006 | Using Creativity to Reduce Stress & Spark Joy with Lynn Muir

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We’re living in stressful times, and our options for emotional release are more limited, thanks to COVID-19. But even in these restrictive circumstances, we have the freedom to practice creativity. Creativity is a powerful coping strategy that can spark joy, reduce stress, and improve connection to self and to others.

Creative Exploration

Lynn Muir is a multi-passionate creator, who dabbles in everything from watercolor to woodworking. She is also a co-owner of The Makers Avenue, a creative studio for women and children. Lynn loves power tools, sawdust, and paint and believes creativity is “essential to a productive and happy life.” She’s not afraid to get messy or try new things.

Benefits of Creativity

In this interview, Lynn shares how she makes time to create as a busy mother of five, plus why it’s essential to her emotional well-being and how it blesses her children. She also explains how creativity has helped her through the most difficult trials of her life, including postpartum depression and her daughter’s cancer.*

Nurturing Creativity in Children

Lynn also offers tips for cultivating creativity in children—with special emphasis on how to involve boys. She also highlights some of the life lessons her children have learned through artistic exploration.

This light-hearted, laughter-filled conversation offers hope and practical tools to help you and your children through tough seasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also in this Episode

• Lynn’s most memorable craft projects, plus her biggest creative flop.

• A simple, fool-proof exercise for people who claim: “I’m not creative.”

• How creative play reduces stress and boosts self-confidence.

• Why you don’t have to like or finish your creative projects to benefit.

SHOW NOTES

Connect with Rachel on Instagram

Connect with Lynn Muir
Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Website

The Makers Avenue
Instagram | Website

* Lynn was diagnosed with breast cancer just a few days before we recorded this interview. I want to thank her for having the courage to share such tender memories in the midst of an emerging trial.

005 | Discover Your Legacy: Turning Passion into Purpose with Katie Cheesman

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Sometimes we look for our “calling” on a neon sign and expect the path to be easy, but more often, our purpose unfolds over time, presenting obstacles along the way. We find our purpose by taking incremental steps toward our passion and following our instinct.

Following Curiosity

Katie Cheesman, a self-proclaimed “old soul,” has always felt at ease with the elderly. After working as a geriatric nurse for several years, Katie started The Listening Ear Project—a passion project that eventually evolved into a private film company that documents and celebrates the life stories of senior citizens.

In this interview, Katie shares how following her curiosity led her step-by-step to the work she does today. She also speaks openly about the professional and personal obstacles she’s faced while pursuing her passion, including her experience with postpartum depression.

Leaving a Legacy

After sharing her own story, Katie summarizes some of the powerful lessons she’s learned from her elderly friends, offering us a unique perspective on what it means to live a “good life.”

Katie reminds us that every person on this planet has unique and valuable gifts to bring to the table. Our differences make us stronger. And each of us is weaving an inspiring legacy—even if we feel unremarkable and ordinary.

ALSO IN THIS EPISODE

• Why our differences are vital to our community.

• The importance of finding a tribe, both professionally and personally.

• Five lessons we can learn from our elderly friends.

• The unexpected secret to becoming a better listener.

SHOW NOTES

Connect with Rachel on Instagram

Connect with Katie Cheesman
Instagram | Website

002 | Embrace Imperfection: The Secret to Growth & Connection with Monica Packer

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Perfectionism isn’t just putting your best foot forward, having high standards, or worrying about tiny details. Perfectionism is a fear-based mindset that keeps you from trying new things, sticking to challenging goals, and sharing your talents with others. It keeps you hustling for external validation or hiding in the shadows to avoid judgment.

Progress Over Perfection

As a self-identified “recovering perfectionist,” Monica Packer is leading a movement to help women overcome fear of failure and rejection by focusing on “progress over perfection.” Her inspiring podcast, About Progress, is a product of her own courage to try something new and embrace the messy growth process.

In this interview, Monica shares her journey from paralyzed perfectionist to determined “progressor”—a term she uses to describe her community members. She speaks candidly about her eating disorder and how her “perfect” life began unravelling while she was studying in Europe, at the epicenter of everything she loved.

The Truth about Perfectionism

Monica explains that, at its core, perfectionism is driven by a desire to live above the human condition, without flaws or weaknesses. It’s a destructive force that keeps you looking side-to-side—comparing and competing—which disconnects you from others, your Higher Power, and your own intuition. Monica offers practical advice for overcoming perfectionism and embracing a growth mindset.

Also in this episode

• The dark and destructive consequences of perfectionism.

• Ditching the “idealized woman” and creating a better vision for your life.

• How to make a “Do Something Bucket List” to explore your passions.

• Two types of perfectionism: overachieving and underachieving.

Show Notes

Note: This list includes Amazon affiliate links to books mentioned in this episode. I receive a small commission for products purchased through these links, which helps to support free content on the podcast.

Connect with Rachel on Instagram

Connect with Monica Packer
Instagram | Website | Podcast

The Gifts of Imperfection (Book)

Free Class: How to Create a Life Blueprint

Rachel’s Interview on About Progress: “Using Self-Love to Rebuild after Loss”

Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife

Monica’s 2019 “Do Something Bucket List”

About Progress: “Underachieving Perfectionist“

Monica’s Small Group Coaching

001 | Stop Hustling: How to Slow Down & Simplify Life with Rebecca Cooper

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In our fast-paced world, slowing down takes effort. We must learn to simplify our calendars, focus our attention, and say no to distractions—and sometimes, we must say no to good things that pull us away from our highest priorities.

Collect Moments, Not things

In this interview, Rebecca Cooper, founder of the lifestyle site Simple As That, shares how her definition of “simplicity” has evolved over the years. She also explains how she keeps her family moving at a slower pace, so they can savor ordinary, unremarkable moments in everyday life.

In 2010, with four kids under the age of eight, the Coopers sold most of their belongings and moved to the Caribbean so Rebecca’s husband could attend medical school. Rebecca shares how living with fewer physical possessions and fewer modern conveniences taught her to “collect moments, not things” and sparked a family culture of adventuring close to home.

Slow Down & Recharge Daily

Rebecca reminds us that self-worth isn’t tied to productivity or accomplishments. She emphasizes the importance of self-care and rest, encouraging women to sit down and recharge every day. We also discuss the benefits of declaring a “season of rest” as a way to minimize anxiety and comparison.

Also in this episode

• Using a camera to see ordinary moments with new eyes.

• Unexpected benefits of minimalism.

• Teaching children life lessons through hiking and exploring.

• How to stop measuring your self-worth by your to-do list.

• Essential questions to streamline your calendar.

Show Notes

Connect with Rachel on Instagram

Connect with Rebecca Cooper
Instagram | Website

Free Class: How to Create a Life Blueprint

Additional Resources

Note: This list includes Amazon affiliate links to books related to this episode. I receive a small commission for products purchased through these links, which helps to support free content on the podcast.

Free Printable: 50 Everyday Moments You Need to Photograph

Slow Your Pace: A Free 30-Day Challenge

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less (Book)

Chasing Slow (Book)