Your Odyssey Podcast

Tara Alexandra & Karen Novy
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to Your Odyssey—the podcast where soul meets story and growth gets personal. Each episode is an invitation to come home to yourself—beyond the noise, the roles, and the shoulds. Hosted by Tara and Karen, Your Odyssey explores the real, raw, and redemptive parts of the human experience. From identity and healing to joy and self-trust, we’re holding space for honest conversations that meet you where you are—and gently call you forward. Whether you’re just beginning or already becoming, you belong here. This is your odyssey. Let’s walk it together.

  1. 8h ago

    What If You Already Know? Moving Beyond the Search for Certainty

    Are you waiting for clarity, or are you really waiting for certainty? Many of us spend so much time researching, praying, asking for advice, and weighing every possible outcome that we never move forward. It’s rarely because we don’t know what to do; instead, we’re hoping someone or something will remove the risk of making the “wrong” choice. We're exploring the difference between clarity and certainty, why we keep negotiating with ourselves even after we know the truth, and how self-trust grows when we’re willing to take the next honest step. You’ll also hear: How overthinking often masks fear The hidden cost of waiting for the "perfect" answer How to recognize when you’re negotiating with yourself How self-trust grows through action, not certainty If you're learning to trust your own voice again, this episode is an invitation to stop negotiating with what you already know. Follow us on Instagram! Music:   Opening/Interlude/Outro: Love Is Waiting Featured Song: I Choose - India.Arie Playlists: Spotify - Volume 2 YouTube Music - Volume 2 Chapters (00:00:03) - The Ode to Personal Growth(00:00:36) - What If You Already Know What You Need to Do?(00:06:33) - Karen on When She's Ready to Make a Change(00:11:32) - When is the Right Time to Do Something?(00:12:04) - Why I Delayed Getting Out of Relationships(00:16:09) - Coming Into Love: The Fear of Disappointment(00:19:20) - Karen on Fear of Making a Decision(00:23:10) - Why You Should Choose Your Own Life(00:26:22) - Sitting With What You Know(00:27:57) - I Choose(00:30:18) - What is One Truth That You Negotiated With?(00:33:06) - Follow Your Heart

  2. Jul 14

    The Voice Beneath the Noise: Learning to Trust Your Inner Knowing

    Advice is everywhere… Podcasts. Books. Social media. Experts. AI. Friends and family. Information has never been more accessible, but has that abundance actually made it easier to trust ourselves? In this episode, we're exploring the difference between information and discernment, and why learning to recognize the quiet voice beneath the noise may be one of our most important skills. Together, we'll unpack the voices competing for our attention and explore how to reconnect with the wisdom that's been within us all along. In this episode: Why more information doesn't always create more clarity The difference between fear, criticism, and inner knowing How discernment helps us navigate a noisy world Why your truest voice rarely needs to shout Gentle practices for reconnecting with yourself Follow us on Instagram! Music:   Opening/Interlude/Outro: Love Is Waiting Featured Song: Animal - MILCK Playlists: Spotify - Volume 2 YouTube Music - Volume 2 Chapters (00:00:03) - The OVODA Podcast(00:00:53) - How Do We Know Which Voice Is Real?(00:05:21) - The Inner Voices(00:08:49) - 4 Voices You Need to Listen To(00:14:29) - Critical Voices and their Impact(00:18:10) - "Milk Animal"(00:19:59) - What If You Could Turn the Voice Down?(00:24:08) - Exploring Durham

  3. Jul 7

    Rebuilding Self-Trust One Honest Choice at a Time

    What if self-trust isn't something you lose, but something you can rebuild? Many of us spend years looking outside ourselves for answers, approval, and certainty. We second-guess our instincts, overthink our decisions, and wonder why trusting ourselves feels so difficult. In this episode, we're exploring how self-doubt often develops as an adaptation rather than a character flaw—and why rebuilding self-trust begins with understanding what happened, not judging ourselves for where we are. Together, we'll explore the difference between confidence and self-trust, why so many of us outsource our authority, and how honoring small moments of inner knowing can begin restoring one of the most important relationships we'll ever have: the relationship with ourselves. In this episode: Why self-doubt is often an adaptation—not a flaw The difference between confidence and self-trust How we learn to disconnect from our inner wisdom Small ways to begin rebuilding trust in yourself Why honoring your own voice matters Follow us on Instagram! Music:   Opening/Interlude/Outro: Love Is Waiting Featured Song: North - Sleeping at Last Playlists: Spotify - Volume 2 YouTube Music - Volume 2 Chapters (00:00:03) - The OVODA Podcast(00:00:53) - Why We Don't Trust Our Own Inner Knowing(00:05:19) - How To Stop Beating Up On Yourself(00:10:20) - Self-Trust and Self-Doubt(00:13:49) - Self-Trust and Self-Confidence(00:16:57) - Self-Trust and the Uncertainty(00:22:08) - Walking Through Your Own Self-Trust(00:25:12) - This Week's Song: North by Sleeping at Last(00:27:12) - Lean In: Trust Yourself This Summer(00:30:00) - "Trust Yourself"(00:31:17) - Episode 1 of Yo Podcast

  4. Jun 30

    Rediscovering the Courage to Create

    What if creativity isn't a talent reserved for a gifted few? What if it's part of what makes us human? In the final episode of our Joy & Aliveness series, Tara and Karen are joined by the founder of Stage & Spirit, Veronique MacRae, for a conversation about creativity, identity, and the courage to express what's already within us. Together, they explore how many adults slowly disconnect from creativity because they begin believing it belongs to someone else. They discuss the freedom that comes from redefining what it means to be an artist, the connection between creativity and emotional well-being, and why creating isn't about perfection or performance. In This Episode Why creativity belongs to everyone Releasing limiting definitions of "artist" Creativity as self-expression and healing The connection between play, joy, and expression Reclaiming imagination in adulthood Finding the courage to create without perfection Whether your canvas is a journal, a garden, a stage, a kitchen, a classroom, or simply the way you love people, this episode is an invitation to remember that you were created to create. Follow us on Instagram! Music:   Opening/Interlude/Outro: Love Is Waiting Featured Song: Renegades - X Ambassadors Playlists: Spotify - Volume 2 YouTube Music - Volume 2 Chapters (00:00:03) - The OVODA Podcast(00:00:53) - Celebrating the Creative Process(00:03:11) - In This Season: Celebrating the Arts(00:04:55) - How to Be an Artist(00:07:41) - Chris: The Boxes of Creativity(00:12:33) - What Do You See That Surprises People Most When They Connect With(00:16:01) - Reasons to Create: Renegades by Ex Ambassadors(00:19:41) - Where in Your Life Are You Being Invited to Create?(00:22:10) - Yo Podcast: The Desire to Create

  5. Jun 23

    What Do You Want? Relearning Desire and Reconnecting with Yourself

    What brings you joy? For many people, that question is surprisingly difficult to answer. After years of responsibility, caregiving, achievement, and doing what needs to be done, it's easy to lose touch with what we actually enjoy, desire, or long for. We become experts at managing life while forgetting how to participate in it. In this episode, Tara and Karen explore the hidden cost of disconnecting from ourselves and why reclaiming joy often begins with a simple but powerful question: What do I want? Together, they discuss curiosity, desire, self-expression, and the small breadcrumbs that can guide us back to what makes us feel most alive. In This Episode Why many adults struggle to identify what brings them joy The hidden cost of suppressing who you are Relearning desire after years of responsibility Following curiosity as a compass Self-expression and emotional well-being Small ways to reconnect with yourself Follow us on Instagram! Music:   Opening/Interlude/Outro: Love Is Waiting Featured Song: Dancing in the Moonlight - King Harvest Playlists: Spotify - Volume 2 YouTube Music - Volume 2 Chapters (00:00:03) - The OVODA Podcast(00:00:53) - What Really Brings Me Joy?(00:05:11) - What Do You Want For Your Life?(00:11:02) - How to Find Joy in Life(00:13:39) - How to Find More Joy in Life(00:16:37) - Dancing in the Moonlight(00:17:44) - What Breadcrumb of Joy Are You Following This Week?(00:19:10) - What Makes You Come Alive?

  6. Jun 16

    Joy - Your Birthright

    As part of our June series, Joy & Aliveness, we're revisiting one of the earliest conversations from the Your Odyssey archives. What if joy isn't something you have to earn? Many of us have been taught to treat joy as a reward—something that comes after the work is done, after the healing happens, or after life becomes easier. But what if joy was never meant to be a prize waiting at the finish line? In this conversation, Tara and Karen explore the idea that joy is a fundamental part of who we are. Not because life is always easy. Not because difficult emotions disappear. But because joy can exist alongside grief, uncertainty, challenge, and change. Together, they discuss the duality of joy, why we often lose touch with it, and simple ways to reconnect through gratitude, laughter, movement, presence, and wonder. In This Episode Why joy is more than a fleeting emotion The difference between happiness and joy How joy can coexist with difficult seasons Simple practices for reconnecting with delight Remembering what has always been available to you Why We're Revisiting This Episode Throughout this month's Joy & Aliveness series, we've been exploring the idea that joy isn't something we stumble upon after everything is fixed. It's something we return to. And this conversation reminds us that perhaps joy has been part of us all along. Whether you're hearing this episode for the first time or returning to it years later, we invite you to listen for what resonates now. Follow us on Instagram! Music:   Opening/Interlude/Outro: Love Is Waiting Featured Song: Walking on Sunshine - Katrina & The Waves

  7. Jun 9

    Joy Isn't Frivolous

    What if joy isn't something you earn, but something you need? In this episode, Tara and Karen challenge the belief that joy is frivolous, unproductive, or something to be put off until everything else is finished. They explore why play, curiosity, wonder, and delight are not distractions from healing but part of the healing itself. Through a thought-provoking conversation about our most essential human needs, they invite listeners to reconsider what it means to truly care for themselves. What if joy belongs alongside oxygen and water? What if making space for laughter, creativity, connection, and awe isn't selfish, but necessary? In This Episode Why joy doesn't have to be earned The connection between play and well-being How curiosity helps us stay open to life Releasing the belief that rest and delight are frivolous Why surviving and living are not the same thing Making room for wonder in everyday life If you've been postponing what brings you life until a "better time," this episode offers permission to stop waiting. Follow us on Instagram! Music:   Opening/Interlude/Outro: Love Is Waiting Featured Song: Joy - Voices of Fire Playlists: Spotify - Volume 2 YouTube Music - Volume 2 Chapters (00:00:00) - Welcome to Your Odyssey(00:00:58) - The Way Back to Joy(00:01:20) - When Did Joy Need Justification?(00:02:25) - Following the Breadcrumbs of Play(00:03:50) - Joy Is Essential(00:05:11) - Giving Your Nervous System What It Needs(00:06:35) - The Gift of Presence(00:07:10) - What Brings You to Life?(00:09:03) - The Power of Small Moments(00:10:16) - Joy and Grief Can Sit at the Same Table(00:11:28) - Joy Has Been Waiting for You(00:13:02) - Choosing Joy, Again and Again(00:13:22) - Song of the Week(00:15:07) - Question of the Day(00:16:07) - Wisdom to Carry With You(00:16:48) - Until Next Time(00:17:40) - Thank You for Exploring with Us

  8. Jun 2

    When Did You Stop Feeling Alive? Reconnecting with Joy, Presence & Yourself

    What if the reason you feel disconnected isn't that you've lost your purpose, but because you've lost touch with what makes you feel alive? In this episode of Your Odyssey Podcast, Tara and Karen explore the quiet ways we drift away from ourselves through responsibility, achievement, survival mode, and the endless pressure to keep doing more. Together, they unpack why joy doesn't live at the end of a completed to-do list, how aliveness often shows up in ordinary moments, and what it looks like to reconnect with the parts of yourself that have been waiting for your attention. In This Episode Why many women feel disconnected despite doing "everything right" The difference between functioning and feeling alive How achievement can quietly pull us away from ourselves Why joy isn't waiting at the finish line Small ways to reconnect with aliveness in everyday life If you've been functioning but not fully feeling, this conversation is an invitation to slow down, pay attention, and begin finding your way back. Follow us on Instagram! Music:   Opening/Interlude/Outro: Love Is Waiting Featured Song: Alive - Sia Playlists: Spotify - Volume 2 YouTube Music - Volume 2 Chapters (00:00:03) - The OVODA Podcast(00:00:53) - January Celebration: Joy(00:02:39) - What Comes First in Life?(00:08:22) - How to Find Joy in Your Life(00:11:59) - The Question of What Should I Do With My Life(00:15:54) - Thank You, Sia(00:16:56) - What is it about creativity that makes you most alive?(00:19:28) - Back to Joy(00:20:58) - Exploring Durham

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Welcome to Your Odyssey—the podcast where soul meets story and growth gets personal. Each episode is an invitation to come home to yourself—beyond the noise, the roles, and the shoulds. Hosted by Tara and Karen, Your Odyssey explores the real, raw, and redemptive parts of the human experience. From identity and healing to joy and self-trust, we’re holding space for honest conversations that meet you where you are—and gently call you forward. Whether you’re just beginning or already becoming, you belong here. This is your odyssey. Let’s walk it together.

Information

  • Creator
    Tara Alexandra & Karen Novy
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 1023 Media
  • Show Website
    Your Odyssey Podcast