Being All of Us

9. Our Identity and the Journey to Belonging with Ariadne M. Ferro Bajuelo

Some people have a hunger to get away from where they're from, to leave their world behind and see something new. And when they do that, they find out a ton about themselves and that world, as well as about the rest of the world.

This week's guest on Being All Of Us is Ariadne M. Ferro. She talks about her quest to see a different world, and how that helped her understand the luck and privilege she was born with, the identities we can contain within ourselves, and how to bring more and more people together and inside the tent so we can belong together.

The journey to being all of us begins with you. Come join us!

We Talk About:

• 2:00 minute mark – Ariadne’s vision quest out of her bubbles
• 10:30 – “Luck” vs. privilege
• 18:00 – Addressing an identity crisis and our ever-complex identities
• 27:00 – Opening up “DEI” – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
• 35:00 – Living more inclusively and doing the work over generations
• 43:00 – Celebrating differences rather than fearing them
• 48:00 – Building a world around that celebration

Challenge of the Week

Step out of your comfort zone, here are a couple ideas:

1. Practice having a brave, compassionate conversation about an uncomfortable topic with someone close to you. The more you practice, the better you get.
2. Cultivate a relationship with someone who is radically different from you, knowing you might get it wrong. If you do, it’s a lesson learned, so be kind to yourself.

Connect with Ariadne

• Instagram: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aferro-teaching-interculturality/
• LinkedIn: https://www.instagram.com/captainempress/

Music credits: Bombadil for the intro song, "Avery", and Scott Gratton from the Free Music Archive for the outro song, "Mo Town is Yo Town."

8. The Impact You Have Is up to You with John C. Dudley

The journey of life can bring us to many unexpected places and often has a surprising impact on the people around us, whether we know it or not. In this week's episode of Being All of Us, I speak with my friend John C. Dudley about his journey from Newport News to Lesotho, the impact he has had in different places and on different people throughout his life, and how it brought him closer to home.

John is a fun person to talk to, and I think his reflections about the good or bad impacts we have on the people around us takes us to some deep and interesting places. I think you'll have fun listening to our conversation.

The journey to being all of us begins with you. Come join us!

 

We Talk About:

• 1:00 minute mark - John’s story and quest kicking off
• 4:15 - The move to Africa
• 8:30 – Living vs. touring vs. traveling
• 10:45 – Standing out in Africa
• 15:45 – Witnessing someone’s growth
• 24:45 – The importance of belief in a person
• 32:45 – Influence that goes beyond what you know or who you know and the importance of doing your best to make that a positive influence
• 41:45 – Where those moments of influence might come in or might have been missed
• 50:45 – Understanding our impact

Challenge of the Week:

As you go out into the world today, notice the people who are “on your team” - the cashier, the uber driver - everybody you interact with is a member of your team. You would not be where you are right now if it weren’t for them. Pay attention to them.

Connect with John:

https://www.industrialimagination.com/john

Music credits: Bombadil for the intro song, "Avery", and Scott Gratton from the Free Music Archive for the outro song, "Mo Town is Yo Town."

 

 

7. You Are Literally Made of Stardust with Antoine Passerat

We often think of life as a journey and as one that we can trace a path for. That we can always find and know the way. Or maybe the journey is more about getting lost, about surrendering?

This week's Being All of Us guest is my friend and brother from another mother, Antoine Passerat. He tells me about his journey in the physical sense, living in three countries and traveling in many more; in the professional sense, moving from a career in marketing to one in photography; and in a spiritual and emotional sense, as he has sought to connect with his own feelings and sense of self. He explains the difference between window photographers and mirror photographers, and we talk about seeing pieces of ourselves in everyone around us.

I think you'll hear a piece of yourself in this conversation as well.

We Talk About:

• 1:00 minute mark - Antoine’s journey – from Lyon to New York to Barcelona, and from yogurt to photography
• 5:15 – Approaching photography and a new lens on the world
• 9:15 – Love of being lost and finding new paths
• 12:45 – Taking journeys without really going anywhere
• 19:15 – Drawing inspiration from the people around you
• 22:45 – Finding our connections with others and ourselves, and windows vs. mirrors
• 27:15 – Understanding what we can learn from water
• 36:45 – Finding and expressing an inner faith or feeling
• 43:45 – Creating a space for trust and surrender

Challenge of the Week: Go swimming outside of your comfort zone and inside yourself, either literally - in open water such as a sea, river, lake, creek, ocean - or symbolically, in a bathtub or even a meditation practice.

Connect with Antoine:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/antoinepasserat/

Music credits: Bombadil for the intro song, "Avery", and Scott Gratton from the Free Music Archive for the outro song, "Mo Town is Yo Town."

6. Writing Your Own Story (In Two Languages) with Jade Cintrón Báez

This week's guest on Being All of Us, Jade Cintrón Báez, embodies a lot of what we try to do on this podcast as she embraces all sides of who she is. She tells me how she grew into her full identity as an "Americubaricuan", how she started her Youtube show, ¡Looking Bilingüe!, what it was like to be a Latina in Spain, and how she learned to trust herself and take control of her script and her story.

We Talk About:

• 1:00 minute mark - Expanding Jade’s identity and American identity
• 9:00 - ¡Looking Bilingüe! and the evolution of languages
• 17:00 - How ¡Looking Bilingüe! started
• 22:00 - How it feels to share and hear stories and struggles
• 28:30 - How Jade ended up in Spain
• 33:30 - The reasons for wanting more and forging one’s own path
• 39:00 - Lighting your own fire
• 43:00 - Listening to and trusting yourself and your internal conversations
• 46:50 - Writing your own story or script
• 50:00 - Taking control of your own script – find your goal and the go-to people to get you there

Challenge of the Week: In order to move toward your dreams, here are three questions to answer: 

• 1. What are you reaching for? (the dream) 
  2. What’s in your tool box? (your talents)
  3. Who can inspire you & help you move forward? (your team, your people)

Connect with Jade:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/looking.bilingue/ 
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@looking.bilingue 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erijade/ 
• Email: lookingbilingue@gmail.com

Music credits: Bombadil for the intro song, "Avery", and Scott Gratton from the Free Music Archive for the outro song, "Mo Town is Yo Town."

5. On Your Way to Something Great with Ceniya Palmer-Baumann

This week's episode of Being All of Us is special for me (they're all special, but you know what I mean!). I catch up with a high school friend, Ceniya Palmer-Baumann, to hear about her story and where the world has taken her since our time together in Newport News, Virginia. But we also spend a lot of time talking about her upbringing and childhood in a military family and a biracial, multiethnic family, and how it's important to see one another for who we are and understand we can't just gloss over differences. I hope you'll find this to be a special episode too.

We talk about:

• 3:45 minute mark – Ceniya’s journey
• 11:30 – The importance of family ties
• 17:00 – The transiency of military towns and families and moving around as a child
• 24:00 – Growing up in the south as a lonely child
• 29:00 – Leaving a name behind and growing into an old name
• 38:00 – Seeking a fit and being an oddball, and finding a place between different groups and identities
• 58:00 – The limits of “colorblindness”

Challenge of the Week: Listen to or find out someone’s story (especially someone you don't like).

Connect with Ceniya:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/niyapb31/

Music credits: Bombadil for the intro song, "Avery", and Scott Gratton from the Free Music Archive for the outro song, "Mo Town is Yo Town."

 

4. Thrive and Let the World Catch up with Hamna Tariq

This week's episode of Being All of Us features the unstoppable Hamna Tariq, a vibrant and inspiring woman. She tells me how her upbringing in a more conservative, restricted world taught her to stop worrying and seek freedom however she could get it as an adult, as well as some of the challenges and new feelings she learned along the way. I believe our conversation will motivate you to go out into the world and shine brighter!

We talk about:

• 1:30 minute mark - How Hamna started her life on the move
• 8:00 – The liberating feeling of being on the move
• 11:00 – Shedding fear and expectations
• 16:00 – Discovering and overcoming the meaning of a name
• 21:00 – Sources of inspiration and different examples to follow (or not)
• 25:30 – Going back home
• 28:00 – Carving out a space and setting an example
• 32:00 – Being oneself and letting the world catch up
• 36:30 – The value of processing sadness
• 40:00 – The outsider's perspective
• 44:00 – Solitude vs. Loneliness
• 48:30 – This week's challenge – dining out alone

Challenge of the Week: Go to a restaurant alone, take yourself out for a meal. And while you’re at it, try a cuisine you’ve never had before.

Connect with Hamna:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hamnatariq97/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hamnatariq97
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamnatariq97/ 

Music credits: Bombadil for the intro song, "Avery", and Scott Gratton from the Free Music Archive for the outro song, "Mo Town is Yo Town."

3. Unexpected Connection, Purpose & Impact with Amy Mortensen & Daniel Shvartsman

On this week's Being All of Us episode, we go on a journey with two guests: Amy Mortensen and Daniel Shvartsman, co-hosts of the Voices of Migration / Voces Migratorias podcast. They talk about how they met, how their background and international life has helped them see the world differently, and how they try to find their place in it.  

I was really inspired listening the the story of this couple. It made me smile, made me laugh, made me feel warm and fuzzy - and it helped me understand the power we all have to make a difference. I hope it does the same for you!

We talk about:

• 0:45 - Amy’s background and story on how they met
• 8:50 - Daniel’s side of the story
• 18:00 – No soulmates, relationships take work, and questioning the Golden Rule
• 24:30 – The origins and aims of Voices of Migration / Voces Migratorias
• 31:30 – Running away or running towards
• 41:30 – Understanding privilege
• 49:30 – Businesses that serve
• 54:00 – Challenge – seeing and listening to those around us

Challenge of the Week: Practice the power of listening. Reach out to someone on a human level that you might see everyday, and listen to them. Really listen; do it like pro.

 

Connect With Amy and Daniel:

Amy's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amymorte/

Daniel's Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanielShortman

Their podcast!: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NPkMNb9SkQjOchC0SIYHI?si=V8loQVOaTpK6WiYIzcdJiw

 

Music credits: Bombadil for the intro song, "Avery", and Scott Gratton from the Free Music Archive for the outro song, "Mo Town is Yo Town."

2. Hope, Healing & Listening to your Heart with Esperanza Portillo

Esperanza Portillo joins me on the second episode of Being All of Us. She tells her story of moving from Mexico to Germany and finding out who she was, and of how she lived up to her name - which means hope - through the harder times in her life. We also talk about the importance of trusting intuition over your "rational" mind. I think you'll get a lot of hope out of this episode!

We talk about:

• 1:00 minute mark – Esperanza’s background
• 4:30 – Her studies in Germany and the yearning to be abroad
• 11:00 – The power of hope in Esperanza’s life; overcoming cancer
• 21:00 – The importance of listening to one’s body
• 28:00 – Intuition vs. logic and the importance of embracing emotions
• 37:00 – Creating an all-inclusive identity
• 41:00 – Escaping categories and expectations
• 47:00 – The future Esperanza
• 52:45 – Esperanza’s superpowers
• 55:00 – Inclusion challenge – Stay Curious

Challenge of the Week: Give yourself the chance to get to know more about someone who is different from you, for instance, you could chat a bit with the cashier at the supermarket.

Challenge yourself to be curious about someone you might not normally connect with.

 

Connect With Esperanza:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esperanzaportilloolvera/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alemaniaenunclick/ 

 

Music credits: Bombadil for the intro song, "Avery", and Scott Gratton from the Free Music Archive for the outro song, "Mo Town is Yo Town."

1. Navigating Change from the Inside out with Deepika Bhoolabai

In this premier episode of Being All of Us, I talk with Deepika Bhoolabai about her journey from South Africa to Barcelona, how she embraces her different identities and different feelings, and how she deals with doubts, among other things in this wide-ranging conversation. Get a sneak peek below and click play to listen!

We talk about:

• 0:30 minute mark - Who is Deepika
• 3:30 - Combining identity
• 5:45 - The meaning of "Deepika" and finding our light
• 10:30 - The illusion of control
• 15:30 - Pandemic journey
• 19:30 - Rediscovering truth everywhere
• 24:30 - Accepting all of us to accept others
• 29:30 - The importance of anger and big feelings
• 32:30 - Deepika's migration story and moving home
• 43:30 - Liberation from doubts
• 46:30 - Mantras and steps to deal with doubt
• 55:30 - Home fun

Challenge of the week: Instead of listening to all the negativity around you, focus on working towards abundance and harmony and love. Start following one inspiring mentor or teacher who focuses on connection and love and abundance and creation. 

Music credits: Bombadil for the intro song, "Avery", and Scott Gratton from the Free Music Archive for the outro song, "Mo Town is Yo Town."

 

Being All of Us - Trailer

For me, this podcast is a journey of self-discovery and inclusion. My mission is to inspire you to become an agent of change in your own life, so that together we can create a world that includes and celebrates each of us for who we are, for who we were born to be. Come along on this journey to remember what we all learned to forget: what it's like "being all of us".