On pleasure, loving our bodies, and navigating uncertainty

I’m 40 lbs past the version of my body with which I am most comfortable and familiar. My thirties have stretched my skin and softened my edges, and I’m learning to get comfortable and familiar with my new dimensions. There are moments of panic, like when I see a picture taken from a strange angle, and think “Fuck all, is that me?” But there are also moments like this, after a run and a shower, where I put on as little clothing as possible to walk around the apartment because I feel strong and healthy, and I am fully inhabiting every square inch of myself, even the new ones. I’m dating again, and I’m a little bit nervous about about my body in a way that I never was in my *18 yoga classes a week* twenties. I don’t have any solutions or pithy quotes about motivation or self-love for you, just this truth: I really love my body, today. And three days ago she felt like a stranger. That’s how relationships work, though.

I will not force her to “diet”, I will not ask her to change, I will not remove from her what brings comfort and pleasure. I will take her on long hikes and slow runs, because that’s how she likes it. I will lift weights so she gets to be as strong as she feels. Sometimes I’ll drink whiskey to help her shoulders drop, and sometimes I’ll drink it because it tastes so damn good. I’ll eat real fucking food. I’ll stretch and move in ways that feel truthful and spacious to my body, because she deserves that from me. Some days we’ll feel like strangers, and some days we’ll be naked together all damn day. We get this one go together, my body and I, and I will love and protect and serve her with abandon because she has never let me down.

As Thanksgiving comes and we are surrounded with bullshit messages from diet culture about all the ways we have to earn our calories, burn off what we ate, be “good”, and every other kind of noxious and toxic noise, let’s practice being in and maybe even trying to love these bodies… exactly as they are.

This week we talk all about this post and navigating uncertainty. Jump in!

Some questions about fear, and where we go from here.

The results of the 2020 Presidential Election are in. Now what?

Season 2, Episode 1! How do we choose less suffering?

Hey! I’m Daryn, and this is season 2 of Begin Again. This episode drops the day before the end of the 2020 Election, and we talk about how we’re doing, what’s next, and how we prepare. We’re gonna make it.

In this episode, you’ll hear about the work of adrienne marie brown and her book, Emergent Strategy.

We're back! Here's why.

After two and a half years, we’re bringing Begin Again back. Here’s why.

Think Like Rice

I'm sitting at my desk with a bag of rice in my hands. Did you know rice is planted by hand, one tiny seed at a time? I didn't either. Until I trekked through the rice terraces of Northern Vietnam where they grow the stuff, I had no idea how rice even happened. 

As it turns out, rice is a lot like life. In this episode, we talk about how.

Follow beginagainpod on Instagram for pictures from the rice terraces of Sapa, in picturesque Northern Vietnam.

Hip Hop, Comedy and Common Language: Poet Ali and Jessie McNamara

These two artists are damn good at what they do, and I couldn't have been happier to have them in the same room with me. You can tell from .5 seconds into this this that we had a good time. 

We talk about creating art, writing, what it's like to hustle for something you believe in, and what i feels like when you finally get the "Yes". 

Jessie is on Instagram @ohjessieplease, Twitter @JessieMcNamara, and if you're ever in Nashville, for heaven's sake go ride the Music City Rollin Jamboree. 

You can find Poet's TED talk HERE. He's on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @PoetAliOfficial.

Curiosity and Play with Eliana Reyes

Curiosity, pleasure, joy, dance, the pursuit of wonder... we cover giving ourselves permission to play in this conversation with Eliana Reyes. A recovering perfectionist, Eliana has spent the past few years following her curiosity, allowing herself to be an amateur, and traveling the world on one way tickets. She's an international speaker, author, and self-love evangelist giving all of us encouragement and permission to explore what makes us happy. 

Find her on Instagram @elianamreyes, on Facebook she's Eliana. Her website is http://elianareyes.com/

My WHY

Hey, fam! It's me, this week. I check in with you from Chiang Mai, Thailand to talk about WHY this project exists. What do the words "Begin Again" mean to you? In what ways could you use permission to start over? Here's what it took for me to take the leap. It's a shortie! Enjoy!

Turning Trauma into Resilience with Dan Ofchinick

Dan Ofchinick is a Scrum Master. He creates spaces for brilliant, creative people to do their best work. He helps those people get through their blocks so they can break open to brand new ideas, and turn those ideas into products that make a lot of money. Dan is the genius who makes sure the geniuses can access their genius. 

As it turns out, he's being doing some version of this work his whole life. We talk about how where you come from shapes who you become; how family trauma and addiction and loss give way to a unique kind of courage and resilience.

This episode features a special guest, Dan's equally genius husband, Roger! I loved hearing the perspective of Dan's story from his partner, who walks through this beautiful, messy, adventurous, soul shaping life with him.

Find Dan's travel and life photos on Instagram @bookemdano777

Entrepreneurship and Grit with Mike Walker

"You are jumping off a cliff without a plan and you are confident enough that, on the way down, as you’re falling, you will figure out a way to fly."

This might be the conversation that helps you quit that job, start that project, write that book...

Owner and CEO of Real Estate Negotiation Institute and life-long entrepreneur Mike Walker talks taking big leaps, resilience after failure, and gives some practical advice for entrepreneurs, speakers, business types and creators of all stripes who feel pulled forward but aren't sure how to get there.

Find more about Mike's company and real estate negotiation training here. You can also follow his adventures and photography in and around NYC on Instagram: @nycphotosniper. 

We are Beloved with Kim Grant

"You're hungry? I want to feed you. That's my heart."

A conversation about resilience, spirituality, adventure, sexuality, acceptance, and owning our identity as the beloved children of God. 

Find Kim's writing at Written Buffet. She is also featured on Open Table Nashville's blog, where she writes about her experience as a street chaplain feeding and being present with those experiencing homelessness of the streets of Nashville, TN.

You can find her photos and thoughts on instagram at @kimg1317. 

Sneak Peek

Sneak Peek into what you'll hear on Begin Again!

Trailer

What is this thing all about? I'm glad you asked...