Making Meaning: Deep Conversations on Life, Purpose, and The Human Experience

The Cohere Collective
  • 5.0 (19)
  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Why are we here? What's the meaning of life? What's the meaning of your life? Exploring these mysteries often results in more questions than you began with. So how do we move forward living meaningful lives? Making Meaning by The Cohere Collective explores this exact question. Every other week, host Reese Brown interviews a new guest about how they have chosen to live their life in a meaningful way. We hope that through these stories you can explore how you have, and can, make meaning in your life. Let's make meaning together. We are so glad you're here!

  1. Purpose is a Privilege: Creating Financial Freedom to Make Meaning

    20H AGO

    Purpose is a Privilege: Creating Financial Freedom to Make Meaning

    In a world where meaning is a privilege, how do you create the life of your dreams from a place of safety, security, and empowerment? Pursuing Purpose is a privilege, one that every human being deserves access to, but feels like a rarer and rarer possibility. In our current economic and socio-political world where systemic factors prevent so many from building a life of Purpose, where do we go from here? Of course, we can all use our voices, bring Space to power, and advocate and activate for change; while we get to work creating a life where all individuals have the Coherent right to self-determination, what can we do now to try and create as much financial independence and personal autonomy as possible? It’s these complex questions that we tackle in today’s episode. Learn more about David Nassief: https://onepagewealthcompass.com/ Read One Page Wealth Compass: https://onepagewealthcompass.com/#book Follow The Cohere Collective: https://www.instagram.com/thecoherecollective/ https://www.tiktok.com/@thecoherecollective For more information, head to www.thecoherecollective.com To support The Cohere Collective, head to https://www.thecoherecollective.com/support Follow Triston Morgan, the creator of Making Meaning's theme music: https://www.instagram.com/tristonmorgan/ Follow Nicole Oesterreicher, the creator of Making meaning's art and podcast cover: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleocreates/ https://www.instagram.com/nicoleodesign/ Thank you for being here! Smack, Reese

    1h 27m
  2. Unlock Your Soul’s Mission: Building Aligned Movements with Cailen Ascher

    MAR 31

    Unlock Your Soul’s Mission: Building Aligned Movements with Cailen Ascher

    The time for your vision is now. So many of us feel the intuitive sense of Purpose seeded deep within us, but what does it look like to actually craft a life in alignment with our soul’s fulfillment? Cailen Ascher’s work is founded on the belief that soul-led women don’t just live their missions – they create movements. And the world needs you and your Purpose. Check Out Cailen Ascher’s Work: Free Training - Discover Your Soul-Led Business Plan: www.CailenAscher.com/shift Website: www.CailenAscher.com https://www.instagram.com/cailen.ascher/ Substack: https://cailenascher.substack.com/ Follow The Cohere Collective: https://www.instagram.com/thecoherecollective/ https://www.tiktok.com/@thecoherecollective For more information, head to www.thecoherecollective.com To support The Cohere Collective, head to https://www.thecoherecollective.com/support Follow Triston Morgan, the creator of Making Meaning's theme music: https://www.instagram.com/tristonmorgan/ Follow Nicole Oesterreicher, the creator of Making meaning's art and podcast cover: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleocreates/ https://www.instagram.com/nicoleodesign/ Thank you for being here! Smack, Reese

    1h 36m
  3. Release The Overwhelm of People Pleasing with Radical Self Acceptance with Christina Slaback

    MAR 17

    Release The Overwhelm of People Pleasing with Radical Self Acceptance with Christina Slaback

    It's time to get unstuck! Christina Slaback is a life and business coach who helps people understand why they’re stuck, and what staying there is quietly costing them. With a background in psychology and business and over 15 years of leadership experience, she blends compassion with honest perspective to help clients outgrow patterns that once kept them safe but no longer fit. Her work is about clarity, agency, and intentional change. In this conversation, I sit down with Christina to talk about getting unstuck. As caregivers, we can often struggle with people-pleasing, burnout, and resentment. To become the persion you want to be, you have to first belive you are worthy of what that person deserves. Embracing change isn’t about shame, blame, or guilt, it’s about radical self acceptance and feeling into what brings you joy and alignment. Check Out Christina’s Work: https://christinaslaback.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinaslaback/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/cslaback?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnig_yENiqe3mWa8ZqtYfXmOZGJoVwTM6kmFijB8nJlZN8Ztk_emjfTy-i5Kg_aem_SEbxXFfv_eUMECEA6RLItg Intentional Reset Framework: https://70ddd865.sibforms.com/serve/MUIFAJS6WNNerIX2UoXApqse6eJxgFMuNOQG9Z_1O5YxwE2NeqDhxefoDWPenKGB6XIu-sQSo0SrJqM1TYK8zMp5PjQGgML0ag6t0HqB0UpExeEdfpBYHkUMrMATE4OvujV83_XDDp81vEcnemfdhAgZ_4gvOoWE0nbM8JNaFrGG3BlwurGAm6d-MiqG5GOqOunSa6ufrl6fIeEd Strategic Alignment Reset: https://calendar.app.google/iypMk5auLhoyNgTJ7 Follow The Cohere Collective: https://www.instagram.com/thecoherecollective/ https://www.tiktok.com/@thecoherecollective For more information, head to www.thecoherecollective.com To support The Cohere Collective, head to https://www.thecoherecollective.com/support Follow Triston Morgan, the creator of Making Meaning's theme music: https://www.instagram.com/tristonmorgan/ Follow Nicole Oesterreicher, the creator of Making meaning's art and podcast cover: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleocreates/ https://www.instagram.com/nicoleodesign/ Thank you for being here! Smack, Reese

    1h 50m
  4. You Were Never Meant to be Separate from Nature with Julie Brams

    MAR 3

    You Were Never Meant to be Separate from Nature with Julie Brams

    Julie Brams IS your mother’s psychotherapist: Mother Gaia. An ANFT certified Forest Therapy Guide, meditation practitioner and teacher, and author of The Nature Embedded Mind, Brams works to help us all re-member our connection with nature and believes that through this sacred relationship, we can begin and deepen a restorative approach to environmental sustainability and social change. In our conversation, Brams shares her own journey into the forest and how an initmate connection with other-than-humans allows us to understand our own consciousness more deeply. Through recalling the language of nature (that we’ve always been able to speak and to understand) we can more deeply come into communion with the oh-so-alive world and with personal experience, allowing a deepening of trust in our individual, and universal, sovereignty. We’re facing a deep need to dismantle cultural systems and must begin by deconstructing these systems internally. This episode reminds us of the anthropocentric culture context we live in, and the power of storytelling in shaping our reality. Between the small acts of daily life, purpose is woven, and it is up to us to construct the future’s tapestry in the image of mutual care, restorative justice, and communal Coherence. A huge thank you to Julie Brams for her time, energy, and expertise in this episode! Read The Nature Embedded Mind: https://www.juliebrams.com/books Learn more about Julie’s work: https://www.juliebrams.com Follow Julie: https://www.instagram.com/juliebramslmft/?hl=en Follow The Cohere Collective: https://www.instagram.com/thecoherecollective/ https://www.tiktok.com/@thecoherecollective For more information, head to www.thecoherecollective.com To support The Cohere Collective, head to https://www.thecoherecollective.com/support Follow Triston Morgan, the creator of Making Meaning's theme music: https://www.instagram.com/tristonmorgan/ Follow Nicole Oesterreicher, the creator of Making meaning's art and podcast cover: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleocreates/ https://www.instagram.com/nicoleodesign/ Thank you for being here! Smack, Reese

    1h 41m
  5. Chiropractic Care is Deeper Than You Think: Healing Body, Mind, & Spirit with Dr. Trey McMahon

    FEB 17

    Chiropractic Care is Deeper Than You Think: Healing Body, Mind, & Spirit with Dr. Trey McMahon

    Join host Reese Brown as she sits down with Dr. Trey McMahon to discuss the intersection of physical health, mental health, and how the nervous system is the key to unlocking your body’s spectrum of wellbeing. A huge thank you to Dr. Trey McMahon for his time, energy, and expertise during this episode! Follow Dr. Trey McMahon: https://www.instagram.com/chirotrey/ Work with Dr. Trey McMahon: https://gocuris.com/providers/franklin-trey-mcmahon/ Follow The Cohere Collective: https://www.instagram.com/thecoherecollective/ https://www.tiktok.com/@thecoherecollective For more information, head to www.thecoherecollective.com To support The Cohere Collective, head to https://www.thecoherecollective.com/support Follow Triston Morgan, the creator of Making Meaning's theme music: https://www.instagram.com/tristonmorgan/ Follow Nicole Oesterreicher, the creator of Making meaning's art and podcast cover: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleocreates/ https://www.instagram.com/nicoleodesign/ Thank you for being here! Smack, Reese

    1h 31m
  6. Be Unapologetically ALIVE: Mental Health, Belonging, & Radical Self-Love with Lydia Shock

    12/16/2025

    Be Unapologetically ALIVE: Mental Health, Belonging, & Radical Self-Love with Lydia Shock

    What happens when you stop shrinking yourself to fit into spaces that were never built for you? Content Warning: 6:03-10:28 and 44:43-46:01 Discussion of self-harm and suicidal ideation In this episode of Making Meaning, Lydia Shock shares her journey through depression, suicidal ideation, self-acceptance, and radical healing, and how learning to take up space quite literally saved her life. Together, we explore: Why being labeled “too much” is often a trauma response to patriarchyHow mental health, identity, and belonging intersect in adolescenceWhy self-love isn’t indulgent, it’s disciplinedTherapy as a lifelong skillset, not a crisis toolFeminism, dating, and why women are done settlingMen’s mental health without excusing harmful behaviorThe power of tribe, chosen family, and asking for helpThis episode is for anyone who’s ever felt, too loud, too emotional, too intense, too much, or somehow never enough; You’re not broken. You’re becoming. A huge thank you to Lydia Shock for her time, energy, and openness during our conversation! Follow Lydia Shock and the Someone Should Know Podcast: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/someone-should-know/id1830132865 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/71YLzhr2I4mKZaYrgDYUN2?si=bdc629aab42e4075 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@someoneshouldknowpodcast https://www.instagram.com/someoneshouldknowpodcast/ https://www.tiktok.com/@someone.should.know.pod Follow The Cohere Collective: https://www.instagram.com/thecoherecollective/ https://www.tiktok.com/@thecoherecollective For more information, head to www.thecoherecollective.com To support The Cohere Collective, head to https://www.thecoherecollective.com/support Follow Triston Morgan, the creator of Making Meaning's theme music: https://www.instagram.com/tristonmorgan/ Follow Nicole Oesterreicher, the creator of Making meaning's art and podcast cover: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleocreates/ https://www.instagram.com/nicoleodesign/ Thank you for being here! Smack, Lillian Reese Brown, MA, MCLC

    1h 47m
  7. Let Your Inner Child Lead the Way: Creative Purpose & Politics with Dave Neal

    12/02/2025

    Let Your Inner Child Lead the Way: Creative Purpose & Politics with Dave Neal

    Unleashing your inner child just may be the most radical thing you can do in our current culture. Join host, Reese Brown as she sits down with comedian, creator, and political commentator Dave Neal to discuss his path as a gritty creator, passionate father and husband, and spiritual meaning maker. Neal discusses everything, from inner child work to politics to the deeply human need to live authentically. We start with the moment Dave almost quit everything. Living in Hollywood, getting by with his then girlfriend (now wife), when we lost his job due to the pandemic. A seeming rock bottom allowed Dave to rediscover his spark that changed the trajectory of, not just his career, but his life. A huge thank you to Dave for his time, energy, and vulnerability during this conversation! Follow and Support Dave Neal and The Rush Hour Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/dnealz/ https://www.facebook.com/dnealz https://www.tiktok.com/@dnealz?lang=en https://www.youtube.com/@DaveNealComedian https://www.rushhourwithdave.com https://www.patreon.com/daveneal Follow The Cohere Collective: https://www.instagram.com/thecoherecollective/ https://www.tiktok.com/@thecoherecollective For more information, head to www.thecoherecollective.com To support The Cohere Collective, head to https://www.thecoherecollective.com/support Follow Triston Morgan, the creator of Making Meaning's theme music: https://www.instagram.com/tristonmorgan/ Follow Nicole Oesterreicher, the creator of Making meaning's art and podcast cover: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleocreates/ https://www.instagram.com/nicoleodesign/ Resources and References: - Learn about Dr. Annie Andrews’ Senate Campaign: https://drannieandrews.com - Learn about James Talarico’s Senate Campaign: https://jamestalarico.com - Lady Lazarus by Sylvia Plath: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/49000/lady-lazarus Thank you for being here! Smack, Reese

    1h 23m
  8. How to Become Who You Really Are: Healing the Mother Wound & Reclaiming Your Truth with Diane Sorenson

    11/18/2025

    How to Become Who You Really Are: Healing the Mother Wound & Reclaiming Your Truth with Diane Sorenson

    What happens when the “good girl” grows up, becomes a mother, and realizes the performance is killing her and hurting her family? In today’s episode of Making mMeaning, Reese Brown sits down with Diane Sorensen, former teacher, mother, coach, and host of Chaos to Connection, **to unravel the mother wound, the good girl archetype, and the generational patterns that silently shape our lives. Diane shares the story of how her daughter’s mental health crisis became the unexpected catalyst for her own awakening. Together, they explore: Why perfectionism, people-pleasing, and chronic self-abandonment get passed down through the maternal lineHow “good girl programming” disconnects us from our truth, intuition, and inner knowingThe hidden ways self-harm shows up in thoughts, patterns, and body imageWhy awareness is a practice — not a one-time realizationHow to build healthy boundaries (the real kind, not the Instagram kind)What it means to live a meaningful life you experience, not just surviveAnd the powerful idea that we are “universal energy in individualized form”If you’ve ever struggled with the weight of expectations, the fear of rejection, or the longing to finally live as your authentic self, this conversation will feel like a homecoming. Check out Diane Sorenson’s work and the From Chaos to Connection Podcast! Diane’s Website: https://www.dianesorensen.net From Chaos to Connection: https://open.spotify.com/show/5crEBn4kp3kxqy8dH1PQyW?si=308a5252ecd44627 Follow Diane: https://www.instagram.com/dianesorensen.bb/ Follow The Cohere Collective: https://www.instagram.com/thecoherecollective/ https://www.tiktok.com/@thecoherecollective For more information, head to www.thecoherecollective.com To support The Cohere Collective, head to https://www.thecoherecollective.com/support Follow Triston Morgan, the creator of Making Meaning's theme music: https://www.instagram.com/tristonmorgan/ Follow Nicole Oesterreicher, the creator of Making meaning's art and podcast cover: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleocreates/ https://www.instagram.com/nicoleodesign/ Thank you for being here! Smack, Reese

    1h 40m
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
19 Ratings

About

Why are we here? What's the meaning of life? What's the meaning of your life? Exploring these mysteries often results in more questions than you began with. So how do we move forward living meaningful lives? Making Meaning by The Cohere Collective explores this exact question. Every other week, host Reese Brown interviews a new guest about how they have chosen to live their life in a meaningful way. We hope that through these stories you can explore how you have, and can, make meaning in your life. Let's make meaning together. We are so glad you're here!

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