This episode idea started as a joke. 

But the more I talked about it, the more I realized I do actually want to take a break from self-improvement — a journey I’ve been on for nearly 20 years. 

Before you judge me, or dismiss me, hear me out. 

In today’s episode I’ll talk about what happens when we stop trying to become “better” than we already are. 

Host: Ally Fallon // @allyfallon // allisonfallon.com

Follow Ally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allyfallon/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever felt like there was something you wanted to do — like write a book or take an improv class or start a yoga practice — but you were avoiding it because you hate the feeling of being a beginner? 

It can be uncomfortable to not know what’s coming next, to make mistakes, to feel out of place, to wobble or stutter or unknowingly break decorum. 

And yet reconnecting with the beginner in you is also liberating. There’s a freedom that comes with lowering your expectations, with waiting for cues, with learning as you go and even taking the pressure off for a performance of any kind. 

In today’s episode, we’ll talk about the importance of being a beginner in all aspects of life and talk about how we can reconnect with the beginner in each of us.

Host: Ally Fallon // @allyfallon // allisonfallon.com

Follow Ally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allyfallon/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When I ask a writer working on a manuscript why they are writing a book, or what they hope happens with their book, one of the most common sentiments I hear is they want to “help as many people as possible.” While this desire makes sense, and I know it comes from a good place, I want to point out one of the major pitfalls of “helping as many people as possible” as motivation for your art. 

If we aren’t making art to “help people” then why are we making art? 

I’ll unpack that in today’s episode and the answer is one that even I didn’t see coming when I first sat down to record this one. I’d love to have you come along for the ride.

Host: Ally Fallon // @allyfallon // allisonfallon.com

Follow Ally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allyfallon/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you know why writing a manuscript is harder than writing an instagram caption? Because we’re not used to “dragging out” a problem in stories. Yet the books and movies that capture our attention don’t resolve problems quickly. 

They lean into the tension as a tool for transformation of the hero.

And it keeps you engaged. 

If you’re facing a problem in your life, is it possible you’re jumping too quickly to a solution? Are you simplifying a matter that is not simple because living in the problem feels too painful? Are you “waiting on a miracle” as a way to numb the pain of the present moment? 

I believe miracles exist and I also believe most of us have no idea what a miracle really looks like. What if the miracle is found deeper inside of the problem you’ve been busy trying to solve?

Host: Ally Fallon // @allyfallon // allisonfallon.com

Follow Ally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allyfallon/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re less than three weeks into the new year and have already faced a healthy handful of national tragedies (14 killed in Louisiana, the cybertruck explosion outside the hotel in Vegas, the fires in Los Angeles, just to name a few) not to mention the global crises that rage on (the war in the middle east, the destruction in Ukraine, climate change, for example). And this doesn’t even account for whatever personal disappointment or chaos that may be brewing in your little world. 

Needless to say, it seems we may be gearing up for another wild year. 

So how are we approaching this turning of the clocks? Are we entering in with the same energy we have always brought to January — rigid, individualistic and even sometimes materialistic goals that we are determined to meet? 

Or are we entering in with an attitude of softness, of listening? 

Are we willing to receive what life is trying to teach us? 

On this week’s episode, I want to talk about how I’m trying to soften my way into the new year, and why I think softness (especially when things are hard) is the way of the future. 

See the poem I discuss by clicking HERE

Host: Ally Fallon // @allyfallon // allisonfallon.com

Follow Ally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allyfallon/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever just known something was true but you didn’t know how you knew?

Have you ever been inspired to say something or create something but couldn’t explain where that inspiration was coming from?

Have you ever had a flash of insight or information about yourself or another person?

In today’s episode I talk with my friend Amanda Rieger Green,  who also happens to be a psychic medium and a brilliant teacher on astrology and numerology, about how we learn to trust ourselves and our perceptions. Especially when those perceptions fall outside of our typical five senses. 

According to Amanda, we all have access to senses beyond the five physical senses, and when we can learn to tune into those senses and trust what comes through, we find ourselves more confident and aligned than ever before.  

Creativity and spirituality meet here — at the place where we begin to listen to the unique way god or love or universe wants to speak through us. 

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. Please be sure to find Amanda’s show called Soul Sessions wherever you listen to podcasts.

Host: Ally Fallon // @allyfallon // allisonfallon.com

Follow Ally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allyfallon/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a time of year that seems to move at lightning speed. it can feel like, if we don’t also move at lightning speed, we’ll fall behind and miss something truly important. What if moving fast isn’t the flex you’ve been told it is?

It might seem like FAST is the way to get more out of life. Think of all the magic we can experience and things we can accomplish if we move at the fastest possible pace! 

But what if we’re wrong about that?

In this weeks episode I want to give you permission to move much more slowly than is culturally normal this time of year, and maybe even more slowly than you’re used to moving. Fast might be “normal” for you but take a minute and ask if it feels gentle or even good in your system. 

What if you could move more slowly and actually get MORE (rather than less) out of your life?

Today, I suggest exactly that. It’s a little benediction for you as you move through the busiest time of year. 

 

Host: Ally Fallon // @allyfallon // allisonfallon.com

Follow Ally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allyfallon/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you missed last week’s episode – go back and listen before you jump into this one! We talked about what it looks like to get into the ease and flow of creativity. 

This week, I want to address the role of restriction, boundaries, rules and borders as it relates to flow. Boundaries and flow might seem diametrically opposed but these two seeming “opposites” actually play together quite nicely and are necessary for true expansion.

If “restriction” sounds like a bummer to you, or conjures up memories of going without, listen to this episode. 

If “restriction” was used against you in the past, as a way to limit pleasure or generate suffering, listen to this episode. 

If you yourself sometimes use “restriction” as a form of self-punishment or because you feel undeserving, listen to this episode. 

It’s time to reclaim the value of restriction for our creativity and our well-being. 

What is getting in the way of your flow? 

Host: Ally Fallon // @allyfallon // allisonfallon.com

Follow Ally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allyfallon/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are two ways we can approach our creative life — that is, anything we want to make or create in this world. 

The first is to fight for what we think we want. 

The second is to open and receive what has always been rightfully ours. 

I have used both ways in my life and both ways work, to one extent or another. Neither is bad or wrong. On today’s episode, I’ll talk about why I moved from approach #1 to approach #2 and what has surprised me about the second option.  

Fun side note: listen in real time to what happens when I do this as I’m recording this episode! I came with an intention for what I wanted to say, and something totally different unfolded. 

What if creativity is happening for you and you don’t have to force it forward? 

What would it take for you to open to what is trying to happen for you? 

Here’s the book I mention several times in the episode: The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Host: Ally Fallon // @allyfallon // allisonfallon.com

 

Follow Ally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allyfallon/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If creativity doesn’t always yield the expected results, how do we measure “success”? 

In today’s episode, I explore the idea of focusing more on how the creative process feels than on how it looks. It doesn’t matter if you’re growing a business or falling in love or making a piece of art. The question I want you to ask yourself is: how does it make you feel? 

This isn’t how we’re trained in religion or in many family dynamics and it certainly isn’t how we’re indoctrinated by broader culture.

But is it possible that leaning into what feels good — over what looks good — gets us closer to our desired outcome? 

Here’s the book I mentioned in today’s episode: Breathing Under Water by Richard Rohr.

Host: Ally Fallon // @allyfallon // allisonfallon.com

Follow Ally on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allyfallon/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.