What happens when you take your creativity and your sketchbook and start exploring your own backyard? 🌴🎨

For this second plein air sketching journey, I decided to go north to south—from West Palm Beach to Deerfield Beach, exploring eight places along the coast and capturing each one in soft pastels.

My goal was simple: explore the beauty of where I live.

Intercoastal views. Historic landmarks. Fountains. Lakes. Beaches. Palm trees. Water.

But the best part was discovering that you never really know what you're going to find when you slow down and actually look.

At CityPlace, I came to draw the fountain and ended up looking up at a beautiful tower emerging into the sky.

At Clematis Street, I found myself sitting in front of a sign calling the area “Flagler's Paradise”—a phrase I'd never heard before that seemed absolutely perfect for the view in front of me.

At Okeeheelee Park, a familiar lake became something completely different when I stopped to study its mirror-like reflection.

At Boynton Beach Inlet, I tried to capture two completely different personalities of the water: fast-moving boats and whitecaps on one side, peaceful swimming and paddleboarding waters on the other.

At Ocean Ridge, I found a quiet, almost timeless beach scene.

At Delray Beach, I ran out of black pastel and had to adapt—and ended up loving the lighter, sunlit result.

At Mizner Park, I watched the promenade come alive as I drew its iconic fountain.

And in Deerfield Beach, I couldn't find the spot I wanted for the pier, so I moved down the beach and discovered my new favorite iguana, who eventually wandered directly into my drawing. 🦎😂

Eight places. Eight sketches. A lot of unexpected moments.

And somewhere along the way, I realized that plein air sketching has been teaching me more than how to draw landscapes.

It's given me more confidence.

It's gotten me outside.

It's made me pay closer attention to places I've been before.

And it's reminded me how much beauty is hiding in our immediate surroundings when we slow down enough to see it.

These drawings aren't meant to be perfect representations. They're timestamps—a record of where I was, what I noticed, and how I felt in that moment.

There's a scene in Mary Poppins where Dick Van Dyke's chimney sweep draws a fantastical scene in pastel and suddenly steps right into it with Mary Poppins and the children.

That's what plein air sketching feels like to me.

The best possible imagination exercise.

You go somewhere. You look around. You try to capture it.

And for that hour, you become part of the picture.

Thanks for coming along. 💙

⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 Exploring My Own Backyard

00:42 CityPlace — West Palm Beach

01:30 Clematis Street & Flagler's Paradise

02:15 West Palm Beach Park — Lakeside Sunrise

03:00 Boynton Beach Inlet

03:45 Ocean Ridge Beach

04:30 Delray Beach

05:15 Mizner Park — Boca Raton

06:00 Deerfield Beach & My Iguana

06:45 What Plein Air Sketching Has Taught Me

07:00 From Marketing to Art

07:15 The Best Imagination Exercise

07:30 One Journey, A Whole Lot of Beauty

🎨 Artist: ‪@jackiemorreale‬

📍 South Florida / Palm Beach County

🖍️ Soft Pastels | Plein Air Sketching

🌴 West Palm Beach → Deerfield Beach

Watch Plein Air Sketching Part 1:

   • I Started Drawing Landscapes… and Discover...  

#JackieMorreale #PleinAir #PleinAirSketching #FloridaArt #SouthFlorida #PalmBeachCounty #SoftPastel #PastelArt #FloridaArtist #LandscapeDrawing #ArtTimelapse #WestPalmBeach #DelrayBeach #BocaRaton #DeerfieldBeach

What happens when you're exhausted, your mind is telling you to quit, and you still have a race to finish?

Elite cyclist Peggy Maass Labiuk knows that feeling firsthand—and she knows how to turn it around.

In this episode of ‪@wisdomforwannabes‬, Peggy shares the mental strategies she used during an extraordinary cycling career that included competing on the U.S. National Team, becoming a two-time national champion, earning a World Championships medal, and setting a 24-hour endurance cycling world record.

Peggy is also the co-author, with sports psychologist Dr. Saul Miller ‪@sportpsychologyschool8526‬, of *Cycle Psyched: Pro Wisdom and the Mental Training to Excel*, published by ‪@springcedarspublisher‬. Their latest book brings together mental-performance lessons and insights from more than 90 world-class cyclists.

We talk about confidence, self-talk, goal setting, visualization, fatigue, peak performance, and what happens when you change the conversation happening inside your own head.

Peggy also shares one of her favorite racing stories: a moment when she was ready to quit during a race, deliberately shifted her mindset, and ultimately won a sprint against Olympic champion Monique Knol.

And her message isn't just for cyclists.

Whether you're an athlete, entrepreneur, artist, student, or simply someone pursuing a goal that feels a little too difficult, Peggy's advice is simple: start with one small step, document it, celebrate it—and keep going.

🚴‍♀️ In this episode:

• Why confidence is something you can train

• How positive self-talk can change your performance

• What to do when your brain says, “I want to quit”

• Why small goals build confidence

• The difference between data and listening to your own mind

• What peak performance actually feels like

• How visualization can help athletes

• Peggy's “eagle” mindset

• The mental lessons cycling can teach us about life

• An exercise from Cycle Psyched you can try this week

📖 Learn more about Cycle Psyched: Pro Wisdom and the Mental Training to Excel and explore Peggy and Saul's work.

⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 From Wanting to Quit to Beating an Olympic Champion

00:48 Introduction: Train Your Mind

01:53 How Peggy & Saul Started Writing Together

02:33 25 Years of Cycling & Sports Psychology

03:48 Why Mental Training Is for Everyone

04:47 Writing Together: From Confidence to Collaboration

05:06 Using Horse-Racing Imagery in Cycling

05:39 Peggy's Favorite Book

06:27 Simple Mantras for Sports Performance

06:53 The Mental Game of a 40-Lap Race

08:04 Peggy's Eagle Mindset

08:24 What Peak Performance Really Feels Like

10:02 Can You Train Confidence? Absolutely.

10:28 The Cheetah, the Wolves & Powered Thinking

11:15 From “Someday I'll…” to Taking One Small Step

12:01 Why Peggy Keeps a Cycling Journal

12:58 Your Mind Is Still Your Most Important Tool

13:22 Final Takeaways: Keep Going

⭐ Quotes from Peggy Maass Labiuk:

• “You still need to tap into: What is your mind saying? What is your heart telling you?”
• “You want to change what you're telling yourself.”
• “Goal setting instead of, ‘Well, we'll see how it goes.’”
• “You absolutely can train confidence.”
• “Your preparation is everything.”
• “That's how I'm going to finish the race. I'm going to win that way.”
• “That was in the moment, turning it around from wanting to exit to winning.”
• “Sometimes we minimize what those little things are. They're not little things, they're big steps.”
• “You have one mind, one brain. We're relying on that.”
• “Making them digestible bites, but documenting it and celebrating it each time.”

🎙️ Discover wise words in business, beauty, and betterment with *Wisdom for Wannabes*:

https://www.wisdomforwannabes.com/peggy-maass-labiuk-cycling.html

If this conversation inspires you, subscribe for more interviews, stories, art, creativity, personal growth, and wisdom from fascinating people.

#Cycling #MentalToughness #PeakPerformance #SportsPsychology #Confidence #CyclePsyched #WisdomForWannabes

What happens when your grandfather's painted plates start falling off the wall?

You keep drawing them. 😂

I never expected to make a Part 3 of my art honoring project for my grandfather, Robert George Etienne, but after moving his collection of painted plates to a more permanent location, plate after plate started landing on the floor.

First the scuba diver and turtle.🐢

Then the pelican.🐦

Then the gazebo.🏠

Then the lighthouse.⚓

Maybe it was cheap tape.

Or maybe Grandpa wanted me to keep going.

For his 100th heavenly birthday, I've now recreated 12 of his original artworks in my own medium, soft pastels—and each one has taken me somewhere new.

In this third installment, I venture to the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse, return to a meaningful park in West Palm Beach, attempt my first live drawing for my new Wisdom Wednesdays series, and travel to Juno Beach to recreate Grandpa's scuba diver and turtle painting using a real loggerhead turtle I had encountered at Loggerhead Marine Life Center.

And somewhere along the way, I realized something:

Grandpa's art has literally taken me places.

But he used his art to travel, too.

A World War II veteran who spoke some German, Grandpa would travel through Germany, Austria, and Switzerland with his paints, easel and sketchbook, sitting on trains and painting the landscapes outside his window.

He was practical, adventurous, creative, and a little quirky—including his unusual solution for mixing oil paints while traveling. 😆

This project has become more than recreating old paintings.

It's a way of remembering Grandpa.

Of discovering the artist behind the grandfather I knew.

And of finding his creativity in my own world.

Thank you for leaving behind enough pieces of yourself for us to keep discovering you.

Happy heavenly 100th birthday, Grandpa.

And I'll see you when the next plate falls off the wall.

Quotes:

• “Grandpa's art has literally taken me places.”
• “We don't have to recreate someone's world exactly. We can take what they loved and find it in our own.”
• “He used his art to take himself places, too.”

🎨 Original artwork: Robert George Etienne

🖍️ Pastel recreations: ‪@jackiemorreale‬

🎙️‪@wisdomforwannabes‬

🌐 View Robert George Etienne's tribute art gallery:

https://www.wisdomforwannabes.com/tribute.html

Chapters:

00:00 The Plates Started Falling

00:52 Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse ⚓

01:46 Finding Magic in a Different Landscape (Gazebo) 🏠

02:45 Grandpa's Black & White Pelican 🐦

03:33 Surprise visit from a Sandhill Crane!

03:40 Recreating Grandpa's Turtle 🐢

04:32 Grandpa's Art Took Me Places

05:00 Grandpa the Traveling Artist

05:31 Thank You, Grandpa

Subscribe to Wisdom for Wannabes for more conversations about business, beauty, creativity, and betterment, and more special blog articles hosted by Jackie Morreale.

#RobertGeorgeEtienne #PastelArt #ArtTribute #FamilyLegacy #WorldWarIIVeteran #PurpleHeart #SoftPastels #ArtTimelapse #WisdomForWannabes

What if your office was outside?

Plein air sketching started for me thousands of miles from home, in the Austrian Alps. I was away from my studio and wanted to leave a unique gift for family, so I sat down with my pastels and started drawing the landscape in front of me.

I didn't think I was particularly good at landscapes.

So I stopped worrying about being good.

I just started looking.

Layer by layer. Shape by shape. Color by color.

And somewhere along the way, I realized that maybe I didn't need to know exactly what I was doing. Maybe I just needed to pay attention.

When I came home to Palm Beach County, that little experiment became one of my favorite things to do. My office became the outdoors, and every plein air sketch became an excuse to get out of the house, experience somewhere new, meet people, and really notice what was around me.

In this video, I'm sharing 12 plein air sketches—two from Austria and ten from Palm Beach County—including palm trees and pine cones, my family's mango tree, the Everglades, Jupiter Lighthouse, the Worth Avenue Clock Tower, Lake Worth Beach, and more.

These aren't meant to be photographs. They're timestamps.

Each drawing captures where I was, what caught my attention, and, most importantly, how I felt in that particular moment.

And that's probably the biggest thing plein air sketching has taught me:

*The landscape doesn't necessarily change. Sometimes, we change because we're looking at it differently.*

If you've ever thought, "I'd love to draw, but I'm not good enough," I hope this inspires you to try anyway. Take a pencil, some crayons, a sketchbook—or even a drawing app on your phone—and just draw what you see.

You don't have to finish it. You don't have to show anyone. You just have to look.

For me, it's more fun than doom scrolling, it gets me out of my head and into the world, and it makes me notice the beauty that's already around me.

This is my little love letter to plein air sketching, both in Schladming, Austria and in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA.🎨 Artist: ‪@jackiemorreale‬ 📍 Featured locations: Austrian Alps & Palm Beach County, Florida🖍️ Medium: Soft pastels🎙️ Host: ‪@wisdomforwannabes‬ Chapters:00:00 What If Your Office Was Outside?00:22 How It All Started in Austria01:12 Learning to Look Deeper01:40 My Outdoor Office in Palm Beach County02:05 The First Sketch: Palm Trees & Pine Cones 🌲02:41 IT'S RAINING! Switch to inside studio03:19 From Tree to Table: The Mango Tree 🥭04:12 Seeing the Everglades Differently 🐊05:05 Don't Mess It Up: Jupiter Lighthouse ⚓05:35 Worth Avenue Clock Tower 🕰️06:23 When Drawing Becomes Social: Lake Worth Beach 🏖️07:05 These Aren't Photographs, They're Timestamps07:51 Getting Over the Fear of Being "Good Enough"08:23 My Challenge to You: Just Draw09:05 My Office Is OutsideThanks for coming along. I can't wait to see what you make! https://www.wisdomforwannabes.com/sketches.html#JackieMorreale #PleinAir #SoftPastel #PalmBeachCounty #FloridaArt #LandscapeDrawing #NatureArt #ArtJourney #WisdomForWannabes

What if being a good parent isn't about getting everything right, but about knowing how to repair when things go wrong?

Dr. Amy Todey, a Harvard-trained psychologist, parenting and co-parenting expert, and founder of Todey Psychology, joins ‪@jackiemorreale‬ on ‪@wisdomforwannabes‬ for a thoughtful conversation about families, parenting, high-conflict co-parenting, childhood development, and neurodiversity.

Amy believes that families don't have to be perfect to be healthy. In fact, she says the messy, ever-changing nature of family life can create opportunities for connection, growth, and repair.

In this conversation, we explore:

🧠 Understanding ADHD and neurodiversity without allowing a diagnosis to become an identity

❤️ Why children—and adults—are wired for belonging and connection

🌱 Why repair may be one of the most important parenting skills

🗣️ How the words we use with children can shape how they see themselves

🤝 Navigating conflict and co-parenting through radical acceptance

💭 Why seeing both the strengths and flaws in ourselves and others can lead to more authentic relationships

🙏 The power of forgiveness—for our children, our parents, and ourselves

📱 Why children may need more unstructured, outdoor, hands-on time

✨ And why Amy believes love is the ultimate value

Amy also opens up about being a mom to three boys, her experience as a former basketball player and referee, and what her own children have taught her about forgiveness.

One of my favorite takeaways from our conversation: “You can always come back. You can always repair.”

If you're a parent, co-parent, caregiver, educator—or simply someone interested in better understanding human relationships—there's plenty of wisdom here for you.

Connect with Dr. Amy Todey:

Website: https://www.TodeyPsychology.com

Instagram:   / dramytodey  

🔟 Top 10 One-Line Quotes from Dr. Amy Todey's interview:

• “The heart and soul of what I do is really helping families find their way back to each other.”

• “I love human beings. It's easy for me to see goodness in people.”

• “You can always come back. You can always repair, or start a repair process, with your family.”

• “The myth about parenting is that there is a perfect or right way to do it.”

• “People are built to belong. We're wired that way.”

• “We really don't have control over a lot of what happens in life, but we can control how we respond to it.”

• “To have authentic relationships, we have to be able to see both strengths and faults in both in ourselves and in other people.”

• “The greatest virtue is love; everything flows from that.”

• “A diagnosis isn't an identity. It really isn't. It is a way that explains how kids' brains work.”

• “The minute we name it, it gets smaller. The minute we face it, it gets smaller.”

Chapters:

00:00 – Welcome to Wisdom for Wannabes

00:51 – Meet Dr. Amy Todey

01:42 – Helping Families Find Their Way Back

03:33 – Why Amy Became a Psychologist

04:50 – The Power of a Corrective Emotional Experience

05:22 – Avoiding Burnout & Building Your Village

06:59 – Quick-Fire: Basketball, Parenting & Life

09:15 – Is There a “Right” Way to Parent?

11:02 – What Kids Need From Schools Today

11:49 – What Amy's Kids Have Taught Her

12:32 – The Parenting Book She Recommends

13:35 – Why Belonging & Connection Come First

14:43 – Are We Losing Human Connection?

15:37 – Finding the Person Beneath the Conflict

16:54 – Empathy + Challenge: Helping People Change

18:33 – Radical Acceptance in Parenting & Co-Parenting

21:05 – You Don't Have to Be a Perfect Parent

22:20 – Love, Forgiveness & Compassion

23:12 – The Importance of Modeling Behavior

24:00 – Boundaries, Words & Repairing With Kids

26:45 – Understanding Neurodiversity Without Labels Defining Kids

28:44 – When Naming the Problem Makes It Smaller

29:13 – The People Behind Amy's Journey

30:19 – Where to Find Dr. Amy Todey

31:11 – Closing

Subscribe to Wisdom for Wannabes for more wise words on business, beauty, & betterment. https://www.wisdomforwannabes.com/

What happens when you take an artist's work from another generation and bring it into your own world?

For my grandfather Robert George Etienne's 100th heavenly birthday, I began recreating his original acrylic paintings on decorative plates using my own medium: soft pastels.

After completing Part 1, I realized our family had almost 100 more of Grandpa's painted plates to choose from. So I asked my family to pick some of their favorites—and created four more.

But this time, I took his artwork outdoors.

Each recreation became a plein air conversation between Grandpa's imagination and mine.

A tropical dart frog became a hidden Easter egg in a Florida landscape. 🐸

A mysterious celestial painting made me wonder whether two winged figures might be cherubs—or perhaps two souls connected by a flowing ribbon. 👼

His seascape inspired me to paint a peaceful lake filled with Egyptian geese. 🪿

And finally, one of his beautiful seascapes brought me to the beach, where I sat in 96-degree Florida heat, covered myself in pastel dust, and eventually jumped into the ocean to cool off. 🌊

Through recreating his work, I've learned more about my grandfather not only as an artist, but as someone who knew how to see.

I've learned about composition, color, observation, and most importantly, imagination.

Because we don't have to create the same way.

We can take what someone gave us and make it our own.

At the end of the video, I invite you to take an imagination journey through Grandpa's art—from a tropical landscape, to a celestial sky, to a peaceful lake, and finally into the ocean.

My grandfather, Robert George Etienne, passed away in 2024. His creativity lives on in the paintings he left behind, the easel and paints he gave me, and now, in some small way, in my own pastels.

After all these years, you're still teaching me how to stretch my imagination.

Love you, Grandpa. ❤️

🎨 Original artwork: Robert George Etienne

🖍️ Pastel recreations: Jackie Morreale

🎙️‪@wisdomforwannabes‬

🌐 View Robert George Etienne's tribute art gallery:https://www.wisdomforwannabes.com/tribute

Chapters:

00:00 Honoring Grandpa Through Art

00:31 The Tropical Dart Frog 🐸

01:11 Reimagining Grandpa's Cherubs 👼

01:56 His Seascape Becomes My Lake & Egyptian Geese 🪿

02:28 Grandpa's Seascape Becomes My Beach 🌊

03:36 An Imagination Journey 🪷

04:26 What Grandpa's Art Taught Me

Subscribe to Wisdom for Wannabes for more conversations about business, beauty, creativity, and betterment, and more special blog articles hosted by Jackie Morreale.

#RobertGeorgeEtienne #PastelArt #ArtTribute #FamilyLegacy #WorldWarIIVeteran #PurpleHeart #SoftPastels #ArtTimelapse #WisdomForWannabes

Celebrate an artist legacy by honoring my grandfather, Robert George Etienne, on his 100th birthday. Watch as I recreate his paintings to bridge our connection across time.

This video documents a special tribute to a WWII veteran who found beauty in everyday objects. I walk through the process of recreating his specific oil paintings, including his studies of a red bouquet, heirloom tomatoes, and peaches. It is a guide for anyone looking to preserve family history art through creative expression and honoring the past.

By recreating these pieces, ‪@wisdomforwannabes‬ host Jackie Morreale explores what it means to carry forward an artistic connection through generations. You will see how simple still-life subjects can hold deep meaning when viewed through the lens of a WWII veteran story. Whether you are an artist or someone interested in documenting family milestones, this 100th birthday tribute offers a unique look at how we can pay homage to our elders.

Happy heavenly 100th birthday, Grandpa.

🎨 Original painted artwork by Robert George Etienne

🖍️ Soft pastel recreations by Jackie Morreale

🌐 View Robert George Etienne's tribute art gallery:https://www.wisdomforwannabes.com/tribute.html

Chapters:

00:00 Every artist leaves something behind

00:18 Meet my grandfather, Robert George Etienne, veteran and artist

01:03 Recreating Grandpa's paintings

01:19 Red Flower Bouquet 🌹

01:51 Blue Hydrangeas 💙

02:12 Heirloom Tomatoes 🍅

03:06 Peaches 🍑

03:43 An imagination exercise

04:11 A legacy that lives on

04:20 Happy heavenly 100th birthday, Grandpa

Subscribe for more conversations about business, beauty, creativity, and betterment.

#RobertGeorgeEtienne #PastelArt #ArtTribute #FamilyLegacy #WorldWarIIVeteran #PurpleHeart #SoftPastels #ArtTimelapse #WisdomForWannabes

Sometimes the best vacations aren't the ones that take us far from home; they're the ones that remind us how much wonder has been waiting nearby all along.

In this Wisdom for Wannabes blog voice note reflection, Jackie Morreale shares one of her favorite days of the summer: a family paddleboard adventure from Phil Foster Park to Peanut Island in Palm Beach County.

What started as a simple staycation became an unforgettable journey filled with stingrays, tropical fish, sandbars, houseboats, unexpected kindness, one spectacular wipeout, and a reminder that life rarely follows the straight line shown on a map.

The episode concludes with a 2-Minute Imagination Exercise: Your Seaside Odyssey, inviting you to picture your own island and reflect on the adventure you've been waiting to begin.

Favorite Quotes:

• "The map shows a straight line. Life rarely does."

• "Sometimes the easiest way forward isn't paddling harder. Sometimes it's simply realizing that you can stand."
• "We weren't really paddling to Peanut Island. We were practicing what it feels like to begin something we've never done before."
• "Sometimes staycations are the best vacations."
• "The greatest adventures begin with one simple question: 'Do you think we can make it?'"

🌊 Have you ever had a staycation that became an unforgettable adventure? I'd love to hear your story in the comments.

If you enjoy stories about adventure, creativity, resilience, and finding wisdom in everyday life, please consider subscribing to ‪@wisdomforwannabes‬ .

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction: A Staycation Becomes an Odyssey

00:17 Mission: Paddleboard to Peanut Island

01:04 Launching the Adventure

01:33 Stingrays Beneath the Board

01:51 Crossing the Boat Channel

02:19 Houseboats & the Sandbar

03:00 Forty-One Final Strokes

03:31 Exploring Peanut Island

03:50 Tropical Fish, Barracuda & Parrotfish

04:20 Perspective Changes Everything

04:28 Heading Home

04:45 The Secret to Faster Paddleboarding

05:34 Wipeout!

06:00 Rescue Mission

06:34 The Map Doesn't Tell the Whole Story

07:22 What the Journey Really Taught Me

07:49 2-Minute Imagination Exercise: Your Seaside Odyssey

09:27 The Greatest Adventures

Full blog article by Jackie Morreale, with photos and transcript, on Wisdom for Wannabes website at: https://www.wisdomforwannabes.com/blog/peanut-island-odyssey-learnings-from-a-paddleboard-adventure

"Don't wait for permission from anybody." — Nani Sahra Walker

Academy Award-winning producer, writer, and director Nani Sahra Walker joins Wisdom for Wannabes to discuss her powerful new feature film, Shakti, and the five-year journey that brought it to life.

In this inspiring conversation, Nani shares why she left journalism to become a filmmaker, what winning an Oscar taught her, why independent voices matter, and how trusting your intuition can change your life.

She also explains the meaning of Shakti—power and creative energy—and why stories have the ability to inspire healing, courage, and lasting change.

Watch Shakti!

📺 Tubi: https://tubitv.com/movies/100056715/shakti

📺 Fawesome: https://fawesome.tv/movies/10799964/shakti

📺 Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ2CF8SW

Favorite Quotes:

• "Don't wait for permission from anybody."

• "Recognition is nice, but it's not my final idea of success."

• "Listening to your own voice and trusting your intuition changed my life."

• "It's not about religion. It's about creating a space for healing."

• "Sometimes changing a bigger system starts with small acts of change on a personal level."

Top Takeaways:

✔ Trust your intuition.

✔ Don't seek external validation.

✔ Independent voices matter.

✔ Healing looks different for everyone.

✔ Success is measured by impact.

✔ Rejection is part of the process.

✔ Great stories inspire change.

✔ Small actions can create lasting change.

✔ Creativity requires perseverance.

✔ Don't give up.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

00:59 Meet Nani Sahra Walker

01:28 From Journalism to Filmmaking

02:33 When Storytelling Became Her Calling

04:20 Directing, Leadership & Perseverance

05:43 Quick Fire Questions

10:39 What Inspired Shakti?

12:08 Why Shakti Matters Today

12:52 The Meaning of "Shakti"

13:38 Creating Space for Healing

15:08 Lessons Learned Making the Film

15:49 Conversations the Film Inspires

16:34 One Message Everyone Should Remember

16:47 Why Shakti Is Streaming Free

17:15 Winning an Oscar

18:21 Redefining Success

19:13 Rejection, Funding & Independent Film

20:24 Don't Wait for Permission

21:20 Advice for Creative Wannabes

22:36 Shout-Outs & Creative Community

25:17 Best Filmmaker of 2026

25:52 Final Thoughts

🎙️ Subscribe for more conversations about business, beauty, and betterment.

Website: https://wisdomforwannabes.com

Academy Award-winning producer Nani Sahra Walker discusses the creative resilience behind her latest project, Shakti.

In this episode of Wisdom for Wannabes, host Jackie Morreale sits down with Nani Sahra Walker to explore the process of bringing complex narratives to the screen. They examine the roots of her project, Shakti, and how it draws from Hindu tradition to present stories centered on endurance and internal change. This conversation is designed for creators and filmmakers who want to understand the persistence required to see a project through from concept to completion.

Beyond the technical aspects of production, the discussion highlights the necessity of having deeper conversations in the industry. By focusing on personal realizations and the philosophy behind her work, Nani Sara Walker offers a perspective on how to maintain artistic integrity while navigating the demands of the film world. You will gain insight into the mindset required to balance cultural storytelling with professional success.

https://www.wisdomforwannabes.com/nani-sahra-walker-film.html

Sasha Monaco has built a career at the intersection of psychology, storytelling, technology, and entrepreneurship. In this episode of Wisdom for Wannabes, she shares how she transforms evidence-based research into children's books that help young readers navigate anxiety, OCD, goal setting, and resilience.

From making technology sales calls at just 15 years old to developing her "Happiness Formula" and leading Mindset Labs for children, Sasha explains how small mindset shifts can create lasting confidence and meaningful change.

Whether you're a parent, entrepreneur, educator, or creative professional, this conversation is filled with practical strategies for building resilience, overcoming fear, and creating a life that truly lights up your heart.

Find out more about Sasha Monaco at: https://sashamonaco.com/

In this episode:

- The Happiness Formula

- Positive psychology made simple

- Helping children overcome anxiety and OCD

- Why healthy discomfort leads to confidence

- Building resilience through cognitive reframing

- Turning research into stories

- Technology, publishing, and entrepreneurship

- Why "Go Next" may be the best advice you'll ever hear

Key Takeaways:

- Turn complex ideas into simple stories.

- Happiness can be intentionally designed.

- Think bigger than your current comfort zone.

- Every problem has a solution.

- Children become resilient through support and structure.

- Cognitive reframing changes how we experience challenges.

- Small daily habits create extraordinary results.

- Confidence grows by doing uncomfortable things.

- Focus on what lights up your heart—not what impresses others.

- Success is simply learning to "Go next."

Great Quotes:

- "What it boils down to in both fields is turning data into stories."

- "Create like a child. Edit like a scientist."

- "Every problem has a solution, even if it doesn't feel like it."

- "Success means: Go next."

- "Happiness is more green than red."

- "Think about what lights up your heart and then reverse engineer it."

- "We can't assume the world will be kind to our children, but we can create resilient, durable children."

- "Whatever you think is big, think a little bit bigger."

- "If you defy discomfort, your brain creates another pathway that says, 'You can do it.'"

- "The people who are happiest know what makes them happy—and what doesn't."

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to Wisdom for Wannabes

02:31 Meet Sasha Monaco

03:13 Starting a tech career at 15

04:33 Quick-fire questions

08:45 Sasha's origin story

11:27 Why she started writing children's books

14:25 Turning psychology research into stories

17:15 The Happiness Formula

20:10 The one psychological skill every child should learn

21:41 Living with OCD and writing Tap Tap Tap

23:11 Mindset Labs and helping children thrive

27:18 Lessons from technology and business

28:54 Think bigger than your fears

30:14 Follow what lights up your heart

31:33 What's next for Sasha Monaco?

Full interview with Sasha Monaco, with video, images, and transcript, on Wisdom for Wannabes website at: 38: Sasha Monaco on Books & Business Development - WISDOM FOR WANNABES: A PODCAST SERIES HOSTED BY JACKIE MORREALE