Episoder

  • Season 3 of Finding Joy with Kara is now Season 1 of Record Scratch.

    When something unexpected happens in our lives, just like in the movies, everyone and everything seems to freeze, and the soundtrack playing in the background stops abruptly with the sound of a needle across vinyl.

    A record scratch.

    This podcast focuses on the courage and resiliency it takes to move through disruptive moments.

    My guests share their transformational record scratch moments and offer tools to help us heal our wounds. We address varying topics including generational trauma, grief, PTSD, and what we can do to heal and be better humans.

    Please subscribe to my Record Scratch podcast and follow me on social media: @karakavensky on IG, TikTok, FB, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

  • Maureen Monte builds winning teams. She brings a Moneyball approach to the inside game so that individuals and teams can harness the talent within and reach their full potential.

    She has leveraged CliftonStrengths® as a competitive advantage accelerator since 2006. She focuses on highly motivated teams, including over 1,500 athletes and coaches at the middle/high school, college, and Olympic levels, and hundreds of global corporate teams on all the continents but the cold ones!

    She is a Gallup® certified strengths coach, has a BS/MS in Engineering, and an MS in Leadership, was engineer of the year for IBM, and an instructor for Cornell’s online leadership development programs for tech execs.

    She is the author of the book Destination Unstoppable: The Journey of No Teammate Left Behind, and a soon-to-be-released book, The Win Like a Girl Project: a courage, confidence, and self-leadership program for female athletes to become champions at the game of life.

    website: maureenmonte.com

    Twitter: @maureenemonte

    FB: https://www.facebook.com/DestinationUnstoppable

    FB: https://www.facebook.com/WinLikeAGirlProject

    Connect with Kara
    karakavensky.com
    @karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG

    https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/

    https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/

    https://twitter.com/karakavensky


    Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design
    Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

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  • There are so many fascinating people in this world — and one of them, an angel named James “Jimmy Mack” McDowell walked into my life and showed me that I should look forward to getting older. Forever young at 90 when I met him, he remained evergreen until he passed away earlier this year, which was a few months after his 99th birthday.

    Jimmy was a big band singer during WWII, and subsequently experienced an amazing life filled with fun and entertainment. Jimmy was a renowned broadcaster, both on radio and tv, then became a professional DJ, photographer, and videographer. He built his life around music and kept a pulse on Central Indiana entertainment.

    Jimmy and the woman who would become his wife, Peggy, wrote thousands of pages of letters during their engagement while Jimmy was stationed overseas during WWII.

    Part of the reason he was a prolific typist, is that he took (4) semesters of typing to graduate from HS in Lincoln, NE. After being drafted, he was stationed at Camp Atterbury. Typing was a highly coveted skill in the Army and Jimmy was stationed with a medical unit, where he would triage incoming patients. He was stationed within the 8th Air Corps in England.

    Listen as Jimmy’s daughters, Bonnie McDowell Hinkle and Robin McDowell, and I reminisce about their dad and growing up with “showbiz” parents.

    Connect with Kara
    karakavensky.com
    @karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG

    https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/

    https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/

    https://twitter.com/karakavensky


    Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design
    Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

  • Eric Lipp is the CEO and founder of Open Doors Organization, a non-profit organization based in Chicago. It was founded in 2000 for the purpose of creating a society in which all persons with disabilities have the same consumer opportunities as everyone else. They aspire to teach businesses how to succeed in the disability market, while simultaneously empowering the disability community.

    A day before his 30th birthday Eric was diagnosed with Von Hippel Lindau disease, which had resulted in a tumor growth on his spinal cord. Eric was told that due to the trauma of the surgery he might never regain his ability to walk. This diagnosis and subsequent spinal cord surgery have not stopped Eric from participating in life to the fullest. This experience was the catalyst in encouraging Eric to found the Open Doors Organization.

    Over the past 20 years, Open Doors Organization has proven itself to be the little non-profit that could, making a significant impact within the transportation and hospitality industries, not just in the US but worldwide.

    Open Doors Org just release its 4th nationwide study on the travel patterns and spending of American adults with disabilities.

    Listen as we discuss how powerful one voice can be on behalf of others.

    opendoorsnfp.org

    Connect with Kara
    karakavensky.com
    @karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG

    https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/

    https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/

    https://twitter.com/karakavensky


    Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design
    Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

  • Paul Kapsalis is an author, coach, and dreamer. He and his family discovered soccer when he was 5 years old in St. Louis. Paul’s story is one of the GOAT sports stories. Never count out the underdog, especially one that is driven by love and passion for a sport.

    Growing up in the Midwest, Paul Kapsalis dreamed of playing soccer at powerhouse Indiana University, but coaches said he simply wasn't good enough. After barely making the team, he fought through years of rejection, failure, and a career-threatening injury that sidelined him for an entire season. Then he surprised even himself by becoming captain of that powerhouse program. Listen to how he accomplished this and discover the lessons Paul has carried throughout his life and learn other valuable insights on his journey. He has chronicled his story in his autobiography, To Chase a Dream. Paul has also written The Leadership Code.

    Listen as we explore Paul’s miraculous journey and legacy.

    “Believing in yourself can take you far. Having others believe in you can take you farther.” — Paul Kapsalis.

    Connect with Paul

    https://paulkapsalis.com

    Facebook: Paul Kapsalis: The Culture Coach

    Website: www.paulkapsalis.com

    Twitter: Paul_Kapsalis14

    Email: [email protected]

    Connect with Kara
    karakavensky.com
    @karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG

    https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/

    https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/

    https://twitter.com/karakavensky


    Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design
    Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

  • Versatility, passion, and innovation are the hallmarks of American conductor Janna Hymes — not to mention energetic! Renowned for her inspiring performances, musical depth, and energetic presence both on and off the podium, she has developed a reputation as an exciting, detailed communicator.

    She is also one of the first female conductors to lead an orchestra, and the first to lead the Carmel Symphony Orchestra.

    Born in New York City, Janna Hymes is a Fulbright scholar, recipient of a 1999 Geraldine C. and Emory M. Ford Foundation Grant, and a prizewinner of the 1998 International Conducting Competition in Besancon, France.

    She studied under such prominent conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Gustav Meier, Otto Werner-Mueller, and Gunther Schuller, and holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati. She also studied at the Tanglewood Music Center, Aspen Music Festival, the Festival at Sandpoint (ID), and the Conductors Guild Institute.

    Janna is normalizing diversity as a conductor of a mostly-classical orchestra. Listen to how she brings the joy of music to others and to herself.

    Connect with Janna Hymes

    CarmelSymphony.org

    Connect with Kara
    karakavensky.com
    @karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG

    https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/

    https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/

    https://twitter.com/karakavensky


    Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design
    Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

  • Mike Green is a Cultural Economist, Consultant, Speaker, and the Chief Strategist at The National Institute for Inclusive Competitiveness. He is the Co-founder of Common Ground: Conversations on Race in America

    He is also an author of the recently released: A playbook for improving Diversity and Inclusion in Entrepreneurship Centers and of a couple of other books on how to make the world a better place (this is not the title, I am ad-libbing here because he writes collegiate textbooks on Media Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a subject where he is a global expert.

    Being an expert on entrepreneurship means Mike isnt afraid of failure. In fact, Mike Green is fearless.

    When he was 12 years old, he didnt know how to swim so he jumped in the deep end of the pool. Prophetically, He later served in the Navy for 12 years.

    As a Navy recruiter, when he spoke with the young men and women he would ask them, What do you want out of life?” The #1 answer was: I dont know.

    Mike realized that by helping young people figure out what they wanted to do with their lives, he discovered what he wanted to do with his: Mike Green helps others succeed.

    Connect with Mike Green

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/amikegreen2/

    Twitter: @mikegreen2

    Connect with Kara Kavensky

    karakavensky.com
    @karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG

    https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/

    https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/

    https://twitter.com/karakavensky

    Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design

    Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

  • The Arc of Indiana is committed to all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities realizing their goals of living, learning, working, and fully participating in the community.

    Fate is what brought Kim Dodson to her current position, for it was literally an accident while she was a junior at Purdue University that steered her career course. Dodson was involved in a fatal car crash that claimed the life of her fiance. After recovering from her own injuries, she changed her major from investment banking to pre-law. During the course of an internship for a Congressman, Dodson was introduced to lobbying.

    Dodson worked for a law firm as a lobbyist representing the Amusement Parks. It was during that time that Dodson met Emily Hunt, a young woman badly injured in an amusement park accident that claimed the life of Hunts grandmother and rendered Hunt a quadriplegic. Hunt was lobbying for increased safety inspections at amusement parks. Dodson was representing the other side. After a hearing on this issue, Dodson returned to the law firm and told her boss that they needed a compromise. The managing partner said no. Dodson quit two months later. (the law firm no longer exists)

    That summer, reports of abuse and neglect leaked out about the treatment of patients with special needs at state-run institutions. And she had no history of people with disabilities but was called to help in this effort, as it greatly offended her. Dodson called The Arc of Indiana. Then Executive Director John Dickerson was looking for a lobbyist. Now 20+ years later, Dodson is the Executive Director and advocating for equality for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

    Listen to Kim’s story and the importance of the Arc’s mission and their amazing accomplishments — and they are just getting started.

    Connect with Kim

    The Arc of Indiana — FB

    @thearcin IG

    arcind.org

    Connect with Kara
    karakavensky.com
    @karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG

    https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/

    https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/

    https://twitter.com/karakavensky

    Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design
    Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

  • A moment of adversity sparked opportunity for Tom Morris, who is in his 15th year with the Indiana University Strength and Conditioning Department, serving as the Senior Director of Athletic Performance.

    Tom is responsible for the development and implementation of sport-specific strength conditioning, flexibility, speed, and agility programs for the 8-time national champions IU mens soccer program, as well as a multitude of other teams from track and field to mens and womens basketball, swimming and diving, and more. Tom doesnt just work in fitness–he lives and breathes it, day in and day out.

    Tom has completed countless triathlons, numerous cycling races, and 12, 24, 36, and 72-hour adventure races. But in May of 2012, Toms journey changed forever when he suffered a spinal cord injury while mountain biking and broke his C6 and C7 vertebrae, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. After a year of rehabilitation, Tom returned to Indiana University to where he continues to lead the strength and conditioning programs.

    Listen to Tom reflect on his experience training the nations top athletes, and how his life-changing accident changed his perspective on day-to-day life. You will not only hear his insight on developing programs that challenge top-tier athletes and shape national championship teams–you will learn the value of optimism and hear what it truly means to use adversity to create opportunity.

    Everything is possible. The impossible just takes longer. — Dan Brown

    TomMorrisPerformance.com

    @TomMorrisPerformance (IG) FB, Twitter

  • STAND by Kathryn Bertine is a powerful memoir on activism. It’s also a how-to manual for progress.

    When Kathryn Bertine was six years old, she rode her bike to kindergarten in Bronxville, NY. One morning on the way to school, the chain fell off. She reattached the chain by herself and that day in class, her teacher asked the students what they wanted to do when they grew up. Kathryn confidently, and legibly, wrote out, “I want to be a fix-it woman. I want to fix broken things.” This proclamation could not have been more prophetic.

    Documentarian, professional cyclist, author of four books, founder of the Homestretch Foundation, Kathryn Bertine is the Katherine Schwitzer* of cycling.

    Along her journey of exposing and repairing the ugly misogyny and sexism within professional women’s cycling, Kathryn experienced ordinary and extraordinary miracles. The ordinary miracles nudged her along and provided validation that she was doing the right thing. The extraordinary ones saved her life.

    HALF THE ROAD is her documentary (crowdfunded via Indiegogo) on the inequalities of women’s professional cycling. It has been a literal uphill battle but Kathryn found solace within the peloton and helped create (revive) a women’s Tour de France event, “La Course by Tour de France” (you must say the entire thing…as branding with Tour de France was initially an issue and only applied to the men’s race).

    “The mission of The Homestretch Foundation is to level the playing field of salary discrepancy in sport, so that female professional athletes have the same wages and equal opportunities as male professional athletes. Regardless of an athlete’s socioeconomic and/or life circumstances, we want all women to pursue their careers as athletes without compromise, inequality or injustice.”

    — Kathryn Bertine, Founder.

    Kathryn helps me close out Season 1 of Finding Joy with Kara, and I could not have selected a more ideal conversation.

    We conducted our podcast recording (coincidentally) on #EQUALPAYDAY with Megan Rapinoe testifying on Capital Hill and the same day that the NCAA announced an investigative review of how it treats its female athletes (“March Madness” is a brand only affiliated with the men’s tournament, not the women’s). As a mom of a dual sport (rowing + soccer) D1 Big10 female badass athlete, I am all too aware of the sexism and misogyny that exists within FIFA and university sports — and inside top business schools — but I had no idea how BAD it was within the world of women’s professional cycling (think Dark Ages, folks). There is so much work to be done in the fight for equality. We are in the early stages of this long game.

    I strongly encourage you to not only listen to this interview, but watch Kathryn’s documentary HALF THE ROAD, and read STAND — it’s a journey you will not regret taking with her.

    *Kathrine Schwitzer was the first woman to run the Boston marathon, at a time (1967) when men thought women couldn’t run that distance without their uterus falling out — no joke. You could not make up this level of ignorance.

    (see kathrineswitzer.com) It’s upon her shoulders that we stand.

    Connect with Kathryn Bertine

    CEO, Homestretch Foundation: www.HomestretchFoundation.org

    Author/Activist/Pro Cyclist: www.kathrynbertine.com

    Documentary Filmmaker: www.HalfTheRoad.com

    www.homestretchfoundation.org / @HomestretchFdn (IG and twitter) / @homestretchfoundation (FB)

    www.kathrynbertine.com / @kathrynbertine (FB & Twitter) / @kathryn_bertine (IG)

    Connect with Kara
    karakavensky.com
    @karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG

    https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/

    https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/

    https://twitter.com/karakavensky


    Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design
    Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

  • Phoenix Jackson is an award-winning social entrepreneur, communications strategist, tech investor, author, and speaker. Phoenix is the Founder of Phoenix Affect, a 16-year-old global public relations and marketing firm. She has worked with many small business owners, non-profits, professional athletes, entertainers, authors, speakers, politicians, and more helping them to manifest their desired outcomes within business. Her tagline is: Influence Something!

    Phoenix is also the Partner and Chief Communications Officer of two financial tech firms that are changing the landscape of homeownership and credit worthiness for the American people. Rental Kharma and Achroma were created to level the playing field in bridging the wealth gap in America. RK reports your rental history on your credit report and Achroma is the first-ever anti-discrimination online mortgage marketplace, blind lending, circumventing all algorithms and systems that cause discrimination in the home buying process.

    Our conversation goes beyond her corporate engagements. During the pandemic, Phoenix and her family experienced a devastating loss, her seven-month (in utero) son died. We discuss racial bias in the medical field and explore the potential for meaningful change.

    Links and Resources

    www.PhoenixJackson.com

    http://www.phoenixaffect.com

    www.rentalkharma.com

    www.achroma.io

    TEDx talk

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5vKNn_HVkc&feature=youtu.be

    Connect with Kara
    karakavensky.com
    @karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG

    https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/

    https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/

    https://twitter.com/karakavensky


    Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design
    Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

  • Dija Henry is an actress, drama coach (instructs kids in film camp), author, YouTuber, wife, mom, and an all-around amazing creative spirit. As a youth, she was a competitive gymnast who studied engineering at Purdue and found a way to incorporate her love of theater into her life.

    While battling postpartum depression, Dija found her creative outlet and has been blessed with a support network enabling her to follow her dreams. Dija encourages everyone to pursue their passions and not be afraid to shine.

    Her work encompasses a strong sense of social responsibility and tackles issues related directly to mental health, racial equality, and racial justice issues through her powerful storytelling style.

    Links:

    https://medium.com/@dijahenry_70913

    https://www.thebluehouse.co

    http://youtube.com/dijahenry

    Her daughter’s song: https://soundcloud.com/dessajoyy/silent-05292020

    Dija’s mother-in-law’s nonprofit:

    http://fhcenter.org

    Connect with Kara

    karakavensky.com


    @karakavensky on Twitter

    https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/

    https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/

    https://twitter.com/karakavensky


    Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design
    Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

  • Graehme Hall, founder of The Hermaden Institute

    https://www.hermaden.com

    events & workshops: https://www.hermaden.com/calendar-of-events.html

    Sharing this interview feels intimate, as this is one of the most personal podcasts that I have recorded.

    Graehme Hall is the founder of The Hermaden (her - MADDEN) Institute. The mission of The Hermaden Institute is empowering people with the knowledge of who they really are, helping them discover their true power so they can create happier and more fulfilling lives. This should be the focus of all organizations! Graehme is a teacher, an author, and a messenger for how to create your own life. She shares lessons on energy, frequency, and how to attract the life that you are intended to lead. Graehme has such a loving presence as she encourages us to open up to possibilities.

    We discuss the law of attraction, how energy works, PTSD healing techniques, and so much more. The Hermaden Institute encourages us to discover the power within ourselves to design the life that we are meant to live.

    Connect with Kara
    karakavensky.com


    @karakavensky on Twitter, FB,

    IG https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/

    https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/

    https://twitter.com/karakavensky


    Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design
    Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

  • Betsy Murphy is a writer, performer, mother, grandmother, and a loving guide for women (and men) to retrieve the hidden parts of our stories. She is brilliant at creating safe space for individuals to discuss She speaks about the things we dont talk about” but does it in a way that makes you comfortable being in the conversation.

    Betsy has created a few impactful documentaries: New York in the 50s based on a book by Dan Wakefield— a loving look at the generation of writers, poets, painters, musicians, and artists who planted the seeds for the cultural revolution of the 1960s

    Something to Cheer About — the story of Oscar Robinson and his high school basketball team, who were the first all-Black team to win a state championship in the U.S. by overcoming racism and led to integrating college and professional leagues, and her 3rd documentary Althea & Angela — whose their race and religion made them outcasts and their game made them professional tennis champions — and she authored The Autobiography of an Orgasm and subsequent anthologies. and most recently authored Write On: A Daily Writing Practice for Anyone with a Story to Tell.

    Betsy is one of the most loving, accepting, and most powerful humans on the planet for encouraging women to heal through movement and storytelling.

    https://better.net/chicago/philanthropy/notes-from-zimbabwe-following-footprints-extraordinary-women/

    http://betsybmurphy.com

    Article:

    https://karakavensky.com/orgasms-and-the-courage-to-write-about-them/

    Connect with Kara

    karakavensky.com

    @karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/ https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/ https://twitter.com/karakavensky

    Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design

    Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

  • Debbie Zipes and Cassie Stockamp had each, independently of one another and before they became friends, had made significant lifestyle pivots to minimize their worldly possessions and travel the world (to over 30+ countries) spreading love and positivity.

    In this podcast we discuss how they upended their lives to pursue their deepest passions, knowing that you only have one life to live. We also explore how they satiate their innate sense of wanderlust during the pandemic.

    Links and Resources

    https://greatplainsguide.net/about-jeff/

    workaway.com

    cassiestockamp.com

    Debbie Zipes can be followed on Facebook

    Connect with Kara

    karakavensky.com

    @karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/ https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/ https://twitter.com/karakavensky

    Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design

    Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

  • Former All-American and NFL star Marlin Jackson created the program he needed as a youth: the Fight for Life Foundation, which teaches social-emotional learning modules in schools. Marlin is a humanitarian, a social entrepreneur, a husband, and is the father he never had to his three young boys. Marlin has successfully turned his childhood pain into a purpose-driven passion for helping others. He’s one of the most humble humans I have ever met and is changing the world for the better.

    Marlin shares his story with unabashed vulnerability, which is so refreshing since he’s an all-around badass athlete. IMHO, Fight for Life modules should be taught in every school across the country, regardless of socioeconomic circumstances.

    He recently added tech founder to his ever-growing list of accomplishments. Marlin’s latest endeavor, which we did not discuss, is https://pulseanalytix.com

    Links and Resources Mentioned

    https://fightforlifefoundation.org

    https://pulseanalytix.com

    Connect with Kara

    karakavensky.com

    @karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/ https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/ https://twitter.com/karakavensky

    Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design

    Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

  • Josh Driver has one of the biggest hearts and he is able to express his passion for helping others through his company, Selflessly. Inclusion and equality serve as his beacon for all individuals and organizations wishing to make the world a better place through their generosity.

    We explore the early challenges that led to Josh becoming the founder of a tech company — and being a gay tech founder in the Midwest! Corporate social responsibility is made possible through his company, which has a fun way of expressing an organization’s culture by where its heart is. It’s Josh’s bulldog, Huckleberry, who is the real star of the show!

    Selfless.ly was the first BCorp and registered Benefits Corporation in Indiana and is a proud LGBTQ+ company!

    Connect with Josh Driver

    selfless.ly

    @joshdrivershow

    Connect with Kara

    karakavensky.com

    @karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG, LinkedIN

    https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/

    https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/

    https://twitter.com/karakavensky

    Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design

    Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

  • Saidah Pearsall is a reluctant entrepreneur. As a child, she was a burn victim and her mother healed her wounds with homemade salves. When Saidahs daughter, a competitive gymnast, needed something to help her intensively dried hands, Saidah created a miracle balm. Her daughter was in awe of the product and said " Mom, you should be selling this!" That statement launched a company — thus creating the Shea BODYWORKS product line, featuring the Happy Hands + Feet balm. It truly is a pedicure in a jar!

    Shea BODYWORKS has experienced its challenges and when faced with the pandemic, Saidah recognized the need for her to step forward into the light as the head of her amazing product line. Easier said than done being a Black woman. Our conversation goes deep quickly. I realized just how little I knew about the depths of racism.

    Shea BODYWORKS was selected as one of Yelp's Sweet 16 Businesses for 2020 for their Maskin and Relaxin virtual event. Saidahs live virtual beauty tips filmed from her (stunning) kitchen make you feel like you are having a glass of wine with a friend while learning homemade recipes for facial peels. Saidah is an inspiration — and she’s a beautiful person inside and out.

    Learn more at SheaBodyWorks.com

    Connect with Kara

    karakavensky.com

    @karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG

    https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/ https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/ https://twitter.com/karakavensky

    Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design

    Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

  • Over a decade ago, I walked into a room that Iva lit up by her presence. Iva is the one whom Elizabeth Gilbert references in her memoir, Eat Pray Love when Liz is wanting to finalize her divorce. Iva suggests writing a petition to God (Universe). If you have not read this book, or it’s been a while, this scene is one of the more profound miracles in the book. This is what Iva does, she facilitates miracles.

    Growing up in Beirut, Lebanon, Iva and her family lived through a war and moved to the United States. Iva’s journey is thoughtfully captured in her own words in her memoir, From Rifles to Roses: Memories and Miracles. In our conversation, we explore her journey and the miraculous story of her mom’s healing.

    Iva Nasr (NUHsir) is a teacher, seer, mentor, and author working internationally. In her anecdotal and light-hearted way, she guides a Modern Mind: Open Up • Align • Focus • Shine ™.

    Her private Intuitive Readings, classes, on-going dialogues, and life testimonials give hope and inspire mind expansion and action. Iva’s very being is a beacon of light for the world. Learn more about her at: www.IvaNasr.com

    Connect with Kara karakavensky.com

    @karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/ https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/ https://twitter.com/karakavensky

    Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design

    Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

  • The first time I met Charles, he said the most profound statement that I have ever heard, “I released the burden of being a black man through prescriptive yoga and meditation.”

    Our conversation addresses his sagacious claim and explores how anyone can achieve internal peace. Charles is a Vietnam veteran, a yogi, and so much more. His book, Pathless Path: God, Grace, Guru is a powerful example of a journey to find peace.

    Charles Crenshaw, Jr., MS, MDivW Author, Pathless Path: God Grace Guru He and his wife, Carol, are co-founders of the Inner Peace Yoga Institute in Indianapolis https://www.taptfjl.com https://innerpeaceyoga.com

    Connect with Kara
    karakavensky.com
    @karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG
    https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/
    https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/
    https://twitter.com/karakavensky

    Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design

    Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company