Courage & Spice: the podcast for humans with Self-doubt

Mary Beth LaRue is a yoga teacher, mentor, writer, and the co-founder of a yoga-inspired coaching company, Rock Your Bliss. Originally from Iowa, MB lives in Silver Lake, Los Angeles with English bulldog Rosy, husband Matt and together they are growing a family through foster adoption.  MaryBeth and Matt are parents to Baby A, their story is one of deep courage and the willingness to live with uncertainty every day. I just know you are going to be so touched by this tender love story.

Jessie Harrold is a women’s mentor, wilderness quest guide, doula, and author of the book Project Body Love: my quest to love my body and the surprising truth I found instead. We talk about Jessie's quest to reclaim her identity after her big dream of becoming a doctor didn't pan out, how she has since carved out work of real meaning, and how she has learnt to be in her body.

Mike Aspinall is craft fanatic. You might know him as The Crafty Gentleman - his website was recently named one of the UK’s most popular DIY sites, or you may have also seen him hanging out with the likes of Kirstie Allsopp. We talked about following your curiosity, the importance of retaining a sense of humour, how running a business requires us to be clear on our personal values and why running a craft-based business alongside a day job has multiple benefits.

Ages 4 years old, Sylvia Mac suffered severe burns. She was put on life support and was not expected to live. But she pulled through only to face years of surgeries and skin grafts. The unseen scars of PTSD took much much longer to heal. These days Sylvia campaigns by raising awareness through her not-for-profit campaign group, Love Disfigure. For this year's Mental Health Awareness Week theme of Body Image, listen to the story of a woman who has one of the most spectacular body images I know of!

Maliha Abidi is the artist and author of ‘Pakistan For Women: Stories of women who achieved something extraordinary’. Maliha’s story is one of courage and self-belief too. She offers encouragement to artists everywhere to delight in your creativity.  This conversation was recorded a few days after the massacre at the Mosque's in New Zealand: a poignant aspect of a conversation between two women: a kiwi and a Muslim.

Ruth Allen is a counselling psychotherapist, outdoor therapist and writer. Last year Ruth ran the entire 350 km length of Bosnia and Herzegovina across the mountains. Solo and unsupported, wild camping across the country. We talk about Ruth's trek, the existential doubt that resides somewhere underneath our self-doubt, and the dance between the numinous transcendent moments and the mostly mundane aspects of our everyday human existence.

I could scroll through Kat Goldin's Instagram of Scottish sunsets, comedic goats and Major Tim the dramatic peacock all day. And last year she taught me how to make sourdough bread and in no small way changed my life. Kat manages Gartur & Stitch farm, on the edge of Loch Lomond with her family of human, feathered and furry beings. We talk about how Kat dreamed of her farm a decade before she saw it, and what it has taken to create a viable business from a team of wayward goats.

On the 20th of December 2018, my heart stopped working. I collapsed on the kitchen floor. 36 hours later, I was having emergency surgery to repair my heart which was completely blocked. I know for a lot of us navigating through self-doubt, its the things we are fearful of - the thing we are most afraid of happening - that our self-doubt is trying to protect us from. I wanted to talk to you about what I learnt in those 36 hours, mostly about the nature of fear. And how I am making sense of it all now.

Paul Jarvis is the author of Company of One: Why Staying Small is The Next Big Thing In Business. Paul has one of the most thoughtful newsletters for business owners on the internet - I highly recommend signing up for his Sunday Dispatches. We talk about what it has been like to grow up with the Internet, why growth isn't always the best thing for your business, why simplicity and elegance are solo business owners' greatest tools and how to find your 'Rat People'.

Lottie Storey has spent the last 15 years as a writer. She is currently the editor for the Beano Parents website, contribute regularly to magazines like Mollie Makes, Project Calm, Simply Vegan and In the Moment. We talk about the process of finding your voice, what it means to be a writer, how Lottie first got published and what freelance life is like as a busy, engaged parent of five. Lottie also shares the impact of finding her voice in advocating for her own needs and those of her fabulous son, Ted

Rabya Lomas takes play really bloody seriously. She is a multifaceted woman who happens to be of dual British and Pakistani heritage, working full time as a project manager with an enthusiastic interest in Playful Living. We talk about what it was like for Rabya to grow up in her British Pakistani family, how she chose love over expectations, how she is learning to navigate her multifaceted self online and in real life, and why play matters SO much in these interesting times. 

Beth Kempton is one busy woman! She runs three different businesses all of which offer tools, resources and online courses for living an inspired life. Beth’s second book ‘Wabi Sabi: Japanese wisdom for a perfectly imperfect life’ (Piatkus) is out now. She shares lessons inspired by ancient Japanese wisdom, gathered throughout a twenty-year love affair with Japan. We talk about how to sink into your own wisdom, how to following the labyrinth of life and to embrace the perfection in imperfection.

Ngaio Anyia is a singer, songwriter, DJ, writer, poet, a columnist @bristol247 and leads inclusion and social justice projects in Bristol. Ngaio closed the Shangri-la stage at Glastonbury in 2017 and is a Jill Scott, Erykah Badu mashup for the #metoo generation!  We talk about Ngaio's experience of learning how to be an ally and advocate in her work. Of how she keeps opening doors for other women of colour. Stay listening to the end for Ngaio's latest single See Them.

Jen Carrington is a creative coach, writer, and podcaster from Manchester, UK.  Jen and I discuss what it really takes to build an online creative business, how to do it with self-doubt, and how to trust yourself when the online world is trying to profit from your insecurities. We talk about defining success on your own terms, why chasing six figures is a path to disillusionment and how navigating through life's adversities are the best training any business owner could hope for.

There will never be an end to suffering, personal pain, growth and evolution, but Loving Kindness offers us a practice where we can sit down in our bodies and feel our way into our hearts.  A Heart of Gold: lessons on the path of loving kindness is the culmination of a lifetime of teachings and personal practice. Author Jane Reeves has spent more than thirty years seeking ways to develop a practice that brings more light, love and joy into the world.