Bowing To Elephants Podcast Mag Dimond

Welcome to the final episode of the Bowing to Elephants Podcast. It is with bittersweet feelings that I announce I'm discontinuing the podcast, just for the time being. Life is calling me to address different creative work right now. I appreciate all of you who have steadfastly listened to the show. Here today to help me reflect on the last six months and discuss my next adventure is my friend and cohort, Ben Gioia. 
What You Hear/Learn/Discover [1:40]  Mag explains why she started the podcast in the first place. 
[03:08] Mag talks about her successes and disappointments with the podcast and what she learned along the way. 
[4:48] Ben and Mag discuss the array of guests that joined the show.
[8:53]  Mag shares her next steps now that the podcast is on pause. 
[11:16] Mag answers the question, “If you could have one more person on your podcast, alive or deceased, who would it be?” 
[13:05]  Ben and Mag discuss the recent death of Thich Nhat Hanh, his life, his legacy, and his poetry. 
[14:46] Mag talks about her food memoir and how she’ll now have the time to complete it. 
[15:42]  Mag invites her listeners to stay in contact with her.
[17:19] Ben talks about the bittersweetness of ending the podcast and his anticipation for Mag’s upcoming book. 
Quotes  “I wanted to showcase human beings’ sense of adventure and curiosity, their endurance, and their innate wisdom. So I went looking for wise, compassionate, interesting, and creative souls to join me in the conversation.”
“I'm pausing [the podcast] so that I can read more books, and more importantly, so I can complete my food memoir,…so I can travel,…and complete an intensive training to be a meditation leader.”
Resources https://magdimond.com/
Appreciation From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for being here. If you haven't already, come join the community!
 
Instagram: https://instagram.com/magdimondauthor
Website: https://bowingtoelephantspodcast.com
 
If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to rate and review this podcast.

Jill Mott is a “cultural lens shapeshifter,” photographer, and photojournalist who brings a unique, sparkling energy to everything she does. Armed with only her camera and imagination, she once traveled the world from England to Zimbabwe… with a stop in Italy for art school! Today, Jill teaches and shares her understanding of communication and storytelling — across a myriad of forms — particularly with the camera. 
Jill lives in beautiful Fort Collins, Colorado with her husband and family. Her work has been recognized by the National Press Photographers Association. She’s exhibited her work in solo shows and group exhibitions around the country. 
What You Hear/Learn/Discover [0:22] Guest introduction
[2:38]  Jill explains why she qualifies herself as a “cultural lens shapeshifter.”
[6:07] Jill shares insights from her experiences as a teacher.  
[10:00] Jill talks about her charity work with the Fort Collins Museum of Art.
[21:07] Mag and Jill discuss Jill’s years living in Zimbabwe and how it impacted her art long-term. 
[25:45] Discover how Jill met her husband while working on a joint project in Africa. 
[28:36] Jill talks about art forms, storytelling, and encouraging her students in their work.  
[31:25] Mag talks about how journalism has evolved over the last several decades. 
[33:21]  Jill answers the question, “If an autobiography or biography was going to be written about your life, what would the title be?”
Quotes  “I began my journey in Zimbabwe after working in newspapers for two decades. I'd always wanted to go to Africa, and of course, I was influenced by those National Geographic covers…Africa always seemed to be a distant place that I was attracted to, and I thought, “Well, what if my prince charming isn't in America?”
Connect with Jill Mott http://www.jillpmottphotography.com/
 
Social media:
https://www.instagram.com/jillpmottphotography/
https://twitter.com/JillPMott
https://www.facebook.com/jillpmottphotography/
 
Appreciation From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for being here. If you haven't already, come join the community!
Instagram: https://instagram.com/magdimondauthor
Website: https://bowingtoelephantspodcast.com
 
If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to rate and review this podcast.

Andrew and Liya Truong are stunningly talented chefs. They own and run Terrapin Creek Cafe & Restaurant in the sleepy, small town of Bodega Bay, California. Their fantastic menu garnered them a Michelin Star in 2011. And they have the love and devotion of Bodega Bay citizens and all those traveling along the coast who happen to stop by for a bite. 
Liya and Andrew met at culinary school in the early 2000s. Each went on to work at high-end San Francisco restaurants before marrying in 2007 and opening Terrapin Creek Cafe in 2008 (And succeeding, during a recession!). When not working at Terrapin Creek, you can find the Truongs caring for their three children. 
What You Hear/Learn/Discover [2:38]  Andrew & Liya share how they bought their restaurant, Terrapin Creek Cafe.
[04:14] Learn how Bodega Bay has embraced their cafe.
[7:24] Liya explains how growing up around her family’s restaurant influenced her culinary tastes. 
[9:04]  Andrew and Liya discuss how hard it is to make it in the restaurant world. 
[11:02] Mag, Andrew, and Liya talk about how the restaurant grew and expanded.
[13:38] Leah and Andrew explain how their college degrees in economics and computer science help them run their business.  
[17:14] The guests share their favorite items on their restaurant menu. 
[19:54]  Andrew & Liya talk about their Michelin star.
[23:49] Liya and Andrew answer the question, “If you were going to invite fellow chefs to have dinner with you, who would you invite? And what would you make?”
[30:00] Andrew & Liya talk about balancing work and home life. 
Quotes  “I love how fresh we keep everything and how the food that we serve is actually helpful, whole food. We try to prepare it minimally. And I can eat it every day and feel good. You know, it's not loaded with fats or starch. It's balanced.”  “For the longest time, it was just Andrew and me. I was in the kitchen. He was in the kitchen, and then when the restaurant was open, he would be on the floor serving, and I'd be cooking.” Connect with Andrew & Liya https://www.terrapincreekcafe.com/  
Appreciation From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for being here. If you haven't already, come join the community!
Instagram: https://instagram.com/magdimondauthor
Website: https://bowingtoelephantspodcast.com
 
If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to rate and review this podcast.

An author, a poet, and phenomenal woman, Bella Mahaya Carter is a writing teacher and coach who promotes self-awareness and mindfulness. Bella believes in the power of writing to heal and transform lives. She sees publishing one’s work as an opportunity to deepen self-awareness, nourish meaningful connections, and delight in peak experiences while being of service.  Her latest book, Where Do You Hang Your Hammock? is a delightful, funny, and deadly serious book that reminds the reader over and over how far self-awareness can take you. She’s also the author of her memoir, Raw: My Journey From Anxiety to Joy, and a book of poetry, Secrets of My Sex. What You Hear/Learn/Discover [2:47]  Bella explains how her blog inspired her latest book. 
[05:13] Bella answers the question, “What’s the key takeaway you want readers to get from your book?”
[9:33] Bella talks about her memoir. 
[12:07] Bella shares how she didn’t even realize she struggled with anxiety, not until it was a full-blown problem. 
[15:02] Discover why Bella sees a snow globe as a metaphor for anxiety and disordered thinking.
[18:06] Mag and Bella discuss their childhoods.
[22:48] Bella talks about how Pablo Neruda and Jon Kabat-Zinn have influenced her.
[27:08] Bella explains how a back injury ended her professional dancing career, but she still loves dancing and moving her body. 
[29:24] Mag and Bella discuss the difference between “knowing in the mind and knowing in the body.” 
Quotes  “Of course, the only reason to read a memoir…is that we're looking for our own experience, right? We're looking to see our own lives reflected so that we get a sense of how to navigate our own lives.” 
 
“I started creating choreography. I loved that because I was interested in telling stories, and it didn't really matter the form that my storytelling took. I was telling stories through dance.”
 
Resources Bella’s books:
 
Where Do You Hang Your Hammock?: Finding Peace of Mind While You Write, Publish, and Promote Your Book
Raw: My Journey from Anxiety to Joy
Secrets of My Sex
Connect with Bella Mahaya Carter https://www.bellamahayacarter.com/
 
Social media:
https://www.facebook.com/BellaMahayaCarter/
https://twitter.com/BellaMahaya
https://www.instagram.com/bellamahayacarter/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bella-mahaya-carter-18570914/
 
Appreciation From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for being here. If you haven't already, come join the community!
Instagram: https://instagram.com/magdimondauthor
Website: https://bowingtoelephantspodcast.com
 
If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to rate and review this podcast.

A creative soul and lifelong scholar, Sands Hall is a blessing to everyone who meets her. She shares her brilliant spark in many ways: as a teacher, musician, actor, and writer. And today, she joins us to talk about her moving memoir, Reclaiming My Decade Lost in Scientology. In her memoir, Sands shares what first led her to Scientology, the darker undercurrents of Ron L. Hubbard’s leadership, and how she eventually disentangled herself from the Church. 
Sands is also the author of a novel, Catching Heaven, and a writer’s handbook, Tools of The Writer’s Craft. She has extensive theater experience as a playwright, actor, and director. A woman of many talents, Sands is also a singer and songwriter. She currently resides in California, where she teaches at Franklin University and Marshall College. 
What You Hear/Learn/Discover [0:26]  Guest introduction
[03:00] Sands explains why she loves to teach. 
[6:16] Sands shares how her brother’s injury drove her to Scientology. 
[10:00] Find out why studying the sacred works is an integral part of any religion.
[12:16] Mag and Sands talk about how we cope with chaos in our lives. 
[13:17] Sands explains why she considers Scientology to be a cult.
[16:37]  Mag and Sands discuss the commonalities between all major religions. 
[28:56] Sands talks about the difference between our individual purpose and constructed belief systems. 
[32:55] Discover why Sands didn’t get hung up on whether her memoir would be published or not. 
[37:19] Sands answers the question, “What three creative geniuses would you invite to dinner if time and place weren’t a constraint?”
Quotes  “What attracted me so deeply to Scientology (and what I think attracts a great many people) is that it is so orderly. Everything in life is a big, messy thing. We're always confronting stuff. We're always facing stuff. We think we've got stuff sorted out, and then something else pops up to be a problem. And Scientology appears to offer this tremendous order in the way that it approaches life.”
Resources Sands’ books:
 
https://sandshall.com/catching-heaven/
https://sandshall.com/tools-of-the-writers-craft/
https://www.amazon.com/Flunk-Start-Reclaiming-Decade-Scientology
 
Connect with Sands Hall  https://sandshall.com/
 
Social media:
https://www.facebook.com/SandsHall.Writer/
https://www.instagram.com/sands.hall/
https://twitter.com/sands_hall
 
Appreciation From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for being here. If you haven't already, come join the community!
 
Instagram: https://instagram.com/magdimondauthor
Website: https://bowingtoelephantspodcast.com
If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to rate and review this podcast.

Meet Author Gretchen Cherington, who, after many years of silence, chose to share her story of abuse. Sexually molested by her father, Richard Eberhardt, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, Gretchen broke decades of silence to share what life with him was really like. Her memoir, Poetic License, is an authentic, brave piece of work that details what it was like growing up around literary geniuses such as Robert Frost and Allen Ginsberg.  
It wasn’t until Gretchen chose to share what happened that she could finally start to heal and discover the incredible freedom found in forgiveness: not for the forgiven, but for the person who makes the choice to forgive. 
Gretchen worked as an executive management consultant for 35 years, gaining powerful insights into what makes powerful men tick. Poetic License has won multiple awards, and Gretchen’s essays appear in multiple literary publications. When she’s not writing, Gretchen loves being outdoors.  
What You Hear/Learn/Discover [0:26] Guest introduction
[3:01]  Gretchen explains how she first started her memoir, Poetic License.
[11:18] Gretchen shares how her father sexually molested her when she was 17. 
[12:18] Mag and Gretchen discuss how writing a memoir forces you to face your deepest traumas and finally deal with them once and for all. 
[13:00]  Mag and Gretchen talk about their grandmothers’ significant influence on their lives growing up. 
[25:07] Gretchen shares details from her childhood and how her father left a “legacy of narcissism.” 
[30:30] Her famous father dominated her home growing up, but Gretchen was also profoundly impacted by her mother’s severe epilepsy. Gretchen opens up about how she never felt safe sharing her molestation with her mother. 
[44:00] Gretchen and Mag discuss how the pandemic gave writers and artists more time to focus on their work. 
Quotes  From Mag:
“Forgiveness is for the person who's doing the forgiving. It is not for the person who has been forgiven.”
 
From Gretchen:
“I will say that there was great value placed on success in my family. It was literary success…money didn't really matter. I mean, you know, he [my father] wanted enough to live on, but it didn't really matter.”
“I'm hopeful that as a culture, we can sort of stop mythologizing famous men and know them for who they actually are.”
Connect with Gretchen Cherington https://www.gretchencherington.com/
 
Social media:
https://www.facebook.com/gretchencheringtonauthor
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-cherington-612b3b7/
Appreciation From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for being here. If you haven't already, come join the community!
Instagram: https://instagram.com/magdimondauthor
Website: https://bowingtoelephantspodcast.com
 
If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to rate and review this podcast.