Category Archives: Creative Impostor Podcast Episodes

CI086: Speak about the hard things, LIVE with Monica Rivera

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Chronic loneliness is a worldwide epidemic. That’s the primary message that I’m trying to deliver in the talk.

~Monica Rivera, on “The Flipside of Loneliness”

Do not be fooled by the length of this show! Brilliant things come in small packages or, in this case, short episodes. In fact, it’s perfect timing especially if you’re considering doing something crazy-brave. Like give a TEDx talk. 

Her insights are about more than just what’s going through one’s head as they take the TEDx stage. But it’s a great place to begin our chat.

At 18 minutes or less, single-topic TEDx Talks are brief — unless you’re the one doing the talking, that is. Then it feels like you’ve signed on for 18 hours.

Think about it. Can you maintain your composure (not to mention your train of thought) long enough to engage with an audience in a meaningful, one-sided conversation? Shakespeare’s longest soliloquies clock in at considerably less time!

Oh, and by the way, your talk will be filmed, published on YouTube, and archived. ForEVER.

Those are the general guidelines to which my guest Monica Rivera agreed when she set out on an 18 month odyssey to tick the give a TEDx talk box on her bucket list.

Make no mistake, as with some of Shakespeare’s best, a TEDx presentation must be a carefully prepared presentation focused on the power of an idea to change lives and ultimately, the world (from the TEDx submissions page).

No pressure. 

Read on for more…

Join the Online Media Club!

This conversation was recorded live in The Creative Impostor Facebook Group as part of our Online Media Club. Join for free!

Next up in the group! November 18th we are chatting with Charlotte Eléa about her new book To Be Worthy.

Use my platform to express YOURSELF 

Help me craft episode 100 by celebrating you. Share YOUR EXPERIENCE being a listener of The Creative Impostor.

Choose a prompt from this list of interview episode titles!

Then write or record a voice memo on your phone (or fancy recording software) story (2-5min) about what that prompt (or episode) means for you — something that happened, something you learned, a challenge, a win…

Email me: andrea [at] thecreativeimpostor.com by January 1, 2020.

Subscribe to The Creative Impostor (it’s free!)

Get access to my secret podcast Craft & Culture BTS with Podcast Envy

Are you podcasting? (I know SOME of this community is doing it!) Get access to my secret podcast “Craft & Culture BTS with Podcast Envy”

Article Continued

Sounds like an absolute white knuckle ride from application to stage, right? Oh, and by the way, did I mention that Monica got up in front of a roomful of (mostly) strangers to talk about her experiences with bone-deep loneliness? 

And yet… when you hear her explain the why and the how of her TEDx Talk, you’re listening to someone who had total conviction in her message (remember that power of ideas to change lives and the world stuff?) — despite being a novice.

One of my favorite quotes from Monica is humble yourself to know that what you don’t know is really important.

She’s speaking of the entire experience, that white knuckle ride from application to stage. And we’re all going to have to humble ourselves to things we just don’t know. What we learn about life in the process – about loneliness, about grief, about stepping outside our comfort zones – just might make an excellent TEDx topic.

Want to watch Monica’s TEDx Talk? Yes, you do!

Check it out on YouTube or listen on episode 109 of Monica’s podcast YOU WANNA DO WHAT?!

~Andrea

It’s about being patient with yourself because if you try to springboard yourself into a place you’re not ready to be, you will inevitably come right back.

~Monica Rivera

Resources & Links

CONNECT WITH Monica

YOU WANNA DO WHAT?!

On Facebook

On Instagram

DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

TEDx

Vanessa Stevens

Rob Biesenbach on The Creative Impostor

The Creative Impostor Episode 070 with Monica Rivera

Connect with me!

  1. Leave a review in Apple Podcasts.
  2. Send me a true story for episode 100 based on one of THESE previous episode titles. 
  3. Join the Online Media Club in The Creative Impostor Facebook Group. 

My favorite hashtags #thecreativeimpostor #creativewomen #podcastenvy

Email or Voice 
Facebook Group The Creative Impostor
Facebook Page @andreaklunder.creative
Instagram: @andreaklunder

Oh HEY! I’m on LinkedIn… dropping pro podcasting tips, insights, and stories. Connect with me there and let me know you’re a Creative Impostor listener.

CI085: Devote yourself to the spark within you with Charlotte Eléa

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I think a lot of entrepreneurs, we get stuck in this place of ‘my business is me’ and when your business is you, oh my gosh! It comes with all your insecurities, all your ego… and you can just get stuck in so much. But when your business isn’t you anymore and, instead, it’s about the thing that you’re putting out into the world, then that thing starts directing your actions and all you have to do is be passionate and devoted to it.”

~Charlotte Eléa

Charlotte Eléa’s voice has changed. No, not in that Peter-Brady-hits-puberty kind of way (look it up). Since we last spoke waaaay back on episode 34, the intuitive guide has shifted her attention from dream interpretation (utilizing the tarot deck for analysis) to helping women achieve their big, beautiful breakthrough moments.

Maybe changed isn’t accurate. She’s still a guide and healer. But pivot seems too cubicle-bound and corporate a word to use in her presence.

How do I effectively communicate her belief that we’re all worthy of being heard, healed, and transformed? 

Thankfully, I can leave that up to Charlotte herself. 

With the rebranding of her business and the writing of her first book To Be Worthy, she says she’s answered a calling to serve in a way that’s more integrated but no less authentic than her previous project. Instead of tarot, however, now she’s using her own experiences to lift and enlighten. 

Read on for more…

Use my platform to express YOURSELF 

Help me craft episode 100 by celebrating you. Share YOUR EXPERIENCE being a listener of The Creative Impostor.

Choose a prompt from this list of interview episode titles!

Then write or record a voice memo on your phone (or fancy recording software) story (2-5min) about what that prompt (or episode) means for you — something that happened, something you learned, a challenge, a win…

Email me: andrea [at] thecreativeimpostor.com by January 1, 2020.

Subscribe to The Creative Impostor (it’s free!)

Get access to my secret podcast Craft & Culture BTS with Podcast Envy

Are you podcasting? (I know SOME of this community is doing it!) Get access to my secret podcast “Craft & Culture BTS with Podcast Envy”

Article Continued

Writing the book, To Be Worthy, which was funded with support from an IndieGoGo campaign, was a new experience for her, one that came with its own emotional impact. We talk about managing its creation and how she balanced the other aspects of her professional and private life during the process.

(spoiler alert: it’s challenging!)

That lead to a question from a Creative Imposter community member who wanted to know how Charlotte went from starting her business to thriving in the spiritual development space,

(hint: passion + devotion = flow)

There’s some much gratitude for the journey in Charlotte’s voice and I guess that hasn’t changed since the last time I interviewed her. She’s just as authentic in spirit and purpose now as she was in episode 34.

Instead, I’ll say that Charlotte Eléa’s voice has emerged — from a place of her own struggles with unworthiness.

It’s informed — by the lessons she learned while nurturing Dream Intuition.

It’s adapted — to new methods of sharing her message.

It’s evolved — to become a powerful tool, both in print and online.

And it’s a joy to catch up with her to find out how she’s using her voice these days.

~Andrea

I’ve discovered that the most powerful way for me to use my voice is in sharing my story and sharing my breakthrough. There’s something so powerful about inspiration, having your own experiences inspire others

~Charlotte Eléa

Resources & Links

CONNECT WITH CHARLOTTE:

To Be Worthy Book

Charlotte will be LIVE in The Creative Impostor FB Group for our Online Media Club 11/18 @ 1pm CST. Join the group & send your questions!

Website http://www.bigbeautifulbreakthrough.com/

On Facebook

On Instagram

On YouTube

On Patreon

DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

Podcast Envy Episode 051 with Andrea Fellows Walters & Brandon Neal from Key Change: Creating Opera for All Voices

The Creative Impostor Episode 034 with Charlotte Elea

The Creative Impostor Episode 070 with Monica Rivera

IndieGogo

KickStarter

Connect with me!

  1. Leave a review in Apple Podcasts.
  2. Send me a true story for episode 100 based on one of THESE previous episode titles. 
  3. Join the Online Media Club in The Creative Impostor Facebook Group. Monica Rivera of You Wanna Do What?! podcast will be with us 10/28 @ 2pm CST answering questions about her TEDx Talk “The Flipside of Loneliness.”

My favorite hashtags #thecreativeimpostor #creativewomen #podcastenvy

Email or Voice 
Facebook Group The Creative Impostor
Facebook Page @andreaklunder.creative
Instagram: @andreaklunder

Oh HEY! I’m on LinkedIn… dropping pro podcasting tips, insights, and stories. Connect with me there and let me know you’re a Creative Impostor listener.

CI084: Burn it — over and over and over again with Clara Harris

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Take a deep breath (it’s going to be okay), and go for it because the other option is to not do it and going back to that physical sensation that you get in your body when you think about… not getting your voice out there… how does that feel physically?… Usually, that gut instinct is going to let you know.

~Clara Harris

Head over to Clara Harris’ website and, right away, you’ll notice one thing: this self-described creative entrepreneur has run out of room to describe herself. Seriously, the navigation bar atop her site is filled to bursting:

Actor. Acting Teacher. Yogi. Photographer. Writer. Producer.

And that’s only part of her story! Mother, avid cook, podcaster…  I know Clara as a fellow speaker at ShePodcasts Live in Atlanta where we both appear in the session entitled Fall In Love With Your Own Voice. 

When the topic of conversation is voice, chances are you’ll wind up talking about much more than modulation, posture, and breathwork — although Clara and I do touch on all those elements in this episode.

Spoiler alert: if you’re breathing right now, there’s a good chance you’re doing it wrong.

More on that below…

Help me craft episode 100, get your voice in it! 

Share YOUR EXPERIENCE being a listener of The Creative Impostor. This will help me create episode 100!!!!

You can write it or record a voice memo on your phone (or fancy recording software). Email me: andrea [at] thecreativeimpostor.com

Here is the list of interview episode titles — choose one as your prompt!

Subscribe to The Creative Impostor (it’s free!)

SHE PODCASTS LIVE SESSIONS

Fall in Love With Your Own Voice

Friday 10/11/19 @ 11am – Stitcher Room

Creativity & Dreams: A Self-Discovery Workshop for Goal-Setting

Sunday 10/13/19 @ noon – PRX Room

Get access to my secret podcast Craft & Culture BTS with Podcast Envy

Are you podcasting? (I know SOME of this community is doing it!) Get access to my secret podcast “Craft & Culture BTS with Podcast Envy”

Article Continued

Back to Clara’s diversified career/s. When asked how she introduces herself professionally, her explanation was surprisingly straightforward and much appreciated for anyone (including me) who struggles with the ‘so, what do you do for a living?’ question.

Still, even with her brilliant technique, there are times when she questions her abilities. She shares a few tips for overcoming imposter anxiety like taking that deep breath and just showing up to give voice to your individual experiences.

Whether you prefer pep-talk or tough love, Clara serves both in equal measure in an effort to encourage everyone to do the thing — whatever that thing might be.

So, back to breathwork.

Unless you’re a professionally trained actor / podcaster / yogi, you’ve probably picked up some bad habits since you took your very first breath.

Why does it matter?

Even if you aren’t an actor / podcaster / yogi, breathing affects your voice, both literally and figuratively. Clara walks us through a few of the breathing practices she teaches her coaching clients. She also gives us a pep talk for getting over ourselves because everyone cringes the first (or thousandth) time they hear their voice played back (including me).

So, sit up straight, take a deep breath, and listen in. 

~Andrea

You’re the only person in the universe who has ever and will ever have the experiences and thoughts that you have. And, so, if you don’t share them with the world, then those thoughts and experiences and what we can learn from that will not ever be shared. So, know that what you have to offer is valuable because simply you are and you have these thoughts and experiences and it will be valuable to your people.

~Clara Harris

Resources & Links

WHERE TO FIND CLARA HARRIS:

Website

Instagram

YouTube

Podcasts: Yoga with Clara and Swamp Witch Studio

DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

The Second City

Elsie Escobar

Jessica Kupferman

More Hip Than Hippie

A Prairie Home Companion

The Lone Ranger 

The Artist’s Way

War of Art

Entertainer’s Secret spray

Mark Ruffalo (!)

TedTalks

Connect with me!

  1. Share YOUR EXPERIENCE being a listener of The Creative Impostor. This will help me create episode 100!!!! You can write it or record a voice memo on your phone (or fancy recording software). Email me at andrea@thecreativeimpostor.com.

    Here is the list of episode titles — choose one as your prompt
  2. Join The Creative Impostor Facebook Community. We create social support for content creators with inspiring prompts, opportunities for you to share your work and more.

My favorite hashtags #thecreativeimpostor #creativewomen #podcastenvy

Email or Voice 
Facebook Group The Creative Impostor
Facebook Page @andreaklunder.creative
Instagram: @andreaklunder

Oh HEY! I’m on LinkedIn… dropping pro podcasting tips, insights, and stories. Connect with me there and let me know you’re a Creative Impostor listener.

CI083: Rehearse! Live and breathe your presentation with Rob Biesenbach

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So, all these things I learned from acting: rehearsing, relentlessly planning, thinking of your audience, inhabiting the character, bringing energy to the room… Those are all critical.

~Rob Biesenbach

Quick! How do you introduce yourself (your business, your big idea, your creative project) to the world? 

Cue the impostor! If you’ve just broken into a cold sweat, I understand. This is one of those questions that can trigger even the most accomplished person, causing them to retreat behind ineffectual language and timid gestures.

Why is it difficult for some to claim their voice?

Probably because voice is more than just the noises we make. Voice is emotion and content; it’s the literal and the figurative.  Rob Biesenbach has worked voice from every angle. As an actor, a corporate trainer, a speaker, and an author, he’s crafted strategies that help people communicate and connect. 

I imagine some of you asking, “But Andrea, I’m a tax attorney (or a dog walker or a digital illustrator, or a…). What do I need to know about voice other than when to turn it up or how to dial it down?”

Well, that takes us back to the question up top…

Read on for more…

How do you feel about your own voice? 

Is it a tool that you feel like you have command over? Is it something that feels vulnerable? Do you enjoy speaking or presenting? Does it make you feel nervous? Do you never really think about your voice? It’s just a thing that comes out of you when you need to use it?

What questions do you have about voice? Would you like to learn about ways that you can become more comfortable or more skillful with using your voice?

Email me your thoughts, questions, fears, desires around voice: Andrea [at] thecreativeimposter.com. 

This can be written out in text or you can record a voice memo on your phone or fancy microphone and send me the recording I can play on the show.

Subscribe to The Creative Impostor (it’s free!)

2 Invitations for YOU

Join me for She Podcasts Live in October

Do you feel like you want to get some more podcasting insight tools resources information connections from the female perspective? She Podcasts Live is the conference for you!

Atlanta, Georgia, October 11 through 13, 2019

I will be co-facilitating a workshop on how to use YOUR VOICE. I’d love to see you there — get your ticket.*

*This is an affiliate link, meaning when you buy your ticket, I’ll get a little thank you commission from the organizers. Thank you!

Get access to my secret podcast Craft & Culture BTS with Podcast Envy

Are you podcasting? (I know SOME of this community is doing it!) Get access to my secret podcast “Craft & Culture BTS with Podcast Envy”

Article Continued

You may never give a TedTalk (although I hope you do!) or be invited on a podcast (although I hope you are!).

At some point, however, everyone’s in the business of communication.

Whether you’re delivering your message to one customer or one thousand conventioneers, you’re the PR firm of your life and career. Having an answer you can rely on to the question of who you are and what you do keeps those cold sweats at bay. 

Rob’s approach to voice work is pragmatic. He advocates practice and preparedness. His exercises aren’t overly complicated. A few moments of physical assessment is usually all it takes to refocus our energy. And his rationale for self-evaluation is simple: when we know our strengths from our weaknesses, we can be unapologetic about both. 

That’s how you use your voice to introduce yourself (your business, your big idea, your creative project) to the world!*

*not-so-coincidentally, that’s also how you banish the impostor.

~Andrea

I think one of the most important things in our professional and personal development is getting to a place in your life where you know your strengths and you know your weaknesses so you’re not apologetic about either.

~Rob Biesenbach

Resources & Links

WHERE TO FIND ROB BIESENBACH

Website

LinkedIn

Twitter

YouTube

DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

The Second City

TedTalks

Connect with me!

  1. Send me an email. Share YOUR EXPERIENCE being a listener of The Creative Impostor. This will help me create episode 100!!!! You can write it or record a voice memo on your phone and attach it to the email.
  2. Join The Creative Impostor Facebook Community. We create social support for content creators with inspiring prompts, opportunities for you to share your work and more.
  3. Join me September 13, 2019 for the Chicago Creative Happy Hour!

My favorite hashtags #thecreativeimpostor #creativewomen #podcastenvy

Email or Voice 
Facebook Group The Creative Impostor
Facebook Page @andreaklunder.creative
Instagram: @andreaklunder

Oh HEY! I’m on LinkedIn… dropping pro podcasting tips, insights, and stories. Connect with me there and let me know you’re a Creative Impostor listener.

CI082: Command your voice, find freedom with singer Davin Youngs

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There is a vulnerability that comes with the voice because it is a natural expression… of who we are. The sound of my voice carries with it the story of my life.

~Davin Youngs

Honestly? I shouldn’t even write show notes for this one. I mean, this episode is about voice. How we use it. How we experience it. Where it comes from. 

How do you summarize it with words?

My friend Davin Youngs does a great job distilling voice down to its essence. He’s a singer, teacher, and sound guide with profound observations about human vocalization that reverberate in the body and in life. He’s made a career helping people overcome deeply-rooted fears that block them from living fully in their voice.

If you’ve guessed that there’s a lot more than music theory being taught in one of his workshops, you’re right.

Read on for more…

How do you feel about your own voice? 

Is it a tool that you feel like you have command over? Is it something that feels vulnerable? Do you enjoy speaking or presenting? Does it make you feel nervous? Do you never really think about your voice? It’s just a thing that comes out of you when you need to use it?

What questions do you have about voice? Would you like to learn about ways that you can become more comfortable or more skillful with using your voice?

Email me your thoughts, questions, fears, desires around voice: Andrea [at] thecreativeimposter.com. 

This can be written out in text or you can record a voice memo on your phone or fancy microphone and send me the recording I can play on the show.

Subscribe to The Creative Impostor (it’s free!)

3 Invitations for YOU

Join me for She Podcasts Live in October

Do you feel like you want to get some more podcasting insight tools resources information connections from the female perspective? She Podcasts Live is the conference for you!

Atlanta, Georgia, October 11 through 13, 2019

I will be co-facilitating a workshop on how to use YOUR VOICE. I’d love to see you there — get your ticket.*

*This is an affiliate link, meaning when you buy your ticket, I’ll get a little thank you commission from the organizers. Thank you!

Get access to my secret podcast Craft & Culture BTS with Podcast Envy

Are you podcasting? (I know SOME of this community is doing it!) Get access to my secret podcast “Craft & Culture BTS with Podcast Envy”

Creative Happy Hour in Chicago: Storytelling

Event details here inside The Creative Impostor: Chicago Women’s Collective meetup. Add your name to the waitlist and then message me andrea [at] thecreativeimpostor.com and let me know you heard about it on the show!

Article Continued

There’s no conversation with Davin about the magic of voice without discussing life, vulnerability, and transformation. It’s no coincidence that voice is produced in the throat, one of the most exposed and sensitive areas of the body, and that finding one’s voice can feel risky. 

But when we allow ourselves the simple pleasure of vocalizing — chanting, humming, singing, or speaking — we invite positive physiological changes to occur.

That’s been Davin’s experience as a singer. He’s also seen it happen in his private practice and as a participant in one of Bobby McFerrin’s Circlesong workshops at Omega Institute in upstate New York. I’ve also seen those physiological changes take place as well in the Bhakti Vinyasa yoga classes I lead at Sat Nam Yoga in Chicago.

Too much woo-woo for you?

Don’t fear the woo! 

Yes, Davin and I are seriously comfortable with energy work. But he’s got years of solid musical study and functional application to support his POV.

So, when he says that our voices are the greatest tool we have for broadcasting our authenticity* to the world, I nod wildly in agreement. And not just because I’m a podcaster. Published reports show voice-based assessments of trustworthiness repeatedly outscoring visual tests in side-by-side evaluations. 

*Authenticity. I know! The word gets thrown around. A lot.

I love that Davin defines authenticity by example, charting his growth from closeted queer kid with the booming baritone (his words) to present-day voice teacher and coach. His view of authenticity holds space for multiple personas rather than constantly searching for a singular, elusive part of himself. 

And whether it’s learning to use your voice or uncovering your authentic selves, Davin’s all about committing to the practice because that’s where the magic happens. 

We become stronger when we’re heard and we become more compassionate when we listen.

My advice to you? Listen in… then burst into spontaneous sound!

Andrea

Resources & Links

FEATURING

Davin Youngs

Connect with Davin on Instagram @davinyoungs.

MENTIONED

Western Michigan University School of Music

Chautauqua Summer Institution

Somatic Voice Workshop

Bobby McFerrin’s Circlesong Workshop at Omega Institute

Sat Nam Yoga Chicago

Connect with me!

  1. Send me an email. Share YOUR EXPERIENCE being a listener of The Creative Impostor. This will help me create episode 100!!!! You can write it or record a voice memo on your phone and attach it to the email.
  2. Join The Creative Impostor Facebook Community. We create social support for content creators with inspiring prompts, opportunities for you to share your work and more.
  3. Join me September 13, 2019 for the Chicago Creative Happy Hour!

My favorite hashtags #thecreativeimpostor #creativewomen #podcastenvy

Email or Voice 
Facebook Group The Creative Impostor
Facebook Page @andreaklunder.creative
Instagram: @andreaklunder

Oh HEY! I’m on LinkedIn… dropping pro podcasting tips, insights, and stories. Connect with me there and let me know you’re a Creative Impostor listener.

CI081: All about your voice (feedback please!)

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One of the things that I hear from clients and potential clients and podcasting community members is that a lot of people really don’t like the sound of their own voice.

~Andrea Klunder

Lately I’ve honestly been feeling a little bit apathetic. I’ve had a hard time connecting with things that I love, things that inspire me, things that energize me, things that bring me joy.

And so I am genuinely happy (finally) to be exploring this series with you and I’m curious:

How do you feel about your own voice? 

Is it a tool that you feel like you have command over? Is it something that feels vulnerable?

Do you enjoy speaking or presenting? Does it make you feel nervous? 

Do you never really think about your voice? It’s just a thing that comes out of you when you need to use it?

What questions do you have about voice? 

Would you like to learn about ways that you can become more comfortable or more skillful with using your voice?

Email me your thoughts, questions, fears, desires around voice: Andrea [at] thecreativeimposter.com. 

This can be written out in text or you can record a voice memo on your phone or fancy microphone and send me the recording I can play on the show.

One of the things that I hear from clients and potential clients and podcasting community members is that a lot of people really don’t like the sound of their own voice, or they don’t feel confident using their voice, or they worry that their voice just isn’t compelling enough.

Why are we in a position where so many people feel vulnerable and uncomfortable with using one of the most powerful tools that you have for connection, for influence, for sharing experiences, and for making an impact?

Read on for more…

Subscribe to The Creative Impostor (it’s free!)

Two Invitations for YOU

Join me for She Podcasts Live in October

Do you feel like you want to get some more podcasting insight tools resources information connections from the female perspective?

She Podcasts Live is the conference for you!

Atlanta, Georgia, October 11 through 13 2019

I will be co-facilitating a workshop on how to use YOUR VOICE.

I’d love to see you there — get your ticket.*

*This is an affiliate link, meaning when you buy your ticket, I’ll get a little thank you commission from the organizers. Thank you!

Get access to my secret podcast Craft & Culture BTS with Podcast Envy

Are you podcasting? (I know SOME of this community is doing it!)

Get access to my secret podcast “Craft & Culture BTS with Podcast Envy”

Become part of an intimate community of podcasting colleagues who all want to make an impact, shift culture and all the while, reap the deep rewards of podcasting of ourselves.

Article Continued

This year has been a doozy of a year and I don’t use that word lightly.

If you are tired of hearing about medical things and surgeries and whatnot, don’t worry. This episode isn’t about that. But this episode is coming from all of the reorganization that is happening in my mind space that has been triggered by this entire experience. 

One of the things that I have started doing that I have never done before during this recovery is working with a psychotherapist.

Her name is Miriam. She’s fantastic  and finally in session number 7, we started to address the thing that is way down deep. All of the surface level frustrations and problems and issues that I’ve been dealing with and talking about and working through and that fundamental thing that is underneath.

All of this is a fear of running out of time.  

A fear of not making the most of the time that I have. 

What does that mean? Yeah — fear of death. 

I remember reading that every fear you can think of, every fear imaginable under the sun — if you boil it down to the root of that fear, it all comes down to this fear of death. 

And I know for sure in this society that we live in, we try to pretend like it isn’t a thing, or like it’s a thing that happens to other people, or it’s a thing that happens in the wake of a tragedy, but we don’t really address the fact effectively that it is a thing that happens to everyone all the time every day and no one is ever prepared for it.

Recently one of my clients Robyn Conley Downs on her podcast Feel Good Effect had a guest on named Bronnie Ware, best known for writing this book quite some time ago called The Five Regrets of the Dying. 

I was editing Robyn’s episode, listening to Bronnie speak right after having this therapy session with Miriam where we were talking about the fact that most people at age 40 haven’t yet confronted the fact that you are not guaranteed another 40 years of life.

What does that mean for how you live? For how you structure things? 

One of the things that Bronnie said was that when she was working in palliative care for people who were dying, it didn’t matter whether they were in their 40s or whether they were in their 90’s. Most were surprised to find themselves here at the end of life with not much time left.

And so I was thinking what would it take? No matter what age, no matter how soon or how far away, for me to be able to say, “Wow. What an awesome life. Wow. I really feel that this was all worthwhile. I really am content — happy with the life that I’ve had!”

That I wouldn’t be sitting there feeling like I had missed something. 

I don’t know the answers to this. I don’t know if I’ll ever know, but one thing became really clear and that is that in my work, probably the most important thing is that it all centers around the voice. 

This should not be a huge light bulb moment.

I grew up singing. I remember my first solo being at age 4 when I sang Tomorrow from the musical Annie at the mother-daughter banquet at my church.  

I remember as a child making a fake radio show and recording it on an audio cassette that probably no one heard, but me.

I remember being in theater and being in choir and being in musicals and being in plays.  

I remember going to college to study vocal music performance and music education and then hating it and having a quarter life crisis  at the young age of 18, trying to figure out what the heck I do with my life if I’m not going to be a voice major. 

I remember learning how to do behind the scenes media production including skills for scripting and writing. 

I remember moving to Chicago and starting out in the ticket office at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and then working behind the scenes in production and Tech feeling like I didn’t have a creative voice even though I was around all of these creative people.

I remember getting back into acting and performing and then learning how to use my voice as a yoga and meditation teacher.

And then circling all the way back to media production and using my own voice to make podcasts. 

And now here I am producing editing coaching and consulting for other podcasters and pod-dreamers. 

And now in October of 2019, I will be co-facilitating a panel workshop on how to fall in love with your voice as a podcaster at She Podcasts Live in Atlanta, Georgia.

So yes, no matter what format it takes on, it’s all about the voice. 

And so we are embarking together on a journey — exploring the different aspects of voice, why it is so important to us, how it can be one of the most powerful tools that we have available to us no matter what kind of work we’re doing or art we are creating or connections we are making.

I think that it is the beginning of me really finding my creative purpose in a clear and useful way.

Remember to send me an MP3 file or email to share a little bit about your relationship with your voice and what challenges or questions you have on this topic. Maybe together we’ll find some clarity, some solutions, and have a little fun in the process.

Wishing you  the courage to let your voice shine,

Andrea

Connect with me!

  1. Send me an email. You can write it or record a voice memo on your phone and attach it to the email.
  2. Join The Creative Impostor Facebook Community. We create social support for content creators with inspiring prompts, opportunities for you to share your work and more.

My favorite hashtags #thecreativeimpostor #creativewomen #podcastenvy

Email or Voice 
Facebook Group The Creative Impostor
Facebook Page @andreaklunder.creative
Instagram: @andreaklunder

Oh HEY! I’m on LinkedIn… dropping pro podcasting tips, insights, and stories. Connect with me there and let me know you’re a Creative Impostor listener.

CI080: One thing at a time, or how to change your life without changing everything

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I think it is a normal reaction to a major event in your life to want to make all of these changes at once and you know what? I think it is also impossible.

~Andrea Klunder

The wheel in the sky keeps on turning…

Though maybe sometimes more smoothly and freely than others. And in this case, it’s the “wheel of life.” More on that in a moment.

Recently it has come to my attention that I have been trying to change everything all at once.

The health crisis that I’ve experienced this year with surgery and recovery has set me on a trajectory where I am fully aware of all of the things in my life that I’m not 100% happy with — all of the things in my life that I wish were better and all of the things in my life that I have felt like I could always do some day in the future.

And I’m realizing that, well, I’ve heard it said many many times and I know it’s true: The future is not guaranteed. We are not promised tomorrow.

Read on for more…

Subscribe to The Creative Impostor (it’s free!)

Two Invitations for YOU

Join me for She Podcasts Live in October

Do you feel like you want to get some more podcasting insight tools resources information connections from the female perspective?

She Podcasts Live is the conference for you!

Atlanta, Georgia, October 11 through 13 2019

I will be co-facilitating a workshop on how to use YOUR VOICE.

I’d love to see you there — get your ticket.*

*This is an affiliate link, meaning when you buy your ticket, I’ll get a little thank you commission from the organizers. Thank you!

Apply to the Podcast Envy VIP Circle

Are you podcasting? (I know SOME of this community is doing it!)
Apply now to the Podcast Envy VIP Circle with me

I’ve been teasing it FOREVER. Now there is a way for us to connect 1×1 AND for you to become part of an intimate community of podcasting colleagues who all want to make an impact, shift culture and all the while, reap the deep rewards of podcasting (no, I’m not necessarily talking sponsors…) for ourselves.

This is a community we will create TOGETHER. And because of this, the first 5 members to join will receive the Founding Member rate of $29/month.

I will NEVER offer this rate again and it will be yours for as long as you are current.

To request to become a Founding Member, pop over here to get the scoop: http://www.thecreativeimpostor.com/vipcircle

Article Continued

And so I want to make changes to my home environment and I want to improve my financial situation and I want to make changes to the way that I approach my career and work and I want to make changes to my romantic relationship with my partner and I want to make changes to the ways that I do or do not spend time with my family and I want to make changes to the amount of time that I spend with my friends and I want to give back more and I want to make changes to my podcasts and I want to travel more and I want to take better care of myself and become more consistent again with my yoga and meditation practice.

All of these things at once.

And I think it is a normal reaction to a major event in your life to want to make all of these changes at once and you know what? I think it is also impossible.

So recently I was reminded of this tool that I originally learned about from Katy Flatau. who has been on The Creative Impostor before talking about life & career coaching in episode 050.

This tool that I learned about from Katie is something that gets used in the coaching and personal development space and I honestly don’t even know where it came from. If YOU do, I’d love for you to clue me in send me an email Andrea [at] thecreativeimpostor.com or share it on Instagram and tag me @AndreaKlunder.

The Wheel of Life is a chart in the shape of a wheel… or a circle or a flower or anything else you can think of that could potentially be round.

It’s segmented into different sections or pieces or petals and each section has a category and that category is ONE aspect of your life which holds some kind of value and meaning for you. The wheel rolls best when all of those areas of your life are in sync with each other that you have a general level of satisfaction in all the areas. But if one of them is out of sync, meaning if you have a higher level of dissatisfaction with that area, it can cause the wheel to get a little wonky and not quite roll as smoothly.

And I think that obviously it is unusual that we are generally happy with everything in our lives. Right?

And so the way that you can use the Wheel of Life is to label those different sections with categories. The categories can vary depending on what’s important to you and how you want to prioritize them. In fact, the number of categories that you can have varies.

Typically I’ve seen it with eight different categories (and I find this insufficient.) They could include money and finances or career and work or volunteering and giving back or family or social or creativity or romance — there’s no right or wrong way to pick your categories. It’s just a matter of choosing them and figuring out how they all fit together to make one cohesive happy life package.

Then you look at each category and rank on a scale of 0 to 10, zero being at the center of the wheel and 10 being all the way to the outer rim, how satisfied you are with that area of your life.

Then you focus in on one — possibly two, but generally one area of the life that has the lowest satisfaction level and look at: How can I focus on improving my overall happiness and satisfaction with this area of my life?

This can be hard because sometimes it feels like you are now neglecting those other areas of your life.

And that is not the intention. The intention is just simply to shine a spotlight put some focus and put a little extra energy behind that which is bothering you and then when that starts to improve, hopefully, it starts to lift the overall satisfaction level in other areas of the wheel as, well rather than lifting that category up to the detriment of the other areas.

And sure you might have to allocate a little less time energy or resources to some of those other areas in order to shift it into this area because we are, after all, limited what resources are available to us. It is a fact of life. Although I suppose some people could argue that with me as well.

But then you start to focus on: What are the things that I can do? What are the things that I can control to improve my level of satisfaction with this specific area?

So it’s an interesting concept and it’s something that I wanted to revisit because of this desire for me to try to change everything all at once which is leaving me feeling ineffective exhausted overwhelmed and not really making any progress on what it is that I want to be improving.

We’re exploring this idea of The Wheel of Life on what I’m calling Mission Mondays in The Creative Impostor Group on Facebook.

It’s a place designed for social support for creative individuals — so I think you qualify! Please join us and every Monday there will be a post from our community manager, Terri called Mission Monday.

This post will have a Wheel of Life image above and I would love love love love love for you to share ONE area of your wheel that you are focused on for the week that you have a mission in that area.

And at least one thing you’re going to do that week is to improve your overall satisfaction in that one area.

By you focusing and sharing that focus with me, it’s going to help me focus. And I will be ever so grateful. Let’s do this together!

Connect with me!

  1. Send me an email and let me know what you love most about The Creative Impostor and what you’d like to hear more of. So no like formal survey or anything. Just email me. You can write it or record a voice memo on your phone and attach it to the email.
  2. Join The Creative Impostor Facebook Community and share on Mission Monday. We create social support for content creators with inspiring prompts, opportunities for you to share your work and more.

My favorite hashtags #thecreativeimpostor #creativewomen #podcastenvy

Email or Voice 
Facebook Group The Creative Impostor
Facebook Page @andreaklunder.creative
Instagram: @andreaklunder

Oh HEY! I’m on LinkedIn… dropping pro podcasting tips, insights, and stories. Connect with me there and let me know you’re a Creative Impostor listener.

CI079: Admitting I’m scared

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Every time I lose my voice to laryngitis, I have a fear that it won’t come back.

~Andrea Klunder

What are you scared of?

Having a major health crisis changes the lens on how you perceive things. Long-time fears can resurface with a vengeance and new ones you never considered before can materialize.

I was inspired to do this episode and post by Sarah Buino of the Conversations with a Wounded Healer podcast (which my team edits), who was inspired by the WNYC Studios podcast 10 Things That Scare Me.

Read on for more…

Subscribe to The Creative Impostor (it’s free!)

Selfie of Andrea Klunder with wide eyes inside a local bookstore

An Invitation for YOU

Apply to the Podcast Envy VIP Circle

Are you podcasting? (I know SOME of this community is doing it!)
Apply now to the Podcast Envy VIP Circle with me

I’ve been teasing it FOREVER. Now there is a way for us to connect 1×1 AND for you to become part of an intimate community of podcasting colleagues who all want to make an impact, shift culture and all the while, reap the deep rewards of podcasting (no, I’m not necessarily talking sponsors…) for ourselves.

This is a community we will create TOGETHER. And because of this, the first 5 members to join will receive the Founding Member rate of $29/month.

I will NEVER offer this rate again and it will be yours for as long as you are current.

To request to become a Founding Member, pop over here to get the scoop: http://www.thecreativeimpostor.com/vipcircle

Article Continued

If you’ve been following me this year, you know that I had a mastectomy and DIEP flap reconstruction of my left breast using abdominal tissue in March 2019 and then this month, a revision to those scars. This was in response to a diagnosis of stage 0 DCIS (pre-cancer) and there is nothing like the “c-word” to bring up FEAR.

When I heard Sarah’s short episode during editing, it hit me in a deep place and then I checked out 10 Things That Scare Me and it’s so simple and brilliant. 

Naming the things that scare. It’s powerful.

Here’s my list (which is very different than what it would have been last year.)

1)    Big cats (tigers, lions, pumas, jaguars, panthers, etc)

2)    Ruining the planet

3)    Cancer

4)    Health insurance (or losing health insurance or inadequate coverage)

5)    That my body will never feel right again post-surgery

6)    Hurting someone deeply without meaning to, without realizing it, or without even remembering what I did (or didn’t do)

7)    Putting things off until never… working and working and working and realizing at the end of my life that none of it matters and that I put off the important things because I was too busy working

8)   Running out of money

9)   Getting old, becoming feeble, being dependent on others, and beging completely alone

10)  Losing my voice (and/or my hearing) — The episode I reference in relation to this one is from Invisibilia: The Prayer.

To hear more stories about the above list, for sure listen to the full episode.

Connect with me!

  1. Send me an email and let me know what you have created from your own trauma or health journey. So no like formal survey or anything. Just email me. You can write it or record a voice memo on your phone and attach it to the email.
  2. Join The Creative Impostor Facebook Community and share in a post things that scare you. We create social support for content creators with inspiring prompts, opportunities for you to share your work and more.

My favorite hashtags #thecreativeimpostor #creativewomen #podcastenvy

Email or Voice 
Facebook Group The Creative Impostor
Facebook Page @andreaklunder.creative
Instagram: @andreaklunder

Oh HEY! I’m on LinkedIn now… dropping pro podcasting tips, insights, and stories. Connect with me there and let me know you’re a Creative Impostor listener.

CI078: Self-Care Impostor

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It’s amazing to me how very hard we are on ourselves whenever healing is involved. Whether one has had a hysterectomy, a fibroid removed, given birth, or “just” had a broken bone set, we expect expediency… capitalism demands it… And consumerism has co-opted self-care to mean things like manicures, cupcake breaks, and long weekends.

~Lisa Widder

I AM A SELF-CARE IMPOSTOR!!!

Before I was a podcaster, I was a yoga teacher, and then a Thai Bodywork practitioner, and then a meditation teacher.

I owned a yoga studio for 5 years,

I led a yoga teacher training.

I lead musical mantra sessions, I blend essential oils, I practice tarot.

In fact MANY episodes of The Creative Impostor are about self-care — whether it’s me spouting off ideas and droplets of wisdom and practices or my guests sharing insights into different ways they take care of their creative selves and/or their clients…

I confess I feel like I was wrong about self-care.

I had never REALLY put it to the test.

Read on for more…

Subscribe to The Creative Impostor (it’s free!)

3 Invitations for YOU

1) Win a free pass to She Podcasts LIVE!

No matter where you are in your podcasting journey, community — like real flesh and blood community — is vital to your survival and success! And it’s not easy to come by. This conference will be a catalyst for you for that. Get the details here!*

You can get a free pass in this special “best friends giveaway!”

1) Make sure you can actually attend — Atlanta, GA October 11th-13th

2) Send me a short voice memo about how a podcast has changed your life, or helped you in some significant (big or small) way. It can be mine, someone else’s or even your own show.

Email me: andrea@thecreativimpostor.com, message me on Facebook, or if you happen to know my phone number, leave me a voicemail.

Deadline is Saturday June 15th at noon CST (check your time zone.)

*This is an affiliate link so if you end up purchasing a ticket, I will get a lovely commission from the lovely ladies of She Podcasts. Thank you!!! 

2) Apply to the Podcast Envy VIP Circle

Are you podcasting? (I know SOME of this community is doing it!)
Apply now to the Podcast Envy VIP Circle with me

I’ve been teasing it FOREVER. Now there is a way for us to connect 1×1 AND for you to become part of an intimate community of podcasting colleagues who all want to make an impact, shift culture and all the while, reap the deep rewards of podcasting (no, I’m not necessarily talking sponsors…) for ourselves.

This is a community we will create TOGETHER. And because of this, the first 5 members to join by June 25, 2019, will receive the Founding Member rate of $29/month.

I will NEVER offer this rate again and it will be yours for as long as you are current.

To request to become a Founding Member, pop over here to get the scoop: http://www.thecreativeimpostor.com/vipcircle

3) Join my takeover week of Chicago + International Urban Mystics on Facebook 

I am part of this really awesome group on Facebook helmed by Isabelle Rizo (who has been on this show twice) called Chicago + International Urban Mystics.

The intersection of art, philosophy, spirituality, and personal growth  (all my favorite things!  

Isabelle has invited me to TAKE OVER her group the week of July 1st!!!! 

’ll be sharing some specific insight into my own creative process and this will be leading up to a live storytelling event I’m part of in Chicago July 10th, called Pour One Out.

Article Continued

I mean sure, I had my appendix out several years ago,  I went to India and changed my diet and yoga practice after consulting with an Ayurvedic doctor, I dug myself out what was probably pretty mild depression after closing my yoga business, but I did not know the parameters or import of self-care til now.

And here I am. 13 weeks post surgery. 23 weeks post stage 0 pre-cancer in my breast and I am SO TIRED OF TALKING ABOUT THIS and thinking about this but I am IN IT. Deep. 

Recovery does not happen in a 4-6 week window.

It is a long slow painful slog through the murk of my psyche, the breakdown and piecing back together of my body and well — who knows what else lies ahead b/c I can’t yet see the way out.

I want to share this email from a friend, colleague and community member… Lisa says,

“It’s amazing to me how very hard we are on ourselves whenever healing is involved. Whether one has had a hysterectomy, a fibroid removed, given birth, or “just” had a broken bone set, we expect expediency. I think capitalism demands it, has always demanded it. And consumerism has co-opted self-care to mean things like manicures, cupcake breaks, and long weekends. All of those are important (I love cupcake breaks!) but the heavy lifting is the stuff that you’re doing – the therapy, the massages, the PT. And, oh boy, does that stuff take time before the cumulative effects become apparent!” 

If you follow me on Instagram or you’re in The Creative Impostor FB group you may know some of what I’ve been going through — like just the surface.

I’m doing physical therapy 4x per week for my arm and shoulder which I can’t extend above my head and hurts constantly since surgery. I’m seeing a massage therapist weekly for the same — and overall energetic rebalancing. I’ve received Reiki from friends. I just started working with a psychotherapist using this cool technique I stumbled upon called brainspotting.  And it’s all good and helpful but this self-care thing is becoming like a full-time job and I don’t always have the faith that I will ultimately be as good as I was before (let alone better.)

I find myself thinking of what has been lost, what has been taken away.

Like sure I have the new boob made out of my belly fat and in everyday settings you probably wouldn’t even notice anything different through my clothes. But it FEELS different (in fact I can’t really feel it at all – so it’ like this thing just stuck on my body that sometimes feels like it doesn’t belong.)

Really bizarre side note, go listen to an episode of one of my favorite podcasts Flash Forward with Rose Evelth. It’s called BODIES: Switcheroo — it’s about a potential future in which we have the ability to swap bodies with someone else (I know intense) and one of the things they touch on is how recipients of organ transplants often have a bizarre relationship to the newly transplanted organ.

Anyway it made me think of how I feel about the new breast EVEN THOUGH it came from my own body. It’s like my brain knows that’s not a breast and so it shouldn’t be there.

Also…

I find myself wanting to sleep ALL THE TIME. And then not feeling well rested when I do, but definitely falling behind in my work b/c of it (clients — close your ears!) This leads to me pushing myself to stay up until 2 or 3am to meet deadlines, because I was too foggy headed during the day or because I was in 3 back-to-back therapy appointments and then exhausted afterward. 

And I KNOW That consistent sleep is like the #1 most important thing I should be prioritizing. 

But like… I also have to work. Don’t I?!

And then back to this thing I began exploring in therapy of feeling like things are being taken away… I also just had a major double whammy disappointment professionally.

This year I applied to a program being offered by Google Podcasts and PRX (public radio exchange) — it was our second time applying for funding and mentorship — along with students from my high school mentoring program and podcast Power Your Story — we have a big vision for where we’d like to take that show as a resource for young people in the disability community and we can’t do it within our current budget and format constraints. INCREDIBLY we made it to the finals — From over 2000 applications, they selected 24 teams to interview (including us) and then they selected 6 slots.

Believe me when I tell you that this is THE ONLY THING I have cared about in my career since the surgery (current clients close your ears again)…. And we just found out we didn’t get it.

And then a week later my whole existing Power Your Story program which was supposed to pick up again in July just got shut down. Completely. For frustrating reasons (lack of admin support, data entry problems, issues with recruiting and logistics, my own failure to push things through, budget constraints…I don’t even really know.) And I don’t know whether we’ll be back in the fall. Or maybe it’s just done.

I felt the wind knocked out of me and then kicked when I was down. 

I know some will say and have said that this is a blessing in disguise because I need the time and space to heal — to take care of me.

And I am practicing letting go — shifting my focus from what is gone to what will come because where there is a vacuum...

But alas…

I feel frustrated by my body’s apparent resistance to resetting itself and moving on.

I want to trust my intuition more, to take care of my body better, to listen to the messages I’m getting but they’re so fuzzy.

I want to be patient – (do I?) but I also just want my life back!

And I certainly don’t want my creative work, my career, my business to fall apart in the meantime.

Not long ago I received this awesome voice message from another friend, colleague and community member, Jennie, which I’ve included in the episode.

I’m sharing that (and Lisa’s email) with you because

  1. whether you realize it or not, you are part of such an awesome community in The Creative Impostor with really smart, creative, giving people
  2. I need to hear these things over and over and over — that I’m not alone in this, that other people get it, and there’s a way through
  3. Because feedback on teh work I’m doing, on the show, on our guests is SO IMPORTANT! Sometimes when I get busy with client work, I let my own shows and content slide to the back burner and it’s easy to feel like it really doesn’t matter whether I pick them back up again — or even when I am creating, I’m not totally sure where this is all landing. But messages like Jennie’s helps me to know I’m on the right track and keep me going.

Here are some ways I’d love to connect

  1. Send me an email and let me know what you have created from your own trauma or health journey. So no like formal survey or anything. Just email me. You can write it or record a voice memo on your phone and attach it to the email.
  2. Join my Facebook Community where we create social support for content creators with inspiring prompts, opportunities for you to share your work, talk about money and more.

My favorite hashtags #thecreativeimpostor #creativewomen

Email or Voice
Facebook Group The Creative Impostor
Facebook Page @andreaklunder.creative
Instagram: @andreaklunder

Oh HEY! I’m on LinkedIn now… dropping pro podcasting tips, insights, and stories. Connect with me there and let me know you’re a Creative Impostor listener.

CI077: Get your story out there with Nilsa Reyna, actor, writer, director

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“Be patient with yourself. It may take longer than you think.”

Nilsa Reyna

A stroke in your mid-30s. A maze of medical appointments with no answers. 6 years of searching for a diagnosis. Brain surgery. Anxiety. And recovery.

Actor, writer, director Nilsa Reyna is creating performances centered around her own health journey with the hope that it helps other people connect with their own stories.

Read on for more…

Subscribe to The Creative Impostor (it’s free!)

Article Continued

I met Nilsa many years ago when she was running a theater company, working a full-time day job at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and acting. One evening at our monthly creativity salon, she shared an early draft of a an autobiographical one-woman show she was creating based on her story of experiencing a stroke in her mid-30s, with seemingly no risk factors present.

And despite tests, scans, appointments, and research, no one seemed to know why it had happened, or more importantly, how to prevent it from happening again.

Listen to the episode to get the full story of how Nilsa decided to be her own advocate and keep searching for answers as to what was happening inside her brain.

Connect with Nilsa

www.nilsareyna.com

Instagram: @nilsareyna

Twitter: @nilsareyna

Learn more about Moyamoya

One of the rarest forms of occlusive cerebrovascular disorders encountered in neurosurgery is moyamoya disease. Fragile blood vessels proliferate around a blocked artery in an attempt to bypass an occlusion. Their appearance on a cerebral angiogram resembles a “puff of smoke” or “moyamoya,” a term coined by a Japanese team who first described the disease.

Stanford Moyamoya Center: http://med.stanford.edu/neurosurgery/divisions/moyamoya.html

Here are some ways I’d love to connect

  1. Send me an email and let me know what you have created from your own trauma or health journey. So no like formal survey or anything. Just email me. You can write it or record a voice memo on your phone and attach it to the email.
  2. Join my Facebook Community where we create social support for content creators with inspiring prompts, opportunities for you to share your work, talk about money and more.

My favorite hashtags #thecreativeimpostor #creativewomen

Email or Voice (send me a question to answer on the show!)
Facebook Group The Creative Impostor
Facebook Page @andreaklunder.creative
Instagram: @andreaklunder

Oh HEY! I’m on LinkedIn now… dropping pro podcasting tips, insights, and stories. Connect with me there and let me know you’re a Creative Impostor listener.C