I'm sad to say this is the final episode of Conjuring Up Courage. After three years of podcasting, I'm hanging up my headphones (at least for now). In this episode, I talk about that decision, share how my three-month hiatus went, and explain how to keep up with me and my work moving forward. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/134.Thank you for listening all this time. This show wouldn't have been possible without every person who tuned in week after week.Queerly yours,Shohreh.

The Final Episode | #134

I've made the difficult decision to put both the podcast and my business as a whole on hiatus for at least the next three months. In this solo episode, I explain why I'm taking a break and what you can expect from me going forward. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/133. In case this ends up being the final episode of Conjuring Up Courage, I want to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has been a fan of the show. It's been an honor to grace your headphones, car stereos, office speakers, and every other space my voice has found its way to in the past three years.

The Pod Is Going on Hiatus (And So Am I) | #133

Jad Jaber is the founder of Marginalized Majority, a non-profit focused on Global South queerness, mental health, and community support. In this episode, Jad and I discussed their experiences as a queer Arab person forced to immigrate from their homeland, intergenerational trauma and healing, the impact of white supremacy in the queer community, and more. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/132. CW: Mentions of specific instances of homophobia, violence against queer folks, and racism

Global South Queerness and Immigration with Jad Jaber| #132

If you've been waiting for the tea on my romantic life, I am finally serving it up piping hot. In this episode, I've joined forces with my girlfriend, Jessie, to answer listener questions about our relationship and give some advice. Tune in to learn more about our love story, how we communicate, how to know when you've found "the one," and more. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/131. 

Pridepalooza Q&A with Shohreh and Jessie | #131

Your friendly neighborhood Girl Gang has returned to the pod to discuss our experiences with getting older. The three of us chatted about wrinkles, gray hair, alcohol, memory loss, having less fucks to give, and more in our usual chaotic fashion. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/130.

The Girl Gang Talks Aging | #130

Reverend Maureen Cotton, the coach and officiant behind The Soulful Wedding, is on a mission to revive the understanding that a wedding is a powerful and transformative rite of passage. In this episode, Maureen and I discussed intention as a magic ingredient for wedding planning, how to balance the needs of the couple getting married with the needs of the guests attending the wedding, where to draw inspiration from for non-religious ceremonies, the unique joy of queer weddings, and more. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/129.

Planning an Intentional and Meaningful Wedding with Reverend Maureen Cotton | #129

It turns out that when you get divorced and come out as gay in your early thirties, people tend to be pretty curious about it. So in this solo episode, I'm answering the question that's been on everyone's minds: "But how did you not know you were gay?" You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/128.

But How Did You Not Know You Were Gay? | #128

I have been internet and IRL friends with therapist and social worker Amanda Pouncy-Ross for years, and something I love about our friendship is the variety of topics we weave together in our conversations. This episode is no different as we discuss abolition on an individual and societal level, the role of creativity in collective liberation, the concept of and need for chosen family, and plenty more. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/127. 

Reframing Abolition and Finding Your Weirdos with Amanda Pouncy-Ross | #127

After space, time, and a whole lot of healing, I’m revisiting my divorce and some of the most important lessons I learned from it in this solo episode. If I had to go through hell, y’all might as well glean some of the wisdom I gained in the experience. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/126. The show notes also include a free, downloadable Divorce Survival Guide with tools and exercises for folks going through divorces and break-ups.

Lessons I Learned From Getting Divorced | #126

Queer Dating Coach, Ariella Serur, is on a mission to disrupt traditional dating advice and transform the dating pool into one folks enthusiastically want to jump into. In this episode, we discussed some of the unique challenges queer people face when dating, how to shift your mindset around expectations and success while dating, what makes for a great profile on dating apps, and more. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/125.

Experiencing Personal Growth Through Dating with Ariella Serur | #125

Whether you're job searching, trying to figure out if you want to start a side hustle, or even pretty satisfied with your career, this episode with Rosie McCarthy of Badass Careers has something for everyone. Rosie and I chatted about what signs signal that it's time to leave your job, how to determine if entrepreneurship is for you, tips for the job-hunting process, including navigating self-doubt, mindset shifts to help you cope when you're in between jobs, and so much more. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/124.

Making Badass Career Moves with Rosie McCarthy | #124

It's been a hot minute, but The Girl Gang is back, back, back again, y'all! In this episode, we are ranting and raving about our pet peeves and bad human behavior in general. If you want to hear about all the things that make us angry enough to want to slash someone's tires, including slow drivers in the left lane, clothing you can't wear a bra with, and men who like to play devil's advocate, this one's for you. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/123.

The Girl Gang Talks Pet Peeves | #123

After two decades in the social work field, Nicole Steward is convinced that radical self-care is a must for anyone who works in human services. In this episode, Nicole defines radical self-care, shares her pillars for practicing it, and explains why helpers, healers, and change makers in particular need it in order to sustain themselves. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/122.CW: Mentions of suicide, childhood sexual assault, and rape

Radical Self-Care for Helpers, Healers, and Change Makers with Nicole Steward | #122

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been feeling unmotivated lately. So in this solo episode, I’m talking about motivation: what it is, how it works, and strategies to help you get your groove back when motivation is lacking (some of which may surprise you). You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/121.

How To Get Motivated When You're Struggling | #121

Dr. Uchenna "UC" Ossai is the creator and founder of YouSeeLogic, a judgment-free online platform dedicated to adult sex education and empowerment. In this episode, UC and I discussed the many causes of sexual shame, ways to improve your sex life and increase sexual confidence, why you may not always have a "WAP" (among other sex myths), and more. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/120.

Addressing Sexual Shame and Building Sexual Confidence with Dr. Uchenna "UC" Ossai | #120

This episode features the founder of Chronicon and The Chronicon Community, Nitika Chopra. Nitika chatted with me about her experiences navigating chronic illness and entrepreneurship, her definition of self-love, her thoughts about how folks can support the people in their lives with chronic illness, and more. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/119.

Navigating Chronic Illness with Nitika Chopra | #119

When I desperately needed to see queer representation, I looked to quality queer media to find it.  In this solo episode, I talk about some of the awesome queer movies and TV shows I've been enjoying over the last year and a half or so. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/118. 

Queer Media I've Been Enjoying | #118

It's no secret that much of the history of marginalized groups has been obscured. That's why Jermaine Fowler, a historian and the founder of The Humanity Archive, is making an effort to tell the stories of the historically untold. In this episode, Jermaine and I discussed historical events that rarely get taught in schools, whose stories get told and why, and how to work toward a future where history is more accurate and inclusive. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/117. 

Everything Your History Classes Left Out with Jermaine Fowler | #117

Lola Wright is a coach, an ordained minister with a gift for weaving together the mystical and material, and a speaker who has graced stages all over the world. Lola and I chatted about the path to figuring out who you are, what it really means to love yourself and others, the connection between personal transformation and collective liberation, and more. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/116.

Getting Unstuck and Learning To Love Yourself with Lola Wright | #116

Time is something we're always talking about, trying to wrap our heads around, and proclaiming we don't have enough of, but I've never heard it spoken about in quite the way Ixchel Lunar does in this episode. Ixchel is a Decolonial Time Witch who helps people decolonize and reclaim their time so they can liberate their flow. We chatted about the differences between colonial time and indigenous time, how flow and rest are interconnected, and strategies for taking back your time from dominator culture. You can find the show notes and a full transcript of this episode at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/115.

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