Going Beyond with Randi Zinn

The Going Beyond Movement is about stepping into your power, so it only felt right to create a merchandise collection filled with mantras to remind us that we are Beyond our limits. This year, I finally did it! In this episode, I’m joined by my dear friend and founder of Go To Market, Amanda Hofman, who made my vision for the Going Beyond Shop a reality (0:17).

Go To Market thinks deeply about how merchandise can support a company's brand and marketing, and then designs their products. They seamlessly set up eco-friendly, print on-demand, digital shopping experiences for brands without the need to ship packages from home, deal with postage stamps, and anything else that would normally make me break a sweat at the thought of creating merch! Amanda is here to share what led her to create Go To Market and share her advice for brands interested in creating their own shop.

Amanda was the original founder and CEO of Urban Girl Squad - a premiere social networking group for women in their 20s and 30s in NYC - and made the decision to sell the company right before welcoming her second child. But once the kids grew older, her CEO itch returned, and she had to scratch it.  It took a slew of different career paths (including making lamps!) and accidentally signing up to run the creation of merchandise for her children’s school that she learned about print on-demand and gained the confidence to launch Go To Market (12:30).

We then discuss the process of creating the Going Beyond Shop and everything that went into it. Amanda helped me decide which items would resonate with my audience, whether that be inward-facing items like a mug or a laptop case, or outward-facing items like a t-shirt or a beanie. We both agree that the Beyond bracelet is our favorite!  Then, we walk through the creation of the phrases “Above and Beyond”, “I Am Beyond”, and “Beyond Limits” etched on every item in addition to the look and feel of each item - all which encapsulate the Going Beyond lifestyle (17:28).

Amanda leaves us with some advice for brands looking to create their own shop: you know you’re ready if you have an established brand identity. Amanda suggests starting by setting up a store and sending merchandise to key partners and influencers to test and share the items (28:44).

If you’re considering launching your own shop, I hope this episode inspires you to do so! Go to https://www.gotomarket.studio/ to get started. To grab your cute, cozy items for working out, running errands, or finding moments for yourself, check out the Going Beyond Shop at https://goingbeyondmovement.com/shop/.

*Looking for another podcast to love on? Check out The Third Place podcast. It is an invitation to the grey space - a space that is safe where deeper connections are fostered through challenging, empowering, and engaging dialogue. Take a listen at The Third Place.

As you may know, I recently launched my 1:1 Going Beyond Mentorship Program! I’m overjoyed to share this next-level work with you, and I thought, what better way to do this than to directly share the experience of those that I’ve mentored?  In this episode, you will meet Cathy and Meredith Pazol, a mother and daughter duo, who approached me with an idea for a platform to change how humanity processes and integrates grief, now called The Sacred Wound (2:06).

Both women experienced a string of  grief and traumatic loss in many forms, from losing loved ones too soon, and in some cases, having little time to process (Cathy was given two bereavement days from her employer after her mother died of a sudden heart attack), and moving after 16 years of living in the same house.  We walk through why they decided to create The Sacred Wound now, which stemmed from this realization: while they were lucky to have the support of each other through heavy loss, how do others process grief when they’re alone, especially amid COVID-19 (5:02)?

Cathy reveals that The Sacred Wound began as a book she started writing in 1991 after the sudden loss of her first husband, but fast forward 30 years, she and Meredith lacked a pathway to manifesting their heartfelt calling. When I became their mentor, we identified how their vision needed to shift in 2021, not only amid the global grief brought on by COVID-19, but to ensure it felt inclusive to people of all backgrounds (18:24).

Cathy and Meredith leave us with the results of their successful mentorship work with Randi: an upcoming website, a blog, social media platforms, and a four-week workshop. If you’ve experienced grief that has transformed your life, share your story at [email protected], or follow The Sacred Wound on Instagram and Facebook to learn more (33:38).

 If you’re curious about my 1:1 Going Beyond Mentorship Program, check out my page at goingbeyondmovement.com/mentorship/ to learn more, or if you’re ready to take the next step to bring your vision to life, fill out my intake form and I will be in touch from there (34:31)!

Welcome to a special Inauguration Day bonus episode of The Going Beyond Podcast! I know there is still a lot of uncertainty around what could happen, and even more could unfold by the time this episode releases, but I felt the need to share several voices of hope on this day and in the days following. The theme of this episode is leadership, specifically what it means to have not only a woman, but a woman of color and a mother sitting in the Vice President’s chair. To help me gain perspective on what this powerful moment means amid a challenging time, I’ve tapped into my circle of women who inspire me, all of whom come from a variety of backgrounds, to share with us what it means to have Kamala Harris in the White house from a personal, professional, political, and humanitarian perspective.

First, you’ll hear a bit from me about my reaction to the storming of Capitol Hill in addition to what it means to have woman like Kamala Harris in the White House, and then you’ll hear from these four incredible women:

• Jenny Greenstein - Founder of Your Soul Style, which fuses style and mindfulness to empower women to live in full alignment while creating their own personal authentic style.
• Melanie Chandra - Actress, writer and producer who creates stories about powerful women. She is also an advocate for women of all colors in the entertainment industry.
• Niurka Maldonado - Founder of Connected Kindred, a practice that helps caretakers, especially mothers, by working through their past traumas and limiting thought patterns to create an om environment.
• Stacy Igel - Founder and Creative Director of young contemporary athleisure brand Boy Meets Girl, her blog “Behind the Scenes with Stacy Igel”, and the Moms Got This Podcast. 

 Confession, I originally recorded this conversation prior to the events of Capitol Hill, and I decided to re-record my piece on January 12th to add additional perspective after the devastating events of that day.

 On this momentous day, I hope this episode sparks a light of optimism and understanding that while hate certainly exists in our country today, there’s hope for compassion and humanity to win in the days, months, and years ahead. 

I’m absolutely thrilled to be joined by renowned Wellness Consultant, host of “hey, girl” podcast and Best-Selling Author, Alex Elle.  Alex has made it her mission to help people find their voice and build self-trust, self-worth and self-validation through the power of writing. Through her workshops and retreats, she helps people go deep and explore their inner selves in a safe, collaborative community (1:08).

 Alex opens our conversation by explaining the incredible value writing can have, not only for expressing our own stories and experiences, but also as a therapeutic tool to help us gain clarity about feelings we so often let fester and to build an understanding of how to take action and heal.  In Alex’s words, this process allows us to get in tune with our own “inner expert” by giving us the power to find our own answers, curbing the pressures to seek validation in others (2:42). 

Alex also shares the value of writing within a community setting to understand we’re not alone in our struggle and we can work to overcome these challenges together.  Fostering this type of community is a crucial part of Alex’s work, and she strives to empower others through her own authenticity and vulnerability as a Black woman representing this type of healing (12:04). 

Alex explains that the journey of self-care starts with gaining introspection which allows us to show up fully in our roles as mothers, partners, and people in society. While showing up for ourselves and for others this year feels more difficult than ever, Alex believes that we have the opportunity to rise from our collective grief and form a bond that will bring us all together for the betterment of society (13:16).

For more of Alex, visit her website http://www.alexelle.com/ ,where you can find resources including free writing practices. You can also join her email list and follow her on Instagram @alex_elle to stay tuned for upcoming writing courses!

If you’re looking for something a bit more than your standard notebook to inspire your journaling journey, shop Alex’s collection of beautiful journals HERE   

Another option: Use our discount code: GOINGBEYOND for 20% Discount: https://thescribes.co/

I am so honored to have Chrissy King on the podcast with me today! Chrissy is a strength coach, as well as a writer, speaker and coach for anti-racism, diversity, and inclusion in the wellness industry. Using her degree in Social Justice and Sociology combined with her work as a strength trainer, Chrissy fuses social justice with fitness and wellness to empower individuals to stop shrinking and start taking up space and learn how to use their energy to create their specific magic in the world (3:52).  

Our conversation begins with Chrissy’s personal journey in the fitness industry, which she began with one goal only: to lose weight and be skinny. It took years of obsessing about her weight and never missing workouts, that when she finally reached her “goal weight”, it wasn’t enough. That’s when she turned to powerlifting, and realized that fitness wasn’t about body image, but rather about feeling strong, empowered and energized. This realization in the gym began to shift in other areas of her life, and today, she preaches “body liberation” to the clients she trains - the idea that who we are is not about what we look like on the outside, but how we feel on the inside. Chrissy mentions the importance of approaching fitness and wellness holistically as not only a tool to improve physical health, but mental and emotional health as well. (4:57). 

We then talk about the other side of Chrissy’s work: anti-racism, diversity and inclusivity in the wellness industry. Organizations often ask Chrissy to assess what steps they can take to be more diverse and inclusive, but what she sees is very consistent: most companies want a quick fix to the problem. Instead, Chrissy explains companies should, on both an individual and collective level, learn how to become anti-racist, and then incorporate ways to make their environment more diverse and inclusive (14:36).

 Chrissy leaves us with some really impactful advice to helping all of us become anti-racist. Chrissy and Randi agree that white women in particular have a harder time doing this work because of our inherent need to seek perfectionism and avoid saying or doing the wrong things. Chrissy encourages us to instead, sit in this discomfort because this work individually will spark greater change in the world (22:10). And it’s so important not to do it alone! There are fantastic books, films and articles to consume individually, but having tough conversations with a variety of people (including a variety of people of color), is what will take your work to the next level, as well as allow you the support you might need as you feel intense emotions from these conversations (32:58).

You all know how much I enjoy exploring topics that fuse the body and mind, and I think my guest today will help give you insight into the way our bodies are affected by stress, particularly during this challenging time.

Today I’m honored to be joined by trained Physical Therapist, Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, and Certified Athletic Trainer, Melanie Weller. Melanie is a medical visionary, specializing in decompressing the vagus nerve, a nerve responsible for bridging our stories and our physical experience in the body, and for countering our fight or flight response. Her work involves weaving a combination of science and ancient wisdom together using the vagus nerve as the pathway to help heal patients from chronic stress and trauma, empower and optimize their voice, and recognize the signs of vagus nerve compression that most of us are all too familiar with: sweaty palms, a racing heart, digestive issues, feeling like you have a lump your throat, and stifled vocal chords (4:10).

 Vocal dysfunction happens to be the basis of Melanie’s own story and the inspiration for her work. Growing up, Melanie never felt like she had a voice at home, and on top of that, her choir teacher at school insisted she lip sync rather than sing. From then on into adulthood, she believed that her voice had no value and she became a master at repressing her emotions, which she proved each time her husband deployed with the navy for months at a time. Finally, when he retired 20 years later, she broke down and the stress she bottled up all her life, in addition to the new stress of facing a crumbling marriage and a lawsuit, showed itself in extreme foot pain and high blood pressure (15:22). The combination of her story, her career as a physical therapist, and the knowledge that 75-90% of illness is stress-induced inspired Melanie to help others realign and recognize stress both in their body and mind to ultimately live a healthier, fuller life.

 We then talk about this challenging year and the undeniable stress it’s caused us.  Melanie reminds us that “2020” is also a term that means “perfect vision”, coinciding with how dramatically different we now view our lives and the effect we can have on others. In her opinion, 2020 is offering us an expanded vision for finally choosing to pick apart the root of our issues - something that is directly mirrored in the work that she does (26:51). Before Melanie leaves us, she gives us some much-needed advice on how we can better handle the stress we’re all experiencing, and that is understanding your unique body language, because while your mind will often play tricks on you, your body never will (33:20).

In this episode, I’m excited to be joined by Dr. Zabina Bhasin, entrepreneur, child psychiatrist, mom of two, and founder of In KidZ, a monthly subscription box that teaches children about the world’s cultures to become global citizens. Each box is curated by a parent ambassador who hails from the country or culture of the month and filled with interactive educational materials, informational flash cards, activities and games, books, recipe cards, flags, and more to help mold kids into becoming understanding, accepting adults and shape future generations to drive change in the world.

In KidZ was inspired by Dr. Zabina’s mother. Indian and Sikh herself, Dr. Zabina was constantly bullied for the cultural and religious differences that set her apart from her classmates, from the food she ate, to the way she dressed to even having a bigger nose than the other kids (Randi can relate and shares her own story) (5:20). Rather than getting angry, her mother decided it was time for her daughter’s classmates to learn about their culture and what makes it similar to that of their own. Every year from then on, she made it her mission to visit the school and teach them just that (3:20).

Fast-forward to today, and Dr. Zabina has taken her mother’s example, her own experience as a mother, and her former career in children’s psychiatry to create In KidZ through which she hopes to shape young generations and create a more inclusive world where a multicultural society is the norm and bullying is a thing of the past (18:12).

We then get into why now more than ever, especially amid COVID-19 school closures, it’s important to remember that our children mimic our every move, and setting an example for our children at home is crucial. On top of that, while our kids learn about history at school, they don’t learn much about the unique traditions of the 15,000 cultures across the U.S., making it our responsibility as mothers to educate ourselves and our kids so that we can celebrate those who are different from us rather than viewing them as separate (19:37). Finally, Dr. Zabina leaves us with her own self-care routine (her mother never had one so this took some getting used to!) that helps her feel her best so she can wake up every morning ready to shape the next generation into loving, global adults (28:40).

Here's a special discount code of 20% off your order at https://www.inkidzco.com/shop/

Code:
GBM20 

Today I’m joined by Sarah Symons who is the Founder and Director of Her Future Coalition, an international charity that has helped tens of thousands of girls rise from poverty and exploitation in Cambodia, India and Thailand and teaches them to become free and independent. Her Future has collaborated with the likes of Michelle Obama’s Girls Opportunity Alliance to provide opportunity and education to the most vulnerable girls around the world. Sarah is also the author of the book This is No Ordinary Joy: How the Courage of Survivors Transformed My Life and forthcoming book Standing in the Way (out January), which she co-wrote with one of her survivors (0:55).

Sarah never imagined her life would lead her to where she is today. Her career was always centered around music, from touring the U.S. and landing a record deal with her band in her 20s, to then composing music for TV and film, but a stunning twist of events led her to founding Her Future. One day after cancer suddenly took her mother, she found solace in talking to her friend Philip’s spirit, who was murdered at age 17. That same day, she found out that one of her songs - a song she happened to write for Philip - had been selected for a film that would be featured at the NYC Tribeca Film Festival, and actress Emmy Rossum was cast to sing her song (3:30)!

It felt like her music career was reaching new heights, but what she didn’t see coming was next; while at the Festival, Sarah had time to see one film, The Day My God Died, a documentary about the exploitation and trafficking of girls from Nepal to India. She was reluctant to see it, but after she did, her life changed forever. It was then that she made the decision to drop her music career and dedicate her time to helping these girls, no matter what it took (11:52). With no experience, Sarah started volunteering to understand what these survivors needed. Today, Her Future is a result of her learnings (16:18).

After witnessing the devastating toll COVID-19 took on vulnerable populations across the world, Sarah makes the case for approaching wellness on a global scale. She suggests volunteering at charitable organizations or local food banks, and explains the remarkable healing power that helping those less fortunate can have, namely providing a sense of control in a time when our lives feel so out of control (25:47). Sarah then leaves us with three impactful lessons she’s learned from the resilient survivors she’s worked with through the years: (1) Make a conscious decision to leave the past behind, (2) What stands in the way becomes the way, and (3) Don’t give into despair, and instead, see what love can do (38:15).

I’m so excited to welcome today’s guest, #1 Best-Selling Author of Spiritual Seductress: The High-Powered Women’s Guide to Devour the World through Spiritual Guidance, Preeminent Spiritual Advisor and Feminine Leadership Trendsetter, Raquel Vasallo. Through her belief that each one of us is on Earth for a unique reason, Raquel helps female visionaries, leaders and changemakers work on first healing themselves - whether it’s a change in mindset or growing from past traumas - by shifting their energy in order to step into their higher purpose and truly enact change in the world (3:19). 

Raquel’s story has a fascinating parallel to how COVID has reshaped so many of our lives by simply allowing us to stop and focus on what matters.  She realized she was meant to do the work she does following  a near-death experience in 2008.  She was hit by a car in NYC and spent months in recovery, detoxing her body from mercury poisoning, while also reshaping her mental focus to look more internal rather than relying on outside influences to shape her decisions (7:20).

 Raquel then teaches us that part of healing and changing our mindset comes with first letting go of the divine masculine paradigms we believe are vital for high achievement (force, control and competition) and instead harnessing more of our feminine traits, like flow and creativity. Once we’ve mastered these divine feminine qualities, we can then tap back into the masculine qualities that help us put our purpose into action (17.41). 

Finally, Raquel advises on the importance of making personal time for ourselves before leaving us with  two tangible steps we can all take to start our journey of stepping into our higher purpose: (1) acknowledge yourself and something positive that YOU made happen, and (2) write down what you’re grateful for each day. (33:28)

I’m so excited to welcome Astrologer, Success Coach, and Author of the new book (out January) Cosmic Health: Unlock Your Healing Magic With Astrology, Positive Psychology, And Integrative Wellness, Jenn Racioppi to the podcast!  Jenn, who found healing in astrology, moon studies, yoga therapy, and somatic psychotherapy after battling an aggressive cancer diagnosis and severe anxiety and depression, has made it her mission to help women fulfill their dreams and achieve health and happiness using these same practices. 

In our conversation, Jenn explains that the events of 2020 have mirrored the alignment of the planets, all pointing to the need for radical transformation of rethinking how we show up in the world and create more sustainable ways to live on Earth. She also helps us see the bright side of chaos, which is not something to be scared of, but rather a gateway between “no longer and “not yet” - an opportunity of growth as we collectively learn to adapt to a life after COVID-19. Tune in to the episode for more fascinating insight from Jenn!