Soul on the Rise

Getting back up after you’ve fallen, physically or metaphorically, gets challenging when you find yourself doing it again and again. This is for when the obstacles feel high and your momentum feels low. I hope it gives you a little boost to ditch the doubt and keep going.

This is a podcast I originally shared for my Substack community. Want to get monthly inspiration in your inbox? Follow me on Substack where I'm putting most of my energy at: https://kimberlygomes.substack.com/ In the episode & below you'll also find 4 prompts to get you writing this month! Listen to the podcast to hear: Opening: Why this topic of following a clear Yes is important 3:30: What is Internal Family Systems and how do I use it to create more harmony within myself and fuel my creativity? 5:45: Journal Prompt to get to know a particular part of yourself and create more love and warmth there? 8:39 Creativity Prompt 2: If we were writing a poem from this part's perspective, what would she have to say? 9:35 Creativity Prompt 3: If you're writing fiction, think of one of your characters, what are 1-2 of their inner parts that are running their life? Maybe one that comes out when they're triggered and one part they're trying to hide from people around them? Explore what activates that part. How do they feel when that part comes up? What happened in the past that made this part the way they are? How do these questions affect a scene? 10:53 Creativity Prompt 4: For those writing memoirs or personal essays - What story or scene comes to mind that happened in your life when you think about that part of yourself and write one page coming from that part's perspective. 12:15 Question to ponder: What do you want to say Yes to this month in your life without adding more to your plate? How can you go deeper into one area that already exists that could light you up? 13:00 Activity to try each day: How to look at the world as a poem for 1 minute every day

Oh it's been a long while! In this episode I'll update you on where I've been (Substack) and let you know what kind of content you can expect to see this year. Interested in getting my monthly newsletter that's full of subscriber-only podcasts, writing prompts, spoken word video poems, round ups of podcasts/music I'm loving, personal essays I'm writing and so much more? Well then, come on over to: https://kimberlygomes.substack.com/

In this week's artist interlude, we get the pleasure of hearing poetry and prose from last week's incredible guest, writer and somatic therapist, Mackenzie Studebaker (she/they). Mackenzie talks about how writing helped them navigate the turbulent times of losing their brother and mother and shares two beautiful pieces that I have no doubt will move you. You can learn more about Mackenzie at www.mackenziestudebaker.com.  If you're a writer, poet, or musician and want to share your art with our podcast community, reach out at writeon_kim on Instagram or writingbykim@gmail.com. 

Today we're bringing you part two of my chat with Boundaries and Empowerment Coach, Jess Escobedo! This time we're talking about when and why to let go of a connection, ways to help you create space for your next chapter, simple tips to express physical boundaries in the early stages of dating, and why it's important to have a full life that's true to you once you nestle into a long-term love.  You can connect with Jess on Instagram @wholesomehoodrat for more tips, workshops and 1:1 coaching opportunities. 

After a brief Euro travel-induced hiatus, we're back and better than ever with Boundaries and Empowerment Coach, Jess Escobedo! In part 1 of this two-part episode, we're talking about a topic we all love and sometimes loathe - dating. You'll hear about our experiences as women in our 30s-40s navigating the love arena, answer questions from our community, and more importantly share tips for how to give yourself a little more love and support when traversing matters of the heart. In just a few days I'll drop part 2, so stay tuned!

In this solo riff, I’m talking about love and how the qualities we love or despise in others can be an incredibly useful tool for helping us rise into our most full selves. At the end, I offer up an exercise that's helped me see others and myself a bit more clearly in case it helps you do the same. Enjoy!

Jess Escobedo is a Boundaries and Empowerment Coach who helps people identify their needs and wants and how to communicate them in all aspects of their life. In this episode we talk about the basics of boundaries, how to start small, and give you a range of example of how this looks in practice - whether it's with yourself, at work, with family, in dating or on the street with strangers. You can explore more of Jess's work on Instagram @wholesomehoodrat where she offers 1:1 coaching, workshops and more.

In this introductory episode, you'll hear what inspired me to start this podcast, what type of content you can expect to hear, and how I hope it'll help you as a listener rise into a little more of you, a little more of the time.  Stay tuned for our first interview episode coming up next with Boundaries and Empowerment Coach, Jess Escobedo. 

In this episode, I talk about why keeping the bar high prevents us from following our curiosities, how to embrace a beginner's mind, and the catalyzing effects I felt after putting myself out there in a new art form. I hope it helps you follow the pull(s) in your life. Enjoy!

Feeling some heartache and funky feels over the holidays? Well, you've come to the right place, my dear. In this episode, I share some tools that help me feel the feels and ride through a funk in hopes they help you feel 1% better each day over this holiday break. So grab some tea or go for a stroll and consider this a big hug from me to you.  Episode references: Matthew Hussey's podcast & Soul Cole's morning meditation "Rise & Shine"

In today's episode, we chat with vocal transformation coach and singer/songwriter, Saritah. Beyond touring her own music internationally, Saritah has spent many years helping women unlock their full voice through song. We discuss the many holistic health benefits of singing, practical tips for amplifying your voice when speaking and singing, as well as the ripple effects that can happen when working through physical/emotional voice blocks. Learn more about Saritah's work @saritahmusic on Instagram and Facebook and listen to her latest song, "I Long" on Spotify. You can explore the vocal exercises in our Soul on the Rise newsletter at kimberlygomes.substack.com. And as always, if you like what you heard, share it with a friend!

In this week’s episode in our series on Using Creativity to Enhance Your Life, I share two thought exercises to try on to help you see a moment and a personal relationship with a fresh lens in order to clear your mind of the past to create more calm and openness to the present. I found these two exercises incredibly helpful and I hope you will too. If you want to explore this topic more with a tandem journaling exercise head on over to the Soul on the Rise newsletter at https://kimberlygomes.substack.com/ Podcast mentions:  Andrea Gibson's "Royal Heart" @andrewgibby and Flynn Skidmore @flynnskidmore

Welcome back to another episode in our series on Using Creativity to Enhance Your Life. In today's artist interlude, I chat with poet, writing teacher, and Pushcart nominee, K.R. Morrison on using writing to process the past and create a ritual to step into your higher self. As the author of poetry chapbook, Cauldrons, K.R. talks about how her own process and how writing is a way to examine her own inner cauldron to see her shadows, her light, and the alchemy rising from it all.  If this episode resonated, head over to the Soul on the Rise newsletter for explore a journaling exercise intended to help you look at your own inner cauldron and alchemize a difficult chapter of your life into one of strength, fire and light.  You can stay connected with K.R. Morrison at @k.r.morrisonpoet on Instagram and order her book Cauldrons from Barnes & Noble, Amazon and any other bookstore you'd like by simply calling them and asking them to order it.

We all can be quite hard ourselves, can't we? Always looking to the goal, the place, the new height we wish to reach and in those moments we only see the gap. We see how far we have to go. And yet, what if just for today, you basked the gain? In today's solo riff, I share why and how we can focus on the progress we've made when we're in the gap of where we are and where we want to be (inspired by a friend who read The Gap & The Gain).  If you'd like to go a step further and do a journaling exercise to help you reflect on this more deeply, head to the Soul on the Rise newsletter and sign up to get weekly episodes and soul-quenching exercises sent to your inbox for free. 

In this week's episode I sit down with Austin-based poet, Ayjshané Winslett who is also the co-creator of Poetry on Tea Leaves, a monthly open mic and healing space for black, brown, and queer poets. We dig into how poetry has helped her connect with her full self and why she felt called to launch a new literary community. We also dig into how writing poetry from a tender place and performing it with power and strength can offer a cathartic, full-circle healing experience. She then shares three beautiful poems from her collection, Oceans Inside of Us, that will surely move you.  You can learn more about Ayjshané at @ayjshane on Instagram and if you're in Austin, you join her monthly Poetry on Tea Leaves gathering every first Sunday. More information @poetryontealeaves

Living in an individualistic culture, it can be easy to lone wolf through new chapters. We feel like we have to grind in solitude to reach our own personal Everest, whatever that goal may be. Yet, after trying that route for years, I'd argue that when we create in good company, collaborate to hold each other accountable, and celebrate our friends' successes just as much as we would our own, life gets oh so much sweeter.  In this solo riff, I dig into a Shine Theory, a concept coined by the lovely Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman. I also share some examples of how I've shifted this in my own life in hopes it helps you drum up ideas to do the same. Happy listening!

In this week's episode we have a very special guest, Shani Silver! Shani is an author and podcaster who I've followed for years and has been instrumental in reframing narratives of singledom that aren't serving us. We talk about leading a fulfilling life while single, living fully instead of "waiting" and so much more.   Shani's book, A Single Revolution: Don't look for a match—light one, helps singles reframe singlehood itself to see its value and validity, for as long as we happen to be single. Her podcast, A Single Serving Podcast, launched in April of 2019 in the hopes of giving single women content that—for once—didn’t revolve around dating, and to support singles around the world in shedding the societal shame of singlehood. Shani has lived and dated in Austin, TX, Los Angeles, CA, Chicago, IL, Philadelphia, PA, and Brooklyn, NY. She currently lives in New Orleans. Following ten years of use, Shani permanently deleted her dating apps in January of 2019. She has loved her life ever since.  You can learn more about her at www.shanisilver.com and follow her on Instagram and Tiktok @shanisilver

Today's solo riff expands on a moment I had a moment this morning. It's about the reality that no one gives you permission to become who want to be. You can one day simply decide you are something and take action each and every day until the imposter syndrome's little voice is no longer relevant. It's about the fact that new beliefs feed new actions and new actions feed a new life. And once all of that starts flowing, you're no longer waiting to become something. You never had to wait. You always were it, and you always are.  We create the doors. We open them, and we decide when to walk through them. And stepping past those thresholds and meeting all the incredible people who are doing the same is a joy I want everyone to experience. 

This solo riff is specifically designed for moments you feel anxious, fearful, or overwhelmed with mental chatter. I share a couple of brief exercises that help ground me back in myself during mentally challenging times in hopes it helps you do the same.  If it helps, I'd love to hear from so drop me a line on Instagram at writeon_kim and if you feel moved to, share this episode with a friend who may find it useful. Have a beautiful week!