Category: Love Your Enthusiasm

“Think of this as a time for opportunity and invention.” What a concept when our world seems entirely upside down, when we can’t seem to find our footing no matter what we do. It’s the reason why I continue to pour my heart and energy into my podcast, Love Your Enthusiasm. And the reason why I share conversations from women who are still pushing forward and doing incredible things this year.

Caitlin Trainor is my guest on Love Your Enthusiasm this week. She is a dancer, creative entrepreneur, choreographer, and the founder of Dancio, a platform that offers on-demand ballet and contemporary classes.

There has been such a need for a platform like Dancio. When I discovered Dancio last year, I was searching for a way to supplement my once-a-week ballet class with a home class. (There wasn’t shit out there on YouTube, lemme tell ya.) Little did I know that March of 2020 would be my last ballet class for…what’s looking like…the rest of the year.

I’m so thankful to have a platform like Dancio right now—as are dancers in 50+ countries around the world who are also terrifying their pets by kicking and turning in kitchens, hallways, and living rooms.

Caitlin is doing wonderful things for the dance community. She is vibrant, dedicated, and perhaps more of a potty-mouth than I am…who knew that person existed? If this is the time for opportunity and invention, looking to Caitlin for no-bullshit inspiration is a good place to start.

In this episode, Caitlin talks about her passion for changing the world through dance and movement. She covers everything from how she protects her creative enthusiasm to a time she came close to quitting, along with the importance of looking at the view but also looking at the rocks beneath you.

I hope you enjoy this awesome conversation with Caitlin.

Continue reading “Love Your Enthusiasm with Caitlin Trainor” →

Writing involves a strange mixture of mystery and magic. What writers do many cannot attempt. Poetry seems to amplify these mysterious and magical qualities. So, what does life as a poet actually look like? Let’s find out from a full-time poet, shall we?

Katrina Naomi is on Love Your Enthusiasm this week. Katrina is an award-winning poet who lives in Cornwall, UK. You’re already picturing her as she is pictured here, wearing a vintage dress with a flower in her hair, whipping up a lovely piece of work at her desk as willowy trees rustle gently outside.

But, Katrina is here to tell you that poetry isn’t all about whimsical scenes and romantic exchanges. Writing poetry is about using your own language, not sounding poetic. It’s a matter of turning up at your desk and just getting on with it. It’s about being yourself and being bold.

Bold is the perfect word to describe Katrina. She swims in the sea every morning, without a wetsuit in 50-degree (plus or minus) choppy waters. And she’s on a mission to demystify poetry and make it more accessible to people from all walks of life.

In this episode, Katrina shares her exploratory nature as a poet, from creative processes and requirements that work well for her to other passions she resorts to when she needs to step away from her poetry and let it breathe. Katrina also shares her perspectives on fear and rejection…and I can happily report that her responses are refreshingly honest and open.

Hope you have a lovely time with Katrina.

Continue reading “Love Your Enthusiasm with Katrina Naomi” →

“The blogging community went to prison with me. They went to my husband’s funeral with me. They physically showed up at my husband’s funeral so I wouldn’t have to be there alone—or with people that didn’t understand or didn’t know him. And when you have something like that in your life, that is a family.”

Because so many of you are engrained in the blogging community, it is highly likely that you already know today’s guest on Love Your Enthusiasm, Ra Avis of Rarasaur.

I’ve followed Ra’s blog for many, many years. Her writing has always been exquisite and electric—and to play off her name—every piece is beautifully and unapologetically raw. I was one of the people in the blogging community who was there in spirit as she went to prison, as she lost her husband of ten years just two months before her release.

Through blogging, we build indescribable connections with one other, even if we are never able to meet up in person for that coffee or that drink. What I appreciate about Ra is her openness about her life, how she shares her stories and experiences to help others understand their struggles and find a way to heal when everything is broken.

In this episode, Ra talks about how the practice of forgiveness has impacted her life, bringing in her perspective as a widow who was formerly incarcerated. Ra has lived through more than many of us will ever experience in our lifetime—or even begin to grasp—yet she continues to approach life with admirable vulnerability and an unstoppable belief in the power of community support and radical love.

Kick back and enjoy this deep, beautiful conversation with Ra.

Continue reading “Love Your Enthusiasm with Ra Avis” →

2020 is an inward journey for all of us. We are pausing and reflecting more, and we are spending more time at home. As a result, many of us are suddenly paying attention to the home life we neglected all those years when we were busy commuting and traveling.

We’ve started looking at our homes as the new epicenter of lives for working, relaxing, loving, cooking, exercising, and sleeping. Which is why, while other industries hang by a thread, home improvement is booming this year. And, why it was a highly relevant time for me to talk to the founder of iarchitect, Jane Leach, on Love Your Enthusiasm.

On the show, Jane shares how she uses her passion for eco-home architecture to help people live more intentionally and consciously, starting with our most important environment…our homes. In Jane’s words, “Everybody deserves to have a home that supports the best version of their life.”

Jane taught me that approximately 21% of architects are female, a stat that blew me away as I expected that number to be higher at this point. It’s great to see that Jane is doing something about it as one of the few female architects, ensuring women’s needs are better represented in their homes and that homeowners are making conscious decisions to protect the planet along the way.

Jane is such a lovely person. I hope you get tons of ideas and inspiration from this episode.

Continue reading “Love Your Enthusiasm with Jane Leach” →

I didn’t quite know what to expect when I launched Zoom to interview Marina Sofia. Would she speak with a Romanian accent? What does a Romanian accent even sound like? As soon as Marina sang out “hello,” I realized those years spent as a translator living in the UK and all over Europe resulted in an unexpectedly legit British accent.

Marina was a longtime writer and reviewer I knew in the blogging community—we always connected over our mutual obsession for words and linguistics. In recent years, I lost touch with Marina. She moved around, I moved around. She changed professional paths, so did I. She started a business, and I started several.

When Marina reached out about being a guest on Love Your Enthusiasm, I said “yes” with zero hesitation. I was excited to learn that she co-founded an indie publishing house this year.

Marina and the other co-founders at Corylus Books are bringing authors from lesser-known regions (think: Romania or Iceland) in front of English-speaking audiences by translating and publishing works of fiction that in most cases would be overlooked by publishers.

Starting Corylus Books was largely made possible by Marina’s failed attempts to launch a career in mainstream publishing. This failure became a bonus, leading Marina down a different path where she had the freedom to support the kind of literature she wanted to see translated and published.

In Marina’s words, “If a door bangs in your face, try another door. Try a side door.” Marina knows how to pivot and reinvent herself, while staying committed to her passions. Hope you enjoy this fantastic episode.

Continue reading “Love Your Enthusiasm with Marina Sofia” →