Thriving Between The Lines
Join me, life coach Leslie Crudup Villagarcia and my ever inquisitive co-host, Meka, as we examine personal development books through the lens of intersectionality, making self help content more accessible and relatable.
What is intersectionality?
According to Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw, who coined the term in 1989, "Intersectionality is a metaphor for understanding the ways that multiple forms of inequality or disadvantage sometimes compound themselves and create obstacles that often are not understood among conventional ways of thinking."
So, why did we create this podcast?
Because the personal development/self help/wellness/success world often erases the lived experiences of people from marginalised communities. The truth is that privilege often plays a huge part in a person's success, but do mainstream books admit to this?....Rarely. That's why we're here to extract the gems hidden within the content. To reframe relevant information from these books in a way that will allow us ALL to live well, regardless of race, sexuality, gender identity, neurodiversity, or socioeconomic status!
In other words, we're not just reading between the lines, we're Thriving Between the Lines!
Visit leslievcoaching.com to find out more about me and to book a free intro. life coaching consultation.
[Find my book club The Vanguard Book Club for Personal Development on Meetup.com]
Episodes
52 episodes
Season 1 Wrap-Up message from Leslie! See you in Season 2 :)
Transcript:Hello Thrivers! Life coach and personal development nuisance, Leslie Crudup Villagarcia here. And I’m officially wrapping up Season 1 of our podcast, which is something I really wanted to do before the end of 2024, but...
Footnote Ch13: Leslie and Meka on our dating boundaries, AKA 'resetting standards'
In this footnote, we expand on one section of 'He's Just Not That Into You' relating to resetting one's standards when it comes to dating/relationships. We discuss some of our boundaries, the benefits of re-evaluating boundaries, and, most impo...
Footnote Ch13: Meka and Leslie reflect on being naked in public with 5000+ people
In this footnote, we reflect on our recent experience participating in a nude photoshoot with world-renowned artist Spencer Tunick! Over 5000 people here in Meanjin (Brisbane) took to the Story bridge in the early hours of the morning in a gran...
Chapter 13: He's Just Not That Into You, by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo | Duh, silly women, boys will be boys!
Strap on your Manolo Blahniks and pour yourself a Cosmopolitan, because we’re jetting back into the dating world circa 2004!On the latest episode of “Thriving Between the Lines” - the podcast examining personal development books through ...
Footnote to Meka's Transition Story: How the movie Labyrinth gave Meka penis envy
Meka used to hate the movie Labyrinth. I know, can you believe that?? It took him YEARS to understand, as a trans person, what was behind that hate. I think y'all might see where this is going 😆.Have a listen!<...
Footnote: Meka on balancing energy levels among partners in non-monogamous relationships
How can we balance our energy levels to ensure our partners are being treated equitable? How can we prevent New Relationship Energy (NRE) from derailing our existing relationships? In this footnote, Meka explores these questions from the perspe...
Footnote: What Meka learned about jealousy by being polyamorous
This footnote explores Meka's experience of one of the questions most frequently asked to polyamorous folks, 'But, don't you get jealous?'There are many ways to respond to jealousy and not every polyam person reacts to it in the same wa...
Want to read about Polyamory? Here are some books to consider!
The subject of polyamory often comes up in our book-specific episodes, as it is one of the lenses through which Meka and I experience the world. In personal development writing, especially where relationships are concerned, there is often an as...
Meka's transiton story
In the latest episode of Thriving Between the Lines, Meka shares his powerful journey of self-discovery, courage, and embracing his true identity! Meka speaks very openly about his own experience transitioning from female to male and how...
Footnote Ch12: How Leslie's ex used Non-Violent Communication to commit emotional abuse
In this Footnote, Leslie tells a story about how her ex weaponised non-violent communication against her. Let this be a reminder that power imbalances need to be taken into consideration when recommending NVC as a mediation strateg...
Footnote Ch12: Some more effective communication strategies
In this footnote, Meka explores the main points from an article by Lori S. Katz Ph.D. In the article, she offers 5 essential strategies for communication in the...
Chapter 12: Non-Violent Communication | Who knew racism was a myth??
"What could possibly be wrong with Non-Violent Communication? Haven't you two gone a bit too far with your cheeky deep dives this time??" I hear you ask. Well, listen to what we have to say and decide if, perhaps, we haven't gone far eno...
Footnote Ch11: No, Leslie did not "attract" her miscarriages, bruh!
Content warning: Frank discussion of pregnancy lossThis footnote is about things not to say when someone has had a miscarriage.Have you ever wondered what to say to support a friend who has experienced pregnancy loss? Well, most...
Chapter 11: You Are a Badass, by Jen Sincero | Stop manifesting poverty, okay?!?
Poor people don’t want money enough, apparently 🙄. And in other news, the reason you attract bad people is that you are a bad person! ….Yeah, this was all news to us as well.Join us, Leslie an...
Footnote Ch1 (from the vault): Leslie on Toxic Monogomy and talking to 'the opposite sex'
Here's another previously unpublished footnote from our episode on No Excuses, by Brian Tracy. In this footnote, Leslie goes off about toxic behaviours that are accepted in too many monogamous relationships. We speak very openly ab...
Footnote Ch 2 (from the vault): How Meka avoids accidentally re-buying things!
Here's another previously unpublished footnote from way back in Chapter 2, in which we spoke about The Lifechanging Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo!In this footnote, Meka tells us about an app he uses to prevent gaining clutter by a...
Footnote Ch 8 (from the vault): Meka on Toxic Positivity vs Non-Toxic Positivity
Here's a previously unpublished footnote to keep y'all warm while Meka is away being a genius! This was originally attached to Chapter 8: Girl Wash Your Face, by Rachel Hollis. In this footnote, Meka explains the difference between...
Footnote Ch10: Traumatic memories triggered in Meka by 'Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru'
content warning: eating disorders, spiritual abuse, suicidal ideation, cult mentalityThis is the story of why Meka had to stop watching to documentary part way through. Let this be another cautionary tale for anyone who still turns to R...
Footnote Ch10: Leslie's Success Resources Bingo Card | success clichés abound!
This is a story about Leslie's first Success Resources experience (2018), which was also her first and only live Tony Robbins experience. Like, seriously, she had to make herself a Bingo card for day 2 just to stay engaged. Have a listen! <...
Chapter 10: Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru | Yeah, no kidding, bruh.
Tony Robbins has been upheld as the number 1 personal development guru of our time. BUT is he doing more harm than good? And should someone with such power in the self help world be held to a higher standard of ethics?In this chapter, we...
All about our podcasting journey so far!
So, we've been producing Thriving Between the Lines for a little while now so, we figured it's about time we do a little roundup of our experience thus far. When we set out to create a podcast examining personal development books t...
Footnote Ch9: How becoming a parent changed what Leslie worries about.
This is a little story about the sorts of things that used to give Leslie anxiety and how that all changed once she became a mum.
Footnote Ch9: Worrybox
This is a little story about a piece of art Meka once made as an illustration of his worry and anxiety. Have you ever tried to shove your worries into a box? Then perhaps you can relate. Click below to see the image in question:
Chapter 9: How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, by Dale Carnegie | ...or not?
As an openly depressed/anxious life coach, I am very sceptical about any form of media that claims to offer a 'cure' for worry. So, naturally, there was no way this book was not going to be tossed under our microscope. We're going wayyyy back i...