Was It Chance? By cover art

Was It Chance?

By: Alan Seales Heather Vickery & Broadway Podcast Network
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  • Summary

  • People talk about manifestation as a thing that you can just think into existence. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. When it comes to making your creative dreams come true, what really matters is putting yourself in a position to thoughtfully and intelligently take advantage of the opportunities presented to you. And sometimes these opportunities show up in very unexpected ways. We’re Heather Vickery and Alan Seales, two perfect strangers who met by chance and embraced opportunity! Listen in as we chat with other successful people about the risks they took, and continue taking, to put themselves on a path to creative success. WAS IT CHANCE? The podcast about embracing opportunity and taking intentional risks for your creative life.
    Alan Seales, Heather Vickery & Broadway Podcast Network
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Episodes
  • #64 - Katie Horwitch: Turning Self-Doubt into Self-Empowerment!

    #64 - Katie Horwitch: Turning Self-Doubt into Self-Empowerment!
    May 7 2024
    Turn Self-Doubt into Self-Empowerment! Katie Horwitch, the powerhouse behind WANT: Women Against Negative Talk joins Heather and Alan to explore a world where our inner critic often holds the mic, Katie shares her journey of flipping the script on negative self-talk, providing listeners with the tools to craft a more empowering internal narrative. Discover the subtle childhood origins of our adult self-talk and unravel Katie's personal transition from the stage to being the mastermind behind WANT. This episode is an amalgamation of personal anecdotes, deep-seated wisdom, and actionable advice on navigating (and embracing) the risks of pursuing your true calling. Tune in for an inspiring conversation that promises to challenge, motivate, and equip you with the language of self-love. Connect with Katie on her Website and Instagram. Tiktok, and YouTube. And grab a copy of her best-selling book, WANT YOURSELF. Tune into her podcast WANTcast as well. Make sure to follow this podcast everywhere you find podcasts, leave a rating and a review, and slip into our Instagram DMs at @wasitchance. More about Heather via @heather_vickeryandco on Instagram, @Braveheather on TikTok, and listen to The Brave Files More about Alan via @theatre_podcast on Instagram and listen to The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales EPISODE TAKEAWAYS Limiting voices and negative self-talk are often rooted in the smallest moments from our childhood. We often don’t realize how these “small” experiences can have such a big impact. Self-talk is the inner dialogue and story we tell ourselves all day long Katie’s deep seeded negative self-talk was centered around creating and performing for others but never being able to enjoy and experience for herself. Negative self-talk is not inherently good or bad - it’s information and how you process tat information. Mental health was the catalyst for Katie to move away from theater and into the work of coaching. A dangerous eating disorder began to physically affect her ability to sing and perform, which is what she was in school to study. This is when she started to do the internal work to shift her patterns and behaviors. Changing negative self-talk can be very difficult for many people. You can’t just “change your mind” and things are better. Everything requires a game - it’s about the game you’re willing to play. There can be a lot of fear and risk associated with following a purpose or “calling.” The biggest risks Katie felt she took were unknown financial possibilities getting into a newish field with blogging and online magazines and she felt the pressure of risk on being approved of and accepted in these new fields. Everything has a shadow side and can be manipulated. Do all things with integrity. Self-deprecation is dangerous but it helps people bring themselves together and find things in common. The key is recognizing the language you are using on a regular basis. Check yourself by asking this question “Do I want the reality of actually shifting? Or do I just like the drama of trying to figure it out?” Her book, Want Yourself, is based on the curriculum Katie created over the last decade. Discover your own personal “through line.” Katie has embraced being flexible in order to achieve desired outcomes. It’s all give and take WANTCast is in its 9th year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • #63 - Mark Daley: Wrong Door, Right Time

    #63 - Mark Daley: Wrong Door, Right Time
    Apr 16 2024
    Mark Daley describes his life as a series of wrong doors at the right time. Tune in as Mark shares his remarkable journey from growing up closeted and steeped in shame to political campaigns to pioneering LGBTQ+ rights, becoming a foster parent, and then reshaping foster care for at-risk youth. This episode will challenge everything you think you know about risk, family, and the power of unexpected moments to lead you home. Mark's story is a masterclass in turning the unexpected into the unforgettable. Tune in to uncover the life lessons hidden in unexpected places and learn why sometimes, the wrong door can lead you to exactly where you need to be. Don't miss this beautiful conversation with a man who found his voice, his purpose, and his family by embracing the twists of fate. Connect with Mark on his Website and Instagram. Learn more about The Foster Parent here. And grab a copy of Marks best selling book, Safe. Listen on Spotify Premium for free or support Indie bookstores and listen on Libro.fm. Make sure to follow this podcast everywhere you find podcasts, leave a rating and a review, and slip into our Instagram DMs at @wasitchance. More about Heather via @heather_vickeryandco on Instagram, @Braveheather on TikTok, and listen to The Brave Files More about Alan via @theatre_podcast on Instagram and listen to The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales EPISODE TAKEAWAYS Mark’s life has been all about “wrong door, right time.” Working on an election campaign is crazy because you know you’re going to lose your job at some point. Mark started as an intern working on The Hill while still a college student. This led to eventually working on Hillary Clinton’s first presidential campaign. Being around politics as a teenager sparked this interest in public office. Safe was about telling Mark and his family’s story and seeing if it could make a difference for other families. Several members of Mark’s family had come from Foster Care and it always held a special place in his heart. Growing up Gay often comes with a sense of shame, especially for people growing up in the 80’s. What is One Iowa - The idea came to Mark in the shower (where all good ideas start). The message was not really about equality, it was about fairness. Thefosterparent.com was founded because Mark knew he could really offer was a way to recruit more foster parents and get more awareness of this issue. They do this via very targeted micro-campaigns. Foster Care should always be about reunification but sometimes that simply is not possible. Mark connected with Lara Love Hardin as a Foster Parent who was empathetic towards the parents who have had children entered into the system. Taking risks is a major part of parenting but as a foster parent, it’s more difficult because of all the rules. FINAL page of the book Failure always leads to a lesson, or perhaps the opportunity simply wasn’t the right thing for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • #62 - Alison Cochrun: Authors... They're Just Like Us!

    #62 - Alison Cochrun: Authors... They're Just Like Us!
    Mar 30 2024
    Welcome to the beautiful world of queer romance with author Alison Cochrun. Hear about the stories behind her heartwarming novels that celebrate love's many hues and the courageous journey of self-discovery that echoes through her pages. From the award-winning "Kiss Her Once for Me" to the charm of "The Charm Offensive," and the excitement building around "Here We Go Again," Alison shares her thoughts on crafting the quirkiest, most endearing characters that resonate with readers everywhere. Discover how a feverish six-day writing stint morphed into an international bestseller, and why taking risks can lead to the most beautiful of love stories — in books and in life. Grab your favorite cozy blanket and a cup of tea; this is one conversation about life, love, and literature that you won't want to miss. Connect with Alison on her website and Instagram. Get copies of her books The Charm Offensive, Kiss Her Once for Me and Here We Go Again. Make sure to follow this podcast everywhere you find podcasts, leave a rating and a review, and slip into our Instagram DMs at @wasitchance. More about Heather via @heather_vickeryandco on Instagram, @Braveheather on TikTok, and listen to The Brave Files More about Alan via @theatre_podcast on Instagram and listen to The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales **Content warning: We do talk about mental health and suicide towards the end of this episode. EPISODE TAKEAWAYS Alison Cochrun chose “quirky, Queer romance” because she’s always loved a “Happily ever after” but after reading “The Wedding Date” by Jasmine Gulliory she wanted to start writing her own. Alison didn’t always intend to write Queer books because she didn’t know she was gay until she was 33. Most of her writing when she was younger was Young Adult Fantasy Writing “The Charm Offensive” helped Alison come out and embrace her Queerness From a young age Alison knew she wanted to be a writer or a teacher. Low self confidence got in the way of writing at first. In her mid twenties Alison was super risk adverse and had a massive fear of failure that turned her off of writing and taking the teaching path. Alison wrote the first draft of “The Charm Offensive” in six days - it felt like a fever dream. Sharing that messy first draft was the intentional risk Alison took that lead to what is now an international best seller. Alison writes very personal stories and, thus, gives a lot of herself to the audience when she writes a book. Writing characters that are based on different parts of herself allowed Alison to develop a beautiful feedback loop between herself and readers. It allowed her to continue to be more vulnerable in her writing. Alison shares that there is a lot of writing that happens that isn’t writing. It’s about getting to know your characters and really understand them. Alison is a big fan of former Was It Chance guest, Venessa Kelley who has done art for Alison’s work. Advice to up and coming writers: write the story you want to write - there are readers out there! Trust yourself. Winning the Lambda Literary award for best LGBTQ Romance in 2023 was an amazing moment in Alison’s life. She is currently finding opportunities to teach writing and stretch her writing skills in new genres. Leaving her teaching career to be a full time writer was the greatest risk of Alison’s life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 14 mins
Art Entertainment & Performing Arts Psychology Hygiene & Healthy Living Personal Success
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