Bare Naked Bravery: How To Be Creatively Courageous - Stories Of Raw Valor, Inspired Entrepreneurship, And Exposed Ambition

I faced a looooong to-do list this week, which is why today we're looking at why it's so important to celebrate and connect, even with the small stuff. Our seasons of bravery sometimes BEG us for this and I know that sometimes those really dark seasons of bravery make it really hard to reach out and connect with folks. But it's sooo soooooo soooooo important that we do this. Take a listen and learn how I did that this week. Download your Bravery Bundle here: barenakedbravery.com

Today we get to talk with Joshua Spodek. I was super excited to jump into this conversation because Joshua is an Adjunct Professor at NYU, leadership coach and workshop leader for Columbia Business School, columnist for Inc., founder of Spodek Academy, and author of the book "Leadership Step by Step." Now normally I don't flat-out read someone's biography verbatim on this part of the show, but you guys. Listen to this: He has led seminars in leadership, entrepreneurship, creativity, and sales at Harvard, Princeton, MIT, INSEAD (Singapore), the New York Academy of Science, and in private corporations. He holds five Ivy League degrees, including a PhD in Astrophysics and an MBA, and studied under a Nobel Prize winner. He helped build an X-ray observational satellite for NASA, co-founded and led as CEO or COO several ventures, and holds six patents. He earned praise as “Best and Brightest” (Esquire Magazine’s Genius Issue), “Astrophysicist turned new media whiz” (NBC), and “Rocket Scientist” (ABC News and Forbes

I've given some crazy wonderful announcements this week and my brain is going ALL over the place, so here we are at the end of this week and I'm really wishing I had done this one thing more: expression, for the sake of expression. Take a listen to this week's Peep Show episode to find out what I mean and why it's so so important to me.

A lot of folks (myself included) love to travel. A lot of folks also say how wonderful it would be to live overseas. But not a lot of folks actually get to the stage of shopping around for apartments abroad. That's a whole other level of gutsiness. So that's what Nina Ferreyra and I talk about today! Nina Ferreyra is the Founder & Editor-in-Chief of 707AVE. She works with women entrepreneurs who want to get clear on their branding and business goals. All her awesome links are available in the show notes of this episode at barenakedbravery.com I wanted to have Nina on the show today because she and her husband are doing something really brave. They're going to be living part-time in another country! Spain, to be exact. There is so much that goes into someone actually doing this. We chat about the imagination required to envision a whole new life for yourself. We talk about the "upper level limits" and the way our bodies physically handle new seasons of change and stress. We talk about how important it is t

This week I was asked to write an article for Teach Well all about setting difficult boundaries. I know that many of us creatives and entrepreneurial types have to deal with this topic a LOT in business. But even as just a human you have to set boundaries. So that's what we're talking about today. I've identified 7 steps you'll need to take to set, hold, and enforce a difficult boundary (with a bonus 8th step.) Join the Bare Naked Bravery Facebook Community here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bnbravery/ Download the Bravery Bundle here: http://barenakedbravery.com

Back in March, I published a peep show mini episode on my 31st birthday. In that episode I cried like a baby over how important I think it is that we are educating the future women of the world. It's the biggest problem we are facing today. It is also the solution to a lot of other problems we're facing too, because when we educate our girls, we have a future to look forward to! So yeah, I cried on a podcast episode while announcing that this year I've begun supporting the education of a young girl in Bangladesh through a nonprofit organization called Speak Up for the Poor. After I recorded that episode, I then turned around and contacted them to thank them for their work in the world. Which brings me to today's guest of the show, Troy Anderson! Troy is the Founder and International Director of Speak Up and splits time between Bangladesh, Thailand and the USA. Prior to founding Speak Up, Troy graduated from the UCLA School of Law and worked as a Deputy District Attorney with the Los Angeles County DA. He has

I got LAID OUT with a cold earlier this week and was confronted with some honesty that changed a few things for me. So that's what this week's peep show is all about: regaining control of the brake pedal, taking your foot off the gas pedal, and making decisions that require projects to either come to a full stop or get postponed.  Join the next Bare Naked Bravery Challenge here: http://barenakedbravery.com/challenge Check out the class I refer to in this episode: http://emilyannpeterson.com/classes

Kamila Gornia joins us today from San Diego! She's a digital marketing strategist for business owners who want to learn how to market themselves online. And yes, we do talk about all that juicy business stuff (because I love chatting about that!) We also veered off into left field because one of the area's of life that Kamila is personally experiencing a new kind of Bravery is Online Dating. yeesh. Now, this, this is bravery, in some of the rawest form. It's something I've spent a lot of time thinking about. So much so, that last year I wrote a semi-comedic, tongue-in-cheek, song about it. The youtube video of that song and all of Kamila's awesomeness are available in the show notes for this episode at barenakedbravery.com Including the link to find out more information on all the upcoming Bravery classes that are kicking off soon. Again, those links will all be in the show notes, just go to barenakedbravery.com and type in online dating and Kamila's face will pop up! So yes, putting yourself out there and li

This subject was brought up this week by a Bravery Student of mine. She's a creative and someone caught her off her game. Their comparison comments messed with her groove, so her question to me was "What do I do now that I've begun to second-guess myself?" The whole situation pushed my Mama Bear buttons and today's peep show episode covers my official answer to that question.

Nathan Vass is with us today! This guy is such a gem! He is a filmmaker, photographer, writer, and he's balances all that with his love for another profession: Public Transit. Nathan is a bus driver for the City of Seattle! I say this later on in our conversation with him, but the fact that this episode exists is a perfect example of what Resonant Bravery (aka second-hand bravery) can do. Because Nathan came to us by way of a listener of the show, Kristi, who is a member of the storytelling scene in Seattle. She saw what Nathan's been up to, recognized it as the kind of Bravery that we talk about here on the show, and she reached out to me! I knew that if Kristi thinks someone displays bravery in their life, then I had better listen up and lean in. You'll agree with her, like I do, especially after you listen to today's conversation. In the initial email she sent me, Kristi described Nathan by saying "He's a 30 year old metro bus driver (10 years in) who purposely takes the hardest route, and he also does sto

When you're putting yourself out there, things can get scary and overwhelming. But one of the best "mantras" I've adopted in the last several months is this: I have helpers. I've seen over and over again that helpers really are all around us. We just have to look for them. So that's what we talk about on today's peep show mini episode of Bare Naked Bravery: All my favorite go-to sources to find my helpers! Join the next Bare Naked Bravery Challenge: http://barenakedbravery.com/challenge

Christine Eilvig is with us today all the way from Denmark! She's a spiritual mentor with some radiant wisdom. As we recorded the episode, the sun was setting behind her, so it looked like she was literally glowing! Christine joins us to chat about her full-circle journey of her self-employed career from the business world to the spiritual, back to the business, and now back to the spiritual. This episode will be particularly good for you if you've got some part of you or some piece of work that you haven't yet revealed to the world and know that that day will eventually come. I really love Christine's soft and nurturing approach to doing brave things. I think you will too! Before we get into today's interview with Christine, I have a couple of announcements to make... Well, just one mainly: The 5-day Bare Naked Bravery Challenge is just around the corner! Signups to join us for free, will close on May 14th, so be sure to visit barenakedbravery.com/challenge to get on the list. I'll pop in later in this episo

At the time of recording this little peep show & mini episode, I was really overwhelmed. Like *scared* overwhelmed. I turned to my favorite ways of refocusing myself and regaining my sense of power. So that's what I divulge in this little peek behind the curtain of the bravery I am facing first-hand. Sign up for the Bare Naked Bravery Challenge here: http://barenakedbravery.com/challenge Interested in hosting a workshop or concert this summer? Shoot me an email: hi@emilyannpeterson.com 

Today we get to take a quick swim in a pool that is sooo deep. There is so much in today's conversation with author Ian Cron that I was kinda giddy to talk about. Along with Suzanne Stabile, Ian Cron co-wrote the book titled "The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery." It a gem of a book which I highly recommend that you check out. Now, why are we talking about an ancient personality typology on this podcast about Bravery? We go into this in greater depth later in the conversation, but to put it bluntly - If you're gonna take a big scary leap into doing something brave, it helps to have as many tools as you can. It even helps to have those tools after-the-fact to understand, from a new perspective, why or how events or relationships in your life have unfolded. As Ian later goes into, The Enneagram is not the end-all, be-all for being brave or even knowing yourself. It is one facet. However, it is a fascinating facet - kind of like this conversation with author Ian Cron... Brave Take-Aways A

Feeling discouragement, apathy, dissatisfaction and general ickiness is the least fun thing I can think of. When we're feeling really stagnant in life, there are some pretty reliable methods I personally turn to when I'm in a funk. That's what this episode is all about! Curious about hosting a concert? Go to: emilyannpeterson.com/host-a-concert Want to join the Bare Naked Bravery Challenge this May 15th? go to: emilyannpeterson.com/challenge Want to purchase tickets to a concert of mine? Go to: emilyannpeterson.com/tickets

Today we have a global advocate for adoption with us. Michelle Madrid-Branch is the author of several books including Adoption Means Love: Triumph of the Heart, Mascara Moments: Embracing the Woman in the Mirror, and the children's book, The Tummy Mummy. Links to those are available in the show notes for today's episode. Beyond that, if you've ever felt somehow that you don't quite belong or don't quite have a voice in a situation, then this is the episode for you. As an international adoptee herself, Michelle's story of adopting 2 of her 3 kiddos is soft and powerful all at the same time. She has been inducted into the New Mexico Women’s Hall of Fame in 2006 and was honored with the Governor’s Award for Outstanding New Mexico Women by Governor Bill Richardson AND she is the recipient of the 2004 Congressional Angels in Adoption Award. I didn't know this going into it, but even though Michelle is mostly doing author, and adoption related work these days, she has a background in TV & New broadcasting. This

It's true. Just because you're resting, does not mean you're procrastinating. Rest is not avoidance. Sometimes rest is the single most powerful method of 1) recognizing that what you thought was "flow" was just busy work and 2) discovering the next best step. Click here to get on my email list for all the goodies I mention in this episode: http://www.emilyannpeterson.com

Today we get to talk with John Ruhlin of The Ruhlin Group. His company is trusted by all these top leaders of fast-growing companies (Chicago Cubs, San Antonio Spurs, Morgan Stanley, DR Horton, and more) to develop relationships and gifting strategies. We'll get into exactly what that means later in the episode. But let me tell you that everything he's talking about today, WORKS. Whether it's a hand-written note, or a small thoughtful token of gratitude or even a super fancy expensive gift, being generous with your gratititude always works. Always. John wrote this book called "Giftology" which has been featured in media outlets like Forbes magazine. The book is filled with case studies, stories, and ideas for how to give better gifts and as a result build better relationships. John's got some great advice for us today, AND a cool download with a list of the Top Gifts to Avoid Giving, which you can download right now by going to giftologybook.com/emily But that .pdf download will make a lot more sense when you

Indecision (and too many decisions) can freeze us, lock up our progress, and create big time avoidance and resistance towards accomplishing a big brave task. Creatives fall victim to this for so many valid reasons. In this peep show mini episode I show you how I walked through this kind of speedbump with one of my Bravery students this week. More on Bravery Lessons for Creatives with Emily Ann Peterson: http://bit.ly/bravery-lessons-2017 Join the Bare Naked Bravery Facebook Group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bnbravery More on House Concerts with Emily Ann Peterson here: http://emilyannpeterson.com/house-concerts/

This week is my birthday. I will be 31 years old. I cannot imagine what my life would look like if I dropped out of school to get married at the age of 8.To honor the education and experience I've been granted in my 31 years, I'm donating $31 every month this year to speakupforthepoor.org -- They serve over 1100 girls in 26 villages, helping them stay in school and out of child marriage, and they fund more than 20 girls removed from brothels in Bangladesh.There is no greater human rights issue than the way we treat girls in poverty. They deserve to be heard, to be educated, to have options, to have dreams.If you are inspired by the work I do and want to celebrate 31 years of living bravely with me, then I challenge YOU to sponsor a girl's education for $31/month.Let's make it happen. Let's transform these girls into what we know they can be, perhaps things they don't yet have permission to dream about...Visit speakupforthepoor.org to begin your own sponsorship of bravery.Keep in Touch with Emily Ann Petersonh