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Bob Pondillo started in radio at fourteen and never stopped telling stories. In this episode he takes us from a tiny Ohio radio station to 30 Rock in New York, through his years writing comedy for radio stations around the world and teaching screenwriting and media history, and into his newest chapter as a novelist. Every one of his books began as a screenplay, and he shares how that happened, the stories behind a few of his novels, and his thoughts on AI and what it's doing to our heads. He also tells the story of a dream that became an award-winning short musical, and leaves us with an idea every creative person should hear. His newest novel, My Name is Wallace, is a sweet and funny story about a lonely man who falls for an AI companion, and it has plenty to say about where the AI companionship industry is heading. Mentioned in this episode The New, True, Charlie Wu (Bob's short musical film): watch on YouTube Pew Research Center: pewresearch.org Connect with Bob Books: bobpondillobooks.com Instagram: @bobpondillo Facebook: facebook.com/bpondillo and his author page Connect with Darrel-Lynne: Instagram: @dee_ogsoul Website: ogsoul.ca

Today I'm chatting with Joey Payeur, the sports reporter who covered my high school rugby team in Fort Saskatchewan 25 years ago, and a friend I'm so grateful to have back in my life. Joey's story starts before he was even born: a great-grandfather found as a baby on the side of a road in Belgium, and a dad who arrived in Canada with $300 and met Joey's mom at Expo 67 while running a carnival ride. From there, Joey takes us through growing up on a farm near New Sarepta, skipping ahead in school and being the youngest, easiest target in the room, and the college years where he finally found his people and almost lost his footing. He shares the mentor who stood in his corner when it counted, the years of moving across the country for newspaper jobs, and the school tour that pointed him toward teaching. Joey also opens up about the hard moments and the lessons that came with them. He gets candid about how alcohol gripped his life and the difficult lessons that came from that. He also shares what's bringing him joy right now, plus an important final reminder for all of us. Content note: This episode includes discussion of suicidal thoughts, impaired driving and a serious car accident. If you're struggling, you can call or text 988 anytime in Canada. Connect with Joey: Instagram: @jp9997 X/Twitter: @jrpayeur Connect with Darrel-Lynne: Instagram: @dee_ogsoul Website: ogsoul.ca

Today the tables are turned. Hayley Musgreave came on the show a few months back, and the second we stopped recording she said she wanted to interview me. So this one's a takeover. She's running the show and I'm in the guest seat. We go into my mental health story, which I call rounds instead of episodes (a nod to my boxing days), because every one of them felt like stepping into the ring. Round one hit in 2012 and took my job, my apartment, my education and my freedom with it. Round two came in late 2016 with a house and a mortgage on the line. In between: hospitalizations, diagnoses, medication, and a voice that showed up one morning in the shower and asked me to listen. We talk about what actually moved the needle, which wasn't what I expected. It started with my dad telling me to do whatever I needed to do to keep the house, leading to my neighbour renting my basement, which revealed the thing I'd been missing entirely: I was alone all the time. Everything else came after that. Diet, walking, sunlight, sleep, magnesium, and eventually coming off medication in 2021. Hayley asks about spirituality and we go all the way there. Synchronicities, God, an Akashic reading about a girl in room 402, and a dream eight months later. We also talk about my husband Joel, the box of wedding letters we've had sealed for five years and are about to open, Karl our beloved cat, my twelve month painting project, and the teacher I'm still looking for. The heart of this episode is a story my old supervision teacher told about a little boy who rocked on the couch, and the caregiver who sat down and rocked at his pace before slowly changing it. That's the whole thing. If someone you love is in it, don't try to pull them out. Get in there and rock with them first. Thank you, Hayley, for flipping the tables. This was a healing conversation. Connect with Hayley: Instagram: @thehayleydawn Connect with Darrel-Lynne: Instagram: @dee_ogsoul Website: ogsoul.ca

Today I'm chatting with Kevin McNee, a men's coach and mentor, and lead author of The Sovereign Man (Sovereign Acres Publishing) Kevin and I get into what it means to take off the armour and let yourself be fully seen, and why that vulnerability is a form of strength rather than the opposite of it. He shares the 2013 turning point that cracked his life open, his faith journey from rejecting religion to reading the Bible and attending church, and the "God-sized hole" he sees so many men carrying. Kevin also gets honest about self-worth, cheating, and what he learned about the power of monogamy, plus his long distance relationship with Alana and his Men for More coaching work. At the heart of this episode: when a man drops the walls and lets himself be seen, he gives everyone around him permission to do the same. Purchase The Sovereign Man Connect with Kevin: Instagram: @the_kevin_mcnee Website: www.menformore.com Connect with Darrel-Lynne: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dee_ogsoul/ Website: https://www.ogsoul.ca/ Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 02:57 The Journey of Writing and Publishing 06:07 Vulnerability and Authenticity in Men 09:00 The Importance of Male Voices 11:53 Personal Growth and Healing Journeys 15:03 Faith and Spirituality Exploration 18:05 The Impact of Energy Healing 21:01 Noticing Signs and Synchronicities 23:58 The Ripple Effect of Personal Change 27:29 Expanding Perspectives on Belief Systems 30:31 Navigating Personal Faith Journeys 33:49 The Search for Meaning Beyond Religion 36:36 Vulnerability and Shame in Religious Contexts 38:25 The Misnomer of New Age Practices 41:45 Authenticity in Sharing Personal Truths 44:32 The Power of Vulnerability in Relationships 51:12 Deepening Intimacy in Monogamous Relationships 52:31 The Hot Stove Experience: Learning Through Pain 53:55 Honesty in Relationships: The Weight of Cheating 56:01 The Beauty of Healthy Long-Term Relationships 58:29 Navigating Long-Distance Love 01:01:06 Finding Joy in Relationship Challenges 01:11:18 Men's Coaching: Creating Safe Spaces for Growth

Today I'm chatting with Erin Leonty, founder and CEO of Leonty Consulting and the creator of Power to Care. Erin spent 25 years in corporate leadership associating power with authority and command and control. Then a coach asked her where she felt power in her body, and she had no answer. What she built from that question is a leadership program grounded in neuroscience, one that treats care as a capability. We get into what the program actually does. Why leaders grip for control when they feel none internally, what happens in the body under pressure, and how noticing and naming a felt sense starts to shift things. Erin really breaks it down in this conversation: notice the tension, name it, decide what to do with it. She's now taking this into boardrooms and to shareholders, making the case that command and control leadership is undermining business results, and she has the research to back it. Leonty Consulting has been around for 10 years, but Erin talks about why she built Power to Care as a clear container after years of consulting. Erin has a Power to Care session coming up this fall on September 10, offered virtually. SPECIAL OFFER: Join the September 10 Power to Care Session Use Coupon Code SEPT50 at checkout for 50% off! Connect with Erin: Website: erinleonty.com LinkedIn: 💡Erin Leonty | LinkedIn Power to Care: Power to Care Connect with Darrel-Lynne: Instagram: @dee_ogsoul Website: ogsoul.ca Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Erin Leonti and Her Vision 01:57 The Power to Care Methodology and Its Impact 02:08 Introduction and Background 04:16 The Concept of Power to Care 06:49 Erin's Corporate Journey 09:38 Transitioning from Corporate to Consulting 12:37 The Birth of Power to Care 15:15 Practical Applications of Power to Care 17:56 Navigating Leadership Challenges 20:56 The Science Behind Leadership and Care 23:42 Building a Culture of Care 26:32 The Future of Leadership and Connection 33:56 Compassionate Curiosity in Leadership 37:32 Navigating Fear and Compassion 40:30 Transformational Inner Conversations 42:28 Communicating Boundaries Effectively 47:06 Self-Reflection and Personal Growth 51:38 The Impact of Internal Chaos on Leadership 57:24 Understanding Manipulation and Authenticity 01:01:54 The Joy of Self-Discovery and Connection

Today I'm chatting with Shannon Sauer, a fellow co-author in Reclaiming Mental Health and someone who spent close to two decades navigating what gets called anxiety before she found her way back to herself. Shannon and I get into her chapter and the long arc that shaped it. She talks about being a sensitive, intuitive kid who felt most at home in nature, and how that connection faded as the world took over with jobs, motherhood, and the pressure to always be doing more. We talk honestly about the pharmaceutical road she went down, starting with antidepressants prescribed during postpartum while her father was dying, and the hard reality of how difficult those medications can be to come off of. She shares what brain zaps actually feel like, the years it took to finally grieve, and the experience in 2018 that got labeled a breakdown but felt much more like a spiritual awakening she didn't have language for yet. A big part of our conversation lives in the gap between Western medical labels and lived spiritual experience, and how the two don't always fit. Shannon opens up about her plant medicine journey, how ayahuasca became a catalyst after years of inner work had already prepared the ground, and what it's meant to come off her medications and actually feel joy again. We also talk about the quieter numbing habits that are easy to miss, the importance of who you sit with if you ever explore this path, and the farm in Costa Rica she and her husband just bought. Connect with Shannon: Instagram: shansauer Reclaiming Mental Health: https://a.co/d/06r2cm9D Costa Rica wellness center: lamatriztica Connect with Darrel-Lynne: Instagram: @dee_ogsoul Website: ogsoul.ca Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 02:56 Childhood Connection to Nature 05:59 Mental Health Journey and Plant Medicine 08:57 Anxiety and Self-Criticism 11:59 Pharmaceuticals and Their Impact 15:02 Spiritual Awakening and Healing 18:07 Navigating Quetiapine and Its Effects 21:00 Understanding Spiritual Awakening 23:55 Holistic Approaches and New Perspectives 29:19 The Intersection of Mental Health and Spirituality 31:59 Understanding Dissonance and Alignment 34:38 Awakening to Clarity and Intuition 40:06 Exploring Plant Medicine Journeys 46:58 Connecting with Nature and the Self 49:26 Exploring the Nature of God and Spirituality 52:51 Technology, Nature, and Spiritual Connection 55:05 Plant Medicine Journeys and Personal Growth 01:01:13 The Importance of Safe Plant Medicine Practices 01:02:37 Transformation Through Spiritual Awakening

Today I'm chatting with Jen Morin, a co-author in Reclaiming Mental Health and a contributor to Sovereign Volume 1, who now builds workbooks and affirmation decks to help people reprogram the patterns that keep them stuck. Jen and I get into her mental health journey, the years inside the system, the medications that never fit, and the COVID crash that became a full reset. We talk about why she no longer accepts diagnoses as identity, how symptoms are really patterns, and what it takes to notice them, write them down, and slowly choose something different. We also dig into discernment, the power of writing by hand, and where hope actually comes from. Connect with Jen: Instagram: awake_anddreaming Reclaiming Mental Health: https://a.co/d/02oVIius Connect with Darrel-Lynne: Instagram: @dee_ogsoul Website: ogsoul.ca

Today I'm chatting with Hayley Musgreave, who I first crossed paths with back in high school in Fort Saskatchewan and then reconnected with years later through a coaching program. She's a farmer in northern Alberta now, with cattle, mini donkeys, and a grain and hay operation, and she's been a steady light every time we connect. We share some similar threads in our mental health journeys, and that's a lot of what we get into here. Hayley opens up about growing up feeling like the black sheep, the shame she carried as a kid, and the ADHD she only understood later. She shares about being diagnosed with bipolar in her 20s after a breakdown, the two episodes she went through, and what it was like to be handed a heavy load of medication and a sense that this was just how life was going to be, with no real light to look toward. We compare notes on what mania actually felt like from the inside, including the grandiose thinking and the racing mind, and we sit with how strangely real it all feels in the moment. From there she talks about her Graves' disease diagnosis, how its symptoms mirrored mania, and the path she took to heal it through changing her diet, prayer, and a refusal to accept the outcome she'd been told to expect. We get into her faith and gratitude practice, the tools she leans on now like grounding, sleep, and music, and where she's landed today: not identifying as bipolar, but as someone who came through two breakdowns and kept going. At the heart of this one is the reminder that you can walk through the fire and come out the other side. We share our stories so that the younger versions of ourselves, and anyone in the thick of it now, can see that there's hope to be had. Connect with Hayley: Instagram: @thehayleydawn Connect with Darrel-Lynne: Instagram: @dee_ogsoul Website: ogsoul.ca Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Nerves 02:53 Journey into Farming and Mental Health 06:00 Childhood and Early Mental Health Struggles 12:00 Bipolar Diagnosis and Its Impact 18:00 Navigating Mania and Breakdown Experiences 24:05 Healing Journey and Personal Growth 29:56 Graves' Disease and Its Effects 30:30 Healing Through Diet and Faith 32:15 Managing Mental Health and Medication 33:45 Current Well-being and Self-Identification 34:51 The Role of Faith in Healing 35:10 Prayer and Gratitude Practices 39:41 The Power of Sleep and Mental Health 42:56 Marriage and Support Systems 45:43 Navigating Relationships and Personal Growth 50:48 Resilience and Grit in Life 52:06 Finding Peace in the Journey 55:30 Tools for Mental and Emotional Well-being 57:11 Mutual Admiration and Future Aspirations

Today I'm chatting with Shannon Skelton, a co-author alongside me in Reclaiming Mental Health. We'd never actually sat down and talked before this, so it was a first, and she turned out to be a light, joyful person to spend an hour with. Shannon's chapter is called "A Walk Down Mania Lane," and it's about a manic episode brought on by a pharmaceutical. We get into the whole chain of events, what the mania was actually like, and the bigger questions it raised for both of us. I felt drawn to get curious with her here because of my own experiences with what's been called mania and psychosis, and there were some interesting parallels between our stories. We talk about the manic episode that came from a medication, starting with a severe reaction to one drug and then a dose of prednisone that was too high, too fast. Shannon also shares about living with Crohn's disease since she was 16, being told more than once she would never have children, and going on to have two. We get into why she stopped taking a diagnosis at face value, including the seven years she spent being told it was Crohn's before her liver shut down, and we sit with the bigger questions around mental health labels, stigma, and the case for doctors asking what a patient's life actually looks like outside the office. She also talks about what she carried out the other side of all of it: more confidence, more willing to use her voice, and a habit of saying yes. At the heart of this one is awareness. Shannon shares her story so that someone going through the same thing might recognize it sooner, and so that more of us start asking better questions about the medications we're put on. Reclaiming Mental Health Connect with Shannon: @shannon_shining_through @skeltoncrew Connect with Darrel-Lynne: Instagram: @dee_ogsoul Website: ogsoul.ca Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 04:19 Personal Journey with Mental Health 07:14 The Impact of Pilates on Life 10:14 Exploring the Chapter: A Walk Down Mania Lane 13:15 The Experience with Hydroxychloroquine 16:24 The Prednisone Dilemma 19:22 Navigating Medication Reactions 24:23 Navigating the Unknown: Initial Reactions to Prednisone 25:23 Personality Changes: The Impact of Medication 26:50 Obsessions and Relationships: The Effects of Mania 28:01 Time Distortion: Losing Track of Reality 30:04 Bizarre Behavior: Chasing Strangers and Consequences 32:06 Recognizing the Problem: The Turning Point 34:09 Challenging Medical Assumptions: The Journey with Crohn's Disease 36:15 Manifesting Dreams: Overcoming Medical Limitations 38:56 Current Health: Managing Joint Issues and Hormonal Changes 42:32 Growth Through Adversity: Finding Confidence in Recovery 46:24 Exploring Boundaries and Connections 47:37 The Complexity of Mania and Mental Health 50:01 Finding Humor in Dark Times 51:07 The Journey of Healing and Forgiveness 52:35 Communication and Understanding in Family Dynamics 54:32 The Writing Process and Personal Reflection 56:31 The Impact of Medication on Mental Health 59:07 Advocacy and the Importance of Patient Voices 01:06:53 Hope and Change in the Healthcare System

Today I'm chatting with Anthony Goodwin, one half of the duo who taught me Improv 100 through Grindstone Theatre and someone whose work sits at the intersection of therapy and improv. Anthony is an Australian-born clinical counsellor and improv instructor. He's the founder of Still Listening, his private therapy practice. We talk about the full-circle way improv and therapy ended up holding hands in Anthony's life. Anthony shares how the same tools he uses in the therapy room, presence, co-regulation, meeting the world as it is, are the same ones that come alive on the improv stage, and how that overlap led him to develop experimental improv therapy workshops where players give voice to someone else's stuckness. We get into the concept of aiming to be average and we touch on the broader truth that adults need spaces to play together, and how rare and necessary that has become. Reference The Grindstone Comedy Improvise Freely by Patti Stiles Improvisation and the Theatre by Keith Johnstone Connect with Anthony: Relational Therapy with Anthony Goodwin Connect with Darrel-Lynne: Instagram: @dee_ogsoul Website: ogsoul.ca Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Anthony Goodwin 02:55 Journey from Australia to Edmonton 06:09 The Intersection of Therapy and Improv 09:03 The Philosophy of Improv 11:56 The Role of Discomfort in Improv 15:02 Aiming for Average in Performance 18:05 Challenging Societal Norms 20:54 The Nature of Improv and Authenticity 24:07 Improv as Therapy 26:30 Creating Safe Spaces for Healing 28:08 Exploring Improv Therapy Frameworks 29:47 Navigating Vulnerability in Therapy 33:01 The Impact of Improv on Therapeutic Practices 35:57 Emerging Models of Therapy 39:54 The Need for Alternative Therapeutic Approaches 43:03 Integrating Body and Mind in Healing 50:02 The Joy of Play in Adult Life

Today I'm chatting with Carey Abma, a co-author in Reclaiming Mental Health. Carey opens up about a chapter of her life she never expected to write, both literally and figuratively, and what it took to start choosing love over fear. We get into the breakdown that became her breaking open at the start of 2020, the years of self-abandonment that led there, and what it actually looked like to sit alone in her condo and meet herself for the first time. Carey shares the journey to becoming a mom, including the unimaginable gift of her sister offering to carry her daughter Coen, and the unexpected plot twist of meeting her partner Jason four days after a positive pregnancy test on Christmas morning. We talk about parenting from a more rooted place, the values work that changed how she makes decisions, and her launch into entrepreneurship with Estate Solutions with Care, a business shaped by personal loss and the literal meaning of her name. Connect with Carey: Instagram: @thecareyabma Publication: Reclaiming Mental Health Connect with Darrel-Lynne: Instagram: @dee_ogsoul Website: ogsoul.ca Chapters 00:00 Introduction and First Impressions 03:04 The Journey of Writing and Publishing 05:50 Exploring Self-Love and Personal Growth 11:58 The Breakdown of 2020: A Turning Point 21:02 Life After the Breakdown: Transformation and New Beginnings 29:44 Navigating New Beginnings 31:05 Personal Growth Through Parenthood 34:00 The Importance of Values 36:24 Embracing Change and Challenges 39:03 The Journey of Motherhood 41:11 Writing for Future Generations 46:06 Claiming Strength and Identity 49:46 Building a Business with Heart

Today I'm sharing a conversation I had with Richard Okwii and Adacet John Peter, the executive director and managing director of Murphy Charitable Foundation Uganda, a nonprofit working to support vulnerable children and communities in the northeastern region of Uganda through education, mentorship, and empowerment. I first came across Murphy Charitable Foundation through their Pen Pal program, where I've been corresponding with two pen pals in Uganda. That experience changed me in ways I'm still processing. So getting to sit down with Richard and John Peter and hear the story behind the foundation firsthand felt very special. Richard lost his father at one month old and was raised by his grandparents in poverty. It was their voices, their mentorship, and their insistence that education was the key that planted the seed for everything Murphy Charitable Foundation has become. That seed became a dream at age seven, and in 2018 it became an organization. What they've built since then is extraordinary. We talk about the Pen Pal program, which now connects over 3,000 children in Uganda with international friends, and the philosophy behind it: hope restoration and mindset first, before anything else. We get into the Learning Lab launching in Bukedia district this summer, the Motivational Movie Project bringing film screenings to communities without electricity, the Kind Loans program offering zero percent interest loans to women entrepreneurs, and the Cancer Awareness program reaching communities with little to no access to health information. One of the most powerful aspects of this conversation is what John Peter shares about how they run their programs with or without a grant, because the work of changing a mindset doesn't require funding. It requires belief. And these two have that in extraordinary supply. Learn about Murphy Charitable Organization Uganda and see how you can get involved: Murphy Charitable Foundation Uganda - Home Connect with Darrel-Lynne: Instagram: @dee_ogsoul Website: ogsoul.ca

Today I'm chatting with Lindsay Hayes, a former public school educator turned nature-based learning facilitator who has spent the last several years doing deep personal work and how that understanding has reshaped her approach to parenting, healing, and working with children. Lindsay and I met through our shared experience writing in Sovereign Volume 2, and this conversation goes to some really tender places. We talk about what it means to move through a victim mindset without bypassing it, how our bodies eventually demand the attention our minds have been avoiding, and why Lindsay left the public education system to create something entirely different on her acreage. She's working with kids from all backgrounds and what she's witnessing out there in nature is transformational. We also get into generational healing in a way that felt very alive for me. Lindsay writes about her mom in her upcoming chapter in Motherhood Expanded, and what she shares about releasing blame while still honoring the impact of her early experiences is something I think a lot of us need to hear. There's so much in this conversation about planting seeds you may never see harvested. Connect with Lindsay Hayes: Instagram: @linsayhayes2.0 Motherhood Expanded: https://a.co/d/03Fm0ZWG Connect with Darrel-Lynne: Instagram: @dee_ogsoul Website: ogsoul.ca Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Shared Experiences 03:00 The Writing Journey: Sovereign Volume 2 05:57 Motherhood and Personal Growth 09:08 Understanding Childhood and Attachment 11:52 Shifting from Victimhood to Empowerment 15:05 The Impact of Parenting on Personal Healing 18:12 Nature-Based Learning and Education 20:55 Transformational Experiences with Children 24:07 Conclusion and Future Aspirations 25:18 Exploring Diverse Learning Environments 30:39 Motherhood and Healing Through Writing 36:29 Breaking Generational Patterns 41:08 The Impact of Personal Healing on Parenting 48:30 Navigating Systems and Self-Reflection

Today I'm chatting with Linsay Doyle, a Feng Shui practitioner and founder of Reclamation by Linsay, who has spent the better part of 14 years burning herself down and rebuilding, on her own terms. Linsay's shares about her journey since 2011 when she was at her heaviest weight, deeply disconnected from herself and living a life that wasn't hers. Linsay shares what followed: leaving an eight-year relationship the same weekend her boyfriend asked her parents for permission to propose, loading up her car and leaving, moving into an apartment by the Edmonton River Valley, signing up for a half marathon on a whim, and losing nearly 100 pounds in just over a year. Through finally making choices that were actually hers. We go a lot of places in this one, including: The courage it takes to evolve out of relationships and friendships, and why that grief is as real as any other kind Masculine and feminine energy, why she believes women have been burning themselves out holding the entire container, and what she's actually not willing to settle for. The work she's building through Reclamation by Linsay, where Feng Shui meets self-ownership and your junk drawer might just tell her everything she needs to know about you. And her relationship with God, why she doesn't claim a religion, and why Jesus is her homeboy. I love a great spicy chat with Linsay and this convo is no exception. Connect with Linsay: Instagram: @iamlinsaydoyle Connect with Darrel-Lynne: Instagram: @dee_ogsoul Website: ogsoul.ca Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Setting the Stage 03:41 Linsay's Journey of Transformation 06:29 Awakening and Making Choices 08:57 Breaking Free from Relationships 11:34 The Impact of External Pressures 14:05 Finding Strength in Independence 17:05 Physical Transformation and Weight Loss 19:25 Running Towards a New Life 22:07 Reflecting on Achievements and Future Self 25:10 Navigating Life's Pivots 27:52 Building Resilience Through Life's Trials 30:47 The Balance of Self-Care and Growth 33:33 Understanding the Duality of Experience 37:56 Exploring Masculine and Feminine Energies 41:44 The Impact of Societal Conditioning on Relationships 45:28 The Journey of Self-Discovery in Relationships 52:28 Divine Timing and Personal Growth 53:37 The Journey of Self-Reclamation 55:53 Building a New System: Reclamation by Linsay 57:45 Transforming Spaces: The Power of Feng Shui 59:23 Internal and External Reclamation 01:00:50 Shared Connections and Unique Stories 01:02:41 Claiming Your Lane: Individual Paths 01:04:21 Exploring God and Spirituality 01:10:43 Embodiment of Jesus: Actions Over Words

Today I'm chatting with Nicole Murphy, a friend, collaborator, and my co-creator of the Creative Project Studio. Nicole is a media producer, event creator, and someone who has spent over a decade helping people bring their creative projects to life. This conversation went deep fast. We talk about Nicole's winding path from being called "dancing girl" in elementary school to art school, film school, and eventually building a community rooted in creativity and connection. We get into the creative cycle she's mapped out, inspiration through to feedback, and why so many creatives get stuck somewhere in the middle. We talk about what happened when she left her serving job, gave up her apartment, and traveled to the literal other side of the world with a carry-on and a backpack. Mauritius, Thailand, Vietnam, across Canada. We spend a lot of time on what it means to get back in rooms with people, why play isn't a luxury, and how isolation became normalized in ways we're only starting to see clearly. Nicole shares honestly about image management, faith, money fears, and the spiritual warfare she sees playing out in creative people's lives. This one is about remembering that creativity isn't extra. It's essential. Connect with Nicole Murphy: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolesmurphy/ Creatives Project Studio: https://www.skool.com/creative-project-studio/about Connect with Darrel-Lynne: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dee_ogsoul/ Website: ogsoul.ca Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Evolution of Collaboration 03:09 Nicole's Journey in the Creative Space 06:57 Understanding the Creative Cycle 09:55 The Importance of Human Connection 12:42 Navigating Fear and Connection Post-Pandemic 18:28 Embracing Adventure and Growth 24:15 Wealth of Experience and Perspective 25:33 Navigating Uncomfortable Conversations 29:05 The Impact of Online vs. In-Person Interactions 31:17 The Call for In-Person Connection 33:35 Mental Health and the Digital Age 36:19 Creativity and Relationships 41:04 The Necessity of Play and Connection 49:41 The Power of Play in Life 51:49 Navigating the Corporate Culture Shift 53:46 Creativity vs. Conformity in Education 57:55 The Journey of Self-Discovery and Authenticity 01:00:59 The Role of Community in Personal Growth 01:03:44 Embracing Creative Expression and Connection