January 10, 2024 • 16 mins
I'm back and happy to say that taking a pause can be a transformative experience! A while ago, I made the decision to step away from the noise (in order to hear myself instead).
In the quietness away from the constant buzz of social media, I found a liberty in solitude and a renewed connection with the voice within. This episode shares a bit of that journey and a toast to the joys of returning to this podcast that I love so much. Join me as we celebrate curiosity and creativity, and continue our collective quest for a life brimming with fulfillment.
I'm so excited to reconnect with all of you and extend a heartfelt thank you for your unwavering support!
And if you're looking for an extra spark of inspiration, don't miss out on Rachel Larson Weaver's episode (Episode 61)—it's the perfect springboard into our new season.
Your engagement and five-star reviews mean the world to us, as we forge ahead with curiosity and a thirst for knowledge, ever eager for the next discovery on this podcasting adventure.
NOTE**** A recent iPhone update may have thrown a wrench in the works, disrupting our usual channels of connection, but it's nothing we can't overcome together. I encourage you to double-check your follows and notifications to ensure you're up-to-date with our latest episodes. Please tell your friends too!
Follow LeAnna and Curating the Curious:
NEW! Substack Link
Instagram: @curating.the.curious
@leanna_azzolini_photography
Website:
leannaazzoliniphoto.com
Click Here for: No Cherished Outcomes Sweatshirt and Tee!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to Curating the Curious, the podcast that
celebrates staying curious inlife and never settling into a
box.
This show is for the creators,the seekers, the explorers, the
truth tellers and the foreverstudents of life, no matter what
age or stage you're currentlyat.
(00:22):
This is not as good as it gets,and it is never too late to
begin.
Join me as we explore all ofthe questions that come with the
idea of curiosity a place wherethe possibilities are endless
and you can always start again.
Since it felt a little strangeto just start the season and not
(00:46):
even say a word about whereI've been, I wanted to check in
and make it short and sweet,kind of just give you an
overview of where I went andwhere I want to take this new
season.
In the interest of brevity Ireally appreciate brevity I'm
going to get to the point andlet you know the answers to
(01:08):
those things so that we can justgo on with this new season.
I can bring you all of thepeople and the ideas that I've
been thinking about for the pastfew years.
If you haven't already listenedto Rachel Larson Weaver's
episode, which was my firstepisode back for the new season
I think it was episode number 61.
(01:31):
Do that.
It's such a good one, reallystarted off the year wonderfully
for me and she's just a breathof fresh air so inspiring and
awesome.
I highly highly recommend youcheck it out.
Now I'll get down to where I'vebeen and where I would love to
(01:51):
take this new season Back inDecember of 2022,.
I read this quote by MichaelaCole in a world that entices us
to browse through the lives ofothers in order to help us
better determine how we feelabout ourselves, and to, in turn
, feel the need to be constantlyvisible, your visibility these
(02:13):
days seems to somehow equate tosuccess.
Do not be afraid to disappearfrom it, from us, for a while.
See what comes to you in thesilence.
So I read those words, I made ahandful of episodes and a few
months later I fully ran withthat advice and decided to
(02:37):
disappear Just here and then onsocial media, and in the
beginning I had just planned ona minor little break, kind of
get my stuff together.
But as the months kept creepingby, I continued to dive deeper
and deeper into rest and healingand introspection and just my
(03:01):
inner world, and I decided tojust quiet the noise.
Find some clarity on what mytrue priorities are in life and
forget about anything that hadto do with checking in with
others, speaking to others,putting my thoughts out there,
done.
It was all about listening tomy own voice.
(03:21):
So now I'm back and veryexcited to be doing this.
I'm still not sure what I planto do from here with social
media.
It's hard because I do actually, I get the word out better with
social media, but I don'treally want to be spending my
(03:43):
time there too much, so I'mstill ironing that out.
But regardless, a major lessonhas been learned through this
huge break that I took and allof these things that I've been
working on.
If we are constantly watchingothers and checking in on how
they feel about what we do, webegin to lose sight of our own
(04:03):
inner compass.
So is it possible to be anactive participant on social
media and still keep a grasp onthat inner guide?
I think for some, yes, it ispossible.
I don't know how, though.
It's not for me, but I'm backhere.
There's no question how I feelabout this.
(04:23):
This podcast is a great joy inmy life.
It's very fulfilling.
I love this medium ofcommunication and connection and
I am truly, truly back and I'mstaying.
It's funny the reaction thatyou get when you do something
(04:43):
like come out with your ownpodcast and what people think of
that, what they assume it to beVery interesting.
I got myself caught up in allthat BS.
The year before last, 2022 wasthe hardest.
I mean, you can hear me whenI'm talking about the tribes
thing and oh, I'm apologizingfor saying it because somebody
(05:05):
said it was bad and I was soconcerned about what other
people were thinking.
I just want to give myself abig hug back then and say, hey,
you can't be perfect.
You're recording this.
You don't have a team ofeditors or a team of people
telling you what's right andwrong.
Sometimes you're going to saysomething stupid, but I think
(05:28):
it's not even stupid.
Okay, it might not work forsome people, but I came to find
that a lot of people were likewhat are you even talking about?
I'm out of that phase of mylife, thank God, where I'm
checking in with everybody tosee if I'm okay.
I'm really happy to be back withthat new sense of self, because
(05:49):
I think the more truth you cantell, the more you can connect
with other people.
I'm coming back to this spaceas myself.
There's not going to besugarcoating, which I don't
think I was doing too much of inthe first place, but I'm me and
this is what you get.
Quite frankly I am superexcited to really cover all of
(06:14):
these things that have takenplace, that have changed in life
, the things that I've found towork for me and that I've been
working on, the things I'velearned and the people that I've
been watching and listening toand have you hear from them.
Instead of listing all of thosethings for you, which I find to
(06:35):
be very boring hearing lists, Ithink we'll just let those
things unfold as we go.
My new intro kind of says itall.
This podcast is about creativity.
It's about being open.
It's about constructing,creating a daily life that
(06:57):
excites you.
It's about looking for more.
It's about you're never too old, it's never too late.
It's about what's coming uparound the bend, all of that.
I want this to be a community ofthe truth seekers, the truth
tellers.
I want us to reimagine ourworlds together, reject all of
(07:19):
that crap that society istelling you that you need to be,
that you need to do, reclaimyour life.
I want to work on that everyday, and so that's going to be a
big part of this podcast.
I want this to be a place wherewe just extinguish those
limiting beliefs, erase the needto be liked, screw it, be you.
(07:43):
I've done a lot of that and Ican't wait to share more about
that because it's so much funonce you get into it.
Life can be long or life can beshort.
That part is not in our control.
But how full and how rich do wewant our lives to be?
Are you actively dreaming anddesigning and tweaking and
(08:05):
reinventing, aka staying curious?
Are you open to the questionsand the what ifs and the
possibilities?
If so, I think this podcast isfor you.
If you are not, then it is notfor you.
If you came here for politics,it is not for you.
I hate politics and I will notbe discussing them.
(08:27):
Do not come here for politicaltalks.
It's not happening.
I was coming from before.
I was coming from a place ofsetting really hard boundaries
and I was just kind of in afighting back sort of a place.
If you listened to my lastseveral episodes, I was dealing
(08:49):
with a lot of things.
All of those things have beenresolved in my mind.
I am coming now from heart softand boundaries strong kind of a
place.
So boundaries are strong, butmy heart is soft.
I am no longer like this needsto go, this needs to go.
It's more Okay.
(09:10):
The boundaries are strong, I'mfeeling soft, I know where I fit
, I know who fits in my life andI am coming from acceptance and
love.
At this point I no longer seepeople as mean or hurting me or
see myself as a victim.
Working through all of theforgiveness and the
(09:31):
understanding of where otherpeople come from and what causes
miscommunication and justoverall human perception.
I am now not seeing anyone asmean or hurtful.
I'm seeing them more as woundedin need of healing, and I am
coming from a whole differentplace mentally.
(09:54):
I'm hoping that everyone willend up hearing that and feeling
that as well.
Part of the reason why I wentaway was because I knew I was
not coming from that place atthat time and I knew I needed to
get back to who I really trulyam.
Another thing that's really onmy mind for this coming season
(10:15):
is coming from a beginner's mind.
I love this quote.
In the beginner's mind thereare infinite possibilities.
In the experts there are few.
That is by Suzuki.
So this is all about comingfrom that beginner's mind, a
state of openness and wonder,and that state allows a person
(10:37):
to approach life without anybias associated with knowledge
and experience.
It's a curious mind without ego.
It's an open mind, just saying,hey, what do you have to bring
me today?
Let's figure it out, let'sstudy it, let's just go on this
journey.
That's essentially what thispodcast is about Beginner's mind
(11:00):
.
As you may remember, anotherthing that I was really dealing
with over the last several yearswas perimenopause.
I have made some unbelievablediscoveries in this realm of
life and boy did I go throughhell and back to find it.
(11:21):
But I am finally finally at aplace where I can come from
experience and talk about thingsand, I think, really shed some
light on some stuff.
I'm hoping to have some greatexperts to come and talk,
because I'm not an expert, but abig thing I have in my mind is
(11:44):
I want to hear from people whohave started over later in life,
in midlife, after midlife.
I want to hear stories aboutpeople who are doing things
until the day they die.
I don't want to hear about thewhole under 30 lists or even
under 40.
I want this season first of all.
(12:07):
It's just going to be different, because I'm coming from a
whole different place in my life.
I have done so much physically,spiritually, mentally I have
discovered avenues, I have gonedown avenues.
I didn't even know what thehell it was three years ago.
I want to come back and talkabout those things.
(12:30):
As for my interviews, most ofthem are going to stay done
along the same lines.
Although I'm not pursuingprofessional photography like
taking clients anymore, I stillam a photographer, I will always
be one, and I'll still likelybe speaking to a lot of them in
(12:52):
this next season, because somany of them are writers and
poets and powerful speakers.
I do want to bring on manyother different types of
interviews, though, but I justknow of so many photographers
that are inspiring and justawesome to watch, so it's going
(13:14):
to be a mix, but this by nomeans is a photography podcast.
This is for anybody out therelooking to expand their mind,
expand their lives, live acreative life, get inspired and
just hear interesting stuff.
Really, and last, what is myoverall goal for this podcast?
(13:37):
It is very simple, and that isto just keep doing it and keep
loving it.
That's it.
The numbers are actually prettyimpressive as to what I
expected to be honest.
So, whatever, I don't reallycheck.
I don't even know how manyactual subscribers I have.
(13:58):
I only know on certainplatforms how many, and I
haven't even checked that inlike a year.
So I have no clue and I'mprobably going to keep it that
way because it's not why I dowhat I do.
I do know the global standingand it's pretty great for me at
least, and that's it.
(14:19):
I'm not doing it for applause.
I really love this and I lovewhat it brings to my life.
I love sitting down andresearching the people that I'm
going to talk to.
I love sitting down andbrainstorming what I want to
talk about and the things that Iwant to put my attention on.
(14:41):
I have what you would call aFerrari brain with bicycle
brakes.
That's kind of another way ofsaying.
You know the ADHD brain.
It's just moving at 100 milesper hour all the time and really
hard to stop it.
So instead of focusing onnegative things or rehearsing
(15:04):
you know an argument in yourmind, I focus on this and
creating this and what I'm goingto bring to you and what I'm
going to bring to my life andhopefully someday to my
daughters when she listens, andthat's it.
So that's my overall goal.
I think it's pretty clear whothis is for and who it is not
for, and I'm not here toconvince anybody.
(15:27):
If you like it, follow.
Please make sure that you havenot been paused.
Apple iPhone updates did someweird thing that I just heard
about and somehow paused a bunchof people, so I'm not very
happy about that.
That sucks, because I'm notreally on social media ton to
(15:49):
let everybody know and mynumbers are so low on social
media now, so I don't know.
Tell your friends, text them anepisode and tell them to go and
make sure that they'refollowing so that they'll get
notifications when these air,and that's about it.
I'm really excited to be backand I'm loving seeing you all
(16:12):
share these episodes.
It makes me so happy, and ifyou could please leave a review
and five stars, that would beawesome.
So until we meet again, staycurious.
Welcome to Curating the Curious, the podcast that
celebrates staying curious inlife and never settling into a
box.
This show is for the creators,the seekers, the explorers, the
truth tellers and the foreverstudents of life, no matter what
age or stage you're currentlyat.
(00:22):
This is not as good as it gets,and it is never too late to
begin.
Join me as we explore all ofthe questions that come with the
idea of curiosity a place wherethe possibilities are endless
and you can always start again.
Since it felt a little strangeto just start the season and not
(00:46):
even say a word about whereI've been, I wanted to check in
and make it short and sweet,kind of just give you an
overview of where I went andwhere I want to take this new
season.
In the interest of brevity Ireally appreciate brevity I'm
going to get to the point andlet you know the answers to
(01:08):
those things so that we can justgo on with this new season.
I can bring you all of thepeople and the ideas that I've
been thinking about for the pastfew years.
If you haven't already listenedto Rachel Larson Weaver's
episode, which was my firstepisode back for the new season
I think it was episode number 61.
(01:31):
Do that.
It's such a good one, reallystarted off the year wonderfully
for me and she's just a breathof fresh air so inspiring and
awesome.
I highly highly recommend youcheck it out.
Now I'll get down to where I'vebeen and where I would love to
(01:51):
take this new season Back inDecember of 2022,.
I read this quote by MichaelaCole in a world that entices us
to browse through the lives ofothers in order to help us
better determine how we feelabout ourselves, and to, in turn
, feel the need to be constantlyvisible, your visibility these
(02:13):
days seems to somehow equate tosuccess.
Do not be afraid to disappearfrom it, from us, for a while.
See what comes to you in thesilence.
So I read those words, I made ahandful of episodes and a few
months later I fully ran withthat advice and decided to
(02:37):
disappear Just here and then onsocial media, and in the
beginning I had just planned ona minor little break, kind of
get my stuff together.
But as the months kept creepingby, I continued to dive deeper
and deeper into rest and healingand introspection and just my
(03:01):
inner world, and I decided tojust quiet the noise.
Find some clarity on what mytrue priorities are in life and
forget about anything that hadto do with checking in with
others, speaking to others,putting my thoughts out there,
done.
It was all about listening tomy own voice.
(03:21):
So now I'm back and veryexcited to be doing this.
I'm still not sure what I planto do from here with social
media.
It's hard because I do actually, I get the word out better with
social media, but I don'treally want to be spending my
(03:43):
time there too much, so I'mstill ironing that out.
But regardless, a major lessonhas been learned through this
huge break that I took and allof these things that I've been
working on.
If we are constantly watchingothers and checking in on how
they feel about what we do, webegin to lose sight of our own
(04:03):
inner compass.
So is it possible to be anactive participant on social
media and still keep a grasp onthat inner guide?
I think for some, yes, it ispossible.
I don't know how, though.
It's not for me, but I'm backhere.
There's no question how I feelabout this.
(04:23):
This podcast is a great joy inmy life.
It's very fulfilling.
I love this medium ofcommunication and connection and
I am truly, truly back and I'mstaying.
It's funny the reaction thatyou get when you do something
(04:43):
like come out with your ownpodcast and what people think of
that, what they assume it to beVery interesting.
I got myself caught up in allthat BS.
The year before last, 2022 wasthe hardest.
I mean, you can hear me whenI'm talking about the tribes
thing and oh, I'm apologizingfor saying it because somebody
(05:05):
said it was bad and I was soconcerned about what other
people were thinking.
I just want to give myself abig hug back then and say, hey,
you can't be perfect.
You're recording this.
You don't have a team ofeditors or a team of people
telling you what's right andwrong.
Sometimes you're going to saysomething stupid, but I think
(05:28):
it's not even stupid.
Okay, it might not work forsome people, but I came to find
that a lot of people were likewhat are you even talking about?
I'm out of that phase of mylife, thank God, where I'm
checking in with everybody tosee if I'm okay.
I'm really happy to be back withthat new sense of self, because
(05:49):
I think the more truth you cantell, the more you can connect
with other people.
I'm coming back to this spaceas myself.
There's not going to besugarcoating, which I don't
think I was doing too much of inthe first place, but I'm me and
this is what you get.
Quite frankly I am superexcited to really cover all of
(06:14):
these things that have takenplace, that have changed in life
, the things that I've found towork for me and that I've been
working on, the things I'velearned and the people that I've
been watching and listening toand have you hear from them.
Instead of listing all of thosethings for you, which I find to
(06:35):
be very boring hearing lists, Ithink we'll just let those
things unfold as we go.
My new intro kind of says itall.
This podcast is about creativity.
It's about being open.
It's about constructing,creating a daily life that
(06:57):
excites you.
It's about looking for more.
It's about you're never too old, it's never too late.
It's about what's coming uparound the bend, all of that.
I want this to be a community ofthe truth seekers, the truth
tellers.
I want us to reimagine ourworlds together, reject all of
(07:19):
that crap that society istelling you that you need to be,
that you need to do, reclaimyour life.
I want to work on that everyday, and so that's going to be a
big part of this podcast.
I want this to be a place wherewe just extinguish those
limiting beliefs, erase the needto be liked, screw it, be you.
(07:43):
I've done a lot of that and Ican't wait to share more about
that because it's so much funonce you get into it.
Life can be long or life can beshort.
That part is not in our control.
But how full and how rich do wewant our lives to be?
Are you actively dreaming anddesigning and tweaking and
(08:05):
reinventing, aka staying curious?
Are you open to the questionsand the what ifs and the
possibilities?
If so, I think this podcast isfor you.
If you are not, then it is notfor you.
If you came here for politics,it is not for you.
I hate politics and I will notbe discussing them.
(08:27):
Do not come here for politicaltalks.
It's not happening.
I was coming from before.
I was coming from a place ofsetting really hard boundaries
and I was just kind of in afighting back sort of a place.
If you listened to my lastseveral episodes, I was dealing
(08:49):
with a lot of things.
All of those things have beenresolved in my mind.
I am coming now from heart softand boundaries strong kind of a
place.
So boundaries are strong, butmy heart is soft.
I am no longer like this needsto go, this needs to go.
It's more Okay.
(09:10):
The boundaries are strong, I'mfeeling soft, I know where I fit
, I know who fits in my life andI am coming from acceptance and
love.
At this point I no longer seepeople as mean or hurting me or
see myself as a victim.
Working through all of theforgiveness and the
(09:31):
understanding of where otherpeople come from and what causes
miscommunication and justoverall human perception.
I am now not seeing anyone asmean or hurtful.
I'm seeing them more as woundedin need of healing, and I am
coming from a whole differentplace mentally.
(09:54):
I'm hoping that everyone willend up hearing that and feeling
that as well.
Part of the reason why I wentaway was because I knew I was
not coming from that place atthat time and I knew I needed to
get back to who I really trulyam.
Another thing that's really onmy mind for this coming season
(10:15):
is coming from a beginner's mind.
I love this quote.
In the beginner's mind thereare infinite possibilities.
In the experts there are few.
That is by Suzuki.
So this is all about comingfrom that beginner's mind, a
state of openness and wonder,and that state allows a person
(10:37):
to approach life without anybias associated with knowledge
and experience.
It's a curious mind without ego.
It's an open mind, just saying,hey, what do you have to bring
me today?
Let's figure it out, let'sstudy it, let's just go on this
journey.
That's essentially what thispodcast is about Beginner's mind
(11:00):
.
As you may remember, anotherthing that I was really dealing
with over the last several yearswas perimenopause.
I have made some unbelievablediscoveries in this realm of
life and boy did I go throughhell and back to find it.
(11:21):
But I am finally finally at aplace where I can come from
experience and talk about thingsand, I think, really shed some
light on some stuff.
I'm hoping to have some greatexperts to come and talk,
because I'm not an expert, but abig thing I have in my mind is
(11:44):
I want to hear from people whohave started over later in life,
in midlife, after midlife.
I want to hear stories aboutpeople who are doing things
until the day they die.
I don't want to hear about thewhole under 30 lists or even
under 40.
I want this season first of all.
(12:07):
It's just going to be different, because I'm coming from a
whole different place in my life.
I have done so much physically,spiritually, mentally I have
discovered avenues, I have gonedown avenues.
I didn't even know what thehell it was three years ago.
I want to come back and talkabout those things.
(12:30):
As for my interviews, most ofthem are going to stay done
along the same lines.
Although I'm not pursuingprofessional photography like
taking clients anymore, I stillam a photographer, I will always
be one, and I'll still likelybe speaking to a lot of them in
(12:52):
this next season, because somany of them are writers and
poets and powerful speakers.
I do want to bring on manyother different types of
interviews, though, but I justknow of so many photographers
that are inspiring and justawesome to watch, so it's going
(13:14):
to be a mix, but this by nomeans is a photography podcast.
This is for anybody out therelooking to expand their mind,
expand their lives, live acreative life, get inspired and
just hear interesting stuff.
Really, and last, what is myoverall goal for this podcast?
(13:37):
It is very simple, and that isto just keep doing it and keep
loving it.
That's it.
The numbers are actually prettyimpressive as to what I
expected to be honest.
So, whatever, I don't reallycheck.
I don't even know how manyactual subscribers I have.
(13:58):
I only know on certainplatforms how many, and I
haven't even checked that inlike a year.
So I have no clue and I'mprobably going to keep it that
way because it's not why I dowhat I do.
I do know the global standingand it's pretty great for me at
least, and that's it.
(14:19):
I'm not doing it for applause.
I really love this and I lovewhat it brings to my life.
I love sitting down andresearching the people that I'm
going to talk to.
I love sitting down andbrainstorming what I want to
talk about and the things that Iwant to put my attention on.
(14:41):
I have what you would call aFerrari brain with bicycle
brakes.
That's kind of another way ofsaying.
You know the ADHD brain.
It's just moving at 100 milesper hour all the time and really
hard to stop it.
So instead of focusing onnegative things or rehearsing
(15:04):
you know an argument in yourmind, I focus on this and
creating this and what I'm goingto bring to you and what I'm
going to bring to my life andhopefully someday to my
daughters when she listens, andthat's it.
So that's my overall goal.
I think it's pretty clear whothis is for and who it is not
for, and I'm not here toconvince anybody.
(15:27):
If you like it, follow.
Please make sure that you havenot been paused.
Apple iPhone updates did someweird thing that I just heard
about and somehow paused a bunchof people, so I'm not very
happy about that.
That sucks, because I'm notreally on social media ton to
(15:49):
let everybody know and mynumbers are so low on social
media now, so I don't know.
Tell your friends, text them anepisode and tell them to go and
make sure that they'refollowing so that they'll get
notifications when these air,and that's about it.
I'm really excited to be backand I'm loving seeing you all
(16:12):
share these episodes.
It makes me so happy, and ifyou could please leave a review
and five stars, that would beawesome.
So until we meet again, staycurious.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com