Podcasting Just Got “Lit”

Jan 8, 2020 | Library Life

LIBRARY LIFE

Podcasting just got “lit”

Written by Sarah Verno

8 JANUARY 2020

So… flow?

I will admit, before Saturday I was vaguely unaware of the Flow Arts community. I’d seen fire dances at events, but I had no idea the community at large was so vast and so intricately connected.

The library is a fascinating place to work because it brings in eclectic and passionate people on the regular. We are blessed to have a recording studio setup in our location (and yes, it’s free to use – how awesome is that!?), which attracts all sorts of people using it to record music, make movies, stream podcasts, launch videoblogs, etc. This is how I met Chris and Raye, the co-hosts of the Flow and Grow Podcast.

In the Podcast, Raye and Chris talk a lot on how flow has helped them in their everyday lives to keep a positive mindset and connection to a community.

“We call this Flow and Grow Podcast because without flow both of us would not be at the point of our lives that we have grown to love.” – Chris

The Power of Flow Arts as Positive Replacement Habits

One of the first things I noticed when I met Chris was his genuine kindness and openness to sharing and spreading his passion for flow arts. When I asked him about their podcast, he shared how flow arts has helped him stay sober for 5 years now, and he wants to share the freedom and community it brought to his life with people he meets.

“Growth is a huge part of our life and I personally believe #flowarts can help anybody find a higher outlook on life!” – Chris

When Chris feels the urge to drink, he spins instead. He calls this “trigger tying,” or replacing negative habits with positive ones. Instead of participating in something that only takes life from him, he repurposes that energy into creating something that gives life.

Spreading the Fire

When I met Raye, her smile alone was evidence enough of just how much joy the flow arts bring to her life. Raye got her start in flow while participating in the Cincinnati Circus, and eventually made her way to Denver to be around more sunlight (Denver averages 245 days of sunshine per year, can you blame her?).

When I told Raye that I was new to flow and didn’t know much about it, she immediately took out her fire stick and brought me into the green room to have me TRY IT OUT FOR MYSELF. (Don’t worry, there was no fire involved.)

Before doing anything else, here she was was taking the time and generously sharing her talents and equipment for me to experience the power of flow first-hand.

When life gets hard, Raye says she “just keeps spinning.” And I love that.

Flow and Grow Podcast

ON INSTAGRAM

Flow and Grow Podcast

ON FACEBOOK

The Fulfillment Triangle

Nov 10, 2019 | Library Life

The Fulfillment Traingle

Notes from the BiggerPockets Podcast, Episode 353, “Turning $5k into $5k/Month and Retiring at 40 with Tim Rhode” (Link: BiggerPockets)

“So, my point is if you’re not in that fulfillment triangle where your passions meet your talents, where there’s opportunity in the marketplace. If you’re not currently in that do what David did, do what I did when I was a grocery clerk. Effing fix it. Find a way to fix it.”

– Tim Rhode

The Fulfillment Triangle = where passion meets talent meets opportunity

So, how do you find your passion? 

“You go inside and you do the tough inner work to figure out who in the heck am I at my core. What do I like, and what don’t I like?… Then where will I fit? What could I wake up every single day thinking, ‘And they pay me to do this’?”

– Tim Rhode

Power in Patience

“…I have this concept of when we were kids there were these balsa wood propellers. Or, balsa wood airplanes that have these rubber band propellers… So, you put it together and if you wind it a few times it goes right in front of you and falls at your feet. If you wind it more it goes across the room 10, 15 feet. If you keep winding it, and winding it, and winding it, and give it one more wind it soars beautifully.

The challenge is, is this like a lot of things in life. People want things handed to them. They think it’s going to be easy. They just wind their propeller a few times and get frustrated because they don’t get results. Or they wind it pretty good and get decent results. If you just dig a little deeper, and wind it. Whatever it is for you, wind it a few more times you’re going to find amazing results.”

– Tim Rhodes

The Power of Let’s

Nov 12, 2018 | Library Life

LIBRARY LIFE

The Power of Let’s

Written by Sarah Verno
17 April 2018
Everyone needs a “let’s” person in their life.

I was blessed to have one for 30 years. When it came to my ideas and interests, my mom was always the first to say, “Let’s find out.”

Instead of approaching an idea with, “Will this work?” my mom would ask, “What do we need to know and/or do to make this work?” Not all of my ideas were good let alone feasible, but this fundamental shift in thinking empowered me to try anything and everything with bravery and confidence.

There’s a unique courage that comes with knowing someone supports you enough to willingly take those first steps alongside you. “Let’s” tells someone you are worthy, you are heard, you are not alone, and you are not stuck.

When I started a cheerleading squad for special needs high schoolers, she said, “Let’s make the girls encouraging signs for their lockers!”  When I decided to start writing picture books, she said, “Let’s go to the library to get ideas!” When I was determined to make my own furniture, she said, “Let’s get you a drill,” and took me to the lumber store to pick out the perfect wood for my table.

Then one day she told me some very bad news, and I responded the best way I knew how, “Let’s check out the cancer resource center and get more information.” When it was a treatment day, I would pack her snacks and announce in a sing-song manner, “Leeeeet’s gooooo to cheeeee-mo!” When she started to lose her hair, I suggested, “Let’s try on wigs!” We tried on every style imaginable — laughing the whole way through. When the day came in hospice for my mom to take her final breaths, I said, “Let’s lie here together.” My dad held her hand, and my brother and I lay by her side until the slow beating in her chest was absorbed in stillness. 

My mom teaching me how to play golf.

Arizona, March 2007

Every time I walk into a library, I’m reminded of the beautiful impact my mom had on me simply by saying, “Let’s.” Librarians hold the same power to profoundly shape peoples’ realities and influence their lives. 
“Let’s” is the word that transforms a library experience into a life-changing experience. It is more than a contraction — it is an invitation.
“Let’s” is always inclusive, and just as my mom used it to affirm and support me, librarians have the privilege and responsibility to use “let’s” to empower patrons and their communities. 

So, whatever challenge may lie ahead of you today… Let’s do this.

My family (from the left: Wes, me, mom, and dad) celebrating the end of the first round of chemo treatments.

November 2015