Creating Real Connections with Kara Elise

Caroline Hull September 10, 2019

In today’s world, so many people crave having real connections. With so much taking place online, and more and more people eating dinner in front of their favorite Netflix show, it comes as no surprise that people are feeling isolated and lonely. On today’s episode, I am joined by Kara Elise, a chef, experience curator and hostess who helps clients by hosting dinner parties that create connection and community. She shares how she developed this idea for creating a dinner party company and why she’s always followed her heart. She discusses the power of words and speaking things into existence and the importance of taking time to pause, reflect and write things down. We also chat about how the Enneagram can help you to understand yourself and others.

What’s in this episode:

Always wanting to follow her heart
Moving across the country on a whim
Developing the idea for a dinner party company
The power of your words and speaking things into existence
Knowing that it’s okay to end a chapter and create space for new things
Taking the time to pause, reflect and write down
Getting rid of the fear of failure
Using table questions to get everyone to speak
What the Enneagram is and how it can help you understand yourself and other people
Hosting dinner parties for celebrities
Craving real connections and how dinner parties can help fuel those connections
Having gratitude and being in the moment

About Kara:

Kara Elise is a chef, experience curator, and the ultimate hostess. She focuses on creating spaces and experiences that cultivate community. Kara's expertise in hosting, recipe creation, and food styling establish a culture of invitation through holistically designed, welcoming environments. She is intuitive, warm, and disarming. A genuine hostess encouraging us to live fully.

In a culture obsessed with technology, being busy, and overstimulation, slowness is one of our most difficult disciplines. Kara believes that creating intentional time to sit with others is an essential practice. A moment to feed our bodies and fill our deepest human desire - to be seen and known.

While fostering relationships in Los Angeles, Kara has garnered a network of influential guests, clients, and brand partners. Her dinner party movement has successfully traveled between the West Coast and London and continues to grow internationally - drawing in socially savvy, mindful foodies along the way for dinners, retreats, and events. Kara also collaborates with a variety of brands, turning their consumers into a community of thriving relationships.

Kara recently launched her YouTube channel empowering freedom in the kitchen and teaching how to eat both mindfully and beautifully. Her first cookbook, Toast, was released in September 2017.

Connect with Kara:
Website | Instagram | YouTube

Links:
Maui Retreat
Amy’s Collection with American Crafts
The Enneagram Institute
Sparketype Test
You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay
Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life by Byron Katie

I would love to hear from you! Connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or on my website. If you enjoyed this podcast and you haven’t already, I’d like to encourage you to subscribe that way you won’t miss a single update. Craft a Life You Love by taking a small step toward turning happiness and fulfillment by savoring this season no matter where you are in your life and in the world.

Showing Up for Others (and Yourself) with Emily McDowell

Caroline Hull September 3, 2019

What do you say to a friend or family member that is hurting? Whether it be from illness, grief, miscarriage, infertility or any of the other ups and downs we can come across in life, there are moments when we just don’t quite have the words to say to comfort our loved ones. Today I am speaking with Emily McDowell, a writer, illustrator, speaker and teacher who after overcoming cancer and losing a friend to cancer a short time later, decided to bring a product to market that would help both the person on the giving and receiving end. Emily created stationery products that would help express what people are feeling but don’t know how to put into words. We talk about her business and why she merged with another company. She also shares what she does when she is in a creative rut and why she takes the time to focus on self-care.

What’s in this episode:

Emily’s experience of going to a breath work camp
The main takeaways that Emily took from her experience
Recognizing that you’re not responsible for other people’s happiness
Listening to our bodies when they tell us to stop
Navigating through her illness and feeling disconnected from others
How cancer gave Emily a unique perspective of the world
Feeling like sympathy cards didn’t express what she wanted to say
Why she decided to get back into journaling
What Emily does when she’s stuck in a creative rut
Deciding to merge with another company
Being reactive rather than proactive in her business
Creating meaningful work
Taking the time to focus on self-care
Emily’s advice on doing what you dream about
Being mindful and keeping what makes life beautiful to her a priority

About Emily:

Emily McDowell is a writer, illustrator, speaker, teacher, and entrepreneur who is fiercely committed to not doing all of those things at the same time. After spending a decade working in advertising, she founded Emily McDowell Studio in January 2013. In January of 2019, Emily McDowell Studio officially changed names to Emily McDowell & Friends to reflect their expansion into partnerships with other artists and writers.

Emily’s work has been featured by The New York Times, Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, BBC News, and NPR's All Things Considered, among many others, and in 2015, she was named one of Slate's 10 Designers Who Are Changing the World. Her first book, There Is No Good Card For This: What To Say and Do When Life Gets Scary, Awful, and Unfair To People You Love, co-authored with Dr. Kelsey Crowe, was released on January 2017.

Emily currently serves as an equity partner and SVP of strategy at the Who’s There Group, while remaining creative director/founder of Emily McDowell & Friends. She lives in Los Angeles with her family and various half-dead plants.

Connect with Emily:
Website | Personal Instagram | Business Instagram

Links:
Knock Knock
On Being Human: A Memoir of Waking Up, Living Real, and Listening Hard by Jennifer Pastiloff

Follow the Fun with Lauren Hom

Caroline Hull August 27, 2019

Did you know that you’re sitting in the driver’s seat of your life and that you have control over exactly where you want to go? On today’s episode, I am joined by Lauren Hom, a designer and letterer based in Detroit. Lauren shares how she overcame her fears and put herself out there, what she’s done to grow her portfolio as a designer and letterer and the importance of doing something you love to fill your creative tank. She talks about the drawbacks of being a freelancer and how most people romanticize what they don’t have. We also discuss how she knew it was time to start building a team and learning to protect her time.

What’s in this episode:

How Amy and Lauren met each other
Deciding to work in advertising
Starting a hand lettering blog
Quitting her job and pursuing lettering full-time
Following your dreams rather than doing what’s practical
Lettering for lunch to grow her portfolio
Overcoming the fear of putting herself out there
Trying something new and ignoring the “what ifs”
Knowing that we don’t have to monetize everything
Doing something to fill your creative tank
The drawbacks of being a freelance creative
Her experience of traveling and working
Craving what you don’t have
Remembering that you’re in the driver’s seat of your life
Her weekly challenge design prompts
Her experience with building a team and asking for help in her business
Recognizing that you can’t do it all
Learning to protect her own time
Making sure that you’re having fun
Knowing that you have the power to get what you want in life

About Lauren:

I’m a designer and letterer based in Detroit, schooled in New York, and raised in Los Angeles. Known for my bright color palettes, playful letterforms, and quirky copywriting, I’ve had the pleasure of creating work for clients like Starbucks, Google, AT&T, YouTube and TIME Magazine. My work has been recognized by Communication Arts, the Type Directors Club, and the Webby Awards. I’m also the author of the popular blog and book Daily Dishonesty.

I find that I’m happiest when creating, so when I’m not working, you can find me-HAHA, just kidding! When am I not kind of working on something? When I’m not creating clever things for clients, you can find me selling your ex-boyfriend's tears and putting bread on my head.

Connect with Lauren:
Website | Facebook | Instagram

Links:
Hom Sweet Hom Challenge
Skillshare Chalkboard Lettering - get 2 months of Premium for free when you sign up by Sep 1
Will Letter for Lunch

I would love to hear from you! Connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or on my website. If you enjoyed this podcast and you haven’t already, I’d like to encourage you to subscribe that way you won’t miss a single update. Hope you feel inspired to Craft a Life You Love by following your intuition and steering your life in whichever beautiful direction you want it to go in.

Sharing Your Story With Alisa Burke

Caroline Hull August 20, 2019

As creatives, many of us are waiting for our “big break”. Today I am joined by Alisa Burke, a painter and mixed media artist who seeks to infuse creativity into every part of her life. Alisa shares why you should let go of the expectation of a “big break” and instead work toward the small steps that add up to greatness over time. We chat about using lists to tackle tasks our day to day lives, the importance of listening to your gut and what she does to build an authentic presence online. You’ll hear about how she became resilient, the empowerment that comes with sharing your story and how she keeps things simple in her creative business.

What’s in this episode:

Growing up in a creative environment
Working day jobs while hustling with her art on the side
Letting go of the expectation of a “big break”
Learning that the small steps add up the most over time
How Alisa handles the chaos
How creativity can be overwhelming in your business
Using lists to tackle and accomplish things in her day
Her daily routine as a creative business owner
Having an idea about teaching art at an affordable price
Listening to her gut
The differences between her classes and free videos
Keeping things simple in her business
Building an authentic online presence and community
Figuring out what you like rather than your mentors or teachers like
Incorporating children into creativity
How her miscarriages have made her more resilient
Healing and working through her grief
The empowerment that comes through sharing your story
A mantra that helps Alisa through her journey
Understanding that good things take time

About Alisa:

Alisa Burke is a freelance painter and mixed media artist who studied fine art at Portland State University. With a background in painting and printmaking, a desire to explore and push materials, Alisa is always looking for new ways to break the rules and redefine art. She draws inspiration from street art, graffiti, art history and fashion and it is not uncommon to find her digging through the trash in hopes of recycling something unique to use in her artwork.

If she’s not making art in her Oregon Coast studio, you can find painter and mixed media artist Alisa Burke blogging, teaching art workshops or creating her handmade accessories. Whether it's running her creative business, being a mom or adventuring outdoors, she is always looking for inspiration. From drawing, painting and even the way she raises her daughter, Alisa seeks to infuse creativity into every part of her life.

Connect with Alisa:

Website | Instagram

Links:
Creativation

Learning to Let Go With Jessica N. Turner

Caroline Hull August 13, 2019

Have you ever found yourself holding onto memories or things that no longer serve you? Today I brought Jessica N. Turner onto the podcast. Jessica is an author, award-winning marketing executive, founder of the popular lifestyle blog The Mom Creative. We discussed how you can find freedom in letting go. We talked about the joy you can get from getting rid of things that no longer serve you. She also shares her non-negotiables, her advice about recognizing where guilt is coming from and why you should learn to say “no”.

What’s in this episode:

Why Jessica started her blog
How she got started with scrapbooking
Finding time for her passions and deciding to write a book about it
How Jessica ended up with a two-book contract
Jessica’s non-negotiables in her daily life
Being selfless by taking care of yourself
How Amy has dealt with mom guilt
Jessica’s advice about recognizing where guilt is coming from
How you can find freedom in letting go
The joy that comes out of getting rid of things that no longer serve you
How to have other’s help you with accountability
Avoiding excuses for reasons to keep things you no longer need
Surveying women for her book, Stretched Too Thin
Jessica’s daily routines and her thoughts on balance
Learning to say “no” more and staying away from social media
How Jessica handles negative feedback
The books that Jessica has enjoyed reading recently
Quotes that she lives by

About Jessica:

Jessica N. Turner is the author of Stretched Too Thin and The Fringe Hours. She is also an award-winning marketing executive and the founder of the popular lifestyle blog The Mom Creative (www.themomcreative.com). Additionally, she is a writer for the Today Parenting Team and DaySpring's (in)courage, an advocate for World Vision, a regular speaker at events nationwide. She and her husband, Matthew live with their three children in Nashville, Tennessee.

Connect with Jessica:

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Book Snobbery Instagram

Pre-order Stretched Too Thin and you’ll receive a free e-version of My Fringe Hours: Discovering a More Creative and Fulfilled Life and free access to the Stretched Too Thin online course.

Links:

The Fringe Hours: Making Time for You by Jessica N. Turner
Stretched Too Thin: How Working Moms Can Lose the Guilt, Work Smarter, and Thrive by Jessica N. Turner
My Fringe Hours: Discovering a More Creative and Fulfilled Life by Jessica N. Turner
City of Girls: A Novel by Elizabeth Gilbert
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

I would love to hear from you! Connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or on my website. If you enjoyed this podcast and you haven’t already, I’d like to encourage you to subscribe that way you won’t miss a single update. Craft a Life You Love by taking a small step toward turning happiness and fulfillment by taking the time you need for self-care and finding freedom in letting go.