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French Kissing Life

Shawnna Stiver

If you were free to be who you really are deep down and who you were always meant to be, what would your life look like? What does it mean to have a zest for life? Can you *really* invite more joy into your everyday living through doable steps that don’t take a lot of time? Yes, yes, and more yes!

French Kissing Life is an inspirational podcast that guides you toward finding your spark and unleashing it into the world. If you’ve been yearning to celebrate your unique presence and fall in love with who you truly are, then you’ve found your tribe. If you believe the world needs what only you can offer, this community will be your biggest cheerleader. Picture this podcast as your weekly dose of encouragement – a sanctuary where you can escape the noise of the world and embrace the beauty of your own existence.

From skinny dipping in Portugal to auctioning herself off for a date and testing whether a slinky will go down an ancient pyramid, host Shawnna Stiver knows a thing or two about going for it and the hilarious stories that await. Through heartfelt, playful and funny conversations, Shawnna helps you discover what makes your heart race, your soul dance and your spirit soar. You’ll also hear from guest experts who share insights on how to navigate the journey of self-discovery and invite the world to come alive alongside you.

In a world that demands you be anything but yourself, this is your permission slip to be a little more YOU. Together, we’ll make every moment count and create a life that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside. If you’re ready to shed the shoulds and welcome in a life that feels uniquely, beautifully, and authentically yours, subscribe now and let’s make every episode a celebration of YOU! Buckle up for an adventure where realness reigns, inspiration thrives and fun is the name of the game. Are you ready to french kiss life?!

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#137
Tuesday · 44 min
Ep 137: The Superpower You’ve Been Using Against Yourself | Sarah Bush
What if imagination isn't something we lose when we grow up, but one of the most powerful tools we have for changing our lives? My guest today is Sarah Bush, a mixed media artist, writer, and creative activist who believes imagination is our greatest human superpower. Sarah and I talk about why so many adults lose touch with their imaginations, and get personal about perfectionism, burnout, and learning to trust ourselves. This conversation is about staying open, loosening our grip on certainty, and remembering that sometimes the way forward begins with allowing ourselves to imagine that another way is possible. Topics Covered: Why so many adults lose touch with their imagination as they grow up. The real difference between artistic skill and creativity. Why the messy middle of the creative process feels so uncomfortable, and why it's worth staying in it. How worry might actually be an overactive imagination pointed in the wrong direction. Protecting our imagination from being hijacked by fear and outside narratives. Letting go of perfectionism without letting go of high standards. Trusting ourselves enough to stay in ambiguity instead of rushing past possibility. What becomes possible, personally and collectively, when we actually use our imagination. Connect with Sarah! Website: https://www.sarahbushartworks.com/ Substack: https://substack.com/@sarahbush ______________________ Contact French Kissing Life Podcast DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn Email us at frenchkissinglifepodcast@gmail.com Until next time, muah! ______________________ French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today! Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/ Email: shawnna@ampersandcopyandcontent.com
#136
September 1 · 22 min
Ep 136: This Country Agrees on Almost Nothing. We Agree on Her. | What I'm Loving This Month
Coruscating. It's the only word big enough for today. NASA used it in an Instagram tribute to Dolly Parton, and it stopped the scroll completely. It means flashing brightly, sparkling, showing brilliant cleverness, and there's no better word for a woman who never did anything quietly. This episode was supposed to be a true crime deep dive. Then Dolly Parton died, and everything else had to wait. What follows is a love letter: the stories, the quotes that make you laugh and then immediately tear up, and the evidence of a woman who figured out how to live in a way most of us are still trying to crack. She was French Kissing Life in human form, rhinestones and all. Topics Covered: Why NASA's use of the word "coruscating" sparked this entire tribute episode. The plus-65 favorability rating that made Dolly a rarity in American public life. Her one-room childhood in the Smoky Mountains and the woman in town who inspired her signature look. Turning down Elvis, crying all night, and what happened when Whitney Houston recorded "I Will Always Love You". How the Imagination Library grew from one Tennessee county to five countries and over 325 million books mailed. The Gatlinburg wildfire fund and how fast she moved to help families rebuild. The quiet million-dollar donation to Vanderbilt that helped fund the Moderna vaccine. Brandi Carlile's tribute and the real story behind the song that became her own farewell. ______________________ Contact French Kissing Life Podcast DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn Email us at frenchkissinglifepodcast@gmail.com Until next time, muah! ______________________ French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today! Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/ Email: shawnna@ampersandcopyandcontent.com
#135
August 25 · 38 min
Ep 135: Who Are You When You're Not Being Productive? | Abbey Harlow
Unstructured time is something most of us have gotten pretty uncomfortable with. My guest today has deliberately built her own life around it, not as another productivity hack, but as a space to think, wander, get bored, follow an idea, or simply do something without needing it to accomplish anything. Abbey Harlow is a nonprofit strategist and facilitator who works with small and rural organizations, helping overstretched teams move from survival mode toward more clarity and sustainability. She works a maximum of fifteen hours a week and intentionally leaves large chunks of her life with absolutely nothing scheduled. In this conversation, we talk about why doing nothing can feel so uncomfortable, what chronic busyness does to our brains, the difference between individual and systemic burnout, why the best ideas rarely arrive when we're trying to force them, and the underrated art of slow puttering. We also get into a bigger question: if so much of our identity and worth has become tied to what we produce, what might we discover about ourselves if we stop trying to make every minute useful. Topics Covered: Why unstructured time isn't the same thing as an empty calendar. The years-long path from a late ADHD diagnosis to building a fifteen-hour work week. Why stillness and boredom get read as falling behind. The real difference between individual burnout and systemic burnout. Why the best business ideas tend to show up in the car or on a walk, never at the desk. What slow puttering actually looks like, from folding laundry to wandering TJ Maxx on a Wednesday afternoon. Small ways to reclaim pockets of unstructured time without redesigning an entire life. Connect with Abbey! Website: http://www.harlownonprofitconsulting.com Rural Nonprofit Leader Summit: https://www.harlownonprofitconsulting.com/rural-nonprofit-leader-summit LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harlownonprofitconsulting/ ______________________ Contact French Kissing Life Podcast DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn Email us at frenchkissinglifepodcast@gmail.com Until next time, muah! ______________________ French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today! Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/ Email: shawnna@ampersandcopyandcontent.com
#134
August 18 · 50 min
Ep 134: What If Your Curiosity Knows Something You Don’t? | Sara Kobilka
Could anyone really narrow their passions down to one answer? And why do we assume they're supposed to? As kids, being interested in everything is a good thing. Playing the trumpet, joining the science club, trying theater, deciding to be a marine biologist on Tuesday and a novelist by Friday. Then the message changes. Pick a major, find your niche, stay in your lane. But what if some of us were never meant to? Today's guest, Sara Kobilka, calls herself a Renaissance woman. She's been a meteorologist, journalist, science educator, executive director, fitness instructor, career coach, and community builder, with probably a few more titles added since this conversation was recorded. This conversation is about what happens when that complexity stops being treated like a problem to solve. It covers the pressure to specialize, the grief of never having time for every curiosity, why not now doesn't mean not ever, and the freedom in being what Sara calls a walking Venn diagram. Maybe the goal was never landing on one thing. Maybe it's building a life big enough for everything that makes a person feel alive. Topics Covered: Why Sara chose Renaissance woman over multi-passionate, and where that identity took root in high school. The pressure inside higher education and specialized careers to go deeper, not wider. Grieving the things there's never enough time for, and thinking in seasons instead of one fixed identity. Small ways Sara fills her own cup, like a monthly choir drop-in or five minutes of exercise with an accountability group. Why multi-passionate people find each other, and how sharing resources became a kind of love language. The exhale that comes with dropping the pressure to fit into one box. Sara's Renaissance community and offerings for people finding their own golden thread. Connect with Sara! Website: https://renwomanconsulting.com/ LinkedIn | Sara Kobilka: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-kobilka/ LinkedIn | Renaissance Woman Consulting: https://www.linkedin.com/company/renaissance-woman-consulting LinkedIn | Connecting the Dots with The Renaissance People: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/connecting-the-dots-with-the-renaissance-people/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RenWomanConsulting Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_ren_woman Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/renwoman.bsky.social YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@therenaissancewoman ______________________ Contact French Kissing Life Podcast DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn Email us at frenchkissinglifepodcast@gmail.com Until next time, muah! ______________________ French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today! Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/ Email: shawnna@ampersandcopyandcontent.com
#133
August 11 · 45 min
Ep 133: What the Convenience of Modern Life Is Quietly Costing Us | Brian Feister
Remember when poking someone on Facebook was considered a legitimate form of communication? Today's guest is Brian Feister, a community builder, engineering leader, and the founder of Meet Near Me, a platform built to help people discover local gatherings and actually show up for real life. At first glance, this conversation is about friendship and community, but underneath that, it's really about something much bigger. Somewhere along the way, we became obsessed with optimizing everything, our schedules, our productivity, even our relationships. Technology promised to save us time, yet somehow many of us feel busier, lonelier, and less connected than ever. Brian and I explore why making friends as adults feels surprisingly difficult, what happened to the lost art of simply hanging out, why third places matter more than we realize, and whether convenience has quietly replaced community. Along the way we also land on one of the funniest detours I've ever taken in an interview, yes, Facebook pokes make an appearance. Topics Covered: Why human connection became a lifelong pursuit for Brian, tracing back to being bullied and a hard truth from someone he was dating. The difference between community, friendship, and what it actually means to feel understood. The "you're guaranteed to let your kids down" advice that changed how Brian thinks about sacrifice. Why social media became a failed experiment in trying to stay connected to everyone at once. What third places are and why losing them made adult friendship so much harder. How a culture of optimization quietly made it feel impossible to just hang out. The idea behind Meet Near Me and building what Brian calls anti-social social media. Brian's one habit anyone feeling disconnected could start this week. Connect with Brian! Website: https://meetnear.me/ Podcast: https://realmeetpodcast.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeister/ ______________________ Contact French Kissing Life Podcast DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn Email us at frenchkissinglifepodcast@gmail.com Until next time, muah! ______________________ French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today! Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/ Email: shawnna@ampersandcopyandcontent.com
#132
August 4 · 35 min
Ep 132: Why You're Never Too Old to Reinvent Yourself | Yvonne Hemmings
What if the scariest decision you make is also the one that finally makes you feel like yourself again? My guest today is Yvonne Hemmings, a life coach, virtual assistant, digital marketer, and full-time van lifer. Just two years ago, at 58, she sold her house, gave away nearly everything she owned, and moved into a camper van. Not because she'd always dreamed of van life, but because staying the same had started to feel more frightening than starting over. We get into what led to that decision, what freedom actually feels like once you have it, why boredom isn't something to avoid, and how it's never too late to redesign a life that no longer fits. This one is about choosing yourself, embracing uncertainty, and remembering that the biggest adventures don't come with an age limit. Topics Covered: Why staying the same finally became scarier than starting over. Leaving a 24-year marriage as the first step in a much longer transformation. What freedom actually felt like in the first weeks on the road. Letting go of people pleasing and learning how to just be. Finding an unplanned home on a small olive farm in central Portugal. Why she stopped avoiding boredom and what it gave back to her. Building real connection and community while living on the road. Her plan to turn the Portugal property into a retreat for women. Connect with Yvonne! Free house vs. van financial worksheet: https://stan.store/lifebetweenthewheels/p/the-vanlife-decision-guide Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifebetweenthewheels TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lifebetweenthewheels Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61585356466813 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonne-hemmings ______________________ Contact French Kissing Life Podcast DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn Email us at frenchkissinglifepodcast@gmail.com Until next time, muah! ______________________ French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today! Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/ Email: shawnna@ampersandcopyandcontent.com
#131
July 28 · 34 min
Ep 131: Who Handles Life Better: Millennials or Gen Z? | Londyn Loree Stiver
My niece told me what she thinks millennials get wrong about life, and honestly, I was shocked. Every generation assumes the one before it doesn't get it, and the one after it has completely lost the plot. I decided it was time to actually put that theory to the test. So my niece and I sat down and graded each other's generations: communication, fashion, work ethic, dating, boredom, privacy, resilience; no category was off limits. We started with a round of would you rather that gave away more about our generations than either of us expected, then moved straight into handing out actual grades, with plenty of rebuttals along the way. Fair warning: millennials may never fully recover from what she has to say about Disney adults. Topics Covered: A would-you-rather round that exposes real generational habits. What "funny," "genuine," and "authentic" mean to a Gen Z teenager. Millennials sorted into strangely specific categories, from blue collar to Disney adults. Report card grades for communication, fashion, work ethic, dating, boredom, privacy, and resilience. The generational verdict on dating apps. A defense of millennial resilience featuring 9/11, the 2008 crash, and Y2K. Gen Z's surprising take on privacy. ______________________ Contact French Kissing Life Podcast DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn Email us at frenchkissinglifepodcast@gmail.com Until next time, muah! ______________________ French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today! Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/ Email: shawnna@ampersandcopyandcontent.com
#130
July 21 · 43 min
Ep 130: What Nature Understands About Summer That We Don’t | Emma Sullivan Uebele
Somewhere along the way, summer stopped being a season and started being a performance. There's pressure to travel, to be outside, to make memories, to say yes to every invitation and somehow have the best summer ever. Emma Sullivan Ebley joins me for the third installment of our seasonal series on creative rituals to talk about what nature can teach us about doing summer differently. We get into why the season invites joy, play, and savoring instead of constant striving, how creativity helps keep us present, and why something as simple as drawing a tomato or chasing the memory of an ice cream truck might reconnect us with parts of ourselves that got left behind somewhere along the way. Topics Covered: Why summer has "incredible PR" and how that quietly turns a season of rest into a performance. What nature's slow, staggered ripening has to teach about pacing instead of chasing the perfect summer. The difference between creative fire that energizes and creative fire that burns out. How play expands what the nervous system can actually hold, and why that doesn't stop mattering after childhood. A simple timed drawing practice for slowing down and really tasting what's in front of us. Why giving ourselves permission to play without making anything can feel so uncomfortable, and why that discomfort is normal. What the pattern across all three seasons of this series reveals about creativity as a companion, not a project. Connect with Emma! Grab the summer workbook (Summer Bounty: A Guided Art Journey for Nourishing Delight) https://emmasullivan.art/shop Hop on my newsletter: https://emmasullivan.art/newsletter Website: http://www.emmasullivan.art/ Expressive arts workbooks: https://emmasullivan.art/shop Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmasullivanart/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-sullivan-uebele/ ______________________ Contact French Kissing Life Podcast DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn Email us at frenchkissinglifepodcast@gmail.com Until next time, muah! ______________________ French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today! Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/ Email: shawnna@ampersandcopyandcontent.com
#129
July 14 · 19 min
Ep 129: The Most Unexpected Parenting Trend of the Year | What I'm Loving This Month
Picture handing a kid a phone with a cord attached and watching pure confusion take over: turning it over, unsure which end even goes where, treating it like it just beamed in from another planet. That's not a hypothetical. It's happening in kitchens across the country right now, as parents start reintroducing landlines to kids who have never once seen one. This month I'm loving that trend, and the surprisingly big movement behind it. It started with a sidewalk conversation outside a Seattle school and has since turned into an actual company, a hundred-family pod in Denver, and a meeting in Alabama that was supposed to draw a dozen people and drew sixty. I get into how it all started, why it's spreading so fast, and what it says about the rest of us too, because by the end, this stops being a story about kids at all. Topics Covered: The Seattle sidewalk conversation that turned into a company building retro landline phones for kids The dumb phone movement spreading right alongside it, from a hundred family pod in Denver to 170 communities across the country The screen time numbers that make this whole trend impossible to ignore Why millennials have nicknamed themselves Generation Mute The surprising research on why a phone call feels so much better than expected, and what it actually does in the body What handwriting does for the brain that typing never will Four small challenges for anyone who wants a little more of this energy in real life Mentioned in this episode: Tin Can Phone: https://tincan.kids https://www.geekwire.com/2025/well-hello-from-landlines-to-dumb-phones-these-startups-are-dialing-up-new-options-for-kids/ https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/parents-opt-kids-school-laptops-ask-pen-paper-rcna257158 CDC/NCHS Data Brief No. 513 (screen time, ages 12–17, anxiety/depression stats): https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db513.htm American Heart Association newsroom, on the JAHA study (screen time & cardiometabolic risk): https://newsroom.heart.org/news/excessive-screen-time-among-youth-may-pose-heart-health-risks U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory (2023), official PDF: https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf NPR coverage of the Surgeon General's Advisory (dementia risk, 15–24 age group's 70% drop in in-person time): https://www.npr.org/2023/05/02/1173418268/loneliness-connection-mental-health-dementia-surgeon-general Harvard Graduate School of Education / Making Caring Common: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/usable-knowledge/24/10/what-causing-our-epidemic-loneliness-and-how-can-we-fix-it Cigna — "Loneliness in America 2025" newsroom: https://newsroom.thecignagroup.com/loneliness-in-america ______________________ Contact French Kissing Life Podcast DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn Email us at frenchkissinglifepodcast@gmail.com Until next time, muah! ______________________ French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today! Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/ Email: shawnna@ampersandcopyandcontent.com
#128
July 7 · 44 min
Ep 128: How to Bet on Yourself Before You Feel Ready with Ashley Bryant
Picture this. You're thirty seconds into the talk you've been building toward for months, and your mind goes completely blank. You've forgotten your own story, live, on stage. That's exactly what happened to today's guest, Ashley Bryant, founder of AB Strategy, where she helps mission-driven brands trade vague messaging for clear communication that builds trust and inspires action. But this conversation isn't about what Ashley writes for her clients. It's about the story she had to tell herself, and the imposter syndrome, endless rewrites, and uncomfortable realities she ran into once the person she was writing for was her. Her talk, Don't Bitch Out, became more than a title. It became a philosophy for choosing courage over comfort, and we get into what that actually looked like, betting on herself before she felt ready, the identity shifts that come with refusing to play small, and why the most meaningful transformations often begin long before you ever step on a stage. Topics Covered: Why saying yes to a TEDx felt like calling her own bluff. The moment her mind went blank in the middle of her own story. What it's like writing your own message when you built a career writing everyone else's. The identity shift that comes with refusing to shrink yourself down. What bravery actually felt like backstage, before, during, and after. Why she wrote a full thriller in seven days without meaning to. The everyday moments where bitching out shows up long after the stage lights go dark. Connect with Ashley! Website: https://www.ashleybryantstrategy.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleymbryant Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatsashleybryant TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatsashleybryant YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thatsashleybryant ______________________ Contact French Kissing Life Podcast DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn Email us at frenchkissinglifepodcast@gmail.com Until next time, muah! ______________________ French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today! Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/ Email: shawnna@ampersandcopyandcontent.com
#127
June 30 · 1 hr 6 min
Ep 127: The Unexpected Calm of Starting Over in Barcelona with Jennifer Yates
Imagine packing up your entire life, selling your house, bringing your dogs, and moving halfway around the world, only to discover that the biggest transformation had nothing to do with the actual destination. That is exactly what happened to Jennifer Yates. You may remember her from one of my earliest episodes, and she is back on the mic to give us every scoop on uprooting her life in Michigan and starting over in Barcelona, pee-soaked travel pants and all. From beauty school dropout to punk rock bassist to four-time founder, Jennifer has never been afraid to reinvent herself, and this might be her boldest reinvention yet. We get into what it really takes to start over, why changing your environment can shift so much more than your address, and the quiet, unexpected things Jennifer noticed once the noise of her old life fell away. Topics Covered: How a casual question in the kitchen turned into selling everything and moving abroad in three and a half months. The risky visa path they chose and the two-month wait that tested their nerves. What it really takes to fly internationally with two small dogs. Becoming Jenny, the new name and the alter ego of a whole new life. Choosing to live as immigrants rather than expats, and the humility of learning a language out loud. The internal buzzing she did not even know she was carrying until it was suddenly gone. Her shifting relationship with the scale, the mirror, and the mental noise that finally went quiet. Ways to bring that on-vacation feeling into your everyday life without moving anywhere. Connect with Jennifer! Website: https://www.workwithroux.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferayates/ ______________________ Contact French Kissing Life Podcast DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn Email us at frenchkissinglifepodcast@gmail.com Until next time, muah! ______________________ French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today! Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/ Email: shawnna@ampersandcopyandcontent.com
#126
June 23 · 37 min
Ep 126: Chakras Unveiled: The Hidden Path to Body Wisdom with Dr. Mary Sanders
There's a version of summer where the light makes everything feel more possible, and I'm fully in it right now. Longer days, warm evenings, the whole thing. But here's what I keep noticing underneath all that brightness. Most of us are still living from the neck up. We think and analyze and push through, and meanwhile, the body is down there quietly trying to get a word in. This episode is about what shifts when you finally listen. I'm joined by Dr. Mary Sanders, a chiropractor and medical intuitive who blends neuroscience with energy medicine to help people reconnect with their bodies and that deeper inner knowing most of us were never taught to trust. We get into burnout, hormones, intuition, and the surprisingly loud ways your body asks for your attention. Mary also breaks down what chakras actually are in a way that finally makes practical sense. Come curious or come skeptical. I think you'll find yourself somewhere in here either way. Topics Covered: The cystic acne that became Mary's wake up call about living out of alignment. Why the body governs the brain, not the other way around. The adrenal system as the loudest gland in the body. The burnout that nearly cost Mary her marriage and her business. How chakras connect to nerve plexuses, glands, and emotions. Why trauma and our most addictive habits pull us out of our bodies. Box breathing as a small shift with a big payoff. Why we are kinder to the checkout person than to ourselves. How to catch your intuition before the brain talks you out of it. Connect with Dr. Mary! Website: https://www.drmarysanders.com/ Energetic Toolbox: https://www.drmarysanders.com/energetic-toolbox Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dr.maryesanders Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.maryesanders/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr.maryesanders/podcasts LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmaryesanders/ Energy Medicine Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ymiP83TP09OsTZI5cNXE3 Free meditation guide: https://www.drmarysanders.com/meditations ______________________ Contact French Kissing Life Podcast DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn Email us at frenchkissinglifepodcast@gmail.com Until next time, muah! ______________________ French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today! Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/ Email: shawnna@ampersandcopyandcontent.com
#125
June 16 · 16 min
Ep 125: What I'm Loving This Month: You Won't Believe This Kid's Talent
Picture this. March 3rd, 2026, Paris. The Palais Garnier, all gilded ceilings and red velvet and history, and onto the runway walks the first model in a corseted gown made from a French military parachute. The designer who built it had turned 10 years old two days before. This month, I am completely obsessed with a kid named Max Alexander. He holds the Guinness World Record for youngest runway fashion designer in the world, and his story does something to me that goes way past cute. The part I keep circling back to is how he works. He never starts with sketches. He starts with his hands. And somewhere in watching this 10-year-old eat macarons at the most iconic opera house in the world, I started asking myself why so many of us wait to have the whole thing figured out before we ever touch the fabric. Topics Covered: The 10-year-old who showed a 15-look collection at Paris Fashion Week. His very first design, a dress made from ribbons and tape for his big sister. Why he starts with his hands instead of sketches. Draping versus sketching, and the difference between trusting the material and needing the plan first. Making couture from a parachute, a vintage sari, and 28 Free People shopping bags. How fine art, not fashion, shaped the way he sees and creates. Declaring what you are instead of waiting for permission or validation. The question to sit with: what is your mannequin, and what would happen if you just went to it. ______________________ Contact French Kissing Life Podcast DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn Email us at frenchkissinglifepodcast@gmail.com Until next time, muah! ______________________ French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today! Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/ Email: shawnna@ampersandcopyandcontent.com
#124
June 9 · 46 min
Ep 124: Why Only 9 Minutes Can Change Your Life with Jennifer Sise
Time is one of the only things we all share equally, and somehow it's also the thing so many of us feel like we're constantly running out of. We say "I don't have time" almost on autopilot. But what if that phrase is hiding something deeper? What if it isn't really about time at all, but about what we value, what we avoid, and maybe what we're afraid to face if things ever got too quiet? This conversation felt both grounding and quietly confronting in the best way. We're not talking about productivity hacks or perfectly optimized routines; we're talking about something much more human: connection, intention, and the small, often overlooked moments that actually shape our lives. I'm joined by Jennifer Sise, a time and business coach, speaker, podcaster, and author of It's Only a Matter of Time. She's on a mission to help women get more of what they really want out of life and work without sacrificing who and what matters most, and she truly believes that what you want is possible. Topics Covered: Why busy and fulfilled are not the same thing. The myth that being busy is a flex. What productivity really means, and why it comes down to bearing fruit. The 9-minute principle and where the idea started. Why you can't find or make time, only set it apart. How structure ends up creating the margin you crave. The 9 minutes of resistance paired with 9 minutes of something you love. What you're actually hungry for when you say you want more time. Connect with Jennifer! Website: https://www.jennifersise.com/ Buy Jennifer’s book: https://www.jennifersise.com/Itsonlyamatteroftime Podcast: https://in9minutes.buzzsprout.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifersise/ ______________________ Contact French Kissing Life Podcast DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn Email us at frenchkissinglifepodcast@gmail.com Until next time, muah! ______________________ French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today! Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/ Email: shawnna@ampersandcopyandcontent.com
#123
June 2 · 39 min
Ep 123: The Psychology Behind Getting a Yes… For Anything with Claire Wang
Have you ever walked away from a conversation thinking, "I know what I meant to say, but somehow it just did not land the way I had hoped"? Maybe it was a pitch, a hard conversation, an interview, or just trying to explain your value in a way another person could actually understand. This episode is all about that space between what we mean and what actually gets received. My guest is Claire Wang, a pricing strategist and author of the upcoming book "The Price of Influence." And before you hear the word pricing and assume this is only for businesspeople or spreadsheet lovers, let me stop you right there, because this one ended up being so much more human than that. We get into why smart people struggle to communicate their value, the difference between persuasion and influence, and why preparation and curiosity matter so much more than performance. Claire also shares this beautiful idea about influence being something quiet and gradual, almost like stardust settling over time, which is officially one of my favorite metaphors we have ever had on this show. Topics Covered: The space between what we mean and what actually gets received. The difference between persuasion as a one-time transaction and influence as something long-term. The three reasons we undersell ourselves, confidence, measurement, and communication. Measuring your value against the right benchmark instead of the outcome. What it means to think like a pricer and see things from the other person's perspective. Why curiosity, listening with an open mind, and showing up to serve build real trust. Connect with Claire! Website: https://www.claire-wang.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-wang/ ______________________ Contact French Kissing Life Podcast DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn Email us at frenchkissinglifepodcast@gmail.com Until next time, muah! ______________________ French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today! Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/ Email: shawnna@ampersandcopyandcontent.com
#122
May 26 · 36 min
Ep 122: Thong Bikini Bottoms and Other Summer Gripes with Sarah Beara Stiver
Memorial Day has come and gone, which officially means summer has entered the group chat. And today, my niece Sarah is back on the mic, which means things get unhinged very quickly. We go through our highs and lows for the season, from sweet corn and pool days and the smell of a good thunderstorm to chiggers, birds at 5 AM, and the absolute audacity of assless bikini bottoms at the public pool. We also play a little game where Sarah challenges me to decipher Gen Z slang in real time, and it does not go well for me. Apparently, "unspoken rizz" and "let him cook" are phrases people say now, and I'm still emotionally attached to BRB. This one feels like a summer night with family, where everyone talks over each other and laughs too hard about things that truly don't matter. Which, honestly, might be one of the best parts of the season. Topics Covered: Sweet corn, backyard barbecues, and the food that only feels right in summer Why pool swimming is a high, and lake swimming is a hard no The case against thong bikini bottoms in public spaces (we rest our case) Chiggers, mosquitoes, and a doctor visit that did not help Thunderstorms, air conditioning, and the great lawn mowing debate Sarah's Gen Z slang quiz and Shauna's complete failure to pass it Why "unspoken rizz" is now part of our vocabulary, whether we like it or not ______________________ Contact French Kissing Life Podcast DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn Email us at frenchkissinglifepodcast@gmail.com Until next time, muah! ______________________ French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today! Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/ Email: shawnna@ampersandcopyandcontent.com
#121
May 19 · 17 min
Ep 121: Slinkys, AI, and Showing Up as Yourself
Something has shifted. I don't know exactly when it happened, and it wasn't one moment. It was more like a slow accumulation, small disappointments that added up to something much bigger. Social media used to feel like a peek into someone's real life. Somewhere along the way, it started feeling like performance, like everyone, myself included, was packaging themselves. The more polished it got, the lonelier I felt. And underneath all of that exhaustion and skepticism, there's this quiet craving for something real. Which is, it turns out, exactly what I've spent the last year obsessing over from a completely unexpected angle. AI started making a lot of noise in my industry about a year ago, and I didn't rush to become an evangelist. But I was curious, and curiosity has always been a driving force for me. What I found stopped me cold. Topics Covered: The slow erosion of trust in social media, institutions, and brands, and what we're actually craving instead. How a single client result changed the way I think about content entirely. Why AI rewards clarity, genuine authority, and human voice over technical optimization. The difference between traditional SEO and the new landscape, and which brands are disappearing. Why storytelling is now a structural advantage, not just a warm touch. The Trusted Answer Audit and who it's designed for. Mentioned in this episode: Learn more about the audit: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/aeo-audit/ Get $100 off here: https://ampersand-copy-and-content.kit.com/products/aeo-audit?promo=FKL ______________________ Contact French Kissing Life Podcast DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn Email us at frenchkissinglifepodcast@gmail.com Until next time, muah! ______________________ French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today! Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/ Email: shawnna@ampersandcopyandcontent.com
#120
May 12 · 24 min
Ep 120: What I'm Loving This Month: Artemis II Space Mission
A few weeks ago, something happened in the world that I genuinely could not stop thinking about. Couldn't sleep. Sending voice memos to friends at weird hours. And even though the news cycle has absolutely moved on, I sure haven't, and I don't think you will either. Four humans flew to the moon and came back completely undone by how much they love Earth. That's it. That's the whole thing. And I want to bring you into every beautiful, tear-inducing, quietly extraordinary part of it, including the part where the toilet broke, the part where Earth disappeared behind the moon, and the part that I genuinely think will stop you in your tracks. Topics Covered: The crew of Artemis II and the historic firsts they each carried. What Commander Reid Wiseman said when he watched Earth disappear behind the moon. The 40 minutes of total silence on the far side of the moon, and what the crew witnessed there that no human eyes had ever seen. The Earthset photograph and where to find it. What Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch, and Reid Wiseman said when they came home. The story of Carol, and the moment at 252,000 miles from Earth that Reid called the pinnacle of the mission. StoryCorps and their Mother's Day collection. Do you have a topic for a future What I’m Loving episode?! Email us at frenchkissinglifepodcast@gmail.com Link: Earthset photo (NASA) Link: Carroll Crater naming moment (NASA livestream clip) Link: Crew homecoming speeches Link: Good Good Good quote carousel Link: StoryCorps Mother's Day collection ______________________ Contact French Kissing Life Podcast DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn Email us at frenchkissinglifepodcast@gmail.com Until next time, muah! ______________________ French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today! Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/ Email: shawnna@ampersandcopyandcontent.com
#119
May 5 · 58 min
Ep 119: The No BS Truth About Starting a Business with Tom Swartwood
Starting a business gets this very shiny reputation: freedom, flexibility, being your own boss. And then there's the version nobody talks about as loudly, the one where you're thinking about your business at 2 am because the to-do list is never actually done. My former professor, Tom Swartwood, has spent decades working with entrepreneurs across industries, countries, and stages of business. He developed the entrepreneurship curriculum at Drake University, founded one of the first startup bootcamps for women in the United States, and is the kind of person who will tell you the truth about business ownership whether you asked for it or not. What you'll hear in this conversation is not a checklist or a roadmap. It's a perspective shift on what starting a business actually means, what separates the people who go for it from those who don't, and why the goal was never really about freedom in the first place. Topics Covered: Why "freedom and flexibility" is a misread of what entrepreneurship actually delivers. The three questions every aspiring founder needs to answer before anything else. What Tom calls the most dangerous advice founders listen to. Why starting a business is less about you and more about everyone else. The Craig Newmark story and what it means to decide what "enough" looks like for you. What actually separates people who go for it from those who stay on the sidelines. Why entrepreneurs aren't big risk-takers, they're just comfortable with ambiguity. Connect with Tom! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomswartwood/ ______________________ Contact French Kissing Life Podcast DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn Email us at frenchkissinglifepodcast@gmail.com Until next time, muah! ______________________ French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today! Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/ Email: shawnna@ampersandcopyandcontent.com
#118
April 14 · 48 min
Ep 118: The Secret Language of Plants (+ Their Names) with Kim Gros
Plants have names for a reason. And once you start learning what those names actually mean, you can't walk past a dandelion or a hawthorn tree the same way again. In this episode, I'm joined again by Kim Gros, a New York City-based clinical herbalist, educator, and founder of an organic herbal product line. Kim leads plant walks in Central Park and has a gift for making the natural world feel alive through storytelling. We get into what plant names reveal across different languages and cultures, how ancient superstitions often turn out to have a scientific explanation, and how so much of our everyday language traces back to plants in ways most of us have never considered. Topics Covered: Why stories help us remember plants better than properties do. What plant names in different languages actually reveal. Botanical sexism and how it connects to your spring allergies. Why dandelions have a very literal (and unexpected) name in French. The pagan roots behind bringing holly and pine inside for the holidays. How superstitions about hawthorn flowers turned out to be scientifically accurate. Where "caught red-handed" actually comes from. Connect with Kim! Website: https://moonstoneandmulberry.com/ Shop herbal remedies: https://herbalremedies.moonstoneandmulberry.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moonstoneandmulberry Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoonstoneandMulberry/ ______________________ Contact French Kissing Life Podcast DM us at @shawnnarstiver on Instagram or Facebook Connect with Shawnna Stiver on LinkedIn Email us at frenchkissinglifepodcast@gmail.com Until next time, muah! ______________________ French Kissing Life is sponsored by Ampersand Copy and Content. Ready to convert browsers into buyers? If you want to master your messaging, stand out in a saturated market and become a crushed-on, go-to brand, contact us today! Website: https://ampersandcopyandcontent.com/ Email: shawnna@ampersandcopyandcontent.com

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