The Truth Is with Kathryn Flaschner

Kathryn Flaschner
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The truth is something we all carry, but don’t always speak—or step into. The Truth Is explores what becomes possible when we do, with ourselves and with each other. Hosted by Kathryn Flaschner, it’s a space to listen more closely, trust what we know, and find our own way forward. Each week, we explore what opens through honesty: deeper connection, greater clarity, and a life that feels real. New episodes return September 17 and drop every Wednesday.

  1. Esosa Osa: Who Tells Your Story Decides Your Future — On Disinformation, Narrative Power, and Work That's Good

    2D AGO

    Esosa Osa: Who Tells Your Story Decides Your Future — On Disinformation, Narrative Power, and Work That's Good

    The information around us has never been more abundant. The truth has never been harder to find. Not because we've gotten less intelligent. But because the systems shaping what we see, believe, and repeat were not designed with our discernment in mind. In this episode of The Truth Is, I sit down with Esosa Osa — founder and CEO of Onyx Impact, former Deputy Executive Director of Fair Fight Action, and one of the most clear-eyed thinkers I've encountered on what it actually takes to protect your relationship to truth in this moment. We talk about: How disinformation actually works — and why repetition is its most powerful tool Why our brains are not built to resist what the current information environment is designed to do Why there is no such thing as an unbiased AI — and what that means for all of us What it looks like to build narrative power when you can't trust the existing infrastructure to tell your story Aisha — what it is, why it exists, and what it represents about who gets to shape the future What it means to keep doing the work when the work is hard This episode sits at the intersection of everything this show is about — the stories we inherit, the systems that shape what feels true, and what it takes to reclaim authorship of your own narrative. Except this time, the stakes are not just personal. They're collective. Who tells your story decides your future.   About Esosa Osa Esosa began her career in finance at BlackRock before moving into democracy work — serving as Campaign Manager for a top 2018 U.S. Congressional election, Senior Advisor to Stacey Abrams' gubernatorial campaign, and Deputy Executive Director of Fair Fight Action, where she led pro-democracy reform efforts focused on combating disinformation. She is now the founder and CEO of Onyx Impact — a nonprofit working to understand and counter disinformation targeting Black communities — and the creator of Aisha, an AI trained on Black news, history, and culture.   Connect with Esosa + Onyx Impact Website: onyximpact.org  Digital Green Book: digitalgreenbook.org  Blackout Report: blackoutreport.org  Instagram: @theonyximpact   Connect with The Truth Is Instagram: @thetruthispodcast  YouTube: @thetruthis_pod   Credits Hosted by Kathryn Flaschner  Video Production & Editing by Anton LaPlume  Music by Will Savino — wsavino.com  Visual Identity by Sarah Gainor & Jonathan Bush  Advised by Natalie Tulloch

    1h 4m
  2. Regulation Before Revelation: Solo Reflections on Rest, Attention, and Discerning What’s True

    MAR 4

    Regulation Before Revelation: Solo Reflections on Rest, Attention, and Discerning What’s True

    Over the past month on The Truth Is, I’ve had conversations about rest, nervous system regulation, pleasure, and the systems shaping our attention. After stepping back and looking at them together, I realized they were all circling the same question: Why is it so difficult to access what’s actually true for us? This episode is a pause to process what’s emerging across the season. For most of my life, I believed that knowing myself required more effort — more thinking, more strategy, more trying to get it right. What I’m starting to see, through these conversations and through my own life, is that the opposite may be true. Accessing what’s true often requires space. Space to rest. Space to feel. Space to process our lives as they’re actually happening. But the culture many of us live inside of makes that space difficult to find. Hustle culture rewards exhaustion. Information ecosystems compete constantly for our attention. Certainty is broadcast everywhere, often louder than curiosity. Across recent episodes, my guests have offered different doorways into the same realization: Rest can be a return to ourselves Regulation in the body often precedes clarity in the mind Permission to feel is essential for knowing what we actually want Reclaiming our attention may be one of the most important acts of agency available to us This episode also reflects on a line from The Big Short, attributed to Mark Twain: “It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.” In a world saturated with certainty — algorithms, feeds, institutions, opinions — discernment becomes harder and more necessary at the same time.  The work, as I see it right now, is not withdrawing from the world. It’s creating enough distance from the noise to decide where our attention and energy actually belong. I close this conversation with an idea my recent guest Jiore Craig calls “dark hope.”  When systems begin to fracture, the path forward can look surprisingly simple and human: Reconnect. Pay attention to what’s real. Build lives and communities rooted in truth rather than external authority.  And maybe start by ending this year with more real friends than you started it with. Episodes referenced in this episode Sam Bianchini — Rest as a Return to Self: On Ritual, Worthiness, and Remembering Cindy Sharkey — On Permission for Pleasure — and Why You’re Worthy of It Nahid de Belgeonne — The Culture of Self-Improvement and the Loss of Self Jiore Craig — Dark Hope and the Work of World-Building Jedidiah Jenkins —  The Authority of Your Own Questions Upcoming Offerings from The Truth Is Part of what I’m building through The Truth Is are spaces where these conversations can continue beyond the podcast. One of those is a retreat experience I’m developing in partnership with my guest from earlier this season, Sarah Spoto, and her community, Badii. We’re gathering early input from this community as we shape the experience. If you’d like to share what would make a retreat like this meaningful for you, you can add your thoughts at this link below: Share input on the retreat experience: Early Access I’m also launching a small cohort experience called Calibration, designed for people who want space to process where they are and discern their next step from a place that feels true. Connect with The Truth Is on Instagram:  @thetruthis_podcast @kathrynflaschner Credits Hosted by Kathryn Flaschner Video Production & Editing by Anton LaPlume Edited by Dan Croll Music by Will Savino — https://wsavino.com Visual Identity by Sarah Gainor & Jonathan Bush Advised by Natalie Tulloch

    32 min
  3. Jiore Craig: Dark Hope and the Work of World-Building

    FEB 25

    Jiore Craig: Dark Hope and the Work of World-Building

    The present moment doesn’t just feel noisy. It feels disorienting.  Not because we’ve become less thoughtful, but because we’re living inside systems that reward reaction over reflection — systems that pull at our nervous systems all day long and quietly influence what starts to feel obvious, urgent, or true.  In this episode of The Truth Is, I sit down with strategist Jiore Craig to explore what it takes to reclaim agency inside an environment like this — and what becomes possible when we shift from endless reaction to intentional world-building.  Jiore has spent her career inside political strategy and public opinion, with a front-row seat to how amplification becomes belief — how what rises in a feed begins to feel like consensus. She’s watched social media move from connection and organizing to optimization and extraction. And she’s seen how public debate often gets stuck in the wrong frame: “free speech vs. censorship,” when the deeper issue is design, incentives, and control.  This conversation isn’t alarmist. It’s an invitation to take responsibility for where we place our attention — and what we choose to build. In this episode: Why hyper-personalized feeds fracture shared reality The real design problem behind the “free speech vs. censorship” debate How outrage and anxiety fuel the system The breakup analogy for how feeds keep us stuck Why agency requires responsibility “Make them earn it” — reclaiming your attention The difference between reacting and world-building “Dark hope” as the engine for this moment Connect with Jiore: https://www.jiorecraig.com/  Connect with The Truth Is: @thetruthis_podcast Credits Hosted by Kathryn Flaschner Video Production & Editing by Anton LaPlume Edited by Dan Croll Music by Will Savino → wsavino.com Visual Identity by Sarah Gainor & Jonathan Bush Advised by Natalie Tulloch

    1h 9m
  4. Nahid de Belgeonne: The Culture of Self-Improvement and the Loss of Self

    FEB 18

    Nahid de Belgeonne: The Culture of Self-Improvement and the Loss of Self

    What does it actually mean to regulate in a world that feels increasingly dysregulated? In this episode, I sit down with somatic movement educator and author Nahid de Belgeonne to explore the nervous system not as a self-improvement project, but as a doorway back to discernment. Nahid is the creator of The Human Method™ and The Soothe Programme, a 12-week somatic approach designed for high-functioning people who are successful on the outside and quietly bracing on the inside. Before this work, she built her identity around composure, capability, and chronic motion. A near-death experience forced a reckoning. What emerged was a body-first understanding of regulation that challenges much of modern wellness culture. We talk about: Why mistrusting the signals from your body makes you easier to manipulateThe shift from “a brain with a body” to “a body with a brain”High-functioning collapse and how pushing harder becomes fused with identityHow culture grooms us to turn back on ourselvesWhy you don’t “unlearn” patterns, you introduce new learning into the systemRegulation as authorship, not obedienceStaying human, engaged, and discerning in the context of late-stage capitalism and collective instabilityThis conversation is a continuation of a larger inquiry on this show: what does it mean to live truthfully underneath inherited assumptions about success, productivity, and worth? If wellness has ever felt like another performance, this episode is for you. Connect with Nahid Substack: The Soothe Club Instagram: @thehumanmethoduk Programme: The Soothe Programme (12-week nervous system recalibration) Connect with The Truth Is: @thetruthis_podcast Credits Hosted by Kathryn FlaschnerVideo Production & Editing by Anton LaPlumeEdited by Dan CrollMusic by Will Savino → wsavino.comVisual Identity by Sarah Gainor & Jonathan BushAdvised by Natalie Tulloch

    1h 17m
  5. Cindy Scharkey: On Permission for Pleasure — and Why You’re Worthy of It

    FEB 11

    Cindy Scharkey: On Permission for Pleasure — and Why You’re Worthy of It

    What would change if you believed you were worthy of pleasure? In this episode of The Truth Is, I sit down with Cindy Scharkey — Registered Nurse, OB/GYN nurse, Certified Childbirth Educator, and host of the podcast and author of Permission for Pleasure. With nearly 40 years in women’s health, Cindy has witnessed how silence and shame shape women’s relationship with their bodies, sex, and desire. Many women come to her with questions about sex and desire. What they often uncover is something deeper: a relationship with themselves that was never fully examined. We talk about inherited narratives around purity, modesty, and worth. The belief that pleasure must be earned. Why what we call a “desire problem” is often a pleasure problem. And how difficult it can be to admit we were never taught to truly listen to our own bodies. This conversation, and Cindy's work, goes beyond sex. It’s about permission — to feel, to listen, and to stay in relationship with yourself. And part of that practice is allowing what is present, without polishing it or performing. At its core, this episode asks what happens when we stop living from inherited assumptions and start listening to what is actually true. In this episode, we explore: The idea of a “pleasure crisis” — and what it feels like in real lifeCuriosity as a way back into relationship with your bodyWhy what we call a “desire problem” may actually be a pleasure problemWhat happens when we override sensation — and what shifts when we listenThe courage it takes to question what we were taught about sex and worthPermission not to manufacture meaning — but to be in the truth of the momentHow pleasure, grief, and aliveness can coexistSmall, embodied practices — from dancing naked to finding “sips of joy” — that keep us connected  Connect with Cindy:  Website: www.cindyscharkey.com Listen to her podcast: Permission for Pleasure Explore her book: Permission for Pleasure Follow Cindy on Instagram: @cindyscharkey   Connect with The Truth Is: @thetruthis_podcast   Credits Hosted by Kathryn FlaschnerVideo Production & Editing by Anton LaPlumeEdited by Dan CrollMusic by Will Savino → wsavino.comVisual Identity by Sarah Gainor & Jonathan BushAdvised by Natalie Tulloch

    56 min
  6. Sam Bianchini: Rest as a Return to Self — On Ritual, Worthiness, and Remembering

    FEB 4

    Sam Bianchini: Rest as a Return to Self — On Ritual, Worthiness, and Remembering

    Rest isn’t just about slowing down. It’s about remembering who you are. This conversation begins there. My guest is Sam Bianchini, an international yoga teacher, psychedelic therapist, and artist. Sam led a Yoga Nidra training I took during a season of deep burnout — a moment when I didn’t yet know what was next, but knew I couldn’t keep moving the same way. In this conversation, we talk about the ancient ritual she guided us through: Yoga Nidra — a deep form of rest that Sam teaches not as a technique to master, but as a state of consciousness. One that extends beyond the ritual itself, and offers a different way of relating to rest, clarity, and worth in today’s culture. What unfolded — both that weekend and here — wasn’t a lesson in rest as recovery or self-care. It was an invitation to relate to rest as a return. To the body. To intuition. To an inherent sense of worth that exists before productivity or achievement. We talk about why clarity requires nervous system regulation. About how many of us were taught — subtly or explicitly — that our value is tied to output, endurance, or optimization. And about what becomes possible when we slow down enough to hear what’s actually true. This isn’t an episode about doing less so you can do more. It’s about remembering who you are — and learning to move from that place. In This Conversation, We ExploreRest as a return to self, not a reward for productivityYoga Nidra as an ancient ritual and a state of consciousnessHow practices of rest can extend beyond the mat and into daily lifeWorthiness beyond achievementNervous system regulation and clarityCeremony, ritual, and remembrance as pathways back to truthWhy we are designed to regulate and heal in communityConnect with Sam BianchiniWebsite: https://sambianchini.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samdarlin/?hl=enConnect with The Truth IsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetruthis_podcast/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetruthis_podCreditsHosted by Kathryn FlaschnerVideo Production & Editing by Anton LaPlumeEdited by Dan CrollMusic by Will Savino — https://wsavino.comVisual Identity by Sarah Gainor & Jonathan BushAdvised by Natalie Tulloch

    53 min
  7. David Neimanis: The Hour You Don’t Have to Earn

    JAN 14

    David Neimanis: The Hour You Don’t Have to Earn

    In Spain, there’s a ritual called La Hora del Vermut — a pause in the middle of the day that isn’t about winding down or earning rest. It’s a celebration of the day itself. This conversation starts there — with vermut, salty snacks, and a toast. My guest is David Neimanis, a maker I grew up down the street from, whose life has moved through music, writing, food, and now building a Spanish vermouth brand called Cueva Nueva while living in Valencia. What I loved about this conversation is that it isn’t a tidy story about one big pivot. It’s about a quieter shift — learning not to defer living to some future moment. We talk about: what La Hora del Vermut reveals about pleasure, community, and pace — and what it feels like to live inside a different relationship to timethe difference between freedom and autonomy, and how Dave came to understand both through life on the roadredefining success — not as exits or endless scale, but as something livable, human, and sustainablehow different environments shape attention, pace, and conversationwhat it takes to stay grounded in your “why,” especially when the culture around you keeps moving the goalpostsThis isn’t an episode about slowing down to get more done. It’s about learning how to enjoy the day without waiting for permission — and telling the truth when what you wanted stops fitting. Connect with David Neimanis + Cueva NuevaFind where you can drink and purchase a bottle of Cueva Nueva near you: https://www.cuevanueva.com/find-us Follow Cueva Nueva: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cuevanueva/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cueva_nueva Follow David Neimanis: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidneimanis/ Connect with The Truth IsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetruthis_podcast/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetruthis_pod CreditsHosted by Kathryn Flaschner Video Production & Editing by Anton LaPlume Edited by Dan Croll Music by Will Savino — wsavino.com Visual Identity by Sarah Gainor & Jonathan Bush Advised by Natalie Tulloch

    1h 3m
  8. Samantha Abrams: From Love, Not For Love

    JAN 7

    Samantha Abrams: From Love, Not For Love

    What does it mean to make decisions from love instead of for love?In this conversation, I sit down with Samantha Abrams to explore how that distinction quietly shapes our work, our relationships, and the lives we build—and why it takes real courage to live it. Samantha is a transformational guide and entrepreneur whose work centers on embodiment, self-trust, and aliveness. Many people first come to know her as the co-founder of Emmy’s Organics, a nationally beloved natural foods brand she built in her early twenties and grew for over a decade. What makes her story compelling isn’t reinvention, but continuity. The same intuition and devotion that built a successful company continue to guide her life and work today. We talk about the subtle ways we abandon ourselves to be chosen or to feel worthy. About why it can be tempting to rewrite the past as “misaligned” instead of honoring that it once fit. And about the courage it takes to leave a life that is beautiful—not because it was wrong, but because you’ve changed. At the heart of this conversation is a simple but clarifying idea: when we act for love, we contort ourselves to earn it. When we act from love, we move from fullness. Not urgency. Not performance. But aliveness. This is not a conversation about reinvention or arrival. It’s about staying in relationship with yourself as life unfolds—letting discomfort inform you, letting trust build slowly, and allowing what feels alive to lead.   In This Episode, We Talk AboutThe difference between doing things from love and for loveWhy leaving something good can be harder than leaving something bad“It was aligned—until it wasn’t” as a truer way to name changeThe quiet ways we abandon ourselves in relationships and workFollowing aliveness instead of certainty as a compass forwardWhy moving on doesn’t mean you didn’t love what came before  About Samantha AbramsSamantha Abrams is a transformational guide and entrepreneur whose work focuses on embodiment, self-trust, and aliveness. She is the co-founder of Emmy’s Organics and now supports people through deep listening, embodied practice, and honest inquiry. Website: https://www.samanthaabrams.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthaabrams/Substack: https://samanthaabrams.substack.com/Podcast — I’m Just Listening: https://open.spotify.com/show/3FffNb8xRXYi6xZqW9UL0s?si=b0e384c850424ccf  Connect with The Truth IsFollow The Truth Is on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetruthis_podcast/Watch The Truth Is on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetruthis_pod  CreditsHosted by Kathryn FlaschnerVideo Production & Editing by Anton LaPlumeEdited by Dan CrollMusic by Will Savino → wsavino.comVisual Identity by Sarah Gainor & Jonathan BushAdvised by Natalie Tulloch

    1h 2m
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The truth is something we all carry, but don’t always speak—or step into. The Truth Is explores what becomes possible when we do, with ourselves and with each other. Hosted by Kathryn Flaschner, it’s a space to listen more closely, trust what we know, and find our own way forward. Each week, we explore what opens through honesty: deeper connection, greater clarity, and a life that feels real. New episodes return September 17 and drop every Wednesday.

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