Questions You'll Wish You Asked
by Melissa Pennel
What if life is less about having all the answers, and more about living the questions?Each week we'll explore an inquiry that can deepen understanding of self, loved ones, and life. Grab a journal and write out your answers or simply listen in: it's time to meet yourself and life on a completely new level.
Episodes
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20. Lazy? Unproductive? Stuck? How to Love Your Lowest Self
If you struggle with changing your life, today’s episode is for you. Maybe you want to get in shape, change careers, leave (or find) a relationship. Maybe you want a clean house or a well-behaved child or to actually finish writing that book. You might tell people that these are things you want,...
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19. How to Feel Good Enough About 2020
As we reach the end of 2020, here are some ideas for how to feel “good enough” about one of the most difficult years most of us have ever experienced. What I mean is... Did you get out of shape? Not follow through on things you thought you might? Did you fall short in some friendships, or...
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18. How the Road to a Great Life is Paved with Shitty First Steps
People often say they want great things in their life. But if you’re not willing to be bad at something, take imperfect steps, and patch together a “good enough” idea while your magnum opus accumulates with experience, you might not ever get your greatness out into the world. If you’re not…
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17. How a Foundation of Trust Can Guide You Through Life
It’s time to build a solid foundation. As we all grapple with an ongoing pandemic, deep grief at the normalcy we’ve lost, wildfires, climate events, a political climate that can make anyone wanna crawl under a rock, and then just everyday life on top of it, feeling shaky is pretty understandable....
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16. How to Leap into Action Toward Your Dreams
Changing your life isn’t just deciding what you want and making plans – it’s moving toward your dream imperfectly and full of fear. Leaping is taking action that risks something - like (gasp!) your pride. But how do we actually do that? If you’ve ever wondered how to move from the thinking and...
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15. Handling Criticism and Confrontation (Bonus Art of Social Media Exercise)
If you’re alive long enough, you’re going to be criticized. And if you dare to share an opinion (or vulnerable part of yourself) on social media, you might even meet some trolls. So how do we prevent ourselves from shrinking in the face of conflict? How do we meet criticism with grace,...
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14. How to Handle Being Triggered on Social Media and Life - (Bonus) Art of Social Media Exercise
Do you have one of those people who just grinds your gears? When scrolling social media (or going through life) is there someone who just BUGS you? Maybe it’s a friend from high school who’s always humble bragging about her perfect life – maybe it’s your cousin’s husband who makes ignorant…
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13. Stop Unnecessary Suffering by Learning the Difference Between Clean and Dirty Pain
“Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional,” or so the trusty old saying goes. But wait, is that actually right? The definition of suffering is simply “undergoing pain or hardship.” And if you’re showing up to life (“in the arena” as Brene Brown often talks about) you’re gonna get your butt…
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12. How to Make Any Decision When You're Anxious, Overwhelmed, and Confused
Have you been pretty confused lately? Maybe it’s pandemic related, political, maybe you don’t know how to do anti-racism work, how to talk to someone you disagree with, how to ask your boss to keep working from home: whatever’s happening in your world, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious…
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10. People Pleasing, Perfectionism, and Anti-Racism: How to Show Up with Courage and Fail Forward
Hey loves, Welcome to the rebooted Follow Your Fire podcast! In this episode we’re talking about people pleasing, perfectionism, and how these qualities interface with anti-racism work (or a lack thereof.) While wanting to be liked and seen as “good” is always a barrier between us and our most...
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9. Announcement! Calling All Wild, Free, Untamed, and (Possibly) Stuck Purpose Seekers
Hey loves, Things are changing! The podcast is going through a major transition and I can’t wait to tell you about it! (This might also be known as podcast puberty – hopefully minus the zits.) This show started under the premise of helping you (my dear listener) answer the question “what should I...
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8. When Grief is Transformed: Cindi Soliz - Mother, Love Warrior, Believer in Magic
“Love is the song over the wrong.” (Vanessa Dawn Soliz) In the second installment of the short term “resilience” series, I interview mother, love warrior, and all-around incredible human, Cindi Soliz. Cindi is the mother of five kids, one of whom was my childhood friend Vanessa Dawn Soliz, an...
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7. Difficulty to Recovery: Kenny Hill Sr. - Counselor, Vet & Addiction Survivor (Resilience Series)
The Corona Virus is no match for the human spirit. Introducing a new (short-term) series of the podcast: Follow Your Fire: The Resilience Diaries In light of the difficult moment we’re in globally, we’ll be (briefly) turning away from the question of “what should I do with my life?” and focusing…
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6. Someday We’ll All Be Ghosts: Paul Dale Roberts - Paranormal Investigator & Career ShapeShifter
“In our days we will live like our ghosts will live.” (Iron & Wine) What do ghosts, hauntings, and Friday the 13th have to do with figuring out what to do with your life? Way more than I realized at the start of this interview. When I sought out to interview a paranormal investigator, I just...
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5. Transforming Childhood Pain into Adult Power: Ruben Briseno Reveles, Artist & Energetic Alchemist
"The good news: you’re a hero. The bad news: you have to save yourself.” (Sam Lamott) Dark and light, grief and hope - Ruben Briseno Reveles is a master of duality. By day he’s the general manager of a bustling Sacramento restaurant - by night he’s an artist, photographer, and self-proclaimed...
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4. No Epiphanies Necessary: Ilana Blasingame - Media Wizard and Creative Survivor
“The creative adult is the child who survived.” (Ursula K. Le Guin) Ilana Blasingame has a job in TV that’s dynamic, collaborative, and uniquely ties together the values that she holds in the rest of her life. Her creative childhood ideas have found purchase in her adult life, which is pretty…
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3. Taking the Long View on Your Life's Work: Mitch Steiger, Lobbyist & Labor Union Advocate
Today, Mitch Steiger has his dream job as a lobbyist with the California Labor Federation - a place where his whole purpose is to make conditions safer and more secure for every other worker in the state. But his career path didn’t start there - not even close. At the beginning of the road Mitch...
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2. Making Choices and Following Childhood Dreams: Tamara Carter, Attorney, Mother, & Jeopardy Lover
As a little girl, Tamara Carter always wanted to be a lawyer - and unlike most childhood dreams, this one actually stuck; she’s now a successful attorney practicing in California. But the road to her goals looked far different than she thought it would: detours, obstacles, and changes in...
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1. Unexpected Turns - Curtis Buzanski, MFT and Sage Jedi Master
Today, Curtis Buzanski is a respected addiction and trauma therapist, but throughout his journey he's been called many other things: Addict, criminal, trucker, poet: the road to his present day vocation was paved with unexpected turns. Tune in for a story of recovery, perseverance, and...
About this show
What if life is less about having all the answers, and more about living the questions?Each week we'll explore an inquiry that can deepen understanding of self, loved ones, and life. Grab a journal and write out your answers or simply listen in: it's time to meet yourself and life on a completely new level.
Hosted by
Melissa Pennel