Wildcard Conversations (Katja Bavendam)

It's really happening! Welcome to my show where I have random, extraordinary conversations with "ordinary" people. I can't wait for you to meet my guests!

After reminiscing about the good old days in the college cafeteria, my friend Jamie Saul takes me on an emotional rollercoaster ride through the ups and downs of marriage, losing a premature baby, the gift of motherhood, and being black family in a white town. Grounded in her faith, Jamie is a shining example of how to navigate life with love and grace - the Brooklyn way.

Connect with Jamie on Instagram: @ashleyofyork

After realizing to her own surprise that her favorite age is now, Sherra Grasser reflects on living more authentically as she gets older, pushing herself to make mistakes in difficult conversations, what it means to move from being an ally to being an accomplice, and the gift of feeling totally present she receives from sitting bedside with people at the end of their life. With a passion for educating herself and others, Sherra leads with her heart and is here to remind you to always do the next right kind thing.

Connect with Sherra:

www.sherragrasser.com

FB: Sherra Grasser, Youth Empowerment Coach

IG: @coachsherra

After wondering why she ever stopped making scrapbooks, Krista Kay reflects on her wild pandemic love story, leaving her life as Comedian in Las Vegas behind to build a new family in Washington State, learning to trust that good men like her husband are real, growing up tall in a small town, and not taking life and its lessons too seriously.

Connect with Krista:

IG: @kristakaycomedy

FB: Krista Kay

And grab a copy of her children’s book: A Head Above the Rest

After making me jealous about the beautiful California sunsets that bring him peace, Holistic Health & Performance Coach Chris “CJ” Chandler discusses the teachings of Paul Chek and their influence on the fitness industry, reminds me how important it is to have a dream, and teaches me about finding the right balance of working out and working in.

Connect with Chris:

Instagram: @pathofmotionchris

Web: CJ Chandler, Path of Motion

On today’s episode I am joined by my bestie’s fiancé Stephan Mitchell, who is just a well rounded quality human being and a great conversationalist. Stephan talks about how leaning into difficult times and taking risks has made him a resilient person, about  people doing the best they can with what they know, about designing a future life centered around freedom and fulfillment, and surrounding himself with different people who are open to learning from each other.

 We ponder the paradox of having free will while having faith in a higher power, we talk about listening to your gut, trusting it and making decisions from there, the pressure of feeling like we have to find our purpose and that being amplified by social media, and so much more.

Connect with Stephan on Instagram: @power_in_your_truth

On today’s episode I am joined by coach and speaker Allison Kinnear. Her mission is to inspire all people but especially women to show up with integrity, authenticity, and courage. We talk about all of that good empowering stuff, about connecting with yourself, figuring out what it is that you need and want and then asking for it, and how that’s easier said than done. We talk about letting go of self doubt and of the disempowering garbage that society tells us about ourselves.

For over 22 years, Allison Kinnear has worked with thousands of people as they navigate their vulnerabilities as parents, employees, and leaders. She loves working with groups in the high-stakes professional world to solve the underlying issues surrounding vulnerability-based leadership. She frequently gives talks on overcoming Impostor Syndrome, effectively managing stress, and building a culture of trust in the workplace.

You can learn more about Allison at www.allisonkinnear.com

On today’s episode I am joined by WNBA Legend, Singer, Model, Inspirational Speaker, and now Marketing Specialist for Nike – the one the only Kym Hampton who I am so lucky to have in my life as a friend. Kym took me on a wonderful journey from Louisville to Arizona, to Spain, Italy, France, Japan, New York City and now Portland, Oregon. She attributes this full and interesting life to always staying open to new opportunities and then stepping into them as they arise. She is grounded in the belief that fate has a way of working itself out and that we are always presented with exactly the opportunities and challenges that will lead us to the lessons we need to learn most in life. Having this uninterrupted time to listen to Kym tell me parts of her life story was such a gift to me and I’m so glad to be sharing it with you. You definitely want to stay tuned until the end, when Kym goes into full on inspirational speaker mode with a closing message to the listeners that is jam packed with wisdom.  

On today’s episode, I am joined by my friend Nackie Karcher. She is the type of person who just exudes this free spirit, positive, tear up the dancefloor, bursting with creativity, kind of energy – you know exactly what type of person I’m talking about… just a pure delight! Nackie shared with me how her fantastical childhood in the Florida Keys has made her a lifelong treasure hunter and community builder. I hope you take this episode as an invitation to look at your life and see that it’s already full of treasures and that there is still so much more  to be discovered if you keep your  eyes, minds, and hearts open. This conversation is definitely going into my personal treasure chest and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. If you want to hear more of Nackie, she is a frequent and favorite guest on her Husband Pat’s podcast. So, if you are already missing the Holidays or just want to be blown away by Pat’s musical talent, head on over to the Camp Cupples podcast:

Camp Cupples on Spotify

Camp Cupples on Apple Podcasts

And check out the Mastic Beach Conservancy

On today’s episode I am joined by storyteller and history lover Chris B., who has asked me not to use his full name, and on this podcast we love and respect boundaries. After giving me a behind the scenes look into a storytelling event, Chris told me about books that impacted his life and moved him to tears. We talked about history being nuanced and how this nuance often gets lost in the Hollywood version of events. Chris also told me about that time he got to see Hamilton the Musical for free with the original cast and why he doesn’t remember the actual performance. We covered a lot of ground, and it was one of those meandering conversations that I personally enjoy so much and I hope you do, too.

On this first solo episode, I’m celebrating the 10th episode milestone, struggle through the discomfort of it just being me and the microphone, and share a quick update on my move from New York to Florida and why it has been so meaningful and empowering. Take this as your invitation to ask yourself where you find joy and to go follow it.

On this episode I am joined by Connie Trinh, my first Asian guest and we truly love to see the Asian representation. You’re going to witness beautiful self-reflection in action. Connie shares how the ego deaths she’s experienced in recent years contributed to her growth, her liberation from self imposed limits and to her emotional resilience. She talks about her Asian upbringing and we find some common ground between the Asian and German cultures. We realize how privileged we are to have the space to feel our feelings and the importance of  giving our parents grace for not being so good at the self-awareness game. We delve into the good and bad sides of productivity and discipline, we go off on a tangent about fat phobia and somehow get to discussing what may happen at the end of our physical lives.

On this episode I am joined by the man the myth, the legend, Mike from New York, my pandemic coffee shop buddy whose stories I could listen to for hours. If you love New York City you’re going to love this man and this episode. Mike talks about growing up in the village in the 60s and 70s, the appreciation he gained for his parents later in life, his excursion into the world of filthy rich people, the importance of making friends - especially during hard times, and how 12 steps led him to a life beyond his wildest dreams. This conversation was such a treat!

On today’s episode I am joined by Jaime Filer, who is not only a beauty of a human being but also a  rock star personal coach who specializes in helping women improve their mental health through exercise and nutrition. Before talking about how she recharges from always giving a 100% as a coach and how she navigates the business relationship with her wife Katie, Jaime shares some professional and personal failures that reinforced her core value of only doing things that make her happy. We do make some references to the L-Word, which is of course the wildly successful scripted television show that follows the lives and drama of a group of lesbian and bisexual women. Shane is the fuckboy of the group while Bette and Tina are the happily married couple. Jaime shares how she, like most people, had to first be a Shane and do some things she wasn’t proud of so that she eventually could find that Bette & Tina forever kind of love. 

Connect with Jaime:

Grab her free anti-anxiety e-book

Book a free compatibility call

Connect on Instagram: @jaim91

Monday Morning Mindset Shift on Apple Podcasts

Monday Morning Mindset Shift on Spotify

On today’s episode, I am joined by my good friend Danielle Dowler and if you enjoy a dry sense of humor you have come to the right place. Danielle shares how parts of her childhood led to her becoming a hyper-independent adult and how that independence sometimes makes her life difficult and sometimes empowers her to live it to the fullest. Having been through more hard things than the average person in their mid thirties, Danielle has gained a deep understanding of the human condition and with it the ability to laugh at the absurdities of life, especially those of the morbid kind. Trigger Warning: We talk about death quite a bit throughout this episode so if that’s something you don’t currently want to hear about, I’ll see you next time. To everyone else, I hope you can laugh with us and maybe learn a thing or two about what happens before, during, and after death. I certainly learned a lot and I’m very grateful that Danielle was so generous with her sharing around this super important topic that affects literally everyone.

This second solo episode starts with a quick life update from Florida before sharing key takeaways and lessons from Yung Pueblo’s fantastic book Lighter. It’s all about letting go, individual and collective healing and all the other good woo woo shit. Take this as your reminder to keep doing the work because every little tiny bit of healing matters. Keep going and keep shining your fucking light. It makes the world a better place.

On today’s episode, I am joined by fellow personal growth Christi Flynn, who is full of positive, calming and supportive energy. We talk about how her children inspired courage in her, how courage is connected to trusting herself, how she came back to the sport she loved as a teenager in her mid life, her open water swimming adventures, and how important it is to keep having fun as we get older. As a coach, Christi specializes in working with highly capable professional women and if you are seeking alignment in your life or need some help defining what you want your next chapter to look like, Christi might just be your girl.

Connect with Christi:

https://inspiratacoaching.com/

On this episode, I am joined by Katie Kenney - another beautiful coffee shop friend from my old neighborhood in Queens. Katie tells me about making her dream of living in New York City come true, which involved a difficult break up followed by an epic cross-country road trip with her grandpa and her dog Chuck, who are both no longer with us physically but certainly here in spirit.  Katie quite literally came a long way from slinging car tires to Utah moms to being at the center of the crazy world of New York City advertising agencies. And none of that might have ever happened without her brother Ryan’s love for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade…