Empowered & Embodied Show

How to Change Systems from the Inside Out with Dr. Krystal Rawls

Send us a MessageFeeling powerless against systems that seem too big to change? Episode 190 of The Empowered & Embodied Show will shift how you think about agency, collective power, and your role in transformation.Kim Romain and Louise Neil sit down with Dr. Krystal Rawls, systems strategist, workforce futurist, and Director of the Workforce Integration Network at Cal State Dominguez Hills. Dr. Rawls breaks down why systems aren't separate from people, they're made OF people. That means you have more power than you think.In this conversation, we explore the difference between personal and collective agency, why isolation keeps us stuck, and how finding your community isn't just nice-to-have, it's the actual mechanism of systems change. Dr. Rawls shares practical strategies for moving from feeling like a lone voice to building collective power that creates real impact.KEY TAKEAWAYS:Personal agency is the permission you give yourself to actCollective agency emerges when your community aligns on shared values and directionSystems aren't bigger than people; they're comprised of people, which means you have inherent powerFinding your community starts by finding one person who you align withBelonging is about fully being yourself within communityCHAPTERS:00:00 Introduction and Welcome04:02 Understanding Systems and Individual Agency06:31 The Importance of Community in Systems Change09:10 Defining Personal and Collective Agency11:56 Challenging Individualism and Embracing Community14:58 Navigating Systems and Personal Choices17:24 Building Community and Collective Action20:09 The Role of Rituals in Community Building25:39 The Journey from Individual to Collective Impact28:26 Finding Belonging in Community31:04 Rest as a Strategy for Empowerment33:29 Wrap Up and Call to ActionABOUT DR. KRYSTAL RAWLS:Dr. Krystal Rawls is a systems strategist, educator, and workforce futurist whose work centers on equity, agency, and institutional change. As Director of the Workforce Integration Network at California State University, Dominguez Hills, she leads large-scale initiatives bridging digital access, economic mobility, and community empowerment. Her expertise spans organizational behavior, change management, and digital equity with a focus on how identity and agency shape the way individuals engage and transform systems.Connect with Dr. Rawls on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/professorrawls/Download pre-release chapters Dr. Rawls' upcoming book - Ambient Learning Models: Civic Learning in a Post AI Pedagogy: https://myseconddraft.notion.site/What-Education-Becomes-2e3057aab8728032a637ee2aa00b0a95Join a circle of changemakers committed to leading with purpose, presence and ease inside Kim's Rising Visionaries mentorship program. Reclaim your career and confidence during midlife through Louise's Rise & Redefine program.If you’re loving this show, come check out the Feminist Podcasters Collective, where creators like us are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change. If you’re looking for new shows to fill your feed, head to https://feministpodcasterscollective.com

Leading Like a Herd, Not a Hierarchy with Abriana Johnson

Send us a MessageIn Episode 189 of The Empowered & Embodied Show, Kim Romain and Louise Neil sit down with Abriana Johnson, host of the Black in the Saddle podcast and founder of Black Unicorn Creative, to go beyond mindset and explore alignment as something you feel deeply in your body.Abriana shares her genius about what horses teach us about leadership, safety, and trust. They dive in about why balance is a myth, why over-focusing can actually create harm, and how leaders lose credibility when their words and bodies aren’t aligned.This conversation weaves together biomimicry, nervous system regulation, brand culture, and collective awareness, offering a grounded reminder that leadership isn’t about control. It’s about attention, congruence, and moving together.At its core, this episode invites you to slow down, widen your awareness, and remember that alignment happens at the level of self, community, and environment.Key TakeawaysBalance is a myth.Safety is the foundation of trust, leadership, and collaboration.Over-focusing can be as harmful as distraction.Nature prioritizes efficiency and sustainability over control.Being different only works when people feel safe enough to show up.Key Moments00:00 Welcome and Introductions03:43 Abriana’s Path from Animal Science to Biomimicry06:21 Horses as a Model for Collective Awareness07:20 Why Balance Is a Myth and Alignment Matters11:45 Over-Focus, Control, and Missed Signals15:16 Nature, Efficiency, and Sustainability23:25 Safety, Trust, and Alignment31:44 Alignment at the Individual and Collective Level33:18 Golden Nuggets and Integration Connect with AbrianaWebsite: http://www.blackunicorncreative.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abrianajohnson/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/in/theabrianaj/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@abrianajJoin a circle of changemakers committed to leading with purpose, presence and ease inside Kim's Rising Visionaries mentorship program. Reclaim your career and confidence during midlife through Louise's Rise & Redefine program.If you’re loving this show, come check out the Feminist Podcasters Collective, where creators like us are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change. If you’re looking for new shows to fill your feed, head to https://feministpodcasterscollective.com

Replay: Moving Beyond Labels to True Identity

Send us a MessageWhat if the way you introduce yourself is actually holding you back?In this episode of The Empowered and Embodied Show, Kim Romain and Louise Neil start with a simple question: "How do you introduce yourself?" and uncover something much deeper... the difference between putting on a mask and performing who you think you should be and embodying who you actually are.They explore the hidden needs that drive how we show up in the world, why understanding those needs unlocks authentic leadership, and how to stop shrinking yourself to fit into rooms that weren't built for you.In This Episode:Why "Tell me about yourself" may trigger anxiety and what to do insteadThe truth about needs vs. being "needy" (and why this matters for confidence)How Human Design reveals patterns that keep you stuck in doubtMoving from role-based identity to soul-based expressionWhat authentic leadership actually looks like when you stop performingPerfect for you if you've ever felt the gap between who you are and how the world sees you, struggled with introducing yourself authentically, or wondered why networking feels so draining.This conversation gets deep, fast and will change how you think about identity, authenticity, and what you truly need to thrive.Key Moments:00:00 — Intros and Welcome04:47 — Identity Starts with How We Introduce Ourselves05:00 — Human Design: Open Centers and the Spiral of Doubt08:34 — The Difference Between Wants and Needs12:34 — Why Needs Are About Fulfillment, Not Lack15:32 — Unlearning "Too Needy": Reclaiming Our Right to Need18:07 — Finding the Courage to Name What Fills You20:34 — Redefining Leadership: Guiding vs. Commanding27:50 — Holding Space: What It Really Means to Lead Energetically31:13 — When Someone Else Introduces You (And Gets It Right)32:48 — The Struggle to Be Seen in Rooms That Aren't Like-Minded35:23 — Noticing the Word "Need" and What It Reveals37:24 — Final Reflections: Still in the Messy Middle, Still Growing38:44 — Embodying Your IdentityJoin a circle of changemakers committed to leading with purpose, presence and ease inside Kim's Rising Visionaries mentorship program. Reclaim your career and confidence during midlife through Louise's Rise & Redefine program.If you’re loving this show, come check out the Feminist Podcasters Collective, where creators like us are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change. If you’re looking for new shows to fill your feed, head to https://feministpodcasterscollective.com

Replay: Creating Ease Through Alignment and Authenticity with Adhya Rose

Send us a MessageWhat if creating ease in your life and work isn’t about doing more… but about aligning more deeply with what’s already true?In this replay episode of The Empowered & Embodied Show, Kim Romain and Louise Neil are joined by Adhya Rose, an efficiency and energetics coach who supports purpose-driven entrepreneurs in building sustainable systems that honor both capacity and humanity.This conversation explores alignment, authenticity, embodiment, and the practice of allowing. Together, they unpack why control often feels safer than trust, how misalignment leads to burnout, and what becomes possible when we stop forcing outcomes and start listening to what our bodies, values, and lives are asking for.Rather than offering formulas or quick fixes, this episode invites a slower, more honest inquiry into how ease is created through clarity, self-trust, and supportive systems that work with us instead of against us.In this episode, we explore:What alignment actually looks like in real life and businessWhy authenticity is a practice, not a personality traitThe relationship between control, surrender, and inner peaceHow systems can support growth without depletionNavigating change, chaos, and personal evolution with more easeThe ripple effect of personal alignment on the collectiveIf you’re craving more ease, navigating a season of transition, or re-evaluating how you live and work, this conversation offers language, perspective, and permission to stop pushing and start allowing.Key Moments:00:00 – Intro & Welcome02:53 – Alignment and Ease05:33 – Authenticity in Practice08:04 – Asking for Support12:03 – Systems That Support15:46 – Navigating Change19:13 – Inner Peace and Trust21:20 – Growth Through Chaos24:37 – Karma and Evolution30:07 – Conscious Creation33:12 – Control vs. Surrender39:02 – Collective Impact43:46 – Final ReflectionsConnect With Adhya:Website: www.adhyarose.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/adhyarose_mentor/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adhya-rose-27960017a/ Join a circle of changemakers committed to leading with purpose, presence and ease inside Kim's Rising Visionaries mentorship program. Reclaim your career and confidence during midlife through Louise's Rise & Redefine program.If you’re loving this show, come check out the Feminist Podcasters Collective, where creators like us are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change. If you’re looking for new shows to fill your feed, head to https://feministpodcasterscollective.com

Replay: Decolonizing Leadership - Belonging, Power, and the Systems We Inherited with Shoshana Allice

Send us a MessageLeadership didn’t become exclusionary over time. It was intentionally built that way.In this replay episode of The Empowered & Embodied Show, Kim Romain and Louise Neil sit down with Shoshana Allice, a neuro-inclusive leadership coach and consultant, to examine how leadership systems are rooted in exclusion and what it takes to lead differently.This conversation explores decolonizing leadership, the myth of belonging through conformity, and how power, privilege, and productivity norms shape who gets to lead and who gets left out. Together, they name the ways we’ve been taught to wear armor, suppress our bodies, and confuse fitting in with safety.This episode covers:Why so many leadership systems are exclusionaryWhat it means to decolonize leadership and unlearn inherited normsBelonging vs. fitting inRest as resistance inside productivity cultureCuriosity as a leadership practiceReclaiming humanity in leadership and workIf you’re questioning traditional leadership models, navigating burnout, or searching for more honest and humane ways to lead, this episode offers language (and permission) to stop pretending the system works for everyone.Key Moments:00:00 – Welcome and Introductions07:20 – Curiosity, Writing, and Listening to the Process13:20 – Introducing Shoshana Alice15:47 – Land Acknowledgement and Context21:33 – What Decolonizing Leadership Really Means25:15 – Safety, Armor, and Brave Spaces30:04 – Curiosity as the Starting Point34:45 – Belonging vs. Fitting In38:32 – Age, Wisdom, and Leadership44:36 – Key Takeaways and Reflections49:10 – Where to Find Shoshana and ClosingResources Mentioned:📖 Rest as Resistance by Tricia Hersey🎥 This is WaterConnect with Shoshana:🌎 www.decolonizingleadership.comJoin a circle of changemakers committed to leading with purpose, presence and ease inside Kim's Rising Visionaries mentorship program. Reclaim your career and confidence during midlife through Louise's Rise & Redefine program.If you’re loving this show, come check out the Feminist Podcasters Collective, where creators like us are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change. If you’re looking for new shows to fill your feed, head to https://feministpodcasterscollective.com