The Artist & Depression: An Interview with Matthew Perryman Jones

I’m beyond excited to share today’s podcast interview with you. Several weeks back, I sat down with Matthew Perryman Jones, one of the most truly gifted artists I know. As happens every time we connect, our conversation trailed off into distant fascinating lands and two and a half hours later, time’s up and I realize I’ve got some serious editing to do (which was really hard because every bit of our conversation was so valuable!)

Not only am I eager to share his story today, I’m blown away by the application it has for you and I, no matter if you’re an artist OR struggle with any shade of depression.

MPJ is one of my absolute favorite singer/songwriters. I love what American Songwriter Magazine wrote about him regarding his writing and song “Land of the Living,” which was featured in Oscar nominated film Manchester By the Sea’s official trailer. (Featured on the podcast.)

“MPJ’s songwriting acumen could easily be used as a musical template to demonstrate how less can be so much more. Land of the Living sounds cinematic and slowly worms its way inside your brain, feasts upon your emotions, and ultimately burrows down into your soul. It could be said that Matthew makes soul music — not based on how it sounds, but on where it originates and where it resides.”

I’ve always connected so deeply with his songs, and perhaps more importantly, his voice. However, his voice, as you will learn, did not come without a price. His journey’s been wrought with depression, anxiety, and at times, sheer panic and paranoia.

Today, he shares openly and vulnerably about those painful seasons and how he came to make peace with them, finding his voice along the way.

Please have a listen and sit with his story. It’s a redemption story—one that lends wisdom and clarity to our journey and all those painful questions along the way.

Also, if you haven’t already, check out his music! I look forward to having him back on the podcast to talk more about it as well as the writing process in general.

Love & Gratitude,

Katie

xoxo

{Video} Finding Your Voice (and an exciting announcement!)

“Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.”

-Rainer Maria Rilke

Sacred

One of my favorite things about music, and songs for that matter, is they help us access deep places of emotion mere words and conversation can’t touch. Melody, lyrics, and rhythm transport us to places we can’t analytically conjure up off the bat. It’s sacred, it’s cathartic, it’s inexplicable at times.

MPJ

Songs and the writers behind them are an invaluable gifts to our human experience. In step with this,  I’m thrilled to announce my upcoming podcast interview with the incomparable Matthew Perryman Jones. Of any singer/songwriter, Matthew has this downright uncanny ability to make me feel my feelings. I can’t run from the truth in his music.  His voice cuts straight to my core every time I hear it. Matthew’s truly a master of his craft, yet a humble one, as his journey’s been marked by crippling emotional pain and loss at times along the way.

Podcast

Part of the reason I started a podcast, (besides the fact that they are all I listen to these days!), is to bring to light the unexpected stories of great men and women we see crushing it in their field, whether creatives, humanitarians, writers, and innovators.

As you may know, It can be misleading if not discouraging to see these trailblazers on their public platforms, (especially social media), and assume they’ve lived a charmed life. Well, perhaps a few have, however, as I get to know these stories, so many have fought hard to get where they are and stand in their place of influence. I want to know how they’ve done it as this always seems to prop me up when I feel discouraged in my own journey of finding voice.

Enneagram

I can’t wait to bring you my conversation with Matthew. I believe so many of you will relate to his struggles, especially in terms of depression and anxiety. He’s a prolific poet, and singer’s singer, and a heart that bleeds kindness and compassion to everyone he meets. He’s also a 4w5 for you fellow enneagram nerds out there and describes how tool has helped in his overall emotional and spiritual journey.

If you want to get a head start on this very special podcast, check out Matthew’s work. Your soul will find a steady companion, one you’ll quickly realize isn’t going anywhere. Stay tuned!

Love & Gratitude,

Katie

xoxo

Where is Your Happy Place?

“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.”
-Anatole France

You’ve arrived

Where are you? What are the smells, the sounds, the landscape, the energy, and the people like? What emotions rise like a hot air balloon in your chest, slowly filling up with the gust of anticipation, of fun? What is the relationship that you have with this place? I bet it’s a very happy place, indeed.

Switcheroo

I get stuck. This happens about once every three months if I don’t give my surroundings a little switcheroo. Call it boredom, call it a shiny thing withdrawal, call it ADHD, call it whatever you will—but it’s true. As a result, I’ve learned it’s super important to intentionally seek out our happy places as often as possible, so we don’t get forgetful and lose perspective of the vast, diverse world we hold citizenship in.

Homebody

Perhaps you are thinking to yourself, “But I don’t need to go find my happy place, I’m a homebody, and my happy place is on the couch.” Okay, fair enough. We can dance theoretically here if you want. So, the couch is really your happy place; that’s awesome. However, if you’ve gotten comfortably numb while glued to Season 5 of House of Cards (guilty), and forgot what inspired feels like in your bones, it may be time to move around a little bit.

Don’t get me wrong, I love being at home. I love routine and ritual and rest…all those “r” words.  The older I get, I consider myself a homebody more and more. I love the control of it all, however, I can easily slip into the rut of complacency and self absorption, thinking the rest of the planet shares a striking resemblance to me.  Thankfully, it doesn’t!

New York

(One) of my happy places is New York City. I just got back from a week there to celebrate my birthday and do some much anticipated Brainspotting with the developer, Dr. David Grand. My nerd and city girl  were both fully satisfied, and It was glorious.  That said, I’ve very grateful.

When I conjure up my happy place, here’s what I envision:

I smell the steamy wafts of street vendors and food trucks hustling their curried meats, freshly baked pretzels, and savory egg and cheese sandwiches. I hear a slew of foreign languages fighting across streets to be heard; some bickering, some joking, and some sharing the latest juicy office gossip. I hear the bleating horns of cabs and the soulful strains of a singer- songwriter covering a Beatles tune in Central Park.

I see stunning, impossibly thin models smoking cigs and downing green juice on their way to a shoot.  In the same glance, the finance guys head back to Wall St. in their fitted John Varvatos and shiny watches after lunch. They’re shamelessly checking out the models.

All of it

The dreamy parks of the West Village teem with young dads swinging their kids and lovely older married couples drinking cappuccinos as they read the Times. They’ve seen a thing or two. Cafe owners fling wide their french doors and water the poppy colored pansies in the flower boxes. They thoughtfully write out the nights specials on a chalkboard and do a quick tasting of the night’s featured wines with a tiny, well-versed staff.

It’s the quirky innovation of the Highline, the classic majesty of Central Park, the edgy grit of Tribecca, the polished panache of the Upper West Side, the sweaty stench of the subway, the esteemed fashion houses of Soho, and the sprawling boldness of Brooklyn. All of it makes me intensely happy.

Faces of God

As you may gather, the City lights me up. Sure, there are other cities I adore, however, not many cities lend this visceral gift of inspiration and pulsing energy. It’s constant, messy, creative, gorgeous, exhausting, delicious…it’s life.
One of the many reasons this is my happy place is I see so many beautifully diverse faces of God. By this I mean, I’m reminded that God is pure love and creativity, and thus far bigger and better than we can possibly fit into a box.
My world shrinks up if I don’t intentionally commit to a bit of wandering. Wandering reminds me there’s an insane amount of life out there and it doesn’t look just like me. When I am in my happy place, It’s impossible NOT to see the bigger picture.

Zoom out.

If we take a wide-lens camera and zoom out really far, I think the overall footprint is love. It’s far more recognizable than hate, though hate desperately fights to be seen and heard. So, this is my invitation to you: go find the place that reminds you of life’s brilliant color, possibility, and love. You don’t have to get on a plane or spend a bunch of money. However, you may need to wander off the familiar path (or couch). Where is your happy place? Is it the ocean? The mountains?  Perhaps your the park down the street.  Whatever that place is, I’d love to know all about it…

Love & Gratitude,

katie

xoxo

A Brainspotting Session with Dr. Grand

“Where we look affects how we feel.”

-Dr. David Grand

It’s 4:30 am and I’m wide awake. In fact, I haven’t slept a wink. Sure, I struggle on and off with insomnia, but that isn’t the reason for this lack-of-shut-eye situation.

I’ve got a bad case of fan girl. By the time you read this, I will have already had my highly anticipated, seriously geeked out over, 90-minute session with Dr. David Grand, psychotherapist, writer, humanitarian, and performance coach, perhaps most well known for developing brainspotting. That’s right, I’m about to get brainspotted by the original brainspotter.

If you are unfamiliar with Dr. Grand and his groundbreaking method, hop on YouTube and check out his informative 101 video. It’s a great introduction.

Throughout the last several years, I’ve become more and more fascinated by the brain, its incredible capacity to heal itself, and the beautiful mind-body connection. I’ve experienced remarkable personal breakthrough throughout the past year using brainspotting in my own therapy, so naturally, when the opportunity arose to connect with Dr. Grand at his NYC office this week, I did a triple salchow at the chance. (Or something like that.)

I’m beyond grateful for this opportunity and can’t wait to share how it goes with you (video below).

If you’re intrigued, want to learn more about, or set up a brainspotting session, I’d love to connect. It’s a powerful resource that offers accelerated breakthrough for past trauma, emotional pain, as well as performance anxiety and enhancement.

Alright my friends, I’ll see you on the other side…and then…it’s nap time. 

Love & Gratitude,

Katie
xoxo

LOOKING FOR MORE INFO ON BRAINSPOTTING?

Read: “Forgiveness: How to Find Freedom from the Past“

{VIDEO} Therapy Packages Are Here (so let’s crush the second half of 2017)

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you.” 

-Maya Angelou

Jumpstart

Here we are already in June. 2017 is bounding forth. In fact, we are already half way through the year. I’m a big fan of any reason to jumpstart newness, growth, and positive change, so naturally, June always presents with the opportunity to take inventory of where we’ve been and where we’re going. I love a good excuse to evolve.

Therapy

So many people have the wrong idea about therapy. Perhaps I was guilty of criticism at some point. However, I’d like to challenge some faulty ideas around therapy, what it is, and who needs it. I’d also love to invite you into some exciting new opportunities to thrive I’ve got cooking for you.

More

Thankfully, our culture is also evolving and warming up to the idea that in fact, psychotherapy isn’t for crazy, weak, and troubled souls. There are so many types and levels of therapy, however, in my book,therapy is for anyone who longs for more: more self-awareness, more success, more joy, more healing, more creativity, and more healthy relationships to name a few. It is also for anyone who simply feels stuck and needs a safe place to process and heal from life’s often bloody punches. Therapy is not for the weak, its very much for the strong; those willing to look in painful corners, unlikely places, and perhaps blocked spaces in time in order to create a vibrant and joy-filled path forward. Therapy requires a ton of courage.

Uplevel

Also keep in mind that there doesn’t necessarily need to be a lack or deficiency present to validate investing time and resources into therapy. I work with countless clients who really just want to take their whole life to the next level and need the support, accountability, and structure necessary for that upleveling.

Full

I like to see the glass half full, and with that in mind, we’ve got six full, promising months ahead in 2017. This month, I’m rolling out a new model of therapy I’ve been building for a while now. I’m offering highly personalized therapeutic packages lasting anywhere from three to twelve months, depending on the specific needs of the client.

Three Things

I’ve found that we thrive in tangible and systematic ways when three things are present: structure, ritual, and guidance. As a therapist, I like to see myself as a guide of sorts who doesn’t necessarily have advice or answers to dole out, but who carries a bright flashlight and a slew of tools as I walk alongside you, creating safety and drawing out insight that’s already locked deep inside.

Reach

If this type of partnership sounds intriguing or at all appetizing to you in this stage of your journey, I’d love to connect! Learn more about this new way of therapy by inquiring here. I’d love to empower and help you specialize a beautifully designed path forward. I believe your best life is very much in reach—I’d be honored to guide you deeper into the process.

Love & Gratitude,

Katie
xoxo