Find Your Voice, Speak Your Truth

Fall is ending. 2021 is ending. The podcast season is ending. (The pandemic does not seem to be ending.) And our resident astrologer Virginia Rosenberg is back on the podcast to share about many things of note going on in the cosmos. The big highlights: there’s Pluto/Venus conjunction in Capricorn this month, a Venus Retrograde, and Saturn and Uranus are directly square again too. If all this sounds like mumbo-jumbo - but you’re curious - Virginia explains it with incredible clarity. The basic idea is that our life as we’ve known it is ending. And it’s time to sow seeds for something new. Sending you so much love and an air kiss on this last episode before my sabbatical.

What does harmony mean to you? For me, it’s about living in alignment with and acceptance of all that’s going on. In this last solo episode of the season, I share how - slowly but surely - over the past six months I’ve started really listening to the voice inside of me that’s letting me know I need a big break. I’ll explain my plans to take a sabbatical and reflect on the uncertainty of not knowing what comes next. Here’s what I can trust: I know that by taking this step, I’m living in harmony with my inner truth. This episode is a vulnerable share and a pep talk to encourage you to do the same.

In 2012, Harper Spero learned she had a tumor in her lungs the size of a golf ball. After her subsequent surgery and that transformational experience, Harper began taking radically good care of herself. This included changing her health routines, and also starting her own business so she could be in charge of her work habits. When the pandemic hit, Harper became outspoken about her experience as an immunocompromised person, and the importance of making personal decisions that support the collective. In this heartfelt episode, Harper shares her story and speaks to the resistance many feel about getting vaccines and wearing masks. We may not like having to take these measures, but they’re the way we look out for each other.

When he was 23 years old, Coss Marte was removed from the streets of the Lower East Side and sentenced to 7 years in prison. In jail, Coss quickly learned that he was in extremely poor health. So he started working out in his cell and in the prison yard. Soon other inmates joined him. Then, an organization called Defy Ventures showed up at the facility and helped him learn how to turn his passion for fitness into a business venture. When Coss was released, he returned to the Lower East Side and opened CONBODY, a prison-style Bootcamp. Coss’ story is an incredible journey of grit and redemption and highlights the importance of caring for our body and our voice.

One day this fall, I was scrolling through my Instagram feed, when I saw a post from my friend Josh. It was a screenshot of Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s response to President Biden’s mask mandate. Gov. Abbott wrote “Biden’s vaccine mandate is an assault on private businesses” and below in the caption Josh wrote “I DO NOT comply.” My first thought was “Eesh, I need to unfollow my friend Josh.” But as my finger moved to hover over the button my second thought was: “Elissa Weinzimmer... you’ve got one person in your feed who’s not in your silo of agreement. This is an actual chance to practice Conversation Culture.” In his comment, Josh had also said that he really wanted responses, especially from people who disagreed. So I took him at his word and instead of unfollowing, I commented. A real conversation ensued, and now we’ve brought that conversation to this podcast. Thank you so much Josh Trent, CEO of Wellness Force, for opening your heart to speak with me in a way that most of us avoid. Josh and I agree that these conversations - that really hearing each other - are the keys to creating change in our world. We hope this conversation is helpful to you, and if it ignites something that you want to share please reach out to either or both of us... we genuinely want to hear from you.

When you think of the word resistance, what comes up for you? My guess is that you (and most of us) think of resistance as something bad; as something to be avoided. But let’s ask a different question: What is resistance good for? I would argue that resistance - which I’ll define as the experience of feeling pressure between ourselves and something outside of us - is good for helping us understand and define who we are. In this solo episode that sets the month’s theme, join me to do a somatic experiment around the feeling of resistance, and explore why it can indeed be a very useful experience.

Tiffany Yu is on a mission to elevate disability pride. Through the work of her social enterprise Diversability, as well as her social media platforms, speaking, and writing, Tiffany is working not just to lift the stigma about disability, but to celebrate it. In this episode, Tiffany shares her own disability origin story, and together we discuss what it would look like to go from living in a supremacist society (where a certain way of being is the “right” way to be”) to truly living the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. And it’s not as pie-in-the-sky impossible as you might think… sometimes it just involves stepping up to cut someone’s steak.

Sean Brennan is my friend and collaborator, an incredible musician, and the editor of this podcast. And today I’m bringing him in front of the mic to share with us about his creative process. A lot of us have been taught that being creative and making art requires diligence and routine. Sean’s here to argue that routine can often be the enemy of creativity. So instead, what can you do today to mix things up? To change your perspective? I’ll say, this is all stuff I really needed to hear! And for a special treat, listen all the way to the end of the episode and you’ll get to hear the latest song from his band Strange Weather. 

Virginia Rosenberg is back for her quarterly visit as the resident astrologer of the Find Your Voice, Speak Your Truth podcast. This episode comes to you in the middle of Mercury Retrograde, and also includes a discussion of the major 2021 transit of Saturn square Uranus, plus entering the Age of Air. These major movements in the sky lead us to ask: How do we achieve balance during this time? How do we take care of both ourselves and others? How do we allow independence and interdependence to co-exist? Join us to explore and prepare for the coming season.

When you hear the word ‘balance,’ what do you think of? Work-life balance? Balancing on one leg? Balancing your checkbook? Welcome back to a new season of the podcast... this month our theme is Balance, and in this episode, I want to encourage you to examine your understanding of that idea. You may think balance is a fixed, perfect center point that you have to strive for. But in reality, balance is dynamic and spacious. And falling or failing are important parts of continuing to find balance. We’re living in a world where a new normal is unfolding, and it’s important to examine our idea of what it means to be in balance.

Today’s episode continues to document my journey to understand the Israel-Palestine conflict. I’m so lucky to be talking with my best friend Dani, who lives in Israel, and with whom I had a disagreement last month. You may remember hearing me mention that I re-posted a meme about the Israel-Palestine conflict on Instagram, and that a friend texted me saying she wanted to explain the implications of my post. That friend was Dani, and that experience was hard for us both. In this episode, you’ll hear us share how we worked through the conflict together and how we’re now supporting each other in deepening our relationship to our Jewish identities.

Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.

Sunday, June 20th is the summer solstice, and our resident astrologer Virginia Rosenberg is back on the podcast. It continues to be a time of epic proportions in the cosmos… just to start we are coming out of an eclipse season and Mercury has been in retrograde once again. If you feel like life is one big swirl, or like the stories upon which you’ve built your life aren’t relevant anymore, you’re not alone. In fact, as Virginia shares in this episode, it’s written in the stars. Tune in and we’ll speak of basking in the glow of the height of summer, while also being easy and compassionate with ourselves during this time of profound transition. 

Tracy Alexander was working as a news reporter in her home country, Australia, when she got a call about a job in Israel. Excited for the opportunity to help shape a more conscious narrative in one of the most contentious regions of the planet, she accepted the job. But four years later Tracy found herself leaving the news altogether, disheartened by the fear that the media was perpetuating. Now she is a meditation teacher and Integrated Alignment Coach, still living in Israel and helping people do deep healing work. In this powerful and important episode - where I myself have multiple “aha” moments in my education about the Middle East - Tracy helps us understand the narrative layer of the conflict better, and also how to relax our nervous systems so we can practice true compassion.

As a Jewish American, the past few weeks of strife in the Middle East have brought to the surface feelings of confusion that I have never taken the time to sort through. In the wake of all of it, I find myself doing research about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that I was never willing to do before, and making stumbles along the way. I share my story today in the spirit of modeling what it’s like to speak our truth through the messiness and confusion, and how to have compassion for it all. Please tune in to this episode, and next week’s as well, to hear how my understanding, emotions, and opinions are evolving.

Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.

Eric Toda has an impressive resume: He is currently the Global Head of Social Marketing at Facebook. He has been a leader at Nike, Snapchat, Gap, and Airbnb. Recently he penned a viral op-ed for Ad Week imploring advocacy for the Asian American community. And also very importantly, Eric was one of the boys who attended my Bat Mitzvah in 1998. In this very special episode of the podcast - one that holds the award for being the episode I’ve cried through most - I speak with my childhood friend about how we can use technology to unite or divide us, how we can speak up against injustice, and how we can nurture ourselves by maintaining our connections with the people who have shaped who we are.

Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.

What is the story within you that needs to be told? June Kaewsith, also known as Jumakae, can help you find it. And here’s why it’s important to do that: there’s immense healing possible when we are in tune with our own stories, and also the stories of our ancestors. Stories allow a deeper level of understanding. And as Jumakae points out in this episode, so many of the things we focus on in our lives are transient. We can’t take money to our graves, but we can leave a legacy through the stories we tell, and the stories others tell of us.

Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.

Sophie Sunwoo is a true entrepreneur. When she was a punk-rock college kid, she got annoyed with buying band t-shirts that didn’t look good on women. So she started a business and accidentally struck gold. After exiting, she next moved into running a social impact organization fixing broken water systems in Cameroon and India. Most recently, Sophia has become the founder of Ascent Strategy, working with women entrepreneurs to grow their start-ups. In addition to this incredible resume, one of my favorite things about Sophia is how authentically she communicates and models having a clear, strong “brand voice.” In today’s episode, Sophia openly shares her personal journey and offers incredible nuggets of wisdom for how to find your voice as an entrepreneur, and share your vision with the world.

Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.

As we’re emerging from lockdown, we’ll be experiencing a newfound sense of connection to each other after a prolonged period of disconnection. How do we navigate this? How do we find ways to more authentically connect to each other in our workplaces and beyond? In this episode, I share a Body-Mind Centering framework that helps us understand the importance of establishing safety and comfort before we can genuinely connect to and bond with each other. We have the opportunity create a new paradigm if we’re willing to do the work to truly show up and connect.

Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.

Ko Im knows self-love. She knows it because she practices it. She knows it because she writes about it. And she knows it because she’s worked hard to cultivate it. In this episode, Ko shares how recent events affecting the AAPI community have led her to speak up and out - namely in an OpEd for Newsweek - and at the same time have required her to dig deeper than ever to access her own worthiness. Self-love is a product of our own personal work, but it’s also a reflection of the communities we grow up in and surround ourselves with. No matter the amount of work involved, it’s worth it to cultivate self-love. Because as Ko reminds us, the world will be a better place when we all have a greater awareness of our innate worthiness.

Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.

Danellia Arechiga is a birth and post-partum doula, and a vocal liberation guide. This gives her a deep understanding of the canals at both ends of the body. It also means she’s intimately familiar with how important it is to find freedom, whether you’re birthing a child or your voice. In this episode, Danellia shares how connecting to our own innate worthiness is the key to finding that freedom, and how communing with our ancestors can help us return home to ourselves. 

Listen now, and for show notes and access to the free mini-course, visit www.voicebodyconnection.com/podcast.