Creative Genius

After a long and necessary silence, Kate is back - and she comes bearing something real.

In this tender welcome-back episode, Kate shares honestly about the months she spent unable to show up: the depression, the grief, the days she couldn't get out of bed, and the slow, quiet process of finding her way back to herself and to this work. She reflects on what it means to be a guide for others when you've temporarily lost your own footing — and why trusting the wisdom of stopping was, in fact, the most important creative act of all.

But this episode isn't just about the dark. Kate also shares the luminous knowing that's been growing in her even through the silence, a bone-deep sense that what we're living through right now, as painful and terrifying as it is, is nothing less than the birth of a new humanity. The ancient, tarry weight of old ways is rising to the surface to be burned away. And we - all of us, together - are the ones bringing something more beautiful into being.

She talks about the unexpected conversations she's been having at her jewelry kiosk at Granville Island, the messages from listeners that finally tugged her back, and what this next chapter of the podcast might hold.

This is a short episode. An outstretched hand. A hello. And an invitation to walk forward together.

In this episode:

Why Kate went quiet - and why she had to

The physical weight of depression and what it asked of her

What she's been witnessing in her daily conversations with people from around the world

The knowing underneath the fear: why she believes we are living through the birth of something magnificent

What's coming next for the Creative Genius Podcast

Mentioned:

Meredith Hite Estevez — Artists for Joy podcast

Tracy Mazuer — Trees Have Feelings, and her book about Ravina the Raven

Kate's jewelry and artwork at Granville Island Public Market, Vancouver

If this episode moved you, please share it with someone who needs it right now. One quiet recommendation can be the spark someone else has been waiting for.

Creativity as a Lifeline: A Conversation with Jaime Townzen
What happens when grief, loss, and uncertainty open a doorway back to creativity? In this soulful episode of The Creative Genius Podcast, host Kate Shepherd speaks with artist and author Jaime Townzen about how watercolour became her lifeline during a dark time, and how following her spark led her to write and publish her debut novel Absorbed. Together they explore creativity as healing, intuition as guidance, the courage to embrace being an artist, and how art helps us through times of crisis.
Listeners will hear about Jaime’s journey from stay-at-home mom to professional artist and novelist, the power of daily creative rituals, the role of curiosity as an antidote to anxiety, and how to trust your own calling. This conversation is a balm for anyone longing to reconnect with their creative spark and live more fully as themselves.
This week on the Creative Genius Podcast, I sat down with artist and author Jaime Townzen. Her story is one of grief, healing, and rediscovering herself through creativity — a path that eventually led her to publish her first novel Absorbed.
We talked about why art matters in times of crisis, how daily creative rituals can reorient your whole life, and what it means to follow your calling even when it doesn’t make sense on paper.
Jaime’s journey is a beautiful reminder that creativity isn’t indulgent — it’s essential.

What if your nervous system—the very force that protects you—was also the key to unlocking your creativity, joy, and deeper self-connection? In this profound and heartfelt conversation, Kate sits down with emotional healing specialist and nervous system guide Natalie (NatNat) Bédard of LiftOneSelf. Together, they explore how our nervous systems shape our experiences, how integrating soul and humanity allows us to embrace the full spectrum of being alive, and why vulnerability is at the heart of creative expression.
Natalie (NatNat) Bédard is the founder of LiftOneSelf and a devoted emotional healing specialist and nervous system guide. After surviving a life-threatening health crisis that left her in the hospital for 40 days, Natalie embarked on a profound journey of somatic healing, meditation, and self-discovery. She now teaches others how to navigate the “force field” of the nervous system, turning survival instincts into pathways for creativity, resilience, and joy.
Her upcoming book, The Gift Wrapped in Sandpaper: Untamed Power, blends science, story, and practice to help readers integrate both soul and humanity. Through one-on-one sessions, group programs, and her own podcast, Natalie creates safe spaces where people can process trauma, embrace vulnerability, and access the deep creative intelligence within. Based in Ottawa, Canada, she is also a solo parent and brings lived experience, wisdom, and compassion to her work. Learn more at LiftOneSelf.com
Key Takeaways
Why Natalie calls nervous system healing “warrior work” and how it transforms our relationship with emotions.
How to move beyond fear vs. love into true integration of the human and the soul.
The nervous system as a wild stallion: learning to ride with it instead of fighting against it.
Parenting, trauma, and authenticity: how to navigate messy real life with compassion.
Playful, simple ways to reconnect with intuition, creativity, and joy.
Resources Mentioned
Natalie Bédard’s website: LiftOneSelf.com
Natalie’s upcoming book The Gift Wrapped in Sandpaper
Kate’s jewelry & podcast community: KateShepherdCreative.com
Call to Action
If this conversation stirred something in you, subscribe to The Creative Genius Podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. For deeper practices, meditations, and community, join us on Patreon at patreon.com/creativegeniuspodcast.

In this episode of The Creative Genius Podcast (the finale for Season 4!) Kate sits down with Albert Bramante — talent agent, psychologist, and author — to explore why so many creatives hold themselves back, how to reframe rejection, why fear isn’t the enemy, and how to trust yourself enough to rewrite your own script.
From Kate: Today I’m bringing you a conversation that feels especially alive and needed right now. I sat down with Albert Bramante — a rare soul who bridges the world of psychology and the performing arts. For over two decades he’s walked alongside actors, dancers, and other artists as both a talent agent and a guide through the invisible terrain of mindset, fear, self-doubt, and that sneaky self-sabotage we all bump up against when we dare to put our true selves out in the world.
In this conversation, Albert opens up about how rejection isn’t really rejection, how fear can be a strange protector, and how staying open to the unknown — in our art, our work, our relationships — can free us to live bigger, truer lives.
I hope as you listen you feel a soft invitation to loosen your own grip a little, to see where you might be clinging too tightly to other people’s scripts for you — and maybe, just maybe, to let yourself play again.
Highlights:
Why rejection is rarely personal
How our childhood shapes creative courage
What fear of success really means
The power of playing instead of performing
Real stories about people pleasing, burnout, and letting go

About This Episode
What if the collapse of old systems — the patriarchy, relentless productivity, and hollow doing — is really the birth pangs of something necessary and beautiful? In this conversation, I sit down with Leo Marrs, a writer, creative strategist, experience designer, and the author of the upcoming The New Creator: Rise of the Mindful Artist in the New Meaning Economy.
Leo’s story begins in the wilds of Alaska and weaves through entrepreneurship, breathwork, altered states of consciousness, and a deep remembering that we are it — the universe expressing itself creatively through us.
In this episode, we explore:
How the collapse of old systems can feel like existential fight-or-flight — and yet a creative rebirth.
Leo’s spontaneous awakening that revealed the creative intelligence suffusing everything.
The essential role of art, vision, and imagination in shaping futures worth living.
How to engage with technology — including AI — without losing our humanity.
Why presence might be our greatest creative “technology” yet.
How to drop the striving and become the mindful artist you already are.
If you feel called to make things that truly matter, this conversation is for you.
Listen Now
Apple Podcasts: [listen here]
Spotify: [Lissten here]
 
Links & Resources
Connect with Leo Marrs: https://www.leomarrs.com
Leo’s upcoming book: The New Creator: Rise of the Mindful Artist in the New Meaning Economy (sign up on Leo’s site for updates)
Referenced in this episode:
Integral Theory by Ken Wilber — https://integrallife.com/
The Image of the Future by Fred Polak — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Polak
Moga Dot (AI & ethics) 
The Telepathy Tapes podcast — https://thetelepathytapes.com/ 
Aphantasia resources — https://aphantasia.com
Timestamps
00:00 — Welcoming Leo and the collective moment we’re in
04:00 — Leo’s spontaneous awakening in the shower
12:00 — The power of image, vision, and art to shape the future
20:00 — Engaging with AI and collective intelligence mindfully
30:00 — Aphantasia, inner knowing, and hidden gifts of not seeing
42:00 — Why we must learn to trust uncertainty
50:00 — The billboard message: You’re it — becoming the mindful artist you already are
Go Deeper
Read my blog reflections on this episode inside Patreon
Get bonus episodes, reflections, and community connection: [Patreon]
Subscribe to the Creative Genius Newsletter here
If You Loved This Episode
Share it with a friend — it helps so much.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — your words help Creative Genius reach more people who need it.
Join our warm, growing community on Patreon for more bonus episodes, guided reflections, and ways to connect with others on this path.
Stay Connected
Follow me on Instagram: @kateshepherdcreative & @thecreativegeniuspodcast
Follow Leo: @theleomarrs
Reach out to me directly here
Thank you for listening — keep making things that matter.