Shirin Eskandani is Personal Coach, in the areas of  mindfulness, mindset, and manifestation based out of NYC. Her business, Wholehearted Coaching, is a life coaching business geared towards helping folks gain clarity, alchemize their traumas into gold, and have action based steps on improving whatever areas of their lives they desire. Before stepping into the world of coaching she was a professional opera singer for 10+ years. She has been a profound teacher for me, a big sister from a distance, being we both have artistic, immigrant, and Islamic backgrounds.  More info on her IG: @wholeheartedcoaching as well as her own podcast "Wholehearted Coaching: The Podcast" In this episode we talk about: The birth of Wholehearted Coaching, stepping into the wellness space as one of the few POC, and her current endeavors to make her wellness practices and business as accessible as possible Toxic narratives in the world of performing arts, navigating constant criticism, rejection, and  judgement/ the toll this takes on mental health, the lack of healthy coping mechanisms offered for performers, how much of an asshole we can be to ourselves rather than an inner ally, & how this can lead to losing your love for the craft and overly getting caught up on the business side of it Awakenings - Often times they can happen when we finally attain something we thought we wanted so deeply, only to realize we aren't any more secure, confident, or happy. There can be an inner dialogue like "Once I get skinny, I'll be happy" or "Once I land that dream job, I will feel worthy", where really this isn't the case and we have to rather go inward. Shirin shares her wake up call as a professional opera singer, realizing that even with getting her dream role/contract in "Carmen" (The Opera) at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, she was not any happier or more secure. During the highest point of her career was one of the darker times of her life. Post 9/11 being Muslim - Our shared experiences as Muslim youth (even as non-practicing or not obviously looking Muslim) during a time of potent Islamaphobia, needing to hide parts of our identity just to feel safe, assimilation in ways like changing legal names, etc. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humxnexperiencepodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/humxnexperiencepodcast/support

Woo! Finally got to LA! We are slowly but surely settling in. In this episode I talk about: I am finding that LA is NYC’s twin… just a super fraternal one. There are so many parallels but its still SO different… but not… LOL! The first night I got here I was definitely overwhelmed and scared. It really hit me that my road trip was over, my mini vacay in San Diego was over and that it was really time to double down and get my life together. For a moment I felt alone in a city… but needless to say, that is a major part of this process and a temporary one. I accept that and I know things will fall into place little by little (even though I prefer it be all at once and fast, haha, but that’s just not how it works) The traffic is not as bad as I was told… seriously. Like going to and from downtown during rush hour, yikes, but outside of the downtown area, which is fairly small, it isn’t THAT bad. Also, people do honk at you. Also, it is no where near as slow as people made it out to be. LA is very much a city and people have places they need to be. The “everyone is something in LA” saying is super true. Everyone I have met is some sort of director, writer, actor, etc. and there is a lot of name dropping so def experienced some culture shock there. Overall, I am so fucking stoked to experience the fuck out of this city! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humxnexperiencepodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/humxnexperiencepodcast/support

"Go see as many different ways to live" ... a convo I had with my AirBnB host in Omaha, NE. The best part with this exposure? You can take what you like and leave what you don't. Do not feel like you have to perpetuate what you were taught or how you were taught to live. It is your life and you are the only one who is living it when you wake up in the morning.  Reflections on how doing a move like this is possible. It is in fact doable, even if you do not have a financial surplus/ $ support from you family. It will require planning, calculating, problem solving, sacrifice, and strategy, but it is possible. Neither me or my other pal who did this move had *any* financial support from our families.  Do not listen to naysayers. Don't let someone yuck your yum or tell you what you like/enjoy is stupid/whack. The amount of folks who have shit talked LA to me is truly outstanding. If anyone shits on where you are from or where you are going-- that's all you need to know about them. A lot of times, it is a projection of jealousy or unprocessed trauma (maybe they were chewed up and spit out). It's hard to let comments like these roll off your back especial when you are in transition and vulnerable, but in the end it is your opinion that matters most to you. Things out here really are slower. It is so fascinating to be in the same country but experience a culture so different from NY. (If you are starving on your way to dine out... get a snack hehe)  Reflections on joy/allowing myself to feel joy without the constant waiting for the other shoe to drop. "This too shall past" goes for the good and the bad! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humxnexperiencepodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/humxnexperiencepodcast/support

Much has happened since the last episode! I am so happy to hear that the journey is resonating with so many of you. Ultimately I share what I share to help liberate and inspire people <3 I have truly forgotten who the fuck I am; how strong and brave I am. I feel miles lighter and miles more hopeful. There has certainly been a death/rebirth/transformation process.  In this episode I talk about: -During drive from CO something went on in my brain, where I was able to see myself outside of myself almost like from a bird's eye view and I had a flood of clarity. Momentarily I was able to detach from my feelings/being in the thick of me and see things like: where my anxiety, abandonment issues, insecurities, attachment issues, fears, etc. stem from and it was truly a blissful moment. Nothing feels as good as clarity for an anxious over thinker. I saw what I want to shed and what baggage I would like to and *am able* to leave behind. - Rekindling my love for being by myself/going out by myself to eat, drink, etc. I used to LOVE traveling alone/being alone for extended periods of time. In the beginning of this trip I noticed a strong resistance to being alone. I felt like a lonely loser (lol) but happily, this shifted back even stronger (not that I had much of a choice, haha). My soul feels like it is getting deep, deep rest. During the pandemic we have all become so hyper available and boundaries were wildly blurred, so it feels lovely to be somewhere where no one knows me. When I sit at a table, it is with just me <3.  -How good it feels to have (almost fully) done this drive. I was so anxious in the beginning. I had intrusive thoughts like "What if I fall asleep? "What if I get a flat in the middle of no where" "What if I get lost and I have no cell reception". Yeah, my anxious stream of thoughts generally begin with "what if".  Now, here I am in AZ, just one state away from my destination of CA. I have come to find, it is possible to get through things without the worst case scenario unfolding. This was good exposure therapy for me. #healing -I have been thinking about what mainstream narratives do not serve me/are trash like: where you should be in your life, what you should be doing, who you should be with, what you should/shouldn't wear, be with... "should, should, should". Fuck "shoulding". - Grieving a friend of mine who had suddenly/tragically passed in April.  I had a dream about him this past week and it was hella triggering. I thought I had grieved him, I thought I had conceptualized that he had passed when I saw his body, but clearly there were still feelings that needed to be acknowledged and let go of. It was a heavy day, but a needed one.  -Meow Wolf (Sante Fe, New Mexico location), "an arts production company that creates immersive, multimedia experiences that transport audiences of all ages into fantastic realms." (WIKI) - Wow! Go! Did you know this company was founded by rejected artists? Look at them now! Expanding to Las Vegas and Denver and sold out most days. Rejection is redirection and #artisrisk! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humxnexperiencepodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/humxnexperiencepodcast/support

Welcome to Season Two!  Friends, I have been going through such profound shifts and changes. Currently I am moving to LA from NY and I plan to podcast blog/vlog along the way as I take my time driving across the States. I am so excited for the changes I plan on making in Season 2. I want to get a lot more personal and go IN even deeper on several topics and experiences I am passionate about.  In this episode I talk about: Internal challenges/resistant I have had to recording solo shows, given the time of deep transition we are experiencing as a collective, cancel culture/ **the lack of space we have to make mistakes**, especially publicly. Thankfully, I am fucking over it... (lol) The day I got to LA, upon arriving to dinner, I was washed over with a visceral feeling that I live in LA NOW. I had a heart chakral awakening that I did not expect. I could not shut it off, I could not deny it, and I could not unfeeling it.  Guilt that I overcame leaving my family, as I have assumed a massive role of responsibly within my family dynamic because my parents do not speak English well and therefore lack competence in several areas. They have developed a dependency on me that was and is unfair, toxic, and highly codependent. Breaking away was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life thus far. The immense grief (that I will discuss again in the next episode) I experienced leaving NY. Saying bye to friends, family, coworkers, the streets I grew up on... it was heavy. I also know I will be shedding a big part of myself as I leave the place where I grew up, so I grieve this former version of myself <3 Anxiety I am experiencing because- No, I do not know what job I will have, where I will be living, who I will be living with, etc.  Vulnerability and discomfort with not having the network that I have back home (pals from several towns I have lived in, college, HS, NYC, the night life industry, fitness industry etc.) I went from PA to OH, to NE, to MI so far, join me as I continue! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humxnexperiencepodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/humxnexperiencepodcast/support

Brandon Dennis is a 25 years old who has served in the New York Army National Guard for 6 years as Helicopter Powertrain Repairer. He was honorably discharged in April of 2021 and has since graduated from Farmingdale with his BSN, becomeing a licensed Registered Nurse in the state of New York. Additionally he is the host of “The Unwritten Podcast”, a podcast about life, mindset, and relatable topics for our generation (Season 2 TBD). He continues to pursue life challenges, purposeful fulfillment, and good vibes. In this episode we talk about: Brandon’s initial experience in early college, not enjoying his major/jiving well with his peers, which led to his decision to join the army  Harsh and detailed descriptions of physical and mental conditioning, what meals/everyday life was like, effects from basic training like hyper vigilance, technicalities/challenges, training outside of his home station in a remote area, National Gaurd's part time commitment (one weekend a month, two weeks in the summer) Realizations in regards to the nature of army functions, disappointments in certain areas, and the lack of work while on duty back at his home station (in Long Island) His decision to discharge,  having to weigh out the retirement and financial benefits of staying, ultimately becoming a registered nurse in NY,  Twitter: @UnwrittenPod and @BlahkBurd Ig: @bdeniis --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humxnexperiencepodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/humxnexperiencepodcast/support

Nancy is one of the most resilient humans I know. She is an example of transmuting pain into power, turning a negative into positive, and using healthy outlets instead of succumbing to detrimental ones. I met her during my undergrad at the State Uni of NY at Cortland in the Kinesiology Program. She is an Elite Level Powerlifter (booyahhhh!), Fitness Professional, and currently working as an Individual Contributor at Tread Athletics in South Carolina. In this episode we talk about: Growing up impoverished, experiences in a trailer park community with parents who have substance issues and were/are in and out of jail Abusive households Resilience, transmuting pain into power, breaking the cycle within your family, leaving a small town in an effort to find better opportunities and expand How coming from nothing is not necessarily a bad thing and can be the absolute biggest propeller to success Nancy’s experience in Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), a counseling and academic support program designed to help low-income and first generation college students succeed in college --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humxnexperiencepodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/humxnexperiencepodcast/support

Meryl is a singer, songwriter, guitar player, crystal business owner (Embodied Gems)— truly, she is a force to be reckoned with and ever evolving being. In this episode we discuss: Vocal Fold Polyps and Vocal Fold Paresis Deep emotional and spiritual layers to the vocal injuries Emotional Intelligence, developed trauma responses, ancestral trauma, archetypal work, people pleasing, surrender Our journeys to recovery You can find her on IG: @embodied_on_earth, her business @embodiedgems, as well as her crystals at Etsy.com/shop/embodiedgems --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humxnexperiencepodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/humxnexperiencepodcast/support

Tally Sessions is a graduate from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has appeared on a plethora of shows shows including: Broadway in Company, Anastasia, War Paint, Falsettos, Paramour, School of Rock, Big Fish and The House of Blue Leaves. He co-hosts the weekly "Feel Good" variety show with Sessions and Josefsberg, with fellow broadway actor, David Josefsberg. Tally also teaches private acting and vocal lessons, and is on the faculty at the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts.  In this episode we talk about: One's worth as an artist and performer  Adjusting to life's circumstances as a performer during a pandemic (for Tally this was into the fitness industry) Auditions and gigs  You can find more info at www.thetallysessions.com and give him a follow on social, @tallysessions --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humxnexperiencepodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/humxnexperiencepodcast/support

Colleen Werner is a Body Positivity and Mental Health Advocate, as well as a therapy intern at The Gaia Center. Currently she is working on a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Additionally, she is a professional Plus Size Ballerina for the Black Sheep Ballet company. In this episode we talk about: What it was like growing up as a classical dancer Body Image struggles Body Peace and Positivity Eating Disorders --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/humxnexperiencepodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/humxnexperiencepodcast/support