Circle This

Good Mess Media
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Spirituality
  • Updated Weekly

CIRCLE THIS, The Anti-Small Talk Podcast. Deep, playful, and intimate conversations shedding light on how to create magic and meaning in our everyday lives. Andrea Bendewald invites her circle of friends which include innovators, authors, entrepreneurs, healers, and artists, to share their stories and practices for building and nurturing authentic relationships. These discussions, like circles, are an antidote to the loneliness epidemic, providing tangible evidence of our shared humanity, and guidance for cultivating deeper connections. Thank you for listening, sharing, and being a part of our expanding circle. Circle This is executive produced by Andrea Bendewald, and Emily Kratter. Edited, produced and distributed by Tracey Thomas and Good Mess media Photography by Cathrine White Stay connected with our Circle This Team: @andreabendewald @circlethispodcast @emkratter @goodmessmedia @talkwithtrace

  1. What Happens When Cops Sit In A Circle? With LAPD Officer Lyndon Barber

    1 day ago

    What Happens When Cops Sit In A Circle? With LAPD Officer Lyndon Barber

    In this episode, Dre sits down with former LAPD officer Lyndon Barber for a conversation about policing, loneliness, vulnerability, nervous systems, and what happens when people trained to suppress emotion are finally given permission to speak honestly. They explore how council-based practices (think circle) are transforming law enforcement from the inside out.       A 16-year veteran of the LAPD, including years in gang enforcement, Lyndon opens up about the hidden emotional toll of law enforcement, the "hero complex" inside police culture, surviving thyroid cancer in isolation, and the moment a council circle cracked something open in him.       Lyndon now helps lead the POWER Program through Beyond Us & Them,  bringing emotional regulation, mindfulness, and human connection into police units, prisons, and communities across the country.       What started as a training he thought looked "cultish" became a practice that transformed the way he leads, listens, regulates stress, and relates to both his fellow officers and the communities he serves.       Together, Dre and Lyndon explore:
how circles dissolve labels and uniforms…
why so many officers are silently struggling…
how mindfulness can de-escalate violence in real time…
and what becomes possible when people stop talking at each other and start listening human to human.       Follow: @beyondusandthem 
Learn more: Beyond Us & Them     --     Stay connected with the Circle This team: @andreabendewald @circlethispodcast @emkratter @goodmessmedia @talkwithtrace For sponsorship inquiries, email: circlethispod@gmail.com

    1hr 34min
  2. What the Dying Teach Us About Living with Olivia Bareham

    19 May

    What the Dying Teach Us About Living with Olivia Bareham

    In this episode, Dre sits down with death midwife, interfaith minister, mystic, and founder of Sacred Crossings, Olivia Bareham, for a conversation about death, grief, presence, and what it truly means to care for one another.       What began for Olivia during the AIDS crisis eventually became a lifelong devotion to helping people move through death with honesty, tenderness, dignity, and love. Together, they explore what our death-phobic culture avoids and what becomes possible when we stop looking away and remember we know how to be with death.       They talk about being present at the bedside of the dying, home funerals, conscious grieving, staying connected to loved ones who have passed, and why death may be one of our greatest teachers.       This conversation is open, grounding, unexpectedly life-affirming, and filled with wisdom about how to live with more presence now rather than with regrets at the end.       Dre also shares her own experience currently training with Olivia in death doula work — and how this path is changing the way she understands grief, community, and the sacredness of being human.       If you've ever lost someone, feared loss, avoided grief, or wondered how to better show up for the people you love… this episode will offer you much to contemplate.        Follow: @sacred_crossings Learn More At: https://sacredcrossings.com/     --     Stay connected with the Circle This team: @andreabendewald @circlethispodcast @emkratter @goodmessmedia @talkwithtrace
 For sponsorship inquiries, email: circlethispod@gmail.com

    1hr 20min
  3. The Midlife Portal: Grief, Truth, and the Second Act with Constance Zimmer & Abby Epstein

    5 May

    The Midlife Portal: Grief, Truth, and the Second Act with Constance Zimmer & Abby Epstein

    In this episode, Dre sits down with powerhouse actress/producer Constance Zimmer and filmmaker Abby Epstein, the collaborators behind The Midlife Monologues, for a conversation that goes straight to what's rarely said out loud and what needs to be heard.        They talk about the reality of midlife as it actually lands: identity shifts, grief, hormonal changes, loneliness, and the disorientation of becoming someone new without a roadmap. And then, the flip side, how powerful women in midlife actually are and are taking matters into their own hands when it comes to representation.       What began as one shared truth has grown into a body of work that invites women to speak without performance or pretense. From Dressing Room Confessions to their expanding projects, they're creating spaces where honesty breaks the silence—and real information is shared.        This conversation moves through what happens when we stop editing ourselves…
how shame dissolves when it's spoken…
and why even one person saying "I see you" can change everything.       It's not just about midlife.
It's about owning your voice, sharing your truth and what opens when we do it together.        Follow:  @constancezimmer, @abbyepsteinxoxo, @midlifemonologues, @mlifecollective, @talkfiftytome       Learn More:  https://themidlifecollective.co/     --       Stay connected with the Circle This team: @andreabendewald @circlethispodcast @emkratter @goodmessmedia @talkwithtrace   For sponsorship inquiries, email: circlethispod@gmail.com

    1hr 20min
  4. How To Stay Informed Without Spiraling with Jessica Yellin

    21 Apr

    How To Stay Informed Without Spiraling with Jessica Yellin

    In this episode, Dre sits down with journalist and News Not Noise founder Jessica Yellin for a conversation about how to stay informed without losing yourself in the process.       From her time as Chief White House Correspondent at CNN to now speaking directly to millions from her living room, Jessica shares the real story behind her evolution and the isolation, pressure, and purpose that came with it.  They get into the real impact of the 24/7 news cycle on the body, the mind, and the nervous system and why so many of us feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure what's even true anymore.       Jessica shares her concept of a "news diet," how algorithms are shaping our reality, and why uncertainty isn't failure, it's part of being awake in a complex world.       Together, they unpack:   -why "heart-centered news" is a radical shift   -how to build a news diet that supports your nervous system   -why local connection—not more information—may be the real antidote to the loneliness epidemic       Jessica offers a powerful reminder: you don't need to know everything in real time—but you do get to choose how you engage.       Follow: @JessicaYellin Substack: https://newsnotnoisejessicayellin.substack.com/ Learn More At:  https://newsnotnoise.com/     --       Stay connected with the Circle This team: @andreabendewald @circlethispodcast @emkratter @talkwithtrace @goodmessmedia 
 For sponsorship inquiries, email: circlethispod@gmail.com

    1hr 23min
  5. Proof of Miracles: Signs, Synchronicity & Everyday Magic with Dre & Em

    7 Apr

    Proof of Miracles: Signs, Synchronicity & Everyday Magic with Dre & Em

    In this episode, Dre and Em follow the thread of signs, synchronicities, and the moments that feel too precise to be random.       From a spontaneous "Sing with Emily" exchange echoed  by a billboard, to ladybugs showing up at pivotal life and creative moments, to standing on the exact New York corner described in a voice note as it plays—they track the patterns that blur the line between coincidence and connection.       They break down the difference between signs and synchronicity (a term coined by Carl Jung), and explore insights from Laura Lynne Jackson on where these messages may come from—whether universal energy, spirit guides, or loved ones who have crossed.       Regardless of where the signs originate, they have a playful conversation about the meaning and the magic of it all.     --       Stay connected with the Circle This team: @andreabendewald @circlethispodcast @emkratter @goodmessmedia @talkwithtrace For sponsorship inquiries: circlethispod@gmail.com

    31 min
  6. Quietly Quitting A Life That Doesn't Fit: Reclaiming Self with Monica Corcoran Harel

    31 Mar

    Quietly Quitting A Life That Doesn't Fit: Reclaiming Self with Monica Corcoran Harel

    In this episode Monica Corcoran Harel, screenwriter, bestselling author and founder of PRETTY RIPE and author of the viral essay "The Women Quietly Quitting Their Husbands" joins for a conversation that goes straight to the truth many women have been living but not naming.       What happens when the life you've built no longer fits?       Monica shares how her popular essays tap into a larger cultural shift—where women are questioning endurance, redefining marriage, and choosing agency over performance. The conversation moves into parenting and the practice of letting go, the pull between external transformation and internal acceptance, and the desire to feel fully alive in your own life.       Together they circle around noticing where you've gone quiet… and what it might take to come back to your partnership and ultimately yourself.       Follow Monica: @prettyripe Learn More At: www.prettyripe.com         --         Stay connected with the Circle This team: @andreabendewald @circlethispodcast @emkratter @goodmessmedia @talkwithtrace For sponsorship inquiries, email: circlethispod@gmail.com

    1hr 29min
  7. Beyond Us & Them: Circle Practices Transforming Prisons, Police & People with Jared Seide

    24 Mar

    Beyond Us & Them: Circle Practices Transforming Prisons, Police & People with Jared Seide

    In this episode of Circle This, Dre sits down with Jared Seide, Executive Director of Beyond Us & Them, a groundbreaking nonprofit bringing compassion, connection, and real tools for transformation into some of the most unlikely places—prisons, law enforcement agencies, healthcare systems, and policy spaces.       Through circle and council practices, along with mindfulness-based techniques, Jared and his team train individuals within these systems to develop self-awareness, emotional regulation, and authentic connection.       These programs go beyond "let's all get along" energy, this is deep, embodied work that is actively shifting how humans relate to themselves and each other inside systems that are rooted in separation and "othering."       Together, they explore what happens when we interrupt the "us versus them" narrative and create spaces where people are truly seen, heard, and humanized. From incarcerated individuals experiencing profound connection to themselves and one another, to police officers learning resilience and relational intelligence, to communities finding their way back to belonging—this conversation reveals what becomes possible when there is an invitation to see beyond the mask and connect on the soul level.       Jared shares the science behind circling and council, including measurable physiological changes that occur when we practice real listening and authentic expression. They unpack why social connection is as vital as food and water, and what it takes to bring this work into environments built on survival, hierarchy, and division.       This is a conversation about re-humanization, choosing connection over contraction and remembering that we were never meant to do this alone.       This conversation is filled with evidence of hope, that real change is possible through practical tools of connection and it all starts with sitting in a circle.        Learn more and support the work at beyondusandthem.org Use code CIRCLE20 for 20% off their merchandise and help spread the message.       Explore Jared's book Where Compassion Begins for deeper practice.       Sign up for the Beyond Us & Them newsletter and follow them on social media @beyondusandthem     --       Stay connected with the Circle This team: @andreabendewald @circlethispodcast @emkratter @goodmessmedia @talkwithtrace 
For sponsorship inquiries, email: circlethispod@gmail.com

    1hr 34min
  8. Representation Is the Remedy: Being Truly Seen with Jenna Laurenzo

    17 Mar

    Representation Is the Remedy: Being Truly Seen with Jenna Laurenzo

    Award-winning filmmaker, writer, actor, and creative force Jenna Laurenzo joins Dre and Emily for a conversation about storytelling, representation, and the courage to create the stories we long to see.       When Jenna entered the film industry, she quickly realized that the stories reflecting her own experience as a queer woman were largely missing. Instead of waiting for them to appear, she began creating them herself. Her award-winning film Lez Bomb and the viral Girl Night Stand series opened doors for representation, humor, and deeply human storytelling to take center stage.       In this episode, they circle the idea that representation itself can be a remedy, when we see ourselves reflected in story, something inside connects and we realize we are not alone.     Together they explore how writing can help us metabolize emotion, why humor often lives alongside grief, and how shared experiences of art, laughing, crying, and witnessing stories can reconnect us to our own humanity.       Jenna also shares her reflections on creative resistance, building safe and collaborative spaces on set, the loneliness that can exist even within community, and the deeper pursuit of our soul's expression.     To follow Jenna or find out more about her work: @jennalaurenzo  www.jennalaurenzo.com     --       Stay connected with the Circle This team: @andreabendewald @circlethispodcast @emkratter @goodmessmedia @talkwithtrace For sponsorship inquiries, email: circlethispod@gmail.com

    1hr 29min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

CIRCLE THIS, The Anti-Small Talk Podcast. Deep, playful, and intimate conversations shedding light on how to create magic and meaning in our everyday lives. Andrea Bendewald invites her circle of friends which include innovators, authors, entrepreneurs, healers, and artists, to share their stories and practices for building and nurturing authentic relationships. These discussions, like circles, are an antidote to the loneliness epidemic, providing tangible evidence of our shared humanity, and guidance for cultivating deeper connections. Thank you for listening, sharing, and being a part of our expanding circle. Circle This is executive produced by Andrea Bendewald, and Emily Kratter. Edited, produced and distributed by Tracey Thomas and Good Mess media Photography by Cathrine White Stay connected with our Circle This Team: @andreabendewald @circlethispodcast @emkratter @goodmessmedia @talkwithtrace

Information

  • Creator
    Good Mess Media
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    70
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    Circle This

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