Beauty in the Break

In Part 1 of this moving conversation, Cesar and Foster sit down with Foster’s longtime therapist, JJ Brake, to explore what truly makes relationships thrive. JJ is an expert in couples therapy, parent education, and Internal Family Systems (IFS), and shares the three keys to lasting connection. She breaks down how to navigate conflict, communicate courageously, and offers tangible tools for more mindful relationships.

In this episo...

In this laid-back bonus episode of Beauty in the Break, Foster and Cesar explore the sacred feminine and sacred masculine energies, going beyond gender to uncover how these forces live within all of us. Drawing inspiration from Rise, Sister, Rise by Rebecca Campbell, they unpack balanced vs. unbalanced expressions of feminine and masculine energy, touching on sexuality, support, protection, and partnership. You will come away from ...

In this episode of Beauty in the Break, Foster and Cesar unpack the complexity of gender roles, invisible labor, and how cultural expectations affect everything from parenting and relationships to careers and self-expression. They share deeply personal stories: crying in secret as a boy, being the first girl on a football team, navigating motherhood and invisible labor, and redefining what masculinity and femininity actually mean.

T...

In this bonus meditation episode of Beauty in the Break, Cesar guides you through a Growth Mindfulness meditation to quiet your inner critic and reconnect with the present moment. You’ll learn how to release tension, calm the noise in your mind, and cultivate mindful awareness. Whether you’re seeking stress relief, emotional healing, or a simple practice to ground yourself, be sure to save this guided mindfulness meditation so you ...

What if your loudest inner critic could become your greatest teacher? In this conversation, Foster and Cesar explore Growth Mindfulness, a practice that helps us separate from negative self-talk and uncover the calm, clarity, and confidence already living inside us. From childhood wounds to social fears, they reveal how our thoughts can hold us back—and how meditation, awareness, and simple mantras can free us to live with authenti...

Sexuality isn’t always so simple. And in this intimate, unfiltered conversation, Foster and Cesar share how their identities, attractions, and labels have shifted over time. From growing up in environments that suppressed queerness to exploring pansexuality, demisexuality, and life beyond the binary, they reflect on love, desire, and self-acceptance. And for the first time on the show, Cesar opens up about a part of his sexuality h...

Foster and Cesar dive deep into our screen habits, asking the vital question: what does a healthy relationship with your phone actually look like? They share their evolving perspectives on smartphones, screen time, and social media, especially as parents who are navigating the decision of when (and how) to introduce tech to their children. They examine not just the mental health data around screen use, but also the emotional underc...

In this episode of Beauty in the Break, Foster and Cesar bring you 12 unforgettable therapy lessons that reshaped their lives. Drawing from years of individual therapy, couples therapy, Jungian analysis, and parts work, they share tangible wisdom that listeners can apply to their own healing and communication journeys. Whether you’re navigating family dynamics, learning to self-regulate, or trying to let go of old stories, this epi...

Award-winning jazz vocalist Mel Collins joins Beauty in the Break for a powerful conversation about healing through music, reclaiming identity, and finding joy in your authentic voice. Mel opens up about her journey from musical theater to jazz after years of vocal nodules, depression, and identity loss. When the discovery of one Ella Fitzgerald CD changed everything, Mel rediscovered her joy—and her calling.

Mel talks about navigat...

What if your deepest fears about aging weren’t about wrinkles or retirement—but about forgetting your own name, or being forgotten by the people you love? In this soul-stirring episode of Beauty in the Break, Foster and Cesar return with their listener-favorite “Say More” series for a deeply personal, unscripted conversation on spiritual connection, parenting through imperfection, aging, grief, family patterns, and what might live ...

This bonus episode of Beauty in the Break is an extended compilation of wisdom from Foster & Cesar’s joyfully sober friends—real people sharing powerful, funny, and vulnerable reflections on sobriety, addiction, and healing. You’ll hear from Chan Kinchla, Kate Anthony, Megan Stewart, Glenn Milley, Eve Sturges, Johanna Brown, and others. Whether you’re sober curious, reevaluating your relationship with alcohol, or already on the...

Are you sober curious? What if sobriety wasn’t a loss—but a doorway to something richer, deeper, and more vibrant? In this episode of Beauty in the Break, Foster and Cesar explore the concept of joyful sobriety—a term that flips the narrative from shame and scarcity to celebration and self-connection. Whether you're newly sober or just beginning to explore what it means to be sober curious, they share how choosing to stop drin...

In this episode of Beauty in the Break, Cesar and Foster dive into the vulnerable, often uncomfortable act of admitting when we’re wrong—and how that simple phrase can shift everything. They reflect on how our ego, upbringing, and societal norms all shape our relationship to being right, and how choosing honesty over defensiveness can lead to unexpected moments of intimacy, relief, and growth.

Through heartfelt personal stories, the...

After losing her father suddenly, actress, producer, and stand-up comic Jennica Schwartzman turned to comedy, storytelling, and creative community as a way to navigate grief and reclaim her identity. She joins Beauty in the Break for a powerful conversation about healing after loss, diving into stand-up comedy, and the ways her ministry upbringing shaped her voice as a storyteller. Jennica also shares how she continues to build inc...

Welcome to the most playful episode yet! In Say More! Vol. 2, Foster and Cesar return with their recurring series where they pull unexpected questions from a deck and go wherever the stories lead. What follows is a ride through ice cream scooping traumas, pit bull heroism, skydiving metaphors, teenage gang life, and what happens when you're faced with a really, really bad boss. 

Amidst the play, they touch on fear, self-express...

Foster and Cesar bravely share their radically different relationships with disordered eating, trauma, and healing. Foster opens up about living with an undiagnosed eating disorder for 22 years—marked by constant food obsession and internalized body shame—before receiving a diagnosis that finally brought relief and a path forward. Cesar shares his story of childhood hunger and neglect, and how that scarcity shaped his adult relatio...

Foster and Cesar dive into the topic of gatekeepers—those visible and invisible forces that control access to success, opportunity, healing, and recognition. They explore how gatekeeping shows up in creative industries, media, friendships, and even family dynamics. With vulnerable storytelling, they unpack moments where they’ve felt on the outside looking in and how they've reclaimed power by creating their own doors—or walkin...

In this powerful episode, Cesar bravely recounts the night he was physically assaulted by a group of men—a traumatic event that left him with severe physical injuries and a deep, unshakable imprint on his psyche that changed him forever. He details the harrowing moments of the attack and the grueling recovery process that forced him to confront deep-seated anger, self-loathing, and the loss of his previous identity as a boxer and p...

In this lively episode, Foster and Cesar introduce a soul-bearing conversation game that fast-tracked their emotional intimacy. With thought-provoking and hilarious questions, they reveal unexpected truths, from childhood food obsessions to spontaneous skinny-dipping stories. Along the way, they explore deep themes like healing through food, navigating anxiety, and the generational shifts in values. 

In this episode, they explo...