LaurieTALKS

What to Do When People Tell You About You: Unsolicited Input | EP30

A few days ago I was on the phone with one of my nieces. Somehow, somewhere in our long conversation, she suggested that I, LaurieTALKS, have little to show for all the years of effort I’ve dedicated to my career.
My reaction to this bomb my niece dropped on me? To spontaneously record this episode.
My dear Big Dreamer, one day you may encounter someone who doesn’t know what you know. Or see what you see. Or both.
When that someone proceeds to share their opinion of you, remember this: You know what’s possible for your life — because you hold the vision for transforming your dream into a reality. 
Here are a few more takeaways.
Your voyage is personal. Another person’s point of view, their thoughts and opinions, have little to do with you — especially if these leave you feeling low. Or depleted. Or broken. 
When a person gives you feedback, if your response is to constructively self-explore, that’s one thing. If you respond by doubting yourself, that’s entirely different.
Even when the person’s intentions are noble, if their feedback leaves you disbelieving your own everything, you absolutely must drawback from a potential cramp in your roll. 
Exploring and sharing your creative voice requires patience . . . patience with the aspects of the world around you that you can’t control.
If you occasionally ask yourself, “How am I going to make it?” or “Can I really build a life and a living around my artistry?” — you’re not alone. These are questions many artists have had at one time or another. 
And finally, remaining brave is part of the process. It’s through trying, testing, and experimenting that we sometimes learn what we don’t want in life.
Regarding that phone call and my niece’s comment about what I have and haven’t accomplished to date . . .  it was perfect.
Because it brought me right here to this moment. Right here and now — with you. 
Thank you for listening. Please consider leaving a comment on Apple Podcast. I appreciate reading your impressions.
Content guide for this show/episode:
LaurieTALKS talks for the first seven minutes. 
Musical guest* @officialvitalmentality plays for five minutes.
No ads or sponsorships in this episode.
@k.sounds.audio . . . Mr. John Johnson, y'all. 
@sam_navarro
*If you have audio you’d like to submit for play at the end of a LaurieTALKS, please submit it to music@LaurieTALKS.com. Thank you. 

How Misery Can Motivate You, Make You Put Your Best Foot Forward, Help You Start a Podcast, and More | EP29

The other day, my niece, Elle Brown, and I was chatting by phone. At one point, Elle conducted a quick interview, asking me questions like . . .
What’s the one thing nobody knows about you?
What is it that makes you so motivated to live your best life?
Where do you pull from for your strength?
In this episode, you’ll find out . . .
How the Covid-19, stay-at-home period led Brie (my wife) to notice that I’m the same person I’ve always been
Why creating a job instead of having a job is something you might want to consider
How remaining silent in the face of drama can help you stay focused on your dream and goals
What the sit-in movement was as part of the larger civil rights movement in the U.S.
How misery can serve as a motivation to move your life forward
Why bringing your best self forward is so important – especially when you’re looking in the mirror
Why did I delete a podcast episode a year after posting it
Why did it take me so long to start a podcast
How to accept honest feedback about the content you create
Why on Thanksgiving Day my brother said to me, “Remind me never to invite you to go out with me, especially to my friends’ homes, ever again.”
What’s the latest scoop on my explorations for dance in Virtual Reality
Thank you for listening, my friend. I appreciate you.
TAP IN to Your Full Potential
www.LaurieTALKS.com
@k.sounds.audio @LaurieTALKS

Ramping Up Organization in Your Life | EP28

This is my second recording of Episode 28. I posted the first version and realized 24 hours later that I’d forgotten to make my point.
During the first recording, I was so committed to sharing the details of my favorite organizational program, called Trello, that I failed to explain why it’s important to give some attention to how we organize our lives.  
Access to additional and diverse resources have made creative entertainment industries like fashion, modeling, and the performing arts more democratized. There are new opportunities to chart new courses. As a result, the individual is more empowered than ever before. Creatives of all ages and backgrounds have greater options for forging the life of their dreams.
Yet the democratizing of creative industries … the new opportunities and greater options … have brought about massive changes in the work-life model. And for people encountering these changes, now’s a good time to ramp up their life management organization. 
Test new organizational programs that will help you accomplish this. I do love Trello. My Trello boards were primarily all I TALKed about on the first posted version of this podcast episode.
Organization (on any level and in any area) boosts productivity, reduces stress, provides clarity of thought, and increases your peace of mind. Even when just a small part of your life is organized, you get all the benefits.
With the way the world is operating now – nonstop distraction – it’s critical that we use our mental bandwidth intentionally.
Remain deliberate. Direct your life where you want it to go.
TAP IN to Your Full Potential
Thanks for listening. 
@k.sounds.audio @anindo13 @adaawemusic @LaurieTALKS
 

Debbie Allen Dance Teacher & USC Professor, Sarah Anindo Marshall | EP27

Sarah Anindo Marshall say that “Art is medicine” because it pulls from real-life experiences. Whether you write, sing, paint, act, dance, or play an instrument, the arts help you tell your story.
For Sarah, the idea of art being medicine became a kind of seed. And that seed became a dream … a dream to help children in her hometown of Luanda, Kenya, get an education in the arts and sciences. Now she’s tending—or caring for—her dream, just as a gardener tends a garden: Sarah is building that school in Luanda.
Your “seed” may simply be an idea you wrote years ago on the back of a napkin. But that’s something. Make that seed become a dream. Then keep that dream alive by nurturing and loving it as if it were a garden.
@anindo13
https://www.marshalldancecompany.org – Please consider becoming a villager for ABUKUTSA ARTS ACADEMY.
Adaawemusic.com
@KatherineDunham
@officialdadance
#gloriakaufmanschoolofdance https://kaufman.usc.edu

Mind Management Organizes Time Management, Andrea Liebross | EP26

Andrea Liebross is consistent, focused, and disciplined in her own life and I asked her how she does it. Her reply? Time management begins with mind management. How you manage your time is a direct reflection of how you manage your mind.
Listen in as Andrea provides useful mind management tips to help you figure out what to do with the 60 to 70 thousand thoughts you have on average every day.
Andrea Liebross is your accomplishment coach, trusted partner, and strategic ally. She provides clients with sustainability tools to define and achieve success. 
I've worked with a few coaches. I'm a fan. 
https://andrealiebross.com
https://activateherawesome.com – Krista Smith - offering website design and brand strategy.
 

6 Ideas For Developing Your Big Dreamer Growth Mindset | EP25

Artistry is on the upswing. As you continue to define success for yourself, I'm sharing 6 ideas relating to the importance of:
Pushing past yourself
Coping as a way of life
Selecting either a creator or consumer mindset while scanning social media
Not believing your own hype
Not fretting the details ... and 
Making room in your everyday life for your dream 
Let's go. Listen now and carry on in excellence. 

My First 6 Weeks, 2 Months on Clubhouse | EP24

Whatever you're seeking is seeking you, right? That's especially on Clubhouse. I'm approaching my 2-month anniversary using this iPhone party line app - no photos or videos. There are voices from around the globe.
Some people blush their first time on stage. As an audience member, you may blush from feeling like you're listening in on someone else's phone conversation, except - legally.
My New and Exciting Clubhouse Connects: 
Paul Porter 
Cheryl Sutherland
Destruckshawn
Malik Deshawn

5 Tips for Big Dreamers | EP23

There’s a great joy in being a present day artist. There’s fire behind you and safety ahead. Dream beyond your previous dreams because there’s no limit to what you can put into play.
Expand your creativity while maintaining your sanity:
There’s no rush on your life. Life takes time.
That gut feeling you’re destined for something great? It's real. Hold that thought.  
Personal growth and development require deliberate and intentional effort.
Moving as a person of right action is awesome. Doing good is its own reward.
Routines may help manage stress during this “safer at home” time zone.
Message to my beautiful big dreamer:
Remain an active participant in your personal revolution.Seek high ground for your mental atmosphere. See it. Name it. Claim it. Create it. 

Mourning Mother | EP22

I built a webpage for mother at: www.laurietalks.com/adelejohnson
My mother recently passed away from natural causes. She was surrounded by her children.
My mom was dedicated to the performing arts, to fitness, holding down life like a boss, stretching dollars…all while being a single mom.
She also owned a dance studio.
Gratitude works. Resting in gratitude is what has kept me going through life’s tough times, times like this.
Let's be grateful for the “small” obvious things like our breathe, our ability to move our bodies, and knowing where your next meal is coming from. 
Gratitude keeps you in the present and helps you get through tough times. Believing in a better future helps create it. Dreams come true.
I'm grateful to you. Talk soon. Love, LaurieTalks
Mother's page: www.laurietalks.com/adelejohnson

3 Practices for Self-Love | EP21

SELF-LOVE IS AN ONGOING PRACTICE
This has been a tough season for a lot of people, including me. There's Covid-19, racial tensions, and I’ve got family tensions I’m dealing with too. What you’ll hear is a bit of a self-pep talk. I reminisce about other tough times I’ve been through and how I got myself through to the other side by practicing self-love. Key word? Practice. 
 
Like many aspects of life, self-love requires practice, which if you’re a dancer, is something you know how to do extremely well. Improving in dance and in real life share some parallels.