Heroine – Détails, épisodes et analyse

There are a lot of things wrong with the way we live our lives. While the average American spends 90 percent of their day indoors, we continue to feel completely disconnected from our food sources, and are lonelier than ever, especially in light of this pandemic.

My guest Becca Piastrelli, author of a new book Root & Ritual, believes we can offset some of this modern angst by “rewilding” and reclaiming the natural part of ourselves. Becca is a friend, writer, speaker, ancestral folk medicine keeper, and women’s group facilitator. I’m thrilled to share her journey and work with you!

In this episode, Becca describes how she grew up with an ache of unbelonging, and an inner knowledge that there had to be more to life than what she was taught by her family and the patriarchal, convenience-driven society within which she was raised. Acknowledging that change is very difficult, she shares her thoughts on connecting with our ancestry, navigating the pandemic, and handling grief.

Her book Root & Ritual which I highly recommend offers practical wisdom, processes, and recipes for reconnecting with land, lineage, and community.

Tune in today to learn more about her work that embracing old ways can make our modern lives feel significantly better.

• Becca shares the anxiety she experienced growing up, and why she developed impostor syndrome at a young age.
• The four parts which make up Becca’s book, Root and Ritual.
• How Becca’s relationship with nature has evolved over time.
• Different meanings that rewilding can hold.
• Obstacles to rewilding that exist in our society.
• The value that Becca believes lies in embracing ancestral ways of living.
• Everyday experiences which highlight how disconnected we are from nature.
• What Becca’s life currently looks like, and how she plans to change it.
• The importance of human connection, which we are losing.
• Becca shares her thoughts on navigating different opinions about the COVID-19 vaccine.
• Our “great severing” from our ancestors.
• A process Becca went through to rebuild lost ties to her ancestry.
• Personal challenges that Becca has gone through, and her method of dealing with them.
• Becca’s relationship with shame.
• The long journey that is rewilding.
• What Becca is currently reclaiming.

References

Becca Piastrelli - https://beccapiastrelli.com/
Root and Ritual - https://beccapiastrelli.com/book/
Break the Good Girl Myth - https://majomolfino.com/book
HEROINE (Podcast) - https://majomolfino.com/podcast

Writing a debut novel that becomes a New York Times bestseller is an impressive feat. Doing it over 10 years while raising children and working a full-time job is simply awe-inspiring.

Angeline Boulley is the author of Firekeeper's Daughter, a layered Native American thriller. She is an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and writes about her Ojibwe community.

In today's episode, we learn more about Daunis Fountaine, the book's main character, and her distinctive character traits. While there are similarities between Angeline and Daunis, the teen character blossomed into something unique and fierce. We hear some moving excerpts from the book, and Angeline talks about the gravity of the regalia and elder scenes in the work.

Our conversation also touches on the complexity of strong women, why the book is not a trauma story, and we also find out more about what Angeline's fascinating writing process was like.

This moving dialogue around the power of women creators and the role they play in shaping their cultural stories will lift your spirits and potentially change your life.


• Hear about what Angeline was like as a little girl.
• Where Angeline grew up and insights into her cultural background.
• Hear about what Firekeeper's Daughter's main character, Daunis Fountaine, is like.
• How similar and different Daunis is from Angeline.
• What Daunis's greatest virtue and greatest flaw are.
• The tension that Daunis feels struggling with different aspects of her identity.
• Why it was so important for Angeline to convey the significance of Daunis's regalia.
• The role that elders play in the book and how Angeline views elders in all of our lives.
• Why it was so important for Angeline to include the complex Aunty character in her book.
• We do strong women an injustice when we place them on pedestals.
• How the word "resilient” is often misused to justify suffering.
• The balance Angeline had to find between telling the truth and overloading Daunis with tragedy.
• How Angeline found time to write the book while raising children and having a job.
• What Angeline has learned about being kinder to herself from having children.
• The impact that having teenagers had on Angeline's ability to write a teen character.
• Why Angeline decided to make her first book the epic work it is.
• How Angeline learned the craft of fiction, given that she did not study creative writing.
• The support that Angeline had during her writing journey.
• Angeline's tips for aspiring writers: find what works for you.
• What Angeline, as a heroine, feels she is reclaiming for herself.

References

Angeline Boulley - https://angelineboulley.com/
Angeline Boulley on Twitter - https://twitter.com/FineAngeline?ref_src=twsrc%255Egoogle%257Ctwcamp%255Eserp%257Ctwgr%255Eauthor
Firekeeper's Daughter - https://www.amazon.com/Firekeepers-Daughter-Angeline-Boulley/dp/1250766567
We Need Diverse Books - https://diversebooks.org/
Break the Good Girl Myth - https://majomolfino.com/book
Majo Molfino - https://majomolfino.com/
HEROINE (Podcast) - https://majomolfino.com/podcast

Majo joins Scout & Mady from the OkaySis Podcast to talk about how to break out of the good girl myths and design our purpose. 

Order the book at goodgirlmyth.com

Are you a fixer who loves taking responsibility and caring for others, but feel like you have too much on your plate? You’re not alone. Today’s episode features Tiffany Dufu, Chief Leadership Officer at Levo League and author of the new book Drop the Ball – a must-read for all of us trying to do everything ourselves and struggling to embrace imperfection.

Tiffany’s gems of wisdom include the value of delegating with joy, a concept she calls “strategic chaos”, and the three attributes to look for in a partner before you build a life with them. She also talks about motherhood as the last frontier of dropping the ball.

Show Notes:
-Tiffany growing up: An imaginative “good girl” who experienced early on a sense of injustice that sparked a feminist spirit. [5:25]
-Trying to be valued and liked in her teenage years, plus the benefit of experiencing failure at a young age. [9:59]
-College years, realizing she had more options than she’d been shooting for, and how she got into the nonprofit world. [15:11]
-On the specialness of millennials and the powerful meaning behind the title of her book. [20:33]
-How Tiffany and her husband fell into default mode when it came to the division of domestic labor – and what they did when that didn’t work. [25:10]
-How to delegate tasks in a meaningful way and other essential tips for busy women. [31:39]
-Learning to live with chaos: An incredibly amusing story that resulted in restored balance at home. [36:49]
-Exploring our social conditioning as women, and how to stay focused on what matters most. [42:40]
-Tiffany shares why motherhood is the final frontier in “dropping the ball”, plus the three attributes any partner of yours should have. [45:30]
-On our relationships with our mothers, having a greater sense of service, and Tiffany’s final thoughts. [51:52]

References:
Check out Tiffany’s website and find her new book, available now, at http://tiffanydufu.com/

Episode Sponsors:
UENO – https://ueno.co/careers
Adobe Creative Residency – http://adobe.com/go/creativeresidency

Music by Lucia Lilikoi – lucia.bandcamp.com

Design is powerful magic – It can help solve some of the world’s most urgent, critical problems. Patrice Martin is co-founder of IDEO.org, an organization that works to improve the lives of people in poor and vulnerable communities through design.

Patrice shares about her past struggles to be taken seriously as a petite woman, what she’s observed as a difference in creative confidence between men and women, and some of the incredible projects her team is focused on. Her conversation with Majo is living proof that design, when done well, can change the world.

Show Notes:
-Patrice shares a funny childhood story about persistence that anticipated one of her strongest personality traits as an adult. [5:05]
-High school years: Finding her identity in art. [7:36]
-Thinking of technology as a medium to create experiences, plus other formative experiences during college. [10:56]
-Patrice’s experience at IDEO – applying a design lens to complicated questions and issues. [17:55]
-Her transition to IDEO.org, the organization she co-founded that focuses on social impact and poverty. [21:46]
-What she’s learned as a leader, how to set up an environment where people thrive, and her spot-on insights on the difference in creative confidence between men and women. [26:30]
-Designing for good: Some of the exciting projects Patrice and her team are focused on. [34:01]
-On the importance of being part of a community of mothers who are figuring out the work-life balance together. [43:35]
-Patrice’s final words of wisdom and advice. [52:47]

References:
http://www.ideo.org/

Episode Sponsors:
Adobe Creative Residency – http://adobe.com/go/creativeresidency
InVision – https://www.invisionapp.com/company

Music by Lucia Lilikoi – lucia.bandcamp.com

This interview had our host in tears. In today’s episode, Majo speaks with Paralympic Gold Medalist Alana Nichols. Playing sports was like a safe haven for Alana, whose family life wasn’t always ideal. But at 17, she broke her back in a snowboarding accident that left her unable to walk again. As a lifelong athlete, this was devastating.

Alana grappled with denial, depression, and isolation in college, until a magical moment turned everything around. Her story is about the power of practice, discipline, grit, and faith. And she shares powerful insights on gratitude – seeing what we have instead of what we don’t have.

Show Notes:
-Growing up as a confident, active tomboy who found her identity in sports at a young age. [4:13]
-On always being a risk-taker and her dreams of playing Olympic Softball. [8:46]
-Coming into her identity as a young teen, dealing with social pressures, and missing the presence of a mother who wasn’t able to be there for her. [13:48]
-Playing sports in high school, being approached by colleges offering scholarships, and the accident that brought everything to a halt. [17:04]
-Reflecting on that critical moment in her journey when everything changed, and her initial denial of it all. [22:18]
-The hard transition Alana faced upon returning home after rehab. [30:05]
-How taking a chance shortcut led to Alana’s magical moment when she was at her lowest point. [35:25]
-Mourning her loss with grace, moving forward, and developing a new dream. [38:47]
-Alana’s journey to the Paralympics and beyond, her insights on risk-taking, and final words of wisdom. [45:23]

References:
http://www.alanajanenichols.com/

Episode Sponsors:
InVision – https://www.invisionapp.com/company
Adobe Creative Residency – http://adobe.com/go/creativeresidency

Music by Lucia Lilikoi – lucia.bandcamp.com

In today’s episode, we speak with with writer, speaker, and soul-blogger Justine Musk, who has long been exploring the heroine’s journey in her work. She’s bold, honest, raw, and her story is an uncanny fit of the heroine’s arc.

Justine found her true voice and power as a creative leader after rising up from her own personal underworld. She shares how we can look to myths for guidance and offers advice for putting yourself out there. Her insights on our relationship to emotions, what she calls “non-predatory” power and leadership, and why saying 'no' is so important as a woman will blow you away.

Show Notes:
-Justine’s early years: A small town, bookish girl who couldn’t wait to grow up. Early influences, teenage awkwardness, and learning to stand up for herself. [4:30]
-Coming into her own in her college years, wondering where she belonged, plus her awareness of the disconnect between how people were perceiving her and how she perceived herself. [9:14]
-The story of goddess Persephone and why Justine connects so strongly with her. [12:52]
-The benefit in connecting to myth, “post-traumatic growth”, and Justine’s insights on dealing with pain. [18:33]
-How Justine emerged stronger and more empowered after descending to her lowest point. [22:43]
-Justine’s advice for putting yourself out there, plus why it’s important for women to be unconventional. [27:02]
-Taking a closer look at feminine authority and leadership, and the power of saying ‘no’. [32:23]
-On women’s relationship to emotions and feelings (especially in the workplace). [35:54]
-Justine shares her excitement for an issue she’s exploring and what she’s working on now. [39:05]

References:
Check out Justine's blog at http://justinemusk.com/

Episode Sponsors:
UENO – https://ueno.co/careers
Adobe Creative Residency – http://adobe.com/go/creativeresidency

Music by Lucia Lilikoi – lucia.bandcamp.com

Ever get the feeling that it’s too late to do what you love? In this episode, even our host admits to feeling that way sometimes, thinking it’s “too late” because she's already thirty. But thirty is around the magical time that artist and illustrator Lisa Congdon had her artistic revival. After working many years in education, she felt like a part of her wasn’t being fed. On a fluke she took an art class with her brother, and the experience changed her life.

Lisa is best known for her colorful abstract paintings, intricate line drawings, pattern design and hand lettering, as well as her work as an author. She and Majo cover some topics Lisa hasn’t shared on a podcast before, including the unsexy parts of her work and challenges she still grapples with, and discuss why some women can be so afraid to step into their creative power.

Show Notes:
-Lisa’s early years: A young girl eager to please and figure out her place, her awkward teenage years, and the layers of self-doubt and insecurity she had to shed. [4:34]
-“Is this really what I want to be doing?” Lisa’s insights on her early career and the creative outlet she sought to feel “fed”. [10:58]
-The fluke that triggered her creativity and path to becoming an artist. [15:02]
-On deserving to be a creative, exploring loneliness, and opening oneself up to the world. [18:34]
-Some of the internal challenges Lisa faced, including thinking of herself as a victim. [24:41]
-Lisa’s advice to Majo on coming out of the creative closet. [28:46]
-What defines an artist? Plus, conflicting thoughts on sharing your work via social media. [33:33]
-The unsexy parts of Lisa’s world as an artist. [37:24]
-Still “in process”: Lisa shares things she’s never discussed on a podcast before, including her plans to connect her work with activism and some of the vulnerabilities she grapples with. [42:51]

References:
More on Lisa at http://lisacongdon.com/

Episode Sponsors:
UENO – https://ueno.co/careers
Adobe Creative Residency – http://adobe.com/go/creativeresidency

Music by Lucia Lilikoi – lucia.bandcamp.com

Starring in this bonus episode is returning guest, Elle Luna. Majo hosts a Q&A with the author and artist, who drops deep, timely wisdom that will help you reflect for the new year.

Elle shares her profound perspective on the difference between 'should' and 'must', and why it's so important to be aware of our 'should's as women. She is an activator and a catalyst who will get your heart stirring and your mind bubbling with ideas.

References:
The Crossroads of Should and Must by Elle Luna
Learn more about Elle at http://elleluna.com/

Music by Lucia Lilikoi – lucia.bandcamp.com

A quick update from Majo during the break — including a preview into next year's interview lineup.

Happy Holidays!