Natalia Rose Podcast Interview with Amber Bonnici - August 2024

[00:00:05] Speaker A: Today we have with us the queen of creativity, Amber cui le Miloni Bonichi of woman unleashed there comes a time in every person's life when the only thing that will soothe, satisfy, and settle the soul is the unleashing of our authentic creative expression, our raw, unexpressed truth. We all need it as much as we need the air that we breathe. Our authentic creative expression is primal and primary, the original first thing and the thing of first importance. If and as we deny, suppress, or subdue this primary impulse of our design, we lose our vitality. Failing to create, to tell our story, or to share our vision, whether by song, by paintbrush, by sport, by architecture, by cooking, innovation, musical instrument, by dance, or by any other conceivable human creative expression leaves us feeling depressed, whether we are willing to acknowledge it or not. We can paint over it, so to speak. But if our truth is under layers of protection, we will deeply suffer. This is just not an option. Life is too special, too extraordinary, too precious and too grand not to fully live it. By expressing our unique creative signature, Amber Cuilei Mylani Bonici is to me the very quintessence of the spirit of Clarissa Pincola Estes, women who run with the wolves. She is one that wears the red petticoat brazenly and knows how to break free of the rules for the noble aim of setting the spirit free to be wild as it was meant to be. Amber is an international bestselling author and award winning artist. She is CEO and founder of Woman Unleashed, a community dedicated to helping women connect to their creative spirit, to feel on purpose, happy and free. She supports women to discover their true creative spiritual gifts and to live an inspired life through in person retreats, online programs and woman unleashed tv. Amber hosts the women Unleashed online Retreat, which has drawn over 125,000 women since it first began. Her book, Creativity A Woman's Guide to unlock, flow and finish your creative work, was an international bestseller and supports women to get creating. When she's not teaching or coaching, you'll find her on the big island of Hawaii, painting, writing, or hanging with her husband and boys. We all need a mother, a grandmother, an aunt or a sister with this degree of access to the vibrancy of creativity, who can take us by the hand to our creative liberation by being the very embodiment of authentic creative expression herself. I am so excited to be sitting here today with Amber Wanichi. We are all blessed to be recipients of her wildflower energy, which is so rare in our highly expression. Suppressed creativity, subdued culture Amber, welcome and thank you for bringing us your magic here on the Pure Power podcast. You reconnect women with their creative source all day long, setting their energy to the constructive joy of their true expression. Do you operate by a core philosophy, and what is your mindset and approach for unleashing a person's creative potential? Just to start there? [00:03:47] Speaker B: Okay. Yeah. So thank you so much for having me. Natalia. I love you. I love our pure power community. So just want to first start off by saying that thank you. You have unleashed part of my health and wellness, and so I'm deeply grateful for you on that. So thank you. [00:04:06] Speaker A: So mutual. You are so precious, and I'm so grateful to have you in your energy field in my life. And I know personally, in my experience of working with women who have worked with you, who've gone through your process, how magical it is, how transformative it is. So just, you know, we all, we all need that magic in our lives and we suffer for not having it. And we get into ruts and we don't believe in ourselves anymore. We shut products down, as you mentioned, getting that project finished. And where do you begin when you work with someone and going back to the core philosophy, just let's start at the place, wherever you feel we should best start to lay a foundation for understanding how you work and how to access this magic. [00:04:57] Speaker B: Yeah, I really believe that. One of the biggest problems I see is suppression of expression, that we have been conditioned to talk a certain way, move a certain way, dress a certain way, to believe we're creative or not creative, and we weren't born that way. And this is a piece that I think is really important for women to even choose the creative path or to choose to express themselves as there's so much conversation already in a lot of women's heads. It's like, oh, I'm not creative, or I don't create that way. There's all these stories around it. But we weren't, like I mentioned, we weren't born this way. There's studies that show that kids, when they were in second grade, like nine or ten years old, 95% of them believe that they are creative. I just want you to take that in for a moment. When you were young and you grabbed crayons and markers, it was just the way that you expressed yourself and there was nothing, there was no hang up around it. And then by the time kids are in fifth grade, I don't know, like twelve or something like this, they start to, maybe it's even younger. I'm having trouble translating grades and age. But 50% of them now believe that they're creative and 50% don't. So just in those couple of years, thinking about what happens during that time in school, in treatment, in conditioning, that we start to believe that we aren't creative anymore. And then by the time kids are in high school, they're teenagers. Only 5% still believe they're creative. So we are being taught, like, we are being conditioned. We are being, like, the most essential, like, part of our design, our element, what creator has created us to be, is being, like, leeched, pulled out of us, where we believe that we don't even have access to that power anymore. So part of what I do is I remind women, like, yes, you are creative. And for some people, they have to start in a place where they just want to create, and they want to create for fun. Like, they take off all the pressure of feeling like, oh, you know, I'm a painter, I'm a writer. We're not there yet. They're just giving themselves permission, maybe on a retreat or on a girl's weekend away to do a collage. Or there's this non pressure environment to just play and to express and to just see what comes through and then what I like to do that through. Inviting people into collage. Collage is always great because, I mean, anyone can cut out pictures and glue them on something. You're not going to get in your head as much the critic, as much about this is good or this is bad. But we also do painting retreats. We do retreats where people do smash booking, which is big art, journaling spreads. So it's just ways to get you used to expressing. And the first, you know, there's actually a wheel that we take people through the creative cycle. But the first part is this energy, like tapping into energy and tapping into just doing it for fun. Doing it because it brings you joy, doing it because it lifts you up, that it energizes you. Like, that's like the very first step of any sort of creative process, whether it's singing, dancing, writing, drawing, anything, is just to give yourself permission to have fun and play. [00:08:15] Speaker A: Okay, I love this one. At one point you made is critical that I hope everyone caught, is that when you're in your creative state, you're energized. You're energized by creativity. That's really important to lay down because there's a conductivity happening. You're accessing something and you're unblocking something. There's something that's allowing energy to flow that wasn't flowing before. So is it safe to say that, well, I guess it makes sense, too. Why? You know, just if you're in the midst of a project and you've been on it for a few hours to go and do something that is creative, that's going to just, you know, bring your energy back, first of all, and it's going to get other pathways opening. [00:08:55] Speaker B: Totally. The first step of the creative process is this place where you tap into your energy. It's so much like the work that we do in pure power, right? That there's, we want to open up the conduit, we want to open up the channel, and there are things that block us. And so one of those things is the conversations in our head, I'm not creative, or that's not good enough, or we compare ourselves to other people, or we think that art looks a certain way because we've been told it looks a certain way, like this outside influence. So all of those things can actually take our energy and squash it, including thinking like, oh, should I start this? Should I start this? Should I start this? I'm not clear what to do. Or, you know, even thinking, just even the energy of, if you've got a lot going on, like, let's say that when I was a mom of young kids, it was like, oh, my gosh, to even think about creating and to put something together, it was just too much, too much energy because I was giving all my energy to my kids. And so when I gave myself permission just to play for fun, to doodle, to do anything, it didn't need to have any sort of outcome. Untying creativity to production to, I'm going to create to make money, I'm going to create. For someone else to tell me that I'm amazing, it's like uncoupling your creativity from what you perceive as your value really opens up that flow. [00:10:20] Speaker A: Yeah. Gosh. I mean, I think we get so set in our ways of doing things day by day because we get into systems that work and to totally, it's. I mean, I would love for you to tell us how. How you get someone to even who is quite, let's say, left brained, logical, super organized, supercilious to start to get that door opening and just to relax that aspect of always feeling like you need to be productive and constructive in a way that the world would consider that we've been conditioned to be. [00:10:57] Speaker B: Yeah. So in the creative cycle, there actually, there's a cycle we take people through. There's four different parts, and I've already mentioned the first, which is energy. But each of these parts have a specific, for lack of a better word, energy that you use to tap into. And you need all of them in order to create. Now, a lot of us, especially if we've been conditioned, you know, in the society that we're in right now, is that we're very strong on the element of making things happen, taking action, you know, or like that, staying tied to that kind of energy instead of the energy of what we just mentioned. We call it lover energy, which is this energy of tending to yourself, just doing whatever makes you feel happy, like, what makes you feel good and then mystic is, like, this other quality of trusting spirit. So leaning in your intuitive, like, knowing. And so I'll do specific things, practices to get people to think out of the box. And one of those ways, and if you're here now, you're welcome to do it with me, is you just grab a marker. It's very simple. And you can grab a piece of paper if you haven't, if you're taking notes, I'm just going to open mine up and we can play a little bit if you want. [00:12:11] Speaker A: Definitely. [00:12:12] Speaker B: You just take it. Okay. And you hold in your mind like an intention, like. So maybe, for example. But based on our conversation, your intention or the answer that you want is something like, show me how to tap into my creativity at the next level. Okay. Or so you just said, set an intention. Okay. You're gonna take your marker or your pen and just dribble with you. [00:12:42] Speaker A: My eyes can be open. I could just do. Go. Okay. [00:12:44] Speaker B: Yeah, you could just do what you want. Don't make it look like anything. Okay. And you're done. Okay. [00:12:49] Speaker A: Then you hold it, Picasso. Totally Picasso. [00:12:53] Speaker B: Here's mine. So what you do, because what we're practicing doing is we're practicing you not thinking. Okay? So then I'm going to invite you to take your page and just start to turn it until you see something. Like, some sort of something that stands out to you. [00:13:13] Speaker A: It's, like, definitely from the Jetsons, but yes. [00:13:17] Speaker B: Like, as you're turning, did anything pop out? [00:13:20] Speaker A: Yeah, kind of. That's why. Like, yeah, kind of. I can see. And a futuristic chair. Kind of, like, perfect. [00:13:26] Speaker B: So then I want you to, like, accentuate that. So draw your, like, kind of color in. Or, like, really make your. Your chair stand out. Okay. [00:13:38] Speaker A: That's where I get stuck, because I don't know how to. I was drawing. [00:13:43] Speaker B: You have my. Here's my thing. And then I was like, I saw a person, so I just stuck a little head and some hair on her. You'll notice that I'm not like, I let myself be super loose to give you permission to be super loose. Like there's no right way. [00:13:56] Speaker A: So just like a trouble clef and a candle and a person all at once. Okay, we got this. Everybody at home better be doing this too. [00:14:08] Speaker B: Yeah, we gotta be doing this. Friends. We have medicine. So funny though. This really is like Picasso. If you look at his work, that's sometimes really helpful to look at people and artists in the past like Picasso and you're like, or you know, those artists, that installation art that has like toilet paper rolls, like on the, in the galleries, I'm like, if that's arthem, come on now, let's see that. [00:14:30] Speaker A: That's that differentiating factor. It's so at the Norton Museum here in Florida, down the road from me, which is gorgeous. I mean, it's one of the best museums in the southeast. But there is this one painting and it's got a bunch of twelve s on it. And there's actually a floor cleaner, like a yellow floor washer that's next to, it's part of the installation. And I'm like, what? Like, really? You know? Yeah. [00:14:57] Speaker B: So, right, so, okay, so what I did. So you got my, ended up being a person. I saw a person, they were kind of dancing with their feet up in the air. Okay, so for me, I'm like, oh, actually it's true. Like movement and dancing is something I've been feeling lately that, that's gonna like open up another. Like I do some, but that's like the next stretch for me. So I'm curious, what came through for you? [00:15:22] Speaker A: Well, I just, I feel like it shares structures already there, so I just put a little bit of a side profile onto her. So I brought the face out because. [00:15:34] Speaker B: So part of, so part of for your creative process, there's something about a chair or rest or I'm curious what that, what the chair brings up for you. [00:15:43] Speaker A: Yeah, well, it's kind of like a boingy chair, like a futuristic thing. But maybe it's something to do with the future. Because I think, I think a lot about the golden age and what things will be like and shaping that. So maybe it's maybe about that. [00:16:03] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, maybe that's it. So this is where we start to kind of play a little bit and see. So maybe part of your creative energy, your vitality, comes from you connecting in with the future. You're like, oh, there's something that you can, like, connect in with, and. And that's part of your creative cycle. Like, everyone has a different design, a different flavor. It all looks very different. And so doing a process like this is a way to pull you out of the analytical side of your brain into the part of your brain. It's like, wait, I don't know, is this it? And the other side will still want to pop in. It'll be like, well, I saw something, but maybe that's not it. Right? [00:16:42] Speaker A: Yeah, right. But that's amazing, because that's a way for us to get in touch with our unconscious and get a sense of who we really are on a deeper level. Because you're right. I wouldn't have thought of it that way, but I wouldn't have put that together without this conversation, this exercise. But I am. It's like a configuring of abridging of times, and, you know, what things could be and the energetics of that, too. Like what? That, you know, literally the. The electromagnetism of that. And that's what compels me. So, yeah, there's definitely. There's a component of that here. Thank you. [00:17:25] Speaker B: I feel like so part of what we do is we have practices, the practices that are fun and simple and not, like, life threatening. To practice expressing yourself, practice listening to your intuition, like, through what color feels good, or, oh, I want to express, or I want to say this, or I want to speak. You know, I want to put this down on paper without fear of, you know, well, other people's opinions about you. Right? So it's like, heart of woman unleash is creating this. This safe space for you to explore and to put yourself out there and to be in community where people are like, oh, yeah, heck yeah. Like, oh, yeah, that's amazing. Right? You know, but we were in this place to practice without huge feelings of stuff not working out. [00:18:18] Speaker A: You know, the judgment factor is huge, hence the suppression and. And even just the shying away from being creative, because, like, oh, well, what if it doesn't turn out well? Then I have to deal with the outcome of how I feel about being unsuccessful in this or something. And I can see how even how healthy this would be with a twelve year old daughter being on the cusp of potentially losing so much creativity. If it's not reinforced, I don't want her to be in that percentage that loses it. I don't think I am a songwriter, and there are things I do. I know that there's a huge creative process in my writing and everything, but I don't think of myself as an artistic person, per se. So, you know, there's the healing arts. There's all these different ways to consider what art is. But I know that there's a significant part of myself that's shut down because of just the way, you know, to operate and to have, let's say, a functional life according to world standards. There's a lot of things you have to do every day that take usurpous, that space that we would have if we were freer in our minds. And I could see doing something like this with her just to, you know, help bring about a kind of a state in the home of, this is a creative home. I mean, that's a message I would love. That's a sentiment I would love to bring into my home with her, that this is a place for creativity. [00:19:50] Speaker B: I feel like part of it is really acknowledging all the elements of creativity. Like, when we first began, you listed out some of them, and part of that is, like, what you were just sharing around music, right. That I think you even had a treble clef that you saw also in your. Your work that there is this. There. We all have an affinity or a calling towards a certain type of expression, and we can. We can express in multiple different ways. But there's some. There's some that just feel more home. That feel like. Like, for me, it's writing. Writing is really what feels. Feels amazing for me. And I paint and I do all these other things, but it's like, that's the one I'm in hawaiian, we say you're ma to it. That's it. You're like, you're set with it. So there's something about even, like, being in a creative home. Like, you fully expressing you and your music, like, you in your singing, or, you know, for our listeners, like, whatever that is that feels good to you. Gardening, cooking, like, going full on, like, giving yourself permission to fully express in that vein opens up those doors. It's not that we need to do other types of creativity. It's more like giving yourself full permission to really own and express and. And do what makes you feel the one that makes you feel alive. [00:21:16] Speaker A: Okay, that's great. That's really helpful, because sometimes even that area can be suppressed because of feelings of judgment and things. It's really interesting. That's really helpful. [00:21:30] Speaker B: And I think this is what you brought up earlier, too, is, like, space and time, right? So many times we'll say, like, oh, I don't have time for that. Right. Just had my husband's 55th birthday, and I did a birthday party. And, you know, we had. There's, like, the basics of a party, right, which is putting things together, and then there's, like, next level creativity. Like, we were. We were, okay, let's really do something fun for him. And so we had, like, cut out different signs, and we. And we had little areas where people could write what they loved about him. And we had, you know, just different things like that. We. I made, like, an altar area with, like, pictures of him all different ages. But it was like that little extra created such a connection, and he felt so grateful and so seen and so loved. And so it's this piece around uncoupling, which I mentioned before, from productivity, of being efficient, of, you know, that piece, to allowing yourself the space and time to create beauty and true connection and that interconnection that happens when we. When we allow our expression to come through. [00:22:41] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. I think just by acknowledging it, it wakes it up. It's like, yes, you're there. I think it was Carl Jung who said that God exists in the right hemisphere of the brain. So I'll just speak for myself. I know that mine has been so significantly shut down over the years because of just the gravity of what's required in life. When life keeps throwing you things, it's like you just keep on moving to the logical, analytical, structural side because it's like a survival thing at a certain point. And yet often people who have so much time and freedom on their hands don't use it in ways that expand that right brain. Mostly it's, you know, it turns into either boredom, kind of ennui, kind of wastefulness that, you know, what's the saying? Devil. What is it? Not laziness, but time is like a devil's playground, you know? So if only there was. It was understood that, you know, to have time to express and time to create is to be seen as the thing of value. You know, we've got to shift that perspective so that people who do have time, like, even just to be retired, what do most retired people do? You know, they. Maybe they play cards or sit and, like, they're just, you know, like, to have a whole. I don't mean to be going on so much about this, but, like, to have a whole chapter of life that could be dedicated to creativity in the golden years. Why don't we see time that way? Why don't we see life that way? [00:24:31] Speaker B: Yeah, I think that's such a great point that you bring up, because I work with a lot of women who are retired as well, that, like, they've, their kids have left. They're like, now it's my time. And then they're like, uh. And what we notice, I want to share. There's a graphic here I can share with you. Um, we talk about the creative cycle. And so there we go. Here's the creative cycle. So you can see it. And we start with energy, which we talked about earlier, and the energy of lover, which is like your energy space. Then we move into warrior, which is structure and plan. We move into mystic, which is co creation and support, and then into queen, which is focusing and finishing. So in this cycle. And then we move into unleashed, which is actually your fullest, most unleashed expression. And whatever we create is in service to that, you being your truest, most unleashed self. You'll notice that the energy shift back and forth between what you'll say, what you might consider as right brain, left brain, or feminine, masculine. It goes back and forth, back and forth. So we start in the place of energy, of lover, of tending yourself, of creating space, of being in just yumminess, right? Then we move into warrior, which is creating a structure and a plan and taking action. Okay? So you need to tap into that. And then we move into the space of mystic, which is the space of listening to your intuition, co creating with spirit, you know, allowing the channel to move through. And then we move back into queen, which is big picture, vision, focusing, finishing. Okay? We need both to create. We need both to create because we have people who, like you mentioned, who are retiring. You've got lots of time. So you're like, you're levered up. You got the lever and you're levered down. You need warrior. Like, you need to set a structure, set a plan and do it. And so, like, that energy of. There are lots of things we've done with sisters, for example, having a specific time on your calendar, having someone else that you meet with, having some sort of accountability, like something to like or even like something that you're working towards. Like you're working towards an exhibition and you want to finish three paintings before that point. Or you have your daughter's birthday and you want to finish a book to give to her by that point. So it's like creating a structure, a place that's not too tight. Because this is what happens with structure. If we create a. A plan that is too tight, then it squelches our creativity. If it's too loose, then, like, you mentioned we're just like, I'll get to it later. There isn't that happening? Right? And then when we're moving back into mystic, this is the place of listening, seeing what comes through those downloads, being open to that, not thinking any of it's crazy. Like, it's like, oh, no, spirit's communicating to me in this way, or, oh, I feel called, I don't know why to do this, but I'll go ahead and do this. Right. So again, it's very in that easeful, trusting, feminine quality, receptivity. And then we move back into queen, which is really holding the big picture of, like, this is important to me. This is why I'm going to finish it. I know I have some other ideas over here that are floating around, but this is really important. [00:27:50] Speaker A: Right. [00:27:50] Speaker B: So there's something about the focusing to help you complete what you start. Big picture. So we need both. [00:27:59] Speaker A: It's a foundation. It's like four pillars in a way. You need them all to be at the party. It's not like you go into one and stay in one and wait for the next one to come or shift yourself. It's like, let's make sure. Are we all here? Is the whole team present? And then. [00:28:20] Speaker B: There are ways. [00:28:21] Speaker A: For example, if I was to be. If I was to be given a commission to write a song, for example, which would be wonderful, then, okay, everyone. [00:28:29] Speaker B: If anyone wants a commission for a song, natalia is open. [00:28:32] Speaker A: Just say, but thank you. So. But for me to be in a space where often, usually it comes. I get the music and the lyrics at the same time. They just come straight through, and it comes from, usually out of nowhere. I don't usually sit down and say, I'm going to write a song, you know, so I might have a sentiment that I want to get across in that will shape, but it will be very. We have very different expressions, whether one's painting or dancing or any of these things, based on the state of mind that they're in. So, like, if I know that I can tap into higher levels of genius on not just, you know, with. With anything I'm doing, even with parenting, or if I really clear the decks, make sure I'm rested, know that that's. There's no competition for my attention. Like, I. And then I'll connect and I'll get higher guidance versus just sitting down and being creative by the. [00:29:33] Speaker B: By 100%. So, like, with the cycle, what you've done then is you've done step one and two. Like, you've done the energy, you've tapped into lever, you've got a. Some sort of structure. You're set down and you're not going to be interrupted. And then you move into mystic, where the open channel is here. Right? So it's difficult to tap into open channel when we're tired, like you mentioned, when we are burnt out, when we've got 10 million things on our plate, when we've. When we're allowing ourselves to have ten different projects at one time, right? So, like that, creating the structure, creating the space, creating the time and the energy, super vital for that. And I think that what I want to speak into is that, like, well, everyone are at different stages and different seasons of their life. And I remember when my kids were really young, I had what I called sacred nap time. And it was the 15 minutes, at least, that both my kids would be sleeping at the same time. I knew I'd get 15 minutes and I would have my paintbrushes on the. Ready with my canvas. And I wasn't doing the dishes. I wasn't. You know, I really said, you know what? I'm spending all day with my kids. Like, this is for me. And that was the time. And sometimes I would sleep longer and it felt amazing. And other times I did it. Now, you know, my oldest, he just, he just flew to San Diego. He's living in San Diego now. My youngest just got his driver's license. It's very different world for me. I have long stretches of time where I'm able to tap in and to create and. And also, I can imagine when I move into, you know, my eldering years, the time will be different as well. So there's also the piece about structure. It's dependent on your life and what feels like it's going to work for you. And so doodling. I would take the kids to the playground and I'd, like, write while they were in the playground on the swings. I would had a neighbor that I would have train kids with. So, like, I'd have their kids and then she'd take my kids. So it's like they're finding these pockets to make it work with you. I think it's really important, too. [00:31:46] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. For sure. That actually setting yourself up for success by protecting that time, by making it a non negotiable fit, you know, making sure it has equal or at least allotted space with the canvas set up and ready to go so that the moment you get your moment, you're seizing the full quanta of that sacred time. [00:32:12] Speaker B: I feel like there's something I want to feel here because I can feel somebody in the audience listening right now. They're like, well, but I've got all these other things to do. And I just think it's important to take a moment to really emphasize how creativity affects everything in your life. That how you feel about yourself, how you feel proud of yourself or if you want to dim yourself, it's going to show up in your paycheck, it's going to show up in your relationships. It's going to show up in how you care for your body. If you are spending time and you are constantly focused on outside and doing things out there, you are going to burn out. You're going to be someone who is taking care of everyone else and then has some sort of health thing. And then at that point, you finally give yourself permission to do something. You know, I have clients that I've worked with who have been terminal, who have had major health crisis, and they're finally like, oh, my gosh, now I'm going to do it. Now I'm finally giving myself permission. And it's this piece of. There is a vitality, there is a part of you that is missing unless you tap into it. Like, without that, you are missing the magic. You're missing you. So I want to just. [00:33:17] Speaker A: Okay, that's a. That's a lot to impact, too, because that basically means, and you're right, I can, I can see and I can. I can just go into my mind's eyes and I know the feeling of having a kind of success. Maybe. Maybe it's just rearranging the furniture one day in a new way. And it's. Something gets, you just know something's better because this was done this way. And that's that feeling success does. It translates and has not gone effect everything in your life, just your attitude and how you engage with your loved ones and what, what you'd be doing at work or anything. So. That is absolutely true. [00:33:54] Speaker B: I just watched so many people from our community come feeling timid or feeling that, oh, I don't know how to do this. And next thing you know, they're out there. They've got artwork and galleries. They're like having great sex with their husbands. They're like teaching their kids, like, how to do things. It's like they gather pieces of themselves, like reclaim pieces back of themselves, and there's just more power, more energy, more vitality that can come through at that point. [00:34:20] Speaker A: Yeah. Hence the. The wild woman, the Clara sipping coalesce women who are with the wolves and that little bit, that, that red petticoat and that sense of, like, you know, because that's. It's an aliveness. It's the wildness, being alive. And that's when we, we truly feel our best, when that wild aspect is alive and well and active, because there's a kind of confidence that comes with it that's not in any way ego driven. It's not any way about the reflection, your reflection to the world. It's your sense of you're being in contact with your I am presence, where you're being in contact with your true, authentic self. And it gets to breathe, and it's a special oxygen that comes through when we breathe that, which, of course, feeds a fire. Yes. In fact, it should be as essential as, you know, you're going to brush your teeth, you're going to have a shower, take a bath. Were you creative today? And how, like, did you make that time? Did you make that space? You know, even if it's just the way you. I don't know, the organize your closet. I don't know if you can, you can translate that sort of thing, but, you know, making things more beautiful. My mother used to always say, everything you touch should become more beautiful because you touched it. And, yeah, she would repeat. So that's. I have. But. But basically, just even making things, making your environment nicer, or making someone else's environment nicer, can that be a creative act? Is that 100%? [00:35:49] Speaker B: Yeah. Creating, putting your environment, moving things around. I feel like part of what at women unleash what we do is our focus is to unleash you. Right? And we use creativity to do that. So to uncensor you, to unfilter you, for you to tap into, unapologetically being you. Okay. And creativity can do that. Movement can do it. Dance can do it. Speaking on stage can do it. Doing. There was something I did. I did 40 days uncensored, where for 40 days in a row, I posted on social media something that I felt super scared to share with people because I was like, I want to be me. I don't want to care what people think about me. So I put something together to do that. So it's like tapping into whatever will do that. Creativity 100% does this, but it's like looking at what. Where are the places that you feel stifled, that you feel that you're unable to be yourself, that you filter yourself, your words, your actions. That is a yummy place right there. Like, if we can find some sort of thing to help move you from that pattern into a pattern of freedom, of self expression and to do it in a way that feels safe for you. There's so much untapped magic that is available. [00:37:13] Speaker A: And that's the biggest thing. It's getting people to actually be uncensored, even a little bit, so they can get a sense of how that, the energy that comes rushing toward them when they do that. What do you find is the most common reason people are shut down in that sense, in terms of censoring themselves? [00:37:35] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, for sure. Caring what other people think. I mean, number one, yeah. Concerned that they'll be judged, ridiculed, ostracized, they won't fit in. That's like such a huge underlying that they'll be embarrassed. It's like that underlying shame. Yeah. That for sure is what stops. [00:38:02] Speaker A: And the honesty that comes with real, authentic creativity is, I mean, I remember I had a writing project. Well, I mean, I was just writing at one point, and it was just taking on a life of its own, but I knew that I could never share it because it was, you know, a story of my life that, you know, a tale I couldn't tell, you know, otherwise people would be furious with me. And, you know, it's like so often that those nearest and dearest to you that you're most afraid. It's not usually the masses, it's a terrible term, but it's not usually the greater population that concerns us. It's often those closest to us. And, you know, and if we're really raw, we're really going to tell the truth through art. We are going to wind up, we're going to run into conflict. We're going to have to, you know, and to be emotionally prepared for that and obviously, to have to be artful in the sense that, you know, to, you know, do you put things out under a pseudonym, nom de plume, or, you know, do you stand in your story and tell your story, whether it's a, it's a work of art, you know, in terms of painting or whatever it is, you know, how, how do you contend with that kind of raw, honest truth that someone wants to convey? [00:39:29] Speaker B: I think it's really important to do that in a way that feels safe for you, that feels like your nervous system is okay. Right. We don't need to jump into full unleashed expression. There's actually, the cycle goes around and around and around, and each time we go around, we unleash more and more. It's like an onion, more and more and more, more. So I think first by taking any pressure off that you have to do whatever you see anyone else doing and to do it in a way that feels really good for you and safe. And so, for me, when I first started painting, I didn't know. I didn't want anyone to see my work at all, not even my husband. And so I would paint in my room with the door closed, and I put a sheet over it, and that felt safe for me. And then there was a point where I felt like, okay, I think I want to show him. I think that he'll be cool, you know? And then I showed him and the kids, and then they were cool with it. And then I invited my closest friends who I knew would love me and aren't going to say anything awful about it, right? And so it's like, step by step, I started allowing, appealing back and allowing people to see more and more of me. But I did it in a very conscious way. I did it in a very conscious way. I did a coming in ceremony where I just had close friends, and I did poetry readings and showed them my artwork. And then I had enough courage at that point. I was like, okay, I'm going to put one of my paintings in a gallery, in a local gallery. So I did that, and I got great feedback. And then I was like, okay, I'm going to enter in a juried art show, right? And I did that. Right? So it's like these little steps of unleashing allowed me to get to my place now, where I'm very comfortable showing my art wherever it's at. But it didn't start that way. And I think it's important to recognize the journey in the unleashing that it took a lot of years for us to get where we're at right now, where we're really concerned about what other people might think of us or think of our art or think of our writing or our song, the way we sing, any of this that we've got. Well, I don't know how old you are watching, but, like, right now I'm 46. So let's say it's taken me 46 years of conditioning that there's going to take some time on the unraveling, the deconditioning and doing that. And if you do it in a way that's kind to your nervous system, you will stay in an expansive state. Right? So my favorite way to kind of do it is to stretch and then to tend ourselves, to stretch and to tenders. We do the cycle, but we always come back to lever. We always come back to tending, making sure that we feel safe, we feel good, we feel filled back up before we move back into creating again or to putting ourselves out there again. And that is what's going to allow you to stretch instead of getting to a point where you feel super scared and then you never want to do it ever again. Right. So it's this honoring of your own system. [00:42:25] Speaker A: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. It's like you wouldn't go and run a marathon. I remember when I first got to New York, it was my first year of university, and they were talking about the marathon, which could be November. I'm like, I should just go run the marathon. Thank God. Anyway. But the point is, it's a crazy idea, so no need to put out the big. Don't focus on the big production. Just do those little things along the way. Put that one piece out there and get going. By the way, if I recall correctly, that gorgeous painting behind you is one of yours. Yes. Yes. So I just want to. Because it is absolutely stunning. And I think we need to just give that a moment. The energy of your work is just so profound and it's mystical, it's dreamy. I mean, the precision of. I mean, it's just gorgeous is so let's. Yeah. Take a moment to celebrate that. Spotlight it. [00:43:30] Speaker B: And this is actually an in progress piece. Right? She's not complete. And so this is one thing I do, too, is I hang my stuff that's in progress. It's, like, not finished, but I can walk past and be like, oh, let's do this now. [00:43:43] Speaker A: Right, but isn't that. See, and if we can look at our lives like that, too, it's like, otherwise we have no perspective. If we're so focused, if we're always the painter and never the observer, then we can really wind up making a mess of our canvas so much. [00:44:03] Speaker B: I know one of the things we do when we do painting retreats is I'm like, step back, like, 610ft. Take a look at your painting. Because inevitably we'll be painting and super close, and then, like, one eyeball will be like an inch lower than, oh, oh, let's fix this. Right? But we wouldn't see it if we're so close to something. So being able to get some, like you mentioned, perspective is so important, too. [00:44:27] Speaker A: Yeah, we need some eagle vision. We can't be always, you know, land animals. We won't. We can't. Can't see what's right there. We won't see the whole landscape. That's that's all wonderful. What? So I love these, the four, the four aspects of the lover, the warrior, the mystic, the queen, and then unleashed. And sounds like, you know, you're always wanting to make sure they're all present and where to go from there. So if someone's on their own and wanting to take on this process, I mean, it'd be great if they can come to your retreat. Do you want to speak a little bit about what you offer so that everyone at home, anyone listening, can and jump in if they would like to have your personal health guidance? [00:45:13] Speaker B: Yeah, 100%. Well, you're welcome to grab our book, creativity unleashed. It's a woman's guide to unlock, flow, and finally finish creative projects every day. And we take you through the four, the cycle we take you through, like choosing a specific project and then going through it, like scheduling, you know, opening up your energy, tapping into mystic and getting support. And there's all sorts of things that I just know from the creative process where you're going to get stuck. Right. So we have things in here to keep you moving. And it is a guidebook, so you can collagen it, you can paint in it, you can draw on it, you can do all sorts of things. So this is, you can find this on lots of places. [00:45:56] Speaker A: That's a great start. The COVID is beautiful, by the way. Did you design this? [00:46:01] Speaker B: My heart, yes. [00:46:02] Speaker A: I really love that it says, unleash your creativity. [00:46:08] Speaker B: So this is one. You can also come to womanunleash.com and see what we have, you know, up, you know, in the moment. Like right now, we have Womanleash tv, which is where we really support you to unleash your creativity. We have monthly workshops. We just did one yesterday. I did one on focus on tapping into your focus and tapping into that energy of queenden to complete what you start. And so we do those monthly. And then we have inner circle, which is if you have a specific project that is kind of a bigger project. So, for example, we have women that are writing books or who even just women that are like, you know what? I want to make creativity a part of my life. I really want to commit to it. Then that mentorship program, we open doors to that. A couple times a year, we have painting retreats that come up. So I'd say just come on over to them. Unleashed. You can hop in, be a part of our community. You're welcome just to hang out with us. And then if something feels good, come play with us. [00:47:07] Speaker A: Imagine just being in the realm with you, feeling your presence and knowing that you're, you know, feeling that the energy of everyone who's there, who's on the same page would be. Would catapult someone from wherever they are now into that zone of being an active crew. [00:47:28] Speaker B: Yeah. It's like, think about. I think about, like, any time when I've been around a similar community of people, like, pure power, for example. I know with pure power, every month, I can come in and, you know, I can do my juice fast. I, you know, I said the beginning of month, you know, or we have something going on that I know that I have that inspiration to care for my body. It's the same thing with women unleashed, right? That we, you have this inspiration to tap into your creativity to be your most unleashed, unfiltered, wild you self and being around women that are doing that. So there, it does something to your system where you're like, this is normal. This is normal. This is normal. And it just rebalances instead of, like, I think of with your power. I mean, I have a husband and my son who are super meat eaters, right, and who eat very different than I do. Or if I try to explain even how I'm eating, I don't even explain them. I just send them, Natalia, to your video now. I record the interview that we did. I'm like, oh, but it is this being around a community of people who are like, yes, I understand. You don't need to explain yourself. Or, you know, it just takes, again, it's a space of ease that comes in because you're in. You feel safe in a community. We're all focused on the same thing. [00:48:42] Speaker A: Absolutely. And the combination of cleansing the body and creativity. Can you speak to that a little bit? [00:48:51] Speaker B: Oh, 100%. So, um, you know, I've been on and off, you know, following Natalia for years, and when I first found you is when I first started tapping into my creativity, actually. So I started doing cleansing with. My youngest had been. My youngest was, yeah, really young, like, one or two. And that. It was at that point that I started creating. I started doing some art and some journaling, and I started doing your work. It was, like, around the same time. And I ended up losing baby weight, and it ended up launching me into my creativity. And then I would say, you know, over the years, I've done all sorts of different things, and as a kids grew up. But it was a year and a half ago, a year and a half ago that you opened up pure power. June, maybe. And I was like, oh, my gosh, it's perfect. Because I had been feeling. I actually felt really clear from spirit telling me, it's time to clean out your temple. And I, like, saw, like, sweeping, like, out the temple. And I got, oh, it's actually food. And I started doing was the greatest cleanse. I think I found that it was before you open it. I did the greatest cleanse for ten days, and I ended up moving into pure power, and I ended up. My energy skyrocketed. I stopped having brain fog. I lost, like, I think it was 25 pounds. And then the biggest thing was that I started connecting in my meditations. They were so clear. It was like the interference had been moved, and I could clearly hear from spirits. So it's like my creative, like, any sort of my writing projects, even with women, unleash running my company, the direction to go painting projects, projects with my clients, it was like all these things started clicking into place that before would have felt like. I just felt like it was foggy, or it felt like I'd be praying or meditating for guidance, and it just felt like I would get some direction, but it felt, like, muffled, even a sound. And it felt like by cleansing my body, that. That really opened it up. So huge, huge difference for me. [00:51:07] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. I definitely think there's a correlation and higher stages to reach the more we, because we're electromagnetic beings, so it makes sense that the ethers and our source, which we're all connected to, but can be blocked and muffled and all these things. So, yeah, it does make sense. I think that's universally true. But I wanted to hear it from your perspective, so thank you for sharing that. Yeah. [00:51:38] Speaker B: And I feel like. I just feel like they're so tied together. Even when we talked about energy before, about cleansing, about clearing out, you know, the rubbish, like, through our, like, colonics, it's a similar type of thing. As far as with creativity, we. It's like we're. We're tapping into a flow, so we're not listening to the critic. [00:51:55] Speaker A: Right. [00:51:55] Speaker B: Think about the colonics or, like, your old conditioning, right, with your creativity, that you just need to, like, do the work to, like, flush that out so that you're able to come back into your purest creative flow. It's really, really similar, the process. [00:52:10] Speaker A: You know, someone said to me, someone very close to me, it really made me sad to hear them say this. They said, I don't have a thing. I don't have something special. I don't have, you know, so and so has, you know, this or, you know, all these, you know, everyone they named had something that they could identify. That was their thing. And they said, I don't. I don't have anything. I don't have a thing. I don't. And I think there are a lot of people that feel that way about themselves. Could you speak to that? And what would you say to someone who feel that feels that way? [00:52:47] Speaker B: Yeah, I've actually had lots of women feel that way. I think it's really, really common, actually. And what we do when I've worked with them as clients, they become their project. Right. So it's like their focus becomes them. And we've done stuff. Like, for example, there was this movie that I watched years ago that I loved. It was called last holiday with Queen Latifah. [00:53:09] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:53:09] Speaker B: The premise of the story is, like, she thinks she's gonna. She gets news that she's gonna die, and she basically, like, fully lives for the couple of weeks. But what she had was something she called her book of possibilities. And this book of possibilities is where she had the dreams and the visions and the desires, and she had, like, collage of different things. And so that's where I would invite women, or not just women, but you, to start, if you're in that place, is to. What we get to do is to connect you to your authentic desire again, your authentic joy, your authentic. Wow, that's interesting. [00:53:48] Speaker A: Right? [00:53:48] Speaker B: Like that. To practice that, to listen into that. And one way to do that is to take a journal, any sort of journal, and you can just. Anything you see, you can collage in it, you can write in it, you can copy it. It becomes like this junk journal, a place where you can put things that feel authentic to you, that become your book of possibilities, of the things that light you up and that feel authentic and true to you, that's definitely a place that you can start. But it's really about tapping it back into your authentic desiree. [00:54:19] Speaker A: Yes. Because the world only gives us so much to choose from if we're going to go by what a thing is. As, you know, some. It's not just whether one is athletic or academic or one of the archetypes that we have, like the high school archetypes, basically jock or the nerd or whatever it is. It's every single. There's 7 billion, 8 billion of these desire, these. These unique fingerprints of the potential for an expression that is significant signature that is necessary for this earth to be all it can be. So basically, the collaging, when you start pulling the things that are genuinely attractive or compelling to you. You start to get a picture of. You're almost like a. It's a mirror, in a way, of your authentic truth. [00:55:17] Speaker B: Yeah, I'd say it's a mirror, but it starts. You can start to feel it. Like, you can start to feel like, oh, this feels alive for me, or this doesn't. Right? Or this feels interesting for me, or it doesn't. It's like, really what you want to do in this place is move into experimentation phase. Be like, in discovery mode, in like, oh, let's try this. Let's try this. You know, I think about when I grew up, they used to have community classes that the community would. And they'd have pottery making, creative journaling, dance, theater, art. Right? And be like, just try this. Photography. Let's try this. So it's like this. Letting the pressure off and just being like an experiment. Play fun mode. And then seeing how things start to configure because they do. I remember I was really trying to figure out what type of business I was going to put together, right? And this was 14 years ago, and I was like, well, I like to paint. I like to do art. I like to journal, I like to write. And it was like there were so many different options. Like, well, should I do small workshops? Should I work with people one on one? And the only way that I got clarity on that is by doing it and being like, no, I don't want to do that, or, no, that didn't work well, right? And so it's this also, this piece that experimentation allows you to try things. Like, I don't like it. You know, it's almost like different foods. And have you ever been to a candy shop where you get to try the different. Oh, maybe. Never mind. Pure power. Nevermind. It's a different. Different metaphor. But where you get to try different things and you're like, no, I don't like that. I think that's just as important as knowing what you do, like, as knowing what you don't like. [00:56:57] Speaker A: And like dating. [00:57:00] Speaker B: There you go. Dating. No, don't let go. But it's like this piece then, of when you're. When you allow yourself to do that, then authentically you'll be able to feel what feels true. Like, I would never have imagined that I would be doing what I am doing now. And it only arrived from me. Experimenting, trying, this works. This doesn't work. And that's how I navigated. And I remember seeing those people that just knew what they were meant to do. I'm like, why couldn't I be like that, you know, or like, the angels are singing to me, like, this is what I'm meant to do on the planet, you know, but it never, never happened like that for me. And I think that's part of the creative process. It's like we get to co create with spirit. Yes. No. Okay. Thy will. Yeah. Thy will be done. And my preference is this. Right there is this place that we get to play. Play in co creation. And so I think that's part of it, too, is realizing that you are a co creator, not just in art, but in your life and your life. [00:58:01] Speaker A: And we need to play so much more. I mean, I'll speak for myself and definitely. And that's, you know, Christ said, be like little children. And, you know, and we know that when children are in their creative process, there's no time. They could do it forever. They're in a zone, that wonderful zone we get into when we're really enjoying what we're doing. And it's all connected. [00:58:27] Speaker B: So connected. Play is huge. There are studies that have shown that you learn. You retain much more when you play instead of study, there's this different brain that is occupied. And I think about. We've been talking about right brain, left brain, that if we're just using left brain linear logic, we're only using half. Right. There's this whole other part that when you use it, so much more. Capacity. Opportunity. [00:58:59] Speaker A: Yep. Well, you've inspired me, and I'm definitely going to just. I've got it. I've got to tap in. I'm going to do this exercise with Elektra later as well. [00:59:11] Speaker B: And then you'll let me know when you get your commissioned song. [00:59:15] Speaker A: Yeah, I have a whole. I mean, I have so many songs produced that I just actually need to get out there. But I think. And just on a personal note, since we're talking about it, it's that sense of, well, you know, nothing's. Nothing really happened with it. It must not, you know, it must not be my calling. It must not be my first. What I should be focusing my time and attention on. And then I have a song that my kids, both my kids in the car the other day, and two of my kids, and they're like, mom, can you put on such and such song? And I was like, I didn't know you liked this song. And they're like. They're playing electric plays every morning on the way to school. And I'm like, I never knew that you liked this. I kind of pooh poohed my own song, because I just thought, oh, you know what? It's silly. It's stupid. And they're like, no, you have to get it out there. You have to. And it could be such a big hit. And it's just one of those things where I was. I wrote this song and produced this song probably eight years ago. It's been sitting for eight years. And I didn't even know that it was worthy because I didn't know. I didn't have the validation, the external validation, even though I thought it was a hit when I wrote it. But then I was like, I just kind of shoved it away. So I make. I'm going to get it out there. [01:00:31] Speaker B: I love it so much. Well, and what's so cool is it. And this is what I talk about with creativity, when you have a larger project, is you need to hook into something that will get you through the hard times to keep you finishing through. And so I just even imagine, like, with Elektra and your kids just being like, I just decided to put it out there. Like, just to show them, like, I don't know what. [01:00:53] Speaker A: Yes. Like, absolutely. [01:00:54] Speaker B: Like, that example, they asked me every. [01:00:56] Speaker A: Day, when are you doing this? Like, I promise you, I'm doing it this week. I just want to get a few things done. [01:01:03] Speaker B: They're your accountability buddies. I love it so much. [01:01:06] Speaker A: It's all built in. It's. This timing couldn't be better because it's almost like I've got another reinforcement going on here. [01:01:13] Speaker B: But I think. I think that's something that I just kind of want to leave out here is this piece around time. And something I've been working with lately is the idea of ripe time instead of ripe time, that there is a ripe time for things. And, like, just with fruit, there's a ripening that happens, and that I imagine the universe putting everything in order in order for things when it's the right time to come to fruition. And for me, for years, my mother passed when I was 14. And after she passed, I really felt this sadness. I didn't have letters from her or her advice for dating or for getting married or being a mother. And so for years, I thought, I wish that there was something like that. And recently, I worked with a client, and she was terminal, had terminal cancer, and her daughter was 16, and so she was writing. We were working together to write these letters for her daughter. And after Catherine passed, I just felt like now is the right time for me. Now is the right time for me to write this journal for moms who are dying to be able to give to their children. Right. It feels like I've had this on the. Like, it's been creatively, like, been thinking about it for a while, but I feel like working with Catherine, you know, and then the timing of that, and then I also feel like I'm in a place where I'm able to speak about it without really feeling so sad that I feel like I'm able to hold, you know, people who are dying and really be okay with that. I just feel like sometimes, especially on larger creative projects, that there is a ripe time and that there are different things that are unleashing within us in order for us to really create what spirit has called us to do, especially. It feels like something bigger. So I want to just put that out there, too. For those who might have something like that that's sitting, that they might be beating themselves up. Have. I'm never doing this. I haven't done this. It's like, you know, it just. Maybe there's a ripening happening right now. [01:03:15] Speaker A: Love that term. That is exquisite, ripe time. And we could. Yeah, we could wrap it all up with that, because that is just absolutely profound on the money. Oh, Amber, you are just full of inspiration and wisdom and exquisite, divine feminine energy. A great oracle, great mystic warrior lover, queenden, Amber unleashed. We love her. [01:03:49] Speaker B: Thank you. [01:03:49] Speaker A: Thank you so much. [01:03:51] Speaker B: Allowing me to express and to pour into you and, yeah, here's to the unleashing and the expression for all of you. [01:04:04] Speaker A: Thank you. We receive it. We receive it and feel the blessing of it. Amber, thank you so much. And I know we're gonna. Yeah, we're gonna have a lot of response to this. No doubt. And it's a beautiful thing. Well, I just encourage everyone to get out there and begin, and I'm gonna do it myself. And even. Yeah, whatever. In the small ways and maybe in some big ways, too. Thank you so much, Amber.