

Circle This
Good Mess Media
CIRCLE THIS, The Anti-Small Talk Podcast.
Deep, playful, and intimate conversations shedding light on how to create magic and meaning in our everyday lives. Andrea Bendewald invites her circle of friends which include innovators, authors, entrepreneurs, healers, and artists, to share their stories and practices for building and nurturing authentic relationships. These discussions, like circles, are an antidote to the loneliness epidemic, providing tangible evidence of our shared humanity, and guidance for cultivating deeper connections.
Thank you for listening, sharing, and being a part of our expanding circle.
Circle This is executive produced by Andrea Bendewald, and Emily Kratter. Edited, produced and distributed by Tracey Thomas and Good Mess media
Photography by Cathrine White
Stay connected with our Circle This Team:
@andreabendewald @circlethispodcast @emkratter @goodmessmedia @talkwithtrace
Deep, playful, and intimate conversations shedding light on how to create magic and meaning in our everyday lives. Andrea Bendewald invites her circle of friends which include innovators, authors, entrepreneurs, healers, and artists, to share their stories and practices for building and nurturing authentic relationships. These discussions, like circles, are an antidote to the loneliness epidemic, providing tangible evidence of our shared humanity, and guidance for cultivating deeper connections.
Thank you for listening, sharing, and being a part of our expanding circle.
Circle This is executive produced by Andrea Bendewald, and Emily Kratter. Edited, produced and distributed by Tracey Thomas and Good Mess media
Photography by Cathrine White
Stay connected with our Circle This Team:
@andreabendewald @circlethispodcast @emkratter @goodmessmedia @talkwithtrace
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 18, 2025 • 1h 28min
The Beauty of Resilience: Manifestation, Sisterhood, and Redefining Failure with Nyakio Grieco
In this episode Dre welcomes Nyakio Grieco, Award Winning Beauty Entrepreneur, Circle Sister, and Founder of Thirteen Lune, a first of its kind e-commerce destination designed to inspire the discovery of beauty brands created by BIPOC founders. Nyakio also created Relevant, a clean, science-led skincare brand that works for all skin tones and types. We dive deep into her incredible story of manifesting motherhood, and birthing a business, reflecting on how circling helped dismantle myths surrounding mom guilt and the unrealistic pursuit of balance. Nyakio shares her perspective on accepting new beginnings as an entrepreneur, opening up about where her resilience comes from, and offers us a prime example of how to empower oneself even in moments of oppression. We are reminded to ask ourselves what difference we wish to make in the world, and then seek out a community who shares our mission. Follow: @Nyakio, @ThirteenLune, @relevent.skin Shop at: www.thirteenlune.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 11, 2025 • 1h 2min
Famously Fired & Finding Your Soul Song with Maggie Wheeler
Dre welcomes Maggie Wheeler, actress, singer, song writer, author and founder of Golden Bridge Community Choir. Best known for her iconic role as Janice on the hit television sitcom Friends, Maggie is also one of the original women who led Dre in circles many moons ago in Laurel Canyon that changed and informed her life. In this episode Maggie shares pivotal moments that sparked her soul's journey to "follow song" and gather others longing for community in circles. And how being "famously fired" accelerated her spiritual path, reducing her ego and deepening her compassion rather than destroying her creative soul. She is a wealth of lyrical gold, weaving heartfelt storytelling with the beauty of song. (Wait until the end of the episode! You are in for a treat!) Maggie currently hosts a weekly online gathering, "Together In Song," bringing together over 4000 people from around the world to join in the healing power of singing. Follow: @maggiewheeler_official @goldenbridgechoir Learn more at: goldenbridgechoir.com https://ebeneezerfindsareason.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 4, 2025 • 1h 26min
Trust The Signs: Transition Your Career And Powerfully Manifest with Tal Rabinowitz
This week Dre is joined by the spiritual spitfire Tal Rabinowitz, Former Executive VP of Comedy Development at NBC turned Energy Guide, Shamanic Practitioner, Meditation & Kundalini Teacher, and Founder of the Den Meditation and SourceAlchemy.com Tal's story gives us permission to expand, pivot, return, and pause long enough to intuit the next aligned action. This high octane conversation inspires us to own our inherent creativity and power to build the school we wish to attend. By directly asking for universal guidance and choosing to believe the signs when they arrive, we can learn to navigate transitions with confidence and courage. Learn more about Tal at: https://sourcealchemy.com/ Follow her on IG at: @talrabinowitz Check out the incredible offerings at: https://www.denmeditation.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 28, 2025 • 1h 17min
Speaking Truth to Power: How Sharing Your Story Unlocks Freedom with Brooke Baldwin
This week Dre is joined by award-winning journalist, bestselling author and TV host, Brooke Baldwin. For more than a decade, Brooke anchored her own live daily news show on CNN and was renowned for her versatility, authenticity, and humanity at the news desk. Her bombshell first person essay in Vanity Fair, "Leaving CNN Was How I Found My Voice," as well as her weekly Substack "Unraveling, with Brooke Baldwin" are game changing displays of radical authenticity and the power of sharing our truths. Her book, Huddle: How Women Unlock Their Collective Power explores the transformational benefits of women gathering and leaning on one another. In this episode, Dre and Brooke circle around cultivating the courage to ask for help, our often unconscious participation in cultural standards and expectations that do not serve us, and how our individual unraveling is a part of our collective evolution for the highest good. You can follow her on instagram: @Brooke_Baldwin. And sign up for her substack: https://substack.com/@brookebaldwin444 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 21, 2025 • 55min
Inside LA's Firestorm: Firsthand Accounts with Dre & Em and Malibu Humanitarian Tricia Small
We're back! Not sure how your New Year is going, but here in LA, time feels like it's standing still. It's day10 of the LA fires, and Dre and Em sit down to reflect on their experiences—Dre in the heart of LA and Em from NY. Joining us is Malibu resident and activist Tricia Small, reporting from behind the restricted fire zones, where she's been tirelessly checking on residents, first responders, animals, and neighborhoods left in ruins. In this episode, we explore what it means to process and participate during a crisis, the power of small gestures to create big change, and how community remains the ultimate solution, no matter where you are. Whether you're near or far, this conversation is a guide to showing up in meaningful ways. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 24, 2024 • 25min
2024 Connections & Reflections with Dre & Em
As 2024 comes to a close, Dre and Em reflect on the lessons, insights, and practices that brought meaning to the past year. They share stories of a transformative dinner party circle that turned an ordinary moment into something sacred, and how they're approaching the holiday season with intentionality—focusing on how they want to feel before, during, and after. Join us for heartfelt reflections, practical takeaways, and a warm send-off into the new year. Tune in to reflect, connect, and set the tone for 2025. . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 17, 2024 • 1h 18min
Embodied Stories: Healing Through Writing and Yoga with Sherry Sidoti
In this episode, award-winning author, yoga teacher, and steward of memoir writing + healing experiences, Sherry Sidoti, shares how writing your story is not only an act of self-expression but a powerful tool for deep healing and overall health. With over 20 years of experience teaching healing arts and mysticism, Sherry weaves together yoga and embodied writing to help us unlock transformation, bridging the physical and emotional layers of our lives. Sherry also opens up about her relationship to grief, offering helpful reflections on how embracing loss can guide us to growth, resilience, and renewed connection. As the author of A Smoke and a Song—a gold medal-winning inspirational memoir—and the founder of the Embodied Memoir Writing Series, Sherry's work reminds us that sharing our stories is a sacred practice. It heals us and sends ripples of healing out into the collective. This conversation is for anyone seeking to connect to their story, their body, and their ability to transform life's challenges into beauty. Website: https://www.sherrysidoti.com/ Amazon link to her book: https://www.amazon.com/Smoke-Song-Daughters-Memoir-Living/dp/1647425093/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1675254548&sr=1-1 Yoga Retreat with Sherry and Dre El Cuyo, Mexico: https://yogaadventuresworldwide.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 10, 2024 • 1h 21min
Harnessing Heart and Humanity with Sexual Assault Examiner, Dr. Amy J. Smith
In this episode, Dre welcomes Dr. Amy J. Smith, Dual Board-Certified Nurse Practitioner and Sexual Assault Forensic Nurse Examiner, specializing in emergency medicine. Amy shares her extraordinary story, from dropping out of high school and becoming a single mother to earning her doctorate and serving as the Director of Family Nurse Practitioners at Hofstra University. Her work bridges her love of medicine with her passion for humanity. Amy uses her sharp wit, talent, humor, and compassion to teach her students, doctors, nurses, and EMTs how to better treat and care for survivors of sexual assault. She shines a critical light on the pervasive issue of "intimate partner violence" challenging us to address the crisis that impacts us all either personally or through someone we know Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 3, 2024 • 1h 6min
Awaken the Witch Within: Ritual & Remembering for Wild Creativity with Lisa Lister
In this episode best selling author Lisa Lister, one of my favorite teachers, breaks down the "witch wound" and the inherited traumas carried by modern women, and how gathering serves as a powerful act of remembrance—one that reclaims our power and defies the status quo. She delves into the deep connection between our bodies natural cycles and how they are linked to the cycles of nature, the transformative value of rituals, and the importance of rewriting to reclaim our stories around our bodies. She shares how to honor and understand the different phases of womanhood, including the "charmed and dangerous" era surrounding menopause, and how to infuse the process of creation with pleasure through ritual and opening your psychic channels. Check out Lisa Lister's best selling books and upcoming events at https://www.lisalister.com/ Instagram @sassylisalister Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nov 26, 2024 • 27min
T'is the Season: How to Do it Differently, with Dre and Em
In this episode, hosts Dre and Em share insights on approaching the holiday season with clarity, intention, and a playful spirit. Learn how to break free from old patterns and intentionally shape how you want to feel as the New Year unfolds. Tune in for practical tips and fresh perspectives to transform your holiday experience! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


