therapist's becoming and how we can all grow up.

Check out Maria Hodermarska at NYU Steinhardt

When the pandemic hit New York City, internationally acclaimed designer Rebecca Moses turned to her art for comfort, imagination, and connection. She put a post on Instagram asking women to write about their pandemic experience, letters from the heart. In return, she would paint their portrait. And the "Stay Home Sisterhood" was born.

To date, over 410 women from all over the world have shared their stories and seen themselves through Rebecca's eyes, a remarkable gift.

Rebecca also volunteered to paint the portraits of 50 nurses at Mount Sinai Hospital in honor of "The Year of The Nurse." A moment of kindness and love in a very dark time.

Listen to today's Twisting the Plot Podcast as Rebecca talks about the importance of trusting your voice, finding the beauty within, and lifting women up. Rebecca also shares with us what she's learned about "The power of the paintbrush," and our ongoing evolution.

Visit rebeccamoses.com

Check out Rebecca Moses' Instagram @rebeccamosesofficial

Over fifty, we often feel the desire for something more, something new. But to get there, we have to clear out the weeds and thorn bushes of old beliefs, expectations, and fears so that we can make space for new possibilities.

This week we spoke with Kathy Lockhardt, founder of Flourish Farms, who did just that, both physically and metaphorically. At 59, Kathy had a dream to reclaim a long-overgrown field on the family farm and turn it into a truck garden. Her family was doubtful that it could be done, but Kathy persisted. With the help of her brother-in-law and a lot of sweat and back-breaking work, Kathy created her field of dreams.

With metaphors aplenty, Kathy shares with us what she discovered about her own strength, and about listening to one's desires, trusting your dream, and learning when to rest.

Sign Up for the Flourish Farm Newsletter

Is there a woman from the past who you admire? What if you spent some time studying her life? What if you became versed in her story, thoughts and beliefs? What if you embodied her?

This week, in honor of Women's History Month, we asked the women in our Plot Twisters Facebook group to share the names and stories of women they admire. We tell you about these women, a remarkable group of artists, activists, scientists, caregivers and visionaries.

Then we speak with Maria Dintino, whose new book, A Light Above (to be released later this summer), tells the story of Margaret Fuller and the role played she played in Maria's personal transformation. Maria talks with us about how a fictive relationship with women we admire can play a role in our own evolution.

Check out the Plot Twisters Facebook group

Twistingtheplot.com

When we think about women's invisibility over 50, we rarely consider women's bodies in their purest form, naked. We have been taught to look away with shame, fear, even disgust. This week, we spoke with photographer Jocelyn Lee about her new book Sovereign.

Throughout her career, Jocelyn has been photographing women in the nude, documenting how the body and our sense of ourselves changes throughout our lives. Sovereign is a collection of portraits depicting women age 55 and up. These women, captured naked in natural settings, reveal the beauty, sensuality, and strength of older women made visible.

Listen as Jocelyn talks with us about what she has learned from her work.

Sovereign seeks to shine a bright light on the natural beauty of women of all ages and all body types. No body is deserving of invisibility and I believe this work marks a long overdue paradigm shift. It's time we revolutionize the image world and flood it with women in real bodies, feeling sensual and wonderful in their human skin.

— Jocelyn Lee 2020

Check out Sovereign at jocelynleestudio.com

Buy Sovereign at minormattersbooks.com