LET IT OUT

This week I spoke to Brendan Francis Newnam, the former longtime host of The Dinner Party Download, who went on to create and executive produce The Paris Review Podcast. He is the author of the book Brunch Is Hell and (most relevant to this conversation) he’s the host of the podcast Not Lost. It's a travel show Brendan started after the end of both his long-term relationship and his decade-long radio show, The Dinner Party Download.Brendan "found himself on the wrong side of 35, unemployed, single, and with most of his friends ensconced in relationships and parenthood or both." So he took a microphone, hit the road with friends, and his adventure became Not Lost. The premise of the show is Brendan and his friends trying to get invited to a dinner party with locals in each city they visit.We talk about how he made the show and I picked out a few clips that particularly landed with me, including the balance between sharing vulnerably and holding back, how our trauma impacts our openness to relationships, and thoughts on loneliness, rejection, and connection. And what doing the show taught him about, intimacy, friendship, choosing a city to live in, nature and more. We also talked about interviewing and podcasting at the end, which raised some interesting questions for me. Show Notes:- Listen to Not Lost on Pushkin | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Youtube- My favorite episodes: Montreal | Portland- Follow Brendan on Instagram- Take the friendship breakup survey from me and Kayleen Schaefer here- The Let It Out Kits are 32% off with the code 32- Sign up for the waitlist for the re-imagined Creative Underdogs/In Process (coming soon)!- Subscribe to our newsletter to get show notes + essays, etc. sent to your inbox- Follow @letitouttt on Instagram. I'm @katiedalebout Sponsors:I started drinking these little green productivity shots and I love them so much. For 40% off a subscription or 20% off a single purchase, go to magicmind.co/letitout and use code LETITOUT20 at checkout!

This week’s episode is part two of my conversation with visual artist Kimmy Quillin. In this second half of our nearly-three-hour Zoom conversation, we talk more about her process—how she creates conditions for creativity, incorporating chance in her work, and what she calls intentional chaos. We end the episode with questions I gathered from a bunch of our mutual friends to ask her.Kimmy is one of my favorite painters whose work can be seen on the walls of Good Move in Brooklyn (whose founder, Jules, has been on the podcast twice) as well as in Elle, Domino Magazine, and at Uprise Art. She presented her solo show Many Moons at Chinatown Soup in November 2019 (I was there) and at Spite Haus in January 2020. I was excited to talk to her and this conversation exceeded my expectations.In Part 1, we talked about coffee routines and being heliotropic, her influences from her Wisconsin roots and New York City, the realities of living as an artist, and how she takes care of herself through it all. If you haven't listened, be sure to check it out! Show notes:- Find Kimmy on the Web | Instagram- If you haven't listened to the episode with Sam Salad a few weeks ago--one of my favorite episodes of the year--listen here- Check out the book Color Scheme by Edith Young- Take the friendship breakup survey from me and Kayleen Schaefer here- The Let It Out Kits are 32% off with the code 32- Sign up for the waitlist for the re-imagined Creative Underdogs/In Process (coming soon)!- Subscribe to our newsletter to get show notes + essays, etc. sent to your inbox- Follow @letitouttt on Instagram. I'm @katiedalebout Sponsors:Credit Karma helps you find low-interest personal loans to bring down credit card debt and save you money. Ready to apply? Head to creditkarma.com/loanoffers to see personalized offers!First Person cognitive supplements: get 15% percent off your first order by going to getfirstperson.com and use code letitout

This week’s episode is the first half of my conversation with visual artist Kimmy Quillin. We spoke for nearly three hours over Zoom, her from her home in Brooklyn and me here in LA. We begin by talking about mornings, her coffee routines and how being heliotropic, time of day, and color inform her painting. How both her Wisconsin roots and her love of New York City, the city she’s lived in for over a decade inform her work and personality. She talks about working in different mediums, the realties of living as an artist, our mutual love of Craigslist, highs and lows of releasing art and how she takes care of herself throughout it all. She’s one of my favorite painters whose work can be seen on the walls of Good Move in Brooklyn (whose founder, Jules, has been on the podcast twice) as well as in Elle, Domino Magazine, and at Uprise Art. She presented her solo show Many Moons at Chinatown Soup in November 2019 (I was there) and at Spite Haus in January 2020. We met before I left NYC and share a bunch of mutual friends whom I polled for questions to ask her at the end of part two. In part two we talk more about her process—how she creates conditions for creativity, incorporating chance in her work, what she calls intentional chaos—and much more. I was excited to talk to her and this conversation exceeded my expectations. Show notes:- Find Kimmy on the Web | Instagram- If you haven't listened to the episode with Sam Salad a couple weeks ago--one of my favorite episodes of the year--listen here- Take the friendship breakup survey from me and Kayleen Schaefer here- Check out the book Color Scheme by Edith Young- The Let It Out Kits are 32% off with the code 32- Sign up for the waitlist for the re-imagined Creative Underdogs/In Process (coming soon)!- Subscribe to our newsletter to get show notes + essays, etc. sent to your inbox- Follow @letitouttt on Instagram. I'm @katiedalebout Sponsors:Credit Karma helps you find low-interest personal loans to bring down credit card debt and save you money. Ready to apply? Head to creditkarma.com/loanoffers to see personalized offersAthleticGreens: complete daily nutrition in one tasty scoop! Get a year's supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D and five free travel pouches with your first order of AthleticGreens when you visit athleticgreens.com/letitout!

This episode is a conversation with art advisor, curator, and author Maria Brito about career and creative pivots when things aren’t working, reinvention, using intuition in work and art, the importance of solitude, and much more. She tells me about her trajectory of growing up in Venezuela, moving to the states to go to Harvard Law School and becoming a corporate attorney before making her own career pivot into the art world, where she eventually became a top art advisor.Maria's kindness is always evident throughout and especially in a section towards the beginning where she gives me a real creative advising session after I share about needing a career pivot myself. She gives me gentle and wise advice, which I’ve since been working on. We recorded this a couple of months ago over Zoom and since then, her new book called: How Creativity Rules The World: The Art and Business of Turning Your Ideas Into Gold is now available everywhere. Show Notes:- Find Maria on the Web | Instagram- Order Maria's book- The Let It Out Kits are 32% off with the code 32- Take the friendship breakup survey from me and Kayleen Schaefer here- Sign up for the waitlist for the re-imagined Creative Underdogs/In Process (coming soon)!- Subscribe to our newsletter to get show notes + essays, etc. sent to your inbox- Follow @letitouttt on Instagram. I'm @katiedalebout Sponsors:Credit Karma helps you find low-interest personal loans to bring down credit card debt and save you money. Ready to apply? Head to creditkarma.com/loanoffers to see personalized offersAthleticGreens: complete daily nutrition in one tasty scoop! Get a year's supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D and five free travel pouches with your first order of AthleticGreens when you visit athleticgreens.com/letitout!

This week, a conversation with Sam Salad. As you'll hear, Sam is not only hilarious, but he’s also humble, original, creative, and truly one of the best writers—and especially copywriters—I’ve ever met. As he says about himself, he writes and he makes clothes. Sam with his partner Rebma are the designers behind the LA-based clothing line MEALS. As Sam writes, “the brand prepares non-gendered clothing inspired by food. MEALS bakes ‘food culture’ into apparel, blurring the lines between the clothes we eat and the food we wear.” We talk about that blur between food, bodies, eating, and clothing, and the juxtaposition of these topics led the conversation into interesting and unexpected directions. We also speak about how the timing of their young brand was impacted by the pandemic, collaborating in business with your romantic partner, prizing experiences over objects, body image and food culture much more. We recorded the episode about a month ago from my kitchen table; Sam came over with a bottle of rum and we talked for hours and honestly could’ve kept going. I hope you enjoy our conversation. Show notes:- Find Meals clothing on the Web | Instagram- Vogue article on Meals- Check out 69 clothing- The Let It Out Kits are 32% off with the code 32- Take the friendship breakup survey from me and Kayleen Schaefer here- Sign up for the waitlist for the re-imagined Creative Underdogs/In Process (coming soon)!- Subscribe to our newsletter to get show notes + essays, etc. sent to your inbox- Follow @letitouttt on Instagram. I'm @katiedalebout If you liked this episode, try out:Episode 386: Norma Kamali on Dating, Aging, London in the 60s, Her Iconic Fashion Career, and "The More You Do, the More You Can Do"Episode 351: Riding Waves: Surfing, Design, and Change with Heidi Baker, Founder of Ozma of CaliforniaEpisode 318: ((happy thank you more please )) Relationships, Jobs, and New Skills with Christine NguyenEpisode 323: Intentionality, Beauty, Film, and Change with Madelynn De La Rosa Sponsors:Credit Karma helps you find low-interest personal loans to bring down credit card debt and save you money. Ready to apply? Head to creditkarma.com/loanoffers to see personalized offersFirst Person cognitive supplements: get 15% percent off your first order by going to getfirstperson.com and use code letitoutListen to Not Lost with Brendan Newnam on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts! 

This week, a very important person in my life—Sacha Jones—hosts the podcast. Every year for nearly a decade Sacha has come back on to host the episode the last week of April (the week of my birthday). This year she really outdid herself: she shocks me with questions sourced from my friends and family and a special guest joins us to host a special rapid-fire round. I truly knew none of this was happening beforehand and it felt like the surprise party I’ve always dreamed of. Sacha is one of the most creative, wise, and gentle people I know and our annual catch-ups end up being time capsules of what we’re leaning this year. Prior to her surprises, we cover craving focus while being people who do many things at once. The through-line I keep returning to in answering her questions is how much the little things—like simple routines, easy moments—mean to me. I will be back on the other side of the interview next week but until then I hope this conversation offers you something, that you come away from it feeling the energy of it, and that you feel better after listening to it. Or that it makes you laugh, comforts you, or simply keeps you company you during your day.Show notes:- Follow Sacha on Instagram- Sacha's general website | ceremonies website- Sacha's spring cleanse (starts May 9th)- The Let It Out Kits are 32% off with the code 32- My episode with Derick Melander- My 2020 episode with Anjie Cho- Learn more about my creative consulting & if you'd like to book a free session, book here!- Subscribe to our newsletter to get show notes + essays, etc. sent to your inbox- Follow @letitouttt on Instagram. I'm @katiedalebout If you liked this episode, try out:Episode 358: Two Saviors, Writing, Touring & Surfing with Musician Buck Meek of Big Thief Sponsors:Asian Boss Girl: a podcast for the modern day Asian professional woman hosted by Melody Cheng, Helen Wu, & Janet Wang.  Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows!

This week, a conversation with iconic designer Norma Kamali. Recorded over Zoom from her office in Manhattan, we cover her 50-year career, from graduating from FIT with a degree in illustration to working for Northwest Airlines—which allowed her to fly to London on the weekends for only $29. It felt like a time capsule to hear her talk about the cultural revolution in London in the 1960s and how she would bring back pieces for friends, which led her to start a store, and eventually design her own pieces. Soon her designs were worn by Bianca Jagger, Bette Midler, and Cher. But at 29 Norma left her marriage, which meant walking away from the brand she’d quietly built with only $98 in her pocket. But starting over ultimately led her to create a brand with longevity and panache. From her unique sleeping bag coat design (worn by the doormen at Studio 54 and by those standing outside hoping it would increase their chances of getting in) to the now-iconic red swimsuit Farrah Fawcett wore on that famous poster, Norma has dressed generations. She’s full of wisdom and perspective and gently gives me advice on everything from aging, to dating (she fell in love again ten years ago at 65), to how she views busyness—she says “the more you do, the more you can do.” We get into her thoughts on her industry’s evolution and on upcoming generations. I hope I did her career and story justice in this conversation with a real icon. Show notes:- Find Norma on the Web | Instagram- Norma's book, I Am Invincible- Kayleen Schaefer's episode- Kayleen's book, Text Me When You Get Home- Take the "We Don't Talk Anymore" survey on friend breakups- Learn more about "Soft Stories"- Learn more about my creative consulting & if you'd like to book a free session, book here!- Subscribe to our newsletter to get show notes + essays, etc. sent to your inbox- Follow @letitouttt on Instagram. I'm @katiedalebout Sponsors:Asian Boss Girl: a podcast for the modern day Asian professional woman hosted by Melody Cheng, Helen Wu, & Janet Wang.  Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows!Credit Karma: find low-interest personal loans to bring down credit card debt and save you money. Ready to apply? Head to creditkarma.com/loanoffers to see personalized offers.

I'm sharing a special preview of A Slight Change of Plans, a podcast all about who we are and who we become in the face of change. Dr. Maya Shankar is a cognitive scientist who is an expert on human behavior, and she’s here to help us navigate the changes we all experience in our lives. She sits in intimate conversations with celebrity guests like Tiffany Haddish and Kacey Musgraves as well as everyday inspirations, like journalist Euna Lee, who was held captive in North Korea for 140 days, and Doctor Richard Harris, who rescued a boy's soccer team trapped deep in a cave in Thailand. You'll also meet change experts — including leading grief therapist Julia Samuel, psychologist Adam Grant, and author Michael Pollan— whose scientific insights will help us make better decisions and live happier, more fulfilling lives. In this preview, you’ll hear Maya in conversation with Christine Ha, the first blind contestant and winner of the reality TV show MasterChef. Christine talks about losing her vision and how she had to re-learn how to navigate many aspects of her life, including her passion — cooking. You can listen to A Slight Change of Plans, from Pushkin Industries, at https://podcasts.pushkin.fm/scpout. 

This week I spoke with herbalist and author Vanessa Chakour. At 17, a life-threatening accident led Vanessa to heal her eating disorder and work through sexual assault trauma, which in turn led to her becoming a professional boxer, eventually bringing her to New York City where she began studying herbalism. Now, she’s an author and educator who trains others in her field of helping people to connect to their environments. Her work is rooted in the natural world and what she calls our own inner-wild, or our intuitive connection to ourselves.   In this episode we cover the connection between eating disorder recovery and our bodies connecting to nature as well as how consent and anger relate to weeds like dandelion. We get into making herbal infusions and the creative process; writing for emotional wellness; navigating highs such as new relationships and career successes (Vanessa's in one of those highs now); and how to manage the nervous system during both highs and lows. We also discuss her new book, Awakening Artemis. Show notes:- Find Vanessa on the Web | Instagram- Subscribe to Vanessa's newsletter- Check out Vanessa's book, Awakening Artemis- Take the "We Don't Talk Anymore" survey on friend breakups- Want to do a @letitouttt instagram takeover? Fill out this survey- There is one spot open in my creative clinic -- if you'd like to book a free session, book here!- Subscribe to our newsletter to get show notes + essays, etc. sent to your inbox- Follow @letitouttt on Instagram. I'm @katiedalebout If you liked this episode, try out:Episode 369: Space Between the Space: Erin Lovell Verinder & Noah Checkle on Leaving Places Better Than You Found Them, The Plant Clinic Book, Change, Friendship, Beauty & More Sponsors:- Credit Karma: apply for low-interest, personal loans today at creditkarma.com/loanoffers- ThirdLove: Get 20% off your first order of comfortable, quality undergarments at thirdlove.com/LETITOUT!- AthleticGreens: complete daily nutrition in one tasty scoop! Get a year's supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D and five free travel pouches with your first order of AthleticGreens when you visit athleticgreens.com/letitout!

Back for the first time in 7 years is my good friend Valerie Chaney. Val is a meditation and mindfulness educator, writer and the co-host of the We Made It Weird podcast with her husband, comedian Pete Holmes. Val is hilarious, gentle, wise, incredibly smart and one of my favorite people. It was no surprise when we talked for over three hours, so I’m splitting up this episode into two parts.Val trained with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, who both have informed her work within healing trauma, mindfulness, meditation, and embodiment, which we spoke about at length in part 1 last week. This second half of our conversation is a bit sillier! We talk more about therapy, what we were like as teens, mean girls, finding your hobbies and creative process, as well as the rom coms and style trends we love from the early 2000s.In addition to her mindfulness work, Val is one of the most talented and creative people I know: she teaches dance, sings in a choir and, most recently, wrote a screenplay, which she discussed at the end of part 1. If you haven't listened to part 1, be sure to tune in to hear us discuss anger—and our problem with expressing it. We also cover Internal Family Systems, learning to inhabit your body, embodiment vs. dissociating, attachment styles, fear of being alone, and how to approach all these insights with gentleness. Show notes:- Follow Val on Instagram- Listen to We Made It Weird podcast on Apple Podcasts | Spotify- There is one spot open in my creative clinic -- if you'd like to book a free session, book here!- Subscribe to our newsletter to get show notes + essays, etc. sent to your inbox- Follow @letitouttt on Instagram. I'm @katiedalebout Sponsors:ThirdLove: Get 20% off your first order of comfortable, quality undergarments at thirdlove.com/LETITOUT!AthleticGreens: complete daily nutrition in one tasty scoop! Get a year's supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D and five free travel pouches with your first order of AthleticGreens when you visit athleticgreens.com/letitout!