The Collective Voice The Collective Voice | Joy Schwartz and Natalie Siston

In episode 19 of The Collective Voice Podcast, Joy interviews Melissa Marks Garner.  Melissa is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Yoga Teacher. She began her own meditation practice in 1997 and has been practicing ever since. She has had the great honor of receiving teaching and meditating in the presence of a number of spiritual teachers. Melissa began giving wellness workshops and meditation trainings in 2005. Over this time, she has lectured and provided meditation groups and individual sessions to hundreds of people.  What's most fascinating about Melissa's work is that she packages the spirtual side of mindfulness and meditation in science-based content to facilitate buy-in from the most skeptical of audiences - and it works! 
Listen in to learn about...
What mindfulness/meditation is and why its so important in our fast-paced lives
How to incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine, in short manageable bursts
Books, apps, and other resources to expand our knowledge in this area
FREE promotion offered on Melissa's website, especially for our listeners!
To learn more about Melissa and her work, visit: https://www.yourmindfuledge.com
Connect with Joy at joyschwartz.com and Natalie at smalltownleadership.com.

In episode #18 of The Collective Voice, Natalie interviews Sabina Piras, a structural engineer by day and elite endurance athlete by early morning, evening, night and weekend.
Most recently, Sabina qualified for the 2016 Olympic trials for the marathon; was the 1st place American at the Paris marathon, and has qualified for the Ironman World Championships in Kona commencing this October.
Sabina talks Natalie through the transition from complaints about 1-mile (we've all been there) to running marathons and participating in Iron Man competitions. Listen on to learn about her infectious positive attitude as she recovered from injuries and personal setbacks. You'll unquestionably leave this episode contemplating how you can incorporate more discipline and resolve into your own life.
For those of us in our 30s, feeling overwhelmed by career conundrums, home ownership, marriage, and/or parenting, let Sabina's story transport you back to the confidence and invincibility you likely felt in your 20s.  We encourage some of you to channel some of that into the present!
Connect with Joy at joyschwartz.com and Natalie at smalltownleadership.com.

In episode #17 of The Collective Voice Podcast, Joy and Natalie push pause on podcast interviews to talk about three things:
Their wishes - specifically for women - in 2017: Joy highlights the importance of setting boundaries, knowing what you value, recognizing that these needs evolve and focusing on self-care. Natalie discusses the importance of speaking up, stepping out and taking action.
Podcast milestones - We recently have been syndicated through Live Lead Play and are well over 1000 downloads. We’ve featured 12 entrepreneurs - mostly women from Dallas who are inspiring us and our audience to take risks, say yes, and embrace our differences.
Personal milestones - We talk about the continued growth of our side hustles. For Joy, this includes teaching executive education courses at SMU, consulting in the community, and collaborating on events such as My Forward Life Clarity Retreat. For Natalie, this includes celebrating the first birthday and 5000 visits to Small Town Leadership, joining the church choir, and wrapping up her Certified Professional Coach certification through iPEC.
References: Slowing Down: Unexpected Ways to Thrive as a Female Leader by Sherry Welsh
Connect with Joy at joyschwartz.com and Natalie at smalltownleadership.com

In Episode 16 of The Collective Voice Podcast, Joy interviews Kayce Kuntz and Alex Null, talented owners and founders of “Improv to Improve,” a women-owned Improv and Teambuilding company.  Kuntz and Null offer teambuilding workshops for individuals and groups of all sizes to build leadership, communication, and listening skills, allowing participants to gain confidence while enhancing their ability to be more effective communicators and public speakers.
We cover:
What Improvisation (Improv) is and how it can positively impact individuals and groups
How Improv to Improve works with and customizes workshops for its clients
An actual Improv Demo, putting Joy on the hotseat
Advice for building a "side hustle" like this one while maintaining a day job
An upcoming workshop for individuals hosted by Improv to Improve on Saturday, April 29. 
To learn more about Improv to Improve, visit: https://www.improvtoimprove.org or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/improvtoimprove/
Connect with Joy at joyschwartz.com and Natalie at smalltownleadership.com
 

Episode Overview
In episode 15 of The Collective Voice Podcast Joy interviews Jasmin Brand, a marketing and branding expert, with Darby James AND Jenny Bair, co-founder of Living Well Dallas, an integrative and functional wellness practice in Dallas.  Jenny also wears MANY hats, life and marriage coach, health educator, functional wellness consultant and certified Aromatherapist, integrating essential oils into her coaching practice.
We asked Jasmin and Jenny to be part of today’s show to discuss their roles in and promote My Forward Life’s Clarity event, a movement and an innovative networking event to connect “fun and fearless Texas women” May 19-20.
There is no shortage of laughter, fun, and lighthearted girl power in this episode  Enjoy!
Segments
Part I - Jasmin shares the story of My Forward Life, as an alternative to the typical women's networking events, now in its 5th year. She and Joy promote the Clarity Event in May and offer a sneak preview of the agenda
Part II - Jenny discusses how essential oils can enhance mood, health, vitality and what to expect in her session at the Clarity event.
Part III - Jasmin shares more about the amazing work she is doing to impact the city of Dallas and offers lessons learned in entrepreneurship and friendship.
To Register for Clarity, Learn about our Guests and the Hosts:
Register for the event here:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/clarity-retreat-tickets-33568453147?aff=eac2 and visit MyForwardLife.com to learn more about how Jasmin Brand is bringing smart, fun, professional Texas women together. 
To check out Jenny Bair and her work with Essential Oils:https://www.mydoterra.com/befreejennybair and visit LivingWellDallas.com to learn more.
Connect with Joy at joyschwartz.com and Natalie at smalltownleadership.com
 
 

We are continuing with the theme of communication in Episode 14 of the Collective Voice with guest, Alison Freeman. Alison is a highly experienced global, communications strategist, coach, and keynote presenter.  She is the president of AlliComm, a global communications consultancy and coaching firm, where she helps successful business leaders become more powerful communicators by being strategic, succinct, engaged, empathetic and business driven. She states that “Good leaders MUST BE great communicators because it is part of the job.”
Following are some highlights of Joy’s engaging and entertaining interview with Alison:
The importance of being the recipient of what Alison refers to as “fearless feedback” and the power in the self-awareness that arises out of observing yourself communicate, on video
That we communicate visually, vocally, and verbally - According to communication researcher, Albert Mehrabian, 55% of how we perceive someone is based on what we see. 38% comes from how they use their voice. Only 7% of what people remember are the actual words they say! AND, they only remember what matters to them.  Make the 7% matter, or the words you deliver as part of your messaging count!
Being resilient in the face of life’s challenges and then letting go of the “not knowing”
Learn more about Alison Freeman and her work, visit www.AliComm.co, her YouTube Channel and 5 minute videos, Access Alison, or follow her on Twitter at the handle AccessAli, or via LinkedIn.
Please submit a review of our podcast on iTunes at thecollectivevoice.us to help us build our following! Here's how: youtube.com/watch?v=B6H64xDckME&t=31s
Connect with Joy at joyschwartz.com and Natalie at smalltownleadership.com