Latest / Just & Joyful with Kristin Carver Smith / Season 1 Wrap: Take a Look Back at Our Favorite Moments w/ Host KCS and Producer Angelina
Transcript
- Kristin Carver Smith: Hello and welcome to season one's rap episode of Just Enjoyful. It's happening. Angelina, we did it. Angelina: Wow, wow. We did it a whole season. Kristin Carver Smith: a whole season. ⁓ my gosh. And what what a juicy season it was. Angelina: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, it it it feels pretty wild to sit here six months later, after all of that planning, all of the research, and we have it. We did it. The conversations are out there. Kristin Carver Smith: We did it. Yeah. Yeah, they are. Yeah. And I think a back to how many conversations you and I had about doing this podcast and all the iterations ⁓ that it, you know, was sort of undergoing along the way and then to be able to arrive at this version of it. And I think I'm so excited when we look just like spoiler alert, season two is coming. Angelina: Mm-hmm. Yes. Okay. It's coming. Kristin Carver Smith: There will be a season two of Justin Joyful. ⁓ and we have so many plans for it. Angelina and I were just together for earlier this week for an incredible retreat. ⁓ and the entire focus of that retreat was just and joyful. And I'm like, I'm purposely saying just and joyful because we have lots of plans for Justin Joyful as a whole, right? and you know. Angelina: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yes. Kristin Carver Smith: Just again, so so excited about that. And the journey even to get to just season one. you know, I feel like being together this week, we sort of realize like there's always like just our podcast is is very much like the the humans ⁓ that we are and that we have on the show, which is that we always evolve. Angelina: Okay. Kristin Carver Smith: And we always shift and we always grow and we always expand. And so I'm so excited for us that season two is really it's gonna be an expansion of what season one is. And I feel like, you know, again, we've we've had such ⁓ beautiful conversations about what this podcast could be, about what this place, what this platform could look like. And, you know, I certainly didn't anticipate that it would launch by me sharing. Angelina: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Kristin Carver Smith: ⁓ you know, I had a a mental health crisis and that that would kind of be like the origin point for this. and it also feels like it makes a lot of sense now, right? Angelina: Yes. Yeah. And and it also it it gives me so much comfort when I think back, you know, years ago when you first had this idea and we were kind of toying around with, you know, what would the shape of the conversations look like? What is the kind of through line in the conversations? And it shifted a lot in those early years when we were just ideating. And it and it's and to me it's one of it's such a great illustration of wait until the time is right. You know, like it like this this podcast got to launch in such a powerful, beautiful way. And that would not have been possible if you andor us had forced something earlier, just just in order to to have the idea come to life or or for the idea to be public. ⁓ so it's just also for me, I've just been reflecting a lot on the responsibility of waiting and that there's like so much wisdom in waiting. Kristin Carver Smith: Yes, yes. Angelina: Until it's you know what I'm saying? Kristin Carver Smith: I know. And I'm just, I'm like, I'm that was such a powerful statement. ⁓ Joshua, you gotta clip this up. And just for for y'all that don't know, Joshua is our incredible audio engineer. And I'm like, ⁓ yes, this like there is wisdom in the waiting. I love that, Angelina. I love that. And you're right, like that just that's that also just like feels like the theme of Angelina: Mm. Yes. Kristin Carver Smith: this season is there was a lot of wisdom in the waiting and I feel like our everybody that we had on this season knows what it's like to go through that waiting period and to like we know what it looks like to try to ⁓ push through something and and like try to force something that isn't yet ready. And we like I again our guts tell us, right? Of like, girl, you know Angelina: Mm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: It's not what are what are you doing? You're taking the cake out of the oven too soon. Like let it ba I know you're hungry. I know you got a sweet tooth right now, but just like, you know, let it marinate. I just love thank you for saying that. And that just feels like such a again, it just it feels like the theme of season one is there's wisdom in the waiting. ⁓ the treat. Angelina: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yes. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm hmm. Yeah. And there was, you know, there were, you know, even even thinking about all of our guests from season one, they're they're people that we've known for a long time. And, you know, their stories have changed and evolved and expanded. And to get to greet each other in this iteration is also pretty incredible. So I'm just it just it just feels like It was so lovely to take some time earlier this week, like Kristen said, to just sit together and celebrate what this season created and and what we were what we were able to capture. Kristin Carver Smith: Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. And I think, you know, you and I talked a little bit about this when we were together, but like you and I are are we're story people. We're story people. And we're always like we're so curious and we wanna understand, like, we wanna look into the minds of the people who are doing the th doing the thing and doing it differently and trying to create a more just and joyful. Angelina: Mm. Kristin Carver Smith: world in the process and we're, you know, I think I think of all of these individuals that we've had on this season. And I even think of my own story and I think of yours, right? Of just ⁓ you know, this podcast was we were hoping to have really nuanced and story filled conversations around mental health. And, you know, one, I'm like, yeah, we did that. Angelina: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: We are doing that and we're looking forward to continuing to do that. And I think that as the season progressed and as we've continued to evolve, you know, I'm excited for us to explore that in an even bigger way in season two. And to like, it's not this won't quote unquote just be a mental health podcast, right? It's like we're, you know, y'all as as Angelina and I are. Angelina: And Mm-hmm. Kristin Carver Smith: Having all these conversations, we're like, this thing touches this and this thing touches this. And I think, I think that's kind of like the what we were trying to somewhat accomplish, if you will. I use that word here, but it's like with season one, is that in the process of me breaking down and breaking through and building back and re-emerging, I Angelina: Yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: I feel like I am like living proof of how many different things impact our well-being. And in all of these, like and you wouldn't necessarily put it in the in the quote unquote mental health box, right? Like you we don't always say style is mental health. We don't always talk about like public speaking being mental health. We don't always talk about ambition being mental health, right? But it's like that is what is happening. Angelina: Mm. Mm-hmm. Mm. Yeah. Okay. Mm-hmm. Kristin Carver Smith: And so I like I feel like we got to do that in some ways in a very like we were intentional about it, but it has really it's it's very much like revealed itself or ⁓ like we're about to go even bigger in season two and exploring some of these things. And really, you know, we've heard from you know, so many of you in private messages and DMs and Angelina: Mm-hmm. Kristin Carver Smith: We'll talk more about that in just a minute, but how, you know, ⁓ my gosh, when so-and-so was sharing about their story and they said this specific thing, I've never thought of it that way. Like I I needed this, or ⁓ thank you so much for sharing your story. And we just keep hearing like story, story, story, story, story. And ⁓ I'm excited for us to really like double down on that because you and I love the story piece. We've always loved that. Angelina: No. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. And it reminds me of something that you said when we were sitting together at the beach. you said something about ⁓ let me think of how you phrased it. You phrased it so beautifully. I'm gonna paraphrase, but essentially you can't argue with someone's story. And in a time when we're all listening for, you know, everything is so charged in in every facet of Kristin Carver Smith: The so charged. Yeah, yeah. Angelina: Of connection and story is like the one thing where it's like if we can retain our humanity and hear each other's stories, that's a way in. ⁓ that's a way towards connection. And so I I that gives me hope, even in this moment in a broader context of just story remains and ⁓ bringing your story to the table is still a way in to connection with people that. Kristin Carver Smith: Yeah. Angelina: where connection might otherwise not feel doable or possible or too fraught. Kristin Carver Smith: Yeah, or even fake, quite frankly, right? Like manufactured. So ⁓ yeah, I think ⁓ you know, I I'm really, really conscious of that, even ⁓ you know, throughout my day and my own life too of ⁓ you know, and I think even more than story, it's like just it's really hard to argue with someone's experience. Angelina: Yes. Yes. Mm-hmm. Kristin Carver Smith: Right. And so it's like, you know, I'm finding myself and constantly challenging myself. And and you know, I had an opportunity when I was sitting in partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient to like practice this skill on a whole other level. Because, you know, I have heard from some of you that you do actually know what partial hospitalization is. You do know what intensive outpatient is because you've been there. Angelina: Yeah. Mm. Kristin Carver Smith: And then I've heard from some of you you don't know what that's like. And ⁓ for those of you who do, you're you're probably familiar with this piece. And for those of you who don't, ⁓ when we sit in those types of rooms or group therapeutic rooms, ⁓ we don't say things like, Well, you should. We respond with I statements. And so There was this opportunity for me when I was sitting inside those rooms to again like practice this of like practice hearing people's experiences, hearing people's stories, like holding space for their feelings and their emotions and not saying, You should do this with that. Like you need to blah, blah, blah. You blah, blah, blah. Right. That's not actually helpful. We would open up the floor and go. Angelina: Yeah. Mm. Kristin Carver Smith: I can only speak to my experience. I have done blah blah blah. I have seen this. This has been helpful for me. And I think my hope too with Justin Joyful was an is to like take that practice and bring that into this environment too, where we sit in front of people and we hear their stories and their experiences and you know and go like, wow, that's ⁓ like Angelina: Mm-hmm. Kristin Carver Smith: It gets to be like building blocks, right? We get to listen to someone else's experience and go like, I wonder if I I might try that on in my own life and see if that works for me. Is that, you know, is that helpful for me? Does that get me closer to this life that I want to live, to the just and joyful world that I want to create? And so I think that's the part that I'm like, I'm so that gives me a lot of hope for humanity and us having helpful. Angelina: Right. Kristin Carver Smith: you know, and productive conversations too, right? Where it's like, you know, if we were to actually practice that, what type of world would that create? Angelina: Yeah, yes, yes. Certainly a surge of compassion. Kristin Carver Smith: Yeah. Yes. Yes, yes, yeah, yeah. Angelina: Which we are in short supply of. Hmm. Well, I'm excited for what's to come. But before we get Kristin Carver Smith: Yeah, shall we shall we not give it all away now? Y'all are gonna be you're you're in for such a ride. And I I will say too, before we delve into kind of like looking back at some of the moments that I mean, y'all, Angelina and I talk offline about some of the conversations that we've had and we're like, ⁓ gosh, like I feel like Angelina: Mm-hmm. Kristin Carver Smith: you know, when so-and-so said this thing right now, like I'm trying so hard to practice this in my life, like we're we still like there are things that people have said and shared, you know, this season that have stuck with us in really deep, profound ways. and so before we, you know, ⁓ kind of look back on those moments. Angelina: Yeah. Yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: lost my train of thought here. So Joshua, we're gonna figure out where I want to go with this. It's Friday. Angelina: Yeah. Did you wanna give an update of like format change? Kristin Carver Smith: No, it was where was I going with that? ⁓ I'm sorry, Joshua, this is gonna be fun for you. Angelina: Or what Maybe start with ⁓ so before we do that, because he can probably cut. Kristin Carver Smith: Yeah. Try not to laugh now. And then I keep I have such a squirrel brain today too, so it's like now I'm like, ⁓ yeah, I know where I wanted to go with it. Now I'm like, I don't know, it's gone again. I hope Joshua I actually do hope you get some of this laughter. Keep it in somewhere. Like do it do it bloopers or something. ⁓ okay. Angelina: ⁓ yeah. Yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: So before we look back at all the juicy moments from the season and all the ones that have stuck with us, I do want you all to know that like we we're saying, we're super excited about season two and all of these plans. We always want to hear from you. We always want you to, you know, be in our DMs, email us, right? Reach out to us and let us know like the things that are the people. Angelina: Mm-hmm. ⁓ yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: that you'd like to see on the show, the conversations, the top like the topics you want to explore, the questions you have too, because this if if it's not helping you, right, if it's if it's not helping us, it just feels like more noise. And it's like we have plenty of that. And so I I just I want you all to know as our incredible listeners and viewers that you have such a say in this show. Angelina: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: to and it is it's meant for, you know, for your benefit as much as it is right for for us too. Angelina: Mm. Yes. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. And and there's lots of ways to do that. If you follow Kristen on on ⁓ socials, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, you can shoot a message there. We also have a form on our website, justinjoyful dot com. So you can also shoot us a message there. ⁓ whatever you prefer. We'd love to hear from you. Kristin Carver Smith: Mm. Shall we look back? Angelina: I would love to look back because the other thing I want to say is what I love what what I love about these conversations is that they they're, you know, what we're doing here, we're not responding to news of the day or we're they're not super tied to current trends of the moment where the conversation was recorded. So this is these are conversations that we hope that you will return to over and over ⁓ whenever the time is right for you to visit these topics and and explore the conversations then. If you missed it when it came out, that doesn't mean that you missed the boat entirely. You can go back and listen. And they, you know, I s I I go back and sometimes just hit play on a on a random episode on YouTube because I'm just like, I need a little I need a little something today. And it just Yeah. So I hope even as we're, you know, moving forward towards season two that ⁓ that you'll continue to go back and get some of the gems because there were a lot. Kristin Carver Smith: Mm. Yeah, yeah. A little info. Mm, absolutely. So, okay, let's start with some of those gems. Okay. ⁓ we, you know, kicked off the season with Sarah Stanisai. And I mean Sarah had like w y you and I are both obsessed with Sarah, right? So it's like we just knew Angelina: Yes. Hold on, hold on. Can you go back and and read 'cause your your video froze, say and Kristin Carver Smith: Yep, of course it did. We don't want this to be a forty-five minute ep, a bunch of tech glitches and forgotten phrases later. Here we are. ⁓ This is the real. Angelina: This is the this is how it goes. Kristin Carver Smith: I'm gonna take this laugh. Joshua, throw this in, like put a bloopers. Really, I would love like I'm so down for a bloopers ⁓ part of the system. We absolutely all right. What am I gonna start with? I'm gonna start with ⁓ Okay, yeah. Okay. All right, Joshua Angelina: Yeah. Yes, we need this cut. We need this cut. So ⁓ and Sarah, you were like going into and Sarah is Here we Kristin Carver Smith: What? Angelina: Ha ha ha Kristin Carver Smith: That feels like that feels like the perfect thing for the blooper. ⁓ Okay. Yeah. This is terrible. Angelina: Just a little slap screen. Kristin Carver Smith: to have the giggles right now. ⁓ I'm just gonna have to let it go. ⁓ sweet mother. would you like to listen to two people laugh or two minutes? This is the joy. This is the joy part. This is Yeah. Okay. Whew it looks like I've just cried my eyes out. I feel like I Angelina: This is the joy f this is the joy part. Okay. Yeah, they're gonna be like, What happened between we started the season with Kristin Carver Smith: I feel like I need to address this with the viewers. Hey, just FY, we just came back from a cut. I just laughed for five minutes straight. I I promise I didn't cry my eyes out. okay. All right. ⁓ Okay. So we started the season off with Sarah Stanisai. And Angelina, I know you and I are both so obsessed with Sarah. We've been obsessed with Sarah from day day one. ⁓ tell me about. Angelina: Yes. Kristin Carver Smith: Like one of the moments that really stuck out to you from that conversation. Angelina: Yeah, I think I mean there were so many. And I just I feel like her her energy, you know, I hope that if you listen to the episode, you get a feel for her energy. She's just one of those people that no matter how I was feeling, you know, when we were when we were working with her, like it just I just felt so much ⁓ joy and and like a little bit of levity, even when we're talking about hard things. ⁓ but the the the one thing that just Kristin Carver Smith: Yes. Yes. Yeah. Angelina: plays kind of loops in my brain was a part of the conversation where she was kind of addressing some of the stuff that was happening in our political and social ⁓ climate right now. And she was also, you know, giving advice on like how do we take care of ourselves through this moment? And then she said the phrase, you can't deep breathe your way out of oppression. And that just that really hit me. because I think it, you know, I think Kristin Carver Smith: Mm. Angelina: It is so profound on multiple levels of yes, ⁓ on just the face of it, we cannot the the inequity that we're seeing and the very real harm and danger and lack of safety that so many people are living in right now. You you can't you can't sit down and just deep breathe out of that. And also I no, no, no. It might equip you to center your mind enough to go and continue the work. Kristin Carver Smith: Mm-mm. Mm-mm. Box box breathing is nothing for that, right? Mm-mm. Angelina: But it will not fix the issue that's perpetuating this harm that's causing us to have to. Yeah. So I think it, you know, I think it spoke to me on that level. It also spoke to me as a white person, you know, I I could potentially deep breathe my way out of oppression because I'm not being oppressed in the way that so many other identities are. And so I think, you know, even though she didn't take it in this way, Kristin Carver Smith: Yep, the root cause. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Angelina: It also convicted me a little bit of am I sometimes looking at what's happening and how I take care of myself? Like, is there any almost subconscious or unconscious bias lying around there where I'm like, the way I see the world, it's like, yeah, I can deep breathe and be okay for a day. But there are a lot of people who can't, who like, you know, and it so it just it it just that really stuck with me and I Kristin Carver Smith: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Angelina: Yeah. I I I'd keep just looping that. Kristin Carver Smith: So good. I yeah, she also I I remember too, you s you talk about the like that kind of moment of conviction as you're listening. I remember her talking about like, you know, I think I had asked her a question about like what were some of like the warning signs, what were some of the yellow flags that she had seen around like what she knew she wasn't okay. Like Angelina: Mm. Yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: We have tells, right? And she was she was, you know, sharing more about that on the episode. And if you're curious about that, obviously go listen to the episode in full cause share cause Sarah gives some really, really great ones there. But she had specifically mentioned like this moment where she pulled out an old laptop and she saw she saw how many unfinished projects and she was like, ⁓ I just like ⁓ I feel like I I I felt really sorry for her, right? Like she's saying that to herself and and about herself. And, you know, I remember those moments for myself too, where it was like, again, I'm trying, like, I'll just I'll just like hustle my way out of this, right? Like I'll just I'll just push through and to just, you know, hear someone else. I know that that is not that that we that's not the only that experience is not unique to me. Angelina: Yeah. Mm. Yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: But I needed to hear I actually needed to hear that. And so I really, really loved that she talked about that. And I think again, sometimes we have this like perception and we get into this with Allie's episode too, right? That we have this perception that therapists don't need therapy or that they don't need help. Right. And that they don't experience burnout and they have all the tools in the toolbox to, you know, help themselves. And it's like there's still they s Angelina: Yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: They navigate so many of the same things that we do, right? So I feel like we can put them up on pedestals. And ⁓ yeah, I really loved that about Sarah's episode and Allie's too. Angelina: Yeah. Yeah. Wait, did you Kristin Carver Smith: This is gonna be the choppiest episode. Nope, I just Allie's two. I left it and I was like, take it from your girl. Angelina: But there well, your squee your screen went like blank. So I didn't know if you were I didn't know if you were pausing for those three seconds or if you were talking. Kristin Carver Smith: I hope that you have like a massive face like a massive face, massive smile on your face as you listen to this whole episode and you're like, these two are just this job is terrible. I this better not become my full time job. Okay. Shall we jump into Ali? Angelina: This is this is the worst. ⁓ okay, yeah. So you said Yeah. Okay. ⁓ Kristin Carver Smith: And yeah. Angelina: Okay. Kristin Carver Smith: We never have giggling problems. The whole season been been serious AF Angelina: No, what is going on? What is we n maybe we needed to have more giggling. Kristin Carver Smith: I think so. We probably did. More joy. We're too serious. I mean, you know, we're trying to be the next Krista Tippet times ten, right? So Yeah. Angelina: More joy. We we were taking ourselves too seriously, I think. Exactly. Does Krista Tippa get the giggles? I hope she does. Kristin Carver Smith: I really do. I really hope she does. Angelina: Yeah, ⁓ Ali's episode, you know, I love that she shared so many just practical ways that she takes care of herself every day. And I love, and you clocked this too when she said it, ⁓ when she talked about her movement snacks. Yeah. I was like, cause I, you know, it's just I put so much pressure on myself of especially around movement that it's gotta be like at least 30 minutes in it, you know, and when she the way she framed it. Kristin Carver Smith: Mm-hmm. ⁓ I was done for when she said that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Angelina: was just really like very freeing of just like it doesn't have to be this huge thing. Can be a Kristin Carver Smith: Yeah. It felt very like I'm like, ⁓ like just and joyful movement. Right. Like it's like that to me, like talking about the movement snack part of it is what felt like, ⁓ this is like one of the embodiment. Like if we were to like point to like what's just and joyful, it's like that. Angelina: Mm, mm. Yes. Yes, yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: Mm-hmm. Angelina: Your video's lagging. You were like and then the audio came and you Kristin Carver Smith: I'm telling you. Angelina: But that's okay. That's okay. We can we can we can ⁓ w we can work with this. Kristin Carver Smith: Sure. Angelina: Yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: Sure. ⁓ Sure. Great. Angelina: Yeah Kristin Carver Smith: Season one's ⁓ season one's rap is just gonna be ASMR of laughter. Like Yeah. In all these different environments. But also I would really love like these need to some of these giggles really need to be clipped up 'cause it's too funny. Angelina: Of giggling, of giggling, yes, yes. ⁓ man. Yes. Yes. Like just a compilation. Kristin Carver Smith: Yeah, behind the scenes. I'm like, again, we would try to do this. I wish you could see out my window right now. I got like a million bulldozers. And I got like there's an army of construction workers outside. They haven't been here all week and here they are. Angelina: What? And now today's the day that they're like Kristin Carver Smith: And they're like, I don't know, let's let's hit the internet while we got it. So someone get that line. Okay. All right. Allie's movement snack. ⁓ I feel like we we got most of what we needed to get there. Let's like, should we say anything should we say anything else, Sarah, or just like keep it going? Okay. All right. Angelina: Yes. Okay. Yeah. Let's move. I think we should just keep it going. Kristin Carver Smith: How about you get if I like I'll just I'll I'll go into some of the okay. Okay. Sarah was incredible, Allie was phenomenal. We have this conversation with CC and Woo! Like I mean, every you know, y'all, we've been so blessed to have some really incredible conversations with C s with CC over the years, and I feel like we've wanted to hit record or like found ourselves like writing down. Angelina: Mm. Mm-hmm. Kristin Carver Smith: so many things ⁓ you know, that she's said. And ⁓ to be able to like now we have it captured and I look forward to having her on again in the future. But I think you and I were both like fell out of our chairs when she started talking about how she'll never frustrate Grace like that again. Angelina: Yeah. ⁓ Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. And and I think like, you know, it I just had never even thought of of it that way. ⁓ the way, you know, she framed her work and Kristin Carver Smith: What a moment. Angelina: you know, that that grace provided for her through all that. But but rather than, you know, I think there was such wisdom in her looking back on that and being and and and saying that of, you know, I was I I had provision and I was I was cared for, but I'm never I'm never going to frustrate it again like that. Kristin Carver Smith: Mm, mm-hmm. It was so good. And I think, you know, I remember her also talking about that kind of in the context of like she understood that she had an assignment for a season. And I think for so many of our listeners, it can be that we like we don't always have that or struggle sometimes with the discernment of like, do I do this thing indefinitely? Is it for but a time? And I think Cece also just like Angelina: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: gave us tons of permission to like hold the boundary too of like when we know and when our gut is telling us that we're supposed to do this thing for b you know, again, but a season. Cece is just like she's such a I hear her voice on repeat even as I think, you know, about some of those about some of the assignments that I've had. Right. So ⁓ I just that was so Angelina: No. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: So beautiful. And I just I loved seeing her model that for our listeners and viewers. Angelina: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. And there's so many other like I there's so many other parts of that conversation that I would love to clip here. So that if you haven't listened to it and you're listening to this, you can hear it. But you just gotta go listen to the whole conversation. Cause like you said, everything that she shares, like in the context of what she shares, it's made even so much more powerful. Kristin Carver Smith: Okay. ⁓ such a good and that one's just like it's like I think especially you know, for those of us who are doing a lot of advocacy or cause based work, ⁓ that one is just like you just gotta return to it over and over and over again. Like I I I remember when that episode came out and I've also listened to it several times since and it's like it's meant something different to me based on wherever I was that day. And I think all of our conversations will find Angelina: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: you in those places to you. ⁓ but wow, what a what a juicy one. And then we had the incredible privilege. We jumped from talking about, you know, well-being in the midst of, you know, advocacy and life-saving work to talking about style and mental health and well-being with Brandeis Johnson. And I don't think people saw us like going s you know Angelina: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm. Kristin Carver Smith: quote unquote swerving into that lane. Angelina: Mm-hmm. Yeah. And and even on the on the face of it, you could say you go from such such an intense topic to something that feels like she said, we have this misconception that style and fashion is frivolous. ⁓ and she did such a good job of framing it ⁓ in a way that eliminates some of that guilt that it isn't that it isn't frivolous. It actually is like a responsibility to ourselves to to Kristin Carver Smith: Mm-hmm. Mm, mm. Angelina: to take care of ourselves well and style can actually is not only like is not only ⁓ does not only have the potential to be a positive component of that, but it actually can be a like a good tool to work, ⁓ like to in your well-being toolkit, if you will. ⁓ and I think something that really helped me enter that conversation was her talking about the difference between style and fashion. Kristin Carver Smith: Yeah. Mm. Angelina: Because I'm not, you know, fashion has never felt accessible to me specifically, like for me personally. You know, I don't, ⁓ I don't have loads of money to spend on on really expensive clothes. Some of the looks that I see, you know, when you look at high fashion or or runways, I I find it I I like looking at it because it's fun, but I'm like, that's not that doesn't translate to me. ⁓ and then I'm hearing the devil war's Prada in the back of my mind as I'm saying that. Kristin Carver Smith: Yeah. Yeah. Mm, mm. Bueno. Angelina: ⁓ yeah, but ⁓ but she her definition of you know that style is this personal tool and fashion and like we need to disentangle it from fashion, even. I was like, okay. Because I do have I do really care about my personal style. It's a way that I tell the world who I am, a little bit about who I am. It's a way that I show how I'm feeling. And so Kristin Carver Smith: Yeah. Yeah. Yep, yep, yep. Angelina: That was that was really empowering for me, specifically like just in a personal sense of having feeling like I had a way in to that. Kristin Carver Smith: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And w you know, honestly what's coming to mind too, I th I think about how, 'cause you know, for me, so much of that conversation centered around body and my relationship to my body and you know and I think that's the other piece here too, right? Is like Brandeis was really like illuminating ⁓ how do you how do you dress the Angelina: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm. ⁓ Kristin Carver Smith: you know, how do you dress and and and love and and there's like acceptance, right, for the body that you had she talks about her own journey with that too. And that was so like I so appreciated her sharing that 'cause I think again, there's so many folks and if you haven't listened to the full episode, you've got to go listen to it 'cause I think it's just incredibly you know, this episode is gonna drop in the summertime and I think often sometimes like summertime for women, we can have all sorts of things that come up. Angelina: Yeah. Yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: ⁓ in terms of bodies and there's this like pressure to show more of ourselves and also quite literally it can get warm and the skin needs to breathe and all the things and we can feel a type of way about that. And so, you know, she said this ⁓ she talked about how as our bodies change, we can often be like, Well I'm a different size now, so I need to throw everything out. Right. And I you know to me it felt like whenever she said that I was like that's so representative of this just kind of larger Angelina: Yeah. Mm. Kristin Carver Smith: sort of polarizing mindset that we can take into everything, right? It's either this or that, right? It's like it's all or nothing. And I love that like she was kind of bringing, you know, hey, actually, like it's about proportions. It's about ratios. And you know, you could be a size 14 or a size four and the ratio still the proportions still works because you you have the body that you have, right? And so I just Angelina: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yes. ⁓ yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: I loved her saying that. And I actually really think about how ⁓ you know, ⁓ we saw this with Naomi Osaka recently in her courts moment. And I love Naomi Osaka and it just I think the way that she uses style as her tool to communicate is so powerful. And we've watched, I mean, we've watched Michelle Obama do this, right? Like, you know, we watched Meghan Markle do this, right? It's like, how do you Angelina: Yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: use something like style as a tool to communicate the things that you want to say to the world without ever even having to use words to do it. And I just, ⁓ you know, as as I've re-emerged and have started playing with style again. And as a communicator, sometimes I'm like, ooh, do I want the clothes to say this thing or do I want my mouth to say the thing? And so I just love like Angelina: Mm-hmm. Kristin Carver Smith: So it was like, I don't know, Brandeis just gave me a ton of, you know, like she reframes everything for me all the time, I feel like, but she just gave me, again, also lots of permission ⁓ to, you know, like play a little bit more with that. Angelina: Yeah. Mm, yeah, yeah. That's really that that's something that I forgot. And may and maybe that was more of your takeaway from the conversation about ⁓ do you always want the clothes to be speaking or do you dress in a different way when you when you want the focus to be on what you're actually saying? And and if you're in a situation where you can't where you're not able to speak as much, do you you yeah, that that's so fascinating. Kristin Carver Smith: Yes. A superpower for sure. For sure. ⁓ then we had a conversation with Bianca B. King and we talked about ambition. And I I actually got s you know several messages specifically about this part of the conversation. So Bianca talks about something that she calls survival ambition and the difference between survival ambition and joyful ambition. And Angelina: Yes, yes. Be on How Kristin Carver Smith: People weren't in my messages, were even texting me and were like, I've never heard it put this way before. This like so resonates for me. And ⁓ I remember even saying in the episode, like, you know, Bianca, we've talked about this for a couple of years now. And I don't think I've even heard you frame it this way. And it was just so powerful because it's like as soon as it as soon as it came out of her mouth, I was like, This is so true. Yes. Like that's exactly like the Angelina: Yeah. Yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: you know, the sort of like rub that I can feel with it sometimes with ambition is that, you know, we talk a little bit about like toxic ambition and and whatnot and is is that healthy, but like this there's a difference between like when you have to survive and when that ambition is fueling that specific sort of like chapter or season of your life. And I just that was so juicy. Angelina: ⁓ Yeah. Yeah. And it just felt like us like so much grace that it's, you know, s we're all steeped in the toxic ambition. And then, you know, it's like when you know better, you do better. And but then what happens when life happens? What happens when there's a family member who's sick, or there's a death, or there's a loss of employment, or, you know, it's like sometimes you have to go back and it on the face of it, it could look like toxic ambition, but it's actually Kristin Carver Smith: Yeah. Yep, yep. Angelina: you're intentionally choosing it because it's what's going to get you through this. Yeah. I just I just loved the permission and compassion that ⁓ comes with offering that. Kristin Carver Smith: Yep. Yep. So good. Okay. We've said permission a few times and I'm like, I don't know. I feel like we just like it like what it feels like a like a drum roll for our season one, you know, final guest, Samara Bay. so I love that and I I feel like as she listens to this, she will enjoy all the permit permission drops. But ⁓ I loved my conversation with Samara. Like that, ⁓ you know. Angelina: Okay. Samara. Yes. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Kristin Carver Smith: the that intersection of and I don't think we've often thought about speaking or even public speaking from that specific lens. We don't often talk about the interconnectedness between again mental health and well being and what's ha what happens, like what the output on stage can look like and how it might be impacted from that journey. And so to be able to have that sort of, you know, conversation with her, I feel like was, you know, Angelina: Yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: I loved it as as a friend, but it just to receive that wisdom was really, really beautiful. I think she said something that I really, really loved, and she was talking about how the idea of permission isn't something that someone else hands us. It's a felt sense of safety that allows us to come out of hiding. Angelina: Wow Wow. You feel that in your like to your bones, to the bone marrow. Like that is a Yeah. Yeah. Because it you know, permission can be kind of this like, it sounds really good, but how do you actually give yourself permission? How do you give other people permission? And so I just it it made it so it it turned this like beautiful, but you know. Kristin Carver Smith: Yes. Yes. Yeah. It's cellular, yes. Yeah. Angelina: vague idea into like a really concrete thing of like, ⁓ I and I and I know, I know what that feels like when there's safety of, ⁓ I yeah, I can't I there is permission to speak. Kristin Carver Smith: Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And I think even s you know, some of the things that she was sharing around, and I found this really encouraging is that like all of us are dealing with inner voices. And Samara's worked with all the humans, right? Across industries, ⁓ across ⁓ you know ⁓ different places in their careers. ⁓ I just I found it so encouraging that she has seen in her work. Angelina: Yes. Kristin Carver Smith: It's something I feel like we know also to be true in our marrow is that everybody is dealing with these inner voices and they're trying to keep us safe, as she says. ⁓ but oftentimes it's not actually that helpful. And I know for me, with my experience and even coming and showing up at this specific mic, right, week after week, ⁓ that like get you know, exercising this. Angelina: Okay. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: muscle of you know giving myself permission to show up and share my story. ⁓ it's been cool to kind of watch the evolution of that and to at the beginning as I was sharing, I would hear these voices, right? They would play all of these stories out around, you know, ⁓ if you share this, if you say this, blah, blah, blah, the trolls are gonna come for this and, you know, and all of all of the things. And so, you know, Samar just gave Angelina: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: I think all of us a really sh it there was a gentleness there too, right? Of and and compassion of like, look, I know, I know what the voices can say and what would it look like for us to say, I appreciate that you're trying to keep me safe here. And I like I don't actually need that in this moment. What does it look like to challenge that? Angelina: Mm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And that's something that ⁓ that's probably the biggest piece that I've carried with me from her episode is just this, what do you want to say back to the voices? And I'm like, wait, we can speak back? Yeah. And and and and to do it like you said, with so much love. And not just, you know, sometimes it can feel like the the discourse around dealing with inner voices or the inner critic can be really like, well, you know, just stop. Kristin Carver Smith: ⁓ when she said that. Who knew? Angelina: Just stop, stop. And it's like, I don't but how? How do you do that? And it just her her approach felt so A, it felt doable, but it was just so cum like compassionate and realizing like like you just mentioned that it's like they they're they're there because something happened in the past that showed us that like they're trying to protect us from that happening again. But now that we're in, once we're in safety, they don't know. Kristin Carver Smith: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yep. Yes. Angelina: So we gotta tell them. So what do how do we wanna have that conversation with them? Like that was yeah, I love that. I'm I'm that's something I'm practicing right now in in my life. So I'm I you know, I'm like, what do I wanna say back to these voices? Rather than just trying to silence them or just ignore them, it's like what what would it look like to have a conversation? Kristin Carver Smith: Mm, yeah. Yeah, yeah. And you know, y'all, we're we're sitting here and we just really feel like we get a front row seat to learning and being students ⁓ from these wonderful teachers and there's so many of them, right? Like I I think, you know, all of us can teach each other something and ⁓ you know what a gift again to be seated Angelina: Mm. Yeah, yes. Kristin Carver Smith: where we are seated right now and to be able to collect this wisdom. And our hope, right, is to like we get to we get to bear witness to this and and we wanted to share that with you all. And so I'm so excited for us to do this again in season two. And for yeah, like they're like things will be shaken up just a bit too. And ⁓ I think in a really like refreshing Angelina: Yeah. Okay. Kristin Carver Smith: a little bit more, I don't know, like juicy even sort of manner. Yeah. I'm I'm really excited. Angelina: Yeah. Yeah. It feels like the next season we're giving ourselves permission. There's that word again. ⁓ to just play even more. You know. Y'all, we spent a lot of this recording giggling and laughing and having fun. You probably you might not hear ⁓ all of it in the final cut, but it happened. And and more of that. Like we were just talking about how we haven't really laughed much. Kristin Carver Smith: Yep. Yep. Yep. Mm, yeah, yeah. Angelina: this season. ⁓ so you know, more of that, more of the more of Kristin Carver Smith: Yeah. More of yeah, and more of like I think I mean, we all know like the world is so serious and so hard and so heavy right now. And right, like this the this laughter piece does get to be revolution, right? In in the midst of it all. And so, ⁓ you know, if you would like a ASMR ⁓ video of ⁓ Angelina and I just like Angelina: Yes. Yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: losing it in laughter for you know a solid 15 minutes that happened here today. We have it. We have it. Yeah. We do have the files. So ⁓ my gosh, what again, like what a treat. What an honor. Thank you to everybody who has listened and tuned in. And if you haven't, if you haven't had a chance to, you know, Angelina: Huh? Yes. We have that. We have we have the we have the files. So Mm. Kristin Carver Smith: comb through all the episodes and glean the wisdom and take the pieces that, you know, you feel are gonna help you live a more just and joyful life and create a more just and joyful world. You know, summers for road tripping and there's such an opportunity for you to deep dive into these things ⁓ and and go back and we'll link everything up for you in the show notes so that you've got it. Thank you for being along the ride. Angelina: I think Kristin Carver Smith: Pausing and holding. Angelina: And I'm like, mm-hmm, yeah. And you're like, you gonna say something? Kristin Carver Smith: Yeah, I make crickets tut tut. There's nothing wrong with that. I love it. Angelina: man. Kristin Carver Smith: I don't anything else you w we want to say to finish? Angelina: ⁓ No. Kristin Carver Smith: Okay, great. This is us. ⁓ season ⁓ you go back and listen to season one and you like and subscribe. Angelina: Go ahead and ⁓ like and subscribe and rate. Is that a thing still? Are we still rating podcasts? Kristin Carver Smith: You know. I mean I think f I think for the rhythm's sake and by the rhythm, you know, the algo. Yeah. So I think that's still happening. If you all, you know, if you want to rate us for the algo, cool. ⁓ yeah. Angelina: Okay. I was like the rhythm. Hit it up. If it's if it's less than four stars, then you don't have to. Kristin Carver Smith: Yeah. Also I I find I feel like sixteen to seventeen year olds would find our abbreving very cringe right now. But but Angelina: ⁓ gosh. I don't even wanna sing. I Kristin Carver Smith: Tony what I think. Angelina: That terrifies me more than anything. I'd rather I'd rather face my worst. I would rather be covered in spiders than have to sit with a seventeen year old while I'm trying to do something that I don't really know what I'm doing. Kristin Carver Smith: Yeah. Angelina: Or trying to explain myself. Kristin Carver Smith: I that's I think that's yeah. Yeah. I it's it's the like I know every like generation we like we have our lingo. It's it's like it there is a vocab that is built from being alive at a specific time. I you know, so I feel like I'm coming off even boomery, being like, you know, ⁓ and I I this is like no shade against boomers. I don't know. I feel like the just even the word boomer has just come to mean like Angelina: Yes. Right. Kristin Carver Smith: Yeah. So Yeah. Yeah. Angelina: ⁓ you're from a you're from a s yeah. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Kristin Carver Smith: This is the perfect way to end this podcast. All right. Like and subscribe. We'll see you next season. Have a great life. Mental health. Angelina: Yes. Yeah. Woohoo, just enjoyful. Kristin Carver Smith: Song outro. All right, I think it will be. Yeah. ⁓ yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. ⁓ we can we can get down with that. Angelina: Yeah. Maybe that'll be coming. Season three. Season end of season two. T B D. Okay. Kristin Carver Smith: Okay, Joshua, have the most fun working on this. This is probably the most we've talked to Joshua. You know, and he hasn't. Yeah, I hope so. Cause I know. Yeah. Poor guy. Yeah. Too bad if you don't, you live with them. I'll let you handle that one. Yeah. ⁓ it's so good. All right. I'm gonna stop. Angelina: Have so much fun. Have s yeah. He's gonna love this. Too bad if you don't. ⁓ yes, yes.