That's Powerful Tessa Shanley

Conversation with Rachel Garcia instagram.com/racheltiffanygarcia
Intro/Outro music by Instagram.com/teal.ousy streaming platforms:@tealousy
Podcast art by Sarah Ching instagram.com/sarahhching

Today’s episode is featuring a close friend of mine, Rachel Garcia. Rachel and I met through Full Out Studio’s dance retreat in the woods called Unplugged. We instantly connected through our shared love of dance, community, and growth. Rachel is one of my favorite people to talk to because I always leave our conversations inspired by her insight. In today’s conversation, I learned so much more and I now have a new level of respect for her which is why I’m so excited today to share this conversation with you all. Today, We will be discussing what it’s like to be a creative amid a pandemic and allowing yourself to be a human who deserves rest, we talk about choosing to live the creative path when you are born into a family where that is not the norm, how one chance her mom took on her changed the trajectory of her life, the devastating loss of her father & the wonderful life he lived, and how the universe gave her the gift of a life changing connection with a dance teacher at exactly the right time, & how both of those situations led her towards pursuing dance, and finally, we discuss unapologetically following what lights you up and being courageous enough to just do it. I love Rachel and I love this conversation. I hope y'all do too!

Conversation with Rebekah Rangel instagram.com/rebekahwrangler
Intro/Outro music by Instagram.com/teal.ousy streaming platforms:@tealousy
Podcast art by Sarah Ching instagram.com/sarahhching

Today’s episode is an interview with Rebekah Rangel. Rebekah is a friend of mine who I met through taking dance classes together. She has always been one of my favorite movers because of how uniquely and unapologetically herself she is. I remember the first night we truly bonded, we grabbed boba after a late night dance class and sat on the curb chatting for hours about life. Whenever we talk, it’s always fun and lighthearted, yet insightful and introspective too. That’s why I was super excited to have her on the podcast today. In today’s episode we talk about all things creativity, working on your craft & what its like to work every single day toward it. We talk about how your art can evolve over time, what process vs. product means, how social media influences art & creativity, and we also talk a lot about internal struggles and external pressures as creatives… and she may have coined a new term that she calls life-ing, which is much more than simply living, if you’re wondering. I loved having this conversation with her and I hope y’all enjoy listening to it!

Conversation with Ryan Reid instagram.com/ryanlemao
Intro/Outro music by Instagram.com/teal.ousy streaming platforms: @tealousy
Podcast art by Sarah Ching instagram.com/sarahhching

Ryan is a non-binary Trans feminine educator, artist, and witch that uses they/them pronouns. You can also call them a queen or refer to them with she/her pronouns, just don’t call Ryan “bro” or “man”. More on that later. Ryan and I met through the dance community that we’re both a part of. We instantly connected on a soul level. We found out very quickly that we connected over many things in the spiritual aspect of life. As I got closer to Ryan, I quickly learned that Ryan walks through the world differently and sees the world differently than many other people do, and I truly admire that about them. They currently teach special education, and have dreams of creating their own school catered towards queer children one day. They have taught me a lot about gender and the Trans experience, and they were actually my first non-binary friend I’ve ever had. In this conversation, we dive into their history and what it was like coming to terms with their identity. We talk about struggle and hardship. We talk about how important it is to have people that truly see you for who you are. We talk about gender, about the pain that gender norms cause, and about the beauty of fluidity that more of us could embrace. We talk about what queer means to them, and the radical ways that life could blossom if more people lived their livese through a queer lens. There’s a lot to learn and expand on here, and a lot of nuggets of wisdom to take with you. I hope that if anything, this conversation pushes you towards the beautiful possibilities of what your life could be, and not what you or anyone else thinks it should be.

Conversation with Andrew Wong: instagram.com/teal.ousy
Intro/Outro music by: instagram.com/teal.ousy
> On streaming platforms: @tealousy
Podcast art by Sarah Ching: instagram.com/sarahhching

Andrew is a close friend of mine and a true artist in the sense of the word. He is a singer/songwriter, a producer, a dancer, photographer, film maker, and doodle-r… basically if you name it, he can probably do it. Andrew has been mostly focused on his music career over the past couple years. He goes by the stage name Tealousy. And if you’re not following him, you should be! You can find him on all streaming platforms under Tealousy. On Instagram and TikTok, you can find him under teal.ousy. Andrew doesn’t really tend to categorize his style of music, and when asked, he just says he makes the music that his soul speaks… and that’s exactly why I resonate with his music so much. He has a new album coming out in March, so be sure to check that out as well. In this conversation, we talk about all things having to do with the creative process, struggles and hardships that come along with the artist lifestyle, how it’s okay to not be okay, what it’s like to blow up on TikTok, and so much more.

Conversation with Vu Mbambo: instagram.com/nomvula.mfa
Intro/Outro music by: instagram.com/teal.ousy
> On streaming platforms: @tealousy
Podcast art by Sarah Ching: instagram.com/sarahhching

Vu Mbambo is a South African artist, teacher, healer and seeker. After growing up in South Africa & attending boarding school there, she traveled to study at Brown University in the United States, and then moved to Oakland, California to attend Mills College for grad school. She is talented in many different art forms including dance, photography, film, and writing. Vu has a very powerful presence about her. She sees people and the world around her in a profound way. She sees herself in a profound way. Everywhere she goes, she inspires those around her to be truer, more beautiful versions of themselves. She has quickly become one of the most important people in my life these past couple years, and it's always a blessing to have these conversations with her.