In This New Season Kailea Switzer

Kailea and Megan continue their deep dive into her identity as an artist and a mother. In this episode, they explore fears and insecurities that accumulate over time, and the limiting beliefs and fear of other people’s judgments that hold us back.

This episode explores:


The interruptions and time confetti of having kids – the challenge of working in bursts vs. having open-ended time.
Fear of people thinking, “she’s not a legitimate artist” (feeling like she had to be ALL IN or not in at all).
In early years of parenting, how hard it felt to justify time spent working on art (with no guarantee of earning income).
Feeling knocked off course by the pandemic and by the loss of her mom and realizing there may never be perfect conditions.
Kailea shares some practical tips:

Shifting the mindset of time: Let yourself work for 2 hours daily (and permission to release old requirement of 8-10 hours).
Setting a ‘zoom out’ goal – what would make me proud of myself in a year? (Ex: 10 paintings in a year, 1 painting a month approx. Track progress visually!)
Value identification: “Show my kids that I am brave enough to do it”.
What would success mean? Simplify and quantify it. Ex: I want to hold a show.

The loss of her mom and the sadness of feeling like her mom won’t get to see her succeed.
Can we have the courage to take ourselves seriously? Whose respect matters most? 

 

Find Megan’s art on Instagram @megansantstudio  

We are so grateful to our incredible sponsors. This episode is brought to you by: 


Made with Local: https://www.madewithlocal.com/
Mysa Nordic Spa & Resort: https://mysanordicspa.com/
Harvest Clean Eats: https://www.harvestcleaneats.ca/
Steff Sullivan Collective: https://www.steffsullivan.co/

 

Join the conversation over on Instagram @inthisnewseason. To find out more about Kailea’s practice visit www.kaileaswitzer.com.

In This New Season is recorded and produced by Greg Alsop at Don’t Wake Baby Studio: www.gregalsop.com    

Megan Sant is a friend of Kailea’s from Los Angeles (and she is married to Jack Shih, another podcast guest from this season). Megan is a trained fine arts painter. She shares her trajectory to becoming an artist, and how her career was impacted when she became a mother to her two daughters (ages 13 and 9). After the pandemic and loss of her mother, Megan has been trying to find her way back to her art. She shares the immense vulnerability required to reclaim this part of herself, and how much flexibility she needs to let it look differently than it once did. Megan is driven by the desire to model courage for her kids - this is something we can all learn from and be inspired by.

Megan’s path to becoming a painter, including attending the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore and attending graduate school at CalArts in Los Angeles. 
“Art World” beliefs Megan was exposed to such as: “You can’t be a serious artist before age 40”, “Painting isn’t a legitimate art form,” and “You need to be asked to have an art show”.
The dichotomy in her mind that formed: “You can either be a serious artist OR you can be a mother – you cannot be both”.
Do we want to be a “serious” artist by these definitions? Who makes up these rules? Can we reject them? Who are the gatekeepers of this world and what if we opt out? Can we create our own definition of legitimacy?
Can painting what is in front of me (as a mother) become radical in its own right?
Moving through the fears, insecurity and voices in our heads that tell us why we can’t do it.

 We are so grateful to our incredible sponsors. This episode is brought to you by: 

MacArthur’s Appliances: https://www.macarthurappliances.ca/
Made with Local: https://www.madewithlocal.com/
Steff Sullivan Collective: https://www.steffsullivan.co/

Join the conversation over on Instagram @inthisnewseason.
To find out more about Kailea’s practice visit www.kaileaswitzer.com.
In This New Season is recorded and produced by Greg Alsop at Don’t Wake Baby Studio: www.gregalsop.com

Stephanie McQuaid, also known as PEI’s “Redhead Roamer,” shares her personal experience with grief. Stephanie lost her mom 11 years ago, as well as 3 others who were close to her in the span of 10 months. She shares her beautiful wisdom from the most open-hearted place. It’s an episode we all can learn from and listening to Stephanie feels like a hug to the heart.

-Stephanie shares her experience of losing 4 close people over 10 months, including the loss of her mom.
-The experience of living with grief, and the pain of feeling alone in it.
-How everyone grieves differently and how challenging that can be.
-Stephanie’s experience with what to say and what not to say when someone is grieving.
-What coping for her looked and felt like, and learning to live alongside the pain.
-How we honour them today and signs that help us feel closer.
-How living with grief changes us and can help us live with a different perspective.

We are so grateful to our incredible sponsors. This episode is brought to you by: 

•Steff Sullivan Collective: https://www.steffsullivan.co/
•MacArthur’s Appliances: https://www.macarthurappliances.ca/
•Harvest Clean Eats: https://www.harvestcleaneats.ca/

 
Join the conversation over on Instagram @inthisnewseason.
To find out more about Kailea’s practice visit www.kaileaswitzer.com.
In This New Season is recorded and produced by Greg Alsop at Don’t Wake Baby Studio: www.gregalsop.com

Jack Shih is a friend of Kailea’s that she met while living in LA, teaching his daughter kindergarten. Jack is an Emmy Award-winning Animation Director and Producer. Jack worked on South Park for 20 years (Animation Director and Producer) and his recent projects include being a Director on Clone High, Little Demon, and Praise Petey. 


Jack’s experience growing up in a family that defended their positions, how he learned to always cover his bases, and how challenging someone can show intellectual respect


Who we can be draft versions of ourselves with?
Having a beginner’s mindset, and how challenging it is to be playful without expectation
Can we learn to be ok feeling embarrassed, or is the goal to not feel embarrassment at all? (Either by being so good, or genuinely not caring what others appraise you as?)
Being envious of naïve people (i.e. those who think they are good but are actually bad). How are some people unphased by this? Why do we experience second hand embarrassment on their behalf?
What do we wish for our kids when it comes to avoiding embarrassment? How do we model safety in trying?
Whose ‘eyes’ do we trust? Who can we soften into being a learner with? When we need clearly defined roles of ‘teacher’ vs. ‘student’ and seek the safety of an authentic leader but reject those who are not capable of providing real guidance.

We are so grateful to our incredible sponsors. This episode is brought to you by: 


Island Tides Yoga & Wellness Festival: https://islandtidesfestival.com/
MacArthur’s Appliances: https://www.macarthurappliances.ca/
Mysa Nordic Spa & Resort: https://mysanordicspa.com/
Steff Sullivan Collective: https://www.steffsullivan.co/

Join the conversation over on Instagram @inthisnewseason.

To find out more about Kailea’s practice visit www.kaileaswitzer.com.

In This New Season is recorded and produced by Greg Alsop at Don’t Wake Baby Studio: www.gregalsop.com

Jack Shih is a friend of Kailea’s that she met while living in LA, teaching his daughter kindergarten. Jack is an Emmy Award-winning Animation Director and Producer. Jack worked on South Park for 20 years (Animation Director and Producer) and his recent projects include being a Director on Clone High, Little Demon, and Praise Petey. 


Jack is one of Kailea’s favourite people in the world to talk to because of the way he thinks – he has a complex, uniquely sharp yet sensitive view on the world that always leaves her learning and questioning with unexpected moments of tenderness and vulnerability.
Kailea and Jack discuss the challenge with memories. Do we believe what we believe ourselves because of what others told us about ourselves? Or because of our own lived experiences? 
Exploring gossip, why we sh++ talk, what does it mean to be ‘in the arena’ vs. ‘in the cheap seats’ and how does this affect our perception of ourselves and others.
Fear of ‘not belonging’ or being caught in a conversation not knowing what you are talking about.

We are so grateful to our incredible sponsors. This episode is brought to you by: 


Made with Local: https://www.madewithlocal.com/
Island Tides Yoga & Wellness Festival: https://islandtidesfestival.com/
Steff Sullivan Collective: https://www.steffsullivan.co/
Harvest Clean Eats: https://www.harvestcleaneats.ca/  Join the conversation over on Instagram @inthisnewseason.

To find out more about Kailea’s practice visit www.kaileaswitzer.com.

In This New Season is recorded and produced by Greg Alsop at Don’t Wake Baby Studio: www.gregalsop.com

Paige Martin is a pelvic floor physiotherapist and the owner of PEI Pelvic and Breast Health. Paige and Kailea talk openly about common issues that many people suffer with silently and secretly (ex: painful sex, incontinence) and how seeing a pelvic floor physio can help. Kailea has personally worked with Paige and found her support to be a massive game-changer in her life.


Paige’s experience growing up on PEI, moving off-island to study Kinesiology, becoming a teacher in Northern Saskatchewan, to ultimately going back to school to become a physiotherapist
Her experience not getting into a Physio program at first
How Paige decided to specialize in pelvic floor physiotherapy and what led her to create her own business
Kailea’s experience working with Paige, and how Paige transformed Kailea’s sex life
Bladder issues and the unexpected link between frequent urination and dehydration
Other ways a pelvic floor physiotherapist can help you that you might not know
Breast health offerings (ex: breast cancer, treating mastitis and clogged milk ducts, and more)
If you are nervous to visit a pelvic floor physiotherapist, what you need to know

Learn more about PEI Pelvic and Breast Health at https://peipbh.com/ or on Instagram @pei_pelvichealth

We are so grateful to our incredible sponsors. This episode is brought to you by: 


Harvest Clean Eats: https://www.harvestcleaneats.ca/
Steff Sullivan Collective: https://www.steffsullivan.co/
Island Tides Yoga & Wellness Festival: https://islandtidesfestival.com/
MacArthur’s Appliances: https://www.macarthurappliances.ca/

Join the conversation over on Instagram @inthisnewseason.

To find out more about Kailea’s practice visit www.kaileaswitzer.com.

In This New Season is recorded and produced by Greg Alsop at Don’t Wake Baby Studio: www.gregalsop.com